RHHS Missing Link Term 1 2017

MISSING LINK Term 1 2017

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

After an incredibly successful 2016 where our core value was the value of Te a m w o r k a n d L e a d e r s h i p (collaboration), we started our year with the Excellence Assembly at which a very large number of awards were given. This is reported in a Special Achievements 2016 Missing Link that will be published with the Annual Report at the beginning of next term.

Once that celebration was done we turned our attention to 2017 and what a big term we have had.

Going Online This edition of Missing Link features many of the highlights and it will also be our first Missing Link to be published fully online. If you would like a hard copy, you can print it yourself or contact the school and we will send you one. Students can ask for a copy at the front office.

Success – our core value for 2017 As this is the last year of the current school plan, we have chosen the value of Success from our PERSIST values to be our major focus. We promote success as the ways students, staff and parents work towards quality, success and recognition for themselves and the school. Its key question is: Can you evaluate your own performance?

There are plenty of people our students and teacher s meet who are prepared to judge others, often based on stereotypes like “you live in western Sydney” or “you go to a government school”. We do not want our students or community ever to view themselves this way and all our work is designed to lift learning trajectories and give every student opportunities to their best.

With the full implementation of My Learning Hub in 2017 and with the school looking much more closely at its assessment of capabilities, it is time to ask students to make decisions about their own learning and performance. In 2017 “student agency” (that is the capacity of students to understand and explain their own learning) is the next step in our school’s innovation journey.

Our students need the “edge” this school will give them to be successful in seeking employment, starting businesses or undertaking further study. What we did in the past will no longer be enough. Students have to know and be able to evaluate their own performance…not wait to be judged by others!

55th Anniversary Launch

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trust that lets our students have opportunities wealthy families take for granted and many of our families have difficulty affording. No student at RHHS will be allowed to miss out if we can find a way for them to have an opportunity.

highlights should be mentioned: • Senior educators from Bangladesh were thrilled when the school captains hosted their visit earlier this term, especially when Sabrina was able to speak to them in Bengali.

Launch of a RHHS Instagram The amazing, interesting and exciting journeys of our ex- students (now called alumni) were on show at the launch of the 55th Anniversary on Friday 24 March. The launch, which followed a very successful Harmony Day, was hosted by our senior leaders and started with a mock tail party catered by our Hospitality students and a school tour. At the dinner that followed, the two major initiatives for this anniversary year were announced: 1. Air conditioning the auditorium 2. Moving all our archives to electronic platforms so they can be accessed from anywhere at any time.

With the theme of “where are they now” this anniversary year will be a chance for us to locate and record many former students and many have already offered support in terms of their time, money and expertise. They have become genuine alumni – committed to the ongoing success of the school.

Special thanks must be given to Ms. Vuki and all the staff, parents and students who made the launch such a success.

The raffle organised by Mrs Harvey will be drawn on Week 1 of Term 2.

Thanks to everyone for raising so much money for the Student Trust, a

As a part of the 55th anniversary the school joined Instagram. Please follow @rootyhillhs to see more photos from RHHS. Tell Them from Me For the 4th year in a row students have completed the Tell Them from Me survey this term. This powerful survey gives students opportunities to provide detailed feedback on a range of measures of wellbeing and student satisfaction. We use the information to plan our personalised learning programs, year based programs and additional support.

Thanks to all the students who have completed the survey and to the team involved in organising it.

NAPLAN 2017 NAPLAN tests for Years 7 and 9 students will take place in Week 3 of next term, the week beginning 8 May. Lots of information will be sent home and Year 9 students have had an assembly to explain the new minimum literacy and numeracy requirements for the award of the HSC that will be introduced for the students currently in Year 9. Much more information will be shared in the next 12 months and, as always, students in Years 7 and 9 should just do their best and aim towards their own success.

Visitors, Visitors, Visitors Having become a school recognised for innovation and for very successful programs we have hosted many visiting groups this term. Five

• Ms Selva and her classes were selected to appear in a major documentary video called the Australian learning lecture which features the work the school is doing to build Creative Capabilities in students. Our students are stretching their skills in being imaginative, inquisitive, collaborative, disciplined and persistent.

• Students and staff shared our work with visitors from 40 schools involved in the Social Ventures Australia Partnership. The visitors from schools across Australia were very excited at the innovative and important work being led by this school.

• Atlassian, the most successful IT company in Australia has a Young Change Agents program and 16 of our Year 10 students took the lead in presenting projects and planning for future activities in work & enterprise learning. Year 11 students and Ms Short will represent our school at a major s h o w c a s e o f o u r Yo u n g Entrepreneurs Program (YEP) in Victoria in May. In the year group reports there are many other examples.

• Professor Bill Lucas from Winchester University came back to visit and work with our school this term. When a teacher asked him about school that was leading the way in teaching capabilities and skills for the future, he said Rooty Hill HS was one he would name. This compliment from a world leading researcher and academic is one we will treasure.

Congratulations and Thanks There are so many students who have achieved great success this term and they were recognised at deputy principal assemblies on Friday 31 March (Year 9 PERSIST Award winners pictured below).

There are teachers who have been recognised with invitations to present at conferences, Teach Meets and professional learning conversations. Thanks to all our staff – teachers and administrative staff – they do a great job every day.

Thanks and best wishes to Gesuina Haaring who is moving to the mid north coast.

