The fortnightly newsletter of Castle Hill High School EXCELLENCE INNOVATION SUCCESS Volume 10 29 June 2012 PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Trial Higher School Certificate countdown Students in Year 12 will have the opportunity in the coming holiday break to continue preparations for their Trial HSC examinations which will commence in Week 2 of Term 3 on Monday July 30. The careful management of the two week break so that there is plenty of timetabled study, together with selected recreational and leisure time is the perfect recipe for minimising stress. Students are encouraged to exercise and/or get some fresh air, eat well and healthily starting with a large delicious breakfast, sleep for at least 8 hours a night, drink water, establish a study timetable and follow it religiously, plan for treats like a film, favourite TV show or social occasions, organise and tidy the study area and restrict social media (perhaps even ban it for the fortnight!). For parents of HSC students, I say it every year (but I think it’s worthwhile repeating) – all we can do is provide healthy, delicious food, back away from constant reminders about study (it’s definitely time to release them), offer a kind and ready ear, be particularly nice to them (even if they are moody and remote) and keep your fingers crossed. The Higher School Certificate is without question one of life’s great challenges, so much more public, accountable and competitive than ever. There is so much pressure on young people these days. Our support of them is critical. New pergolas The final touches have just been made to our new shade structures. Accommodating sixteen custom made tables and chairs, a roof designed to allow light and shade to be integrated depending on the time of year, landscaped with a lot of gardenias and set with ten fashionably discrete but resilient bins (at a cost of $5000!) this new structure will provide necessary and comfortable leisure space for students at recess and lunch. I’ve even seen teachers teaching in it, so appealing is its setting and design! __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ EXCELLENCE INNOVATION SUCCESS School Telephone: 9634 4199 School Facsimile: 9899 6527 Website: http://www.castlehill-h.schools.nsw.edu.au Page 1 The total cost of the shade structure is around $100,000 all paid by the school from fees and contributions made by parents on behalf of students at this school. Without your direct and timely fees, this school could not provide the kind of facilities you would expect in a modern, 21st Century place of learning. Zone Athletics carnival win Sport is a strong area of expertise at Castle Hill High School. Apart from the terrific basketball results which have been reported at many assemblies, there is a very active and competent group of all-round athletes whose skills are not going unnoticed. Recently for example, we won the Area Athletics Carnival against other schools in the region. Ms Kate Riley who is taking on the responsibility of sporting carnivals is over the moon. IPADs Technology provision is very good at Castle Hill High School. Despite this, we are keen to still expand, learning other ways to engage students and connect their learning with the world. We’ve had a relatively successful IPAD trial for about 6 months where a small group of teachers met once a week to learn about the advantages of using IPADs in classrooms, in particular with Year 7 and 8 students. We’ve decided to expand the trial and introduce more teachers to IPAD learning using some experts in the school who have a passion for this kind of technology to mentor teachers. I look forward to seeing some interesting lessons using IPADs as the means to engage more students. Holidays Can I thank you all for the support of our school this term. It’s such a terrific place to work and live – and your support is very much part of the reason Castle Hill High School is a good school. Students, generally, are happy and focused and the dedication and commitment of staff is second to none. Staff and students are looking forward to a well-earned break, ready for a busy Term 3 which will commence for students on Tuesday July 17. Vicki Brewer 2012 TERM DATES Term 2 Friday 29 June Last day Term 2 Term 3 Monday 16 July Teachers and Staff Resume Tuesday 17 July Students Resume Friday 21 September Last day Term 3 Term 4 Monday 8 October Teachers, Staff and Students Resume Wednesday 19 December Last day Term 4 for Students Friday 21 December Last day Term 4 for Teachers and Staff __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ EXCELLENCE INNOVATION SUCCESS School Telephone: 9634 4199 School Facsimile: 9899 6527 Website: http://www.castlehill-h.schools.nsw.edu.au Page 2 SPORTS COUNCIL SPORTS SPOTLIGHT LARA JOHNSTONE Basketball What does the sport of Basketball involve? Basketball is a team sport. It is made up of two teams of five players. Points are scored by throwing the ball through the elevated hoop and are worth 1, 2 or 3 points depending on where the shot is taken from. There are many other rules including, a player is not allowed to move with the ball unless they are bouncing it on the ground; once the ball has been picked up after dribbling, the ball must not be bounced again and once the ball is brought into the attacking half, it cannot be taken back into the backcourt by the attacking team. In basketball there are 5 positions, 2 guards (shooting and point guard) and 2 forwards (small and power forward) and the centre. All players in the game require a lot of coordination, agility, speed, power and fitness to play basketball. What level of representation have you achieved in Basketball? I have represented Castle Hill High School at a state level, and also the Hills Zone at the Sydney West school gala day. Outside of school, I play basketball at a representative level for the Hills Hornets in the Under 18's Women’s division 2 team. What training do you do for basketball? I train for one and a half hours, two nights a week with my Hills Hornets team. During these training sessions we work on key features of the game like ball handling, passing, on ball and off ball defence, team plays and shooting. I am also a part of a local competition basketball team that plays every Friday night. Even though this is more of a social league of basketball, it allows me to get in some extra game play practice. What do you enjoy about basketball? I enjoy basketball because it demands a different skill set and fitness from me than other sports do. I enjoy the team play, athleticism and intensity of basketball as it sets it apart from other sports I play. I also like to narrow it down to the game of basketball itself, as it is simply a fun and challenging sport to be a part of. The sport demands a lot from a player as you are required to master a whole set of physical skills and have the fitness to perform these skills. To be part of this challenge makes the sport of Basketball enjoyable. What other sports do you participate in? Over the years I have played a large variety of sports, but at present I represent the school in touch football, hockey, basketball, soccer, cross country and athletics. I also play soccer outside of school at a club level, for Castle Hill United Football Club. Thank you for the interview Sports Council __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ EXCELLENCE INNOVATION SUCCESS School Telephone: 9634 4199 School Facsimile: 9899 6527 Website: http://www.castlehill-h.schools.nsw.edu.au Page 3 CAREERS CORNER Our Senior Students have had the opportunity of participating in several Careers Education events this term. Talented students interested in Engineering and IT visited University of New South Wales and University of Technology Sydney for high school information days within those faculties. Students seemed to really enjoy the projectABLE Workshops through Interaction Disability Services Limited in Castle Hill and the Social Work Careers Information Day at Westmead Hospital was inspiring and helped clarify many queries about this growing profession. Most recently, The Western Sydney Careers Expo provided students with an opportunity to explore many careers options by chatting directly with personnel from most of the major tertiary institutions throughout this country. Year 10 students should gain a much greater understanding and appreciation of what is involved in the working world by their participation in the Work Experience program this week. The Careers Newsletter is emailed to all students in Years 10, 11 and 12 and their parents/caregivers. The next Careers Newsletter will include more details about the free Apprenticeship and Traineeship Expo at Waitara on Wednesday 25 July - and the 18th Annual Cherrybrook Technology High School Year 12 Information Evening on Wednesday 22 August. Jane Curran BILL TURNER CUP Castle Hill High School Boys 15’s Football team recently played a Sydney North Regional Semi-Final against Turramurra High School in the Bill Turner Cup Competition. The Bill Turner Cup is one of the world’s largest team sport competitions. Over 400 schools compete each year - which means around 6,000 players from NSW, Queensland, ACT and Victoria are involved. The Bill Turner Cup is in its 34th year in 2012. The Regional Semi-Final played at Turramurra was a very tense and competitive game which ended up as a 3-3 draw at fulltime. Extra time of ten minutes each way still did not provide a winner of this game.