7 November 2016€¦ · Newsletter Issue No. 17 7 November ... In this issue: Page 4/5 Year 5 Taster lessons Page 6 Basketball Champions Page 7 ... The drive through Port Moresby

WOONONA

high school

Newsletter

Issue No. 17

7 November

2016

EXCELLENCE INNOVATION SUCCESS

PH: 4284 1513 woonona‐[email protected]

Fax: 4285 1485

Excellence Innovation Success

In this issue:

Page 4/5 Year 5 Taster lessons

Page 6 Basketball Champions

Page 7 Year 7 Zoo Excursion

Page 8 Kokoda Trail

Page 9 Jay’s TV Interview

Page 10 Year 10 Careers Evening

Page 11 HSC Visual Art

Page 12 SRC “Spider Day”

Page 13 Scary Stories

Page 14 Book Club

Page 15 CAPA News

Page 16 Illawarra Mercury “Design an Ad”

Page 17 Year 7 Clay Heads

Page 18 Careers News

Calendar Monday 7 ‐ Thursday 10 November

Regional Performing ensemble

Tuesday 8 November

White Card Training

Thursday 10 November

2017 Enrichment Class Day

Monday 14 November

Year 7 / 8 Basketball Knockout

Monday 14 November

Year 10 Trek

Tuesday 15 November

Year 10 Trek

15

9

8 Kokoda Trek

4 Year 5 Taster Day

Year 7 Zoo Excursion 12 SRC

“Spider” Day


HSC examina ons

HSC examina ons for 2016 for Woonona High School students finished on Friday, 4th November.

Throughout the month‐long exam period all students presented themselves in a professional and

focused manner, with examiners specifically commen ng on their posi ve a tude, politeness and focus

during an obviously stressful period. As a school we are tremendously proud of our HSC students and the

effort and applica on they have applied to their studies throughout the en re HSC course. We know that

their dedica on to their studies and the ongoing support offered by school and their families has

ensured they receive results that are truly reflec ve of their abili es and we wish them every success in

their individual journeys to post‐school des na ons.

School Renova ons

Renova on of the Administra on building and front of the school are con nuing, but are nearing

comple on. Understandably, staff and students are excited to see the finished product, and know the

easier access and impressive entrance to the school will help add another dimension to our already

amazing school. As construc on is s ll ongoing, I would like to once again remind students to ensure

they enter and exit the school grounds using the appropriate entry and exit points and stay completely

away from the construc on site.

University of Wollongong Pre‐Service Teachers

Friday, 4th November marks the end of our UOW Year 1 Master of Teaching Pre‐Service Teacher (PST)

professional experience placements. Seven PST have finished their 3‐week placement at WHS and have

been working diligently and effec vely in English, Science, HSIE, Music and Visual Arts facul es. This is

the third placement for most PST at WHS this year, and our students have benefited from their

enthusiasm, dedica on and delivery of quality lessons throughout 2016. As Principal, it is fantas c to see

the growth and development of future educators, par cularly under the guidance of current staff who

have taken on mentoring roles and developed important leadership skills themselves throughout the

process. Four addi onal PST remain at our school, residing in the Mathema cs, PDHPE and TAS facul es.

They are also currently being effec vely mentored and will finalise their placements in the coming

weeks.

P

rin

cip

al’s

Rep

ort


Page 4

Year 5 Taster Day Last Monday the 31st of October we welcomed 120 excited

Year 5 primary students from our feeder schools to Woonona

High School to par cipate in our Year 5 Taster Day. Students

streamed into the COLA from Woonona, Russell Vale and

Woonona East Public Schools, all ready to experience their

first taste of high school life as part of our CoS Transi on

program.

A er a welcome from our principal, Ms Wall, students were

placed into groups that deliberately mixed school and

friendship groups in order to encourage mingling. They met

their group leaders (an impressive job done yet again by the

ever‐reliable 7Z ambassadors – thank you!) and were led off

to sample some of the lessons on offer here at Woonona

High.

Lessons ranged from Science with Mr Wilson, in which

students had up‐close encounters with fleas and lice through

the lens of a microscope (“Disgus ng but amazing” was a

common refrain) to English, where Ms Ma hews dressed for

the Halloween of it all! Mr Landy encouraged aspiring

gymnasts to show off their best tumbles on the mats, while

some of the grooviest moves were on display in the dance

studio with Ms Steele. Measurements galore were made in

Maths with Mr Holliday, clay artefacts spor ng hieroglyphics

were designed under the watchful eye of Mr Mucci and some

fabulous screen prin ng came out of the art rooms with Ms

Bramley.

