132 Old Illawarra Road, Barden Ridge NSW 2234 Phone: 9543 8317

Email: lucasheigh-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Fax: 9541 0036

‘HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS’

LUCAS HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SCHOOL

K-12

Term 2 Volume 9 June 2013

Congratulations to Nicholas H of Year

12 whose selection to the Pierre de

Coubertin Awards Olympic Academy and

State Presentation was successful.

Nicholas is a talented athlete and most

deserving of this selection.

The Pierre de Coubertin Awards

‘The Pierre de Coubertin Awards are named

after the founder of the modern Olympic Games

and take place on an annual basis to recognise

senior secondary students who demonstrate

attributes consistent with Olympism through

participation and commendable behaviour in

sporting activities.

All secondary government and non government

schools are invited to nominate one recipient

from year 10, 11 or 12 for the Pierre de

Coubertin Award each year. Each nominee must

participate actively in the school's physical

education program with a consistently positive

attitude and must have represented the school

in a sport.

A piece of original art or literary work (for

example: essay, poetry, sculpture, paintings etc)

which demonstrates the student’s appreciation

and understanding of the Olympic Movement

must also be submitted.’

by Victorian Olympic Council

Principal’s Report ….

I have included in this newsletter a photograph

of the new north playground area in K-6. Last

Friday week, the Year 12 construction group

and I built four square sets of timber seats

around four London Plain trees and we also

installed six aluminium seats in this area. The

following Saturday, parent volunteers and I

worked together to further prepare the area for

turfing and to also fill the square seats around

the trees with leaf mulch. The turf was laid

yesterday and I hope to be able to open this area

for play when the grass is well established;

hopefully later in Term 3 or certainly in spring

for Term 4.

Also during last Saturday’s working bee, we

were able to rejuvenate the garden in the lower

quadrangle in K-6. During the next few weeks

we will have additional timber seating installed

around this garden to replace the rocks

previously used as a barrier. The new timber

barrier will be much more stable than the rocks

and will also provide attractive additional

seating. I should say also that all of the timber

we are using is treated with non-toxic material

and is approved for use in childrens’

playgrounds. The timber is not treated with the

old style copper arsenate solution and hence the

brown appearance rather than the old style green

pine sleepers or logs.

Our junior sports carnival was held on

Wednesday at Sylvania Athletics Track, which

whilst not as cold as The Ridge, was still a little

bleak with the current cold spell. The carnival

went well with good student attendance

although parent attendance was down on

previous years.

I am concerned at the number of high school

students, especially boys, who come to school

unprepared for the cold weather. Whilst I am

aware that this is probably more a behaviour

characteristic than associated with any more

serious problem, I would appreciate it if parents

would ensure that children dress warmly enough

for school and come prepared with jumpers or

jackets and appropriate undershirts or singlets.

We had at least fifty children, mostly boys,

walking around the last few days with shirts

only! As a reminder to parents, black tights are

part of our winter uniform and we encourage

girls to wear them. Plain navy scarfs, or red

scarfs for Years 11 and 12, and navy or black

gloves are also part of our uniform and we

encourage students to wear them in the colder

months. A full description of acceptable uniform

items is posted on our website.

During weeks two to four in term 3, Mr Redman

will be acting principal whilst I take three weeks

long service leave. Mr Mitchell will be acting

deputy principal.

Thank you for your support of your children’s

learning.

Kevin Haydon

News from

The Heights Bites Canteen

Dates to remember:

Fundraising Events

K-6 Hamburger Meal Deal Day

Years 5-6: Tuesday 25 June

Canteen Shopping Trip

Saturday 12 October

Complaints Handling Policy

Below is the DET link to the above policy.

https://detwww.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/

general_man/complaints/resp_sugg/

PD20020051_i.shtml

Year 12 Update

Year 12 have one more term to go before the

completion of their final year of high school.

Students need to make sure they remain focused

and keep up their study commitments so that all

their hard work can be fully realised and

recognised. It is very pleasing to see students

consistently seeking feedback from their

teachers, regularly attending their classes and

developing an effective study routine. Whether

students are interested in an ATAR or not, they

need to continue to demonstrate a positive and

dedicated attitude to their studies which will be

reflected in their final report and reference.

Yr 12 parents/guardians and siblings are also

impacted by this final year of schooling. As

students’ stress levels increase they can tend to

test the patience thresholds of their family so it

would be wise to remember that the child you

once loved- and continue to love- will return to

you soon. Students need to ensure they are

getting plenty of sleep, eating healthily and

balancing study with some form of relaxation.

As the experts have been telling us for a long

time, everything in moderation!

The careers advisers have been working hard to

give students direction in their studies and to

offer them choices post-school.

