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Inspire, challenge, create

Celebrating 50 years in 2015

Principal’s Blog

Volume 7 16th December 2015

Newsletter Newsletter

The challenges for families and educators today are

immense. We talk about future focussed learning at

Ku-ring-gai High School and of preparing young people

for successful lives – but what does that really mean? Is it

just about learning, skills and competencies or is there a

little more?

From its establishment in 1965, Ku-ring-gai High School

has a proud history of global connectedness and has

fostered a true understanding of the meaning of the word

“humanity”. As a learning community we are more focused

than ever on ensuring that “Harmony in Diversity” remains

our underpinning belief, that our school will always be a

safe haven for all students and every student will be

respectful of each other at all times. Therefore, our future focused learning is strengthened by a solid

ethical base. But what is future focused learning? Young people today are citizens of a rapidly changing

world. This is a world of instant answers and connectivity through technology. Our challenge as educators

is to engage young people in:

Their ways of thinking: critical thinking, creative thinking, and deep thinking which encourages them to

not just accept the answers they can find online but to question them and then to know what to do with

the answers and information.

Working in the 21st century: developing skills of communication and collaboration.

The tools necessary for working: information and technology literacies to complement numeracy and

literacy skills.

Preparation for a successful and fulfilled life: an understanding of citizenship, responsibility, resilience and

a strong sense of justice and equality for all.

Our Talent Enrichment Program is the epitome of future focused learning. Every student from years 7-10

has four extra hours of subjects of their choice per week. They are able to choose from a wide range of

subjects including the arts, dance, drama, 3D design, animation, film making, voice, instrument, creative

writing, Big History, Environmental Studies and sports options. Each subject is focussing on problem

solving, creativity, communication and collaboration.

Our expectation at Ku-ring-gai H.S. is that through personalised innovative and challenging learning

programs, every student will be an effective learner, challenged in their learning and given a variety of

assessment tasks that allow all students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. In guiding this

learning process, students are encouraged to think critically, work co-operatively and always to reflect up-

on their learning.



Principal’s Blog (cont’d)

Our learning environment fosters creativity. With the

recognition that the learning environment is the Third

Teacher, Ku-ring-gai High School is outstanding with its 25

acres of beautiful parkland surrounding the National Park,

welcoming and flexible learning spaces and modern

specialised rooms including science laboratories, commercial

kitchens, and technology spaces.

The first teacher is the parent. We work closely with families

through the Parent and Citizens Committee, surveys and

questionnaires so that we truly reflect the expectations of our families.

Our teachers are passionate educators who know their students and how they best learn. As a smaller

secondary school, between 600 and 650 students we have the advantage of smaller classes and individual

learning programs.

Merry Christmas from the staff and may all the families of Ku-ring-gai High School have a safe and

wonderful holiday. See you next year.

Ms Terri-Anne Kamasz

Principal

Presentation Day 2015

Congratulations to all the students of Ku-ring-gai High

School for a fantastic year of achievement and

learning. For a full list of award recipients from

Presentation Day please visit the Photo Gallery at our

website: www.kcahs.nsw.edu.au



School Spectacular

In week 8 of this term, 10 dance students participated in

the NSW State School Spectacular at the Qantas Credit

Union Arena, formally the Entertainment Centre. This

year’s Spectacular featured 3,500 students across the

state, showcasing their talent in dance, singing, and

music. The segment that we featured in consisted of 200

dancers across Sydney, and involved many formation

changes, aerialists and the NSW Contemporary Company.

Our students were lucky enough to perform part of the

dance on the raised stage at the back of the arena floor,

which is an excellent opportunity for our hard working

students!

This Spectacular was particularly special as it was the last

time in over 30 years that the Schools Spectacular was

performed in the Entertainment Centre. The students’

professionalism and dedication was an excellent example

for younger students participating in the Spectacular, and

it was a pleasure to accompany them throughout this

wonderful experience!

