Asquith Girls High School Newsletter ASQUITH ANECDOTES ‘developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners’ June 2014 Community Forum Vision 2020 Congratulations on a spectacular and visionary evening. 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners Community forum Vision 2020 This week we completed the last stage of our Vision 2020 planning with the Executive Interviews. I would like to express my personal thanks and gratitude to our parents/caregivers, students and teachers for their valuable insight and visionary contribution in planning our educational future. The community forum has provided an opportunity for our learning community to acknowledge our success; review our current practices and set clear expectations for Asquith Girls High School, an educational institution catering for the 21 st Century. We need to lead change and think outside the box in order to continue to provide the best educational environment for the girls where they will achieve their personal best. Currently we are awaiting the recommendations from Spice to start planning for 2015. A special thank you to the Vision 2020 Team, Student Leaders, Entertainment Crew, Hospitality, Dance and Music students and their teachers and Administration Staff for their exceptional commitment and outstanding planning. Celebrating Achievements. In pace with our high achievement effort is our students‟ involvement in extra curricular and leadership activities. We are proud of their achievements. Currently the school is involved in a rigorous election process for School Captain, Vice Captains and Prefects. The Captaincy and Vice Captaincy cycle has been completed and it is with great pleasure that I acknowledge the voting results thus far and congratulate all involved. 2014-2015 Leadership: Captain: Michelle Carroll Vice Captains: Amelia Ambrose Tess Boyle The final step is to allocate the Prefect Portfolios. You will be informed of the outcome in the near future. NAPLAN Academia continued with the Years 7 and 9 NAPLAN testing. The girls are to be congratulated for their attendance and diligence in completing the test. I would like to thank all staff contributing to this event and special thanks Ms Smith Head Teacher Mathematics for her effective coordination. Reports We are in the process of completing the Semester 1 report cycle for all years. Years 11 and 12 students have received their reports. We recognise that senior years can put pressure on the girls, especially on our Year 12s, who are having their Trial HSC examinations in weeks 8 and 9. In order to address their individual learning needs, we initiated a one to one interview between every student and key school personnel. Students reflected on their reported progress and discussed with their interviewer strategies for further improvement. This provided rich data for the Year 12 mentors to act upon and assist the girls in better planning for their HSC examination and future pathways. The initiative was highly valued and appreciated both by students and staff. The same mentoring process will be followed with all our Year 11 students. Year 11 interviews will form the basis for providing relevant support to the girls during the last term of HSC preliminary course and to develop an action plan to support them for their HSC year starting in Term 4, 2014. Years 7-10 will be receiving their reports on June 27. I ask you to engage in the unpacking process of your daughter‟s/ward‟s report and support them in implementing the teacher‟s recommendation so as to further improve their learning outcomes. This means that if you feel you need to discuss any aspect of the report, please do not hesitate to contact the Head Teacher of the relevant Faculty. Contact information is available in the student diary. 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners Our school‟s main objective is to provide a high quality educational environment, which is focussed on learning by strengthening student resilience, social awareness and inquisitiveness. Instrumental to our success, are always our teachers whose passion, commitment and expertise nurse a healthy learning environment to empower student engagement and seed their appreciation for the virtues of life long learning. These core strengths reflect our school‟s motto “Learn to Live” and drive my personal commitment “Asquith Girls High School to be a lighthouse for educational innovation and leadership”. It is under the light of the above that our school continues to celebrate initiatives and personal achievements at every available opportunity with confidence, dignity and pride. Athletics Carnival The Athletics Carnival was an absolute success! Congratulations to all participants, staff and organisers of the event. I can assure you we are not short of talent and our performance attests to this. Well done all. See photos following. Staff Update Mr Luke Fulwood has been appointed Head of English starting Week 6, Term 3. Farewell to Ms Wade Last Tuesday we said farewell to Ms Wade. In her address to staff and students Ms Wade referred to her proud association with AGHS and she commented that what makes AGHS such an exemplary school is the fact that no child is left behind. She encouraged the girls to be the AGHS advocates and to recognise how lucky they are that they have teachers who believe in them and want the very best for them. Ms Wade stated “Teaching at AGHS has been a pleasure”. We thank Ms Wade for her contribution to AGHS and sincerely wish her every success in her future endeavours. In closing, I would like