I would like to take this space to thank the parents who have served on the School Council for the last 2 years. At the P&C AGM in March nobody stood for any executive positions and so, for the second year in a row, the P&C remains in recess.

We d o h a v e n e w p l a n s f o r connecting with parents and alumni but, in the meantime I would like to thank Lincoln Jurd, Donna Brown, Gail Thick, Debbie Johns, Vanessa Lancaster and life member Helen Fone for their dedication and commitment to the school.

I would also like to thank the Head Teachers and Deputy Principals for a very strong term and, in particular

John Meng who relived as DP for the term while Conny Mattimore was on leave. We look forward to welcoming Conny back next term.

Have a safe and happy holiday.

Christine Cawsey AM Principal

YEAR 7 Year Adviser Message In Term 1 Year 7 successfully transitioned into Rooty Hill High School. Throughout the term Year 7 were involved in a number of programs and events that have highlighted the strengths and capabilities of all Year 7 students.

These included ICT4ME immersion lessons, Peer Support, Harmony Day, debating, Great Aussie Bush Camp and the Swimming Carnival.

Congratulations on an excellent start to Year 7.

Leap of Faith, Sea Kayaking, Snorkelling and The Giant Swing. It was an opportunity for students to also make new friends and was a great way to celebrate a very successful start to high school. Over 100 students who stayed back at school took part in a variety of activities including The Olympics Day which was run by their peer support leaders.

Mr Wrigley Year 7 Adviser Peer Support This term Year 7 participated in the peer mentor program lead by Year 9 students. The program taught the students personal and social understanding and the relationship, problem solving and resiliency skills that students require to be successful at Rooty Hill High School.

Camp

83 students from Year 7 attended The Great Aussie Bush Camp and took part in a variety of challenging and fun experiences. Students were willing to step out of their comfort zone and face their fears while encouraging others to do the same.

Some of the activities included The

Year Group Google Classroom All Year 7 students have been invited to the Year 7 Google Classroom. Students are encouraged to continue using google classroom weekly to see important announcements and year group achievements. Students can also ask questions and communicate with other year 7 students via this platform. To join use access code tycbz3

Tell Them from Me Survey All of Year 7 took part in their first Tell Them from Me survey. This is a survey which is used by the welfare team at Rooty Hill High School to collect valuable data on students well-being at school. This data is used to create targeted programs that best cater to the needs and wants of a cohort. Thus ensuring student voice plays an integral part in the programs that are being run. What Year 7 students are doing in classes this term: • Personal Development Health and Physical Education: In PDHPE practical lessons students are focusing on refining their fundamental movement skills and working on evaluating their own performance.

• Science: In Science students are doing “be a scientist” which allows them to work through the scientific method as well as work safely in a lab environment.

designing and building in wood work, to sewing pillows in textiles, to making fruit kebabs in Food Technology.

Ms Coleman Year 8 Adviser • Music: In music students are learning various genres of music, how to read music as well as playing the piano.

• LOTE: In LOTE students had the opportunity to express their language learning through creative project sand practicing Chinese games such as jiàn zi (pictured below) and tiào shéng.

YEAR 8 Year Adviser Message

• Mathematics: In Maths students are working on integers, the study of positive and negative numbers • English: In English students have looked at different communities and their place within those communities, creating a page each for the grade-wide collaboration ‘My place’ book. Students have also focused on writing; composing a Young Writers Festival piece centred around Many Cultures, Many Stories.

• Human Society and its Environment: In HSIE students are studying various landscapes and landforms within the environment.

• TAS: In TAS students are working on a variety of projects from

fortnightly sport. This is evident with 469 “Above The Line” Sentral Wellbeing entries throughout Term 1. Congratulations on an excellent start to Year 8, where Together Everyone Achieves More!

In Term 1, Year 8 successfully continued to demonstrate the PERSIST values, identify how to use their individual strengths to achieve success, were active members within the classroom, school and the local community. Year 8 students have demonstrated their diverse strengths to demonstrate success whether that is enthusiasm when competing in an event at the Swimming Carnival, self-evaluation when uploading evidence of work to My Learning Hub, respect and fairness at our annual Harmony Day celebration, reflection when completing the Tell Them from Me Survey or teamwork when participating in Year 8

Junior Ambassador Team 10 Ambassadors assisted with the running of Harmony Day on 24 March, assisting the primary school teachers and students when attending the cultural concert and participating in games at RHHS. 7 students, Lorrye Genobili, Zac Russell, Joachim Paul, Emma Bowman- Trinh, Asenaca Buadromo, Lachlan Aboud, and Genoveva Stuparu visited the local primary schools Minchinbury Public School, Rooty Hill Public School and Eastern Creek Public School in Week 7 to establish positive relationships with students of Year 7 2018.

Stem Project Launch for Rooty Hill Institute of Sport and Kinetics (RHISK) As a whole year group, in Week 8 of Term 1, Year 8 participated in the launch of their STEM project for RHISK. The following special guests shared their story with Year 8 and then participated in a question and answer session about sport, injury and living a healthy lifestyle.

• Ms Rayanne Alameddine – 3rd year Sports and Exercise Science student at Western Sydney University • Emma Swanson – GWS Giants AFL Women's player • Kristina Brice – GWS Giants Netball player • Drew Dalton – NRL Game Development Western Sydney Manager This was an exciting and insightful opportunity for Year 8 students to launch STEM Project launch for RHISK.

