Hunter Sports High Spectator · his words, but even he was quite surprised when he barely choked out the sentence. His frail sweaty palms were gripping and tangling themselves on

Hunter Sports High School

Pacific Highway

Gateshead NSW 2290

www.huntersports.com.au

T: 4943 5755

F: 4942 2565

E: [email protected]

A Message from the Principal

We’ve had an eventful few weeks at Hunter Sports High with

half-yearly examinations taking place and staff busily marking

papers and preparing Semester 1 reports. Year 9 & 10 will sit

their exams next week.

The definite highlight of the past fortnight was our annual

Athletics Carnival which was held at Hunter Sports Centre at

Glendale on May 19 & 20. It was great to see our students

giving it their best and having a great time, cheering on their

friends and showing school spirit and true sportsmanship

throughout the day, with several school records being broken

too. We will have a huge contingent of students representing

Hunter Sports High at the zone carnival next term and look

forward to more great results. More details and photos from the

athletics carnival can be found further in the newsletter.

Today we celebrated Reconciliation Week at a special

assembly, bringing our students and staff together to

acknowledge our cultural diversity as we work towards a

brighter future for all our students. Reconciliation Week is a time

for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures

and achievements and to explore how we can join the

reconciliation effort. Hunter Sports High is committed to working

with our ATSI community to share their culture and celebrate

Indigenous success at every opportunity.

The redevelopment continues to track along, with the detailed

design now finalised after input from key technical stakeholders

and the school community. The project team is now responding

to Department of Planning requirements as we await

development approval. The tender process will follow and

construction is expected to commence towards the end of the

year. A project update from the Department of Public Works is

included further in the newsletter.

Finally, the Olympic Games may be just around the corner but

we are also quite excited about the upcoming Commonwealth

Games which will be held on the Gold Coast in April 2018. I am

pleased to let you know that Hunter Sports High students will

have the opportunity to attend the Commonwealth Games as

part of an organised schools tour to see elite sports stars from

around the world in action. More information about this exciting

opportunity is included towards the end of the newsletter and

will be communicated with students and parents in the near

future.

Rachel Byrne - Relieving Principal

Hunter Sports High

Spectator

2016 TERM 2 – WEEK 6

BALANCING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE WITH SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT

OUR SCHOOL VALUES:

RESPECT

RESPONSIBILITY

SUCCESS

Top: Our annual athletics carnival was held recently with many

outstanding individual performances by our students.

Above: The latest images of the redevelopment as the planning

process continues.

Hunter Sports High Spectator



Positive Behaviour for Learning: Respect, Responsibility, Success

The Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) concept remains

an important part of daily life at Hunter Sports High School.

Students receive lessons on what positive behaviour looks

like during weekly roll call. These vary from behaviours in

buildings, in the playground, in class, and on the sporting

field. Students also receive Star Awards which go into a

regularly held draw for prizes and incentives, and receive

special commendations for academic progress and effort, for

positive behaviour and/or positive contributions to the school

community.

Once students accrue a number of these awards, they move

through a graduated system of further awards - Bronze,

Silver and eventually Gold. Look out for the special

certificates which are presented to students during

assemblies!

Upcoming Events

DATE EVENT

Thurs 02 June Year 12 Leadership Program

@ NSW Parliament House

Thurs 02 June

& Fri 03 June

Year 11 Exams

Friday 03 June Wiripaang Reading Program

SHINE Program

Hunter PSSA Cross Country

@ Cessnock Racecourse

Girls Hockey Knockout Rounds 3 & 4

Referees for NRL Primary Schools

Round Robin @ Windale Oval

Aboriginal Dance @ St Kevins Cardiff

Mon 06 June –

Wed 08 June Year 9 & 10 Half-Yearly Exams

Mon 06 June Support Unit Leaving to Learn Excursions

Drumbeat Program

Band Playout @ Lakeside School

Tues 07 June P&C Meeting, 6pm, HSHS Library

CHS Boys Volleyball Final

Wed 08 June Year 12 Modern History Excursion – Sydney Jewish Museum

HSC Business Studies Lecture Day

Wiripaang Reading Program

Centre for Hope

BroSpeak

SMART Program

Buchan Shield U16 Rugby v Westfields @ Allan Davis Oval

Open Girls AFL State Semi Final

GIO Cup v All Saints Maitland

Thurs 09 June Primary School Sports Coaching Skill

Sessions @ Wiripaang

Fri 10 June Star Struck Choir Rehearsals

Shine Program

Mon 13 June PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Tues 14 June Defence Forces Talk

