Kincumber High School - Millennium Schools · Student Leadership Team ... experiments from making elephant’s toothpaste to teabag rockets. I was very proud of all of the students

Newsletter Kincumber High School

“Enabling to achieve and excel”

Bungoona Rd, Kincumber, NSW 2251

Ph (02) 43691555 F (02) 43631265

email [email protected]

"The Kincumba Learning Community acknowledges the Darkinjung people and their neighbours as the traditional custodians”

Issue 11 Term 3 – Week 4 9 August 2013

Kincumber High’s got talent!

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of attending a varied range of events that showcased many of the talents and skills of Kincumber High School students. It was also announced that Kincumber High School was the winning school at the Brisbane Waters Zone Athletics Carnival. This is a mammoth achievement for a school of this size. Well done to all participants and the staff involved. Mrs Toy said that it was about lots of students competing and trying their best coupled with strong performances by individuals and groups. A number of these students will now compete at the next level.

Sunday we set up the Education Week display on the Red carpet outside Myer at Erina Fair for the Kincumba Learning Community. The art display showcased painting, photography, ceramics and drawing across a range of years. It looked fantastic and was displayed alongside the work from all our local partner primary schools. It displayed a fine effort by all concerned.

‘Tell Them From Me’ student survey

I am delighted that our school has been selected to participate in a Department of Education and Communities pilot of the Tell Them From Me student survey. The survey aims to help improve student learning outcomes and measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW pilot project is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices.

More information about the survey is available at: http://www.cese.nsw.gov.au/surveys/ttfm-parents

The survey will provide our school with valuable and quick feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. Schools in Australia and around the world have used the Tell Them From Me survey to help improve how they do things at school.

I want to assure you that the survey is anonymous and students cannot be identified by their responses. The survey is conducted online and will take around 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours between 19 August and 6 September.

An information sheet and consent form about the survey is being sent home with students. If you do not want your child or children to participate, please return the form to school by Monday 19 August.

KHS makes the Hive come alive!

On Tuesday I accompanied students from the Learning Community to Erina Fair to watch them perform on stage at the Hive for the local crowd. This was a celebration of Public Education and the great things that happen in our schools every day. Matthew Temperley and Libby Jones hosted the Kincumber section of the event and introduced our dance and music students who entertained with a range of acts. All students represented the school proudly and the centre management has offered to sponsor an event focussing on sustainability for the learning Community in 2014 and suggested that we could return with performances later in the year. A sincere thanks to Kirsty McRae and Sue Lewis from Copacabana who coordinated the event. As always Alan Blue stepped up to the plate and ensured the students from all schools had effective sound to maximise their performance quality. Thanks also to Carol McGilvery for her efforts in setting up and taking down the exhibition on the red carpet. Many students had their work displayed and the feedback from the public was very positive.

HSC Body of works

On Tuesday afternoon the HSC Body of Works for Visual Arts were on display in the library for marking by a panel of markers including guests from another local high school. These staff are current or past HSC markers so it is a good opportunity to get feedback for the students. Visual Arts students have until Week 7 to complete these works for the HSC. The range of forms was extraordinary and I look forward to seeing the completed submissions in Week 7. Most of the students and staff, Mrs McGilvery and Miss Hamilton, have worked hard and are now in the home stretch.

On Wednesday evening the Year 12 HSC dance students presented their performances to family, friends and staff. It was a testament to the work done by the girls, their core composition dancers, Mrs McRae and Miss Taylor. All have put in many hours to create and perfect their ideas into dance movement. I wish them all the best in their HSC performance exams on 14 and 15 August.

Lizotte’s

Thursday evening saw Lizotte’s come alive with a mammoth performance evening that featured students from Year 7 to Year 12. This was a fabulous evening where family, friends and staff got to see the depth and breadth of the talent currently at Kincumber High. We thank Brian and Jo for the opportunity to give students a professional venue in which to perform. Big thanks to Alan Blue and Mark Downy who organise, support and ensure that things work on the night in a manner that shows how much they care about their craft and the students. Thank you also to Lachlan Roberts who once again acted as the school photographer and recorded the event on film.



While all of the abovementioned events were taking place teaching and learning was still happening in the classrooms. Year 12 are getting closer to their Trial HSC and final revision exercises are just about over for the next two weeks.

