KOTARA HIGH SCHOOL

Lexington Parade, Adamstown NSW 2289

Phone: 0249433044 Fax: 0249421049

Email: [email protected]

Keeping In Touch

The next P&C Meeting for 2016 is on Monday 15th August.

at 7pm in the LIBRARY in D Block

(All Parents and Carers are invited)

Principal’s Report

I sincerely hope that Semester Two Term Three has started off positively for our community. I have always seen Term Three as the real business end of the year for secondary schools. By the end of this term Year Twelve have completed their studies and would have graduated at their final assembly on the last day of term. So it is a time when all staff are completing courses, revising, supporting students with specific external projects and completing Higher School Certificate paperwork. I sincerely wish all of Year Twelve the best for this term and I hope that they maximise their final term of schooling.

Our senior debating team this term successfully made it to the state semi-finals of the Premier’s Debating Competition. They were narrowly defeated by North Sydney Girls High School but have had amazing success reaching this stage of the competition. Debating is very competitive in this region, let alone on a state level, and I would like to congratulate the whole team – Ben Frohlich, Alena Payne, Sofia Davey, Jake Rexter and Kiera Hayden for their effort and success, as well as Ms Scobie, Ms Harrip and Alexandra Yates for their support and commitment to the team and debating at Kotara High School. This has been an amazing effort.

During Week Two we had our parent teacher interview evening for Year Eight and Nine and I would like to thank all of the parents and carers who made it on the evening. The amount of parent support was quite overwhelming with staff interacting with parents from 3:30 to 6:30 in the evening. It is so positive to see so many parents communicating with the school on this level and working together. Thank you again for your attendance and support.

Our Year Six to Seven transition program is well and truly underway for Term Three with staff attending all of the primary schools in week three facilitating taster lessons to our incoming students in English, Mathematics, Science and History. I will also have all of the leaders from each primary school up to Kotara High to spend a morning with me and talk about the school and what a secondary principal does. I will also be volunteering some time in each of our primary schools’ canteen, working with people from our community and meeting as many students as possible. Later in the term we will have another parent information session also, that we will advertise shortly. I have enjoyed getting to know our primary schools on a more personal level and I am looking forward to spending more time within each school as the year progresses.

The new roofing of the canteen was completed in the holidays. This was a huge project and I thank the school community for their patience during this work. The canteen has now returned in to the building, as of the start of the term, and we are now in a position to have a look at the change rooms above the canteen and see how we can utilise this space for the school as all of the asbestos has now been safely removed.

All the best for Term Three and thank you to the whole community for your ongoing support of Kotara High School

Mark Snedden

Kotara High School

PARENT ONLINE PAYMENTS

Make Online Payments:

It is now possible for parents to make online payments to the school for amounts owing for students, via a secure payment page hosted by Westpac. Payments can be made using either a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card, and can be made via computer, tablet or mobile phone. The payment page is accessed from the front page of the schools website by selecting $ Make a Payment.

Items that can be paid include voluntary school contributions, subject contributions, excursions, sales to students and creative and practical arts activities (these include band, drama and dance, please note no Entertainment Book payments). There is also a category called ‘Other’ this is to cover items not covered in the previous headings. Other can be used to make a complete payment of a school invoice.

When you access the $ Make a payment you must enter: the students name, and class and reference number OR the students name, and date of birth.

These details are entered each time you make a payment as student information is not held within the payment system. There is also the option to enter the Student Registration Number and Invoice number if you are aware of them, these are optional fields OR there is also the option to enter the Student Registration Number and Invoice number these are not used at our school, please leave blank.

This is a secure payment system hosted by Westpac to ensure that your credit/debit card details are captured in a secure manner, these details are not passed back to the school.

You have the ability to check and change details of the payment before the payment is processed. Receipts can be emailed and/or printed.

Details of the payments are passed daily to the school where they will be receipted against your child’s account. As a receipt has been issued from the payment page a further receipt will not be issued by the school.