Fantas c comments from the students in our Exit surveys at

the end of the day confirmed the enthusias c spirit of the day

– and a special “Happy Birthday” to the Year 5 student who

le us with this comment: “I had a great day on my birthday”!

Thank you to the teachers and pre‐service teachers who so

energe cally ran ac vi es on the day, and to Pam and her

terrific canteen helpers who always ensure a ready supply of

tasty treats for our primary school visitors. Lastly, thank you

to our Year 5 visitors for sharing your boundless energy with

us. We look forward to welcoming you next year into our Year

6 CoS Transi on Days.

Dr Sarah McKenzie


Page 5

Year 5 Taster Day


Basketball Champions

At assembly this week our open girls Basketball team were congratulated and presented with medals for their success in both

the 2015 and 2016 Northern Schools Basketball compe on.

The girls represen ng Woonona High School in the 2015 team were Cara Karkoe‐Read, Kendall Linsley, Courtney Phillips,

Akeylah Colvin, Tara Sco , Rebecca Pocock, Faith Apps, Erin Flanagan O’Brien, Sarah Shepherd and Charlie‐Pearl Cram. This

years team included Cara Karkoe‐Read, Kendall Linsley, Courtney Phillips, Gemma Davis, Faith Apps, Erin Flanagan O’Brien,

Camryn‐Lee Wiegand, Sarah Shepherd, Molly Percival and Charlie‐Pearl Cram. The team was coached by Ms Barbara Coote.

Congratula ons to all.

Student Monitoring

Parents are reminded that last week was student monitoring week and that this week monitoring results will be emailed to

parents. Please take me to have a look at your child’s monitoring results as they are an important indica on of how your child

is engaging with their learning at high school. If you have any concerns please contact the school on 42841513.

Movember This November staff and students at

Woonona High School will once again

be suppor ng Movember by growing

moustaches in a bid to raise

awareness and funds for men’s

health. Stay tuned on facebook and

in our newsle ers for results of our

moustache growing efforts.

Mr Rayner

Page 6


Page 7

Year 7 Zoo Excursion

On Friday 21 October all Year 7 Science students were invited

to a end an excursion to Taronga Zoo as part of the

"classifica on of living things" topic they are currently

comple ng. We have been very lucky with weather for the

last 5 years and once again we had bright sunshine with a nice

light breeze ‐ perfect condi ons for animal watching!

As they travelled around the zoo students completed a

worksheet making observa ons on the range of body

coverings, numbers of legs and thermoregula on of different

organisms. It was definitely a produc ve couple of hours!

Crowd favourites included the chimpanzees, the rep le room

and the seals which were even more playful than usual.

The Science Faculty would like to commend all excursion

a endees for their outstanding behaviour. They

represented Woonona High School with pride and showed

great pa ence on the seemingly never ending bus rides!

Mr Wilson (Ac ng Head Teacher Science)

A er engineering delays with our plane and an unscheduled stopover in Brisbane due to a medical emergency, our group of 32

unacquainted young people arrived safely at Papua New Guinea, 5 hours later than scheduled. The extreme humidity instantly

hit us as we le the nicely air condi oned airport.

The drive through Port Moresby to Sogeri Lodge, our last stay in a made bed, showed the great change in culture of Port

Moresby in comparison to our own home towns. There were people walking through the streets, li le stalls in small shelters

made out of branches or laid out on the ground, and piles of rubbish le to burn on the sidewalk. It was a much different place

to where we had come from.

The next day, a er a buffet breakfast and a morning briefing, we set off by van to Owen’s Corner where we began our 10‐day

long trek along the Kokoda Trail. It wasn’t un l twenty minutes into the trek that I took my first fall into our first river crossing;

the first of many. It was a short trek that day (3 hours), but it gave us a glimpse of what was to come and allowed us to further

acclima se. The first storm also struck which became a daily occurrence, almost rou nely a er lunch every day. We later

se led into our one man tents, something we became very accustomed to.

We woke the same way every morning with a loud “cooee” and Reveille of Charlie’s favourite old Aussie tunes. Charlie, our 72‐

year‐old trek leader, ex Vietnam veteran, former parliamentarian, master storyteller and passionate war historian, guided and

informed us of the importance and relevance of the Kokoda Trail. He had wisdom like no other and was aware of every li le

detail along the trail. He holds a connec on with the local people that no other outsider has ever established.

