23 March Edition Week 13
Transcription
23 March Edition Week 13
PIC NEWS Picnic Point High School Newsletter March 2016 Edition PRINCIPAL’S REPORT It’s been another busy term, as you will see when you read the many articles in this edition of PICNews. I commend the dedication of our staff and amazing initiatives and talents shown by our students which have been showcased this term. In this article I will highlight some of these achievements. Once again our Open Night for prospective Year 7 students for 2017 demonstrated the amazing talents of our student leaders who guided over 700 visitors around the school, candidly answering parent questions and professionally escorting their groups throughout the school to cover as many areas as possible in the time allocated. One of the best advertisements for our school is our wonderful student leaders. I would also like to congratulate the many staff who gave up so much of their own time to attend on the night and demonstrate what PPHS is all about when it comes to student learning and providing young people with such wonderful learning opportunities. The feedback from so many parents was exceptional and rewarding for the hard work put into the night by students and staff. Last week we had the first of our student leadership workshops for the year, led and organised by Mrs Davilla, Mr Burgess, Ms Stavros, Mr Rawlings and Miss Marquis. 188 students were involved in the day's activities where their skills in being a leader, working in groups and building self-confidence were developed in a range of fun and engaging activities. Principal Mr Wolly Negroh B Ed, Dip Teach Term 1 Week 9 NAPLAN tests will be held in week 3 next term which will test important skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. At the classroom level it is one of a number of important tools used by teachers to measure student progress. In 2016, NAPLAN tests will be held on 10-12 May. Information specifically for parents and carers can be found at http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support.html Recent school and student successes include Congratulations and commendations to Harrison Walther, coming first in the national Darrell Tree Essay Writing competition, a nationwide competition being run by the Australian Bravery Association. Also commendation to Jasmine Zande, for achieving third and Brenden Selby and Caitlin Millar, for achieving Highly Commended awards. Congratulations to the SRC that hosted a fundraiser barbeque for the Leukaemia Foundation. Their excellent teamwork and leadership raised $300 towards this very worthwhile charity. Once again, PPHS was crowned the zone swimming champion school with many of our students representing the school and zone at the regional swimming carnival. The boys’ water polo team is once again competing in the final 8 of the NSW CHS state knockout competition in Newcastle under the expert leadership of Coach, Mr Sparks. Congratulations to the Year 10 Peer Support Leaders for their commitment to the program and support of Year 7 in their transition in Term 1, to Picnic Point High School. CONTENTS Deputy’s Reports What’s On Student of the Month P&C News News Programs Faculty Reports Year Adviser Reports Sport Page 2/3 Page 4 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 10 Page 19 Page 20 61 Kennedy St, Picnic Point Ph: 9772 1700 Fax: 1 9792 3960 Email: [email protected] Web: www.picnicpt-h.schools.nsw.edu.au DEPUTY’S REPORT – MRS SHERRY Year 7 Information Evening On Tuesday 8 March we held the first Year 7 Information night for parents at our school. The aim of the evening was to increase parent knowledge of how to support their child’s learning at Picnic Point High School. There were four workshops for parents to attend which covered the areas of assessment, reporting, welfare and study and homework. Feedback from the parent evaluation at the end of the evening showed that parents came away from the evening with an increased understanding in each of the four areas. Prior to workshop At the end of the workshop Very Minimal Adequate Strong Strong Minimal Adequate Strong Very Strong 23 24 14 3 Assessment with Mr Rawlings 0 6 35 31 25 24 12 3 Reporting with Mr Bleyerveen 0 4 37 32 17 25 17 3 Homework & Study with Ms Ng 0 4 33 33 16 27 16 5 Welfare with Ms Marquis 0 3 33 37 In the comments received from parents there was a mix in those requesting longer workshops and those saying that the timing was good. As always, we are aware of families time commitments and how busy families are, so keeping the evening succinct and flowing is important. As a result of the workshops, parents stated they will be able to assist their child more in the future and will be more active in discussions and support of their child. A very big thank you is needed to the P&C who organised the light dinner for parents providing them with valuable time to talk to staff members and other Year 7 parents. The P&C members not only catered for the evening but ensured that the workshop movement and timing worked effectively. Year 6 Open Night Once again our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders presented themselves and our school in an outstanding manner during the tours of our school on Open Night in Week 6. Parents always speak highly of them and they should be proud of the work they do to support our students and the school. Year 11 Year 11 students have started completing their first assessment tasks for each subject they are studying. During the year meeting this week, they were given the opportunity to start thinking about their year and were provided with strategies and resources to assist them in meeting their deadlines and successfully completing their Preliminary Studies. RELIEVING DEPUTY’S REPORT – MS TARASENKO Year 12 commenced their Half-Yearly Examinations on Tuesday 22 March through to Friday 1 April. This marks the half-way point for their HSC year. All students should always endeavour to work to the best of their ability and ensure all tasks are completed on time and to the highest standard in order to obtain the best possible rank in their course. Whilst striving to do their best, students and their parents are reminded to find the balance between school, work and family commitments and not place undue stress on themselves. There