MISSING LINK Term 1 2018
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT We have had a wonderful start to the 2018 year with the best HSC results in some years leading into increased offers for university, traineeships, employment and further training. The school’s annual report and 2017 Excellence Assembly achievements were published in a special Missing Link earlier this term – please take time to read it on our website along with the new 2018-2020 School Plan (see the overview below). Exciting Opportunities We changed our Harmony and Diversity Day to a festival with a traditional smoking ceremony and a flag ceremony. The result was a new and exciting way for more of our students to celebrate cultural diversity. I want to say a particular congratulations to students in the Year 10 Commerce classes who “pitched” for the opportunity to sell food and drinks on the day and then ran their own “food stalls” on the day, making a profit donated to the Student Trust of just over $2000. Amilda Kaspar won the Jim Anderson scholarship, a very prestigious scholarship to support her university studies and former Year 12 students Sabrina Zamaan and Khyle Blando are attending Sydney University on the E-12 scholarship, another prestigious award. Yasodai Selvakumaran (Ms Selva) was chosen for the Commonwealth Bank/Schools Plus Teaching fellowship – one of 12 outstanding educators from across Australia – and she will be travelling to Singapore in July to study other education systems. Rooty Hill HS won the Zone Swimming Carnival and we expect to put up strong competition in the Zone Athletics Carnival early next term. Our staff are giving students many opportunities to compete and play sports at an elite level, giving hours of their own time to create these opportunities. As the rest of Missing Link shows there have been lots of opportunities in STEM debating, Mock Trial, Year 7 Camp, sport and a variety of year group projects for students to show their strengths, their capabilities and their team work. Term 2 we hope to see even more opportunities. Congratulations to Year 7 for their transition to high school recognised at the DP assembly on Monday 9 April – it was special that 40 parents could be there. Congratulations to the large number of students receiving awards at the DP assemblies this term and a special congratulations to Year 12 who will receive their half yearly reports on Friday – the final day of the term. 1
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In Term 2 Mrs Lisa Byrne will take up an opportunity to work with students who have visual impairment. Lisa has a study scholarship with the Department of Education so this is a great chance for her. Jasmine Bayliss and 7 friends will be working with ABCN and Optus as part of their business mentoring program. Emily Stirk won the prestigious Nanga Mai Award for her Outstanding Achievement in Sport (Volleyball). On 7 May 20 students from Rooty Hill HS have been invited to Origin Energy to meet and “play on designs” with the 20 most inspirational young entrepreneurs from across the world designing new projects in the energy sector.
We have many other opportunities planned for second term. Feel welcome to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter if you would like to follow along day by day. On a sadder note Although we have had a very happy term, it is with great sadness that I write of the passing of two people who had a very special relationship with our school. Sydney ACE Cruz (pictured below left) was a senior leader at the school in 2012 and, after a short and devastating battle with cancer he died on 27 February this year aged just 22. On 23 March we were also very sad to learn that Thi Hoan Nguyen (pictured below right), our wonderful cleaner since 2006 had died in palliative care at Mount Druitt Hospital after battling cancer for a few weeks. We will miss them both and extend our very deepest sympathies to their families and friends.
STRATEGY ON A PAGE: Our 3 year strategy 2018-2020 Vision: Their Present, Our Future: We prepare our students for their present and our school for its future Our values: PERSIST Our Belief: We have a moral contract with families to give every student the opportunity to do his or her best. We are disposed to be creative and innovative in providing the right opportunities for each student. Our Overall Purpose (Mission): to increase learning expectations, capacity & achievement for students, staff, the school and the community through new ways of knowing, doing and being. Ambition (Key Performance Measures): Over the next 3 years we will achieve: 1. Average growth in academic performance (to within one mark) and value added data (learning trajectories) to within 1 standard deviation of state average 2. 40% of all students achieving Band 4+ in external tests and an average GPA of 3.5 on internal academic reports. 3. 60% students achieving ACARA/NESA capability benchmarks by the end of Year 10. 4. 60% of students achieving RHHS signature disposition benchmarks by the time they transition from the school to work or further study in Years 10, 11 and 12. 5. Positive changes in benchmark evidence of school culture, adaptability and creativity – imaginative, inquisitive, disciplined, persistent and collaborative. 6. “Excelling” in 13 of the 14 School Excellence Framework (Version 2) domains. Strategic priorities 2018-2020: We will deliver our overall purpose through: Signature platforms and pedagogies: Building on the successful implementation of a capability driven curriculum we will initiate and deliver new ways of knowing, doing and being that create innovative subject based universal, targeted and intensive teaching, learning and assessment platforms, programs and practices. 1.1 Literacy – reading 1.2 Rigorous HSC 1.3 Signature pedagogies (10-12) 1.4 Capability Driven Assessment
Holidays and Term 2 We wish every member of our school community a safe and relaxing holiday break. Thank you for everything you do to make our school work so well and we will see students back on Tuesday 1 May. Christine Cawsey AM 13 April 2018
Expansive learning: Building on the successful personalised learning strategy we will create opportunities for all students to become educated adults, prepared for life at and beyond school with the capacity to demonstrate and articulate their strengths, their own learning and their dispositions using new ways of knowing, doing and being. 2
2.1 Transitions 2.2 Entrepreneurial learning 2.3 Student Agency 2.4 Connecting to Country, Culture and Curriculum Adaptability and Creativity: Building on our values and our recognised disposition to innovation and creativity we will respond to emerging challenge and change by committing to sustaining an innovative and successful school culture that has the capacity to identify, design and provide evidence for new and adaptive ways of knowing, doing and being. 3.1 Evidence informed culture and practice 3.2 Strategic partnering 3.3 Adaptive leadership and expertise 3.4 Community Engagement
YEAR 7 Year Adviser Message In Term 1 Year 7 students successfully transitioned into RHHS and were involved in a number of programs and events that highlighted their strengths and capabilities. These included ICT4ME immersion lessons, Peer Support, We Are Readers, Harmony In Diversity Festival, debating, the Great Aussie Bush Camp, the Swimming Carnival and the Athletics Carnival. Congratulations to Year 7 on great start to high school. Mr Jackson Year 7 Adviser We Are Readers Program
