Bayala - Term 4 Week 5 2023

'Bayala'

Welcome to our Newsletter 'Bayala'. 

'Bayala' is a Darug word meaning yarning or conversation. 

Our Vision

Upcoming Events

TERM 4 2023

• Year 12 Formal - Friday 17 November 2023
• Year 7 Orientation Day - Tuesday 28 November 2023
• Presentation Day - Monday 4 December 2023
  
• Year 10 Formal - Thursday 7 December 2023
• Whole School End of Year Activities  - Wednesday 13 December and Thursday 14 December 2023

TERM 1 2024

• Staff Development Days - Tuesday and Wednesday 30 and 31 January 2024
  
• Years 7, 11 and 12 start  -  Thursday 1 February 2024
• Years 8, 9 and 10 start  -  Friday 2 February 2024
• School Swimming Carnival - Wednesday 21 February 2024
• Year 7 Great Aussie Bush Camp - Monday to Wednesday 26 to 28 February 2024

Principal's Update

I am pleased to report that our Year 12 students have successfully completed their HSC exams and that there have been no major disruptions to the exam schedule. I am also pleased to report that the majority of students who are planning to continue their studies at university have received early offers. It is always pleasing when ex-students come to visit and give their accounts of successful tertiary studies, feeling confident that their time at Hawkesbury High School has prepared them for any challenges ahead. The same can be said for students who choose to engage in other career paths. I am confident that all our Year 12 students can look forward to a bright future as they complete yet another life milestone by finishing high school – highlighted by their upcoming Formal.

I would also like to congratulate our Year 10 students who are busily preparing themselves for their minimum standards tests and also looking forward to their formal celebrations in December. For many of our students, this will be the last opportunity to celebrate 10 years of schooling with their peers as they set on an alternative path of TAFE, apprenticeships and, for some, employment next year. It is critical, however, that Year 10 students continue adhering to our STAR values, including attendance and wearing of school uniform. I firmly believe that our young women and men must always be accountable for their own choices – good or bad – and that if they don’t adhere to school rules and expectations, they must “wear” the consequences of those choices – which may include not being given the opportunity to attend the Year 10 formal. Some Year 10 students have been asked to sign a separate contract, in addition to the permission slip, as they are not on track to meet their responsibilities and the school’s expectations. If your child brings home such a contract, please be mindful that I will not grant your child permission to attend the Year 10 formal if the contract conditions are not met. With less than a month to go till the Year 10 Formal, I recommend that parents consider carefully the amount of money they spend on their child’s outfit if they think their child may not be able to meet the school’s expectations.

I am also pleased to report that the mobile phone ban from the beginning of Term 4 has not caused any major issues or concerns. Parents are still able to contact their children through the front office, when required, and the same applies to students. Early indications are that a mobile phone-free space is improving learning and engagement in classrooms. However, a very small number of students are still using mobile phones at school. I would like to remind parents that if their child’s phone is confiscated on multiple occasions, parents will be asked to collect the phone from school. As a reminder, the school’s procedures for inappropriate student use of mobile phones at Hawkesbury High School are given below:

1. Students who are sighted with a mobile phone at school, used in an unauthorised manner, including in the playground, will be told that their phone will be confiscated. A head teacher, deputy principal, or the Principal will be notified and the mobile phone will then be confiscated for the duration of the school day.
2. If a student’s mobile phone is confiscated on repeated occasions, the phone may be kept at school until a parent or carer collects the phone. The phone will not be returned directly to the student after repeated unauthorised use.
3. If a student refuses to hand over the phone after unauthorised use, the student will be formally cautioned and parents/carers will be informed.
4. If a student refuses to hand over their mobile phone after being formally cautioned for repeated unauthorised use, the student may be suspended from school.
5. As an alternative to suspending a student for repeated refusal to hand over a phone for unauthorised use, a student’s phone may be suspended from school at the discretion of the Principal. This will require parents to ensure that their child does not bring a mobile phone to school for the duration of the phone suspension.

I would also like to encourage parents to closely monitor their children’s use of social media (typically, on their phones). Most conflict between students often starts online, through social media, at home. On occasion, this conflict may spill into student interactions at school. I would like to remind parents that just because their child attends the same school as another child they might have conflict with, that this is not automatically a school matter. If a student breaches the school’s discipline code at school, then the school will apply appropriate disciplinary consequences. In addition, we should always aim to build student resilience and teach them conflict-resolution skills. Modelling positive behaviours at home and closely supervising children’s social media activity, including taking responsibility for their actions and talking to them about their role in any conflict,  will go a long way towards preparing them for adult life once they leave school. I also encourage all parents to visit the eSafety Commissioner site at https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents to get more information and advice about technology and parental supervision.