Wed 15 June Wiripaang Reading Program

Centre for Hope

Bro Speak

Smart Program

Thurs 16 June Brainstorm Production

Primary School Sports Coaching Skills Sessions @ Wiripaang

Thurs 16 June –

Sat 18 June Star Struck Choir

Fri 17 June Wiripaang Reading Program

SHINE Program

White Card Course

Open Girls Netball Final @ HSHS




Athletics Carnival

Hunter Sports High’s talent and school spirit was showcased

at our 2016 Athletics Carnival, with many outstanding

personal achievements and a raft of records broken over the

two day event held at Hunter Sports Centre on May 19 & 20.

Many students excelled in the fashion stakes too and it was

a pleasing sight to see so many students dressed in their

house colours and excited to participate. Not every student

can be a champion athlete but all those who turned up, had

fun, participated to the best of their abilities and cheered on

others were true champions.

Our 15 years age group is certainly the one to watch with all

records broken at this year’s carnival coming from students

in this age group. Congratulations to all our record-breakers

and age champions as listed below, and to the winning

house Rafter for their impressive point score of 867 (ahead

of Webb on 750, Kewell on 611 and Beachley on 547

points). Close to 100 of our students have qualified for the

Zone Athletics Carnival which will be held at Glendale on

July 27 & 28.

Thanks to all the staff who ran events, manned the

stopwatches, recorded results and ensured the safety of our

students. A special mention and congratulations also to our

super sports organiser Mrs Meisenhelter for her hard work in

ensuring the carnival was a success.

Age Champions:

12 Years: Thomas Page & Natasha Hanson-Telfer

13 Years: Max Bradbury & Brianna Daymond

14 Years: Kyle Mahoney & Shanaye McIntyre

15 Years: Cohan Geelan & Chelsea Eggington

16 Years: Tallis Angianna & Laura Saxon

17+ Years: David Parsons & Emma-Sue Greentree

New Records:

15 Years Boys

200m Isaac Taylor 23.78 seconds

15 Years Girls

100m Teah MacPherson 12.43 seconds

200m Teah MacPherson 26.00 seconds

Long Jump Teah MacPherson 5.24 metres

Shot Put Madeline Brooks 10.41 metres

Discus Madeline Brooks 30.93 metres

High Jump Chelsea Eggington 1.6 m (equal record)







FACULTY NEWS: ENGLISH

Good greetings everyone – and hello from the English

faculty. The sunny warm days of autumn have been an

agreeable companion for our students as they have

traversed the first six weeks of the term. In toasty warm

rooms their minds have been employed in the analysis of

poetry, the suspense and drama of novels, the comparing

and transformation of texts, the exploration of concepts such

as freedom, and the creation of imaginative stories which

explore important aspects of humanity.

While the warm sunshine of May has shone through the

classroom windows, the students themselves have used

texts to metaphorically crawl through other windows,

enabling them to experience the broader world, to

understand society, people, cultures and citizenship.

Year 7 and 9 have analysed and responded to a variety of

poetry, with themes ranging from ‘inspiration and

imagination’, ‘animal welfare’ and ‘human connection to the

natural world’.

Year 8 is in the spell of detailed and close study of novels. ‘Trash’, ‘When my Name was Keoko’, ‘Pavana’ and ‘Sold’ are

some of the titles which our students are reading, enjoying

and unpacking.

Year 10 are considering, through textual analysis, the

importance and slipperiness of the concept of ‘freedom’ and

its myriad meanings and implications.

In Year 11 and 12 it’s Shakespeare’s Othello and Richard III,

Billy Elliot the film, Peter Weir’s Amish inspired murder

mystery Witness, and the legendary gothic horror tale

Dracula.

Through the examination and consideration of such

wonderful and varied texts, our students are exploring

humanity, history, and indeed, themselves.

The English Faculty continues to provide the opportunity for

our students to participate in the annual Hunter Region

Debating Competition. Across the junior school, some of our

best public speakers have been representing our school

proudly in this prestigious and rewarding event.