students were hesitant to connect with unfamiliar peers at the beginning of the program, it was observable by all supervising teachers that students began to communicate effectively and connected well with one another by the end of the program. It was great to see Year 7 peer mentees and their Year 9 peer mentors extended their relationships beyond the peer mentor sessions into recess and lunch breaks. 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. See Mr Jackson (PDHPE staffroom) for the Google Classroom access code. Tell Them from Me Survey This term Year 7 students took part in their first Tell Them from Me survey. This is a survey that is used by RHHS to collect valuable data on students strengths, interests and needs. This data will be analysed by a team of students to identify points of interest and to create targeted programs that best cater to the needs and wants of a cohort. We are looking forward to Year 7 students planning their learning journeys. Harmony In Diversity Festival Year 7 students had a great time participating in their first Harmony in Diversity Festival. Throughout the day, students displayed acceptance, understand and compassion for their peers from different cultures and backgrounds. It was great to see so many students from Year 7 performing in a range of concerts and in the Harmony Cup touch football competition.
All Year 7 students completed the 4 week We Are Readers Program. Students worked extremely well to improve their skills in understanding high school texts. Particular congratulations to Shaina Gogna, Dansia Gomes and Zahra Almoaiel for having the most significant improvement. Peer Support
The peer support program was an opportunity for students to foster new relationships outside of their traditional social groups. Through this, students worked from the strengths of resiliency, adaptation and self-awareness to form new relationships. While
Great Aussie Bush Camp Over 90 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 Leap of Faith, Sea Kayaking, Snorkelling and The Giant Swing. It was an 3
opportunity for students to 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.
What Year 7 are doing in class 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. In class students are learning the social curriculum that underpins the school values including the PERSIST values and above and below the line behaviour. 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. Year 7 students have all been issued with a Bunsen burner lighting licence!
Mathematics: In Maths students are working on integers, the study of positive and negative numbers English: In English students looked at different communities and their place within those communities, creating a page each for the gradewide collaboration ‘My Place’ book. Students 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 designing and building in wood work to sewing pillows in textiles. Music: In music students are learning various genres of music, how to read music as well as playing the piano. Students have also been composing their own music using a range of software. Visual Arts: During Term 1, Year 7 students completed a series of artworks displaying their understanding of Visual Arts concepts. They designed and painted a monochromatic landscape, created an artwork using geometric and organic shapes and learned about the abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky. They have all gained an understanding and appreciation for Abstract artwork through these investigations. A great term of learning and artmaking practice.
Languages Other Than English (Mandarin): Year 7 LOTE students had the opportunity to express their learning through a role-play project using simple greetings. The LOTE department would like to welcome Confucius Classroom support teacher Ms Li and WSU research student Ms Wang to the team. Students also enjoyed Chinese Kung Fu performed by Martial Arts Master Zhang (pictured) during the Harmony In Diversity Festival. A group of students learned how to use traditional Chinese Clappers while participating in China Club activities. 4
YEAR 8 Year Adviser Message
Term 1 for Year 8 has been a busy one with students participating in the Swimming Carnival, Athletics Carnival and Harmony in Diversity Festival. Year 8, as always, have participated in all of these events enthusiastically and provided a positive example for the new Year 7 students, showing them what it means to be a student at RHHS.
Mr Wrigley Year 8 Adviser Year 8 articles written by Celestine Salimbangon and Keighla Santiago Year 8 In Class English - In term 1, for Year 8 English, classes read a variety of different books from Frankenstein to The Boy in Striped Pyjamas and wrote an essay to answer the question: “What ideas lie at the fiction you just read?” As classes progressed through the book and the essay, many side-topics were also studied to enhance the grammar skills of Year 8 students. Mathematics - In Maths, the main task for the students in Term 1 was to study about percentages and get ready for an examination at the end of the term. This also included learning about fractions, decimals and ratios. ICT - In ICT, Year 8 students learned about coding using a website called Scratch. For about 2 terms, they will have the opportunity to explore and learn Scratch in preparation for making their own game. From simply moving a sprite from one side to the other, you can enhance and improve your skills to invent a game according to your on likings. History - In History we are learning about “The Noble” and the different powers that noble people in early times possessed. Music - In Music we are learning to play a “Blues” composition. We are able to pick a song from a list and learn to play it on the keyboard or guitar. We are able to play this together as a group or individually. Geography - Geography classes have been learning the importance of liveability and place. Lessons have explained that liveability is important for our
learning as it will be used in our understanding in the future of our community and place. Classes have compared the liveability between Rooty Hill and Jakarta as an assessment task and have gained new knowledge to apply. Art - Art classes have learnt many new elements of the subject like rhythm of movement, symmetry, illusionary, proportion, patterns and more! Apart from the practical work, theory lessons have also helped students enhance their research capabilities by exploring a historical artist by finding out about the artist’s past and how the artist was impacted by the world, audience and artists (or themselves). It also relates to learning history! TAS - In TAS, many students enjoy this subject as they get to experience new things. TAS has different types of classes one of which is a designing/metal class where students create a product that they can incorporate in their garden. Another class is about food technology where students learn how to cook many foods using beneficial ingredients. The different TAS classes enable students to learn, use and enhance strengths like problem solving skills, researching skills and people and communication. PDHPE - In Term 1, for Year 8 PDHPE, theory lessons have been teaching students about their social health (like the problems that may occur in their lives and what they can do about it), where they belong in the community and how to include themselves and others. These theory lessons often incorporate activities to improve on their communication skills. However, for the practical lessons, students play softball where their communication and cooperation skills come to use with teammates and the activity they play. Science - To kick off the year, Year 8 Science took up lessons about athletes, injuries and sporting technologies as well as the more scientific topics of the systems of our bodies. Students had to design and create a prototype that would either enhance the performance of an athlete or prevent injuries. This was displayed in a “Shark Tank” presentation. Students enjoyed doing dissections as a part of learning about the human body systems. They also studied balanced and unbalanced forces through tug of war games.