Success and Strengths Year 8 Assembly As a whole year group, in Week 5 of Term 1, Year 8 attended an assembly that focused on RHHS 2017 core value, Success, and ways we can use our individual strengths to achieve our goal, overcome challenges and achieve success. They completed an activity called ‘The Key to Success’ where each student identified a personal goal, their strengths, and how they will use their strengths to achieve their goal. Year 8 student Shara-Lee Green shared her feedback on their assembly: “Through a student’s point of view, I can say that I found the assembly very encouraging and powerful. Ms Coleman helped us to understand what it takes to succeed and how even though we face many problems, we always have the strengths that we need to overcome them.”

International Women's Day Celebration at WSU (written by Jessica Miller)

5 students, Jessica Miller, Zoe Millan, Emma Bowman-Trinh, Zoe Krabbe and Phoebe Birett visited Western Sydney University to attend the International Women's Day Celebration and were able to witness Dr Kakenya Ntaiya speak about her dream to change the educational lives of the young girls in Kenya and how she fulfilled that dream, followed by establishing the first school for girls in her community – The Kakenya Centre for Excellence.

She helped young girls be able to get an education and her biggest message is for all girls to dream big.

We were very excited to engage with such an amazing woman.

What is Year 8 achieving in class? (written by Emma Bowman-Trinh, Jessica Miller & Shara-Lee Green) • Science - In Science we have been dissecting animal parts to see how specific parts in our bodies work and function. So far, we have dissected a chicken wing and a sheep heart. These dissections help us to learn and see how the muscles, tendons and veins in our bodies work and how they help our bodies function.

• Maths - In Maths we have been learning skills for ratios, percentages, fractions, decimals, converting decimals to fractions and fractions to percentages. We have also been learning about converting different measurements, for example, mm to cm, L to mL. • PDHPE - In PDHPE we have been learning and continuously practicing softball, for a Year 8 tournament called SEPEP coming up in Term 2 between Year 8 PDHPE classes. We have also been learning about Raising Responsibility and how our behaviour can affect ourselves, our family, the classroom and the school community.

• ICT - In ICT we have been designing logos for the STEM Launch for Rooty Hill Institute of Sports and Kinetics (RHISK) and creating website's promoting products.

• TAS - In TAS we have been doing a variety of projects such as, making garden trowels in Metalwork and wind chimes in Wood Work. We have also been building a dream house using Sketchup in multimedia, cooking healthy snacks in Cooking and in Textiles students have been

making cushions. Some students Textiles has been taken to Blacktown for a showcase.

• Music and Art - These two subjects have been split into parts, Semester 1 for some classes is Art then they will swap to Music in Semester 2. Both Art and Music are incorporated in Harmony Day. In Art we have been focusing on proportion, for example, the face being symmetrical. In Music, students have been learning the song Be my Girl by Jet on guitar.

• English - In English we have been busy writing essays about a chosen novel. Each class wrote an essay for a different novel and they are as follows: Greylands by Isobelle Carmody, Hitler's Daughter by Jackie French, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Tumble-Turn by Doug Macleod, Burnt Stick by Anthony Hill, Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Thai-Riffic by Oliver Phommavanh.

• History and Geography - In History we have been learning about Medieval Europe including their everyday life, religion, and feudal system. In Geography, students have each been creating a presentation and preparing a speech about a developing country.

Each student is focusing on a different country.

Participation Highlights Consistently within Term 1, Year 8 have enthusiastically demonstrated their willingness to get involved and try new ways to achieve success.

This is evident with the Year 8 student participation numbers and highlights below: • Rhys Walker and Chris Gillett were titled Chifley Team of the Year for 2016 for being a part of the 4x100m relay team.

• 9 students are showing commitment in rehearsals for Synergy Dance applications.

• Tayah Bryant, Kainah Hardy and Kaitlyn Gulliford attended the Bangarra Aboriginal Dance workshop.

• Hope Mumu, Tapaaumatulafalealii Komiti and Julia Buckley were a part of the Vocal Workshop.

• Ava Roser, Jovana Borovicanin, Katie Toogood, Kotahi Henderson, and Rosie Gale swam at the Zone Swimming Carnival.

• 12 students demonstrated initiative by attending the Library Monitors training day.

• Matthew Lowe, Nwazuruka Ohiaer, Jadd Al Samrani, Taner Ozbayrah, Haris Abawi played in the Under 14 Futsal Regional Competition at Penrith Indoor Sports Centre.

All Year 8 students have been participating in their fortnightly Friday sport (Theatre Sports, Rugby League, Basketball, Volleyball, Netball, Cricket) where they have developed sport specific movement and game sense skills, as well as practiced teamwork and leadership within their chosen sport.

being involved in the Swimming C a r n i v a l a n d H a r m o n y D a y, excellence through CIC filming, success in the LEAPS and Fast Forward Programs, innovation in elective subjects and safety through exemplary above the line behaviour throughout the term. They have proven that they are positive, valuable contributing members of the Rooty Hill High School community. Well done, and keep up the fantastic effort. As always, Year 9 has made me proud to be a Year A d v i s e r. C o n t i n u e t o m a k e yourselves proud Year 9.

