PRINCIPAL‟S REPORT This term we farewell Ms Harris who has been on our Maths staff at PPHS for 34 years. We wish her all the best for retirement. We also farewell Year 12 and welcome in Term 4 the new Year 12 cohort. We wish both groups of students the very best for their future HSC studies, examinations and beyond. School success includes; Congratulations to Year 12 students that were

selected to receive awards at the Rotary VET awards night. The students receiving the awards were Hayley Dick (Hospitality), Daniel Cvetkovski (Entertainment) and Andrew Lloyd (Construction).

The new 2011/2012 Captains and Vice Captains were announced to the school and I have every confidence they will continue the wonderful leadership example set by previous captains. Congratulations to Captains Patrick O‟Reilly, Ruby-Lee Tonks and Vice Captains, Christopher Bale and Tayla McGregor.

Brothers Andrew Lloyd (NSW male Team Captain) and Dean Lloyd both represented NSW in the NSW CHS v QLD Interstate Squash Exchange held at Townsville.

Andrew Lloyd (VET construction) and Kayla Lake (Tourism) were presented South West Sydney Regional VET Awards. Andrew was also successful in winning the VET Construction Student of the Year and was a runner up in the VET student of the year.

The East Hills Concert was a great night of performance and congratulations to co-producer Mr Martin for his commendable and enthusiastic contribution and to the highly entertaining students from PPHS and other East Hills Area schools that performed.

The junior drama ensemble was a big hit at Regional Drama and thank you to Ms Myles for

all the work she has put into preparing the talented drama students.

The Annual Evening of Dance was an outstanding success with excellent performances in dance and song. Well done to Ms Schlom, Ms Robinson and the fantastic student performers.

The school‟s “Helping Hand” transition program is currently underway with many students enrolling next year (Year 7, 2012) attending lessons at PPHS.

Help your child feel confident about themselves: (Taken from Michael Grose website www.parentingideas.com). A strong sense of identity and self-worth are crucial to your child‟s self-esteem. Suggestions include:

1. Encourage problem solving, expression of opinions and individuality.

2. Acknowledge their worries about appearance. Puberty, in particular, can be a worrying time. Reassure your child that their physical changes are normal and that everyone develops at different times and rates.

3. Never tease them about their weight, body shape or looks. Even seemingly friendly nicknames can be hurtful if they focus on some aspect of a child's appearance.

4. Focus on their achievements and talents so they learn to focus on activity rather than appearance.

5. Make your child feel they have an important role in the family. For instance, give them age-appropriate household tasks. Tell them what a valuable contribution they make to the running of the house.

6. Focus on grooming and developing an appropriate dress sense that accounts for modern fashion and also maximises their body type.

PICNIC POINT HIGH SCHOOL 61 Kennedy Street Picnic Point

Phone 9772 1700 Fax 9792 3960 Principal Email picnicpt-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Mr Wolly Negroh

Web site www.picnicpt-h.schools.nsw.edu.au B Ed, Dip Teach

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CONTENTS Principal‟s Report Page 1 Deputy Principal‟s Reports Page 2 What‟s on Page 3 Student of the Month Page 3 P&C News Page 3 Industrial Arts Report Page 6 VET Education and Training Page 7 CAPA Report Page 9 Science Report Page 13 Library News Page 13 English Writing Excursion Page 14 Student Leadership Camp Page 16 LOTE Faculty Report Page 19 Home Economics Report Page 20

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Deputy‟s Report – Mr Baczynskyj The end of this term brings to a close the schooling journey of our Year 12 students. Whilst they still have their HSC examinations before them, the last week of this term will be both emotional and celebratory. As a community we will join them in acknowledging the incredible achievements they have made – the most satisfying being the completion of their HSC studies. On Wednesday night family and friends as well as teaching staff will share an informal gathering of community members, a meal and an opportunity to share some of the experiences of the last 6 years. On Thursday some key teachers will join Year 12 on a „secret‟ trip we call the „Big Day Out‟, another opportunity for informal celebrations. On Friday morning we will have the formal Graduation ceremony – a final, official farewell for our Year 12 students. As a school community we thank this group for their wonderful leadership across the school and their contribution in all areas, we know they will find successful and rewarding pathways in life and we wish them all the best in their futures. Year 10 will have their most important events next term when they sit for their School Certificate examinations. Students should already have a study plan in place and be targeting areas for improvement – classroom teachers are the best source for individual feedback and advice on areas for focus. Opportunities to attempt past School Certificate papers are accessible on the Board of Studies website, www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au where responses to multiple choice questions can be submitted electronically with results available immediately. Of course our Year 10 are sitting for the most prestigious of School Certificates as it has been announced that this will be the final year for these particular examinations. As a highly regarded credential it will be an even greater asset to have performed well in 2011. Each day at Picnic Point has some kind of „wow‟ factor. The ongoing achievements of our students are almost unbelievable. Amongst us we have sporting champions, future community leaders and starring performers and academics. I regularly have the benefit of being thanked by casual teachers for giving them the opportunity to come to our school – because we are such a great school. Our students are wonderfully co-operative, quietly determined and blessed with skills and opportunity. As always, this is due to the positive partnerships between school and home, teachers and parents. It is worth continually thanking parents for their support in maintaining the high expectations and standards of our school in all areas. I wish to take the opportunity to remind everyone that skateboards and scooters are not permitted in this school due to OHS reasons. Not only are they a trip hazard when students transport them around the school but they also pose a safety risk to anyone riding them to and from school or sport.