For any enquiries regarding the Online Payment process please contact the School Administration Office on 02 49433044. Maths

On Tuesday 28th June, 14 Year 8 students attended the Inquisitive Minds excursion at the Hunter School of the Performing Arts. The central focus of the day was problem solving and feedback from participants indicated that the day was a success, with useful strategies for approaching more complex problems discussed. The day was highly engaging and our students were excellent representatives of Kotara High School.

The Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) was conducted on Thursday 28th July with around 150 Kotara High School students taking part. This annual test is run across three divisions – Junior (Years 7 and 8), Intermediate (Years 9 and 10) and senior (Years 11 and 12) with high-achieving mathematics students from all over the country participating. Tests are marked externally and we expect notification of results and award recipients later in the year. Awards of Credit, Distinction or High Distinction will be announced and included in student folios at the award ceremonies at the end of the year.

On Friday 29th July, the Year 10 Stage 5.1 Mathematics Competition took place with 40 students from Kotara High School selected to take part. Participants gave their best to represent Kotara High School and as with AMC, awards and money prizes for this event will be announced and included in Year 10 folios at end of year presentations.

Term 3 is the final school term for Year 12 and having just completed their Trial HSC, teachers are returning marked examinations with feedback to students. It is strongly recommended that students use these papers to identify areas for improvement from the content and skills of their respective courses inform their study most effectively. There is one more assessment block for ATAR students in Weeks 5 and 6 which will cover content not already tested in the Trials.

Congratulations to all students in the above initiatives and to Year 12 on completing their Trials. We look forward to another productive term in Mathematics.

Regards,

Mathematics Faculty

Mr A Pulsford is a member of the Social Science Department and was successful in gaining a grant to improve the outdoor learning area. Thirty two schools applied for the grant and only four gained a grant from the Teacher’s Mutual Bank.

The Outdoor Learning Area currently is not used as it is unsafe as shown in the picture below.

The proposal to improve the Outdoor Learning Area is a whole school project that will enhance the educational opportunities and outcomes of students at Kotara High School.

Students will actively participate in the design and construction of a space for use in teaching and learning programs from across the curriculum. These programs will engage students in activities and experiences that encourage the utilisation of natural environments whilst developing a greater awareness and understanding of a broad range of key ecological and social values.

The project will consist of 2 main stages which include:

Stage 1 - Site preparation, construction and installation of classroom furniture

Stage 2 – Creation, construction and installation of faculty and class and individual projects.

Stage 3 – Introduction of class activities and programs.

The Outdoor Learning Area will become an outdoor classroom, providing a focal point for experiential learning activities in this beautiful remnant bushland setting. The Outdoor Learning Area will also contain a number of faculty, class and special interest projects that will enhance student learning opportunities as well as the aesthetics of the learning space. These will become part of the classroom space and will also be integrated throughout the school bushland reserve.

Incorporation of carved Awabakal totems in the learning space for example will help to develop a better understanding of local indigenous culture and tradition. The installation of environmental sculptures and ceramics will provide creative learning opportunities for arts students as well as a point of interest for the school community.

Native flora identification plaques will develop student knowledge and understanding of endemic species and their adaptations to Australian environments. Construction of a cross-country fitness trail with static timber exercise systems will enhance opportunities for physical activity

Year 8 Geography students attended a field study excursion at the Awabakal Nature Reserve last term. For many thousands of years, this part of the coast was part of the tribal area of the Awabakal Aboriginal people.

The students undertook a field study. An Aboriginal Park Ranger joined the group and shared an abundance of knowledge about the various aspects of Awabakal life: history, culture, lifestyle and land management practices. It was a glorious day and it was enjoyed by all.

Year 12 students have the results of their Trial HSC Exams back as well as their ranks in their subjects so far. As you would expect, there were many students who performed well in their History subjects and those who performed below expectations.