The next ten days were a challenge, physically and mentally; unlike anything I have ever experienced before. However, the

local people, the views, the lessons learnt and the good company made it an amazing journey. In total we trekked 148.8km,

walking 7125m uphill and 6960m downhill. The happiness of the village people was infec ous, despite having very li le

compared to us. It was an experience I am extremely grateful for and would highly recommend to those up for the challenge. I

would like to thank Woonona High School, Mr Hoole, Woonona Bulli RSL and the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge for

making this incredible opportunity possible.

Report from Jay Archer

Kakoda Trail


Page 8

On Tuesday 1 November, the WIN news team interviewed senior WHS student Jay Archer about his recent trek of the Kokoda

Trail. Jay and Mr Michael Brennan (President of Woonona Bulli RSL) spoke to the news team about the importance of the trek

in realising the great sacrifices that our soldiers made and the hardships they faced in the 1942 ba le against Japan in Papua

New Guinea.

Jay was selected to undertake the Kokoda trail as part of the 2016 Youth Leadership Challenge that was supported by the

Woonona Bulli RSL Club, and in September Jay swapped his school uniform for camouflage and a fi een kilogram survival kit to

take part in the trek.

Go to WIN TV’s web site to view the interview which aired on television last night or go to ‐

h ps://www.facebook.com/WINNewsIllawarra/videos/1501571766526228/

Jay also brought along a very impressive memento of his

adventure; a beau fully hand carved wooden pole

commemora ng the trek for 2016. The local people in one of

the villages he visited carved it for him.

Jay’s TV Interview


Page 9

Year 10 Careers Interview Evening

Last week Year 10 students were invited to take part in a Careers Interview evening. Professionals from all walks of life were

invited to Woonona High School to interview students who wished to prac ce their interview skills and learn more about a

profession that interests them. Forty three Year 10 students registered to sit for two informal interviews.

Carpentry, Electrical, Beauty, Hairdressing, Physiotherapy, Ambulance/ Paramedic, Fire fighter, Nursing, Social Work,

Veterinary Science, Accoun ng, Police force, Defence ADF, Teacher, Lawyer, Mechanic, Engineer, Journalism, IT, Hospitality

were amongst the professions represented on the evening. Mr Chamberlain would like to sincerely thank everyone who joined

us for the evening and for helping our students with their careers prepara on. Mr Chamberlain (Careers Adviser)

Year 9 Silver and Bronze Awards


This week in year group mee ngs, Bronze and Silver merit

awards were presented to Year 9 students who had

reached the merit system level.

At Woonona High School, we value the contribu ons that our students make to the school and we wish to recognise and reward deserving students. The Merit Award System works on a point’s structure where students accumulate points across the school year. Students achieve 1 point for:

Every “A” received on student monitoring

Every 10 stamps they receive (stamps are given for posi ve contribu ons in class and in extra curricular ac vi es).

An invita on to the rewards excursion and canteen vouchers for silver award recipients give lots of mo va on for students to achieve and contribute to their educa on.

Page 10

HSC Visual Art Major Works

Now that HSC Visual Art marking has been completed we can

share with you photos of some of the fantas c major works

that our HSC Visual Arts students produced this year under

the guidance of Mr Hoole.

The works were showcased to family, friends and teachers in

September at our HSC Showcase but as the major works had

not yet been marked we were unable to publish photos of the

art.

As you can see from the photos there is some amazing talent

amongst our students and we look forward to some great

HSC successes.


Page 11

SRC “Spider” Day On Friday 4 November the SRC held a “Spider” Day as part of

their fund raising ac vi es.

It was a beau fully warm day and the SRC did a roaring trade

selling ice cream “spiders” and spooky cakes. Our students

definitely enjoyed the cooling treats and tasty cakes!

The funds raised are to be donated to Bathai our sponsor

child.


Page 12

SCARY STORIES WEEK

This week the library was festooned in spider webs and filled with ghoulish creatures from our most scary nightmares as we celebrated Scary Stories week. Students were spooked by bats, cackling witches and numerous skeletons every time they entered the library. Displays of our most blood curdling books were also on hand, to entice our readers. We also held a Scary Story competition, where students had to write a short spooky story. Winners will be announced next week.


The Importance of Reading The single most important predictor of academic success is the amount of me students spent reading, and this is a more ac‐

curate indicator than economic or social status. Time spent reading was highly correlated to success in math and science. The

keys to success lie in teaching students how to read and then have them read as much as they can.

Program for International Student Assessment, 2003

The long summer holidays which are just around the corner offers a great opportunity for your children to read. Borrowing a

book from the school library is now so easy with eBooks.