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YEAR 9 Year Adviser Message During this term, Year 9 students have proven to be a dedicated and resilient year group. Each student has continued to use and develop strengths as scientists, technologists, researchers, artists, writers, mathematicians, historians, peer mentors, athletes and performers. I have enjoyed my time getting to know each of you and the strengths you bring to the year group and the wider RHHS community. After a busy Term 1, it is important for each of you to take the time to reflect upon your progress and achievements. This can include asking yourselves: where have I taken an opportunity to use and develop my strengths? I look forward to a busy Term 2 with LEAPS, Y elective excursions, Personalised Learning Week and NAPLAN. Ms Short Year 9 Adviser Year 9 articles written by Jessica Miller, Shara-Lee Green and Emma Bowman-Trinh Peer Mentoring In 2017 Year 8 students began training in preparation for Peer Mentoring in 2018 and in 2018 75 Year 9 students were placed into groups of 4-5 mentors. Peer Mentoring introduced the incoming Year 7 students to a variety of challenges that they may face throughout high school and how to deal with them including types of bullying, being resilient and using strengths. The Year 9 peer mentors met weekly with their mentees leading them through a series of activities to help them cope with the challenges of beginning High School. Excellence Assembly In Term 1 of 2018, Year 9 students attended the annual Excellence Assembly which was a celebration of personal achievements during 2017. Students were recognised for excellence in academics, sport, leadership and creative and performing arts to attend the Excellence Assembly. Congratulations to all students in our year whose commitment and hard work were recognised during this assembly. Year 9 Electives
At the end of 2017, Year 8 students were able to choose
their X, Y and Z electives for Year 9. X and Y electives are taken for 2 years, during Years 9 and 10, and Z electives are only taken for Year 9. There is an extensive range of electives for students to choose from including CAPA subjects, Health subjects and TAS subjects, all of which build on student strengths and focus students on future career opportunities. All Year 9 students enjoyed their first X elective excursion during Week 11, which gave them an opportunity to engage in specialised learning.
Left: 9X Child Studies excursion to Eastern Creek PS. Right: 9X Time Travellers Excursion to the Sydney Jewish Museum
Swimming Carnival On Monday 26 February, RHHS held its annual swimming carnival at Mount Druitt Pools. This year the theme was Hawaiian and students were able to dress up in costumes or traditional outfits. Although the weather was not very Hawaiian, attendance was still high despite the torrential rain. Congratulations to Katie, Rosie and Kotahi who represented RHHS while competing at the Mount Druitt and Sydney West Carnivals. Science Year 9 students completed a Biology topic and learnt about health and disease and how to prevent the spread of diseases. They have now moved onto Chemistry and are learnt which elements give fireworks their different colours by doing a flame test.