Staff in the English faculty are currently receiving specialised

training in a new Literacy Program called ‘Alert’. The program

is designed to assist students across all areas of literacy and

it is currently targeted at our Year 8 and Hunter Class

students. The feedback about the program has been very

positive and we are excited about the benefits it offers our

students.

For those interested, please see following some sample work

from Ms Outred's Year 9 Advanced class.

Creative Story Sample

Task: Inspired by your study of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’,

write a narrative that explores a character’s fatal flaw

(remember that flaws are closely connected to the seven

deadly sins we have looked at in class).

Students completed this task under examination conditions.

Take a look at Gabriella Wright’s top response which uses

imagery beautifully to create emotion.

An Old Man’s Confessions by Gabriella Wright

“I know it has been a while since we last spoke, but I would

like to get something off my chest.”

Usually the old man was confident and silver tongued with

his words, but even he was quite surprised when he barely

choked out the sentence. His frail sweaty palms were

gripping and tangling themselves on the phone cord in

complete anxiety. He put the receiver down on his desk and

reached for the top drawer, fumbling for his cigar and

lighter. In a brief moment, his throat was filled with the

burning and disgusting taste of thick smoke. This helped

him to finish the much needed conversation.

“I promise I won’t waste your time, but you need to hear

this.”

Moments later the room was engulfed in light illuminating

everything, from the damp, dirty carpet to the stained yellow

walls and mouldy furniture. It has been a while since I’ve

opened these curtains, he thought to himself.

“Yes it has been a while hasn’t it, but let me start from the

beginning. I was indeed a poor man like you once knew me,

but the times changed. As soon as my father left, I became

the provider”, he chuckled “and I was very good at it”.

Year 10 Advanced English utilized the flexible learning space to explore

ideas and writing style in a variety of poems about the individual’s freedoms.




FACULTY NEWS: ENGLISH cont…

A sickly silence filled the air until the old man took another

puff of his cigar and rolled it between his fingers.

“But much time has passed and has been unrightfully stolen

from me, so I decided to wear my father’s boots and

continue to do what he had always done. Provide. Little did

I know what it felt like to have money in my hand, and boy

was that feeling good”. His memory trailed to many years

ago when he fitted snugly into his father’s black coat and

held his father’s briefcase, when he was younger, happier

and determined.

However, this meant that he had taken away the happiness

of many others to get where he was. His stomach leaped at

the thought of wealth and fame, and the hours he used to

spend taking.

“I know now that what I did was wrong,” he sat now in his

office gingerly stroking his fingers across his father’s

briefcase, unbuckling it slowly, “I thought family was my

hamartia”, he continued, whilst taking a photograph from the

case, “I later realised I was wrong, once I lost her”.

The old man’s stomach clenched and turned as he looked

down at the young couple; a strong man with his black suit

and a beautiful woman with mousy brown hair and kind eyes

stared back at him.

“Her smile was brighter than the sun”, he remembered

fondly, “I wore the same suit to her funeral” he added. “My

pockets were being filled with something so meaningless and

foul as paper, when my life should have been spent looking

after her. Look where it’s got me now, a powerful man

reduced to a penniless pensioner. I pulled the arrow out of

my heel and moved on”. He sat there, brushing the cigar ash

onto the ground and taking another puff. The room was stale

with emotion and smoke threatened to steal the air from his

lungs. He looked around at his house and felt an

overwhelming sense of loneliness, before finishing with “I

love you, please don’t leave me too”.

The line clicked and sent the voicemail.

The old man sat in a cloud of smoke and money, trying to

forget the horrible things he had done to people, but he

couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was all alone in a harsh

world created by himself, providing both sides with

ammunition to start a war, but fighting for the wrong team.

He sat there, old and grey, watching his world slip away.

FACULTY NEWS: MATHS

Maths is changing!

At the end of 2015 BOSTES announced that from 2016

onwards students studying Mathematics (2 Unit) and

Mathematics Extension 1 and 2 will be provided with a

‘Reference Sheet’ containing a range of formulae to aid

memory. This introduction means that all students studying

a HSC Mathematics course are provided with the formulae

and rules required to solve problems within their

examinations.

At HSHS in Mathematics all students are explicitly taught to develop and use ‘Summary Sheets’ in examinations from Year 7 through to Year 12, a direct reflection of the changes made in the HSC.

A Summary Sheet:

Helps students prepare for assessments by giving them something to focus on.

May help to reduce stress in the examinations by providing a safety net.