Students are reminded to read exam timetables carefully, ensure they come in uniform and follow all procedures for exam performance maximisation. Mobile phones are under no circumstances to be on and must be left in bags. They cannot be on the body of the students.

Please ensure you follow all instructions re illness and misadventure if this situation should arise.

I wish all Year 12 students the very best in the exams. Hard work and consistent engagement will ensure success. A heap of last minute study might also help. Do your best and use the result to make adjustments to your study timetable before the HSC exams. The four weeks after the trial are very important and can make a real difference to your preparation for that final exam.

Student Leadership Team

Student applications for positions in each year for the Student Leadership team closed last week.

I would like to thank all those students who have nominated for these positions. The quality of applications was excellent.

Students will be invited to an interview some time in weeks 5/6/7. The panel will consist of a range of staff from the executive, the staff leadership team and the student body (past or present).

School captain positions will be filled after these decisions are made.

Janine Debenham, Principal

LOVE BiTES

All Year 10 students will be participating in the LOVE BiTES program on the dates 21, 23 and 29 August. LOVE BiTES was developed to educate young people about respectful relationships and reduce the incidence of relationship violence in the community. LOVE BiTES utilises contemporary feminist analysis and recognises relationship violence (physical, sexual, psychological, verbal, financial, cultural and spiritual, social abuse) as a gendered crime. Analysing gender inequities are central to discussions in LOVE BiTES workshops but in line with contemporary feminist research it is also recognised that "a wide variety of factors...shape violence, taking as given that violence is ‘a multifaceted phenomenon grounded in interplay among personal, situational and socio-cultural factors'" (Flood et al, p. 34, Respectful Relationships Education, 2009). This means that social norms, gender roles and the role of bystanders to violence are also discussed.

A group of service providers who have been trained in the program team up with teachers to run the workshop. The program is delivered in an interactive manner with workers engaging the young people through activities in every session. The workshop ends with a creative afternoon session to consolidate the material learnt during the day. Respectful relationships between males and females are consistently modelled in LOVE BiTES.

Russell Johnston, HT Welfare


The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…….These are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.

Confucius

Assembly road shows in Education Week

As part of our ongoing close relationships with the partner primary schools, a wonderful team of students presented in assemblies at Avoca Beach, Copacabana, Kincumber and Pretty Beach Public Schools during Education Week.

Laura Currie, Lucy Westrip and Nat Jones were our musical performers and had lots of students clapping and swaying to the music.

Simone Bradley looked beautiful as she performed a dance choreographed for her by one of our HSC dance students as part of their assessment.

Olivia Bayliss and Kye Felton drew lots of reaction in a very polished presentation of a range of science experiments from making elephant’s toothpaste to teabag rockets.

I was very proud of all of the students who were fine ambassadors for Kincumber High School and public education and want to thank them for the leadership they showed. Feedback from the primary schools and the faces of the students during the performances all indicated how much students enjoyed seeing the ‘big kids’.

Thanks also to the teachers at the primary schools who organised this opportunity for our students to shine.

Beverley Sampford, Deputy Principal


Marine Studies

The Year 10 and Year 11 Marine Studies classes attended both the annual Marine Careers Expo and Sydney International Boat Show last Friday in Sydney. The Marine Careers Expo, run by the Marine Teachers’ Association of NSW, allowed students from all over NSW to access Universities, TAFE, Colleges, Defence Forces and many private companies and collect information on different courses and marine employment opportunities. The Sydney International Boat Show enabled the students to gather information on boating, fishing, marine safety and the environment. All students had a fantastic day and brought home more show bags than from the Royal Easter Show.

Mrs Pratt and Mrs Barber, Science

Thank you Seacoast Fishing!

A big thanks would like to be given to Seacoast Fishing for the very large donation of fish which was given to the Marine Studies Department last week.

Seacoast Fishing are a local company who continually support the local community and Kincumber High School by supplying fresh local fish and other seafood.

