Blakehurst High School Your Outstanding Local Comprehensive Secondary School N Term 4 Update – November 2011 E Term 4 Report The end of the year is rapidly approaching. This time of the year is very busy as we finalise assessments for all years, as well as begin planning for the 2012 school year. W This planning includes the timetabling of classes as well as allocation of teaching staff to these classes, budgeting, programming etc. Students in all years must attend school until Friday the 16th of December. Activities are being organized for all years. Years 7, 8, 9 and 11 will attend S normal classes up until the last three days, at which time they will be allocated an activity to attend, undertake peer support training or fulfill HSC requirements (where Yr 11 is concerned). Year 10 will be in normal classes up until the last two weeks of school, when they L will undertake a specially planned program of meaningful and worthwhile activities. All these activities have been planned to specifically support and prepare them for their senior studies and their eventual transition to work or alternate educational facilities in the future. E These Year 10 activities will include; 1. All My Own Work (the NSW Board of Studies made this program compulsory for all students undertaking the HSC) T 2. Digital citizenship skills 3. Study Skills for Senior Students workshops. 4. Money Savvy (financial management skills). T 5. The Be Real Game (career planning simulation) These activities will culminate with the year 10 Graduation Ceremony on Friday the 16th of December at 9-30am in the school hall. E Study Skills Online As I wrote to all parents in a recent letter, the P&C has funded an online study skills program which can be accessed by all students and parents at school and at home. The program has a huge amount of information for students and parents, as well as lots of R interactive activities, multimedia experiences and useful resources. To access the handbook, go to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au (the link is also found on the Blakehurst High School‟s web site) and login as a subscriber with these details: User name: blakehursths Password: 186results SMS Absence Notification System This system should be activated very soon so we can trial it for full implementation in 2012. Key operating staff were trained in October, and installation of software as well as entry of contact numbers is presently taking place. As mentioned in the letter I sent you earlier this term, the program reads the schools attendance rolls at a predetermined time each day (around 11am) and then automatically sends an email to the parent/caregiver of any absent or late student. (NOTE: unless otherwise altered, the system will default to the mother‟s mobile number). Parents can then reply by SMS, to explain the student‟s absence/lateness. This will negate the need for an explanation letter. Of course, parents are still able to write letters, emails or phone the school, to notify us of the reasons for the student‟s absence, if they wish to do so. Parents can also use SMS to inform the school prior to the student‟s absence. The number for this is 19910010. The SMS notification system can also be used to inform you of upcoming events such as Parent and Teacher evenings, P&C meetings, sporting carnivals etc. Thanks to all families who returned the student detail update sheet. This is essential if the process is to work effectively. Please notify the school ASAP if your contact details change in any way in the future. Thanks again to the P&C for funding these whole school initiatives for 2012. 270a Woniora Road BLAKEHURST NSW 2221 Ph: 9546 3281 Fax: 9547 1024 Email: [email protected] Website: www.blakehurst-h.schools.nsw.edu.au The HSC and SC Exams As I write this newsletter the Higher School Certificate and School Certificate exams are drawing to an end. Feedback from students about the exams has generally been positive, although it was not unusual to get a “it was really easy” or “it was really hard” response when asking two students about the same exam! The HSC results are available to students on the 14th of December (ATARs are usually the next day) and the SC results will be distributed at the Year 10 graduation on the 16th of December (note this is the last ever School Certificate to be issued). Presentation Night Please put the 2011 Presentation night date, Wednesday the 7th of December, into your diaries. This year it will begin at 7-00pm in the school hall and it should last for two hours. Please arrive early to be seated. The Australian Attorney- General, Robert McClelland has been invited as a guest speaker – he is an ex School Captain of Blakehurst High School (1975). Dedicated email trial for reporting bullying. Our school has been selected to trial an electronic bullying reporting system. Please see the information from the DEC below. “In response to general community concerns around the reporting of bullying the Department of Education and Communities is piloting in 24 schools across NSW a dedicated email address where students and their parents can report incidents of bullying. The school that your child attends has volunteered to be part of this important trial. Students and parents will be able to send an email anytime and from anywhere with an internet connection, to report student bullying behaviour online. The report travels instantaneously to the school principal or nominee in an email. The purpose of this email trial is to identify the particular benefits/advantages and limitations/disadvantages for the school community of using a dedicated email address for reporting bullying. An email account has been created at our school – You can access this email on the schools website: eg [email protected] After a report has been made a bounce back message will take place (ie an automatic response). This will give information about when the report would be looked at, some tips on what to do, contact information on support services and information about what constitutes bullying. The bullying e-mail will be a no-reply e-mail box. The responses are provided by a school representative, no anonymity will be available in this response.” Please note the school will not be acting on any anonymous emails as they may prove vexatious. Mr B Lester Principal Parent Tips Published in the Department of Education Newsletter Local schools, local decisions You have until Friday 18 November to contribute to the online forum of the NSW government‟s „local schools local decisions‟ planning process. The NSW Government wants to hear from people about giving schools greater control over decision-making in order to improve teaching and learning, and achieve the best outcomes for students. Everyone with an interest in public education is invited to contribute ideas on five areas of reform: making decisions managing resources staff in our schools working locally reducing red tape. To have your say go to the online forum at: http://haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/localschools World Diabetes Day November 14 is World Diabetes Day. The day aims to raise awareness of the disease and ways to prevent lifestyle-induced (Type 2) diabetes, which is increasing in our society. Adopting a healthy diet, high in protein and low in sugar and simple carbohydrates, and incorporating regular exercise, is a good start. For more information on preventing and living with diabetes, including help in different languages, go to the Australian Diabetes Council website: www.diabetesnsw.com.au/ HSC survival guide In School A to Z you will find a handy guide for helping the whole family get through this often stressful time. Get tips on how to provide a relaxing and supportive home environment that will best support your studying teen. Go to: www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/homework-tips/tips-for-surviving-the-hsc For more advice, go to NSW HSC online: www.hsc.csu.edu.au which has a special section for parents and carers. DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S Report Attendance Although the end of the year is getting nearer we all need to keep our focus on student learning. As always, attendance is vitally important if students are to become successful learners. Our students will be involved in valuable learning activities until the last day of school. Please don‟t allow your child to take “days off”, without a good reason, as this learning time is as important as any other time throughout the year. Bring the Required Equipment to School In order to take their learning seriously, students need to be prepared for each lesson; being focused in class and following simple teacher instructions will build success in the classroom and in learning that translates to success. Some students do not bring the required equipment to school each day, some come to school without even a pen. We ask for all parents to assist us and their children by checking that they have the necessary equipment and a school bag large enough to carry it. “I keep it in my locker”, seems to be a common excuse given to parents and it is not always true. Some students do not Following School Rules re Uniform Inability to follow school rules can disrupt successful learning. Uniform, bring the required particularly shoes, can start to get a little sloppy at this time of the year. All equipment to school each students need to be in full school uniform every day.