Harmony In Diversity Day Harmony In Diversity Day was a day of excitement with a festival atmosphere in the grounds of the school. Unlike other years students were able to walk around the school grounds and participate in activities as well as use purchased tickets to buy themselves food from food stalls and food trucks. There were 3 stages set up in the hall, the library and D block, where students could watch other students performances whenever they wished. 6
YEAR 10 Year Adviser Message Year 10 students had an amazing start to the Senior School. Through their efforts and diligence academically during class time, to their enthusiastic participation in school community activities they have all been an asset to RHHS. Their contribution to whole school events such as the Swimming Carnival, Athletics Carnival, Harmony in Diversity Festival, as well as participation in a range of targeted programs such as Model UN, Debating and Mock Trial has emphasised their strengths as well as their capacity to work creatively and with innovation to strive in all areas of school life. Well done Year 10 students on continuing to set high expectations and always striving to do the best to reach your potential. As always, you have made me extremely proud to be your Year Adviser, remember to continue to always Make Yourself Proud! Ms Douglas Year 10 Adviser Year 10 articles written by Isabelle Croft, Ruchelle Dawe, Shayla Tran, Keila Barbeau, Samokia Haumono, Sussana Zaman, Christelle Salimbangon and Zeel Shah. Peer Informal Assembly 1: ‘Welcome to the Senior School and Setting Our Own Senior Expectations Making Ourselves Proud’ In this assembly we set our goals and were introduced to the senior expectations, and made sure that we kept our expectations of ourselves high. We went back through our year group’s motto ‘Make Yourself Proud’, and thought about what it meant in the senior school to make ourselves proud. This assembly introduced us to goal setting and what we are hoping to achieve this year including improving our grades and G.P.A. We also formally transitioned into senior school with our new white uniforms and the explanation of a RoSA. The first informal assembly was interesting as we were able to set our own goals and Year 10 students learnt some key ideas for senior learning. Informal Assembly 2: ‘Teamwork makes the Dreamwork - Supporting Each other and Year 11 Subjects’ This assembly began of with the message that ‘Teamwork makes the Dreamwork. Miss Douglas spoke about Year 10, our year group working together as one team, and the fact we need to work together well as we work towards graduating together. We also tested how much we know each other by trying to write down as many names of members of our year group as possible which showed us the importance of knowing each other. Following on from that we received information on the potential subjects for selection next
year with a brief explanation. YEP Program The YEP program is designed for students to help create initiatives and programs which address social issues in which we are interested such as awareness of the impact of sexism, bullying that happens online and community improvements. The YEP program stands for Young Entrepreneurs Program and it can also help students to “figure out” what they are passionate about for future careers. The students form their own groups to create an idea on which the group acts. The project is presented in the hall for students of different grades to see and then vote. The YEP program is an amazing opportunity to help the community and fellow peers to make them aware of issues or problems. Market Stall Day - Year 10 Commerce Classes: Pitch to Ms Cawsey, Ms Mattimore, HT HSIE Ms Kennerson, Mr O'Shea and Year 11 Leaders – This term in Year 10 Commerce, students completed an assessment task outlining what it is like to run your own business. In addition to this, students presented a pitch and business plan to the principal, deputy principal, head teacher of HSIE and Year 11 leaders running this event, expressing why their product should be sold at a stall during the Harmony in Diversity Festival. Each group had to speak about the product they would be selling, the cost to buy or make the product, how much they were going to sell it for, the break even point, estimated profit to be made and proposed advertising strategies. Cooking / Preparation – Part of the Commerce assessment task was to provide a product that could be sold to peers at the ‘Harmony in Diversity Festival. In efforts to do this many Commerce groups whose product was not something store bought, joined Mr Hickey in the kitchen to create their products. This was an essential part of the Commerce assessment task as this was needed in order for the Harmony in Diversity Festival stalls to operate. Running the Business at the Harmony in Diversity Festival – Operating stalls was also part of the criteria in order to successfully complete the commerce assessment task. This gave students an opportunity to interact with customers and make sales. Due to the stalls being positioned in the senior quad exposure was limited, pushing students to improvise ways other ways to makes profitable sales. Some students were seen walking around selling their products in effort to sell out. Fierce and Fearless for International Women’s Day: Shayla & Isabella at Mount Druitt Hub The Fierce and Fearless for International Women’s Day program was an event that targeted female 7
students attending schools around the Blacktown City Council area. These students came together to take part in a range of activities that would work to empower each other. The program organisers discussed and spoke about dealing with tough situations, how to relax our minds, and feel better about ourselves, by speaking about personal experiences and demonstrating successful strategies. The girls also participated in activities like meditating and making posters about women’s empowerment. The purpose of the program was to inspire each other to all try to be the best versions of ourselves as we empower other women.
STEM Conference at Macquarie Uni The STEM Conference at Macquarie University was an opportunity for four girls from Year 10 to receive an insight into what the STEM subjects can provide to students who are interested in pursuing these subjects in the future. During the conference, there lectures by professional individuals working within the STEM field who discussed what they do and what they intend to achieve. Part of this excursion included stalls hosted by university students studying a particular field who engaged students to be interested for the future. The variety ranged from in depth career advice to thrilling experiences of virtual reality. Ultimately, the STEM Conference was successful in its plan to involve more women in STEM.
What have we been learning? English – The topic this term within English explores ‘Representation of Australian life’. Year 10 students are focusing on how Australian life is seen through text with students composing a narrative to highlight the key idea of what it’s like
to grow up in Australia. During this term students have analysed how Australian life is represented through text. Many classes watched films that explore ideas and concepts about Australia. Students have also discussed during lessons what they feel is the authentic Australian experience without major stereotypes. In addition to this students were created their own custom T-shirts to express who they are as a reflection of growing up in Australia. Year 10 students are now working hard to complete their English assessment tasks, striving for high grades. Mathematics – Many different subjects have been covered and examined term in Mathematics, including linear relationships, solving equations, factorising and depending on the different classes, other option topics. Students have been taught different problem solving techniques and strategies that highlight individual strengths and different “working out” abilities, targeting and improving on each individual's skills and techniques to adapt to the work provided. History – The topic for this term was the evolution and developments of popular culture in Australia and its influences around the world. The key idea of this unit was to accurately understand outside influences on Australia and how the idea ‘popular culture’ has developed under the impact of other cultures and countries but also how it has changed over time. During class, students looked at examples of popular culture during various decades, such as Elvis Presley in the 1950s and the Beatles in 1965. The task assigned in history this term was to pick three sources across a range of mediums chosen by students and evaluate their relevance and influence in Australia. Students then used these sources in an essay explaining the influences on the development of popular culture in Australia since the post-war period. Geography – The topic this term has been focused on “Changing Places,” including discussing important terms, definitions, and subtopics like internal and international migration, rural and urban areas, overpopulation and population “push and pull” factors. The assessment task for this term was to create a Ted style talk called Hill Talks, focused on a specific issue or idea linked to “Changing Places.” Most of the students spoke about internal and international migration, overpopulation and in addition, personal and emotional stories on how migration has affected them. Also, while studying urbanisation in Geography, students focused on China’s urbanisation; including effects, impacts, consequences and much more. As an example, the hutongs in Chinese towns are slowly decreasing due to urban consolidation taking over most of the needed land. This assignment also developed certain 8
work skills such as leadership, communication and teamwork. PDHPE – The topic this term has been broadly based around safer celebrations, including strategies for minimising harm and risk at parties, including drug use and alcohol abuse. The key idea was to educate the students and make them aware of the risks of celebrations they might attend, now that their freedom and the ability to exercise decisionmaking is much more maximised. The task for Year 10 students this term was to create a fact sheet targeted at adolescent audiences either about an illicit drug of our choice or binge drinking. There was also an in-class examination where students had to analyse four harm minimisation strategies which young individuals can use when attending celebrations. Science – This year, the traditional science system was changed and redesigned to divide the scientific topics across the year group. Classes were taught either one of the three topics: chemistry, biology or physics. Over the upcoming terms, the classes will rotate subjects each learning a new topic per term. Students in Physics have built paper roller coasters. Students in Chemistry have produced a Scientific Laboratory Manual. Students in Biology have produced a video on genetic diseases. Students also learnt about the Chemical World and used SOLO hexagons to make connections and revise for their topic test.