The Year 11 Marine Studies class was able to dissect and study a deep sea fish, its swim bladder and its reproductive system. The students where also able to observe its gills and observe their movements through water. The other donations have been stored for future classes

Claire Barber, Science

Russell Johnston, HT Welfare

CORE OF LIFE PROGRAM

As part of the PDHPE program, Year 9 students completed a unit of work on relationships throughout Term 2. Part of this unit covered the issues of reproduction and parenting. To supplement the learning that was occurring in the classroom, students took part in a series of three lessons from the Core of Life program.

The Core of Life program was developed by qualified midwives to give students a greater understanding of pregnancy, child birth and parenting, with the intention of assisting young people to make informed and responsible decisions about these issues. Even though Core of Life only covered a small part of the broader unit of work that students were covering, the Year 9 students seemed to get a lot out of the program and asked a range of good questions of the midwives who conducted these sessions. We would like to thank the Lions Club for donating the money to help run this program.

Phil Batey, PDHPE


Dates for the Diary

Monday 12 August Year 12 Trial HSC Exams commence

Tuesday 20 August P&C Meeting commencing at 7.00pm, all welcome

Friday 30 August Anti-bullying Boot Camp

For more important dates check out the calendar on our website.

https://www.millenniumschools.net.au/kincumber/

KINCUMBER HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2013

This year the school Athletics Carnival was held at McEvoy Oval, Umina and we were lucky again to score excellent weather on the day. There was a big turnout of students in attendance and some excellent performances were produced with 13 records being broken on the day.

Congratulations to the following students, who were KHS Age Champions:


NAME EVENT RECORD

Kirra-Belle Olsson 12yrs girls Discus 16.09

Tonia Brooks 15yrs girls Discus 26.38

15yrs girls Shot Put 11.71

Jessie Andrew 16yrs girls 400m 1.12

Josh Bron 13yrs boys 100m 13.13

Ayrton Gilbert 13yrs boys Discus 28.75

Jaxson Stratton 13yrs boys 200m 27.90

13yrs boys High Jump 1.42

13yrs boys Long Jump 4.6

Thomas Monteith 14yrs boys High Jump 1.53

Jordan Sanchez 15yrs boys 100m 11.80

15yrs boys 200m 25.33

Aaron Beehag 17+yrs boys High Jump 1.73

12yrs Kirra-Belle Olsson Andrew Birchall/Tristan Watts

13yrs Alesha Ball Jaxson Stratton

14yrs Georgia Lee Nathan Graham

15yrs Mikala Tucker Kiran Richardson

16yrs Lily Hayward James Dunkin

17+yrs Grace Firth-Panetta/Kaitlyn Matuschka Scott McMaster

Year 12 students got into the spirit of the day with numerous colourful outfits, as well as supplying the traditional BBQ and canteen. Thanks also go to Mr Bradshaw for his organisation of the day and all students and staff who contributed to the day running so well.

KINCUMBER HS 2013 BRISBANE WATERS ZONE ATHLETIC CHAMPIONS!

The KHS Athletics team was selected to compete at the Brisbane Waters Zone Carnival held at Mingara Athletics Field. Kincumber looked impressive from the start with a sea of red, white and royal blue standing out in the crowd and inside the arena. With a very enthusiastic team combined with some excellent athletes, Kincumber won the carnival by an impressive 207 points ahead of second place! This is an excellent result from a group of students who displayed excellent sportsmanship and support for each other throughout the day. Thanks also to the many parents who were able to attend.

Zone Records set:


EVENT RECORD NAME

15 yrs girls Shot Put 11.80 Tonia Brooks

17+ yrs boys Relay 44.69 Jake Bradbury, Jake O’Brien, Jayden Priest, Joshua Sanchez

State Library Teen Master Class Excursion

Level 1- New Students: If I Chance to Talk a Little Wild (14th Oct)

Level 2- Advanced/ Returning Students: Fatal Flaws (15th Oct)

When: Monday, 14th October (Level 1) and/ or Tuesday, 15th October (Level 2).

See Ms Sexton for permission notes now.

From the sea to the snow!

Nicholas Rendall, Manning Allen-Scott and Callum Verschoor (all Year 9) represented Kincumber High School at the Sydney North Snowboarding Championships held at Perisher Valley in the July school holidays. The boys competed in both the Snowboard GS and Snowboard BorderX. They competed well for the school and as a team came 8th in both events. The boys enjoyed the competition and had a great time at the snow.

