SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3...
Transcript of SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3...
![Page 1: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Page 1 of 14
T3 Week 7 Week 7 Starting 3 September
Monday 03/09/18
Year 10 - student interviews with staff regarding 2019 subjects
Tuesday 04/09/18
Year 11 - UOW Summer Master Class Excur. Year 11 - Chemistry Depth Study Year 9 - Links to Learning Year 7 – Year Meeting –P6 Illawarra Schools Trades Roadshow
Wednesday 05/09/18
Year 12 - Economics UOW Lecture Day Excur Year 9 - Shine Program Selected Students NSW CHS Athletics Illawarra Refugee Challenge Dapto High
Thursday 06/09/18
Year 11 - Year 11 SLR Northern Bowl Year 10 - NESB Young Women’s Forum Year 9 - Various Students Legacy Badges Exc Year 9 - PASS Northern Bowl NSW CHS Athletics 2018 SRC Induction Assembly
Friday 07/09/18
Year 12 - Mufti Day – Year 12 only Year 7 - SRE NSW CHS Athletics
T3 Week 8 Week 8 Starting 10 September
Monday 10/09/18
Year 12 - Teacher’s vs Year 12 Games L1 Year 10 - ITT Design Folio Year 9 - PASS Hangtime
Tuesday 11/09/18
Year 12 - Teacher’s vs Year 12 Games L1 Year 12 - Final edits for YA Year 10 - SCI 1/2/3 VALID testing Year 9 - Links to Learning
Wednesday 12/09/18
Year 12 - Teacher’s vs Year 12 Games L1 Year 9 - Shine Program Selected Students
Thursday 13/09/18
Year 12 - Teacher’s vs Year 12 Games L1 Year 10 - NESB Young Women’s Forum
Friday 14/09/18
Year 12 - Teacher’s vs Year 12 Games L1 Year 10 - SCI 4/5/6 VALID testing CAPA Committee Cupcake Bake Sale
T3 Week 9 Week 9 Starting 17 September
Monday 17/09/18
Year 12 - Teacher’s vs Year 12 Games L1 Year 11 - End of course examinations Year 10 - Maths – In Class examinations
Tuesday 18/09/18
Year 12 - Teacher’s vs Year 12 Games L1 Year 11 - End of course examinations Year 10 - Macbeth excursion Year 9 - Links to Learning Year 9 - History - In Class essay
Wednesday 19/09/18
Year 12 -Teacher’s vs Year 12 Games L1 Year 11 - End of course examinations Year 10 - History test Year 9 - Shine Program selected students Year 8 - Shine Program selected students
Thursday 20/09/18
Year 12 - Teacher’s vs Year 12 Games L1 Year 11 - End of course examinations Year 10 - NESB Young Women’s Forum
Friday 21/09/18
Year 12 - Teacher’s vs Year 12 Games L1 Year 11 - End of course examinations Year 10 - Girl Talk Young Women’s Forum Year 7 - SRE
Year 12 Purple Year 11 Olive Year 10 Blue Year 9 Red Year 8 Green Year 7 Orange
Thoughts from the
Principal
Celebrating Book Week
During Week 5 we celebrated book week. This annual
celebration of those books written for young people,
hopes to continue inspiring a love of reading. Thank you
to all students and staff who got dressed up for Book
Week – adorning a character costume. Also, a big thank
you to the following staff who drove the celebrations –
Ms Willaro, Ms Brewer, Ms Crouch and Mr Verdejo.
Well done everyone!
I believe there is no skill more important to a child’s
development than reading. One of my high school
teachers was a very strong promoter of reading and
would often say – “readers are leaders”. Think of the
stories we have grown up with and the great characters
who stay with us. Books open us to ideas, feelings,
creativity, inspiration and reflection. They particularly
open doors to our imagination.
There are so many different books and there is always
something that can interest you; our Librarians are
happy to support students in choosing a great book, one
that speaks to them.