Deputy‟s Report – Mr Schomberg As Term 3 draws to a close, Year 11 will be completing their last assessment for their Preliminary Studies. This means that their final mark will be for the Yearly Examination. When Year 11 return in Term 4, teachers will provide feedback from their Yearly Examination and then work will start in earnest on the Year 12 HSC part of their courses. Students need to reflect on their learning for this year and work on strategies to improve their performance now that the HSC has started. Planning for major works is essential at this time of the year so that deadlines for next year can be met. There will be no changes to the curriculum patterns for students this year. At PPHS we discourage students from dropping subjects. This is based on the very strong evidence we have collected over the last few years that shows that students who continue with at least 11 units of study or more to the HSC examinations, perform better than students who have dropped subjects. Students must continue their studies through to the end of this year and complete all assessment tasks that are required before the end of the year. Curriculum patterns will only be altered next year if students can demonstrate that the change requested will improve their overall performance. Students who have not completed work in any of their current subjects will not be allowed to drop any subject. Every student requesting a change will be interviewed and there is no guarantee that changes will be approved. The Year 12 Assessment Booklet will be issued on Wednesday 26th October at a meeting in the school hall commencing at 6pm. Attendance of every Year 11 student and at least one parent is expected on this night. The assessment process will be explained in detail together with the effect assessment has on each student‟s HSC result. Mr Negroh and I will present a lot of useful information on the evening. The tutorial period after school on Wednesdays has proven to be a big success this year for Year 11 students. Many students who were struggling with their assessment tasks have been given the help needed to get them started, resulting in them completing tasks by the deadlines. Next term it will be expanded and available to all Year 11 students. Some Year 11 students have offered their time and assistance to help their class mates with some of their work in Mathematics and essay related tasks. This will supplement the work that teachers have been doing with the students. Parents are reminded that valuable items such as mobile phones and ipods are discouraged at school. Students using them inappropriately will have them confiscated for the duration of the school day. However, the number of these items lost or left unattended cause heartache for many - for students and their families the loss of valuables, for us the impossibility of tracing an item in our large school grounds made up of over a 1000 people. All messages to students can be transmitted through the staff in the Front Office.

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WHAT‟S ON Mon 12/9 Year 11 yearly exams Mon 19/9 P&C School Council Wed 21/9 Yr 12 Farwell Dinner Leadership Workshop 2 Thurs 22/9 Yr 12 Big Day Out Fri 23/9 Yr 12 Graduation Yr 12 Reports Issued Term 3 Ends Mon 10/10 Term 4 Begins (All Students Return) Yr 10 Yearly Exams Commence Mon 17/10 HSC Begins

P&C News Spring is on its way and it is lovely to have the warmer weather and shed some of the winter woolies that have been an integral part of our wardrobes! The August meetings of the 50th Anniversary committee and the P & C were again well attended and I thank all those who make the effort to come along and support the P & C. At the 50th Anniversary meeting we made further progress in deciding what items would be sold as memorabilia of this occasion. We also agreed in principal to a photo history of the school‟s fifty years however this will depend on getting photos of the school‟s early days. We are working on the booking form for the Anniversary dinner and have produced a “Save the Date pamphlet”, a copy of which will be included in this newsletter. The P & C meeting covered some general school activity items and a number of concerns were raised with Mr. Negroh over various activities within the school. I remind all parents that if there is an issue of concern to them, be it involving the curriculum, sports, or any other school activities, please feel free to contact the school and Mr. Negroh to air your concerns. Issues can often be addressed readily rather than waiting for a P & C meeting. Last week we had the opportunity to run a small canteen at the East Hills Choir evening held at our school. I was ably assisted by Adele Wardop, Sue Morgan, Michele McGregor and Lynne Easterbrook. Thank you ladies for your time and dedication. We sold snack items before the event and at the intermission and were also able to watch the class acts from various local schools as well as our own. We raised approximately $350.00. Thanks to Mr. Andrews for putting this all together. This week I was delighted to be invited to attend the Year 12 Evening of Major Works held in the Hall. This is the type of event we should be running every year and I congratulate Andrew Lloyd, Vice Captain on his foresight and enthusiasm in making sure it happened. Great to see an invitation on Facebook as well as the SMS invitation from the school. The evening was very well attended not only by Year 12 families but by many other students and their families also and to be

able to see the caliber of work produced by our students was fantastic. Thank you all. The September P & C meeting will be held on Monday 19th September at 7pm in A Block, preceded by the 50th Anniversary meeting at 5pm and the School Council Meeting at 6pm. Christine Butters -P & C President Email: bjcmbutters@yahoo.com.au

Awards for our students in the National Geographic Competition

Michel's (Revesby)

Student of the Month

August 2011

Name REASON FOR THE AWARD

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Kiarne Bitz For her self-motivation, organisation and positive participation in her classes

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Samantha Micheletto-Harte

For excellent improvement and being a very dedicated student who always tries her best at all times.