to bring your attention to the following: As the weather gets colder it is important that the girls wear the winter uniform. I remind you that the correct uniform for winter is in the student diary. All students are expected to comply with school uniform. Should you wish to discuss this further please contact me during school hours. I will be visiting China with DEC International from 17th to 29th June to promote and share our educational success. During my absence Mr Mark Robinson will be Relieving Principal. I wish you all a good month, Elizabeth Amvrazis, Principal Congratulations to Bianca Harris, in year 10, who recently represented NSW at the Australian National Gymnastics Championships in Victoria, competing in level 8. NSW won gold in the team event for the first time in five years, which is a fantastic achievement. After two days of competition, Bianca finished 13th Australia wide. 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners Athletics Carnival Careers Department Update Students at Asquith Girls have access to two special websites to aid them in the career planning for destinations after school. I believe that there are many parents who wish to help in this process so I am including details of these websites in this newsletter. A new and really informative site is jobjump ( www.jobjump.com.au )To enter the site you need to put in the school name and then go to the first (blue) “Click here”. Password is eagle. If you put in an email address you can register to receive email news about any upcoming events relating to all occupations you have clicked in the My Career section. It also has easy search facility for university, gap year, careers quizzes, apprenticeships and job searching info including a resume builder. This site is also used in the timetabled Year 10 careers classes. Another good site is mhscareers ( www.mhscareers.com.au ). Go in as “parent” and the password is 14cairns. (students can go in as “student” and use same password). You can receive weekly email alerts informing you of most career events and opportunities (Year 12 are emailed this newsletter every week). Send an email to [email protected] and put in the word „subscribe‟ in the subject line. You will be amazed at all the career activities. On the 30th May 110 Year 12 girls went to the HSC Careers Expo. There were 140 exhibitors ranging from all universities, TAFE, gap year providers, private colleges and more. Students could also attend short seminars addressing topics in the HSC courses and specific career information. Feedback from the students was that it was a valuable experience and a useful exercise in planning for education and training after the HSC. Year 10 have their opportunity on the 20th of June to attend the Western Sydney Careers Expo. This should prove to be a valuable addition to their planning for subject selection which takes place early in term 3. Eric Sekula Careers Adviser 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners FROM THE DEPUTIES’ DESK With Term 2 being only nine weeks long, AGHS is extremely busy squeezing in all student learning, assessment tasks, co-curricular activities, community activities and teacher professional learning. The 2015 Enrichment Class offers have now been issued to all students who participated in the Enrichment Selection Test earlier this year. Congratulations to all the students who have been offered a place in the class for next year. Please support the school with their administration by sending your confirmation letters back to the office as soon as possible. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Smith (Head Teacher Mathematics) for coordinating and administering the NAPLAN testing during May. There were three days of intensive and challenging testing to measure literacy and numeracy skills and knowledge of students in Year 7 and 9. Thank you to all of the Year 11 students who applied for the 2015 Leadership Team. Special congratulations to Michelle Carroll, Amelia Ambrose and Tess Boyle who have been appointed the captaincy and vice captaincy positions respectively. The following students have also been appointed as prefects for the 2014/15 year. Peta Tavener Rachel Buwalda Lucy Dalziel Isabel Burcher Erin Hitchcock Jessica Grattan Ying Ying Zhang Lauren Crowther Naomi Dodd Emma Frost Samantha Patten Savannah Paterson Annabelle Rogers Elyse McSweeney Lauren Woods Zoe Underwood Tara Peirce Lucy Miles Gabriella Tarte Shayde O‟Casey Amelia Meier Madelyne Arthur Bethany Dance Imogen Williams Xiuzi (Michelle) Zho Hao (Helen) Gu There are only three weeks left of Term 2 and what a jam-packed few weeks we will have! Week 7 – Assessment tasks across all years, Environment assembly, P&C meeting, Sydney North Secondary Cross Country and HSIE study days. Week 8 – HSC Trial examinations, Year 7 welfare production, Year 8 Blue Mountains excursion, Year 9 and 11 camp and Year 11 2015 Subject Selection Market Day. Week 9 – HSC Trial examinations, Year 11 RYDA excursion, Year 7 Forensic Frenzy excursion, Year 9 Marine Studies Whale Watching excursion, Year 10 Science excursion to the Disease Museum and Year 7-10 reports issued. Please note that on 19 June, AGHS will be conducting a Year 11 2015 Subject Selection Market Day for current Year 10 students. This will be a normal school day, however, Head Teachers and/or their nominees will be presenting their respective subject offerings for 2015 throughout the day. Students will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of course and assessment requirements and ask any questions