At this point in time students need to:

Ensure that they start to prepare study notes

for the Trials in the middle of next term

Seek assistance and clarification from

teachers if and when needed

Prepare or refine their study schedule so they

have a goal to work towards

Continue to see the careers advisers if they

are still unsure of a direction or options

See me if they are experiencing any welfare-

based issues

I want to extend a final thank you to all those

parents, staff and students who attended, worked

on or supported our Trivia Night. It was a

successful night in terms of fundraising but

more importantly it allowed the students to

work together to achieve a common goal.

Ninety-five percent of Year 12 students played a

role on or before the night, either as team

leaders or as team players. Special thanks to my

colleagues, Mrs Puntoriero, Mr Weeber and Ms

Rogers, who showed an outstanding level of

support for this event.

The Year 12 Farewell Function will be held

on the last day of term three, Friday 20

September. Students were handed permission

notes last term and should ensure payment is

made to the front office as soon as possible.

Numbers attending will dictate the organisation

of the event and function rooms so we would

appreciate payment in the next few weeks.

Ms Taoube

Uniform Shop Hours

Monday Closed

Tuesday 8.45 to 9.15am

2.45 to 3.15pm

Wednesday 8.45 to 9.15am

Thursday Closed

Friday 8.45 to 9.15am

2.45 to 3.15pm

Published Photographs

Parents are reminded that if they do not wish

to have their child's photo in the newsletter /

website or any other school publication,

contact must be made with the office.

Bruce Redman, Deputy Principal

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Many students across the school and the state

have taken up the Premier’s Reading Challenge

for 2014. Remember it is not a competition but a

challenge to each student to read, to read more

and to read more widely.

This year’s challenge concludes on 1 September.

Any students who have reading records that

require library staff to put them on the computer

for them need to have their completed logs

delivered to the library by 23 August.

If you are recording your own books onto the

computer at the Premier’s Reading website

(https://products.schools.nsw.edu.au/prc/home)

you have until the end of August to complete

your log.

Congratulations to students who have already

completed the challenge and to those who are

attempting the challenge we hope you enjoy

your reading.

Thank You,

Mrs J. Williams ( Teacher Librarian)

Leading Lights

Genevieve N and Monique L, both from Year

11, were part of the Sydney East Secondary

Girls Football team which, competed in the

State Championships in Albury from 7 to 9

May.

The team was undefeated throughout the

tournament, and eventually won the Grand Final

1 – 0.

This is the first time the Sydney East Girls team

has won the tournament since 1992.

Here are the girls with the Winners Trophy

Melody N and Jess M from Year 6 were part of

the Sydney East Primary Girls Football team,

which competed in the State Championships in

Wyong.

Their team was joint winners of the tournament.

Melody was selected in the NSW All Schools

Primary Girls Soccer team. She will play in a

national tournament in Brisbane in September.

As we approach the final weeks of Term 2 Year 10

students are beginning to think about what subjects and

courses they may like to study in Years 11 and 12. The

most important consideration is to choose subjects that

students are good at, interested in and possibly see

themselves using in the future. Even if students don’t

think University is on the cards it is important to allow

as many options as possible. ‘Today’s Year 10 students

will quite possibly have several careers over their

working lives, many of which may not exist yet’. So

even if you're sure of what you want to do, try to study

a wide range of subjects at school, this will give you

more options later on.

In addition Year 12 has just completed their individual

meetings with the Careers Advisers to discuss their

transition plans as they approach the final months of

school. While many students have a clear direction and

plan for next year there are many that are still unsure.

The aim of these meetings is to assist students in

various ways. For some it provides information, for

others it is a time to discuss options and for some it is a

chance to get some specific advice or help. If anyone

missed out on their interview they need to arrange a

meeting with the Careers Advisers as soon as possible

and if parents would like to discuss these meetings

please feel free to contact us at any time.

Next week is the annual Southern Districts Careers

Expo, held at Sutherland Basketball Stadium on

Wednesday 26 June. This is an annual event organised

by local Careers Advisers for current Year 10, 11 and

12 students planning to go to TAFE, a private college

or into an apprenticeship after finishing school at the

end of this year. This is a great opportunity for parents

and students to explore all the opportunities available

and it is also a wonderful way to begin planning for

future work and study pathways. For more information

or for a permission note for students to attend please

contact the Careers office.

Upcoming Events

Australian College of Nursing & Health Expo

Date: Sunday 23 June 2013, Sydney Town Hall

Thinking about a career in Nursing or the Health

Industry, this is a free event for anyone interested in

finding out more about the Nursing industry.

For more information go to: www.acn.edu.au

Discover Nursing at Notre Dame University

Date: Wednesday 3 July, 10.30am

Details: Are you thinking about becoming a nurse?