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Saskia Anderson For her improved attitude and commitment to learning.

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John Georgiou For his help with formal assemblies and the formal committee. His good work in English.

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Jenny Quah Conscientious and consistent effort in all subjects

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Mitchell Ashton Excellent work and results in all classes

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Michel's (Revesby) are

proud sponsors

of the PPHS

'student of the

month' award.

Sport of the month Have a go at Martial Arts in September

Bankstown City Council, in partnership with Kugatsu Judo and The Japanese Academy of Martial Arts, is giving residents aged 7 years and over (including seniors) the opportunity to have a go at judo, karate and self-defence in the month of September, completely free of charge!

For more information download the Martial Arts Sport A Month brochure or call Council's Recreation Officer on 9707 9999.

Why not visit your local community club

28 Childs Street Panania

Proud sponsors of the

Leonard W. Eickenloff Scholarship

to Students of Picnic Point High School

M cQ SM A SH R EPA IR S

17 9 R iv e r R o a d R e v e s b y ( co r n e r U r a n u s R d )

2 4 H o u r To w in g - 9 7 7 1 58 26 O b liga t io n Fre e Q u o t e s - 9 7 7 1 2335

Co u r t e s y Ca r s A v a ila b le CLO SE TO R EV ESB Y STA TIO N GIO R e co m m e n d e d R e p a ir e r

A u t o R o b o t B o d y A lig n e r Sp r a y B o o t h B a k in g O v e n

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ISURF+SCATE Shop 32 Stockton Avenue Moorebank Shopping Village Moorebank

Mondays - Milperra Public School, Pozieres Avenue, Milperra 5 & 6's - 4.30-5.30pm 7 & 8's - 5.30-6.30pm 9 & 10's, 11 & 12's 6.30-8.00pm Ladies 8.00pm Tuesdays - Endeavour Hall, River Road, Revesby 13,14,15 & 1st Year Seniors - 7.00-8.30pm 2nd Year & Open Seniors - 8.30 till lights out Saturdays - Girls Guide Hall, Weston Street, Panania Under 5's - 9.00-10.00am Louise - Secretary - 0415 339 035 Debbie - President - 0404 465 439 Janet - Treasurer - 0405 706 179 Helen - Teacher - 0407 893 967 Kirsty - Associate Teacher - 0422 476 325 Email us - lscastellan@bigpond.com

Reminder To Parents - Pic News Picnic Point High School would like all Parents and Carers to have regular access to PIC NEWS. To assist in the distribution of the electronic copy of PIC NEWS we ask that Parent and Carers please provide the school with an updated E-Mail address(es) so the school can include you in our PICNEWS distribution list. The school calendar can also be accessed from the school website. You can update the school with your details via the school e-mail address of picnicpt-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au , 02 9772 1700 or via letter.

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Industrial Arts WOW what a busy term it has been so far- the Industrial arts department has been a hive of activity. The Year 12 students are to be congratulated on their achievement of producing some excellent standard of work for the Major HSC. This project is the culmination of a year‟s hard work. See below for some of the excellent work. Rhys Mckay Alec Christofides Andrew Lloyd

Joshua Marshall James Steverson Beres Pirie These pictures demonstrate the effort and application that the students have displayed to design and construct such high quality projects.

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Euan Pirie Year 11 are about to embark on their yearly exams and now is the time for them to revise all course content and ensure that they seek any clarification they may require with their subject teacher. Harley Munro Not to be outdone by Year 12 the Year 11 Industrial Technology Timber class produced some excellent quality projects for their preliminary major project. Peter Rezitis.

Year 7 and 8 Technology are through their first rotation of practical experiences, giving them an opportunity to design and construct projects in different materials. If you require any further information regarding student learning please do not hesitate to contact me. Mr P Burgess Head Teacher Industrial Arts.

Vocational Education and Training. Congratulations to 3 of our Year 12 students that were selected to receive awards at the Rotary VET awards night. The awards night is a chance to recognise student achievement in VET subject across the region. The student‟s receiving the awards are Hayley Dick Hospitality Daniel Cvetovski Entertainment Andrew Lloyd Construction. This awards night is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the exceptional talent that we have here at Picnic Point high school. Below are some pictures of our students, working hard in class.

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Our students have been very busy fulfilling the mandatory component of the VET curriculum attending the mandatory work placement. We have had many excellent reports of our students performing very well out in the workforce. It is pleasing to see our students transfer the knowledge learned in the class room into effective practice within the workforce.

