Care | Opportunity | Success

S O U T H SY D N E Y

Principal’s Report

HIGH SCHOOL

Newsletter | Term 1 Week 6| 8 March 2019

School Swimming Carnival

Our Swimming Carnival was held at Botany Aquatic Centre on Monday 4th March and staff and students had a

fantastic day out. With similar attendance, participation was well up on previous years, and I would like to thank

to Mr Wood for successfully coordinating a very well organised carnival. We wish our students all the best when

they compete in the Zone swimming carnival on Tuesday 12th March.

Spreading the good word about South Sydney High School Please come along to our Open Day tomorrow -

Saturday 9th March. This is a great opportunity for

prospective students and their parents to see our

excellent grounds and facilities, engage in hands on

activities and meet our wonderful students, staff

and parents. Please encourage your friends and

family to see for themselves the opportunities on

offer at our school.

P&C Meeting

The next P&C meeting will be held on Tuesday 12th March at 7.00 pm in the Teacher Common Room and will

feature a NAPLAN presentation by our Head Teachers in Maths and English. We invite you to come along and

participate in discussion and decision making that affects your child.

International Women’s Day

Today South Sydney High School celebrated International

Women’s Day. It was a day to ponder the question:

A balanced world is a better world. How can we help forge a

more gender balanced world?

We celebrated gender equality and women’s achievements and

highlighted the work which remains to be done to ensure that

we live in a world where all people are treated equally. Many

thanks to the SRC and student leadership team who have

worked with staff to organise a thought provoking video clip

that will be shared with students. #BalanceforBetter

School Community Charter and School Plan

For your perusal, I have included the Department of Education’s School Community Charter. This outlines the

responsibilities of parents, carers, educators and school staff to ensure our schools are collaborative, supportive

and cohesive environments. It is a valuable resource in terms of strengthening our community connections and

reinforcing expectations around collaborative respectful communication.

The 2018-2020 School Plan visual gives you an overview of our three main strategic areas in the context of a

future focussed world:

Quality Teaching and Learning

Quality Systems

Quality Relationships and connections

Kind Regards

Cathy Walton

Quality

Teaching and

Learning

Differentiation

—Enrichment

Literacy

Numeracy

Differentiation

Programming

Feedback

and

Assessment

Quality

Relationships

and

connections

Wellbeing

Framework Support for

Aboriginal

Students Transition

Pathways

Student

Attendance

Quality

Systems Emerging

Practices

Reporting

Processes

Management

Practices and

Processes

BYOD

Readiness

Teacher Accreditation

Policies and procedure

HSC minimum standard

School Plan

2018-2020

Solar Panel Launch This week we celebrated our new solar power system at the school,

the largest on a public school in the Eastern Suburbs. You can see it on

J block.

The 300 solar panels will help us:

Cut 23% off our annual energy bill

Produce clean green energy equal to powering 580 school

computers each year

Avoid 103 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions - like taking 36 cars

off the road each year

Solar power is a great way for our school to reduce our environmental

impact and also educate our students about the benefits of renewable

energy.

We celebrated with a special assembly with the Mayor of Randwick, and other guests, as well as an interactive

session with Year 7 students to build 50 solar-powered lights that will be sent to students in developing coun-

tries.

Thanks to the vision of James Grimshaw, School Captain this year, who initiated this project in 2017 and saw it

through to its reality. It shows that one person can really make a difference.

The project was made possible with the help of the 3-Council Solar my School program and funding from the

Clovelly Community Bank.

Gifted, Talented & Enrichment Chess Teams & a Chess Masterclass

South Sydney High School will be participating this year in the Metropolitan Interschool Chess competition. We

are forming both a junior and an intermediate team to represent our school. Keen South Sydney chess players

are being offered the opportunity to take part in a Masterclass being offered by the Sydney Academy of Chess.

This event will take place in our Staff Common Room on Wednesday 13th March from 11am – 12.30pm.

