Volume 3

The Link Issue 5 July 2019

Lurnea High School Hilview Pde, Lurnea, 2170 ph: 9602 5704 Fax: 9822 5094 Email: Lurnea-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

I was overwhelmed by the attendance at our first Iftar dinner on 27 May. More than 300 children, their par-ents and carers helped to honour the traditions of Is-lam and celebrate the diversity of Australia’s popula-tion. I gave the following speech at the event and thought it important to share with the whole school community in this edition of the Link: I want to welcome our special guests joining us at this event….and I want to thank May Jounifor her efforts that have ensured it happened…. and all those others including Losalina Makanuie and Katie Talaia that she relentlessly nagged until they too committed to ensur-ing this afternoon’s success. And most importantly, I welcome our Muslim families. I want to thank you all for being here… Ramadan Kareem. This afternoon we honour the traditions of the Muslim faith. For Muslims, Ramadan is a time to reflect and to remember that discipline and devotion is the es-sence of a life of faith. It is also a reminder of just how much we share. The values of peace and charity, the importance of family and community are universal values. The command to love one another, to uphold justice, and to care for others are common across the range of religions. It is important for us to recognise that one of Austral-ia’s great strengths is our freedom of religion… the right to practise our faith as we choose, to change our faith if we choose, or to practise no faith at all… and to do all this free from fear of. As Australians we have an equal opportunity to thrive -- no matter who we are, what we look like, what we believe…. or how we pray.

I’m told that in Islam, there is a hadith that says God helps the servant as long as the servant helps his brother. At Lurnea we are forging relationships between the school and families; between parents and teachers; and between teachers and students. We have a shared commitment to help our young people learn. Together we must assure our young people that we care about them and we believe in them. We have got to do everything we can to make sure our students have the opportunity to become thoughtful, caring adults, and that they receive an ed-ucation that allows every one of them to realise their potential. As principal that is what I have committed to… and I want to thank all of you who try to do the same thing.

Senior Transition Team - Update

In recent weeks, the Senior Transition Team have

been busy processing requests from parents and

students about finding a suitable career pathway

before exiting Lurnea High before the end of year

12.

Only last week three year11 boys were granted

permission by to undertake career training and

work placement opportunities with one of our

business partners ‘WorkSkil Australia’ with the

view of being case managed into full time appren-

ticeships in the areas of plumbing and carpentry.

Students undertaking mandatory Work placement

as part of the VET courses delivered at school all

continue to do well. With some students gaining

part time work as a result of their experiences.

The Senior Transition team has also established a

new partnership with an outside agency called

‘My Gateway’. A company focussed on assisting

high school students with vocational interests or

aspirations. This same company is also currently

organising interviews for 40 local positions in a

number of trades such as Carpentry, Plumbing,

Landscaping, Finance, Warehousing and Heavy

Vehicle Mechanics throughout the month of Sep-

tember. Should you require any further infor-

mation related to ant Transition prospect please

contact Jim Samphier

Year 11 and 12 Update

It has certainly been very bust time for all of our

senior students over the last term. At about half

way through the year 11 preliminary program and

fast approaching the formal trail HSC examination

with semester one reports to be finalised very

soon.

At this point of time in regards to their studies, it is

paramount that all students remain focussed, well

organised and prepared for each any every lesson.

A regular home study program is a must! The in-

vestment of additional time and effort at home is

always worthwhile in terms of improving student

results.

A number of students have already been invited to

a meeting with their Deputy Principal to discuss

their current academic progress in the company of

their parents in anticipation of devising a suitable

career pathway. Likewise, Mr Jacobs our careers

adviser continues to support all of our students

with aspirations for either University, TaFE or work.

As a reminder, Year 12 formal Trial HSC exams are

scheduled for Term 3 week 5 and 6 (19 August

through to 29 August). Year 11 yearly exams are

scheduled for Term 3 week 8 and 9 (10 September

and through to 20 September). Parent teacher

night for years 11 and 12 is 24 July Wednesday

Term 3 week 1.

2019 has started with a bang in the Science facul-

ty and a lot of exciting and innovative activities

have been completed with more to come

throughout the year.

The Science faculty has offered Physics, Biology,

Investigating Science as senior subjects in 2019

with Chemistry also being offered after a couple

of years. The focus this year is to improve on HSC

results.

Activities completed so far:

1. Biology and Investigating Science Field study on Friday the 24th of May at Sydney Olympic Park: The field trip enabled the students to work: Scientifically and collaboratively with their peers to design experiments that are reliable, accurate and valid. Student were able to determine relationships be-tween abiotic and biotic factors in an intertidal wetland ecosystem. Collect secondary information throughout the day that will assist them to create their own Inquiry questions to complete their depth study task in class. 2. Kick-start Physics Excursion on 24th March

2019 at University of Sydney:

Kick-start Physics is for year 11 and 12 content.

Building a strong foundation for students at this

stage to encourage them to continue with their

Physics studies. These hands-on, syllabus related

workshops gave our students access to a wide

range of instruments and resources from the Uni-

versity’s modern teaching laboratories.

.