But not sure what it's all about? Come to “a day in the

life of a nursing student”- information session designed

especially for people who are interested in nursing as a

career.

More Information: Sydney@nd.edu.au

ANSTO Science Careers Q & A Suitable for Year 10

to 12 students, this customised tour of ANSTO will

include a panel of scientists to discuss the interesting

and various career pathways they took to arrive at

ANSTO and answer any questions students may have

about their own career preferences.

Location: New Illawarra Rd, Lucas Heights

Dates: Thursday 4 to Friday 5 July,

Cost: Free

Sessions: 10:00am to 1:00pm both days

Contact: tours@ansto.com.au

Notre Dame University 4 Day HSC Study Intensive

Date: Monday 8 July to Thursday 11 July. This four

day workshop will help students to learn how to plan

their exams, deal with exam related stress and provide

excellent tips for performing well in a variety of

subjects.

Students have the opportunity to nominate the subjects

that they’d most like to work on, and all students will

be able to attend workshops on HSC success, dealing

with stress and perfecting exam techniques. During this

four day program, experienced HSC teachers and

markers will show you how to avoid the most common

examination mistakes, study effectively, deal with

stress and understand important course content.

Morning tea and lunch included.

Dates: Monday 8 July to Thursday 11 July 2013

Cost: $285 per person

Find out more and register at: www.nd.edu.au/events/

notre-dame-hsc-study-week

Meet the Business Leader

Tuesday 30 July from 4.30pm, Institute of

Chartered Accountants. This event will provide Year

10 and 11 students the opportunity to meet young

professionals from a variety of business roles to gain a

better insight into the business profession.

Mrs Eagles and Ms Smith, Careers Advisers

FREE WOMEN’S

COURSES

Returning to work?

Looking for a new career?

Need new skills and confidence?

Loftus and Gymea TAFE campuses are

offering a range of FREE courses for wom-

en in 2013.

Choose from:

Basic Computing for Employment;

Emerging Technology for Employment,

Computing and Introduction to

Bookkeeping using MYOB

Ring for information sheet 9710 5004

or go to www.sit.nsw.edu.au/gymea

and click on Women’s and Community

Programs (left side of home page)

Information & Application Session:

11am Tuesday 25 June 2013

E Block, Gymea Campus

Cnr Hotham Rd and Kingsway

Gymea

Enquiries: Course Information

Phone: 9710 5812 or Patricia 9710 5004

Work Opportunities for Women Certificate 2 in Skills for Work & Training –

10697

Designed for women who want to re-enter the

workforce after a period of absence

Courses at Sutherland TAFE – Gymea and

Loftus Campuses

Choose from 3 introductory courses: Basic

Computing for Employment; Emerging

Technology for Employment, Computing

& Introduction to Bookkeeping using

MYOB

Courses are 2 days per week (9 hours per

week) for 17 weeks during school hours

Classes start week beginning 15 July 2013

FREE COURSES

Information and Application Session

11.00am 25 June 2013

Building E Gymea Campus

Contact Outreach Section 9710 5004

Gymea Campus, Sutherland College,

Cnr The Kingsway/Hotham Rd Gymea

The Information Session for courses at

both Gymea and Loftus will be held at Gymea

For further information

call Outreach Section 9710 5004

USEFUL IDEAS

Primary and High school Managing depression

One in four kids over 12 have symptoms of depression. What to look for and how to help. Listen to brain and mind specialist Professor Ian Hickie chat with James O'Loghlin on helping kids beat the blues.

Find out more:

http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/health/managing-depression-in-children

Primary school

Monday-itis Sometimes it's hard to know if your child is really coming down with something or just suffering a bout of Monday-itis. For safety's sake, if your child seems unwell you should always keep them home from school and seek medical advice.

Find out more:

http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/

health/too-sick-to-go-to-school

Food allergies Do you know a child with a serious food allergy? Read about how to recognise a reaction - to help keep the kids we love safe.

Find out more:

http://www.foodallergyaware.com.au/awareness/

High school

The wonder of maths

Have you discovered TED talks? There are also some great ones especially for curious kids -like this one on "mathemagic". Using daring displays of algorithmic trickery, lightning calculator and number wizard Arthur Benjamin mesmerizes audiences with mathematical mystery and beauty

http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_does_mathemagic.html?source=facebook#.Ua6WsdqLHpR.facebook

How to parent your tween

Find out how to manage your tween's rapidly expanding list of needs and personal demands. It's that weird and wonderful time the experts say occurs between ages nine and 13, but which experience suggests can stretch out to anywhere between ages eight and 15.

Find out more:

http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/

development/how-to-parent-your-tween