they would like regarding subject choice for 2015. Year 10 students will be receiving more information about this event during Week 7. On 22 July, AGHS will be conducting its annual Subject Selection Information Evening (2015 Year 9 and 11) for both parents and students. Year 9 2015 will commence from 6:00pm and conclude at 7:00pm. Year 11 2015 will commence from 7:30pm and conclude at 9:00pm. More information regarding this evening will be sent by email and posted on our school‟s website. Respect. Resilience. Reflection. Mr Robinson 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners New Caledonia Bonjour tout le monde! In the Easter School holidays 18 girls from Year 10 and Year 12 went on a French immersion trip to New Caledonia for 10 incredible days where we experienced French culture, French food and of course, the language. We were accompanied by Mademoiselle Palma, Madame Papin and Ms Di Stefano; three great teachers with an unbelievable amount of patience! While we were in Noumea we stayed with a host family for a week which proved to be a very beneficial aspect of the trip. It was difficult having fluent French spoken to us, but definitely worth it! During our trip we ate delicious French food (baguettes, pâté, camembert and all!), snorkelled, visited a French school, saw a movie entirely in French and so much more. We even swam with turtles in the coral reef at Phare Amédée (a stunning tropical island with a lighthouse)! Over the ten days we had fifteen hours of intensive French lessons at CREIPAC, a language school. We all learnt a lot of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. It was amazing to see that in just ten days our conversation skills improved immensely. It was the most spectacular trip and we have all gained valuable knowledge and it was a wonderful experience that we will always cherish. Thank you so much to Mademoiselle Palma, Madame Papin and Ms Di Stefano for taking us and guiding us in New Caledonia. Merci pour tout, nous avons adoré notre séjour en Nouvelle Calédonie! 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners P & C News The next three weeks are busy times for a lot of our daughters. Our Year 12 girls commence their HSC trial exams, just one term to go at the end of this month! There are band and dance festivals, and both Year 9 and Year 11 have camps. So plenty happening that is out of the usual. There have been some alarming issues reported in the news media from USA this week where the digital diet of a child/children has blurred from the digitally simulated world and the outcome is reckless and inappropriate behaviour in the real world. Our daughters have never known a world without internet and all that it promises, and the expectation is to be connected and interacting digitally, continuously. Our school encourages our girls to be responsible cyber citizens, and as parents, I believe we need to help our daughters to be responsible too. How that works out in your family is up to you and your situation, whether it is monitoring activity, placing parameters on access or times of use, or simply engaging with your daughters about their cyber diet and intake. We want our daughters to grow up to become healthy and safe adults in this digital world. Our next meeting is Wednesday June 11th, at 7:30pm in the staff common room. We will be finding out the goings on of the school, and discussing upcoming events for the P&C, and as always, we would value your contribution to these discussions. Please visit the meetings tab on our web site to find a map to the common room. We look forward to seeing you there. Michael Ficker P&C President Email: [email protected] Web: www.AGHSPandC.org.au IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER Wednesday 11 June P & C Meeting Friday 13 June Careers Expo Monday 16 June HSC Trials commence Wednesday 18 Year 11 Camp Year 9 Camp Year 8 Blue Mountains Last day Term 2 Friday 27 June First day students Term 3 Tuesday 15 July Maths On THursday A quiet place to complete your Maths HW Get free help from a Maths teacher Available to Years 7-10 In the Library every Thursday 3:10-4:15pm See you there … Bring a friend!! Anti-Racism Contact Officer The NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC) rejects racism in all its forms and is committed to the elimination of racial discrimination. It is our aim to work with all of our school community and ensure Asquith Girls High School is free of racism and is a productive, safe and enjoyable experience for all students. Any concerns in relation to racism must be directed to the school's Anti-Racism Contact Officer (ARCO) Ms Valladares. All complaints will be dealt in accordance with DEC procedures. Information about the role of the ARCO and parent access to them is available on the DEC website. Visit: http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/languagesupport/documents/anti_racism.php 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners CAPA News Music Camp “On Wednesday 7th May to Friday 9th May the Vocal Ensemble, Stage Band, Concert Band and Wind Ensemble had their annual Music Camp at Galston Crusaders Camp Site. It was an extremely busy few days full of music and activities. Once we arrived we began rehearsals immediately before gathering around the bonfire to celebrate our first night at camp. Miss Dale, Miss Eastley and Mrs Manton were all in matching onesies which entertained us all. The next day was spent attending tutorials with instrumental tutors and going to many hours of rehearsals. By dinnertime, we were very