YEAR 11
HSC is a big responsibility and Year 11 are doing exceptionally well. So, congratulations to Year 11 students for completing Term 1 successfully. The next two terms will fly and before we know it Year 11 students will be in their final year of school! Mr Hay Year 11 Adviser Young Women’s Leadership Seminar written by Emma Ayre As part of the 2018 International Women's Day celebrations, Kyla Fischer and myself were invited to attend the Young Women’s Leadership Seminar which was held at the Parliament of NSW. We were able to meet with many empowering women including; Aminata Conteh-Biger, founder of the Aminata Maternal Foundation (pictured below), and female members of parliament including Sarah Mitchell, Jenny Leong and Prudence Carr. It was such an honour to meet these women and inspired us to pursue different leadership opportunities as well as showing us how to inspire other women around us.
Harmony In Diversity Festival It was an energetic and exciting Harmony In Diversity Festival with Year 11 being involved in all aspects of the day. Planning, running, participating and performing in the events made the day one to remember for all. Year 11 Indulged in the variety of foods, participated in activities, represented countries in the flag ceremony and performed on multiple stages throughout the day, which showed they are dedicated to diversity at RHHS.
Year Adviser Message It has been a quality start to 2018 by Year 11 with our students immediately embarking on the journey ahead. It is impressive to see the amount of work that is going into classwork, assessments, the school community and sporting teams. The maturity being shown by Year 11 to commit to their Senior School studies is commendable. There was a great turn-out of Year 11 for the swimming and athletics carnivals showing the commitment students are making. Being able to represent the school in various events while completing their Preliminary 9
test and observing spectroscopes.
Tell Them From Me Survey The majority of Year 11 students completed the Tell Them From Me Survey this term. The survey asks questions to help identify the views and needs of our students. In Term 2 some students from Year 11 will assist in analysing data which will allow us to assess the current views and needs of the year group. This will determine focus areas for programs that will help Year 11 throughout their senior studies.
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Crossroads Next term will be another busy one with the Crossroads Camp at the end of term. An overnight camp in Kincumber or a program at school, Crossroads is a mandatory program for all Year 11 students. It is designed to help senior students address issues of health, safety and wellbeing at a time when they face significant changes and challenges in their lives.
YEAR 12 Year Adviser Message
Science Year 11 Physics students learnt about vectors and are ready to launch into their Death Study next term. Year 11 Biology students studied blood and looked at blood cells under the microscope.
Year 11 Chemistry students completed their first depth study assessment task by completing first hand investigations of the properties of water. They investigated the atomic structure through flame
Year 12 students have had a busy, focused and excellent Term 2, reaching the half way point for the HSC. There have been lots of assessment tasks and many “lasts� for them this term. They attended their last ever Swimming Carnival, Harmony Day and School Photo Day. There have also been many firsts for them, with workshops focusing on their post school options and different days working with Universities. Like always, Year 12 have taken every challenge and opportunity in their stride and always aimed to get the most out of their time. I am always so proud to work with this grade and the way in which they have dealt with the pressure of assessments and exams this semester continues to fill me with pride. 10
I look forward to another amazing term with many more opportunities and challenges. Keep your heads up Year 12, you can do this!
Year 12 articles written by Joy Cayabyab, Jaeda Zlomislic, Ky Staal and Francesco Demasi
did not deter the fun, or stop our Year 12 students showcasing their talents which featured amazing dance, musical and dramatic performances that captured the diversity across all ages in our school. Different cultures and lifestyles were celebrated on this special day, thanks to the dedication of keen students, staff and the CAPA faculty. Acceptance of difference is important at our school, and everyone demonstrated this understanding.
Swimming Carnival Aloha! The 2018 Hawaiian-themed Swimming Carnival was a fun filled and exciting day to compete in races, participate in the novelty events or cheer on from the stands. We saw students from Years 7-12 dress up featuring flower leis, Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts and even coconut bras. We also caught a glimpse of some great hula moves in our Hawaiian dance competition and a nail-biting freestyle race between teachers and students. It was great seeing such active participation from all year groups and, with special congratulations to all those who advanced into zone and regional competitions. Keep it up Rooty Hill, we hope the fun continues for next year’s carnival!