are many exciting activities around the school for our Year 12 students to enjoy their final year and take with them some lasting memories. In 2016 we have seen strong leadership from our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders on Open Night and throughout the term as leaders of the Year 7 Peer Support Program. As always, our students are our best assets and should be proud of the work they do to support our students and the school. Year 8 students have been in their classes for almost a term and are reminded that their focus must remain on their learning in the classroom at all times. Students should be focusing on improving their assessment marks by organising their time and producing work to the highest standard. Their aim should be to make a significant improvement in their overall assessment result and receive an invitation to the Deputy Principal Morning Tea that will be held next term. 2 DEPUTY’S REPORT – MS STAVROS LITERACY AT PPHS Parents and teachers can better support children in understanding the texts they read by using the 8 reading comprehension strategies. Previewing Making Predictions Making Connections Questioning Monitoring Clicks and Clunks Visualising Summarising The texts we read on a daily basis, in and out of school, rely on the ability to understand what we read. Whether the text is fiction, non-fiction, from a textbook, the internet or a newspaper, these strategies when explicitly modelled in the classroom allow students to learn how to use these skills independently. This term at PPHS, teachers have been modelling PREVIEWING and PREDICTING in the classroom. Parents can assist with their child’s learning by reinforcing these two strategies at home. SKIMMING is a helpful skill for students to get the main idea of the text before reading. Skimming is to read over a text quickly to get the main idea and supporting information. It assists students to predict and can be used in conjunction with previewing. It can be hard to “sell” to some students who feel as if skimming is “cheating” and who are detail focused. When to use it: when you want a quick idea of a text before you start answering questions or seek information. How to skim: 1. Read through the text quickly to get the main idea or the big picture. 2. Look at the headings, subheadings, diagrams, captions, pictures and words in bold or italics. 3. Read the first and last paragraphs. A particular type of text will introduce the topic in the first paragraph and summarise in the final paragraph. By encouraging your child to use these strategies at home when reading any type of texts will allow them to gain a deeper understanding of the content. The links below will assist in learning more about the two strategies: Previewing and Making Predictions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsLD33rczFA Although this next clip is American it clearly outlines the strategy of Previewing a text. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6YW-IAIVYQ 3 What’s On – Term 1 Tuesday 22 March – 1 April Year 12 Exams Friday 25 March Good Friday (Public Holiday) Monday 28 March Easter Monday (Public Holiday) Wednesday 30 March Year 7 Immunisation (Day 1) Wednesday 6&7 April Friday School Photo Day ANZAC Day Ceremony Last Day Term 1 8 April What’s On – Term 2 Wednesday 27 April All students return Monday 2 May – 6 May Year 11 Exams Wednesday 4 May – 6 May Year 7 Camp Tuesday 10 May – 13 May NAPLAN Monday 16 May P&C Meeting Wednesday 18 May Year 12 Parent/Teacher Night SCHOOL PHOTO DAY UPDATE A reminder that School Photo Day is Wednesday 6 April, with the catch up day for absent students being Thursday 7 April. Students will receive an envelope during roll call from the photography company with prices and photograph options. The envelope is printed uniquely for each student. If you require a family photo order, please see Ms Minos. Please note that students must return their envelope, even if not buying photos. Instructions to students and parents are on the envelopes. There are a number of photo packs that can be purchased. Prices range from $35 to $55 with additional packs available from $20. Students are asked to bring the envelope on the day of the school photos. Please contact Ms Minos if you require any further information. NAME 7 Edward Le 8 Deamma Taganesia 9 Mustafa Syed 10 Matthew Blight 11 Monique Boboleska 12 Jake Capes MICHEL'S REVESBY STUDENT OF THE MONTH FEBRUARY 2016 REASON FOR THE AWARD For consistently working hard and displaying a conscientious manner across all subjects. Her outstanding moral behaviour and consideration of other students. For having a positive and diligent approach to all school activities and always treating both staff and students respectfully. For having a positive and diligent approach to all school activities and for recently auditioning successfully for the 2016 State Drama Ensemble with The Arts Unit. There are only 25 Students from across NSW Public Schools selected for this program. A fantastic achievement. For her conscientious approach and excellent dedication in English. For his impressive contribution to the school community. 4 MESSAGE FROM THE P&C P&C Meeting We had our first P&C meeting for the year last month and we welcomed new and returning parents. Our next meeting will be on Monday 21 March at 7:00pm. Earn and Learn Canteen Volunteers As always the canteen is looking for volunteers. If you could spare a day a week, a month, a term or even a year please see the ladies in the school office to fill in a volunteer form. A day’s work in the canteen is fun and easy. It’s also a great way to get know your children’s friends, the teachers and staff at the school. Elizabeth Grueninger P&C President After a long wait Woolworths have delivered the resources we selected using the Earn & Learn Stickers. Some of the items distributed were musical instruments and guitar tuners for the music department, probability equipment for the maths department, digital microscopes and geology study equipment for the science department and stationery for the history department. We look forward to parents and students supporting the school when the program is relaunched again this year. Year 7 Information Night The P&C supported the school recently in the running of the year 7 2016 