All Year 12 students should now be thinking about completing their final assessment tasks in Weeks 5 and 6 and starting their final preparations for their Higher School Certificate Examination. This should involve organising their notes for all four topics, revising over course syllabus requirements and most importantly completing as many past HSC questions as possible. These should be given to class teachers for marking and feedback. Parents should also feel free to contact to the class teacher with any concerns regarding their child’s progress.

Year 11 students are completing their final topic before Year 11 students sit for their Examinations in Weeks 9 and 10. Most of the advice for Year 12 students could easily apply to our Year 11 students. Once again students should be spending time with their class teacher if they are having difficulties with course content or skills work. It is very important that Year 11 students start their HSC studies in Term 4 confident in their ability to do well in their HSC studies.

Next Thursday the 11th August all students in Year 9 will be seeing a free Health education performance in relation to smoking and drug abuse in Aboriginal communities. This is a cross curricula performance of benefit to all Year 9 students.

On Monday 5th of September, Years 7 and 8 History students have the opportunity to see the Medieval Show in the MPC. Permission notes for this performance will be coming home in the near future.

If parents have any concerns about their child’s progress in any of their History subjects, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school.

S.Brown.

Head Teacher History [Relieving].

TAS Faculty

Stage 4 Mandatory Technology

Congratulations to Year 7 Technology students who once again produced some excellent original designs as part of the ‘Food as you go’ design brief.

Interior Design students have experimented with fabric decoration and colouration techniques to produce individually designed interior items. The creative designs are a credit to the students.

7TM1 – Natural Therapies – Wheat bags.

Designed and manufactured by the students - most have never used a sewing machine before. Very impressive! Well done!

Last semester Year 8 Fashion Design students completed a unit of work called Sweet Dreams. It involved students imagining they had been employed as a new designer for 'Peter Alexander'. They had to develop a new range of sleepwear that appealed to teenagers and produce ONE complete outfit. Students also produced a portfolio that documented the design process. Below are some images of some projects submitted. Well done Year 8!

Similarly last semester Year 8 Accessories produced simple and complex bags with a design folio to support their design work. Their second project was a bucket hat using recycled denim. See images below of the work completed.

Ms J Goldstein

Drama

Students from years 10 and 11 have auditioned for the following opportunities (we are still waiting to hear the outcome of some of these auditions):

The John Bell Scholarship is a unique opportunity for students living in regional or remote areas, who are interested in a career as a performer. Three students are selected each year from across Australia to come to Sydney and spend a week with Bell Shakespeare in Sydney. They will participate in acting master classes, including a session with John Bell, observe a week of Bell Shakespeare rehearsals, see live theatre and perform their winning monologue for Artistic Director Peter Evans and a Bell Shakespeare cast.

State Drama Festival

The NSW Public Schools State Drama Festival celebrates classroom drama achievements of students in Years K-12.This event is a two day celebration of Drama works showcasing strong Drama outcomes in classrooms from across the state. Over 600 students participate in a range of dramatic styles.

Sydney Theatre Company Work Experience

The week allows students to explore all facets of Sydney Theatre Company from production to administration, set and costume design to marketing and sponsorship. The through-line for the week is William Shakespeare’s, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ which is being performed at STC during Work Experience Week. Across the course of the week students will participate in tours, panels, workshops and activities run by STC staff. The week will culminate in a group presentation on Friday in which students will pitch their concept ideas for a production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

Congratulations to Abby Clifford who had a successful audition and has been offered a place at STC Work Experience Week!

Year 8 Drama

In Term Two students in Year 8 Drama worked on a shadow movement piece and performed at the ‘Night of Light’ festival in the last week of term. They began by brainstorming the key moments in life and from there worked to represent these as silhouettes. In their performance they use minimal props in symbolic ways and position their bodies to portray inanimate objects and emotions. Year 8 Drama learnt to work as team, constantly coming up with creative solutions to produce an outstanding piece. It has been a busy time during term two in Music, with several major events as well as many smaller achievements by individuals and groups.