Fast Forward The Fast Forward program at Western Sydney University was a chance for Year 12 students to reduce their inevitable stress concerning the HSC, learn about courses they were interested in, make connections with other students and university staff, and increase the probability of gaining a scholarship for university. This was a great opportunity for us to develop an early insight into the lifestyle of a university student.
Ms Haigh Year 12 Adviser
Sydney University Promote Yourself Workshop The Promote Yourself Workshop helped our Year 12 students to prepare for their lives after high school, advising them on how to apply for university scholarships and how to handle with the pressures of the HSC. Advocates from the University of Sydney showed us successful sample scholarships, how to apply for them and helpful study tips to achieve the best possible ATAR. Our Year 12 students were inspired and encouraged to take a step forward into the world after school and show what they have to offer.
Harmony in Diversity Day A memorable smoking ceremony hosted by Uncle Wes and Uncle Greg, kicked off our Harmony in Diversity Day this year. Students were able to participate in, and experience, a flag ceremony that followed with the representation of over fifty countries, parading in unity. Food trucks and faculty stalls gave the opportunity for students and their families to get a taste of different cultures and their lifestyles. There were many activities run by students and staff, including an inflatable boxing ring, jumping castle and competitions! The wet weather
E-Sports Following the establishment of our E-Sports team late last year, the team has showed great promise, being undefeated, so far, in games against other schools, Australia-wide. So far the League of Legends team have beaten Liverpool High (22-1), and Lighthouse Christian College, from Melbourne, (20-11), with another game scheduled against another team from Melbourne. The team practices and trains after school on a weekly basis, as well as playing in their own time, when they can. The team are also planning on entering an upcoming high school competition, which will put them against the best teams from Australia and New Zealand, to see who will be crowned the High School League Champion School for 2018. 11
YEAR 7 2019 Year Adviser Message Even though we are still in Term 1 of 2018, I am becoming increasingly excited about being the Year Adviser for the 2019 Year 7 Cohort.
conducted by Uncle Wes. A BBQ with Kangaroo, Emu, Chicken and Damper was provided, and students tried craft activities of dot paintings on boomerang shaped cut outs. It was wonderful to be able to share this day with so many parents, grandparents and partners within the Aboriginal community.
The 2018 Senior Leaders, Jaeda Zlomislic, Tarryn Cooke and Year 8 students Charlize Iddles, Hallelujah Crichton and Ezekiel Oto and Year 9 student Genoveva-Constantina Stuparu recently visited enthusiastic students from Rooty Hill Public School, Minchinbury Public School and Eastern Creek Public to speak to them about their strengths and upcoming transition into Rooty Hill High School. In Term 2, students will continue to build relationships with each other in various primary schools before Term 3 and Term 4 when students attend their Enrolment Evening as well as their Orientation Day and Gala Day. Mr Ross Year 7 2019 Adviser
Next term, the AIME Tutoring Squad for Years 11 & 12 and the AIME Excursions to WSU Nirimba Campus begin.
CAPOERIA ANGOLA ABORIGINAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS Term 1 has been a very busy and successful term.
Students performing Capoeria Angola - a Brazillian martial art teaching the values of respect, cultural heritage and cooperation in music and dance.
Through our partners, The AFL Indigenous Academy, AIME and NRL School to Work, our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander students continue to be provided with many opportunities to connect to culture, and achieve success in academic, sporting, career planning and other areas of interest. We would like to also congratulate Emily Stirk for winning the prestigious Nanga Mai Award, for Outstanding Achievement in Sport. This was in recognition for her achievements in Volleyball.
DEBATING
Picture taken by Angelo Velardo
Another highlight for this term was the Harmony in Diversity Festival, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait culture was celebrated as part of the diverse range of cultures represented within the school community. Uncle Greg conducted the Welcome to Country, with John Bishop-Kolk playing the didgeridoo. This was followed by the traditional Smoking Ceremony
This term, RHHS Debating has been successful in establishing a new team with 37 debaters as current members across all grades. In Terms 1 and 2, Years 11 and 12 debaters will compete in two rounds against Colo High School and Penrith High School. While our Years 9 and 10 team will compete against The Ponds 12
High School and Girraween High School in Term 2. In Term 3, the Years 7 and 8 debating team will be versing Doonside Technology High School and Plumpton High School. May we wish our ambitious debaters the best of luck with The Premier’s Debating Challenge this year!
E-SPORTS
Youth. Throughout the 2 days students learnt valuable skills of debating, critical thinking and diplomacy through negotiation and teamwork. Students (in pairs) were allocated 1 of the 15 countries of the Security Council and were presented with 3 Resolutions. Throughout the 2 days students had to research their “country” and speak for its foreign policy agenda by amending and ratifying International Legislation. The best students will be representing the school in the Evatt and Rotary competitions next term.
ARTIST OF THE WEEK E-Sports is a form of competition using multiplayer video games between professional players. E-Sports promotes creativity, critical thinking, deductive reasoning, negotiation and teamwork. Currently the ESports team consists of five students who compete competitively in League of Legends, in a five vs five format. The team have had two matches, one against Liverpool Boys High and the second against Lighthouse Christian College, both resulting in RHHS victories. The E-Sports Club has had an expression of interest of over 100 students wishing to join, which we hope to be able to expand to facilitate this in the future.