Miss Hallett

Term 4 December

Week 11

Tue 15th: Yr. 7 End of Year Celebration

Day

Wed 16th: Final Day of Term for

Students

HSC Results Released

Thu 17th: School Development Day

Fri 19th: School Development Day

School Holidays

Term 1 January

Week 1

Wed 27th: School Development Day

Thu 28th: Yr. 7, 11 & 12 Students

Commence School

Fri 29th: Yr. 8, 9 & 10 Students

Commence School

Week 2 February

Wed 3rd: Yr. 7 Camp

Yr. 12 HSC Seminar

Thu 4th: Yr. 7 Camp

Fri 5th: Yr. 7 Camp

Week 3

Wed 10th: New Parents Welcome

Evening

Thu 11th: Swimming Carnival

Week 4

Week 5

Wed 24th: Big Fish Little Fish Student

Seminar

Big Fish Little Fish Parent

Seminar 6pm

Diary Dates

Term 4 2015 & Term 1 2016



Christmas Concert

Last Tuesday December 8th, saw some magnificent

performances from many of our TEP singers,

instrumentalists and dancers, as well as wonderful

talent in our Elective 9, 10 & 11 Dance and Music

classes. Highlights included the first public

performance by Tina Rhys-Patuua in Yr 9 singing ‘At

Last’, along with a Yr 8 Rock Band featuring Ryan Lasek

in Yr 8 singing Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’.

Yr. 12 performed Manhattan

Transfer’s a cappella ‘Trickle, trickle’

featuring great bass singing from

Luke Fromager and Damien

Arancibia.

TEP Contemporary Music

showcased some composition work

from the ‘Men in Aluminium’, along

with some Yr. 10 Prog Rock.

The TEP Vocalists presented great

songs conducted by Music staff Ms

Boyle and Ms Cupitt along with

ex-student Nadia McCarthy – ‘White

Winter Hymnal’ and ‘Run to you’ by

The Pentatonix were wonderful,

along with an arrangement of

‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’

featuring vocal scat improvising by

Millie Scott Yr 7 and Nirthanan

Krishnan Yr 9.

The Tech Crew, led by Mr Evanoff,

did a great job on a very warm

evening with some great lighting,

smoke effects and moving of choir

risers.

The TEP Contemporary and Hip

Hop Dancers showcased some

fabulous choreography from a

number of ex-students as well as our

current Dance teacher Ms Carly

Hallett. Thank you to Alex Bell and

Daniel Furzer in Yr. 12 for being

comperes on the evening.

Thanks to the wonderfully supportive

P&C Association, led by Mrs Dee York, for a lovely supper and

successful Silent Auction and Raffle - $3000 raised in support of all the

Creative Arts in the school.

Have a great Christmas break and see you in 2016 for more wonderful

Performing Arts evenings. Ms Ann Boyle



Concert Band News

This term, the Concert Band returned to "The

Landings" for another workshop/performance. It was

nice being away from distractions at school to focus

fully on the music, and "The Landings" opposite the

school gave us that opportunity. In a large quiet room,

we rehearsed several pieces and prepared for upcom-

ing performances.

This time we were able to break up the day with a

bowling session run by local identity, Barry, who has

already taught several senior students the nuances of

lawn bowls. There were several wayward bowls from

our students with most of them ending up in the ditch!

All of the students were feeling full by the end of the day with muffins and juice for morning tea, sausage

sandwiches and salad for lunch, and Tim Tams in the afternoon!

We had an appreciative concert and a pleasant walk back to school.

I would like to thank the following people for all their hard work:

Paul and Fiona Cook for all the cooking, being on hand during the day and helping out with transport.

Thanks to Jon Fowler for organising this day again and taking time out of his busy day to help ensure that

the day ran smoothly and making sure everyone was happy; thanks to Rob Sidaway for his conducting

expertise and saint like patience when working with our young musicians. We look forward to seeing work

with again next year.

We already have 9 new applications for Concert Band in 2016, so we look forward to new and bigger

sounds next year.