Page 13

Book Club

This fortnight our guest speaker was Ms Johnstone from our

English Department. Ms Johnstone is a keen Cel c history

buff and consequently loves to read fantasy stories set in

Cel c mes. Her favourite authors include Susan Cooper and

Marion Zimmer Bradley.

I spoke about the new book “Tales of the Peculiar” by

Ransom Riggs. This book is a companion novel to his other

story Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Riggsinvitesthereadertosharehissecretsofpeculiarhistory,with a collection of original stories, as collected andannotatedbyMillardNulling’s,wardofMissPeregrineandscholarofallthingspeculiar.Averyinterestingandquirkyread.

Jasmine Wilson from Year 7 spoke about the Lorien Legacies

series by Pi acus Lore. The first in the series is ‘I am Number

Four”. 'I Am Number Four' follows the story of John Smith, a

15‐year‐old from the planet Lorien, and Henri, his Cêpan

(protector), as they run from the Mogadorians, another alien

race that is hun ng John and eight other teenage Lorics

residing on planet Earth.


HOW TO BORROW AN eBook?

Students are to log in to their Student Portal Page.

Then go to OLIVER icon . This will bring up the library’s catalogue front page.

Scroll to the eBook sec on and find the Wheelers e‐pla orm link.

Log in using their special DET Username and the following password:

Library 1 ← (the number)

↑ ↑

Capital space bar

Page 14

CAPA Camp Students interested in performing in the Annual Variety Night (music, dance, drama, circus and art) need to have handed in

their EOI notes for CAPA Camp. A final decision will be made once numbers are finalised. Ms Sharp will call a mee ng in Week 5

to discuss with students the outcome and expecta ons.

Sydney Dance Company workshop This term we are lucky enough to have a company member from Sydney Dance Company visit Woonona High School to host a

Contemporary Dance workshop. We are thrilled at this opportunity and look forward to working with them! Students can

collect permission notes from Mrs Steele in the PDHPE staff room. Places are limited so it will be a first in ‐ first served basis

with payment and permission note returned.

When : Monday 28th November, 9:00am ‐ 11:00am

Where : Woonona High School Hall

Cost : $15.00/student

Variety Night Lock in the date.... MONDAY 12th DECEMBER... more news to come!

Variety Night is the Annual Woonona High School Performing Arts Showcase and encapsulates the collabora ve efforts of all

CAPA teachers and students within our school. Students from Year 7 ‐ 12 are encouraged to perform in items such as vocal,

dance, drama and circus, as well as art displays. We look forward to announcing the theme this year and witnessing what

talent the 2016 showcase will reveal!

Last year “Woo Town Funk” was the theme for Variety Night. The concert is always a highlight on the calendar and the 2015

performance was no excep on, with over 50 students from Year 7‐12 involved in a variety of entertaining music, dance and

drama items.


Page 15


Illawarra Mercury “Design an Ad” Once again English students have entered this years’ Design An Ad Compe on with The Illawarra Mercury. Winners will be

announced in the coming weeks. First prize is $700!

Students had to design an ad for one of the following three businesses ‐ Woonona Bulli RSL, Woonona Medical Centre, Table

426.

Last year Woonona High School, Year 9 student Madelina Camilleri was the third place ge er in the compe on with her entry

of an ad for Woonona Bulli RSL club. In the previous year Madelina’s sister Jorgia won the overall compe on. Both students

have entered this years compe on.

Good luck to all students who have entered this years compe on.

Mrs Whiddon

(English Teacher)

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Page 17

Year 7 Clay Heads

Careers News TAFE Illawarra FREE Short Courses TAFE are currently enrolling students for upcoming short courses. Applicants must be over fi een years old and have le school. This makes anybody comple ng their HSC prior to the course beginning eligible. Current course offerings including RSA and RCG courses can be found at this link; h p://www.illawarra.tafensw.edu.au/business‐and‐employers/fast‐track‐training eligible. And … The following fee free courses will be adver sed shortly ‐ The offers are being created over the next week. All offers will start early to mid‐November. • Introduc on to Drawing • Introduc on to Pain ng • Introduc on to Photo Imaging • Introduc on to Interac ve Game Design with GameMakerStudio • Introduc on to Film and TV • Introduc on to Media and Communica on • Introduc on to Sound Produc on