As a faculty, ALPACA (Art, Languages, Performing And Creative Arts) have been working on a Project Based Learning tasks with the current year 8 classes. These include Visual Art, Graphic Art, Music, Photography and Drama. Together these classes worked on an overarching theme for a presentation night; The Night of Light, using light as a primary focus. Each class has had a different area of direction for this night, beginning with the idea of light, giver of all life, and how it influences everything, from our Australian environment, to the everyday grind, to shadows and darkness. Each class took these ideas and adapted a program around it, be it highly subjective or explicit.

This event took over Term Two and the department was astounded at the overall achievements and the quality of the work completed. The night itself was fantastic and has garnered much praise from teachers, parents and even from the students themselves! A slide show of art and photos of the night has been uploaded to youtube, accompanied by a soundtrack of the music students soundscapes – combinations of outback sounds and appropriate music.

If you search for “Kotara High School – slideshow – night of light” it should come up. Also the main performance even, a shadow movement piece accompanied by “Stand by Me” performed by y8 also is available on the same account (Search “Kotara high school shadow movement Stand by me”). Or you can try the direct links here (https://youtu.be/8aIf3dkobOQ) and here (https://youtu.be/BKoe4gr4QwM).

Members of our school choir attended StarStruck again this year, contributing to the fantastic overall sound of the production. Ms Ferguson was the choir conductor this year and she helped lead the 400+ student mass choir throughout the even to great success. Emma Masters was a soloist again, performing a fantastic rendition of ”Skyfall” while year 7 student Brielle Prince was invited to be in the backing singers this year. Overall it was one of the best StarStruck’s in many years with Kotara High School making an excellent contribution.

Both of these events too up much of the time this term, however we also had some excellent performances at the Quality awards by the KHS Stage Band as well as a performance of “Riptide” by the schools new Ukulele Orchestra! This group consists of year 7 students from multiple classes and they both play and sing. The large group had a blast and it was well received by all.

Going forward we have Year 12 moving towards their HSC at the end of this term. They will have their final concert night at Lizotte’s on the 22nd August, Monday night of week 6. This gives the students one final performance to master their pieces and play in a professional setting. If you want to come and support the students, please go to the Lizotte’s website and make a booking for a table! It will be an excellent night.

Too much is happening but we hope to see you soon!

Thanks Chris Danvers Interns

The PDHPE Faculty would like to welcome Claudia Shearman and Tim Marsh from Newcastle University. They will be completing their internship at Kotara to finalise their teaching degree. We look forward to giving them a wide range of experiences during Term Three.

National Aerobics

This week, 19 of our talented and hardworking students are headed off to Broadbeach on the Gold Coast to compete at the National School Aerobics Finals. The girls have been training very seriously since the start of the year. We wish them the best of luck and are very proud of their effort, regardless of the outcome. Students competing include:

Yr 8 – Imogen McInnes, Eliza Moore, Lani Morrison, Sarah Piesley, Abby Radmore, Caitlyn Radmore, Lulani Rawson & Amy Smart.

Yr 9 – Danika Brown & Lauren Donoghoe

Yr 10 – Jess Andrew, Abby Baartz, Bianca Dadd, Cristina Davey, Lucy Donnellan & Jessica Meehan

Yr 12 – Sofia Davey, Amy Donnelly & Ellie Kingston-Hogg

Regional Athletics

The Regional Athletics Carnival was held at Glendale Athletics Centre on Wednesday and Thursday of week 2. We had a large group of students represent the school, and City Zone. We are now eagerly waiting for the results from this carnival to notify our students who have been selected to represent the region at state athletics. Good luck to all these students who will make it through.

