Post-School Opportunities
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Colyton High School 2019 IMPORTANT DATES PRINCIPAL’S REPORT The Show Goes On…… Term 3 / Term 4 Term 3 continues to be one of the busiest terms during the year, September 9 P&C Meeting particularly around Performing Arts Showcases of our amazing September 10 Werrington Cup talent and finalisation of HSC Oztag practical exams. It has been a huge few weeks since the last newsletter and we are September Y11 Yearly Exams in the process of hosting our wonderful Colyton 16 - 27 Learning Community’s (CLC) partners at our school for the upcoming Showcase of Performing Arts. September 27 Y12 Graduation Spread across three nights of superb entertainment, Breakfast &Assembly students from local Primary and Secondary schools, as well as our very own students, this is a highlight of September 27 Last Day Term 3 the year. It also showcases Colyton High School at its very best and forms an important part of enhancing October 14 Students Return our community image. Congratulations are extended Term 4 to all staff across the school for an amazing effort to make this happen and in particular, our own Alex October 12 – HSC Final Exams Lane and Amy Ciocca on our staff, for their November 12 outstanding professionalism and positive energy in bringing it to Colyton High School as hosts! A big October 28 - Y10 Yearly Exams thank you to all the behind the scenes staff and November 8 students working in the Canteen, sound and lighting and backstage. We are looking forward to continuing November 1 Y7 Vaccinations the success of recent years. November 1 Y8 & Y10 Catch Up Everyday Leadership Vaccinations Our Everyday Leadership projects continue to build strong momentum as we move towards the selection November 4 P&C Meeting phase of our 2020 School Leaders. We are in the process of developing and implementing robust and sustainable leadership identification and development programs, designed to increase the pool of interested The next P&C Meeting and capable student leaders. We are creating new will be held on Monday September 9 opportunities for students to practice leadership and in the Common Room there have been some outstanding recent examples of at 7.00pm the high quality of young leaders we have in the school. This includes our Pasifika students sharing All are welcome to attend culture across the school and wider community at the Western Sydney University, and developing some powerful posters delivering strong, positive messages also leading an invaluable professional learning around mental health and self-care for young people program for some staff on Teaching Students from at school and in the community. We thank Mele Refugee Background, a 20 hour accredited Taufa, on our staff, for leading this part of the professional learning program. program in partnership with Albert Tevita, who connects us with community. Albert is an impressive Staff Professional Learning – Berry Street leader making a difference in his local community Education Model through Christ Mission Possible. He is delivering the As we go to print, Colyton High School staff have Life Program at school and together with Mele Taufa just completed Session 3 of our Berry Street and Bronwyn Williams from Western Sydney Education Model on Saturday 31 August. We University and the PATHE Program, we are creating thank our staff for giving up their family and some great opportunities for our students to shine, and relaxation time to allow this invaluable training to they are. continue. Together with our other key professional learning programs from recent years, Berry Street On Sunday 25 August, I was delighted to attend the training delivers some expert training to our staff, Kokoda – Walking With Legends, video launch at to support students from our diverse Colyton Panthers. The video recounted the outstanding community. Our previous sessions have covered achievement of seven local students, including our training on Body and Relationships. Session 3 is very own everyday leader Harry Lancaster, who about Stamina and Engagement. Session 4 on late in 2018 pushed themselves to their limits in December 19, 2019 is the last session, and finishes honouring past Australian Servicemen by walking with training on Character. So by the end of 2019, the gruelling Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea. nearly 100% of our current staff should be trained Harry represented Colyton High School with great and beginning to implement Berry Street strategies distinction and completed the challenge that would that will enhance learning and wellbeing outcomes test the best of us. We congratulate Harry and for our students. Our goal is for our teachers to be acknowledge his outstanding achievement. Great Teachers Leading Inspired Learning at Student Support – Students from Colyton High School. Please note that our last Refugee Backgrounds official day of school for students will be Wednesday December 18, 2019. I haven’t begun about the new program supporting our students from refugee backgrounds. We have HSC 2019 – Well Wishes for Year 12 some amazing students and families who, in recent Finally, we encourage all our Year 12 students to or current generations, have travelled to Australia finish their HSC program strongly, working to live and start a new life. Many have left behind towards graduation and their formal by being in the challenging conditions in their countries of birth right place, at the right time doing the right thing; and many have also left behind family. We working hard in partnership with their teachers to welcome them to our school and our community be ready to tackle HSC exams next term! Thank and it is so important we pay forward, our good you to all staff and supporters, including parents fortune to be born in the peaceful, prosperous and carers, for their contribution in getting the country of Australia, for the benefit of others. We students to this point of their school life. We wish cannot change things on the other side of the world them well in their preparation and transitioning to but we can have a huge impact in our own patch; work or further study at TAFE, College and our school, our local community, by the way we University. treat each other. We thank Ms Pitt and her team including Alfred Mupenzi from Western Sydney Yours in partnership University’s Widening Participation Program, for delivering some special opportunities for our MR D BUTLER PRINCIPAL students to achieve success. Ms Pitt is currently DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S all, the school and the parents have been on the REPORT same page. They have worked together to provide From the desk of Ms White a learning experience that is beneficial for the child. Learning and student wellbeing have been the “To prepare for a better centre of our discussions. As we come to the end of tomorrow, we need to start this journey, we can all be very proud of the path today. School provides you we have carved for these students, now they have with this opportunity, those that to walk on this path and make it their own. grab it are putting down the foundations for a bright future, those that let it slip The students are empty vessels, eager and ready to through their fingers, are putting their futures in learn. The teachers are the facilitators of jeopardy”. knowledge and a guiding light. This journey wouldn’t be this beautiful, if not for the teachers. As I write this newsletter, many thoughts and The teachers have worked hard over the 6 years to images are running through my mind. Some evoke polish the piece of jewellery entrusted to them in joy and some sadness. This mixed emotion is for Year 7. The final product is a glimmer of hope for my Year 12 cohort, who in a few weeks will the future. I am forever grateful for the jobs the graduate from High School and prepare for their teachers do in their classrooms. They spend final exam. They have completed one part of their countless hours preparing, thinking, evaluating, journey and are now ready to venture out into the assessing, and reflecting on their practices. Many world with the skills that they have gathered over hours of devotion has resulted in another cohort of the years. I thank the students for the work they students graduating. I thank the teachers for their have put into the efficient running of the school. hard work and vision for the students. As the They leave a legacy for others to follow. For some students leave our care, they are taking a piece of the future is exciting, filled with dreams and us with them. We, through our teaching have ambitions, while for others, it is foreboding and become a part of their lives for ever. This is a great unknown. Whatever the feelings, the fact remains gift to have. that, this part of their learning is coming to an end. The role of their Year Advisers – Ms Taylor Along the way, we have lost many of our peers, (retired in 2018), Mr Sewak who stepped up to fill some to work, some to Traineeships, some to the Year Adviser’s role and Mrs Hussain, assisting apprenticeships and some have just walked out of him, has been vital in ensuring that the needs of the the gates and never came back. The remaining cohort is met . These teachers have worked hard to students, who have faced the torrent of exams, ensure that the students are nurtured, heard and assessments as well as classwork, have been flourish at school. I thank them for providing a victories. They have mastered the demands of early memorable and valuable experience to the students.