Survey about the Library
In coming weeks, staff in the Dynamic Action Learning
Team will be looking for ideas on how to enhance
Figtree High School’s Library. The aim is to create a
future focused learning space which will be utilised as a
learning hub for the school. We welcome your ideas on
what that space could look like. A survey will be
distributed shortly, so please take the time to complete
it. It’s your school, help us make it what you’d like it to
be.
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018
Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email: [email protected] Fax: 02 4271 6626
![Page 2: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Page 2 of 14
Southern Stars
I was lucky enough to be at WIN Entertainment Centre
last Friday night to see Southern Stars 2018 ICONIC. The
show was absolutely amazing and had everything from
rock, choreographed dance, pop, circus acts, hip hop
and soloists.
After so much preparation and many months of
rehearsals, 36 students from Figtree HS performed in
Southern Stars this year, displaying their many varied
talents in music, drama, dance and acrobatics. We had
10 VET Entertainment students working at Southern
Stars in a range of areas for stage management.
Congratulations and thank you to our talented teachers
who enabled our students to be involved in Southern
Stars. Ms Murphy worked with our 10 students in the
choir and all of the students in the NSW Millenium
Marching Band, and Ms Bennett worked with our 22
dancers. These teachers were involved and led many
different aspects of the professional and high quality
show. I would also like to thank a number of our staff
who assisted with supervision of students during the
rehearsals and performances; Ms Szoboszlay, Ms
Pulham, Ms Henderson, Ms Harvey, Ms Lapham and Ms
Wunsch.
You can visit the Southern Stars – The Arena Spectacular
Facebook page to take a look at some of the action from
this year’s show.
I highly recommend Southern Stars as one of the best
variety entertainment shows in the country.
SAS Staff Recognition Week
This week is School Administrative Support Staff (SASS)
recognition week. At Figtree HS we are blessed to have
a wonderful SAS Staff made up of Administration staff,
a General Assistant and Learning Support Officers.
Specific details about our SASS team are included on
the next page of the newsletter.
As Figtree HS steps up to the demands of an ever-
changing world and challenges of the 21st Century, SAS
staff are the backbone of the great work being done.
Please show your support of our SAS staff by
acknowledging their efforts and letting them know our
community is strongly behind them.
P&C Fundraiser – Bunnings BBQ
A big thank you to the P&C and the following group of
parents; Trish Davis and Jackie Brown who volunteered
for a large part of their Sunday, along with other parents
and community members who volunteered throughout
the day; Jemma Lawson, Karin Harlor, Casey Tasker,
Tanya Markham, Ellie Donovan, Doug Hearne, Shari Fox,
Nicole Castrissios, Amanda Hubert, Susannah Powter,
Bronwyn Gibson, Chris Ryman, Chris McGavock, Tracey
Newman and Brad Newman. Their time and efforts
raised $1000 for Figtree HS. This is an example of how a
small group of people, willing to help, can make a big
difference. We thank you!
P&C Meetings
A reminder to all parents that you are most welcome to
attend the school’s P&C meetings. They are held on the
third Wednesday of each month. The next meeting is
the 19th of September at 7pm in the Bistro.
Open Boys Baseball Team
Figtree HS’s Open Boys Baseball Team played last week
against Narrabeen Sports HS. At full time, the match
was drawn at 7 all, so extra time was needed to
separate the two teams. With Mr Herbert producing a
masterclass coaching performance, the Figtree HS boys
played very strongly in the 7th innings to score a 13-7
victory. Congratulations to these students and to their
coach Mr Herbert for this outstanding result!
Mr Daniel Ovens
Principal
PBL Core Value
WEEK 7: Safety Play approved games only in the
playground
WEEK 8: Learning Move quickly back to the classroom at
the end of the break
WEEK 9: Respect Be at the canteen only to buy for
yourself
![Page 3: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Page 3 of 14
School Administrative and Support Staff
Recognition Week from 3-7 September
Figtree High School has an outstanding School
Administrative and Support Staff (SASS) team who work
in a range of areas within the school including our; front
office, print room, library, computer rooms, classrooms,
science labs, TAS classrooms, and school buildings,
grounds and fields.