Public Speaking Competitions

This term’s One Minute Public Speaking Milkcrate Challenge is designed to assist us in choosing students to

represent our school in Interschool Public Speaking Challenges that will be taking place in Term 2. We encourage

those who might be interested in participating in the challenge to join us at SSCIM Club on a Thursday at

lunchtime.

ICAS

As the end of term approaches parents and students are reminded that it is important to have paid at the

student office and to have returned your form if you would like to participate in any ICAS examinations this year.

No student will be enrolled after the cut-off date of the final day of this term.

Senior SSCIM Camp

Senior SSCIM Camp will be taking place on Cockatoo Island during week two of Term 2. Those who wish to

engage in Project Based Learning in a very stimulating environment are encouraged to submit their project

proposal and to return a permission note to Ms de Paor or Mr Wagg. The cost of this year’s camp, $180 needs to

be paid to the student office.

Juggling

Thank-you to our school’s Head of Science Ms Brock Misfud who visited SSCIM Club on Thursday 28th February

to offer SSCIM Club members some help with their juggling skills. This challenging skill employs both the right and

the left hemispheres of our brains. Students who can or want to learn how to juggle are always welcome in the

Drama Room every Thursday at lunch time.

South Sydney Enrichment Program Year 6 Week 1

It was exciting to see the sixth intake of students for the South Sydney 2019 SSEP course arriving with their

parents and families to our school on Wednesday 20th February. They were greeted at our school gates and

directed into the staff common room by eager prefects many of who had taken part in the first intake of SSEP

students from our local schools in 2013. These prefects took parents and students on a tour of South Sydney

following a welcome and orientation talk by Aine de Paor, the SSEP teacher assigned to the group and South

Sydney’s Acting Principal, Ms Cathy Walton. Parents left the school following a morning tea they shared with Ms

Walton, Ms de Paor, prefects and SSEP students.

The learning journey for this year’s cohort began with a series of drama games and activities designed to allow

students to become familiar and comfortable with the group. Working together creatively and collaboratively to

communicate exciting ideas is a strong thread that underpins much of what will be expected of these students in

coming weeks. They clearly enjoyed their first taste of this experience judging by the enthusiasm with which they

embraced the challenges presented to individuals and groups during the workshop.

After lunch it was time to begin the learning journey that will result in the creation of short films that these

students will create during the ‘Make a Film in a Day’ workshop at the end of March. Joining google classroom

and completing worksheets on shot types and their purpose allowed the students to begin to embrace the

language of film that will facilitate their eventual creation of short films.

Week 2 - Neuroscientist for a Day

On Wednesday 28th February all of our SSEP students walked through the doors of South Sydney ready to

become Neuroscientists. The day’s activities began with a fun video and subsequent discussion of the science

behind the human brain and the history of how this science developed. Did you know that it was once thought

that the shape of a person’s brain and skull was the key to understanding how their brains worked? This was one

of the many interesting topics discussed before we looked at different thinking styles and in groups students

completed activities that demonstrated each style.

Rational: Students completed logic problems

Organisational: Students made brain hats

In the afternoon a dissection of sheep brains was undertaken by students in one of South Sydney’s Science

Laboratories with one of the school’s expert Science teachers, Mr Szallasi.

South Sydney Enrichment Program Year 6 Cont...

Tournament Of Minds

Writing Competition Students are strongly encouraged to enter the Whitlam

Institute’s ‘2019 WHAT MATTERS?’ Writing competition.

This is a catalyst for young thinkers and young writers to

develop a perspective, a point of view, on where we’re

heading as a society. Students need to submit an original

written work between 400-600 words in prose or poetry,

of either fiction or non-fiction. Entries close 10th May,

2019. Students should submit entries online. Further

information can be located at the Institute’s website.