State Cross Country

Kotara High School has had the following students run at the State Cross Country Carnival at Eastern Creek on Friday 22nd July. This is a great achievement, and one the students should be proud of. The students were:

Yr 7 – Jayden Ashbourne, Tom Clancy, Ellie Lambkin

Yr 8 - Imogen McInnes, Jack Read-Jones, Amy Smart, Xanthea Vazey

Yr 9 – Danika Brown, Adelaide Markey

Yr 11 – Jenai Monz, Luke Muller

Seth Roach

Seth has been selected in the CHS All Schools hockey team. Seth has represented at a high level over the previous years, and this is another great achievement for him. Seth also demonstrates all the qualities of an exceptional athlete in his motivation to achieve in his school work.

Seth will now represent NSW at National level. This is a great opportunity to further his hockey career.

CHS Sailing

Two Kotara High School students have competed at CHS Sailing over the Easter weekend.

Kelsey Turner of year 8 was successful in the Flying 11 category, achieving a Silver medal.

Courtney Smith of year 10 also competed in the same competition.

Congratulations to both girls for their success in this sport.

N. Goldsmith

Head Teacher PDHPE

The Mural has been completed, and looks wonderful! Congratulations to all the creative students who have been involved in this project. The coloured areas within Australia depict the tribal language groups, and the red areas show the different regions. The handprints represent the males and females who participated in the work.

ENGLISH

“A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick -- a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe.”

― Neil Gaiman

Excellence in HSC Extension 2 English – Young Writers Showcase

Young Writers Showcase is an anthology of the extraordinary Major Works in print, sound and visual media submitted for the HSC English Extension 2 course. Ellen Frohlich’s Major Work has been published in Young Writers Showcase for the 2015 HSC course. Ellen’s work was chosen as one of the top in the state out of over 2000 Major Works. Ellen was selected for her exceptional short story writing skills and the ingenuity of her work. Ellen’s short story beautifully encaptured the narrative voice of a female protagonist living in the outback. She was inspired by the short stories of Henry Lawson. Ellen will be attending WordeXpress at the State Library of on August 22 where Young Writers Showcase 2015 will be officially launched. Ellen’s excellent achievement will be formally recognized at this event. Kotara High School is very proud to have a published author in the HSC 2015 cohort!

Excelling in Debating - Years 11&12 Premier's Debating Challenge

A huge congratulations to our debating team of Benedict Frohlich, Alena Payne, Sofia Davey and Jake Rexter who made it to the state semi-finals in the Premier’s Debating Challenge. This is the oldest competition of its kind in NSW and is open to senior students in government schools. It takes the form of one hour preparation debates with both sides having a choice of three topics. As zone champions, our students went on to convincingly defeat James Ruse Agricultural High School in a debate on whether Shakespeare should be compulsory study in Stage 6. In the next round, the Kotara High School team debated North Sydney Girls High School on the hot topic of animal abuse in racing. Our team was narrowly defeated in this debate. Benedict Frohlich, Alena Payne, Sofia Davey and Jake Rexter are not only excellent debaters but also great ambassadors for Kotara High School.

Enrichment Writing – Year 6 Workshops

The English Faculty had a writing workshop day for gifted and talented Year 6 students from Adamstown, Belair and Kotara South primary schools. Students participated in workshops on cleverly crafting characters and settings as well as critical thinking challenges. Thanks to Mr Norberry, Mrs Norberry and Miss Bale for facilitating the workshops. Catherine Ward and Zoe Focic of Year 10 Extension English Elective also worked with the students throughout the day. Their wonderful enthusiasm for writing was an excellent asset to have for this progra

Science

So what has been happening in the world of science at Kotara High School?

MyScience Project

Kotara High School is participating in the MyScience Project. During Term 2, fourteen Year 10 students were involved as student mentors. The mentors visited Adamstown Public School and each mentor worked with a group of Year 5 and 6 students to undertake a scientific investigation and communicate their findings to the school community. We visited the primary school for 3 sessions and helped students plan, write up, conduct and report on their findings. We look forward to visiting the school for their science fair this term. Our students really enjoyed mentoring their group and helping them with science. The Year 10 student mentors were Elizabeth Brydon, Sam Chronister, Abby Clifford, Tyler Farnham, Britney Fenton, Will Ferguson, Sarah Hamilton, Ryan Mangion, Hannah Short, Raina Singh, Jemma Skewes, Courtney Smith, Ashlee Steadman and Elena Stefanovska.