Our SASS team are integral to the delivery of excellent
community, staff and student service and the provision
of high quality learning environments and experiences.
We are very lucky to have a SASS team with such
breadth of knowledge and expertise, which means that
they are able to work in different roles SASS roles within
the school when the need arises.
Our SASS team often work behind the scenes at school,
going quietly and efficiently about their work, so you
may not have met them when attending school events.
Our Student Learning Support Officers (SLSO) provide in
class support to students with additional learning
needs.
We have the following SASS team at Figtree High:
Front Office:
Carolyn Cunningham – School Administration Manager
Deb Gregory - Front reception
Dianne McKellar - Student reception
Monique Moran - Enrolments
Teresa Solera - Student absences
Traci Lucas - Student reception
Print room:
Stephanie Thompson
TAS:
Dinese Jenkins
Colleen Blaker
Computers:
Michael Trajcevski
Library:
Karen Knight
Leticia Cougar
Science:
Maria Rutledge
General Assistant -Buildings and Grounds:
Phil Kilah
Learning Support:
Lynne Hall - Autism SLSO
Wi Meh - EAL/D SLSO
Katrina Murray - PDU SLSO
Steve Cevenini - SLSO
Kylie Cutajar - SLSO
Marie-Claire Kurt - SLSO
Janine McKnight - SLSO
Fran Roberts - SLSO
Pam York - SLSO
Flametree:
Jenny Bedford - SLSO
Karen Roche - SLSO
Karen Merrin - SLSO
Julie Gray - SLSO
Kathy Hicks - SLSO
When a member of our SASS team is on leave, they are
replaced by casual School Administrative and Support
Staff. Over recent weeks our front office and print room
has been supported by casual SASS including; Amanda
Mansell, Hayley Buckley, Kylie Cox, Otilia Jakobsen, and
Coreena Summerfield.
Our school community will be making time this week to
thank our SASS team and let them know how much we
appreciate the work they do for our staff, students,
parents and community members. We encourage our
parents and carers to do the same when contacting or
visiting the school this week.
Deputy Principal Report
Years 7 and 9
Attendance
We have previously mentioned the importance of high
levels of attendance and the relationship between this
and students being able to achieve the best possible
outcomes for their learning.
This term, I would like to extend my congratulations to
the 125 students at our school who have maintained a
100% full day attendance record this term. It would be
great to see these students maintain this record until
the end of the term.
![Page 4: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Page 4 of 14
The Department of Education mandates that students
MUST attend and participate in Sport, unless they are
granted an exemption, due to medical reasons. The
number of students in Years 7 and 9 requesting part-day
leave on a Wednesday afternoon during sport time has
been increasing, so I take this opportunity to remind
parents that Sport is a compulsory learning activity in
the week that students must attend on a regular basis.
Year 7 Special Religious Education
The Special Religious Education (SRE) lessons
recommenced in Week 3 this term. These lessons are
led by Myles Elton from Figtree Anglican Church each
Friday. Each class is provided with one SRE lesson each
fortnight according to the rotation below. Students
participate in SRE lessons unless parents or carers
request for them to be withdrawn. Students who are
withdrawn are supervised by the regular class teacher.
Week A: 7D, 7N, 7I
Week B: 7U, 7E, 7T
Ms Ellie Donovan
Deputy Principal
Deputy Principal Report
Years 10 and 12
Year 10
Students have identified their subject preferences for
Year 11 in 2019. On Monday 3 September Year 10
students will be involved in 10 minute interviews with
staff focusing on their pattern of study. Students will
have a clearer idea of the subjects that will be offered
and what their subject preferences will look like in 2019.