With the final exams quickly approaching it is now time for student to revise course content and practice for the exams. I encourage all students to speak with their teacher to clarify any aspects of the course they have found challenging. Should you require any further information please feel free to contact me. P. Burgess VET Coordinator

Two Brothers - Talented Sportsmen Andrew Lloyd and Dean Lloyd both represented NSW in the NSW CHS v QLD Interstate Squash Exchange held at Townsville. Andrew was also afforded the honour of being made the NSW Team Captain (Male). This was Dean‟s first time representing NSW and Andrew‟s fifth time. Though NSW did not win the tournament, they both enjoyed the experience of representing their State and their School. Dean and Andrew‟s achievements of both making the same State CHS team is absolutely fantastic. Well done guys!

Parents are lifelong teachers

Have you ever found yourself saying or doing something to your child that you promised you would never do, before you became a parent? Before you had kids, you were never going to be like your Mum who always reminded you how good you had it and how spoilt you were, or like your Dad, who regularly humiliated you by yelling at you from the sidelines on the football field. Now, you find yourself doing the same thing with your own kids. This is the difference between our intentions and our actions, between our values and methods. Whilst our intentions as parents, are usually good ones, in that we generally aim to guide and help our children, sometimes our methods are not consistent with our intentions and we know from our own experience, that they are not effective. We may also complain that our children do not listen to us, when we forget that they are watching everything we do, our values, our attitudes and the feelings behind our behaviour. In the words of Franklin Jones “Children are unpredictable. You never know what inconsistency they are going to catch in you next.” Although it is impossible for anyone to be 100% consistent, it is important for us to strive for consistency between our values and actions or for us to „walk the talk‟. How much harder for example, is it for a parent who smokes, to try to influence their teenager son or daughter, not to smoke. Spotting inconsistency in other parents, is much easier than recognizing it in ourselves. How many times have you witnessed another parent doing one of the following with little or limited success?

Yelling at a child to „stop shouting‟

Smacking a child after the have hit another child

Losing patience with a child who is being impatient As parents, we are lifelong teachers to our children, but need to be aware that many of the things we try to teach our children are in fact, not „teachable‟ but rather learned through experience and by following our example. Arguably, the most important and enduring example that we can set for our children, is how we express and manage our own feelings. It can be helpful for parents to pause, occasionally to consider

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“Am I practicing what I preach?” and “Are my teaching aims and my methods consistent?” Children can push “our buttons” or find our vulnerabilities like no-one else. As well as experiencing enormous love and pride in them, we can also experience intense negative emotions towards them, such as frustration, anxiety and irritation. Being aware of our feelings and expectations and trying to respond in a more calm and controlled manner, provides a good example for children to follow and helps keep relationships on track. This is no easy feat and it would be unrealistic and maybe unhealthy to expect that we can do this all the time. Some of the strategies that parents have identified which help to do this include:

Creating a pause or breather in a tense situation, by going for a walk, to the bathroom, making a cup of tea etc

Having a mantra or phrase that a parent can silently repeat to themselves, such as “Stay calm”, “It‟s my job to be bigger, stronger, wiser, kinder”

Deep breathing or other activities that can help calm you in the moment

Regular self-care and relaxation strategies. The more stressed and tired we are , the harder it is to find a way to be calm

If you want to talk about your child‟s behaviour with one of our professional counsellors, call 1300 130052 or visit our website www.parentline.org.au for tips sheets and parenting stories.

The Senior Music class have been featured in a Sydney Morning Herald article September 5th 2011

Final sound check for HSC music students

Study beat ... year 12 students at Picnic Point High School fit in some final rehearsals before their HSC music exams.

Photo: Brendan Esposito

HSC students will be hoping it is a case of practice makes perfect as they tackle their music performance exams over the next two weeks. More than 5800 students are enrolled in HSC music courses this year and all must perform at least one piece for examiners. Year 12 students at Picnic Point High School have been fine-tuning their performances on instruments such as guitar, flute and drums ahead of their exam today. "The more practice they've done leading up to the day, the more relaxed they will be," said the school's head of creative and performing arts, Martin Andrews. Since Jade McKinnon, 17, started playing the clarinet nine years ago, it has been "a big part" of her life. More recently, so has the music she chose for her HSC exam. "I've been practising the same pieces for at least a year.'' Anthea Hansen, 17, took up the flute more than eight years ago and also plays the guitar. She enjoyed the "sense of connection with other people" she gained through music. "It definitely improves the way you play when you're playing with other people," she said. "You get better as a musician." Research shows a sense of social connectedness is one of the keys to whether children continue playing their instruments or give them up.

