HIGH SOUTH SCHOOL Care | Opportunity | Success Newsletter | Term 2 Week 4 | 24 May 2019

Principal’s Report

Congratulations to:  South Sydney High School Boys AFL Team’s 79-16 victory over Tempe High School. Onward and upward for the boys.

It has been another busy fortnight at South Sydney High School, students are very fortunate to have so many opportunities offered to them both inside and outside the classroom. I encourage students to participate in a range of activities including sport, academic, creative and performing arts. There is much research about the benefits of students participating in a range of activities and the benefits that has on their mental and physical health.

As the weather changes ever so slightly a reminder that South Sydney High School is a uniform school, students should be in correct school uniform, including shoes every day. A reminder that hoodies and tracksuit pants are not part of the school uniform. It is also important that students attend school every day and be physically and mentally prepared to work. Students should have all the necessary equipment for each of their subjects including class books, pens, ruler and calculators.

Year 12 Parent Teacher Night Thank you to the parents and students who attended the Year 11 and 12 Parent Teacher night on Tuesday 14th May. It was great to see so many parents and students attend this night and receive important feedback.

Senior Tutorial Centre The Senior Tutorial Centre for Year 12 students is available every Wednesday afternoon from 1.30 pm – 3.15 pm in the Student Services Centre. Teachers are available to assist with course work, study preparation and past papers. Students do not have to attend each week, but remember it is an ideal opportunity to have a quiet place to work and utilise the support available.

NAPLAN Teachers were very impressed with the attitude and behaviour of our Year 7 and Year 9 students who sat for their NAPLAN exams last week. As you would be aware, the merits and issues with on-line testing of NAPLAN has been extensively discussed in the media but it was pleasing to see students demonstrate appropriate exam protocols. Clubs There are a number of opportunities which are available all the time at South Sydney High School. The following table on the next page is a handy guide to the latest offerings. Please encourage your child to make the most of the opportunities on offer! Kind Regards

Janice Neilsen Vietnam & Cambodia Trip Read about the adventures of a group of Year 10 students and two teachers who had the opportunity to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia for 2 weeks over the term 1 break. First stop was Vietnam. When we arrived it was stinking hot and very, very busy with cars and motorcycles all around the streets. In the first few days we explored the history of Hanoi, experiencing the busy street markets and important sights such as Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and a range of different temples. One of the highlights in Vietnam was the delicious street food that we tried, especially the local delicacy of Bún chả a Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and noodle. Next was the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay, thousands of limestone islands in an idyllic bay. We had a fantastic time here canoeing, swimming and even trying our hand at traditional fishing. This was a once in a lifetime experience accompanied with amazing scenery and Tai Chi on the top deck to start the day. Another highlight of Vietnam was Hoi An. This city was filled with colourful lanterns and amazing architecture and we even got to try Bánh mì, a baguette which is filled with various savoury ingredients as a sandwich. Next was Cambodia. As we arrived, we immediately felt the heat - it was even hotter than Vietnam, which we didn’t think was possible! We had a city tour of Phnom Penh by cyclo which was wonderful, and experienced the wonders of the Silver Pagoda in the Royal Palace. We visited the national Genocide museum at S21 and the killing fields. This was a gruelling and sobering experience for everyone, but necessary to understand the history of Cambodia. The best place was one of the 7 Wonders of the World, Angkor Wat in Siem Reap; these temples in the jungle were just amazing due to their ancient architecture and amazing history. Vietnam and Cambodia were both filled with great scenery and brilliant food, and we learnt a lot about the rich history of these two incredible countries. Opportunities at South Sydney High School

