2016 Missing Link Excellence Assembly Edition

MISSING LINK 2016 Excellence Assembly Edition

RECOGNISING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FROM 2015

PRINCIPAL’S EXCELLENCE ASSEMBLY ADDRESS Good morning.

Thank you to Jacob for the acknowledgement of country and, like him may I extend my respects as Principal to the elders of our Aboriginal community and to Aboriginal people here today. Can I also congratulate Jacob on his excellent academic results in 2015?

Can I welcome the members of the official party, the award winners, the School Council, the Student Representative Council, staff and parents?

Can I extend a special welcome to Year 7, thank them for making such a great start to high school and thank them for leading us in singing today?

Over the course of this assembly you will see and hear about the achievements of the school in 2015, a year that, for those of us who were here, will be remembered as a vintage year. It was a year during which the school was recognised for its improving results in the excellent report achieved in the external Department of Education validation. It was a year during which students participated in 55 major events and in many extracurricular and co-curricular programs.

We will hear more today as individual and team awards are presented. The continued success of our students in the academic, performance, citizenship and sporting life of the school and state

underpins much of the ongoing success and reputation of this school in the wider community.

Perhaps this was best seen in the HSC results, where 40% of results were Band 4 or better. This was not just achieved by increasing the number of students in the top two bands; it was achieved by significantly reducing the number of students in the bottom bands. In a few weeks we will publish our Annual School Report and we will show that we have achieved and/or made significant progress towards our five key performance measures.

In 2015, we chose to focus on the core PERSIST value of Innovation and Creativity in putting in place the new school plan’s three strategic directions:

• developing a capability driven curriculum • creating a new model of digital personalised learning and student voice, and • leading for innovation through professional practice and new strategic partnerships New ideas underpinned the design of new, BOSTES compliant teaching and learning programs. We introduced new working practices and, with the support of the parent community, our BYOD and Google Classroom programs changed our ways of thinking, learning and creating.

(continued from page 1) We continued to ask ourselves three questions each day – How much have we done? How well have we done it? Have we made any difference?

The result was even more growth in the learning trajectory for our students and the delivery of our moral contract with students and their families – to give every student the opportunity to do his or her best.

Last year I noted that 2014 had been our most successful year since 2007.

I am delighted to say we did even better in 2015. Thank you to our partner schools in the Learning Neighbourhood, our project partners and our parents and community partners for their support and confidence in the school. Thank you to our students and staff for their energy, commitment and drive to find new solutions.

Can I pause for a moment before concluding this address to thank our deputy principals and all our staff. I want to acknowledge their outstanding commitment as individuals and as a group to finding innovative ways to improve student progress, participation and performance?

Our success in 2014 and 2015 was built on new, innovative learning platforms, practices and policies. It is now time to turn to 2016 and to consider what it is about the culture of this school that will sustain us into the future. I believe it is the willingness and capacity of students

and staff to work together with respect, fun and dignity. This was powerfully demonstrated in 2015 by our students whose problem solving and collaboration skills were recognised by the external assessors in the new, international, online, collaborative problem solving trial for 15 year olds run by ACARA. So, for 2016 we will focus on our PERSIST value of teamwork and leadership (collaboration) to see if we can strengthen it even further. We will seek to create opportunities for staff and students to collaborate and lead; to live and learn with a sense of community and understanding of the needs of others.

You have just seen a video clip where young Australians talked about their hopes for the future, where living happily together in a diverse community was a theme. I spend a lot of time thinking about our hopes for the students of Rooty Hill, our hopes for students starting at the school and those finishing; our hopes for all the years in between. In Term 4 last year Mrs Helen Fone invited a number of ex-students to come to the school. They spoke on a video that will be published later this year about their life at school, their lives today and their hopes for the future. I am always looking for more ex-students to take part.

So, on Wednesday, when I was rushing to finish everything to be ready for this assembly, I took a phone call from an ex-student of this school, Youssef Abawi, who, having started life as the son of Hazari

(Afghan) refugees is now a senior manager at Citibank. He told me that he and his brother had been walking to work in their “smart business suits” and spoke of me and of their time at Rooty Hill High.

He told me they now believe strongly they would not be where they are today without the time they had at this school. He told me that his brother, Omar actually said: “not bad for a couple of boys from western Sydney”, an expression that only those of us who live in western Sydney really understand.

The story and culture of Rooty Hill HS shows that it does not matter where you start because, like Youssef, if you have hope for the future and are willing to collaborate; if you work with your teachers and classmates; if you PERSIST, then you will do as well here as at any school in the world.

Sometimes, Year 7, guests and award winners, you can do so much better than you ever could have imagined.

My hope for each of you is that when you say you live in western Sydney and you went to Rooty Hill High School, people will say how privileged you were and will automatically know you were part of a school community that created great learners, great leaders and great achievements.

Best wishes to you all and congratulations to all our award winners.

Christine Cawsey AM 5 February 2016

DUX OF THE SCHOOL 2015 ADDRESS - MEGAN VARLEY Good Morning. It is with great honour and humility that I accept the award of Rooty Hill High School Dux for 2015. It is a privilege to be invited as a member of the official party to such a prestigious assembly that recognises the academic achievements of students at Rooty Hill High School.

From the beginning of Year 12, the most important piece of advice I received was from my Mum. Weekly, she would remind me ‘Just aim for the biggest number you can get.

Then you will have given yourself every chance and opportunity possible’. It wasn’t until I received my ATAR that I fully appreciated what I had only ever thought of as a

cliché. I felt such pride in knowing that every piece of homework, every assessment task, every minute spent studying and every examination had paid off and resulted in this ATAR. Since then I have come to realise how my consistent dedication to the HSC has provided many opportunities for further education.