Kim Arlington Schools

CAPA Report It has been a busy few weeks! Dance, Drama and Music Practical HSC exams have just finished and the Visual Arts Body of Works have been completed. The Visual Arts Body of Works were overseen by Ms McManus and again, they are of a very high standard. A very big congratulations to our talented students and dedicated staff. Daniel Cvetkovski

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Emma Callanan Jessica Godbier Laura Dryden

Laura Dryden Blake Goggins Hannah Dodd

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Amanda Mihaljek Hannah Dodd Rebecca Strickland

Amanda Mihaljek Hannah Dodd Rebecca Strickland

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Joshua Khaouli Natasha Lima Blake Goggins

Konrad Ilolahia Laura Dryden The Junior Drama ensemble have just finished performing the 2011 East Hills Concert. Martin Andrews - Head Teacher CAPA

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Science Faculty On Wednesday the 8th of June 46 students sat for the ICAS Science Competition. The school received 2 Distinctions and 10 Credits. The following results were achieved by our students. Distinction - top 5% of the state: Nicholas Morris Yr7 Matthew Cash Yr10 Credit - top 20% of the state: Mitchell Driver Yr7 Daniel Morris Yr7 Isaac Heslop Yr8 Adam Jackson Yr10 Brendan Marshall Yr10 Dean Lloyd Yr10 Apurva Shahapurkar Yr11 Craig Roberts Yr12 Talya-Rae McGregor Yr11 James Grant Yr12 Congratulations to all students who participated and a big thank you to Mrs Kaur who organised the competition. This term Year 7 have completed their third assessment task which was a practical activity held in class in Week 8. Students were required to display their knowledge and understanding of laboratory skills and equipment learnt during the year. Their fourth task will be the Yearly Examination in Term 4. Year 8 students will be receiving their fourth assessment task in the next few days. This task will be a research task where students research information to bring to class to answer a series of questions. Year 9 students will be completing a practical assessment task in Week 9 on Acids & Bases and Electricity. Their fourth assessment task will be the Yearly Examination in Term 4. Year 10 students completed their third assessment task this term in the form of a research task. Their fourth task will be the Yearly Examination in Term 4. All students should be completing their weekly homework booklets that they have all been given in class. Extra copies can be printed from the PPHS web page following the link through Faculties, to Science and then to Junior Science. Mrs N. Sherry - Head Teacher Science

Library Report Congratulations and well done to the sixty-nine students from Years 7, 8 and 9 who successfully completed the 2011 NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge. It was the first time that two entire classes finished the Challenge – fantastic work 7G and 7B! Reading is a great way to have fun and develop literacy skills at the same time. From Year 7 : Georgia Abou-Hadiar Chloe Arkey Mitchell Bailey Kiarne Bitz Emma-Lee Borg Jake Carter Jayden Chew Jasmin Cvijanovic Corrie Garvey Tayla Dennis Mitchell Driver Billy Elkotob Rebecca El Zayat Tristan Evans-Tsoi Adam Floyd Bill Gasteratos Ashley Green Talliha Griffiths James Grozdanovski Tiahn Harris Aimee Johnstone Ian Johnstone Mitchell King Monique Larkin Jack Leonard Veronika Lesko Lauren Lever Serena Lloyd Thomas Lovegrove Keen Lucas Kaitlin Macdonald Tara-Leigh Macintyre Alexandra Mandile Daniel Marriott Emily Mavin Jacqui McAuliffe Shaylie McWilliams Joshua Moran Nicholas Morris John Ngo Olivia Papoutsis Kayla Paterson-Barrie Josh Pilon Keira Quain Nicholas Rose Lachie Ryder Amanda Salloum Heidi Seeto Cameron Single Jack Stevenson Rachel Taylor Vanessa Tia Joshua ThompsonReynolds Taylor Walsh From Years 8 & 9: Nathan Anderson Halana Arcidiacono Manisha Banga Anthony Carver Owen Davis LiamGreenwood Mitchell Greenwood Jaedyn Hawkins Stacey Hayward Alex Lippis Samantha Regler Hayley Soban Jeremy Shepherd These successful students will receive a certificate from the Premier in December. Marion Aranjo - Teacher Librarian

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EWT „G‟Day USA‟ Report We are becoming more and more excited about our trip to America next year – only 4 months to go! We recently received our travel dates – we will be flying out of Sydney for Seattle on the 6th of January 2012 and returning to Australia on the 25th of January. All students will be going straight to their host family for a week long stay [including a trip to the snow!] and then we will be visiting San Francisco and Los Angeles. Our trip will finish with an exciting 3 days at Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and Universal Studios.

Fundraising – Cupcake Stall, Saturday 24th September Allison and Cherie McKay have organised a cupcake stall as our next fundraising event! The details are: Date: Saturday, 24th September 2011 Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm Place: Revesby Markets, Marco Ave Cost: From $1 Please join us on the day, buy a yummy cupcake and support our trip – see you there! Donation We have recently written to our local State and Federal Members of Parliament and the Bankstown City Council, requesting a donation and any Australian items that we may be able to give to our host families and host high school. Daryl Melham MP [Member for Banks] has kindly donated $100.00 for our trip and also supplied Australian flags for each student and information about Australian flags, emblems and symbols. We are extremely grateful to Mr Melham for his generosity and willingness to support our trip to America, especially the cultural exchange component, which always proves to be the most rewarding aspect of the trip.