Another useful resource for students and parents can be found on the Kids Helpline website at https://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/issues/bullying

While actual bullying is a very serious matter, clarifying to children that conflict with peers is not the same as bullying will focus attention on conflict resolution and empower children to be proactive and assertive, thus building their resilience.

Igor Maric                                                                                                                                                                                                      Principal

From the Deputies

Check in Assessments for Years 7,8 and 9

During term 4 students will participate in the Check-in assessment.

The Check-in assessment is a NSW Department of Education online literacy and numeracy assessment available to support schools to assess and monitor student learning.

The assessment supplements existing school practices to identify how students are performing in literacy and numeracy and aims to help teachers tailor their teaching more specifically to student needs.  The assessment will be scheduled for our Year 7-9 students during Week 6. All students complete a reading assessment and a numeracy assessment.  

HSC minimum standard

NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) has implemented the HSC minimum standard to help ensure that students have the key literacy and numeracy skills for life after school. Students in New South Wales will need to demonstrate a minimum standard of literacy and numeracy to receive the HSC credential. The HSC minimum standard is set at level 3 of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). These skills are essential for everyday tasks and learning after school such as writing a letter for a job application or understanding a mobile phone plan. The standard is assessed through online tests across three areas: reading, writing and numeracy. The minimum standard online tests are 45 minutes long and include a multiple-choice reading test, a multiple-choice numeracy test and a short writing test based on a choice between a visual or written prompt. Examples of the tests are available on the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) website. Students who do not meet the HSC minimum standard can still

• Sit the HSC exams.
• Receive an ATAR for University applications
• Receive a ROSA
• Receive a HSC minimum standard report.

There are no pre-requisites for choosing subjects for stage 5 or stage 6. Students do not need to achieve the minimum standard to choose a subject they will study in stage 5 or 6.

Practice tests are available for students to sit at school to help them become familiar with the online test structure and for schools to help determine student readiness to meet the minimum standard.

Students will have two opportunities per year to sit the minimum standard online tests in each area of Reading, Numeracy and Writing, in Year 10, 11 and 12. Students will also have up to 5 years from the time they start the HSC courses to sit the minimum standard online tests. The tests must be administered by schools via a lockdown browser.

Disability provisions and exemptions: Students with additional learning needs may be eligible for extra provisions for the minimum standard online tests or be exempt from meeting the HSC minimum standard in order to receive their HSC.  Students taking four or more Life Skills courses can be exempt from meeting the HSC minimum standard. Students studying Life Skills English will be exempt from the Reading and Writing minimum standard tests. Students studying Life Skills maths will be exempt from the Numeracy minimum standard test.

Further Information NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/ nesa/11-12/hsc/hsc-minimum-standard.

Nicole Martirena                                                                                                                                                                          Deputy Principal

Remembrance Day Ceremony

Mr Vrinat and school captains Georgia Haines and Renee Sultana represented the school at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Windsor.

Year 12 Graduation

Our wonderful Year 12 students graduated on Friday 22 September. We wish them all the luck in their future endeavours and every success life has to offer.

# Build Program

The Hawkesbury High School car project won the People's Choice prize at the Windsor Car Show! A big thank you to Mr McEvoy and all students who worked on the car and transformed this rusty paddock basher to a terrific looking ute.

We would like to thank all the people in the local community that have donated and supported our # Build Program.

All the students involved over the past 4 years have learnt invaluable new skills and produced an awesome project. Well done.

Attendance Morning Tea

An attendance morning tea was held for students whose attendance was above 95% in Term 3. A big congratulations to those students who were able to attend and well done on your attendance, we look forward to celebrating with more students as they continue to do well improving attendance.

Year 11 and 12 VET Construction

Year 11 and 12 VET Construction have been developing their skills in making plans, ordering and measuring materials, using hand and power tools to make this animal shelter for our Agriculture area. They designed, dug and poured the concrete for the piers, and built the shelter. Well done and thank you! Our animals will have additional shelter with summer coming.

The School Locker

The School Locker is open every Tuesday and Thursday from 8.15am to 10.15am. Uniforms can be purchased directly from The School Locker or you can place an order online  Orders placed online can be collected by students fromt the store. The School Locker is located behind the school hall.

Please see the school holiday trading hours and price list below.

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

Can you spare a bit of time to give blood and change lives? 1 in 3 people in Richmond will need blood, and they need people like you to give it. We’re rolling into town from 20 to 23 November. Don’t forget to pre-book your spot at Lifeblood.com.au, on our app or on 13 14 95.

School Zones and Parking Rules

Please see the latest information from Hawkesbury City Council on School Zones and Parking Rules effective 1 October 2023