Helps students to remember facts so their ability to solve problems and demonstrate understanding can be more accurately assessed.

Guidelines for developing effective summary sheets:

Make it readable (neat)

Use space wisely – not too many words, pictures and diagrams can be effective!

Organise things on the page, put space between concepts.

Limit the Summary Sheet to one A4 page per topic (double sided)

Use headings and colour coding. Eg. Examples in blue, rules in red

Effective summary sheets contain:

Things students need help remembering

Worked examples of how to use rules and concepts Students are encouraged to:

Practice doing examination type questions with their summary sheet.

Use their summary sheet to help them focus the night before and on the day of the examination.

Refer to their summary sheet when they are stuck on a question during the examination.

Parents could assist in supporting their children to develop

and use their summary sheets effectively by referring to the

above guidelines and ensuring students have their summary

sheets with them on examinations days.




amount of interest in the first whitecard course, we will be delivering another course on Friday 17

th June (Week 8).

There is an allocation for 17 students to attend this course, so don’t miss out. The cost is $60 per student and notes are available now.

Careers Expo: The Lake Macquarie Careers Expo was attended by 30 Hunter Sports High School students on Thursday May 19 at the Newcastle Jockey Club. With nearly 120 exhibitors including universities, training colleges, the defence forces, NSW Police, apprenticeship and traineeship providers and some local employers, our students gathered as much information and as many brochures as they could in their allocated hour at the expo. Students have been encouraged to read through the information and follow up using contact websites and phone numbers for any organisations of interest to them. Our students are to be commended for their punctuality and for representing Hunter Sports High in a very positive light.

Careers Lessons:

The school has engaged with the Aim High program at the University of Newcastle to facilitate university students coming into the school over a three week span. The students have talked to our Year 9 and 10 careers classes about their own journey through school and then worked with the class to discuss topics including ‘My Big Tommorow’, a Newcastle University website that assists young people in making career choices and allows them to research aspects of different careers. The uni students also gave an explanation of the Newcastle University system and course structure and the process of using careers bullseye charts to assist students in career option planning. They generously offered one-on-one time with our students to answer questions about university, careers and life. The feedback we received from students, teachers and the university students has been very positive.

Upcoming Careers Events:

14 June: Defence Force Talk (50 places available, for Year 10-12 students)

17 June: The next white card course (17 places available, $60 each, for Year 10-12 students)

Notes for both are available now from Mr Hogan in the TAS staffroom at lunch times.

Nigel Hogan – Careers Advisor

Nigel Hogan

Careers Advisor

Employment Success: A number of Hunter Sports High students have gained full-time employment through school support planning this year. Two of the most recent students that have gained apprenticeships through a process of work experience or work placement are Brandon Stokes and Jonathon Walsh. Brandon has gained a full-time apprenticeship as a fitter and machinist with Airborne Australia in Redhead. Airborne Australia specialise in the design and manufacture of ultralights, sport planes and hang gliders. Brandon was offered the apprenticeship after completing a work placement for his Metal and Engineering course. Jonathon achieved his employment goal of becoming a tradesperson through a series of work experience opportunities. Jonathon was aiming towards an apprenticeship but was unsure which trade he was most interested in. To help him in his decision, we organised several work experience opportunities across different trades. After narrowing the field Jonathon decided that electrical was his industry of choice and after the next work experience placement organised by the school, Jonathon was offered a full-time apprenticeship as an industrial electrician/air conditining mechanic with Nova Air Electrical who operate throughout the Newcastle and Hunter area. I have checked in with both boys and they are thoroughly enjoying their apprenticeships thus far. Congratulations to both students on securing these fantastic opportunities.

Whitecard Course:

The first ‘White Card’ induction course for 2016 was conducted at the school on Thursday May 12. The course was attended by 15 students who were all presented with their certificate of completion at the end of the day-long course. A white card, or general construction induction card, is required for workers who want to carry out construction work. From junior labourers, apprentices and tradespeople all the way up to supervisors and site managers, all people who enter a construction zone unaccompanied or not directly supervised by an inducted person must possess a current white card quallification. The white card becomes void if you haven’t carried out construction work for two consecutive years or more. This qualification is a great way for students to be able to access work experience in the construction industry and also allows students to seek part-time or full-time work in construction based employment. Due to a significant uuuuuu

CAREERS:




Wiripaang Reading Program

Our 7 Hunter class, accompanied by Miss O’Brien, are

putting on their teaching hats this term and working as

reading mentors to students from Wiripaang Primary School.