HSC Dance

Congratulations to the HSC Dance class for their wonderful performances at the HSC Dance Preview show. Well Done! Your efforts and dedication throughout the year shone through in your performances. Again a big thank you goes to all of the junior Core Composition dancers. The best of luck for your trial examinations and for the final practical Dance HSC exams next week.

A reminder that the final practical Dance HSC exams will be held on the Wednesday and Thursday of Week 5 this term (T3), in the school hall. The details are listed below:


The students have been notified of their individual examination times.

Regional Dance Ensemble

Congratulations to the students involved in the Central Coast Dance Festival’s Regional Dance Ensemble - Teigan Phipps, Lucie Berkman, Georgia Cook, Meghan Casey, Ellie Gundry and Mya Harvey. They have been selected as part of the Regional Dance Ensemble to perform in the Central Coast Showcase.

The Central Coast Showcase will be held at Laycock Street Theatre. There will be a Matinee and evening performance on Tuesday 20 August. Tickets will be on sale through the Laycock Street Theatre box office.

Eleisha Taylor, Dance teacher

Mathematics

At Avoca Beach PS last week, the extension groups created some elaborate fractal designs (called Sierpinski’s triangles). The pictures show the designs of some of the Stage 3 students. Stages 1 and 2 also created some great patterns. Many chose to take their designs home to do another step, which I am looking forward to seeing next time.

We have many students who do the right thing every lesson and Mya Harvey and Sam Singleton are two who have been recognised as ‘student of the week’ this term for their persistence and great work ethics. Well done!

As part of the new General Mathematics curriculum, students learn about the Mathematics of Driving as a focus study. We were lucky enough to have Bec Armitage (Senior Constable, School Police Liaison Officer) visit at the school to talk to our Year 11 students and answer any questions they had about demerit points, road rules and anything else to do with this unit of work. Mrs Waite was impressed with the level of enthusiasm and the attitude displayed by her group, and hopefully it will help the students understand the restrictions and responsibilities of driving. Thank you to Mrs Waite, Ms Armitage and Mrs Sampford for organising this visit – it was well worth it.

Jacqueline Woodley, HT Mathematics


DAY DATE TIME

Day 1

Wednesday

14 August 2013 8:30 – 4:30

Day 2

Thursday

15 August 2013 8:30 – 2:00

Student medical forms

During Terms 3 and 4 we will be updating our medical records systems to ensure we have the most up-to-date information on your child's health.

If you have a child with a medical condition you will receive a copy of the new forms in the mail and will need to fill them out and return them to us as soon as you can.

The good news is we have already started collecting some of this information, which means less for you to do.

The new forms will help us collect your child's important medical information and the introduction of new systems will mean we'll be able to better manage the daily and emergency health needs of your child.

We appreciate your support as we start collecting the information, and if you have any questions please call.

Department of Education & Communities

Our Legal Eagles

Last week, as part of their Preliminary HSC requirements, students from Mr Waters’ Legal Studies class journeyed down to Sydney’s Downing Centre Courts. During their visit, students witnessed a range of real life criminal cases and bail application hearings. They listened intently as prosecutors presented versions of events to juries, and defence teams articulated their clients’ arguments. They observed judges in their roles, watched witnesses make statements and took note of the points of law being referred to. It was an invaluable day for experiencing the ‘law in action’! The behaviour of all students on the day was outstanding.

Mr Brent Waters, HT HSIE


Year 11 Modern and Ancient History Research Day

On Friday 26 July, 33 Year 11 students attended a research day at Macquarie University. The students of Modern and Ancient History had access to the new state-of-the-art library, which is five storeys high and includes an automatic book retrieval system. The students utilised the extensive collections to aid them in researching the topics of their choosing for the Historical Investigation Assessment Task. We were very impressed with their focus and diligence and can’t wait to see the finished products!

Miss Maher and Ms Gooding, HSIE

Entertainment Book will only be available for purchase until the end of August


CAPA ‘paints the town red’ in Education Week 2013!

So many opportunities, too little time!