This term we will repeat the project with another local primary school. Any Year 10 students interested in being involved should see Ms Bonar in the Science staffroom. For further information please go to the MyScience website: www.myscience.com.au MyScience MyScience

Year 12 Physics ExperimentFest

In June, Year 12 Physics attended ExperimentFest at Newcastle University. The students participated in seven mandatory HSC experiments that are often difficult to conduct at school. The program allowed students to explore Physics with Year 12 students from other schools, interact with university science students and gave students a look at university life and facilities.

Year 12 Chemistry Orica Excursion

Year 12 chemistry visited an ammonia processing plant on Island. They toured the plant and met working chemical engineers and chemists, and could ask questions about their work, and studying engineering at university. The excursion also covered course content including the Haber Process.

Taronga Zoo Excursion

During Term 2, all of Year 7 travelled to Taronga Zoo for the day to complement the unit of work being studied in science – To Zoo or Not to Zoo. Five bus loads of excited students departed Kotara High School bright and early and arrived by 10am. Students watched the seal show, the bird show and walked from top to bottom to observe all of the exhibits including the new baby gorilla. Luckily, the weather held off and almost 200 tired students returned home after a great day.

Year 7 at Taronga Zoo

MAD Science/Build Me A Future Day

MAD science has finished its first semester at Kotara High School. In this course, students created rockets, catapults, silicone hands and hovercrafts. In addition to these activities, students also attended a day long excursion to the University of Newcastle to participate in the Build Me A Future Day. Here, the students competed in a series of Science and Engineering tasks and experience university subjects first hand. Build Me A Future Day MAD Science

STEM Industry Visit with Aurecon

During Term 2 a STEM workshop was conducted at Kotara High School (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) involving 2 science classes (60 students) in collaboration with our Industry Partners – Aurecon, and EWB - Engineers Without Barriers. Twenty Two volunteers from Industry, EWB and the University of Newcastle assisted at the workshop. EWB travelled from Sydney to lead the hands on workshop. This is a new education initiative for STEM in the Hunter. Our students thoroughly enjoyed it and had the opportunity to discuss with the volunteers their work in STEM fields. I would like to thank Rebecca Murphy (Head Teacher TAS) for her organisation and collaboration on this project.

Nicole Bonar

Relieving Head Teacher Science

What a busy term 2 we have had. We would like to say welcome back to our teacher’s aide for the SL2 class, Mrs Dani Norton, who has returned from maternity leave. She has met 16 wonderful new students that have joined our new faculty.

The students in SL1, SL2 and SL3 have been on an excursion to the University of Newcastle for a Multi-sports day. All students participated in events and it was great to see them having a great time. Thanks to Mrs Abbott for organising this day for us. The students from SL1 and SL3 have been attending their regular excursions for Community Access on Friday B to Westfield. They have been building upon their social skills, shopping skills and research skills.

Four students from the SL2 class attended the Annual Lions Deaf Camp in May at Point Wolstoncroft for 1 week. They had a ball while they were there. All students were on their best behaviour. Our class has also been busy with The Hunter Signing Choir and performed at Starstruck 2016. What a great effort these students made to attend practice and perform on the night. From this performance two of our students Sophie Higgins and Samantha Butler have been invited to attend and participate in School Spectacular, which is held in November. We wish the girls all the best.

The SL2 class has been busy with work experience and mainstream class excursions. Benjamin Slater has worked at Dog Overboard and enjoyed working with the dogs. He is also currently working in the school canteen and will over the next term do some placement at McDonalds, Kotara. He has also volunteered his time to assist at the Ronald McDonald House at . Sophie Higgins is currently doing work experience at Garden Suburb Public School her old primary school.