Every student will take home an overview of their 2019
pattern of study and if they will be able to receive an
ATAR. Year 10 students will then need to return this
overview to Mr Sargent-Wilson. If parents or carers
have any questions regarding the pattern of study for
their child, please contact the school on 4271 2787.
It is a pivotal time for Year 10, where students who have
outstanding N warning letters need to make a
concerted effort to resolve these warnings. In term 4
interviews will take place with parents and students if a
student is at risk of not receiving their Year 10 RoSA.
Year 12
Welcome back to Year 12 who have been studying hard
over the past two weeks preparing and completing their
Trial HSC examinations. The staff who supervised these
examinations will be the same people who will
supervise the HSC examinations, and they described the
students as being ‘the best group of students who they
have supervised’. Congratulations Year 12!
Even though students have completed their trial HSC
examinations, it is imperative that all Year 12 students
continue to attend school and work hard until the end
of the term. Most subjects still have to complete their
course content and there are still a number of
assessment tasks to be finalised. Important information
will be conveyed to students over the coming weeks in
relation to HSC examinations, formal, end of year
activities and graduation ceremony. This year the
Higher School Certificate examinations commence on
Thursday 18 October, which is only seven weeks away.
I would also like to congratulate the students who have
completed and submitted their major projects as part of
their HSC courses – English Extension 2, Society and
Culture, Industrial Technology Timber and Visual Arts.
Our Music students will be sitting their HSC
performance exams over the coming weeks, and we
wish them well.
R U OK?
We can all help students by checking-in with them and
offering support. This lets us start conversations around
mental health, break down stigma around mental illness
and builds closer connections with others.
Giving a helping hand not only improves our wellbeing,
it also strengthens our connections with ourselves,
others and the broader community. We can also
develop a greater sense of meaning in life and feel
connected to something bigger than ourselves. No
matter the action, giving can be life-changing.
![Page 5: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Page 5 of 14
If you are worried about someone at school and feel
urgent support is needed, contact the school counsellor
or a teacher. The agencies below can also help.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Call 24/7 for crisis support
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
Counselling for young people 5–25 years
GriefLine 1300 845 745
Counselling for people experiencing grief
Mental Health Line 1800 011 511
Connecting you with the right care
Mrs Jemma Lawson
Relieving Deputy Principal
TELL THEM FROM ME- PARENT SURVEY
This term, our school will be participating in the
Partners in Learning parent survey, another part of the
Tell Them From Me suite of surveys (student, teacher
and parent surveys) on student engagement.
The survey asks parents and carers questions about
different factors that are known to impact on student
wellbeing and engagement.
Completing this survey will help our school understand
parents’ and carers’ perspectives on their child’s
experience at school. These include: communication
between parents/carers and staff, activities and
practices at home and parent/carer views on the
school's support of learning and behaviour. This
valuable feedback will help our school make practical
improvements.
The survey is conducted entirely online on
smartphones, ipads, tablets, laptops or computers. The
survey will typically take 15 minutes or less to complete
and is completely confidential.
The parent survey will be conducted between 27 August
and 26 October. Although participating in the survey is
entirely voluntary, your responses are very much
appreciated.
More information about the Tell Them From Me survey
is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au.
To access the survey for our school go to:
https://nsw.tellthemfromme.com/figtreehigh
The Parent frequently asked questions (FAQ) document
for the parent survey can be located at:
http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/images/FAQs/TTFM_P
arent_Survey_FAQs_Parent_and_Carers_T32018.pdf
NSW CHSSA GYMNASTICS
This year we had three of our students compete in the
NSW CHSSA Gymnastics. Congratulations to Jarrod
Buick, Melanie Persinidis and Hannah Sheridan who all
represented the South Coast team at the
Championships.
Jarrod Buick received 7 gold medals. He received gold in
Floor, High Bar, Parallel Bars, Pommel, Rings, Vault and
was the overall champion. This is an amazing
achievement from Jarrod and was the second year in a
row where he was able to achieve these outstanding
results.
Melanie Persinidis received a silver on beam and bronze
on vault and she was 3rd overall for her age group.