Information Night. The information night was a new concept that was introduced to replace the Meet the Teacher Welcome BBQ. A light dinner was sponsored by the P&C and we would like to thank the parent volunteers who helped put this together on the evening. The idea of the information night came about after feedback from the 2015 Year 7 parents and the P&C meetings last year. The theme was focused on what parents would like to know at the beginning of Year 7 and the P&C worked with the school to come up with the information for the evening. The evening was held in the Library and we had over 100 people attend. Parents were split into 4 groups and teachers presented to each group. Parents got to hear information about how to use the Millennium Portal, how to read and understand the school reports, how to interpret the requirements and marking criteria of assessments, how to use the after-hours study group at the school and other general information. It was great to see so many parents attend and the feedback from the night was very positive. On behalf of the P&C we would like to thank Mrs Nicole Sherry for leading the initiative and putting together a great program. 5 NEWS Year 9 & 10 Free Spirit Girl Workshop The Free Spirit Girl Workshop on Friday 26 February was very entertaining, motivational and inspiring. Our motivational speaker Katie Pitsis was confident, engaging and encouraging. She taught us girls about facing our fears, body positivity, confidence and living our lives in ways that we will be proud of. Katie included all the Year 9 and 10 girls in the workshop and encouraged them to share ideas and answer questions. She also had a visual presentation which showed us the influence of social media and the false images and stereotypes young women are shown today. She taught us to embrace differences and love ourselves and the beauty we all have. Overall, the Free Spirit Girl Workshop definitely had a positive impact on all Year 9 and 10 girls. We learnt a lot about doing our best for ourselves and aspiring to fulfil our goals. 6 PROGRAMS SRC SUPPORTS LEUKAEMIA FOUNDATION The Leukaemia Foundation provides personalised and practical support for people affected by blood cancers and related blood disorders and their loved ones. These conditions include: Leukaemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma, MDS, MPN, Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinaemia, Aplastic Anaemia, Amyloidosis and related blood disorders. This support is provided by an extensive team of highly trained Blood Cancer Support Coordinators who are there to help throughout the individual’s entire blood cancer experience. All services are provided at no charge to patients and families and are available in metropolitan, regional and rural areas across Australia. The SRC hosted a fundraiser barbeque for the Leukaemia Foundation last Thursday 10 March. A special thanks to Cameron Walsh and Matthew Blight who cooked the sausages and all the other SRC members who helped run the event. The fantastic teamwork and leadership shown by the SRC allowed the fundraiser to run smoothly. The fundraiser was a great success collecting $300 to go towards the charity. Joshua Weatherill of Year 11 is participating in the World’s Greatest Shave by shaving his hair on 10 April 2016. This is to show his support to this worthy cause. Come and support him. If you have missed donating/supporting this cause during the BBQ, the SRC will be holding another fundraiser on Wednesday 23 March – An Easter Egg Extravaganza. We will be selling chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs and hot cross buns. We hope to see you all there as it will be a fantastic fundraiser. The prices will be $2 and under. Why not come along and help support your school. Dang Pham & Molly Miller Year 9 SRC PARENT ONLINE PAYMENTS (POP) If you have not yet used the new Parent Online Payments system (POP), you are able to make online payments to the school with Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards. On the Picnic Point High School website there is a “Make a payment” tab. By selecting this link you will be taken to a secure Westpac payment page. From the initial Westpac QuickWeb page payers will complete the necessary details, some of which are mandatory (marked with an *), before confirming the payment details and completing the payment. A receipt can be printed from the payment page and/or be emailed to the payer. The Leukaemia Foundation is a great cause. A big Thank You to the students as well as the teachers of Picnic Point High School who have helped make a difference by donating and supporting this organisation. 7 OUR FIRST SOCIAL INC. GROUP MEETING The room was full and about 4 new members came along. We briefly discussed what Social Inc. was about and went on to discuss what the group wanted to get from Social Inc. this year and what activities people were interested in. Ideas ranged from BIG ideas eg: Jamberoo, a Social Inc. Camp, to Sports like soccer, touch footy, to more low key activities like gardening, cooking, craft, fundraisers etc. Inclusion Council Planning 2016 Present: Austin Johnson, Charbel Azzi, Ella Frazer, Hayley Baytieh, Sruti Janakiraman, Lily Genford, Tony Northall and Natalie Bishop Then we looked at dates and term by term discussed some issues around some events, e.g. practicality of purchasing all the eggs for an Easter egg hunt. Term 1 Sailing-Social Inc. Members invited to join support group Inclusion Council planning meeting for specific activities & poster making (Charbel & Austin to do posters) Social Inc. Netball comp - Teachers v Students (Mr Northall to organise) Term 2 will be film making a play, filmed with the Conference on Thursday 16/6/16 Term 3 Is yet to be decided Term 4 Say Hi Day 18/11/16 SOCIAL INC. LEADERSHIP COUNCIL The group shared why they want to be part of Social Inc. which was great, as there is a real cross section of reasons…from wanting to build confidence, to making the school more inclusive or wanting a career in special needs education. We started looking at the list of activities that the group generated and which of them will help them to achieve their goals. On Tuesday 1 March 2016 Mr Tony Northall announced at the morning assembly the elected members of the Social Inc. Leadership Council. The leadership group consists of 7 members from both support and mainstream classes. Their primary role is to be the student voice in promoting social inclusion and acceptance amongst the school community. The following students are 2016 Social Inc. leaders: Sruti Janakiraman, Lily Genford, Ella Frazer, Charbel Azzi, Kiarne Bitz, Hayley Baytieh and Austin Johnson. Congratulations on your selection to lead our Social Inc. program. Social Inc. leaders invite everyone to join the group to become an advocate for social inclusion. Please see Mr Northall in A3 to collect the membership form. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Northall for taking over the Social Inc. program as I am starting at my new school next term. I believe this very special program will be run by a fantastic teacher who has always been very committed and supportive of social inclusion and equity. Good luck to everyone and thank you for all good times we have shared together. Mrs Bray 8 INDIGENOUS EDUCATION/GROUP ACTIVITIES Over the last 2 years our Year 11 & 12 Indigenous students have participated in the Learn, Earn Legend program, sponsored by the NRL. The program provides students with a co-ordinator, Shaun Humphries, who meets with students on a fortnightly basis to offer support and assistance with staying on at school, leadership programs, training programs, apprenticeships, transition to work and University entry. Shaun has been a valuable assistant to our students and recently brought along the NRL Indigenous Ambassador George Rose (ex NRL player) and Canberra’s strongest man, Andrew Fraser, to meet the students and discuss their post school pathways and how to access information and advice, when required, as they progress towards the end of their schooling. The junior students have been participating in small group tutorial sessions every Thursday, which are aimed at supporting students with class work, homework, assignments and exam preparation. These sessions have been well attended and the students have indicated that there has been a significant benefit to their general understanding of school work and also as a tool to assist with assessment work. PEER SUPPORT Over the term, Year 7 students have participated in four Peer Support sessions, facilitated by the Peer Support Leaders of Year 10. The program concluded on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 with many interesting and fun activities. One of the activities was a ‘Skyscraper Challenge,’ where teams of students had to build the tallest and strongest structure from newspaper and sticky-tape. This challenge helped students to build skills in teamwork and resilience. Some of the photos are below. Thank you to the Year 10 Peer Support Leaders for their commitment to the program and support of Year 7 in their transition to Picnic Point High School. Mrs Morris 9 FACULTY REPORTS ENGLISH It has been a busy and productive time this term, with most year groups having completed their first assessment tasks. Additionally, a number of students in Year 12 have attended a Study Day and the Debating teams are currently being finalised. The following is a snapshot of some of the wonderful activities that have taken place this term: Year 12 English Study Day at Sydney University On Friday, February 26, Picnic Point High School’s Year 12 English Standard and Advanced classes attended the English HSC Study Day at Sydney University. A group of 90 students attended the day, along with English teachers Mrs McGrath, Ms MacDonald and Ms Kourouche. The day enabled students to experience learning in a university environment by experiencing lectures alongside other students undertaking their HSC in 2016. The first lecture was concerned with the Area of Study for 2016 -Discovery. The lecture covered all aspects of Discovery to assist students with their examination responses. A small break followed before classes were split in the second lecture. The Advanced English students attended the lecture on the Reading Task with Mrs McGrath, whilst the Standard students attended the lecture on Question Three, Essay Writing with Ms MacDonald and Ms Kourouche. These lectures enhanced the students’ knowledge and provided helpful tips and strategies concerning these sections of the paper. Once this lecture concluded, students were able to explore the university campus before the third and final lecture. Each class was divided between lectures based on the texts studied in their English class. Ms MacDonald’s Advanced English class attended the ‘Go Back to Where You Came From’ lecture, Mrs McGrath’s Advanced English Class attended the lecture on ‘The Tempest’, whilst Ms Kourouche led the Standard English students to the lecture on ‘Away.’ Overall, the day gave students insightful knowledge that they will be able to apply to their HSC English examinations this year. Antonia Mangos Debating Debating teams are being organised this term with interested students trying out for a place in the junior teams. Watch this space for more exciting updates on our debating teams! Assessment Tasks Students have been actively preparing for their first term assessment tasks and all students should take note of the feedback from these tasks in order to continue to improve the quality and quantity of their work. Winners Are Grinners Congratulations to all the students who put in a grand effort at the end of 2015 and entered the Darrell Tree Essay Writing competition, a nationwide competition being run by the Australian Bravery Association. Our students showed determination and proudly represented our school at a time when many other schools were wrapping up for the year. Consequently, Picnic Point High School has been credited with having the most participants and receiving the most commended and highly commended awards, an achievement that we can all take pride in. Congratulations and commendations to Brenden Selby and Caitlin Millar, for achieving Highly Commended. Commended Certificates were also awarded to James Ferguson, Christopher Allagiannis, Dania Saboune, Nicolas Karperos and Aidan Mikrut. In addition, several Certificates of Participation were awarded to the students of Picnic Point High School who proudly accepted their awards from the Australian Bravery Association representative, Mr