Ms Douglas Year 9 Adviser Informal Assembly on NAPLAN and Success The NSW government has made changes to NAPLAN that affect Year 9. In this assembly students heard about the changes to NAPLAN and its impact on the HSC. Students now understand that they need to aim for a Band 8 (or better) in literacy and numeracy but will be able to sit Literacy and/or Numeracy tests in Year 10 and beyond on the way to the Higher School Certificate. This assembly reassured Year 9 students that assistance will be provided and other routes can be taken if students don't automatically qualify for the HSC through NAPLAN. Speakers also talked about success, and how students need to define their own success and work towards it on their own path.

Peer Mentor Training & Sessions

YEAR 9 Year Adviser Message Year 9 has had an exceptional term upholding the PERSIST values.

Students have demonstrated leadership as Peer Mentors, respect and responsibility on flag duty, participation and enthusiasm by

Over 75 Year 9 students were involved as Mentors in the Year 7 Peer Mentor Program. Year 9 students had to prove themselves dedicated to participating as

excellent leaders by attending and completing two training days sessions as well as 5 sessions of peer mentorship with Year 7. In Peer Mentor sessions Year 9 students take the role of leader and guide Year 7 students through different team activiti es such as scavenger hunts and trust exercises to build team and social skills. This program not only gives Year 9 students the opportunity to work with the new Year 7 students to create a strong friendship and strengthen our school culture, it also allows Year 7 students to have another support person or group within the school to open up to and share experiences with, and another friendly face to know at Rooty Hill High School.

Western Sydney University Fast Forward Introduction

23 students in Year 9 attended their first Fast Forward Presentation. Fast Forward is a program which is run through Western Sydney University and gives selected students a chance to explore career opportunities and participate the different course workshops that are offered through tertiary education. In this presentation, Year 9 students were given information on the Fast Forward Program and some of the opportunities available to them through this program, such as exclusive university entrance and support scholarships. During this presentation students were asked to think about their futures and the types of jobs that they would like to do, and were given information on how these careers paths often required a university degree. Fast Forward is a great opportunity for Year 9 students as it is another opportunity to use our academic and other talents and strengths to guide our job choices and study paths.

Flag Ambassador Training

On Wednesday 22 February a group of students worked with Mr Dews the General Assistant and Ms Quayle to learn how to put up the flags in the school.

LEAPS Selection Presentation

This is the 12th year that 20 Year 9 students have been asked to be a part of the LEAPS (Lawyers Encouraging and Assisting Promising Students) program. This program pairs 20 students with lawyer mentors who are personally chosen to encourage future success and confidence for each of the leaps students, as well as offering each student a range of different experiences through LEAPS excursions. In Week 8, LEAPS student had their first taste of what being a LEAPS students is like, through the Student Selection Presentation, hosted by Ms Douglas with visits from Deputy Principal Ms Quayle and Ms Andrews. Ms Quayle and Ms Andrews spoke about what a privilege it is to be a LEAPS student, and reminded all students of the expectations and school values that are expected from LEAPS students. The presentation concluded with morning tea and a

room of very excited students ready for what's to come.

Starting Stage 5 Elective Subjects This is the first term that Year 9 has studied Stage 5 elective courses including Commerce, Visual Arts, Photography, Time Travellers, Engineering, and Information Software Technology. We face new challenges and experiences, adjustments and learning about the expectations and content of each new subject. Students have given very positive feedback about elective choices. They are enjoying learning in depth about topics and subjects that are important and interesting to them that might also be related to future job prospects and c a r e e r p a t h s . Ye a r 9 w e r e particularly excited to attend 9X Elective excursions on the last Tuesday of term, as this was another opportunity to see elective subjects in the real world.

Science In Science students have been studying infectious and noninfectious diseases and have created innovative presentations aimed at student in Year 5 to teach them about good hygiene practices.

Critical and Creative Inquiry Cycle During Week 7, Ms Selva’s Year 9.1 History and 9X Time Travellers classes were involved in the filming of a case study for the Australian Learning Lecture Series. The school was chosen to be featured for the work of the Critical and creative Inquiry Cycle (CIC) in driving thinking dispositions in student learning. As Rooty Hill High School has been recognised as one of the most innovative schools in Australia, this was a huge honour for Ms Selva’s classes to have. As well as classroom activities being recorded, f o u r Ye a r 9 s t u d e n t s w e r e interviewed and asked about their learning, and how it has been

impacted, changed and improved from different teaching approaches.

Congratulations to the Year 9 students involved for being outstanding ambassadors to the school. A special mention must go to Zane Catlett, Isabella Croft, Marvin Muller and Azzam Outim for participating in individual interviews. It was fantastic for Year 9 to be a part of an experience that acknowledged the hard work put in by teachers to make Rooty Hill High School so amazing. We hope to share the final case study when it is published in coming months.

Year 9 articles written by Aidan Goundar, Christina Booth. Keila Barbeau and Aleeya Balfas.

YEAR 10 Year Adviser Message A solid start for Year 10 this year taking their first step into Senior School. They were involved in many exciting events this term where they showed their participation and success including the swimming carnival, Young Change Agents Program, Geography excursion and work experience. Numerous future activities are planned with the Young Entrepreneurs Program, Fast Froward Program and Athletics Carnival – places I know Year 10 will excel. Year 10 have hit the ground running this term and already we are seeing a lot of excellent work across Rooty Hill High School.

Keep it up Year 10.