Hannah Sheridan had an extremely difficult section but
her level of skill was outstanding.
Well done to these students.
![Page 6: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Page 6 of 14
Faculty
Report
2018 has been a year of change for the student support
services at Figtree High School. Earlier this year, our
support classes were brought together under one
faculty name “Learning Central”. Learning Central is an
amalgamation of Learning and Support, Autism,
Physical Disabilities Unit, Library, Careers and EAL/D.
The aim was to bring all the expertise of specialised
teachers and Student Learning Support Officers (SLSO)
together in one faculty to ensure the best support is
offered to students across the school. The process has
proven to be a success, with a team stronger than ever,
who are sharing knowledge and experience with the
whole school community around supporting students
with additional learning needs.
OUR TEAM
David Verdejo Relieving Head Teacher
Autism Integration Class
Libby Munro Special Education Teacher
Casey Tasker Teacher
Lynne Hall SLSO
Careers
Adam Sargent Wilson Careers Advisor
English as an Additional Language and/or Dialect
EAL/D
Salma Alhindi EAL/D
Wi Meh SLSO
Learning and Support Team
Sue Clifford Learning and Support Teacher
Judy Markham Learning and Support Teacher
Stephen Cevenini SLSO
Kylie Cutajar SLSO
Marie-Claire Kurt SLSO
Janine McKnight SLSO
Fran Roberts SLSO
Pamela York SLSO
Library Team
Kate Brewer Teacher Librarian
Natalie Crouch Teacher Librarian
Letitia Cougar SAS - Library
Karen Knight SAS - Library
Physical Disabilities Unit PDU
Ellen Foord PDU Teacher
Katrina Murray SLSO
LEARNING SUPPORT
With the support of the Figtree High School P&C, we
were able to relocate and refurbish Learning Support.
Our new location in the old Senior Study in the Library
meant we were able to provide three learning spaces,
increasing our capacity to support students across the
school. Our staff are currently supporting over 90
students from all year groups through either in-class or
small group support.
Learning Support also provides extensive support to
students who are finding coming to school and staying
engaged a challenge. Our morning BEP program sets
students up for a successful day at school.
This year has seen the continuation of MAQLIT, an
evidence based reading program that has proven to be
a success with the initial pilot group. It was a privilege
to be able to see how far students have progressed with
the support from our Learning and Support Teacher
Judy Markham. This program will continue and expand
once the current review is completed.
We have further increased the in-class and small group
support for literacy and numeracy learning which has
been provided by both Sue Clifford and David Verdejo.
Students in Years 8-10 have been targeted, focussing on
students who need more individualised support. We
have seen an improvement in results and most
importantly, in levels of student engagement.
We welcomed new members to our Student Learning
Support Officer team this year. Joining the team were
Kylie Cutajar and Stephen Cevenini. Along with Janine
McKnight, Fran Roberts and Marie-Claire Kurt, the team
expanded their support services across all year groups,
assisting a number of students in classes rather than just
![Page 7: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Page 7 of 14
individual students. As a team, they are a highly
respected and extremely valued asset to our learning
systems.
AUTISM INTEGRATION CLASS
Under the leadership of Libby Monro and supported by
Casey Tasker and Lynne Hall, 2018 has been a
momentous year for our Autism Integration Class. The
high expectations maintained in the setting has seen
some excellent outcomes being achieved.
The students have been engaged in work experience in
various industry sectors with two Year 10 boys attaining
employment. Callum from Year 11 has successfully
achieved a part time position with Greenacres that
featured in the Illawarra Mercury. He will continue to
work towards his HSC whilst working part time.
Recently in Mathematics, the students developed their
own clinometers and using trigonometry to measure
the height of buildings, trees and flagpoles. This
kinaesthetic approach to learning is just one example of
how Libby Monro has been able to enhance student
learning outcomes.
Another exciting project has been the Café Class.