CAPA students enjoyed a busy week of activities during last week’s Education Week. A number of Dance and Music students performed at the Hive, Erina Fair, in front of members of the Kincumba Learning Community and the general public. A display of Photography and Visual Arts works from students in Year 8 through to Year 12 was exhibited outside Myers Red Carpet area for the week. Over 35 works were displayed. Congratulations to all students who had work selected. A big thanks to Art and Photography staff for their organisation and contribution towards this display.

Year 12 Dance students performed their core composition in front of friends and family last Wednesday night in preparation for their HSC performance exam. The night was a wonderful success. Congratulations to all students involved, Mrs McRae and Miss Taylor for their wonderful baking and superb organisation.

Our musicians performed an impressive repertoire of songs at Lizotte’s last Thursday night. All students involved are to be highly commended for their outstanding skills and contribution to an enjoyable night’s entertainment. Thank you to Mr Downy and Mr Blue for their exceptional guidance and tuition of our students at Kincumber High School.

Our sincere appreciation is extended to all parents for their efforts in support of all CAPA initiatives. Your interest and dedication is vital to the overall success of these events.

Our CAPA students are dedicated and capable, such a pleasure to work with. Praise is extended to all involved for a highly successful week showcasing the talent at Kincumber High School.

Mrs McGilvery, HT CAPA


Busy times ahead for the Cattle Show Team!

This week the team is competing at Tocal Agriculture College and the Gosford Showground. 40 students have been busy leading, feeding, washing and parading our four steers in every class and study break.

The Tocal steer, named Eric, has been the most challenging steer our students have ever trained. At one stage we thought we might have to take him back to Tocal before the show. The students persevered, and day by day, Eric’s behaviour improved due to the consistent efforts and skill of the students. We have all learnt that some steers require different types of training to achieve the desired result.

The two Square Meater steers behave like family pets. The challenge with them is to start them walking. They are so quiet. The Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza steer, which only recently arrived on our farm, is leading well, and will develop into a show winning steer.

At the Tocal and Gosford Show we have to leave the school by 6:00am. In order to leave by this time, gear and steer preparation

will begin at the school farm by 4:00am. The steers must be ready to be shown by 9:00am. The rest of the day is full of judging and parading, and a lot of caring for our lovely steers.

Kincumber High students will be competing against schools from the Hunter, Central Coast and Sydney. If you have time, drop into the Gosford Showground on Monday and see how professional our students have become.

The students are looking forward to the show, competing, and winning. The results will be available in the next newsletter.

Mr Boyd, Agriculture


EXCURSION TO TARONGA ZOO

Last Friday, our Year 9 Photography and Digital Imaging students participated in an excursion to Taronga Zoo. It turned out to be a gorgeous sunny day and all students had a great time, photographing many of the sights around Sydney Harbour and the zoo (amazing photos below taken by Dylan Lidster).

It was an excellent opportunity for students to develop their photographic skills and we ended up with some fantastic shots, which students will be presenting to the class over the coming weeks. In all, it was a great day and a valuable experience. A big thank you also to Miss Hamilton who joined us on the day.

Sandra McNaught, Visual Arts teacher



VISIT A DOCTOR FOR FREE - KINCUMBER YOUTH CENTRE

Youth Clinic

The Youth Clinic is available for young people aged 14 - 19 years old to visit a doctor for free! All you need to access this service is a Medicare card! No appointment necessary. The doctor is available on Wednesday afternoons from 3pm - 5pm during school terms.



CENTRAL COAST OPEN DAY

Saturday 17 August 2013, 10am - 3pm Explore study opportunities available at the University of Newcastle,

Ourimbah TAFE and Central Coast Community College.

www.centralcoast.edu.au/openday

Kincumber Avoca Cricket Club

The Kincumber Avoca Cricket Club will be holding our Junior Registration days over the next couple of weeks. We will be offering places in teams from under 9 to under 17, as well as running an IN2Cricket pro-gram for our younger players (5-7 years of age).

Place - Erina Leagues Club, Ilya Ave Erina

Sunday August 18, 10.30am - 12.30pm

Thursday August 22, 5.30pm - 7.30pm

Sunday August 25, 10.30am - 12.30pm

Contact Rod Ursem, Secretary, on 0425 210 570 or [email protected]

Documents

Kincumber High School - Millennium Schools · Student Leadership Team ... experiments from making elephant’s toothpaste to teabag rockets. I was very proud of all of the students