Ku-ring-gai High School Concert Band 2016

Edmodo Reminder - www.edmodo.com

As a part of the support that Ku-ring-gai provides to both students and parents the school uses the

learning platform of Edmodo. Parents, students and teachers are able to create accounts and be a part of

a dynamic online learning community. Most students already have an account and are connected with

various classes online, but if you do not have an account as a parent, please sign up today by going to the

website. More information will be available soon for the new school year in 2016.

Flute 7A Mikaela Becchio

Flute 7K Alexis Stuckings

Trombone 7C Timothy Daniels

Bass Guitar Yr 7 Ethan Davis

Trumpet Yr 7 Dylan Plumridge

Clarinet Yr 7 Ryan Saberton

Alto Saxophone Yr 9 Brody Kowalski

Trumpet Yr9 Pierce Boughton

Trumpet Yr 8 Matthew Cook

Keyboard Yr 9 Janet Malhotra

Clarinet Yr 10 Rob Sewell

Percussion Yr10 Troy Hitchens



From the Library

The Catherine Jinks Library has seen many changes this year! We

are glad to say that many students and staff, and indeed the

whole school community, have contributed to making our library

a great space to be in!

This year, we have changed the space - adding new furniture and

'revamping' some of the other areas in the library.

There is a new fiction area; a new year 11 senior study room, and

a couple of new open work areas for our students!

The P&C has kindly purchased some new modern furniture for

the library. This allows our students to work at collaborative tables, often with their own devices. For

reading and working, there is now a comfortable sofa, some 'funky' ottomans, a couple of laptop tables

and two coffee tables. We also have a 'wave' tub/seating

area now which houses many of our picture book collection,

allowing students to sit comfortably and relax among all

things bookish!

We have had some visitors to our library this year -

including the year 5 enrichment day - where some of our

year 8 students worked with these students to share and

build positive links with younger students in the area. We

also had a Harmony Day earlier this year where our students

proudly set up tables and decorations linked to their own

cultural background. What a wide range of cultures there

was! It was a wonderful day!

We also had some successful promotional programs this year running -

the 2015 Reading Challenge for some of our year 8 classes; the Premier's

Reading Challenge for year 7-9 students; and some orientation lessons

incorporating the wonderful legacy of author and ex-student Catherine

Jinks.

Liaison with other public libraries in the area happened this year and so I

would encourage all parents to get your child/children linked up to your

council libraries as they also have some wonderful online resources, print

material and services that are geared for years 7-12. This includes Ku-ring

-gai Council; Ryde Council; Gosford Council; and Hornsby Council.

To you all, I

wish you the

compliments

of the season.

The students of Ku-ring-gai High School are

well placed for 21st century engagement!

Regards,

Ms F. Campbell

Teacher-Librarian



It was another good year for entries into the 2015 Bill Eason Poetry Cup, with this year’s competition being

targeted at Year 9 students.

Students were encouraged to enter a piece of original poetry written this year using the theme of ‘Vision’.

Some chose to submit works already composed as part of their school work, others composed work

specifically for the competition. All used the skills they had learned over the year to create works

employing a variety of language and structural techniques.

The competition is named after the founding Principal of Ku-ring-gai High School, Mr Bill Eason who was

a passionate teacher of poetry and other forms of literature. The poetry was judged by Mr Peter Markwick,

a former student of his and a published poet in his own right. As well as donating the prizes, Mr Markwick

presented some winners with some high quality handmade etchings. The school is fortunate to have a

patron such as Mr Markwick to share an interest in the learning of the students and to encourage them in

their creative pursuits. We thank him for giving his time and money to promote this competition and to

present the prizes.

The winning entries were:

Bill Eason Cup and $50 cash – Phoebe Coyle with Vision;

Keyring and $50 cash – Nathanial Cook with Vision;

Highly Commended – Henry Huang with Pearl Harbor;

Commended – Lily Baguley with Mirror, Mirror, and Isabel Carroll with For You.

Bill Eason Poetry Cup 2015

Vision by Phoebe Coyle

The lids separate to reveal a world

A world of colour and light.