Congratulations to the following students whose artworks were selected to be displayed in the front office for a week: Kai Brown - Year 12 Zoe Gower - Year 8 Aiden Bartholomew - Year 8 Blake Knight - Year 8 Freya Howson - Year 9 Caitlin Harding - Year 11 Emma Bowman-Trinh - Year 9
MODEL UN
Artworks L–R: Zoe Gower, Caitlin Harding & Aiden Bartholomew
2018 Blacktown City Show Entrants
40 Years 9-12 students participated in a two-day Model United Nations Workshop facilitated by the U.N
Congratulations to the following students whose artworks were selected to be displayed at the 2018 Blacktown City Show: Aiden Bartholomew - Year 8 Blake Knight - Year 8 Tasha Fuentes - Year 8 Nathaniel Guzman - Year 8 Zoe Gower - Year 8 Mike Zamora - Year 10 Brittany Bishop - Year 12 Sharon Rogers - Year 12 Helen Liang - Year 12 Joy Cayabyab - Year 12 13
MOCK TRIAL This year, students from Years 9 - 11, will once again be participating in the Mock Trial Competition. Mock Trial allows students to develop debating, problem solving and team work skills to help them understand the NSW judicial system. The Law Society of NSW selects two schools from the 80 competing, allocates whether they are the prosecution or the defence and asks school teams to prepare their cases for mock court. This year's team has been able to take part in a practice against Emmaus Catholic College and will be competing in its first official trial against Doonside Technology High School soon.
The RHHS and Emmaus Catholic College Mock Trial Teams on 27 March.
SRC Harmony in Diversity Festival The SRC thanks all the students who participated in the SRC stall during the HID festival. This will form an important part of the planning for 2018
develop communication skills and grasp an understanding of projects and structures within other schools. Students participated in a number of icebreaker activities followed by presentations from each school, regarding their school and opportunities they offer. Finally students were able to identify and discuss program aspects and organisation so that a leadership conference can be held later this year.
HARMONY IN DIVERSITY FESTIVAL #hidfest2k18 Friday 23 March marked our first ‘Harmony In Diversity Festival’. We began an amazing day with a Welcome to Country and a traditional Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony performed by Uncle Greg and Uncle Wes, followed by a flag procession with 52 national flags representing the nationalities of students at RHHS. It was very moving as students walked to the choir singing “We are Australian”. Congratulations to all the students and staff involved in all the performances, food stalls and activities.
SRC Applications Once again, the SRC has released the application forms for our new 2018 team. Both faces old and new were present at the initial release of applications, which was an exciting step for our student body as we work to stronger school leadership. We have also had many new faces, with junior students showing a particular interest. SRC Network In Week 9, RHHS hosted the first 2018 Leadership Networking Day involving local schools including Doonside Technology, Evans and Plumpton high schools. The aim is for students to collaborate and construct their own leadership conference for other schools to attend. This network opportunity allowed students to build new relationships, share ideas, 14
SPORT Rooty Hill HS Volleyball Both the open boys and open girls teams are progressing well in the Sydney West Knockout Competition. The girls have had straight sets victories over Blaxland HS and Springwood HS. The boys defeated Mitchell HS also in a straight sets victory. Sydney West Volleyball Congratulations to Taiala Fuiono and Tony Aiatia who were selected to represent the boys Sydney West Volleyball team. The NSWCHS Inter Regional Volleyball Championships were held in Temora in week 9. The boys made a major contribution to their team and were rewarded with a silver medal.
Congratulations also to Amanda Fuiono and Emily Stirk. Both girls won a Gold medal whilst representing Sydney West at the NSWCHS Inter Regional Volleyball Championships in Port Macquarie in week 8. Both girls also gained selection to represent NSWCHS in a quad series that will take place next term. Emily was also named MVP of the tournament. Swimming
and were able to be crowned the Junior carnival and overall carnival champions. Special congratulations to Aliza Laws, James Moules, Nicole Chua, Vinuju Gallage, Remiel Merlan and Caitlin Puckeridge who were named age champions for their age groups. Following on from the success at the Zone swimming carnival, we should also congratulate the 27 students that went on to compete at the Sydney West Swimming Carnival at the Sydney International Aquatics Centre at Sydney Olympic park. The students represented with the upmost level of respect and sportsmanship, and were excellent representatives of RHHS. Futsal
RHHS had a team of 9 boys represent the school in the Opens division of the Penrith Region, NSW Futsal Championships. The team was unsuccessful in progressing to the next round of the championships, however were able to demonstrate their excellent skill set and ability whilst upholding the core values that RHHS represents. Congratulations to all representatives. Opens Football
Although the weather didn’t get the Hawaiian themed memo, the students still managed to dress up and show excellent numbers for our school swimming carnival this year in less than ideal conditions. The athletes demonstrated the school PERSIST values to an excellent degree, in particular success, which was further demonstrated at the Zone carnival. RHHS had a total of 43 participants represent the school at the Mount Druitt Zone Swimming Carnival,
RHHS competed against Nepean High School in the second round of the Opens Knockout Football competition. The boys were able to deliver a dominant performance in hot conditions to come away with a 90 victory. Special congratulations to the goal scorers on the day, Simon Deng, Blake Ford, Ali Almoail and Ramish Haidary. 15
Girls Baseball
Open Girls Basketball We had a dedicated team of girls from Years 7-12 come together for the open girls basketball team. In a short period of time with a lot of lunch time training sessions we saw some big improvements in the girls’ skills. We played our second round fixture against Crestwood High School with standout performances from Madison Puckeridge, Patience Thornton-Whiu and Caitlin Puckeridge. Unfortunately we went down to a more experienced team but we will be able to utilise our younger girls for some promising development in future.