English Writing Day Excursion On Wednesday 31st August 2011, a group of 39 year seven students went on a bus to the CBD. First we visited The Queen Victoria Building. Whilst we were there, all year sevens were assigned a task, which was to write a persuasive text of why the building would be a great buy for American buyers. We were allocated task like this throughout the excursion, which was to help us experiment with different writing techniques. Our next writing task was set at Saint Mary‟s Cathedral. There we had to write two different stories exploring two different genres; horror and romance. We then moved onto The Mitchell Library where we had to write a story - why there was a statue of a cat outside on the window sill; the story was meant for an audience of 4-5 year olds. The fourth writing task was at the Botanic Gardens; we had to close our eyes and listen to our surroundings and then describe what we heard. On our final writing task we did the opposite, we had to use our eyes and then describe what we saw at Sydney Harbour. After this we walked back to the bus and were transported back to school.

Revesby Craft Fair and Market

In the heart of Revesby Shopping Centre alongside

the Railway Station.

80 stalls of handmade,

homemade, home-

grown goods

and produce.

Saturday,

24th September

9am - 3pm

Picnic Point High School

Cultural Exchange

Seattle USA

Cupcake Stall

Fundraiser

Come along

support

our students

and grab a treat!

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Close our eyes and listen to our surroundings Now listen to Mrs Heap

It was a beautiful sunny day and everyone enjoyed our time there. Written by Antonia Mangos, Melissa Petrovski and Ellie Pieters 7Y

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Student Leadership Camp 2011 On Monday the 15th of August, 60 students from Years 7 - 11 boarded the bus to head off to Stanwell Tops Conference Centre for Leadership Camp 2011, accompanied by 3 great teachers; Ms Stavros, Mrs Peterson and Ms Marquis. We arrived at 9:30am and were greeted by Barry the mind reader, who could tell us how many chicken wings Patty had eaten last time at Leadership Camp. Barry had us for our first group session where we looked at what leaders do, and how they lead. This was then followed by lunch and our first activity; Survivor. The first challenge we faced in survivor was attempting to get the whole group of student leaders over the other side of the skipping rope. We had to follow all the rules otherwise the rope would be dropped and shortened. After trying various ways to get across the other side, we finally found a way that we would all get across.

That night after dinner was „Horror Night‟ we went and got changed into our costumes and the „Horror Night‟ began. We had to make a scary story and we would then act it out. There was to be a main character that you use the face paints provided to make them look scary. This was all while „Ghost Busters‟ was playing in the background. The plays were shown in the dark and the narrator had a torch shining on their face, they were a lot of fun to watch, and scary! Some not so scary witches (Ms Stavros & Ms Marquis) The next challenge was to create a monster with the food items they gave us. There was jelly, sprinkles, mini marshmallows and all kinds of things. The judges came around and scored our monster creations. But that wasn‟t it, with the monsters there was to be one person from each group to eat their monster without hands. They were very competitive and the judges were keeping time to see who had the fastest time. Before we knew it „Horror Night‟ was over.

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The next day we woke up and had breakfast, this camp has the best food ever! Our first challenge was „Zoom‟. Everyone has a picture and without showing your picture to anyone, you have to get them in the correct order of how zoomed in it is. We then had some lunch and headed out to the oval to do some team activities. In the first activity we were blind folded for about 50m and your team mates had to yell out directions so that you did not walk into the cones that were on the ground, if you walked into a cone you had to spin around in circles a few times. There was also archery, catapult building and all different things. We also had to get everyone through a rope web without touching it. The hardest challenge was to use crates to get to the cone about 70 metres away. We had to stay off the ground and stand on the crates and pass them down to the other end. At all times a crate had to have someone on it. If someone fell off the crate, that crate was taken off us. If we were lucky enough sometimes the Camp instructors let us sing songs like „I‟m a little tea pot‟ all in unison to get the crate back. Sometimes there were two or three people on one crate. It took the teams a while to complete but they both successfully finished.

We went back for afternoon tea, then got ready for our next activity; Mission Impossible. Mission impossible involved getting into four groups. Each person in the group was assigned a role. We had navigators to tell us which way to go. We had to find clues in the bush to lead us to the next clue eventually leading us to the finish. There we had to unlock a brief case with the codes we had got from the clues. On the last night we had a trivia night. There were a few rounds and after each round there was a challenge. One of the challenges involved someone going on their knees and leaning backwards onto the ground. A cup of water was then placed on their forehead and they had to try and stand up without spilling the water. It was a great night, with lots of laughs. On the last day we ventured into the bush to go Go - Karting. You had to peddle on the Go Karts and lean either side on the seat to turn. It was a lot of fun. After getting into two teams and having a couple of practice goes on the track we had some races. It was getting competitive a few people crashed, which meant you got a 20 second time penalty.

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After Go Karting we had lunch. We then went back to the meeting room and got into our groups that we had been working with over the past three days for a school project idea to unite the school. Each group presented their idea and we had a vote to see which school project we should go ahead with. Some of the ideas included; Re – landscape the front gardens of the school, a school fete for the 50th anniversary, a school flag, a multicultural day, a landscape feature including name engraved pavers, time capsule, a school survey and a clothing drive. Two school projects were chosen and we will soon know what they are.