There are many sights my eyes

Must see before I die

You will feel, smell, say and taste

But vision is a painting

A collage of pigment and shape

That the mind keeps safe

Forever we are searching for an image

One that keeps us looking

One that makes our expression change

Our feelings engaged

And the mechanics of it all

Are rather mesmerising

With each blink or wink

Or adjustment of brightness made

The lids slowly shutter to a halt

Blackness and obesity

Soon to come more paintings

More sights whilst I live.

By Nathaniel Cook

Vision, o what a sight!

In these dark days - the only thing that brings

light

Although I say, vision will one day take flight

Heralding darkness in the form of eternal night.

And then no more, no more will be our light

But arrogance which hope must abhor.

One day, one day soon, light will return

The light will return!

Illuminating vision once more



Year 11/12

Congratulations to Year 12 of 2016 for completing their first

assessment task towards their HSC. The students were asked

to imagine addressing a conference of young people at the

‘Sydney Discovery Centre’ and to consider the idea of human

wonder and curiosity stretching our boundaries. All had to

reference a selection of Robert Frost poetry and a related

text of their own choosing. Many different approaches were

taken to answering the question from pastoral to existential. The vast majority of students achieved well

and have laid sound foundations for their HSC year.

The next part of their course is Module A; Experience through Language – Distinctively Visual. Their main

text is the play, ‘The Shoe-horn Sonata’ by John Misto, a play centred on the reminiscences of two women

interned by the Japanese after the fall of Singapore in February 1942, and related texts of their own

choosing.

The Diary of Anne Frank

Year 8 ended the year with a close study of a text. A number of classes studied the novel, ‘The Boy in the

Striped Pyjamas’. The story centres on Bruno, the son of an Auschwitz commandant, who befriends

Shmuel, a Jewish inmate. As well as examining the structure of the novel and the narrative style, they

looked at the themes of the Holocaust, good vs. evil, cruelty and power. They discovered that some of the

issues that existed in the 1930-40s still exist today. A creative writing stimulus, ‘Behind the Wire’, gave

them free rein to create their own poetry or prose writing to further explore these issues. To finish the unit,

the classes watched the 1959 film production of ‘The Diary of

Anne Frank’, showing the last two years of the Frank family in

hiding from the Nazis before their inevitable capture by the

Gestapo. Students were enthralled by the tension within the film

and the portrayal of life in captivity.

Documentaries

The purpose and art of documentary making kept Year 9

students busy this term. They viewed a large number of

documentaries, being amazed by the variety. They learned that

the first recognised documentary was a short clip of a train

arriving at a railway station in the south of France – audiences at

the time being stunned by the realism. The main approach to the

unit was how documentaries can become agents for social

change, highlighting the importance of viewing them. Some of the documentaries viewed were ‘Small

Steps’, a look at life sorting rubbish on a Cambodian municipal rubbish tip, ‘Rise of the Machines’, about

how drones are becoming a major technological force, ‘Into the Arms of Strangers – Stories from the

Kindertransport’, showing how Jewish children were rescued from Nazi territory pre-war (and how

reluctant some nations were to accept them as refugees) and ‘Supersize Me’, the story of one man’s

sacrifices to expose the harm caused by a Macdonald’s diet. Students were given the chance to plan and

compose their own documentary, starting with storyboard, script and filming schedule, followed by filming

and viewing of their own production. 9English1 then studied the life of Anne Frank with a Webquest,

viewing documentary segments and watching the movie, ‘The Diary of Anne Frank’.

English News



The Scottish Play

Year 10 finished the year on a high note, completing a Shakespeare unit on Macbeth. Students cannot

resist the bloodthirsty nature of this play that exposes the rewards for ambition, greed and hubris. They

learn that violence begets more violence. Even after four hundred years, the themes of this drama resonate

strongly. An essay assessment task was a part of this study.

A Picture Tells A Thousand Words

Year 7 learned what this saying means. From film to animation, advertisements to picture books, postcards

to graphic novels, they viewed a wide range of visual texts and explored how they are composed. A major

part of the unit was to speak about picture books from their own childhood and to write about their

favourites. The Yearly Examination featured questions about ‘Gorilla’, a picture

book familiar to many. Students then had a chance to create their own visual

texts.