Group Year Group/s Meeting time/Where Teacher Contact

Beacon Ambassadors Year 10 students C16 Ms Stell Monday lunchtime Book Club Year 7-10 students Library Ms Maddocks From Term 2 Breakfast Club All students are welcome Common Room Mr Benischke Tuesday mornings at 8.10 am – 8.40 am Chess Team Year 7-11 students F18 Ms de Paor Thursday lunchtime Christian Club All students are welcome C17 Ms Stell Monday lunchtime Code Club Year 7-10 students Library Mr Chadwick Monday from 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm Dance Club All students are welcome A1 Ms Mifsud Thursday afternoon 3.15pm - 4.15pm Debating Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 B5 Mr Flewellen students Monday lunchtime Ms Khouri Drama Ensemble Year 8 students F18 Ms de Paor Thursday lunchtime and special workshop days

Duke of Edinburgh Year 9, Year 10 and Year See contact teacher for further details. Ms Mifsud 11 students History Club All students C2 Mr Davidson are welcome Friday lunchtime Homework Club All students welcome Student Services Centre Mr Benischke Tuesday from 2.45 pm – 3:45 pm JEMs All students welcome Common Room Mr Wiseman (Jewish Education Matters) Every 2nd Monday lunchtime Library - extended hours All students Thursday 7.30 am - 4.30 pm Ms Maddocks are welcome Meditation All students C18 Ms Lopez are welcome Monday lunchtime Prefect Team Elected positions B4 Ms Maynard Monday lunchtime Public Speaking Year 7-11 students F18 Ms de Paor Thursday lunchtime School Band Year 7-12 students A13 Ms Sainty Tuesday 8.00 am – 8.45 am Senior Tutorial Centre Senior Students Student Services Ms Graham Wednesday from 2.45 pm – 3:45 pm SRC – Student Representative All students B4 Ms Maynard Council are welcome Tuesday lunchtime SSCIM – South Sydney Club All students F18 Ms de Paor for Intelligent Minds are welcome Wednesday lunchtime Mr Wagg Mr Armanios Tournament of Minds Year 7-10 students Tba Ms Tilby

Vocal Group Year 7-11 students A12 Ms Gregov Wednesday 8:15am Volunteers Year 9 and Year 10 stu- C16 Ms Stell dents Thursday lunchtime

Career One on One Day at Austcorp Executive

On May 16th, 5 Year 11 students attended a career focus morning at Austcorp Executive HR recruitment Company at their Sydney office to connect with HR specialists, to be mentored and to shine a light on the extraordinary opportunities that are possible for their lives. This experience surpassed all our expectations! The students came away with “Game Changing” aspirations to build, rebuild and shape their newfound career paths. With a promise to continue to mentor these students in November this year and beyond Year 12. With enormous appreciation to our Business Partners at United Way for connecting our students to this opportunity. United Way and South Sydney High partners to bring excellent experiences and opportunities to our students.

Helen Stell, Opportunity Coordinator Dress for Work

Boys to Men! What a privilege it was for Ms Lopez to take our Year 10 boys to Metro Assist for their Dress for Work Program. What a fantastic community organisation. Our students will be forever grateful.

Opportunity Team

Sports News

Congratulations to Matilda of Year 10 who was selected for the Sydney East Netball team. Matilda competed in the NSWCHS netball tournament, with her team placing 7th out of 11 teams. Duke of Edinburgh Award Training Hike

Congratulations to the 21 students who successfully completed their Duke of Edinburgh Award Training Hike in Week 4. 2 Bronze groups completed an overnight hike and 2 Silver groups completed a 3 day/2night hike for their first Adventurous Journey of the Award this year. The students hiked the Waterfall-Heathcote loop track carrying all their camping equipment and food in their backpacks. The Silver group completed their 3rd day hiking from Waterfall to Helensburgh with a side trip to the top of Mt Westmacott. The students learnt navigation skills, worked as a part of a team and showed determination and grit to hike up to 6 hours each day carrying heavy backpacks. Thanks to Ms Maynard, Ms Mifsud and Mr Yasaman for their guidance and organisation. Reelise 2019, Congratulations to William and Ryan

William from Year 10 and Ryan of Year 7 were proud VIP stars at the Annual Reelise Film Festival, held at Bondi Junction’s VMax Event Cinema on Saturday 18th June. Their families enjoyed celebrating with these students as they attended the premiere of the Virtual Reality film they starred in at South Sydney High School during the school holidays. We look forward to continued South Sydney High School participation in this annual film festival.