Mr Hay Year 10 Adviser Transitioning to Senior School written by Emma Ayre

We are now Year 10 students, becoming a part of the Senior

School and planning the details of our final school years. Transitioning from Junior to Senior School is not easy, but all of Year 10 are taking every challenge they face, one step at a time. From higher expectations in assignment presentation and class classwork to going to work experience and attending TAFE courses, Year 10 students are definitely in for a busy, yet exciting year.

Science

Swimming Carnival

December

Year 10 were out in force at the 2017 RHHS Valentine’s Day Swimming Carnival. With love in the air and participation levels on the rise, big congratulations to all participants. A special mention to Aidan Beath, Natalie O’Connor and Emily Stirk who represented RHHS at the Mount Druitt Zone carnival and Natalie O’Connor for representing Mount Druitt Zone at the Sydney West Carnival.

Geography Excursion written by Emma Ayre & Shania Fenech Recently Year 10 students who are studying Geography travelled to Barangaroo to take a look at how much has changed over the years in terms of urban growth, which relates to their in class work and assessment topic. Shania Fenech said “I really enjoyed the excursion because I found the transformation very interesting and felt that it helped me gain a deeper knowledge of the topic to further apply in my school work”.

An exciting, beneficial excursion for Year 10. The rest of Year 10 do this excursion in Term 3.

Young Change Agents Program

Work Experience Throughout the year many Year 10 students will take the opportunity to spend a week at a workplace of their choice to have a taste of the working life. Recently Emma Ayre had the privilege to do work experience at Taronga Zoo. “I had to wake up 5am to be at the zoo by 8am and despite the very early starts it was hands down one of the best experiences I have ever been a part of” Emma said. As a part of her experience Emma had the opportunity to feed Native Australian animals including quokkas, kangaroos and wallabies, feed reptiles such as lizards, turtles and frogs and was even lucky enough to take part in the cleaning up of farm animal waste. Emma made some great friendships with other work experience students and enjoyed her time doing something of interest to her.

Year 10 students have become engineers this0 term designing and constructing paper rollercoasters to demonstrate forces. They have looked at Newton’s 3 laws of motion and the Law of conservation of energy and discussed how these laws apply to the working of a rollercoaster.

On 15-17 March 18 Year 10 students participated in a 3-day Young Change Agents Program. The program gave students the opportunity to become social innovators on an identified issue in the school or local community.

Students planned, prototyped and pitched their idea to a panel of judges. This group of students will form a team to lead all Year 10 students through the design thinking process and build their capacity to identify and solve issues in the community.

Young Entrepreneurs Program Session 1: 21 – 23 June Session 2: 12 – 14 September YEP Week: 27 November – 1

Work experience is an amazing opportunity for Year 10 students as it can confirm or eliminate ideas students may have about their transition into their future. If you are interested in completing work experience you can organise it through Mrs Camillos or Mrs Cunningham any time throughout the year.

YEAR 11 Year Adviser Message Year 11 students have started their first term in Preliminary HSC with a bang! They had an outstanding level of attendance at the Swimming Carnival, with many Year 11 students participating in events on the day.

for communication through mobile phones and GPS. The term was busy with organisation for camp in Term 2 and senior jackets which will be a little different this year. As part of the YEP program in 2016, students organised to collaborate with a designer on their senior jackets.

Students choosing to purchase a jacket will be getting a new look bomber jacket.

YEAR 12 Year Adviser Message Congratulations Year 12 on a productive and successful term.

Through hard work and persistence you achieved great results and once again set an excellent example to younger grades. This positive start to the year has positioned you well to achieve even more throughout the remainder of the year. Well done Year 12!

Ms Kennerson Year 12 Adviser

Year 11 students received 614 “Above the Line” Sentral entries from their teachers this term and continue to achieve excellent results inside and outside of the classroom.

Along with all of these new endeavours, Year 11 students found time to participate in many extracurricular activities including Mock Trial, Debating, Model UN, and various sporting teams. Year 11 Hospitality students also made a big contribution to the 55th Anniversary event.

Congratulations to Year 11 students Helen Liang, Crstel Bandal and Pardingotan Silalahi for participating in the Chinese performance on Harmony Day.

Year 11 have made an incredible start to their Preliminary year and have many events to look forward to. Well done Year 11! Have a safe and happy holiday.

Ms Haigh Year 11 Adviser

Year 11 Physics students completed their first preliminary unit “The World Communicates.” Students learnt how waves convey energy and how specific waves on the electromagnetic spectrum are used

Year 12 Articles written by Harsha Kumar Term 1 of every year always promises to be extremely busy and this term has been no exception. A snapshot of some of the events that have kept us busy are included below.

Swimming Carnival As this was the last opportunity for Year 12 to experience the fun of School Swimming Carnivals, they were enthusiastic for this in Week 4.

With participation at an all-time high, the rain staying away, and the theme of Valentine’s Day, it was certainly one to be remembered.

International Women’s Day International Women’s Day provided opportunities for students in Year 12 to take advantage of opportunities to attend events during Week 7. Among these events were the Western Sydney University Breakfast and the Australian Defence Forces “Do what you love” High Tea. Both events allowed students the opportunity to consider their career options and aspirations for life post High School.

Worth a special mention, is the way Sparrow McCarthy represented young women in Western Sydney by featuring on a Q&A panel on the 7:30 Report program. Sparrow’s world view provided insight into the challenges facing young women in today’s society.