A. MacDonald S.C. Back Row: Hayley Shipley, Jasmine Zande, Kaisey Janda, Stephan Kocsi-Thwaites, Tyrone Simitsopoulos, Harrison Walther, Evan Mangos, Tai Rolls, James Ferguson, Ethan Barnes, Brenden Selby. Front Row: Dania Saboune, Jazz Choueifati, Nicolas Karperos, Jesse McLauchlan, Adam Cambridge, Alicia Callura, Robert Russell, Christopher Allagiannis, Aidan Mikrut and Mr A. MacDonald, S.C. 10 The celebrations continued when two of our students took out first and third place. Congratulations to Harrison Walther, coming first in this national competition, and Jasmine Zande, for achieving third. These two students took home a plethora of prizes including cash prizes, minted gold coins, trophies and personal letters of commendation from the competitions namesake, Mr Darryl Tree recipient of Australia’s highest bravery honour, the Cross of Valour. May this tremendous win encourage all of our students to become involved in writing competitions. Hard work and determination are what we strive for at Picnic Point High School and these students have worked hard and embodied this strength of spirit. Congratulations. The English Faculty are very proud of all participants and would like to invite the school to continue reading PICNEWS for up and coming writing competitions. One such competition is the What Matters? A Writing Competition being held by the Western Sydney University. Students should see their English teacher or visit: whitlam.org/whatmatters for more information. English Faculty MATHS Mr A MacDonald S.C., recipient of the Star of Courage presenting Harrison Walther with his personal cheque, his gold coin and personal letter of commendation. Year 7 Students are currently studying Algebraic Techniques and finishing off with Indices this term. Parents of year 7 students can support their child by ensuring that all activities on Mathletics in the topic Integers and Algebra are completed by the end of Term 1. It is essential that all students complete this topic as part of their ongoing revision. For Term 2, there will two check points occurring in Week 4 and Week 8 using Mathletics. Could parents and caregivers please assist by ensuring that your child completes all of these activities at the relevant check points. If there are any technical difficulties please inform your child’s classroom teacher as soon as possible. Students having problems with or accessing Mathletics from home are strongly encouraged to attend the Wednesday afternoon tutorials. Jasmine Zande receiving her trophy from Mr A MacDonald S.C. Year 8 Students are currently studying Pythagoras’ Theorem and starting Fractions, Decimals and Percentages to finish off Term 1. Students should have completed the Mathletics tasks on Algebraic Techniques by the end of Term 1. For Term 2, there will be two check points using Mathletics and these will occur in Week 4 and Week 8. By week 4 students are expected to have completed Pythagoras Theorem, Fractions, Decimals and Percentages and by week 8 students should have completed Equations and Measurement. Could parents and caregivers please assist by ensuring that your child completes all of these activities at the relevant check point. If there are any technical difficulties please inform your child’s classroom teacher as soon as possible. 11 MATHLETICS CERTIFICATES 1. Practice, Practice & More Practice Certificates achieved on Mathletics are being printed and distributed during week 8. All future certificates will be distributed during week 5 and week 9 of each term. A merit sticker will also be issued for each Bronze certificate and two stickers for a Silver certificate. Achievement of a Gold certificate will result in a merit certificate being issued. Students are encouraged to complete all set activities to achieve some of the certificates. It is impossible to study maths properly by just reading and listening. To study maths you have to roll up your sleeves and actually solve some problems. The more you practice answering maths problems, the better. Each problem has its own characteristics and it’s important to have solved it in numerous ways before tackling the exam. There is no escaping this reality, to do well in a Maths exam you need to have solved a LOT of mathematical problems beforehand. 2. Review Errors When you’re practising with these problems, it’s important to work through the process for each solution. If you have made any mistakes, you should review them and understand where your problemsolving skills let you down. Understanding how you approached the problem and where you went wrong is a great way of becoming stronger and avoiding the same mistakes in the future. MATHEMATIC QUIZ EDITION 2 2016 The Mathematics Faculty has recently taken possession of two class set of laptops to assist in the teaching of Mathematical concepts. For every newsletter, there will be a math quiz for readers of all ages. Entries can be submitted to [email protected] The solution to Mathematic Quiz Edition 1 was $20. The Tyne Bridge has 4 traffic lanes: a fast and a slow lane in each direction. Today, vehicles in the fast lane are travelling at 55kph and are 25 metres apart. Vehicles in the slow lane travel at 35kph and are 20m apart. Year 10G using the laptops to revise for their When being driven across the bridge, Alex and Matthew play a game of counting the vehicles that they pass heading the other way. Alex counts the vehicles in the fast lane, whilst Matthew counts the vehicles in the slow lane. Who counts more vehicles if the boys’ car is in the fast lane? Who counts more if it is in the slow lane? Assessment Tasks 7 TIPS FOR MATHS PROBLEM SOLVING The focus of every Maths lesson is to develop exceptional problem solving skills. Students and parents will find the following guide useful for developing problem solving skills. Be on the lookout for tips 3 and 4 in future newsletter. Mr Le Head Teacher of Mathematics 12 HISTORY As in previous years our service will be supported by troops from the 5th Combat, Service and Support Battalion. Their contribution always makes our service special. Parents and grandparents are warmly invited to attend our Service. Parents of Year 10 students are asked to stay tuned for information about an upcoming excursion to the Jewish museum. This excursion was run for the