After three fun filled days it was time to board the bus at Stanwell Tops and go home. The leadership group all got a lot out of the camp and learnt a lot of new leadership skills. The group all got along really well and formed a great bond. We would all like to thank Ms Stavros, Ms Marquis, Mrs Peterson and Mr Burgess for all their time and effort they put in to making the camp possible and giving up their time to go away on camp. Also a big thank you to Mr Schromberg, Mr Negroh and Mr Clay for coming and visiting too. Written by Chloe Larcombe and Kodi Graham

It‟s About Time We Give Back To The Community!! On Monday the 26th of September from 12.00pm - 5.00pm the Red Cross Blood bank will be in Revesby at 176 The River Rd, Revesby [the car park of the bottle shop]. A group of students from Picnic Point High School will be attending to donate blood. If you would like to join us just call 13 14 95 to book an appointment. Although it is the first day of the holidays, why not make a great start by giving to others and saving lives [you must be over 16 to donate]. Parents, students and teachers are all welcome to donate as well! Hope to see you there! Lara Wilson, Year 11 Prefect

Prefect Lunch On September 6th, the 2010-2011 Prefects, along with Mr Negroh, the deputy principals and staff members attended a lunch at Eddy‟s Restaurant in Revesby. The lunch was to celebrate both the achievements of the Prefects, as well as to thank the teachers who have helped and supported us throughout the year. We would like to once again thank Mr Negroh for organising this lunch for us, it was a wonderful way to end our prefecture and we very much appreciate it. Leah Edwards

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LOTE Faculty Year 12 Year 12 Continuers have completed their Trials and are finalising their revision for the Japanese Continuers HSC exam on November 1 – we congratulate all students on their efforts so far! The Continuers students completed their HSC Speaking Exam on Saturday, August 13 – all students were pleased with their ten minute conversation in Japanese. We would also like to congratulate Nathaly Guzman for completing her Italian Continuers course through the Open High School and Zhi Huang for completing his Chinese Background Speakers course through the Saturday School of Community Languages. Learning a language by correspondence is extremely challenging, well done to these students for their continued efforts throughout the year! Year 11 Year 11 Japanese Continuers are currently completing their Yearly Exams. We wish our students all the best as they prepare and complete these important exams. Year 10 Year 10 have completed three assessment tasks this year and are now preparing to complete their 4th task next week – speaking! All students should now begin preparations for their Yearly Exams which will be held during Term 4. On September 5, the Year 10 Japanese class and Ms Marquis travelled to the Nihongo Tanken Centre, located within the grounds of Kirrawee High School. The Tanken Centre is a traditional Japanese house and the program is conducted in the „tatami‟ room. The Year 10 students were immersed in a full-day Japanese program, completing speaking and technology classes and trying Japanese food. This was a valuable experience and all the students thoroughly enjoyed the day. Here is a report of the day by Belinda Anderson. Year 9 The Year 9 Japanese class have now finished the Hai! 3 Course Book and Workbook and have excitedly begun work from Hai! 4. The students are actively engaged in reading, writing, listening and speaking Japanese and have completed many tasks using their laptops. The Year 9 class should be commended for their diligence towards Japanese and are encouraged to keep it up. All students should now begin preparations for their Yearly Exams which will be held during Term 4. Year 8 Year 8 classes are currently undertaking their in-depth study of the Hiroshima bombing in 1945. Students are currently viewing documentaries which put this devastating event into a historical context and they are having fantastic class discussions about the event and the implications for people all around the world. Shortly, students will undertake an in-class assessment on the Hiroshima bombing, which will replicate one of the text structures of the 2011 NAPLAN assessment. Preparations for this assessment will occur in class over the next few weeks.

Year 7 Year 7 students have recently completed their ICT Culture Task – they have been working in pairs to research and present an aspect of Japanese culture. All students chose exciting topics and spent a lesson in the computer room to begin their presentations. All presentations were due via email to Ms Marquis or Ms Mitchell during Week 9 We look forward to watching these presentations in Term 4. Ms Marquis and Ms Mitchell Yr 10 Visit to Tanken Centre On Monday the 5th of September the year 10 Japanese class caught a train to the Tanken Centre in Kirrawee High School. The Tanken Centre is set up as a traditional Japanese house and we even had to change into traditional slippers while inside and were only spoken to by the hosts in Japanese. When we arrived, we were given our name tags and separated into groups with students from the Open High Schools who are studying Japanese by correspondence. While we were at the Tanken Centre we participated in a lot of group activities that were set up as competitive games. After morning tea, the Open High School group was sent to the computer room while we stayed in the tatami room and completed a group activity.