Ms Tilby - Writing Competition Coordinator

South Sydney High encourages participation in Tournament of Minds. Teams of seven students from Years 7-10

are invited to participate in the Secondary Division. Students work collaboratively and creatively and in a caring

way to find solutions to real world 21st century problems. After initial training sessions and exposure to

Spontaneous Challenges, teams are expected to work on a Long Term Challenge for a period of six weeks prior to

Tournament Day in late August. The current challenges are drawn from the following disciplines: STEM, THE

ARTS, LANGUAGE LITERATURE and SOCIAL SCIENCES. Training sessions will begin early in Term 2. Interested

students should see Ms Tilby (English Department)

Ms Tilby - TOM Facilitator

P&C News

Our next P&C meeting will be held next Tuesday evening – we meet in the

staff common room at 7pm (access is through the courtyard gates which are

located to the right of the back of the hall – enter via the Paine St carpark). All

are welcome. This month, Mr Askounis and Ms Hasking will be presenting the

2018 NAPLAN results.

The P&C run a second hand uniform shop, which is open every Friday

afternoon from 3-3.30pm. All items are $3 (cash only). The shop is located at

the back of the school hall. If you have any items for donation, they can also

be dropped off to the second-hand shop, or left at the front office.

We are holding a BBQ at the upcoming state election Saturday 23rd March. If you can help for an hour between 8am and 3pm, please let us know via sshspandc@gmail.com, or you can sign up for a timeslot via this link: http://signup.com/go/UOUkXrm Justine Jennings - P&C President

Group Year Group/s Meeting time/Where Teacher Contact

Beacon Ambassadors Year 10 students C16 Monday lunchtime

Ms Stell

Book Club Year 7-10 students Library From Term 2

Ms Maddocks

Breakfast Club All students are wel-come

Common Room Tuesday mornings at 8.10 am – 8.40 am

Mr Benischke

Chess Team Year 7-11 students F18 Thursday lunchtime

Ms de Paor

Christian Club All students are wel-come

C17 Monday lunchtime

Ms Stell

Code Club Year 7-10 students Library Monday from 3.30 pm – 4.30 pm

Mr Chadwick

Dance Club All students are wel-come

A1 Thursday afternoon 3.15pm - 4.15pm

Ms Mifsud

Debating Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 students

B5 Monday lunchtime

Mr Flewellen Ms Khouri

Drama Ensemble Year 8 students

F18 Thursday lunchtime and special work-shop days

Ms de Paor

Duke of Edinburgh Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 students

See contact teacher for further details. Ms Mifsud

History Club All students are welcome

C2 Friday lunchtime

Mr Davidson

Homework Club All students wel-come

Student Services Centre Tuesday from 2.45 pm – 3:45 pm

Mr Benischke

Jems All students wel-come

Common Room Every 2nd Monday lunchtime

Mr Wiseman

Library - extended hours All students are welcome

Thursday 7.30 am - 4.30 pm Ms Maddocks

Meditation All students are welcome

C18 Monday lunchtime

Ms Lopez

Prefect Team Elected positions B4 Monday lunchtime

Ms Maynard

Public Speaking Year 7-11 students F18 Thursday lunchtime

Ms de Paor

School Band Year 7-12 students

A13 Tuesday 8.00 am – 8.45 am

Ms Sainty

Senior Tutorial Centre Senior Students Student Services Wednesday from 2.45 pm – 3:45 pm

Ms Graham

SRC – Student Rep-resentative Council

All students are welcome

B4 Tuesday lunchtime

Ms Maynard

SSCIM – South Sydney Club for Intelligent Minds

All students are welcome

F18 Wednesday lunchtime

Ms de Paor Mr Wagg Mr Armanios

Tournament of Minds Year 7-10 students Tba Ms Tilby

Vocal Group

Year 7-11 students

A12 Wednesday 8:15am

Ms Gregov

Volunteers Year 9 and Year 10 stu-dents

C16 Thursday lunchtime

Ms Stell

Opportunities at South Sydney High School