In Class In the classroom, Year 12 students have been busy working towards their major works for some subjects and their second HSC assessment tasks in others. For example, while major works are well underway in Industrial, Visual Art and Society & Culture, other subjects have demanded financial skills in Business Studies and a thorough understanding of Human Rights issues in Legal Studies. Our future Chemists rose brilliantly to the challenges set to them in their Titration Practicals. All students are to be commended on their willingness to participate and motivation to succeed as the work towards the HSC is now well and truly in full swing.

YEAR 6 (Year 7 2018) As 2018 fast approaches, we are in the process of establishing key connections with our local primary schools, Minchinbury Public School, Eastern Creek Public School and Rooty Hill Public School.

In Term 1 Mr Jackson, Ms Andrews, School Captains Sabrina Zaman and Logan Carling, and Year 8 students Joachim Paul, Asenaca Buadromo, Lachlan Aboud, Zac Russell, Emma Bowman-Trinh and Genoveva Starpuru ran information sessions at each school. Students were very enthusiastic.

In Term 4 students will visit our school for their Orientation Day and the annuak Gala Day at Blacktown Sports Centre. Selected students will also have the opportunity to participate in Early Intervention Programs, focusing on establishing positive relationships and identifying students’ strengths in transitioning to high school.

NRL YOUTH SUMMIT Congratulations to Oscar Jennings of Year 11, who attended the NRL Indigenous Youth Summit in Newcastle at the start of the year as part of the Indigenous All Stars game. Oscar was one of two students from the region selected to represent the Penrith Panthers at the event.

Following his outstanding leadership during the event and a rigorous

selection process, Oscar was selected as the NRL Male Indigenous Youth Ambassador for 2017. This is an enormous achievement and will see him represent the NRL at various events throughout the year.

B A N G A R R A ABORIGINAL DANCE WORKSHOPS

Nine students from Rooty Hill HS participated in the Bangarra Aboriginal Dance Workshops, displaying their skills and passion for culture and the performing arts.

Each student displayed excellent participation and commitment to learning the routines on the day.

Kyle Pont, Year 11, was selected for the next stage of the program and will participate in the NSW Public Education Arts Unit Aboriginal Dance Company.

Students in attendance: Kyle Pont, Jonathan Thomas, Kianah Hardy, S h e r i d a n C o r d i n g l e y, S k y e Saunders, Kaitlyn Gulliford, Jaxon Mawson Gulliford, Tayah Bryant and Leigha Brown.

NATIONAL SORRY DAY

off this year with Year 11 versing Year 12 on the topic of Education.

Our teams firmly believe that; "It is better to debate a question without settling it, than to settle a question without debating it." - Joseph Joubert

Kyle Pont of Year 11 spoke at Holy Family in Emerton for National Sorry Day.

SRC Over the days surrounding International Women’s Day in March, girls from Years 8-12 attended a number of events aimed at creating positive change for women in Australia and around the world.

SPORT

Years 10 and 11 students attended Fierce and Fearless in Blacktown at the Hub in Mount Druitt (picture on front cover).

J a r r e d Wr i g h t c o n t i n u e d h i s dominance into his 6th year at RHHS. Comfortably winning the Boys Blue Ribbon event. Amilda Kasper defended her title in a much tighter race against Caitlin Puckeridge. The theme for this year's carnival was Valentine's Day. Love was in the air as we enjoyed a great day out in the sun. Byron Lloyd and Koralee Catlett were the Ironmen and Ironwomen race winners after completing a gruelling set of obstacles.

Girls from Years 8-12 at Western Sydney University with Dr Kakenya Ntaiya (pictured above).

DEBATING We welcome several new members to the Debating Club this year! Not only some fresh Year 7 faces, but students from Years 9, 10, 11 and even Year 12 are joining in on the fun.

Meetings so far have centered around skill-building; creating practise arguments and testing our ability to speak 'off-the-cuff'. The Premier's Debating Challenge kicks

Swimming Carnival

Rooty Hill Park Run The Rooty Hill Park run is a 5km social run for everybody on a Saturday morning at 8am. It is a fantastic initiative to improve fitness and meet new friends. For more information please see Mr Treharne in the PE staffroom.

RHHS Gym Mr Ross is opening up the gym on Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7:30am. If you are in Years 10, 11 and 12 and keen to improve your fitness and self-esteem please see Mr Ross for more details.