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When we had finished that activity, it was our turn in the computer room. We played a game where the first person in the row had to stand up and answer a question and were awarded points if they choose the right Japanese character. When we went back into the tatami room, we participated in a few more Japanese activities before being split up again. This time we had to focus on our katakana skills by locating the right characters, this game was very exciting and competitive. We moved back into the computer room and this time were told to make our own manga comic slide in pairs - when we had finished we read out our examples to the class. Finally it was lunch time - most of us had chosen to have an obentou which is Japanese for lunch box.

After an unsuccessful attempt at using chopsticks Mikaela and I decided that it would be easier to use our hands. When we came back inside we participated in our final activity which was a quiz like game. It was a very enjoyable day and everyone had a great time. Belinda Anderson

Home Economics Report It has been another busy time in the Home Economics faculty. Year 12 Textiles and Design Major Textiles projects have now been completed and are currently with the Board of Studies for marking. These projects contribute to 50% of the final mark in the HSC for Textiles and Design. The projects were original in concepts, innovative and displayed a unique flair and passion for textiles. I would like to congratulate Hayley Dick, Casey Feeney, Rebecca Marsh, Amanda Mihaljek and Rebecca Strickland on their hard work and dedication to their projects and wish them every success. Congratulations to Year 11 Textiles and Design students who have completed their second practical project – an item of apparel which must fit and suit their body type. The students challenged themselves and items ranged from a summer dress to evening wear to a winter jacket. These items were recently on display at our HSC Major Projects night which highlighted the many successes of our senior students.

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Congratulations to Daniel Cvetkovski, Year 12 for showcasing his Multimedia project on this night. His images drew much interest from the parents who attended this night. Year 11 Hospitality students have returned from another very successful work placement. It is always pleasing to hear the positive feedback from host employers about our student s in the way they deal with customers and fellow employees. Year 7 Technology students are busy planning a food item of their own choice for café menu. I am consistently impressed by the extraordinary talent and skill that Year 7 student possess and I look forward to viewing their “creations” in the next few weeks. Next year, the school will be celebrating 50 years of Public Education. The Home Economics faculty will be publishing a recipe book to commemorate this important event in the school‟s history. We are asking all past students, staff and parents to contribute the book. If you have a favourite recipe, please forward to me - cheryl.wardrop@det.nsw.edu.au Please acknowledge if the recipe has come from a different source eg. recipe book or internet . Please include the years you attended or were involved in the school at the bottom of the recipe. Don‟t forget to include your name. The books will go on sale at the Open Day next March, 2011.

As we draw to the end of another term, could parents please finalise fees for food, computing and textiles practical course components, as soon as possible. This would be gratefully appreciated. Finally, on behalf of the Home Economics Faculty, I would like to wish all the Year 12 students every success in the upcoming examinations and good luck in their future endeavours. Mrs Cheryl Wardrop - Head Teacher Home Economics

Our talented Staff Yes Gary Grant has done it again. http://911pebble.com/index.html

Our Talented Students I would again like to take this opportunity to congratulate Andrew Lloyd for his achievement in VET construction. On Monday 5th September Andrew attended the South West Sydney regional Vet Awards night. He was successful in winning the VET Construction Student of the Year and he was a runner up in the VET student of the year. Andrew is to be congratulated on this excellent achievement. Paul Burgess – Head Teacher Industrial Arts

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Ms Todd-McInerney‟s Class Our class have had a very busy Term 3! We had a great excursion to the Art Gallery of NSW, where we had a session with a teacher at the gallery. The students produced an artwork after looking at a variety of artists work and discussing the colour, content and the feeling of the work. Our students were lucky enough to have their pictures hung beside Monet in the gallery. This was a really a fantastic day out, the weather was perfect and our lunch in Hyde Park was very pleasant. The class has also been making regular trips to Revesby to practise money management and handling, using public transport, crossing roads safely and being aware of safety issues and hazards in the community. The students are enjoying these excursions as it is also a chance for students to practice their social skills when they are out and about.

Ms Harding has been exposing students to a vast variety of foods during our Fresh Food Fridays. The students are now lovers of persimmons, ruby grapefruit and avocado just to mention a few, we have also seen a huge improvement in the lunches the students bring to school. We would like to thank the parents for their support in packing great healthy lunches for their children. The next step is getting them to pack their own. Our vegetable garden has been growing really well with corn, lettuce, capsicum, cucumber and our flourishing herbs. The Year 7 students are really enjoying being out in the garden

and understand their jobs and how to perform them with the help of our more senior students. This is a great way for the students to learn to work together and the importance of completing a task well. Soon we will be seeing the benefit of our hard work and the students will then be able to use the fresh produce on Fresh Food Fridays. Ms Schofield had been teaching the class while Ms Todd-McInerney was on leave and registered the class in a photo competition run through Bankstown Council‟s homegrown Celebrating Bankstown Living Spaces initiative. The students used the garden to photograph images to be entered in the competition as their „favourite living space‟ at school. The photos will form part of an exhibition to be run by Bankstown Council in October. We would like to thank Ms Schofield for the great job she did teaching our class her consistency, professionalism and cheery way made this time very settling and enjoyable for our students. Ms Todd-McInerney and Ms Goovan