excited for our dance class with Miss Eastley and the activities that had been organised by year 12. Mrs Manton and Miss Dale had a lot of fun with us dancing and watching us in our dance battles. By the last day we were all very excited about the concert to come. The concert went really well and Mrs Amvrazis and Dr Ganeson came to watch our concert which was great to have them there. Thank you to Mrs Manton, Miss Dale, Miss Eastley, Mr Manton and Mr Andrews for accompanying us and making Music Camp such a fantastic experience.” Amy Soloman (Year 9) 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners CAPA News Ku-ring-gai’s Festival on the Green “On 4th May, the Junior Choir attended the Ku-ring-gai Council‟s Festival on the Green. We performed three songs and were the last performance of the day. It was loads of fun and a great opportunity to represent the school. There were many other great performances from other schools which we enjoyed watching. We would like to thank Mrs Maxwell for allowing us to perform at the festival.” Megan Bushby (Year 8) and Meghan Issaia (Year 7) Strictly Ballroom “On Wednesday 21st May, music, dance, drama and entertainment students in years 9-12 were given the amazing opportunity to see Baz Luhrmann‟s “Strictly Ballroom” at the Lyric Theatre. We travelled to Town Hall station and had an hour for lunch to marvel at Darling Harbour‟s spectacular views. Gelato in hand, we also got to see the Australian Army‟s Stage Band on the way to the theatre. After entering the theatre we were entertained by the slightly crazy JJ Silvers, a character from the show. The show itself was a blur of fantastic narratives, dancing and audience participation, however, the most amazing part of the experience were the costumes. If they weren‟t covered in sequins, they were covered in sequins, end of story. All of the girls are incredibly grateful to Miss Eastley, Mrs Sekula, Miss Dale and Mrs Manton for organising and supervising us on what was a strictly fabulous experience.” Laura Cook (Year 9) Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band “On Wednesday 14th May the Stage Band and Year 10 Music class went to the Chatswood Concourse to listen to „Gordon Goodwin‟s Big Phat Band‟ featuring James Morrison. We were thoroughly entertained by the wonderful musical talents of the jazz musicians there. Thankyou to Mr and Mrs Manton for the amazing experience of watching a world renowned award winning live jazz band.” Jasmine Waters, Melanie Cunningham, Bridie Carroll (Year 10) State Music Camp Congratulations to Lily Perry (Year 7) and Bridgitte Holden (Year 8) for being selected for State Music Camp. State Music Camp is run by the Performing Arts Unit, giving gifted and talented music students the opportunity to work with the most prestigious music conductors in NSW at a camp which runs over 6 days. We wish Lily and Bridgitte all the best at camp! Talent Development Project Congratulations to Jasmine Khan (Year 10) and Tarna Rosentreter (Year 9) for being successful in their application to the Talent Development Project. The Talent Development Project is a course run by the Arts Unit for gifted and talented singers and songwriters who are looking to pursue a career in the music industry. Jasmine and Tarna have made it through the first two rounds and will now attend several performance workshops. We look forward to hearing more from Jasmine and Tarna throughout the year. 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners CAPA News NSW Band Festival Both the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band will be taking part in the NSW Band Eisteddfod. Could you please put the following date in your diary: NSW Band Festival – Sunday 20th July (no specific time as yet). Students will make their own arrangements to and from the venue. Knox Middle School Musical Congratulations to Surbhi Malik (Year 8), Samantha Barton (Year 7) and Amelia Farrell (Year 8) who were successful in their audition for the Knox Grammar Middle School Musical of “The Jungle Book” and “Guys and Dolls”. We wish them all the best for the upcoming rehearsals and performances which will be held in August. Music Fees Reminder All members of the extracurricular music ensembles including Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Stage Band, Vocal Ensemble and Junior Choir are reminded that payment for Term 2 is now due. Please pay your fees to the front office. Fees are as follows: Ensemble Fee Membership for Wind Ensemble, Concert Band or Stage Band $70 per term Additional Membership for either Wind Ensemble, Concert Band or Stage Band $20 per term Vocal Group or Junior Choir $30 per term Dance Ensemble Fees Reminder All members of the extracurricular music ensembles including Year 8 Dance Ensemble and Elective Companies are reminded that payment of $30 for Term 2 is now due. All payments must be made through the front office. CHS and All Schools diving On 7th and 8th April Erin Yelland competed at CHS diving. She achieved a gold medal in the 15yrs springboard event and came third in the Champions of champions. On 5 th May Erin participated in the All Schools diving event in which she placed 5th. Well Done Erin 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners WANTED: New York CAPA Tour Sponsorship In September, 49 Asquith Girls students will be travelling to New York as part of an outstanding Creative and Performing Arts educational opportunity. In New York the girls will be participating in workshops and mentoring sessions with industry professionals. We are hoping to raise