Students have had the opportunity of going through the
process of creating and running a café. It has been a
successful project with students looking to seek further
work experience in the industry.
Last week Libby presented at the ASPECT conference in
Brisbane, sharing her Stage 6 Autism integration
approaches with educators from around the country.
We are very fortunate to have Libby as part of our team.
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE AND/OR
DIALECT (EAL/D)
Salma Alhindi has joined our team as our EAL/D teacher,
supporting students who have English as their second
language. The program provides both in-class support
and separate intensive language intervention to ensure
students are reaching their potential.
In Term 2, we welcomed six new students from
Thailand, who celebrated their graduation from the
Intensive English Centre and started adding to the
vibrant Figtree High School fabric. To assist with this
transition, Wi Meh, a Kerrini speaking SLSO joined the
team to ensure we are not only meeting the students’
academic needs, but also their wellbeing needs.
![Page 8: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Page 8 of 14
In the coming weeks students will participate in ‘Ready
Arrive Work’, a program designed to support EAL/D
students to engage in work. Links to Learning has
successfully been engaging students from multicultural
backgrounds in developing work and life skills, ensuring
they are well positioned for a successful employment
future.
PDU
The Physical Disability Unit (PDU) support class has been
at Figtree High School since 1995. This class is led by
Ellen Foord and has celebrated some incredible
successes over the years. The PDU follows a fully
integrated model, where students are provided with
support which empowers them to engage in most
mainstream classes. Katrina Murray, who has a wealth
of expertise supporting students with physical
disabilities, is the Student Learning Support Officer for
our students in the PDU.
Recently, our students headed to Homebush to
participate in the State Boccia Championships after
achieving first place in the Illawarra Region. The team
came in 8th, after spending many weeks in training. We
are extremely proud of their achievements and are very
excited to see what is up next!
CAREERS
Mr Sargent-Wilson has been driving an excellent careers
program. There has been a huge offering of Discovery
Days at the University of Wollongong, Taster Days at
TAFE, the Be Ambitious TAFE program to name a few
initiatives this year. The TAFE YES program provided an
opportunity for students to explore different trade
based careers over a period of time, spending one day a
week at TAFE.
This year, Year 12 students submitted 60 Early
Admission applications for 2019 entry into UOW. In the
coming weeks these students will be informed if they
have been selected for interview. Offers of admission
will be made just prior to the written HSC examinations.
Our rolling work experience program has seen several
students from Year 10 engage in blocks of work
experience across a range of trades. However, students
seeking entry into university have also explored their
options across different employment sectors. Students
have been undertaking work experience at veterinary
practices and schools as well as shadowing sport
journalists. One notable experience was Jade Frankham
who had the exciting opportunity to work on the Matty
Johns Foot Show. Selected Year 10 students will also
participate in the GEN-Z 2 WORK program where they
will engage with Figtree Grove and Warrawong Plaza to
experience the behind the scenes operations of a large
shopping centre. Work experience is invaluable in the
sense that it serves as an excellent motivator for
students to chase their dream careers.
AIME (Indigenous Mentoring Experience) has also
connected with our Careers program by coordinating
university discovery days. Offerings such as this inspire
our students to set high goals and for schools to
maintain our high expectations of students.
Year 10 students will participate in a curriculum
interview to discuss their subject selections, which
ensures that their choices for their HSC are in line with
their future career pathways.
UOW Master Class is an excellent opportunity for
current Year 11 students to learn and develop some key
skills pertinent to academic success. The program will
run from 5 – 25 January 2019. Students who complete
the program will be guaranteed and interview for Early
Admission. If they are successful with their admission,
the program will count as credit points towards their
degrees.
LIBRARY
During Week 5, our school celebrated Book Week.
Many celebrations were held and a range of
opportunities were offered. Some of the activities
included a Treasure Chest containing suggested book
titles by the students; these books were wrapped in
‘gold’ to entice students to try something new without
judging that book by its cover. Year 7 students
contributed a book review about their all-time favourite
book in the form of a poster. These are now displayed
at the back of the library. Students started the
conversation with their peers and the library was a hive
of activity with a new mural project starting and
students volunteering to help out with decorating and
celebrating books.