TAFE Choices Day Why wait to change your life? Whether you’re finishing school, upda ng your skills or changing careers, we have hundreds of exci ng courses designed to give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to achieve your goals. So why wait to start chasing your career dreams? It's me to start exploring your study op ons for 2017 ‐ so to help with your journey, we're opening our doors for Choices Day on Saturday 3 December, 9am to 1pm at our campuses below. What can I do at Choices Day? Find out what courses you can study in Semester 1, 2017 Seek advice on the best course for your career goals from our expert team Find out if you’re eligible to study for FREE, with a Fee‐Free Scholarship See if you can get qualified faster and at a cheaper cost with Recogni on Pick up a copy of our Career Guide Learn how you can study now, pay later with VET‐FEE HELP and FEE‐HELP student loans Experience live, hands‐on demonstra ons at our Wollongong campus Gain assistance with the applica on process Get help crea ng your USI (Unique Student Iden fier), which you need before enrolling Find a Choices Day near you

Date Campus

NORTHERN DISTRICT Saturday 3 December 2016 Wollongong (including courses at Dapto, Shellharbour, Wollongong West and Yal-

lah)

HIGHLANDS DISTRICT Saturday 3 December 2016 Cooma

Saturday 3 December 2016 Goulburn

Saturday 3 December 2016 Moss Vale

Saturday 3 December 2016 Queanbeyan

Saturday 3 December 2016 Yass

SOUTH COAST DISTRICT

Saturday 3 December 2016 Bega

Saturday 3 December 2016 Moruya

Saturday 3 December 2016 Nowra

Saturday 3 December 2016 Ulladulla

Page 18


Canteen Roster Monday, 7 November 2016 GABI JAMES

Tuesday, 8 November 2016 HELP NEEDED

Wednesday, 9 November 2016 HELP NEEDED

Thursday, 10 November 2016 KAREN BATE

Friday, 11 November 2016 HELP NEEDED

Monday, 14 November 2016 HELP NEEDED

Tuesday, 15 November 2016 JANECE PENDER

Wednesday, 16 November 2016 JO MEIERS

Thursday, 17 November 2016 SUSIE EAGER

Friday, 18 November 2016 JESSICA TINELT


Tuesday, 22 November 2016 KERRIE AUSTIN


Thursday, 24 November 2016 DONNA THOMPSON

Friday, 25 November 2016 HELP NEEDED


Tuesday, 29 November 2016 JANECE PENDER


Thursday, 1 December 2016 JANELLE TE PARIRI

Friday, 2 December 2016 ANGELA MADDEN

Monday, 5 December 2016 GABI JAMES

Tuesday, 6 December 2016 JANECE PENDER

Wednesday, 7 December 2016 HELP NEEDED

Thursday, 8 December 2016 HELP NEEDED

Friday, 9 December 2016 HELP NEEDED

Term Planner Mon 7 ‐ Thur 10 Nov Regional Performing ensemble

Tues 8 Nov White card Training

Thur 10 Nov Enrichment Class Day

Mon 14 Nov Yr 7 / Basketball Knockout

Tues 15 Nov P&C Mee ng

Tues 15 Nov Yr 9 Peer Support Training

Fri 18 Nov Yr 8 Rewards excursion—Go kar ng

Mon 21— Fri 25 Nov Yr 10 Work Experience

Mon 21— Wed 23 Nov Proposed CAPA Camp

Mon 21 — 25 Nov Metals & Engineering Work Placement

Tues 22 Nov Yr 6 Parent Informa on Night

Tues 22 Nov Yr 9 Leadership Hike

Fri 25 Nov Schools Spectacular

28 Nov—Fri 2 Dec Construc on Work Placement

Tue 6 Dec Orienta on Day

8 Dec Annual Presenta on Evening

8 Dec Zone Blues Ceremony

Wed 14 Dec Alladin

Applica ons for Council’s recruitment of 4 cadets, 2 appren ces and 3 trainees are now open. The roles will commence with

Council on 30 January 2017 and include:

• Cemetery Technician Trainee

• Civil Design Appren ce

• Civil Engineering Cadet

• Hor culture Appren ce

• Management Accoun ng Cadet

• Planning Cadet (Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander targeted posi on)

• Property and Facili es Management Cadet

• Records Management – Archives Trainee (Disability targeted posi on)

• Warehousing Trainee

Further informa on is available from the website:

www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/council/jobs/cats/

Applica ons close at 2.00pm Monday 14 November 2016.

An informa on kit for each posi on is available on our facebook page. Mr Chamberlain Careers Adviser


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Documents

7 November 2016€¦ · Newsletter Issue No. 17 7 November ... In this issue: Page 4/5 Year 5 Taster lessons Page 6 Basketball Champions Page 7 ... The drive through Port Moresby