Every Wednesday morning our class listens to students from

K-6 read while sharing our knowledge and improving

our own reading skills. All students involved have impressed

staff from both schools with their maturity, patience and

willingness to help others.

Creative Ruby Class:

Our Year 7 Ruby Class students have been busily working

on their personal interest projects this term with some

interesting topics including pirates, waterslides, sharks and

Star Wars. At the end of the term each student will present

their work at an exhibition that will include slide shows and

an impressive display of their unique creations.




SPORTS REPORT

Night of Knights:

Hunter Sports High students were recognised for their

outstanding rugby league talent at the recent Newcastle

Knights Junior Presentation Night. The most anticipated

accolade of the night, the Andrew Johns Medal, was

presented to Pasami Saulo who was a standout performer in

the Knights’ SG Ball side. Pasami is contracted to the

Knights until at least 2018 and was praised for his excellent

training ethic and character. It was a great night for Pasami

who also took out the SG Ball Players’ Player and Player of

the Year Awards. Other HSHS students recognised on the

night included Phoenix Crossland who was presented with

the Harold Matthews Coaches Award from NRL Coach

Nathan Brown, Jack Brown (Harold Matthews Strength &

Conditioning Award) and Teva Mataora (Danny Buderus

Encouragement Award. Congratulations to all the boys and

well done on a terrific season with the Knights.

State Selections:

Congratulations to HSHS footballers Callum Bower, Jed

Hornery and Kristopher Cook on their selection in the NSW

CHS Football 1sts and 2nds teams recently. The Hunter

team placed second in the State Championships held after

going down to Sydney South West in the final.

State of Origin Success:

While the NSW team went down to Queensland in the State

of Origin on Wednesday night, Hunter Sports High students

Phoenix Crossland and Kyle Schneider helped the NSW

team to victory in the U16 match, defeating Queensland 12-

10 at ANZ Stadium before the main game. Both boys were

standout performers and were cheered on by their teachers

and schoolmates who attended the State of Origin as a

special reward for their outstanding efforts and behaviour.

Liam’s Clean Sweep for Australia:

Year 7 student Liam Michels has been in Malaysia this week

representing Australia as part of the national U12 futsal

team. The Aussie team won the tournament undefeated.

Congratulations to Liam on this great achievement!




STUDENT WELFARE NEWS:

This student welfare his page lets students, parents and carers know about some of the great programs

and support services that are available to students and their families at Hunter Sports High School and

in the local community. We hope you find it helpful and informative.

Quote of the Week:

Attendance News

Congratulations to students with attendance of above 95%. Star Awards have been given out to those students and announced at assembly. Well done to Year 7 who is in the lead in the overall attendance race.

Year 7: 52 students

Year 8: 39 students

Year 9: 29 students

Year 10: 7 students

Year 11: 4 students

Year 12: 7 students

Social Media & Healthy

Relationships Presentation

The last of our presentations happened in the Stadium for Year 8, 10, and 12 last Thursday 26th May. Some great questions were asked by some of the year groups about cyberbullying and sexting. Results from two of the groups that participated in a pre and post survey will be published in the next school newsletter.

SMART Program

HSHS students are learning some great skills through one of our current wellbeing programs, gaining employability and resume-writing skills by participating in Eastlake Youth Centre’s SMART Program. Our students are involved in painting the back of the Windale shops and will gain community consultation, team work, leadership, organisation and painting skills.

Disclaimer: Advertisements included in this newsletter are a source of revenue to offset bulletin costs and are not in any way considered recommendations by the school.




From the start of Term 3,

Red Bus Services advise

that any senior student

who fails to tag on with

either a school opal card,

a child/youth opal card or

fails to pay a fare for

travel when boarding a

bus, can and may be

refused travel by the

driver. If the student is

not in uniform a Proof of

Age card (if under 16

years) or proof of

attendance at a school

will be required for a child

fare otherwise an adult

fare will be charged.

Disclaimer: Advertisements included in this newsletter are a source of revenue to offset bulletin costs and are not in any way considered recommendations by the school.




Documents

Hunter Sports High Spectator · his words, but even he was quite surprised when he barely choked out the sentence. His frail sweaty palms were gripping and tangling themselves on