Debating

Case-line, stakeholders, supporting evidence, rebuttals…and they’re off and

debating! On Monday 7th December, four Year 7 students represented Ku-ring

-gai High School in the annual NS5 Debating Workshop and Gala Day.

Audrey-Rose Hunt, Erin Jaegers, Gwyneth Jansen and Savannah Small were led

by ‘Masters Academy’ which is the leading provider of communication education services for NSW

students. The students brainstormed, improvised, presented and learned the structure and process of

debating. Covering a range of topics including the enforcement of plain packaging for unhealthy foods

and mandatory parenting classes for new parents, the Ku-ring-gai team delivered convincing arguments

and comprehensive rebuttals. The girls are congratulated for their efforts and

have established a sound base for debating in the middle school for coming

years.

Happy Holidays,

From everyone in the English Faculty

English News (cont’d)

3D Modelling

After a successful year using an industry standard CAD program, some students took their designs for a

personalised USB case and had them manufactured in plastic using the 3D printer that was bought with

funds donated by the Ku-ring-gai P&C Association. The work displayed here was created in Creo 2.0 by

Joshua James Allen.

Mr Tarrant



The Talent Enrichment Program Drama

classes brought Halloween to November

with a belated HALLOWEEN HORROR

SPECIAL performed in Lincoln Theatre.

Students performed group devised drama

pieces that had the audiences cringing with

fear, squirming with disgust and rolling in

the aisles with laughter. Thank you to the

teachers and students that came to the

show as audiences, and a big thank you to

all the hard working students who put the show together.

Mr. Hennessy

TEP Drama

Year 7 students have been very busy this year both in school and outside

school. Here are just a few of the latest achievements of some of them:

Danielle Hyde has been sailing since she was nine years old and has been

competing in regattas all the way from Cairns down to Melbourne. She

currently sails in an Open Bic single handed dinghy and will be competing in

the Open Bic World Cup over Christmas which will see sailors come from all

over the world, testing their skills in the challenging waters of Port Phillip Bay

at Safety Beach Sailing Club near Melbourne.

Well done Danielle!

Isabella Sowter recently was entered into

a local photography competition. There

were many entries however, she won the

competition! The prize was an iPad Air 2

64GB and the school has also received $500.

Fantastic job Isabella!

Daniel Timmins has successfully

auditioned out of 200 children for a role in a huge production—Back

to the 80’s. It will be opening in January 2016 at The Concourse in

Chatswood. If you would like to show your support for Daniel, tickets

can be bought from www.theconcourse.com.au

Good luck Daniel!

Congratulations Danielle Hyde, Isabella Sowter & Daniel Timmins!

http://www.riversideparramatta.com.au/



Sunscreen - check

Cozzie - check

Life jackets - check

Goggles - check

Ears open - check

Calm breathing - check

Hot chips - check

On the 26th and 27th of November, year 7 went to Hornsby Aquatic

Centre and participated in Swim School. We were lucky enough to

have a 38° day on Thursday and 25° on Friday, which I don’t think many of us minded, apart from the lack

of people wearing sunscreen on the first day (I think most of us had learned by Friday).

The point of swim school was to learn to swim and be more confident in and around the water. We were

arranged into groups based on our abilities ranging in groups from 1 to 7.

Levels 1 and 2 were placed in the shallower end of the pool for the students to learn the basics and

get up their courage in the water.

Levels 3 and 4 were in the deeper end where the students attempted diving and worked on their

strokes.

In levels 5, 6 and 7 we did 200-300m depending on what we felt comfortable, and we also perfected

our strokes and dives.

Groups learned some survival skills by taking part in activities such as, using life jackets, safety jumps,

some safety strokes and swimming in clothes.

(And trust me that is not easy)

Over those two days we learned and achieved many things, such as how to safely go about a ‘what could

be dangerous situation’, how to do and then perfect our strokes and diving and also importantly how to

hide our hot chips from Ms. Julius.

I think we have most of year 7 on our side when we say that some of the highlights would have to be 7A

and 7Cs killer bus ride!