Aine de Paor, Gifted Co-ordinator Gifted, Talented & Enrichment, Term 2

Senior SSCIM Camp, Cockatoo Island: 8th, 9th and 10th May 2019

Projects completed by our seniors on SSCIM Camp, Cockatoo Island this year included:

 Inventing a new game of strategy and skill based on traditional chess but with the rules and many of the key pieces replaced (William & Dylan).  A portfolio of photographs recording the history of Cockatoo Island’s industrial past (Zoltan).  Written material and photos that could be used to promote Cockatoo Island as a ‘must visit’ Sydney destination.  A portfolio of portraiture (Isabella)  Preparing a speech about teenage anxiety and depression for this year’s ‘Plain Speaking Competition’ (Cooper)  An art project involving the making of paper cranes and photographing them in various specially chosen locations (Michael)

Ms de Paor and Mr Wagg left South Sydney High School with our Senior SSCIM students who had planned and shopped for their meals as well as contributing to the timetable for our three day learning adventure on the island. Each day’s activities concluded at the island’s private bean bed cinema. Students reported to the group on their achievements that day and explained the project related tasks they intended to undertake the following day. This was followed by the showing of a film for our hard working students who had been busy preparing and clearing up after all meals as well as completing the tasks required by their projects.

Our annual three days of Project Based Learning in the idyllic location that is Cockatoo Island continues to offer opportunities to our senior students to develop their skills in their chosen areas of aptitude and interest. Junior SSCIM Camp will again take place at Pittwater in Term 4 and our Year 7 and 8 students who express an interest in attending will soon be preparing their project proposals. SSCIM Club, taking place as it does on Thursdays at lunch time allows students to do just that.

Aine de Paor, Gifted Education Coordinator Hospitality Work Placements

Our Year 11 Hospitality students have been working hard in the community this week, completing their first work placement.

Reports from employers have been overwhelmingly positive and I was impressed by the students’ professionalism when I visited them at work.

Thank you to the businesses who so generously take our students under their wing. Plain Speaking Competition

On Tuesday 14th May in our Staff Common Room parents, students and teachers gathered for the local final of the , Plain English Speaking Competition. Schools represented included Reddam House, Ascham, , Cranbrook, and the Scots College. The finalists from these schools were required to present a speech of up to eight minutes on a topic they felt passionate about. The topics students chose to speak about included ‘Instant gratification’, ‘The role of Music in society’ and ‘Why vaccinating against disease is important’. Our own Cooper Fenton from year 10 is to be warmly congratulated for her own excellent speech on the topic of ‘Teenage Mental Health’. The second round of the competition required students to prepare an impromptu speech on the topic of ‘Missing the Mark’.

Our school principal Ms Janice Nielsen warmly welcomed the many visitors who had come to our school for this occasion. She spoke of the importance of public speaking and congratulated all of the contestants on making it to the local finals. Ms Nielsen was also on hand at the conclusion of the event to congratulate all particpants and to present the participation certificates.

Warm thanks is extended to all of the student helpers who facilitated this event particularly Chris Chu as Chairman of the event and Jessica Zhang as the chief timer. Next year they will hand on the running of the competition to our year 8 students who also assisted in a training capacity.

Ms Aine de Paor, Gifted Education, Co-ordinator Year 12 Investigating Science

Module 7 of the Investigating Science syllabus requires students to investigate product claims by conducting practical and secondary-sourced investigations. Extensive scientific testing was conducted to test the strength of 3M Command hooks, the germ-killing power of Dettol anti-bacterial spray, and even McDonald’s claim that ‘you’re gunna need two hands’ to consume one of their burgers. Southern Courier Article - SSHS’s Frederick Mravec

P&C News A huge thank you to all our helpers - both parents and students - who volunteered at last Saturday's BBQ & cake stall. It was a lovely day and it was great to meet many new families. We are still finalising our profits for the day, we will let you know how much money was raised.