extra funds to help alleviate some of the cost to parents and are asking local companies and small businesses for their assistance in achieving this goal. In return we are offering valuable, local advertising through our school newsletter which is published monthly, with a further opportunity to advertise on our school website. Below are the details concerning the sponsorship levels. $1000 Platinum Sponsorship: Your company name and logo on the school newsletter (Published monthly) and in an article on the AGHS school website with hyperlink to company website – From April to December 2014 $750 Gold Sponsorship: Your company name and logo on the school newsletter (Published monthly) and in an article on the AGHS school website with hyperlink to company website – From April to September 2014 $500 Silver Sponsorship: Your company name and logo on the school newsletter - Published monthly from April to December 2014 $250 Bronze Sponsorship: Your company name and logo on the school newsletter – Published monthly from April to September 2014 If your organization would like to participate in this sponsorship opportunity, please contact Ms Alana Lewis (CAPA Tour Sponsorship organiser) on 9477 6411 or via email at [email protected] Many Thanks to Chris Scaife and the team at Coolibah Building & Design Pty Ltd for becoming our first Sponsor. Coolibah Building & Design Pty Ltd Unit 6, 22 Leighton Place, Hornsby NSW 2077 www.coolibahbuilding.com.au Coolibah Building & Design are a professional North Shore building company, offering premium services within the construction industry. We specialise in home additions and alterations, building and renovations, decks and pergolas, extensions and home improvements in the North Shore area. We have been recently named one of the best North Shore builders. Thanks also to Paul Kingston (General Manager Schoolwear) and the team at Lowes Hornsby for their continuing support of our School, becoming our second sponsor for the New York CAPA Tour. Asquith Girls High School uniforms can be purchased at our local Hornsby outlet, and their friendly staff is there to help cater to all our schooling needs. Lowes Hornsby Shop 1063, Westfield Hornsby, 35 Hunter Street, Hornsby, NSW 2077 Phone: (02) 9477 5169 https://www.lowes.com.au/default.aspx 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners CONTACT DETAILS Have you changed jobs, moved house or changed phone numbers (including work and mobile) or have a new email address? Please make sure your details are up to date so we can contact you when your child needs you. Changes must be advised in writing. Change of Details forms are available from reception. FREE ARE YOU A SINGLE PARENT? PUBLIC INFORMATION EVENING Every week Single with Children provides fun and exciting activities especially for single parents and their children (many activities are subsidised or even free) YOUTH ANXIETY Macquarie University Emotional Wellbeing It’s a great way to meet and get to know people in your area Wednesday 23rd July To find out more and get a FREE copy of our social calendar, contact us today. 6pm – 7pm. Call 1300 300 496 Contact: [email protected] Or visit our website: www.singlewithchildren.com.au Form no. 03 Rev c Go 4 Fun is a free healthy living program for children above a healthy weight. It is a fun and interactive program that helps children aged between 7 & 13 and their families adopt a long-lasting healthy lifestyle. The program focuses on improving: Eating habits Fitness Teamwork Overall health Programs are led by qualified health professionals & take place after school running parallel with school terms. Children & their families become fitter, healthier & happier as they have fun, meet new friends & learn new skills Phone 1800 780 900 or SMS back 0409 745645 or visit https://go4fun.com.au/ 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners THE KURING GAI POLICE AND COMMUNITY SAFETY COMMITTEE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KU-RING-GAI COUNCIL Communicating and Caring “PARENT SURVIVAL STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING YOUNG DRIVERS” FREE In-Depth Seminar for PARENTS/SUPERVISING DRIVERS together with YOUNG DRIVERS on MONDAY – 16 JUNE 2014 6.00 PM for 6.30 PM - 8.30PM AT KU-RING-GAI COUNCIL CHAMBERS, LEVEL 3, 818 PACIFIC HIGHWAY, GORDON - ACCESS VIA REAR ENTRANCE LIGHT REFRESHMENTS AVAILABLE DON’T BE DISTRACTED STAY FOCUSSED ON DRIVING TASK !! Presenter: Jeff McDougall President, Australian Driver Trainers Assoc NSW Ltd Member National Executive Committee of the Australasian College of Road Safety Member of K’gai Police & Community Safety Committee, Former MDTrent Driving School will discuss the Vital Aspects of WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW when teaching a young driver: o o A Comprehensive and Organised Approach to the Driving Task The Five Crash Risks for Young Drivers : Preparation for the Driving Test o Keeping the Log Book Honest : Teaching Practical Skills Safely o The Components of Driving : Strategies for Safe Driving o Effective Partnerships : Making it a Positive Experience Vital information about the current driving test! Presenter: Snr Cons Lynda Hart – Hornsby K’gai PCYC Will Share her “Passion for Keeping People Safe” BOOK EARLY – SEATS LIMITED: Phone Carroll on 0405 558 660 or email [email protected] 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners 2014 - Asquith Girls HS - developing high achieving young women who are responsible and independent leaders and learners
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