We are now back in the old canteen and to celebrate we are having some specials and prizes.

Buy a Burger, Sandwich or Roll and receive a ticket to go in the draw to win either a

$50 Apple iTunes Gift Voucher or a $50 JB HI-Fi Gift Voucher

Each prize will be drawn on the last assembly of August and September by Mr Snedden

What’s New - Breakfast Tuesday and Thursday – Bacon and Corn Fritters on an English Muffin with Sauce $3.00 add a small flavoured milk for a $1.00

Beef Nachos will be back on Friday the 12th August.

The canteen is happy to cater to our student’s dietary needs so please feel free to come and discuss what you would like us to provide.

The canteen is the main fund raiser for the school. If anyone has any spare time please consider lending a hand.

Katherin Owens

Last term saw some of our year 9, 10 and 11 students undertake study through WEA. The modules on offer were from the Retail/Hospitality and a Business/IT courses. This gave the students accreditation towards a Certificate II in these courses. It involved the students attending one day a week for 15 weeks. The barista component proved popular and some of these students are now leading small groups to develop these skills in their Food Technology class.

A First Aid and CPR course was also run through WEA, which was well received by the students.

Eleven students participated in a volunteer program run by JobQuest that involved students preparing meals for families who were staying at Ronald McDonald House.

The ‘Plan It Youth’ mentoring program was offered again last term and the students involved enjoyed the chance to share ideas and seek advice and guidance from their mentors.

These opportunities are a great way for students to gain valuable skills in the workplace.

This term, the ‘Plan It Youth’ program is underway, as is another program called ‘Youth On Purpose’, which is designed to develop confidence and self - esteem.

JobQuest are again involved with Kotara High School in presenting a Pre - apprenticeship course which runs every Wednesday during period 1. We are also intending to run the popular Event Cinema program again through JobQuest later in the term.

Last term Year 10 had the opportunity to attend the Careers Expo and Year 12 attended the Open Day at Newcastle University. A smaller group attended an IT day at Newcastle University earlier in the term.

The University UAC guides have been handed out to Year 12 students. The online applications open on 3rd August and close on 30th September. The UAC pin is mailed to each student.

This week Year 10 are undertaking work experience.

Students should be encouraged to pursue the many opportunities available to them so that they are more prepared for the world post school.

Ann McPherson Transition Adviser

UAC Guides Last week, Year 12 were issued with the current UAC (University Admissions Centre) Guide to start the process of university applications. A pin will be sent to students in the mail to enable them to go online and apply for university entrance. On time applications open 3rd August and close 30th September. Please feel free to contact me for any advice in regards to this process or for advice on university courses/degrees.

Useful Careers information and websites

Listed below are useful websites and advice to assist parents with careers guidance. This information was given out and explained to Year 12 at the recent Year 12 Study Day. Feel free to make an appointment to see me at the Careers Office to discuss any of the options that you have researched or discussed with your son or daughter.

Advertised Jobs and employment

 Go to www.au.indeed.com/ to search for advertised jobs (this will search all job websites)  Also go to www.kotarahighcareers.com and check on the message board for a weekly job link from Career links.  Hand out your resume to local employers

University Information

 Go to www.kotarahighcareers.com and click on link: → Post school options → university (there are13 links from here)  Go to www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/ for information from the University Admissions Centre (applications for uni for 2017 will be August and September). You will receive a UAC Guide closer to the time  Go to www.jobjump.com.au Log in from Kotara High School and use your private email address so you can access this site after you have finished school  Visit the careers foyer and look at the university guides sent out to schools  To check ATAR cut-offs go to www.smh.com.au/interactive/dataviz/2016_ATAR-cutoff- scores.html