At last week's P&C meeting it was decided that we would register for the Earn and Learn promotion currently being held by Woolworths. We will have boxes available at Eastgardens, Southpoint and Matraville within the next few days, so please collect the stickers to support our school. Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday 11th June at 7pm in the staff common room. Attending a P&C meeting is a great way to find out about events at our school, as well as meeting other families. All are welcome.

Justine Jennings, [email protected]

Library News

Wheelers eBook and Audiobook Platform

Students and staff at South Sydney High School now have access to eBooks and audiobooks through Wheelers ePlatform. There is an extensive range of fiction and nonfiction titles that will cater for all reading tastes.

Readers can use the ePlatform app on their iPad, Galaxy, Surface or other tablet/mobile device, all without downloading any additional software. You can access the eBook and audiobook collection on the Oliver catalogue via the student portal. Browse or search the collections from the Oliver home page. Look for the ebook or audiobook icons.

Alternatively, you can download the free Wheelers eplatform app and log in with your DET username and password. The user-friendly interface includes full search and filtering options to make finding titles simple. Once downloaded, titles can be available offline. You can personalise your settings by customising the colour of the screen, text size and font styles. There are also dyslexia and night reading settings.

I encourage all students and staff to take advantage of the digital platform and explore the additional 2000 easily accessible titles from both mainstream publishers and innovative indie authors.

Julie Maddocks, Teacher Librarian Mobile Phone Policy

We have included a summary of our updated Mobile Phone Policy for your information. It is effective immediately. Please contact Ms Walton on 93493688 if you have any queries.

SOUTH SYDNEY HS

Mobile Phone Policy and procedures update

Rationale

The school recognises that there are times when it is genuinely appropriate and useful for students to have access to a mobile phone.

However it is not necessary for mobiles phones to be switched on or used during school lessons. They can be a distraction to students, a disruption to classes and they also pose a security problem. As a result, students are not permitted to use their phone in class at any time unless specifically instructed to do so by the teacher for learning activities. If a student has their phone out for any reason, they will be expected to put it away immediately.

Students are also encouraged to use their phone responsibly at all other times.

The following policy applies with respect to mobile phones:

 courtesy, consideration of and respect for others, are paramount at all times.

 they are brought to and kept at school, and used entirely at their owner’s risk. The school cannot accept any responsibility for theft, loss, damage or health effects (potential or actual) resulting from mobile phone use. Students and parents should recognise, however, that mobile phones are highly prized targets for theft and, accordingly, phones should always be stored in a safe and secure place.

 mobile phones must be switched off/silent during lessons and placed in students’ pocket/bag. They should not be used in any manner or place that is disruptive to the normal routines of the school or to other people. Usage includes making or receiving calls, the sending and receiving of text messages, videos, pictures or data, social media, playing games and use as calculators.

 mobile phones are not to be brought into examinations. Instance Immediate Action Follow up Action

Student collects phone from Head Teacher.

1st Head Teacher or Deputy Principal

to confiscate Phone. Head Teacher records on Sentral Phone locked away by Head Teacher Head Teacher calls parents.

Student collects phone from Deputy Principal.

2nd Head Teacher or Deputy Principal

to confiscate Phone. Head Teacher calls parents. Phone locked away by Deputy Principal Deputy Principal records on Sentral

Student receives Verbal Warning

Parent collects phone from Deputy Principal.

3rd Head Teacher or Deputy Principal

to confiscate Phone. Deputy Principal records on Sentral Phone locked away by Deputy Principal Deputy Principal calls parents.

Student receives Formal Warning

Parent collects phone from Deputy Principal/

4th Head Teacher or Deputy Principal Principal. to confiscate Phone. Phone locked away by Deputy Deputy Principal records on Sentral Principal or Principal Deputy Principal calls parents.

Student may receive a suspension for Continued Disobedience