first time last year and proved to be a very successful learning experience for our students. Mr Goman Head Teacher History Year 10 Elective History with their teacher Mr Poolman has been studying the American War of Independence. During this lesson they looked at the Declaration of Independence and considered the many revolutionary ideas it contained. Students have also looked at the nature of American colonial society and the causes of the American Revolution. Students have thoroughly enjoyed studying this topic, especially because of the ongoing American Presidential election. ANZAC SERVICE UPDATE This year the School will commemorate ANZAC Day on the last day of Term1, April 8. As in the previous two years, the theme of our service will be based on the 100th anniversary of the WW1. History teachers play a special role in preparing our students for this important occasion as teaching WW1 forms a central part of the Stage 5 Year 9 History program. Older students who attend the service have already studied this topic. This year the Service will place a special emphasis on the year 1916. Some of the biggest and most costly battles of the entire war occurred in this year. Australians played a large and important role in many of the battles that took place in 1916. The casualty figures for Australians were often shockingly high. As well, as with all previous School ANZAC services, our school will honour the contributions of all former service personnel who served in areas of conflict as well as peace keeping and humanitarian operations. We will also honour the contribution being made by current Defence Force personnel serving at home in Australia or overseas. PDHPE We have some very busy times in PDHPE at the moment. Year 11 are currently completing their first assessment tasks in both PDHPE and SLR. PDHPE students are analysing the Biggest Loser UK series to see how the health of individual participants has been affected by their lifestyle behaviours, economic factors, cultural factors and environment. The SLR students are analysing and comparing major sporting organisations and how they are structured and governed. Year 12 are preparing for their Half-Yearly examinations and the students had a real bonus recently when George Rose (ex Manly and Dragons Rugby League) and Andrew Fraser the School to Work officer for Canberra (and winner of the Strongest Man in the ACT competition) paid a visit to the school and had some spare time to address the Year 12 PDHPE students. They spoke on a range of topics that are covered in the HSC syllabus including recovery strategies, training plans, periodisation, peaking, tapering, pre-season training, energy systems, technology advances and drug testing methods. It was wonderful for the students to be able to access this information from professional athletes who have experience in all of these aspects (George Rose played 15 seasons in the NRL). I am sure the class gained enormous benefit from the discussion and hopefully they can return in the near future to continue the discussions. Mr Millican Head Teacher PDHPE 13 SCIENCE The Science faculty would like to thank the students who helped our staff during the Year 6 open night. Our enthusiastic staff always enjoys showcasing exciting experiments and allowing prospective students to experience a taste of High School Science. We are so grateful to the following students; Brandon Grueninger, Isabel De Araujo, Germaine Samuels, Georgia Hewitt, Bailey Frost, Jeremy Graham and Hayden Ormerod who demonstrated the experiments with enthusiasm. Year 8 are continuing to discover how organisms are connected in a delicate balance within ecosystems in the Circle of Life topic. Recently they have been discovering the requirements of plants and animals and how they obtain and use these requirements within cells. In the Year 9 Fire Science topic, students are discovering the positive and negative effects and aspects of a particular bush fire. Students were required to research and present information in an engaging magazine article. The Science faculty continue to be amazed by the effort of our students in this creative task. 9G, 9R, 9B and 9Y magazine articles Year 10 are continuing their journey learning about how biotechnology has benefited society. Recently they explored the uses of biotechnology in medicine and food manufacturing as well as technologies to improve reproductive success. As the term continues we progress further through the contextualised topics of our junior courses. In Year 7, students delved further into the Dangerous Creatures topic. They have been observing unicellular organisms under the microscope, developing models of invertebrates as well as plant and animal cells. This term Year 7 also produced attractive brochures on an Australian dangerous creature with exceptionally creative results. Our senior students are continuing their learning in their respective courses. Year 11 Biology are studying the local ecosystem which culminates in an excursion to the Georges River to put the techniques learned in this course into practice. Year 11 Physics are learning about the behaviour of light and what happens when light moves through the air into a glass prism while our Chemists are exploring the molecular structure of common substances and gaining experience in analytical techniques used in chemistry labs worldwide. Year 7 Dangerous Creatures Brochures Year 7 Dangerous Creatures Models Once again the ICAS Science Competition is approaching and Science students are strongly encouraged to participate. Permission notes have been issued and students are required to return these with payment as soon as possible. The sitting date for the competition is on Tuesday 31 May 2016. Science Faculty Year 7 Cells 14 SOCIAL SCIENCES This is a busy month for the faculty; our senior Geography classes are conducting their fieldwork activities. Year 12 Geography classes ventured into the Sydney CBD, Milson’s Point and Darling Harbour. The day had students visiting Luna Park, walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Rocks and Circular Quay and then to Darling Harbour via the financial heart of the city, King Street Wharf and the Harbour side – in both rain and sunshine. Highlights of the day were walking across the bridge for most