parramatters...oz fashions, your uniform supplier is now selling all winter uniforms required for...

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & HONESTY

ISSUE 3| TERM 1| 23RD MARCH, 2018

Parramatters Parramatta High School Newsletter

FAX MENTIS INCENDIUM GLORIAE “The torch of the mind lights the path of glory”

Our vision is to provide a holistic 21st century education which develops resilient individuals who are active and informed citizens, empowered to think critically and creatively, within an environment that values diversity, equity and resilience.

Dear Parent / Carers It has been busy few weeks at Parramatta High School. Last week we had our Year 7 Meet the Teachers Evening where Year 7 parents were able to have an informal chat with their child’s teachers about how they have settled into High School. Parents also received a brief interim report. A reminder that students will receive a more detailed report at the end of Term 2 and there will be a more formal Parent Teacher evening early in T 3. It was great to see so many parents present. The interim report is also available on the Parent Portal. Please contact the school if you have been unable to connect to the Portal or need information on how to do so. Year 12 students have been sitting Half Yearly exams in some subjects this week and will be back at school in lessons next week as they continue to work diligently through their final year at PHS. Our school also celebrated Harmony Day this week where lots of our students came in cultural dress or in Orange to celebrate this important day. We also had a special assembly last week where we were addressed by Julie Owens MP, Federal member for Parramatta, who spoke to us about Cultural Diversity in our local community. Just a reminder that as we move into Autumn and Winter it is important that students who are sick stay home as infections can easily be spread around the school. If students have assessment tasks on when they are sick (especially Senior Students) they will need to complete a Misadventure Form with a Dr’s Certificate. Of course it is equally important that students who are not sick attend school and arrive on time. A number of parents have received communication regarding poor attendance or lateness to school. The effect of regular absence on student performance at school is well documented. Mr. Gokel & Mrs. Johnstone

CALENDAR 2018 TERM 1

Week 10 Monday 2nd April

Easter Monday Public Holiday Tuesday 2nd April

Wednesday 3rd April

Thursday 4th April Friday 5th April

Yr 7 High Resolves

Week 11 Monday 9th April

Top Blokes program SRC Anzac Service Hyde Park

Tuesday 10th April Year 8 Theatre Performance

Wednesday 11th April

Thursday 12th April Zero Robotics workshop

Friday 13th April Yr 7 Vaccinations Last day of Term 1

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & HONESTY

ISSUE 3| TERM 1| 23RD MARCH, 2018

Years 7, 8 and 9 The 2018 NSW Premier's Reading Challenge is now

open. You can now register online and start reading. An email with further instructions has

been sent to you. All the best!

Oz Fashions, your uniform supplier is now selling all WINTER uniforms required for 2018. We are open 6 days a week Monday-Friday 9.00-5.30pm, Saturday 9.00-4.00pm. Please purchase your uniforms before the holidays to avoid long queues and to guarantee we have all the sizes you require. We also sell CLARKS black leather school shoes and CLARKS white leather sports shoes at very competitive prices

Year 8 PDHPE are currently studying the unit, 'Staying Alive' where they are investigating the many types of risks that are associated with road use. By using their personal skills and protective strategies, students can make smarter choices to keep themselves and others safe. Recently, students were asked to design a poster that delivers a strong message that highlights the importance of keeping safe as a road user, a passenger, a pedestrian or a cyclist. I was thrilled to see the amount of effort and thought that went into the creation of these posters and how confident each student was when presenting their posters to the class. Here is the best of the bunch! Well done, 8PDHB

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & HONESTY

ISSUE 3| TERM 1| 23RD MARCH, 2018

Clean Up Parramatta HS Day On Friday March 9th Year 9 students participated in “Clean Up PHS Day” our own take on the Clean Up Australia Day initiative which focussed on cleaning up and ridding the school of rubbish. Mr Walsh with the help of our two wonderful SRC Representatives Teresa Chhabra and Ellen Li organised the event and enrolled our school with the CUAD organisation to be recognised as an official site promoting the initiative. These two students have shown amazing leadership skills through this process and they deserve to be congratulated for being so thorough and dedicated! I would like to thank our wonderful teaching staff for getting involved and tallying all of the collected rubbish - Mr Denia, Mr Smith, Mr Warren, Mr Silva, Mr Ruspindini, and of course Miss Cheung who supervised the winning class - collecting a massive 2050 pieces of rubbish, well done to our 9Commerce1 class! Lastly, thank you to all Year 9 students for being so enthusiastic and involved with this important event!