However, this award is not just a reflection of my own dedication and achievements. It is a result of the time and effort many others have selflessly sacrificed for my education, something for which I will forever be grateful.

Firstly, I would like to thank our principal Ms Cawsey and the executive staff of Rooty Hill High

School for the countless hours of planning, discussion and work they invest into the success of our school which often goes unrecognised. I would also like to thank the Senior School Head teacher Ms Munzie and our Year 12 Year Advisor Mr Singh for the support network they created throughout Year 11 and 12. Ms Munzie, thank you for answering every last ridiculous question and handling the rare but dramatic emotional moments. And Mr Singh, I am so thankful for and admire the patience with which you opened your classroom door every break to listen to pointless stories and problems.

During my time at Rooty Hill, I have been lucky enough to have some of

the most passionate, energetic and caring teachers. In particular, I would like to thank each of my Year 12 teachers: Ms Wilkins, Mr Lawlor, Ms Dolling, Ms Selva, Mr Harper and Ms Tran. Your efforts are undeniably what put me here today and I know that every lesson you’ve taught me (even the life ones that didn’t contain any actual school work) will continue to shape my life in the most positive way. We’d be here all day if I tried to acknowledge the impact that each of my teachers has had on me so instead I have these personal and extended thanks for each of you.

Lastly, I would like to thank my best friend Angus and my amazing family who always offered a constant, unwavering source of love and support. Angus, you showed me the importance of balancing my time between school work and leisure which made Year 12 a positive and rewarding experience. I cannot imagine a better partner to tackle the HSC with. To Matthew and Rachel thanks for not having too much fun

whilst I was studying and completing assessments. You guys kept me humble and grounded with your sometimes not so nice words of encouragement. To my parents, thank you for providing me with every resource and the space that I needed to work to my full potential. The amount of times you rescued me with replacement printers or ink Dad or a quiet house to study in made all the difference. I am so appreciative of how easy you both made the HSC for me. Most importantly, I must thank my Mum although she already knows just how important she is to me. She spent hours teaching me to write an essay, late nights as my ‘study buddy’ and all her energy un-complicating my life. She has been there to celebrate every success and find a solution to every failure.

can be here today to celebrate this achievement with me today.

Finally, I’d like to congratulate every award winner here, in particular the Year 12 students who have proved what 6 years of hard work can allow you to achieve. Every student receiving an award is here because they have earnt it. So my only piece of advice is to continue exactly what you’ve been doing because with consistency comes success. Thank you again to everyone here at Rooty Hill High School that has allowed me to experience this success.

I would also like to thank my Grandad for being here today. I am so grateful for his involvement in my life and education. He has come to every school assembly no matter how big or small and I am grateful that he

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS LEADERSHIP FOR LEARNING AWARD Ms Shaelee Dunbar P&C ASSOC. AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION Ms Helen Fone PRINCIPAL’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT Jayden Hicks – Junior State Debating Team Jacob Keaton – Gili Secondary Aboriginal Student Scholarship for Outstanding Academic Achievement Brittany Menolotto – BREED Award for Excellence - Outstanding Student in Business Services Kyle Pont – Gili Secondary Aboriginal Student Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement in Performing/Visual/Creative Arts REPRESENTATIVE TEAM OF THE YEAR Girls Open Volleyball Team BAND 6 HSC RESULTS Clare Da Silva – English Extension 1 (E3) Kristine Diaz – Business Studies Sokkhim Katherine Khov – PDHPE Raelene Kumar – Business Studies Patrick Matekovic – Mathematics General Olivia Morales – Drama

Olivia Morales – Entertainment Industry (VET) Olivia Morales – Society & Culture Bailey Phillips – Information & Digital Technology (VET) Ryan Revilla – Music 1 Angus Shephard – Mathematics General Megan Varley – Biology Megan Varley – Modern History Megan Varley – PDHPE Megan Varley – Society & Culture ANDY MCKAY VET STUDENT OF THE YEAR

Ryan Revilla - Entertainment Industry SPORTS CHAMPIONS Junior Girl – Mirae Hemi Junior Boy – Carlos Torzar Senior Girl – Kiata Hemi Senior Boy – Jarred Wright AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCES LONG TAN YOUTH LEADERSHIP AND TEAMWORK AWARD

Year 10 – Kiata Hemi Year 12 – Ryan Fitzgerald

JAN VAN DOORN PERSONAL BEST AWARD Year 7 – Mike Zamora Year 8 – Emily Bolan Year 9 – Ky Staal Year 10 – Nathan Johnson Year 11 – Mitchell Van Dyken Year 12 – Aaron Berrell

BETTY ANDERSEN MEMORIAL PRACTICAL SCIENCE AWARD Aecel Sunga VISUAL ARTS ACQUISITION PRIZE Jessica Franco CHIFLEY SCHOOL SERVICE AWARD Year 7 – Kanyapat Meekoh Year 8 – Amanda Fuiono Year 9 – Lara Ferri Year 10 – Harsha Kumar Year 11 – Rachelle Rativo Year 12 – Helen Tuiafiso RUEBEN F SCARF AWARD FOR COMMITMENT Patrick Mills CALTEX BEST ALL-ROUNDER Megan Varley DUX YEARS 7-11 Year 7 – Sussana Zaman Year 8 – Venesse Angeles Year 9 – Morwarid Faiz Year 9 – Imico Pablico Year 10 – Sabrina Zaman Year 11 – Harshita Sabharwal DUX OF THE SCHOOL Megan Varley STUDENT OF THE YEAR Olivia Morales