students, this was their first time to do so; visit to the City of Sydney Library’s 3-D City model which was built into the glass floor and viewing the construction of the new Light Rail for George Street. Year 12 Geography Classes at Luna Park 3-D model of Sydney CBD, City of Sydney Library Year 11 Geography is gearing up for their fieldwork at Salt Pan Creek, Padstow and the Year 10 Geography fieldwork at the Cronulla Beaches by the end of the month. Mr Stayte has volunteered to co-ordinate the Australian Geography Competition in 2016 and he will be announcing the details of the competition shortly. All students are encouraged to participate in the competition and we know that students last really enjoyed the challenge and this led to very results in 2015. Our junior Geography classes are well into their courses now and we eagerly await the completion of the first Year 7 Geography task, as it involves an inter class challenge for the people’s choice of the most popular poster in the year group. The winner’s poster will be announced in the next issue. At the end of this term, Mr Sparks will be going on long service leave and we wish him all of the best for his leave. Mr Ang Head Teacher Social Sciences 15 TAS COMMUNITY AND FAMILY STUDIES Year 12 Community and Family Studies students have been testing their skills as parents this term. The experience involves students being responsible for a ‘computerised infant simulator’ over the course of 2 nights. A pre-set program determines the difficulty level of behaviours. The babies have accompanied their carers to various classes in school, on the bus, at casual work commitments and in their bedrooms. The majority of students found this to be a very positive (yet tiring experience) and are currently catching up on several nights of missed sleep! Thanks to all the teachers and babysitters who participated in the electronic babies task. There will be some new ‘parents’ selected next term. Ms Buller TECHNOLOGY MANDATORY - TEXTILES This term students have been creative in applying a range of fabric decorating techniques to their pencil case projects. Some of the techniques they have used include tie dying, stencilling, gelli printing and applique. We are just about to start sewing. The first step will be to insert the zipper. Please look out in the next pic news for their final products. Mrs Thompson 16 COMPUTING STUDIES REPORT Year 12 Multimedia students have been busy this term working on their Major Multimedia Projects. Students are working on their projects that include websites, short movies, and animation. Examples of student work are included with these images. Year 9 students have also been busy working on their multimedia and animation tasks in class. Mr O’Mullane TAS Faculty Multi Media – Year 12 editing film work LOTE Stage 4 Japanese Year 7 have now completed almost one term of Japanese, using the Obento Deluxe Course and Workbooks and are enjoying the study of a new language. The students are eagerly learning new vocabulary and the Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji scripts. They have also completed their first assessment task – よくできましたYear 7! Year 8 students are also continuing their study of Japanese using the Hai! 2 Course and Workbooks. All Year 8 students have completed their first assessment task, a comparison of a Japanese festival and a festival of their own choosing. Stage 5 Japanese The elective Year 9 Japanese class have worked diligently this term. They have developed the ability to communicate confidently in written and spoken Japanese about their family and their likes and dislikes. Year 9 will soon complete their first assessment task of the year, a Hiragana Test. Year 10 are also working consistently and have just started the new course, using the Hai! 5/6 Course and Workbooks. They are also learning a new script, Katakana. Year 10 has completed their first assessment task, reading a text in Japanese and responding in English. Stage 6 Japanese Year 11 has settled into their senior study of Japanese exceptionally well, with all students showing a positive approach to the Japanese Continuers course. They have now completed the first chapter of the Wakatta! Course and Workbooks and have just completed their first assessment task. Year 12 are also consistently working through the Wakatta! Course and are preparing thoroughly for their upcoming Half-Yearly Examination on Thursday, March 31, 2016. Multi Media – Year 12 class work After effects use Speaking Workshop Our colleague, Mrs Yumi Flynn conducted a Japanese speaking workshop with our Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 students on Tuesday, March 15. This was a fantastic opportunity for our elective students to practise and refine their speaking skills and learn about the Japanese culture from a true expert! We thank Mrs Flynn for working with our students. Japan Trip 2016 The planning for the Japan Trip 2016 is in full swing and our 13 participating students are eagerly fundraising for the trip. The students have organised a Gelato Stall for Friday, April 1. Come along, buy some delicious gelato and support our students. There will be other fundraising activities over the next few months until we fly out to 日本! みなさん、すごくがんばっていました! Ms Marquis, Mrs Morris and Ms Wu 17 SUPPORT UNIT Students from the Support Unit classes have been attending swimming lessons at the Revesby Swimming Centre every Tuesday for sport - Term 1. They have been participating in a ‘Learn to Swim’ program that develops water confidence and provides students with basic skills in water safety and survival. This program has been embedded into our curriculum for a few years and allows our students to build on their skills in order to become as independent and responsible swimmers as possible. We would like to congratulate all our students for their excellent behaviour and fantastic engagement each week. Well done! Miss Negroh Support Unit Teacher IO M2 CLASS It has been a very busy term for students from Mrs Bray’s class. Students have participated in swimming classes each Tuesday at the Revesby swimming pool, attended a couple of bowling sessions at Revesby Workers Club and Community Access every fortnight. Last Monday, 14 March 2016 students from Social Inc. Leadership Council and Mrs