A STUDENT’S PERSPECTIVE Clean up Australia day is the day where all Australians come together as one and become the solution of the world’s biggest issue, which is waste. On this day, each and every Australian comes together in groups, to collect garbage around them and become a part of the solution for this issue. This day encourages people to clean up their local areas. In more detail, clean up Australia was originated in January 1989 by an average Australian who wanted to make a difference in his own backyard. This simple idea has become the nation’s largest community based environmental event, named as clean up Australia day. Why we clean up Australia are because this, community-based program, inspires and empowers individuals and communities from every corner of the globe to clean up, fix up and conserve the environment. Just one individual can make a big difference by picking up waste. This day is held on the 5th of March every year. This year at Parramatta High, we will be holding Schools Clean Up day, which is on The 2nd of March, but this year at Parramatta high, we will be holding our clean-up day in Week 5, Friday, on the 9th of March. The importance of cleaning up Australia, our school, workplaces etc., is the good habits, which become developed as we help out our community. You might think, there are other people to clean up for us, so why do we have to do it? Well, look at our school. Its ancient, isn’t it? But let’s be honest here, as much as its ancient, it’s still very cleaned and the nature here is actually quite precious and has been looked after very well. This is only because previous generations have looked after our school and participated in cleaning our school. Furthermore, a clean and healthy environment makes us happy and healthy. Cleaning up our school also impacts our sustainability, which is the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely. Sustainability is split up into three parts, environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. But the part we’re most impacting is the environmental sustainability due to the ability to maintain rates of renewable resources and non-renewable resource depletion (reduction) that can be continued indefinitely.

Teresa Chhabra in Yr 9

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & HONESTY

ISSUE 3| TERM 1| 23RD MARCH, 2018

NSW SCHOOL VACCINATION PROGRAM – SCHOOL NEWSLETTER TO PARENTS/GUARDIANS Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program.

In 2018 the following vaccines will be offered:

YEARS VACCINE NUMBER OF DOSES Year 7 Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine 2-doses at least 6 months

apart Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine

Single dose

Year 10 & 11 Meningococcal ACWY vaccine Single dose

Parent Information Kits that include an information sheet, consent form and privacy statement will be sent home to you by your child’s school. To consent to the vaccination of your child, parents/guardians are advised to:

• read all the information provided; • complete the consent form, including signing your name next to the vaccine/s you would

like your child to receive; • return the completed consent form to your child’s school; • ensure that your child eats breakfast on the day of the school vaccination clinic.

Parents/guardians who wish to withdraw consent for any reason may do so by writing to the school Principal or phone the school. The Procedure for Withdrawal of Consent is available on the NSW Health website at www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation. To improve vaccination completion, students will be opportunistically offered any missed vaccine/s throughout the year where possible. Please note that students who commence the HPV vaccination in school clinics in Year 7 but do not complete the course during the school year may be offered catch-up doses at school in Year 8. Students who have their first HPV dose at their GP will be advised to complete the course with their GP. A Record of Vaccination will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic. You should ensure that this record is kept for future reference. Please do not assume that your child has been vaccinated if you do not receive this Record of Vaccination.

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & HONESTY

ISSUE 3| TERM 1| 23RD MARCH, 2018

Assembly Performances Alec Rosh Lee from Year 12 Elective Music performed “More Love” by Victor Wooten on Bass Guitar. Alec gave an almost flawless performance of this piece which requires significant skill in many techniques to deliver fluently.

Jacob Darma also from Year 12 Elective Music, gave a very sincere solo piano performance of a technically challenging piece “Hello, Count The Stars” composed and arranged by Akihiko Yamaguchi which he has almost mastered.

Excursion “Who Needs A Conductor Anyway?”

All of Year 7 and Elective Music Classes attended a very entertaining and informative concert with Simon Tedeschi on piano and the SSO, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, at the Riverside Theatres on Thursday 8 March.

Year 7 Live Concert

A very successful concert was held in the School Hall on Monday 12th March during period 5 when talented students and new extra- curricular

ensembles that include Year 7 students performed for the entire Yr 7 group. Performers, comperes and crew were presented with their Merit Certificates after the concert.

Fanfare Competition Year 12 Elective Music have been given the opportunity to further elaborate on their Core Composition Task for the Fanfare Competition which closes on Monday 4 June.

Other students who are interested in entering the competition can see Ms Piper in Room 41 for the 6-page instruction manual or read all the details and conditions at:

WWW.ARTOLOGY.ORG.AU

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & HONESTY

ISSUE 3| TERM 1| 23RD MARCH, 2018 Junior Choir

An audition tape was recorded at rehearsal on Monday 26 February to present to the Regional Panel for possible inclusion in the Regional PULSE Massed Choir performance at the Opera House on Thursday 9 August. Congratulations to all vocalists and the Junior Choir Director Mrs Gooneratne as it was successful!

Big Thank You Thank you again to Mr Smith and the Production Crews of students for Lighting, Video Camera and Photography who are so helpful and do an amazing job at so many of our functions involving Musical Items and help us to achieve successful auditions. We thank you all very much.

Stage Band

The first public performance for this year was at the “Year 7 Meet the Teacher Afternoon” in the School Hall on Wednesday 14 March where 2 pieces were performed for audition purposes under expert direction from Mr Nathan Henshaw on Saxophone – “Remember” by Earth, Wind and Fire and “Mustang Sally” which starred Louis Broadfield from Year 12 Elective Music on Trombone.