Representative Students The following students represented

Mount Druitt Zone in sport in (Term 1) 2017: • Basketball - Marso De Leon, Amol Sharma, Warren Cabban, Elijah Deng, Geordian Villoria, Patience Thornton-Whiu, Joy Cayabyab and Caitlin Puckeridge • Boys Soccer - Blake Ford, Murtatha Al Kazaaly, Mohammed Al-Jorani, Jackson Overton and Furat Almoail • Boys Tennis - Bailey Seaton, Toby Stannard, Cameron Eccles, Kenan Hukic, Jaiden Abela and Avishant Narayan • Boys Volleyball - Kieran Mills, Tony Aiata, Furat Almoail, Warren Cabban, Danny Edwards, Khyle Blando and Dane Terekia • Girls Soccer - Aaliyah WilliamsKennedy, Rachel Veimero and Rachel Varley • Girls Volleyball - Peapea Ah Foon, Amanda Fuiono, Nita Jennings, Maja Zlomislic, Emily Stirk, Shaniah Tukuitonga, Tayisha Kamoe, Samantha Mendoza and Akanisi Vuki • Swimming - Chontel Robert, Kalaya Ryan, Alyse McCutcheon, Korolee Catlett, Nicole Chua, Tasha Fuentes, Katie Toogood, Kotahi Henderson, Aiden Gounder, Emily Rough, Remiel Merlan, Natalie O'Connor, Caitlin Puckeridge, Kyle Pont, Amilda Kasper, Chloe Snudden, Jarred Wright and Shannen Fenech • Under 15s Rugby League - Drew Lloyd and Mikail Ozyurktan The following students represented Sydney West in sport in 2017: • Volleyball - Danny Edwards, Warren Cabban, Dane Terekia and Khyle Blando • Girls Volleyball - Maja Zlomislic, Emily Stirk, Peapea Ah Foon, Shaniah Tukuitonga and Amanda Fuiono • Boys Basketball - Warren Cabban and Amol Sharma • Swimming - Jarred Wright • Under 15s Rugby League - Drew Lloyd

The following students made NSW Representative teams in 2017: • Volleyball - Khyle Blando, Maja Zlomislic and Emily Stirk Volleyball Rooty Hill High School Australian Volleyball Schools Cup Results 2016 (Term 4, Week 9): • Opens Boys Div 2 - 5th (20 teams) • 16s Girls Div 1 - 3rd (11 teams) • 15s Girls Div 2 - 2nd (24 teams) The following students were selected to participate in the 2016 A u s t r a l i a n J u n i o r Wo m e n ' s Volleyball Development Camp which took place in Victoria: • Venesse Angeles • Samantha Mendoza • Emily Stirk • Maja Zlomislic Sydney West Volleyball team results: The boys finished 4th at the CHS regional championships which were held in Coffs Harbour in Week 9.

The girls will play at the CHS regional championships in Menai in Week 2, Term 2.

The following students were selected to represent NSW CHS: • Khyle Blando • Maja Zlomislic • Emily Stirk They will travel to Tahiti to play in the July School holidays: Congratulations to Emily Stirk who was selected in the Australian Junior Women's Volleyball Development squad. She will travel to Thailand early next term.

Congratulations to both the boys and girls knockout volleyball teams who progressed through to the 3rd round.

We have had an extremely busy start to the year with most teams now finalised and hard at training. We once again claimed the Champion School at the Mount Druitt Zone swimming carnival led by our Sports Captain Jarred Wright.

We wish the best for all of our sporting teams and coaches in their sporting endeavours in 2017.

Athletics Carnival Reminder The school Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday 27 April (Week 1, Term 2).

MODEL NATIONS

UNITED

Model United Nations is a brand new extra-curricular activity for Rooty Hill High School that is run through the HSIE faculty. Model United Nations is a forum in which students debate in a U.N format in a mock U.N general assembly with dozens of other students, from competing schools, who represent different countries and try to pass their range of agendas. Students in teams of 2-3 are provided with a country and must vote on U.N proposals in an assembly to promote their chosen countries interests. The Youth Chapter of the United Nations ran a workshop on Monday 3 April in the Library to train Rooty Hill High School students how to best perform in this form of debating.

RHHS will be competing in the MUNA and Evatt in May.

MOCK TRIAL This year, students from Years 9 - 11 are participating in the 2017 Mock Trial Competition. Mock Trial is a program that allows students to experience the NSW judicial system by running criminal and civil court cases. The law society selects two schools from the 79 competing this year, allocates whether they are the prosecution or the defence and asks school teams to prepare their cases for mock court. This year Mock Trial had a huge response, with many students wishing to partake in the program. The team has been working incredibly well together to ensure they are well prepared for each trial round. This is a fantastic opportunity for students as it gives them experience in debating, problem solving and team work while giving them a taste of the law profession.

HARMONY DAY Congratulations to all the staff and students who made Harmony Day an awesome experience. The hall and outdoor concerts were filled with amazing performances showcasing the many talented students at Rooty Hill High School. A special thank you to the Entertainment students, Photography students, SRC, student leaders and Ambassadors who all worked effortlessly on the day.

55TH ANNIVERSARY LAUNCH DINNER

JIM ANDERSON SCHOLARSHIP

Rooty Hill High School launched its 55th anniversary with a dinner and presentation on Friday 24 March. They were joined by many past alumni students from as early as 1962. Many past and present staff also attended as did Stephen Bali, Mayor of Blacktown and other official guests. It was a great evening in which many alumni shared their stories of the past highlighting the importance of the school and its teachers. Youssef Abawi (Director, Head of Flow Credit Sales, Citi Bank) spoke about the importance of the school’s motto PERSIST in his success. It was a memorable and successful night shared by all.

On Thursday 6 April, Rooty Hill High School hosted the Jim Anderson Scholarship Presentation.

The scholarship is open to students from schools in the Blacktown City Council LGA (where Jim was Mayor) and the the seat of Londonderry (where he was state member of parliament). Students who wish to study at WSU can apply for a scholarship worth up to $5000 to help defray their first year university costs.

The awards are presented by Jim’s widow, Kathleen Anderson.

Rooty Hill HS was delighted when Emma Jurd and Rachelle Rativo both received scholarships for 2017.