Bray’s class participated in a fantastic sailing experience on Sydney Harbour provided by Sailors with disAbilities. All students’ excellent behaviour has been most impressive and they should be congratulated for their efforts. Have a look at some of the photos … Mrs Bray, Mrs Clayton and Mrs McGregor wish everyone a Happy Easter and restful holiday. Mrs Bray Special Ed Teacher 18 YEAR ADVISER REPORTS YEAR 7 It’s almost the end of Year 7’s first full term as high school students! Year 7 are to be commended on their excellent, settled start to the year. As year adviser I have been happy to hear about the numerous positive things Year 7 students have been doing. Camp Just a reminder that, Year 7 camp will take place from Wednesday 4 May to Friday the 6 May, which is during Week 2 of Term Two. Please note that students will be required to be at school at 7:00am for a 7:15am departure time. Thank you to the majority of parents for getting payment and permission notes in on time. Please be advised all permission notes must be handed in and medical information completed for students to be able to attend the camp. All outstanding payments are required by the end of this term. An equipment list will be issued to students soon. Please look at the list carefully and ensure students have ALL items before coming to camp. Year 7 Information Night Thank you to all the families who took this fantastic opportunity which was an initiative run by our school and Parents and Citizens association, by attending the night. It was great night that was filled with lots of presentations and information about Year 7 schooling. Year 7 Formal Assembly We had our own individual year group formal assembly. Thank you to Ms Ng for conducting a smooth and well run assembly and congratulations to our wonderful speakers Danielle Zidan, Lachlan Ritossa and Michael Ponticello (who spoke to about “The World’s Greatest Shave” and fundraising for Leukaemia) for their excellent public speaking skills. YEAR 11 As Term One quickly draws to a close, I would like to acknowledge the positive way in which Year 11 has transitioned to their study of the Preliminary Course. All students are enjoying the study of a variety of school-based subjects, along with TVET, Distance Education and Open High School subjects. Year 11 students have now completed their first assessment tasks and are working towards their next assessment tasks, scheduled for Term Two. At the most recent Year 11 Meeting, students were reminded of positive study habits and techniques for stress management, which they should endeavour to implement as part of their daily routine. Preparation for assessment tasks should start well in advance and summary study notes should be completed on a regular basis, not just before an examination! Students and parents are reminded to frequently consult the Preliminary Assessment Booklet for the schedule of all Year 11 Assessment Tasks. Procedures for misadventure and a copy of the misadventure form are also documented in the booklet, should the need arise. A printed copy of the booklet was distributed to all students earlier this term, but further copies can be downloaded and printed from the Picnic Point High School website. All the best for Easter and the remainder of Term One! Mrs Morris Year 11 Adviser Peer Support Year 7 is to be commended on their participation during their Peer Support sessions. I have received a lot of positive feedback about the maturity of students during these sessions which are run by our fantastic Year 10 Peer Support teams. Merits Year 7 students have been active in collecting merit points stickers and merit awards. This has resulted in a number of Year 7 students being invited to the rewards Day barbeque where they enjoyed a sausage sizzle and can of drink. All Year 7 students are encouraged to keep collecting merit stickers and awards to raise their point’s totals! Mr Dannaoui Year 7 Adviser 19 SPORT REPORT Grade sport continues, with our teams performing well and displaying great sportsmanship. We will soon begin our selections for Season 2 which will start in mid-May. It is at this time of year that many of our students gain selection in Zone and Regional sport teams. Angie Genford, Alice Haddon and Georgia Gale gained placings in the Zone Basketball team, while Olga Gasteratos, Maggie Wain and Hana Herlihy made the Zone Soccer. Picnic Point has a strong history in touch football, and this year Hana Herlihy and Emaison Beck were successful in making the Under 16’s touch. In Netball, Jessica Cannon, Kristen Cuskelly, Emaison Beck and Tahni McCaw were chosen as part of the Bankstown team. Connor Keen received a call up to the Regional Baseball to join Leon Duryea in the team. Jack Herlihy and Jesse Home put in a fantastic effort to be selected in the Regional Rugby Union call back team. In tennis, Mustafa Baytieh had a very successful tournament at CHS. He achieved fourth place in the singles and to the second round in the doubles. BANKSTOWN ZONE 2016 SWIMMING AGE CHAMPIONS Age Champion 12YR’S MALE 14YR’S FEMALE 15YR’S FEMALE 16YR’S MALE Student Blake Macdonald Samantha Battams Jessica Hilley-Hulme Nathan Linabury SYDNEY SOUTH WEST REGIONAL SWIMMING Congratulations to all students who represented Bankstown Zone at the Sydney South West Regional Swimming Carnival on 14 March. Picnic Point High School made up the majority of the Bankstown Zone team and sent 38 Students to the carnival. There were 36 students sent for multiple individual events and 10 relay teams who qualified to compete at the 2016 Regional Carnival. Well done to all students representing Picnic Point High School at the 2016 Regional Carnival and Good Luck to all those who qualified for State Swimming Carnival. Mrs Wolstencroft Sports Carnival Organiser Congratulations to all our athletes. Mr Northall and Ms Worthington Sport Organisers BANKSTOWN ZONE SWIMMING CARVIVAL On the 29 February, Picnic Point High School took 58 students to the Bankstown Zone Swimming Carnival. All students put in a great effort on the day and enabled Picnic Point High School to reign as the Bankstown Zone champion school once again. Congratulations to all students who attended and to all those who qualified for the Sydney South West Regional swimming carnival. 20 SWIMMING CARNIVAL 2016 21