Harmony Day occurs on 21 March each year and coincides with the United Nations' International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The ongoing theme of Harmony Day is ‘everyone belongs’. Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for all. By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians equally belong to this nation and enrich it.

Thank you to Helen Moore and the SJL who helped make Harmony Day a success at PHS, showcasing our fantastic cultural diversity.

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & HONESTY

ISSUE 3| TERM 1| 23RD MARCH, 2018

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & HONESTY

ISSUE 3| TERM 1| 23RD MARCH, 2018

Closing the Gap with Harmony On the 21st of March, 2018, Harmony Day was held, and so was Close the Gap day. National Close the Gap day is an annual awareness event that aims to close the health and life expectancy gap between indigenous and the non-indigenous communities within

Australia. Closing the Gap with Harmony was an initiative that was run in conjunction with Harmony Day and was helped run by Mr. Pollock and a selection of year 9 students. The students aided Mr. Pollock in collecting ideas for the day, planned the various stalls that would run during the day, made posters to showcase the initiative and prepared Roll-call announcements. On the day of the event, students decided to meet up during period one and two to hang the posters, set-up the stalls and create the polaroid-style photo frame. Throughout recess and lunch, students showed their support for Close the Gap Day, by purchasing cupcakes and baked goods. There was also a candy guessing competition in place, where students had to guess the amount of candy within the jar in order to win a prize. Students could also sign a petition and take a picture within the polaroid frame. Finally, at lunch, a BBQ was held as a fundraising opportunity; and all collected donations will be going to OXFAM. The event, overall, was part of a really fun, entertaining and exciting day. Thank you to Mr. Pollock, and all of the people who helped in organising the events of the day. Thank you also to the students of Parramatta High who were quick to sign the petition and contribute funds as a way of doing their part in Closing the Gap. By Dilreet Dhillon, SJL 91

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & HONESTY

ISSUE 3| TERM 1| 23RD MARCH, 2018

ASPIRE element: “A” for “Accomplishment”

"Every accomplishment starts with a decision to try" Try, not for the sake of trying, but trying with strong will power and determination. There is no secret of success, other than preparation, perseverance, constant efforts, learning from failure and unshakable faith. Will power is indeed a great force in the world. Half the battle is won by will power alone. Tenacity of purpose is a guarantee of ultimate success. A person whose enthusiasm is dampened at the first sign of failure, can never achieve any goal, since they are lacking in the most essential condition of success. We must understand that “failures are the stepping stones to success". The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but rising every time we fall. No obstacle or hindrance can stand in the way of a person who makes up his mind to attain his objective. History gives us countless examples of how strong will have enabled people to attain the ideals they had set before themselves. A person of weak health can improve his health by strict observance of rules of health. A student can show good performance, by determining to do so. A dancer can improve dancing skills by sheer determination and constant efforts. A singer can excel in the field by strong will and perseverance.

Willingness is essential in any initiation or in making any dream come true. “I can’t” often means “I won’t.” You can change “I won’t” to “I will” with "will power.”

If you can't fly, then run

If you can't run, then walk If you can't walk, then crawl But whatever you have to do,

Keep moving forward, keep trying. - Martin Luther King Jr.

Parents can find more information about the NAPLAN changes by using the following link.

http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/fc0798b3-049a-43d2-8eec-5603d4a5e8b1/parents-advice-Y10-students.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=

RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY & HONESTY

ISSUE 3| TERM 1| 23RD MARCH, 2018

A message from our Positive School Links Team

Why it’s more important than ever to foster positive relationships in children and young people By Michael Grose At a time when the way many prominent public figures treat others can leave a fair-minded person shaking his or her head in dismay it’s worth remembering that through our own fair and tolerant treatment of others we can positively impact how children and teenagers treat others. Practical ways to promote respectful relationships at home: 1. Show your willingness to listen to kids and talk through their relationship problems. 2. Expect kids of all ages to use manners. Good manners are respect in action. 3. Talk about how good friends act and treat each other. Conversations about friendly behaviours should also involve how their behaviours make others feel. 4. Differentiate between a friendship and a clique with young people. A clique is restrictive and can make a young person feel bad, while a friendship group is inclusive and feels good. 5. Respectfully and tactfully question displays of intolerance and challenge bullying behaviour. Be mindful that children and young people are learning how to behave civilly so they need guidance and direction, which sometimes involves challenge.

Student Leaders Representing PHS

On Friday 23rd March the Yr 11 members of the SJL and School Vice Captain Pearl Chung attended a small ceremony hosted by the Hon. David Elliott MP, NSW Minister for Veterans Affairs at the Parramatta War Memorial. During the event a sample of soil was collected from the grounds of the memorial. This soil will represent WW1 enlistees from Parramatta and will eventually be preserved in an artwork at Sydney’s Hyde Park Memorial. A major refurbishment and extension of the War Memorial is being completed in the lead up to the Centenary of the 1918 Armistice in November.