2016 Jim Anderson scholars with Kathleen Anderson and Councillor Moninder Singh.

Emma and Rachelle pictured with Ms Cawsey, Kathleen Anderson and Deb Summerhayes (Director Public Schools Education, Penrith Network)

SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNERS TERM 1 2017 Year 7 Stefan Adamovic Tarlia Bain Jamee Balzan Koralee Catlett Nicole Chua Sheridan Cordingley Vishilta Datt Abigail Dave Andrew Doan Tasha Fuentes Nathaniel Guzman Ocearna Haumono Blake Knight John Koudakpo Jason Lansdowne Alyse McCutcheon Avishant Narayan Jason Prasad Chontal Robert Kalaya Ryan Sheridan Rylewski Ramah Abigail Sang-Yum Bilal Shah Olivia Speed Aemareign Daphne Sunga Reueta Tuiafiso Tane Tume Joel Zahra Year 8 Isha Bondoc Jovana Borovicanin Kristian Cantre Zaheda Faiz Kiarne Fitzgerald Breeanna Foster Kaitlyn Gulliford Achita Hansoongnern Kianah Hardy Kotahi Henderson Ann Rose Joseph Tania Juchkov Hannah Labuson Jessica Miller Chantelle Parkes Ciara Phillips Tahlia Rademaker Genoveva-Constantina Stuparu Sophia Taylor Katie Toogood Asha Tukuitonga Aeron Vicente Brandon Villena Year 9 Evan Ademovic

Aleeya Balfas Keila Barbeau Justin Canda Zane Catlett Isabella Croft Tarsha Daly Pitiesi Faokula Ethan Fuatavai Bianca Fuller Aidan Goundar Maryrose Guerra Isszzc Harrison James Herning Luke Hyde Tayisha Kamoe Atsupui Delphine Koudakpo Tony Lee Kobe Lepua Matthew McKechnie Rumman Memon Remiel Merlan Raizza Miclat Hosnia Mirzaie Talon Mitchell Thomas Morris Marvin Muller Hanna Ngo Amber Nicholls Guihot Craig Ortiz Azzam Outim Claire Paler Monique Powell Shalome Pule Julianna Raquedan Piyatida Jade Ratanasirilak Emily Rough Campbell Terekia Shayla Tran Vince Tumbaga Rheece Vassallo Akanisi Vuki Caitlin Xerri Chad Zahra Sussana Zaman Year 10 Tony Aiatia Mohammed Al-Jorani Furat Almoail Sohorhab Azizdel Aidan Beath Samara Colwell Jonathan Delos Santos Amanda Fuiono Komal Gupta Vaughn Holyoak Caitlin Johnson

Aiden Kisbee Drew Lloyd Aaron Lowe John Marcos Samantha Mendoza Jeremy Millar Kieran Mills Kayla Munday Ashlee Musico Mavneel Newaj Reihana Nikau Chloe Norton Natalie O'connor Lemah Orya Mikail Ozyurtkan Ethan Phillips Narisha Prasad Hadrien Quesada Alec Remoticado Chantelle Romero Lachlan Shankelton Rahul Singh Angelina Steeden Holly Steeden Emily Stirk Nicholas Stratikopoulos Jael Tarekegn Cody Tippins Jayden Warn Kearna White Jesse Wilshire Maja Zlomislic Year 11 Jaiden Abela Maryanne Abouchanab Arizo Aghdar Crystel Bandal Seth Bayliss Brittany Bishop Francesco Demasi Danielle Ezzy Lara Ferri Abby Giles Kenan Hukic Jayden Javier Tynae Jones Helen Liang Ashaldine Mailei Imico Pablico Miles Ponce Kyle Pont Caitlin Puckeridge Marco Santos Amol Sharma Pardingotan Silalahi Ky Staal

Chaithra Sumesh Dane Terekia Daniel Thick Patience Thornton-Whiu Suevale-Tiaina Toluono Tatiana Vakauta Lisa Vines Andrew Vu Jaeda Zlomislic Year 12 Peapea Ah Foon Khyle Blando Adrian Buckley Warren Jr Cabban Joshua Daly Marso De Leon Ma Trina Dela Cruz Elijah Deng Cameron Eccles Danny Edwards Shannen Fenech Arvee Francisco Deborah Gaskin Jayden Hicks Billy Joe Iosefa Nita Jennings Amilda Kasper Josiah Laufili Sydney Lavaro Vincent Lemalu Gino Maceda Sandeep Maharaj Laura Matekovic Tokoiva Niukore Simranjit Saini Joseph Sanita Bailey Seaton Mico Singalawa Chloe Snudden Blake Speed Toby Stannard Akatau Amos Taia Franjesca Taoipu Vaaimalae Toomalatai Filoimalo Junior Tuimaualuga Shaniah Tukuitonga Aisha Umar Tricia Valenzuela Rachel Varley Joyce Vega Sanjani Vikash Lisa Vu Jarred Wright Sabrina Zaman

Rooty Hill High School Learning, Leadership & Achievement North Parade, Rooty Hill NSW 2766 P.O. Box 70, Rooty Hill NSW 2766 Phone: 02 9625 8104 Fax: 02 9625 4208 Find us on: Web: www.rootyhill-h.schools.nsw.edu.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/rootyhillhs Twitter: www.twitter.com/rootyhillhs RHHS Alumni Network: www.linkedin.com (GROUP: Rooty Hill High School)