The RHHS Girls Baseball Team defeated Wyndham College 20-6 on Friday 6 April. Girls Soccer The RHHS Girls Soccer Team won 8-1 against St Clair High School on Wednesday 11 April.
Opens Boys Rugby League Congratulations to the Opens Boys Rugby League Team who went undefeated in the Combined Schoolboy Trophy, MG Cup, University Shield and CCC Cup Gala Day. Opens Boys Cricket
The Opens Cricket Team had a second round fixture against Penrith HS, which was held at Angus Park. Our captain, Yousha Taqi, won the toss and elected to bat, setting a modest yet competitive total of 87 to win. Unfortunately Penrith were able to chase down the total, but not before Rooty Hill were able to take 5 wickets, to make it an interesting and intense conclusion. We would like to thank all the year 11 representatives this year who will be ineligible to play next year, with a special mention to Keiran Mills and Aiden Kisbee who have been a core part of the team over the last few years.
Athletics Carnival The RHHS Athletics Carnival was held on Tuesday 3 April at Blacktown International Sportspark. The theme was 1980s.
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SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS TERM 1 2018 Year 7 Justine Ademovic Amelia Brownlow Rebecca Chau Lily-Rae Dunn Mahek Janif Marissa Kang Lillian Lolomanaia Makaila Marquez Reynald Narayan Ucheme Ohiaeri Morgan Rylewski Emre Selvi Safeer Sheikh Vanessa Stuparu Jazmine Susi Litia Tofilau Year 8 Stefan Adamovic Isabella Arnold Jamee Balzan Aiden Bartholomew Anam Diwan Andrew Doan Riley Fitzgerald Tasha Fuentes Zoe Gower Nathaniel Guzman Blake Knight Jason Lansdowne Amanda Ngo Chloe Paz Jason Prasad Sheridan Rylewski Celestine Salimbangon Keighla Santiago Bilal Shah Malakai Suitupe Aemareign Daphne Sunga Connor Syrls Joel Zahra Year 9 Nadine Bauty Emma Bowman-Trinh Kristy Chetty Rafaele Delatabua Zaheda Faiz
Christopher Gillett Freya Howson Ann Rose Joseph Cassandra King Avarn McAllister Chantelle Parkes Genoveva-Constantina Stuparu Ishir Thakur Aeron Vicente Year 10 Kimberly Aba Evan Ademovic Divina Ambat Acma Anwar Sara Anwar Aleeya Balfas Keila Barbeau Riley Blake Christina Booth Takita Bradbery Jaimelen Camacho Justin Canda Sylvah Carroll Zane Catlett Caitlin Citko Casey Cowell Isabella Croft Benjamin Curmi Tarsha Daly Yvonne Delatabua Ethan Fuatavai Bianca Fuller Joel Gaal Alison Gamsby Aidan Goundar Samokia Haumono Shya Hedgman James Herning Blaiden-Jhy Hobson Zachary Homsi Morgan Iddles Rakeem Kabbout Jaspreet Kaur Abdullah Faisal Khalaf Atsupui Delphine Koudakpo Ronnie Lagazo Carrie Laurenson
Tony Lee Matthew McKechnie Kanyapat Meekoh Rumman Memon Raizza Miclat Hosnia Mirzaie Thomas Morris Marvin Muller Makayla Neville Hanna Ngo Maiwand Orya Azzam Outim Claire Paler Julianna Raquedan Piyatida Jade Ratanasirilak Aaron Reyes Emily Rough Jaskirat Saini Christelle Salimbangon Zeel Shah Kymberlie Shore Jose Mari Sio Esmay Smith Korben Smith Ryan Stagljar Lana Stehlin Kealoha Tautuiaki Waleed Temuri Francis Tinei Carlos Torzar Shayla Tran Vince Tumbaga Selina Urbina Quiroz Ivan Vinoya Chad Zahra Sussana Zaman Mike Zamora Year 11 Sarah Abbot Uneque Aialeo Emma Ayre Skylar Bairstow Dipasha Chand Samara Colwell Kyla Fischer Caitlin Harding Kayla Munday Chloe Norton
Year 12 Maryanne Abouchanab Arizo Aghdar Alejandro Aleman-Tica Matthew Allen Crystel Bandal Gladeomae Bandeleon Nexus Baquir Brittany Bishop Anthony Brown Kai Brown Stacey Budgen-Scott Joy Cayabyab Dylan Curmi Jessie Da Palma Francesco Demasi Joshua Edwards Masee Faiz Lara Ferri Blake Ford Abby Giles Lara Hulme Drew Hurley Oscar Jennings Ryan Kumar Helen Liang Joshua McGregor Imico Pablico Elizabeth Paterson Brianna Pelayo Miles Ponce Kyle Pont Alexandra Robson Sharon Rogers Marion Schroeder Amol Sharma Jaz-Al Siaosi Nicole Singh Caleb Spice Ky Staal Kiarna Terry Daniel Thick Patience Thornton-Whiu Suevale-Tiaina Toluono Geordian Viloria Ahmad Zahid Zafar Jaeda Zlomislic
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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 Follow Rooty Hill High School:
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