3. Big Science Competition on 23rd May 2019 at

Lurnea High School:

The Big Science Competition is an easy way to

challenge students from years 7 to 10 and track

their performance against state or national aver-

ages. It is a 50 minute, multiple choice, an online

competition testing critical-thinking and problem-

solving skills, not just factual recall. Students get a

Certificate after completion and can win cash priz-

es if they do well.

4. Snake Trails (Reptile Display) incursion on 29th

May 2019 at Lurnea High School:

Year 7 and support students participated and it was

a great success. It was an opportunity to interact

with animals such as turtles, lizards, non-poisonous

snakes and aligned really well with the Ecosystem

topic currently studied by year 7.

Future activities include Science week celebration

activities, VALID year 8 and year 10 online exams,

STEM PBL projects and other excursions and incur-

sions. Science faculty will be developing and intro-

ducing either a STEM based and/or Investigative Sci-

ence based/ Forensic Science elective to start in

2020.

CELEBRATION ASSEMBLY

During Week 10 of Term 2, the school held its Cele-

bration Assembly. This assembly focused on reward-

ing students for their positive attitude towards their

learning, as well as their attendance. It was wonder-

ful to see many students in Year 9 receiving Deputy

Principal awards in recognition of their hard work

and outstanding attendance.

I would like to encourage all students to strive for

academic excellence. This begins with regular

attendance and arriving to school on time.

NAPLAN

Term 2 is certainly shaping up to be a busy time for

Year 9 students. They have just completed their

NAPLAN exams and I know for some, this was

daunting. Whilst the results will not be delivered for

some months, I would like to express how proud I

am of them for trying their hardest.

FAST FORWARD PROGRAM

Congratulations to Year 9 2019 students in the Fast

Forward program. Earlier this year, these students

and their parents were invited to attend a welcome

evening at the University of Western Sydney ac-

knowledging their entry into the Fast Forward pro-

gram. This program provides high school students

with opportunities to increase their awareness of

university and further study beyond high school and

helps to raise their educational awareness. The

evening was also an opportunity for students and

parents to learn about the program and hear from

inspirational speakers, including Western Sydney

University role models. We look forward to the ex-

periences and opportunities provided by this pro-

gram as the year progresses.

The library has been a very busy place this semes-ter. During the first three weeks of school, the library welcomed the new year 7 students, they spent every day in the library working and learning about the ex-citing adventure which is high school and creating such wonderful models. The library was also lucky enough to host the exciting Design Blitz Presentations and the very informative Fed-eral Police talks about cyber-safety with students, fami-lies and community members. Year 7 library classes Introducing to 2019 are library classes for year 7. Year 7 will attend library classes which address the general ca-pabilities from the Australian Curriculum. The general capabilities are

Literacy

Numeracy

Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Critical and Creative Thinking

Personal and Social Capability

Ethical Understanding Intercultural Understanding. During term 1 students learnt basic ICT technology skills needed for high school and started exploring different forms of literacy. Commencing with oral literacy stu-dents have been listening to the podcast, The explaina-ble disappearance of Mars Patel. This term students have been exploring picture books and will be using the Ipads to create a video presentation of a favorite story, ask your child to show you their videos at the end of term 2. Premiers Reading Challenge I am very excited to announce that the school will be participating in the Premiers Reading Challenge (PRC) this year. Open to years 7 to 9 the challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure. If this sounds interesting to you, please talk to me (Mrs Adams) and I will help you every step of the way. From explaining the rules, helping you find that book that is perfect for you and filling in your reading log. Remember the library is opened everyday at recess and lunchtime. Come in, read a book, study, play a board game and relax with friends. Look forward to seeing you at the Library.

Volume 3

Page 6

At this years Multicultural Platwright Program 8 stu-

dents; 5 from the High School, 3 from the IEC took part

in the Annual Multicultural Playwright Program run by

the DEC Arts Unit and held at the Powerhouse Youth

Theatre in Fairfield

The three day program with workshops and pre-

teaching prior to the program. Builds to an ensemble

live performance that is live– streamed for all friends

and family to enjoy, and then was place on YouTube.

Participants work with professional theatre tutors and

gain literacy an, drama and speaking skills and confi-

dence in collaborating with diverse student from many

schools.

Breakfast kick-starts your me-tabolism, helping you burn cal-

ories throughout the day. It also gives you the energy you need to get things done and helps you focus at work or at school. Those are just a few

reasons why it's the most important meal of the

day. ...Breakfast helps replen-ish it.

Don’t forget to put you plastic bottles and cans in the bin

with the green lids. They are placed around the school.

Please don’t put other rubbish in these bins.

Lurnea High School’s Homework Centre is

open every Tuesday and Thursday after-

noons from 3pm– 5pm. If you would like to

attend please see

Mrs Jeffs for an

application form.

Parents/ carers are encouraged to

attend this afternoon. Students and

parents will be given an overview

of subjects, pathways and much

more.

Voluntary School Contribution What are Voluntary Contribution?

This is a voluntary payment from parents that is requested each year by the school to

supplement existing funding. Our school relies on these contribution to provide addi-

tional resources to ensure our students have the best possible learning opportunities

and learning environment.

How much?

Support Unit —$20.00

Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 —$40.00

Years 11 and 12—$60.00

All monies raised from these contributions will go directly towards the purchase of

school resources , to enhance student learning across our school.