One of my favourite highlights was when Ed managed to jump in the pool with his phone in his pocket,

and then went and managed to do it again later but with his wallet this time! (Nice job).

We would like to finish off by giving a massive thank you to all the teachers and year 9 and 10s who came

along. Also an even bigger thanks to Ms. Julius, as this wouldn’t have possible without her hard work.

(Thanks).

By Lilly Lancaster & Joseph Martindale 7A

Yr. 7 Swim School



Wellbeing

7 Ways Mindfulness and Meditation Can be Helpful to Students

Want to try something new over the school holidays? Why not give meditation a go? There are lots of great

Apps out there, for example ‘Mindfulness’, ‘Headspace’, ‘Relax’ and ‘Positivity’. These will guide you through

simple meditation and mindfulness exercises. You could even try the new mindfulness colouring-in books for

adults that are all the rage. But what is it all about and why should you try it?

What is Mindfulness?

Headspace (www.headspace.com) defines mindfulness as “the intention to be present in the here and

now, fully engaged in whatever is happening, free from distraction or judgement, with a soft and open

mind”.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a way of transforming the mind, making it calm and silent. According to the Australian

Teachers of Meditation Association meditation is a discipline that involves turning the mind and attention

inward and focusing on a single thought, image, object or feeling.

How does meditation and practicing mindfulness help you with your schoolwork?

1. Reduces anxiety and risk of depression - By becoming mindful, a person stops judging themselves

and those around them and recognises that every situation “is what it is”. When you stop judging and

comparing, you are able to reduce anxiety.

2. Increases resilience - resilience is the ability to experience something bad but to not internalise it

and to be able to move on, still gaining benefit even from a negative experience. Practicing mindfulness

and meditation quietens the mind and enables acceptance without judgement, which is key for achieving

resilience.

3. Improves ability to learn and recall information - research by the University of Miami has shown

that practicing mindfulness for 12 minutes a day improved attention and memory.

4. Improves concentration - regular practice of meditation may help improve concentration by ena-

bling the brain to focus more accurately and to filter out unwanted or unhelpful messages.

5. Improves creativity - practicing mindfulness and meditation has the potential to allow the brain to

unlock and unleash creativity. Creativity is of benefit to all students, not just in terms of artistic talents but

also in relation to problem solving.

6. Helps manage exam stress - meditation can help you calm and focus your mind which helps to

manage stress related to exams. This tool can be used in the lead up to the exam and also during the ex-

am if stress levels begin to rise.

7. Leads to better sleep - getting enough sleep is crucial to ensure students have the mental and phys-

ical energy to learn. However, as academic and social pressures increase, this can lead to students having

difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. By reducing anxiety and stress you can ultimately sleep better

and longer.

Further Mindfulness and Meditation Resources

- http://www.meditationinschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mind-Space-Tips-for-

Dealing-with-Exam-Stress-.pdf

- http://smilingmind.com.au/

- http://www.meditationinschools.org/resources/

Go to www.studyskillshsndbook.com.au or see the link on our web page to access more study tips User

name: kcahs Password: 121results

http://www.headspace.com/

http://www.meditationinschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mind-Space-Tips-for-Dealing-with-Exam-Stress-.pdf

http://www.meditationinschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Mind-Space-Tips-for-Dealing-with-Exam-Stress-.pdf

http://smilingmind.com.au/

http://www.meditationinschools.org/resources/

http://www.studyskillshsndbook.com.au



ORIENTATION DAY New Students at Ku-Ring-Gai

Open FROM 8AM

Open SATURDAY NOV 28th and DEC 12th 2 – 6pm APPOINTMENTS ONLY

We highly recommend you book a half hour time slot for your child to

be professionally fitted for their new school uniform. This will ensure you avoid the queues!

Bookings are open online

Please visit our website to make your fitting appointment

Uniform price list & online shopping available at:

www.alintaapparel.com.au

The Uniform Shop

(02) 9449 3070

[email protected]

http://www.alintaapparel.com.au

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