![Page 9: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Page 9 of 14
Staff were also invited to celebrate their favourite books
and each staffroom door was decorated with these
titles as a ‘conversation starter’. On Thursday, the staff
dressed as their favourite book characters and the
school was buzzing with discussions about books. The
library team would like to thank all of the staff and
students for their support to make the week a success.
![Page 10: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Page 10 of 14
NEW BOOKS & MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS
We have over 50 NEW BOOKS - this includes 'refreshed'
favourites such as 2017 Guinness World Records and
books taken from the awards list for 2018 for both
young and old! We also have 10 new magazine
subscriptions - some of our titles include: Rugby League
Week, National Geographic, Frankie mag, Instyle, MAD
magazine and around 25 more! All books and titles are
available for hire. Some new titles include (stay tuned
for reviews weekly):
![Page 11: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Page 11 of 14
HOMEWORK CENTRE
The library is open for the homework centre on a
Monday afternoon immediately after school until 4pm.
Each week we are working to get a specialist teacher to
support specific learning tasks for students. Students
are asked to put their name down on the form in the
library during break times on a Monday so that student
attendance numbers can be anticipated.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S MORNING TEA
Year 10 Young Women's Forum girls from Figtree High
School and Keira High School participated in the
International Women’s Morning Tea event at the
Illawarra Performing Arts Centre on 16 August. Stories
about coming to Australia were shared by different
generations and backgrounds including Aboriginal
elders, students and migrant women.
International food, songs and dances were also shared
across cultures and generations making it a fantastic
event!
![Page 12: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Page 12 of 14
Mr David Verdejo
Relieving Head Teacher - Learning Central
BOYS HOCKEY The Boys Hockey team made it through to Round 2 of
the NSW CHSSA Hockey Championships. To get to this
position the boys defeated Keira High School, Smiths Hill
High School, Bowral High School (in extra time). This
made them the South Coast A Champions. They then
travelled to Goulburn to play the South Coast Final
against Crookwell. This was an extremely close match
and the team were defeated in extra time. As the boys
were South Coast finalists, this allows them to progress
to the NSW CHSSA Knockout. Our first game was
against Camden High School at Unanderra. Our Figtree
High School team played well, however, Camden came
away winners on the day.
The Figtree High School team demonstrated excellent
sportsmanship and team commitment. There were
boys in the team that have had very little hockey
experience, but their level of commitment was
commendable. Well done to Nathan Nolan, Logan
Mathie, Travis Moon and Tate Harland. A special
mention to Jack Ryan who played in the daunting
position of goalie. Jack has never played hockey and did
an exceptional job of saving goals.
The team was captained by Jake Sheppard. This will be
Jake’s last year in the school hockey team as he will now
complete his HSC. Jake showed composure and skill
throughout every match and he was a valuable member
of our team. The team players were Jake Sheppard,
Trey Thompson, Keegan Whitten, Bailey Craft, Kaylen
Craft, Thomas Duncan, Isaac Maris, Adam Harper, Travis
Moon, Tate Harland, Nathan Nolan, Logan Mathie and
Jack Ryan.
REGIONAL ATHLETICS AGE CHAMPIONS Congratulations to Alyssa Parks and Payton Williams who were recognised on assembly for being Age Champions at the Regional Athletics Championships in Canberra this year.
![Page 13: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Page 13 of 14
![Page 14: SCHOOL NEWSLETTER › content › dam › doe › sws › ...SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Term 3 Week 7 3 September, 2018 Address: 2 Gibsons Road, Figtree NSW 2525 Phone: 02 4271 2787 Email:](https://reader034.fdocuments.net/reader034/viewer/2022052500/5f1f0afe6ebffd1c7f6d1355/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Page 14 of 14