TAFE Information

 Go to Hunter TAFE www.hunter.tafensw.edu.au/  Go to Smart and Skilled www.smartandskilled.nsw.gov.au/ While there they can use the Course Finder to check their eligibility, find the right Smart and Skilled course and approved training provider, and estimate their student fee.  My Skills website – national directory of Vocational Education and Training (VET) organisations and courses www.myskills.gov.au  Visit the careers foyer and look at the TAFE guides sent out to schools

Private Colleges

 Go to www.privatecollegesaustralia.com/ Private Colleges Australia provides up-to-date listing of further education colleges and courses  Visit the careers foyer and look at the course guide sent out to schools  Go to Smart and Skilled www.smartandskilled.nsw.gov.au/ While there they can use the Course Finder to check their eligibility, find the right Smart and Skilled course and approved training provider, and estimate their student fee.

Apprenticeships/Traineeships

 Use the following links for apprenticeship/traineeship contacts: www.aapathways.com.au www.novaskill.com.au www.megt.com.au www.migas.com.au www.mbansw.asn.au/ www.hia.com.au www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au  Go to www.au.indeed.com/ for advertised jobs (this will search all job websites)  Also go to www.kotarahighcareers.com and check on the message board for a weekly job link from Career links.  Hand out your resume to local employers  Complete some work experience with an employer (see Miss Campbell for the paperwork)

Gap year and working overseas

 Visit the careers foyer and look at the brochures sent out to schools www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/studying-training/changing-your-mind/taking-a-gap-year

I don’t know where to start……….

 Create a resume  Do an interest test at ……….. www.jobjump.com.au Log in from Kotara High School and use your private email address OR www.kotarahighcareers.com and go to the student secure area and create an account

Please feel free to contact me to discuss any careers information. Prue Campbell

ATTENTION ALL STAFF, PARENTS AND CARERS ;

There is a drop off and pick up area, for our disabled students ONLY in the Staff car park off Corriston Cres. Please take care and use caution when driving through our car park to drop your child off OUTSIDE the school gate. There is a 10km speed limit, for the safety of staff and students in that area.

What is the ACORN?

Cybercrime is an issue which affects many Australians. As Australia's reliance on technology grows, the cost and incidence of cybercrime is expected to increase.

The Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN) is a national policing initiative of the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. It is a national online system that allows the public to securely report instances of cybercrime. It will also provide advice to help people recognise and avoid common types of cybercrime.

The ACORN is a key initiative under the National Plan to Combat Cybercrime, which sets out how Australian agencies are working together to make Australia a harder target for cybercriminals. The ACORN has been designed to make it easier to report cybercrime and help develop a better understanding of the cybercrime affecting Australians. By understanding the enablers of cybercrime, we can make it harder and less rewarding to commit cybercrime. What does the ACORN do?

The ACORN provides information on how to recognise and avoid common forms of cybercrime (such as hacking, online scams, online fraud, identity theft and attacks on computer systems) as well as advice for those who have fallen victim. It also makes reporting cybercrime easier and more convenient for all Australians. Who is responsible for the ACORN?

The ACORN has been designed and is delivered in collaboration with:

 All Australian police agencies  The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission  The Australian Attorney-General’s Department  The Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency  The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission  The Australian Communications and Media Authority  The Office of the Children's eSafety Commissioner

Expression of interest for Assisted Travel Support Officer (ATSO) position

The Assisted School Travel Program (ASTP) often provides additional support to students with disabilities on transport. Assisted Travel Support Officers (ATSOs) support students with complex health or behaviour needs to ensure their safe travel to and from school. If you are interested in temporary part-time work as an ATSO the following website contains information on how to apply for the position. www.schools.nsw.edu.au/studentsupport/programs/astp/index.php

For further information please contact ASTP on 1300 338 278 or email ASTP at [email protected]

DATES TO REMEMBER

Monday August 15th P&C Meeting 7pm in the Library

Monday August 15th – Friday 26th HSC Assessment week