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Issue No. 7

“The Farm” Surf Excursion

N e w s l e t t e r

28 June 2019

EXCELLENCE INNOVATION SUCCESS

WOONONA HIGH SCHOOL

Marine Studies Excursion

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In this issue:

Page 4 & 5 CAPA Showcase

Page 6 & 7 Science Term 2 Report

Page 8 Marine Studies Excursion

Page 9 NAIDOC Games Day

Page 10 CoS Debating

Page 11 Years 8—10 Bronze Rewards Excursion

Page 12 Year 7 Rewards Excursion

Page 12 Year 11 Rewards Excursion

Page 13 Premiers Debating

Page 14 Project Rockit

Page 15 Olympian Nathan Katz

Page 16 Virtual Reality

Page 16 Book Club

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Excellence Innovation Success

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Calendar 22/07/2019 Staff Development Day

22/07/2019 Year 12 Trials continue

23/07/2019 Students return for Term 3

26/07/2019 CHS Cross Country

29/07/2019—31/07/2019 ISER Performing Ensemble tour

31/07/2019 OC Placement Testing

31/07/2019 Year 10 Subject Selection and Pathways Forum

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Principal’s Report


Staff Professional Learning As I announced in the last newsletter, our staff have been engaged in professional learning to

explicitly teach ‘soft skills’, including creativity, critical reflection, communication and collaboration.

This is taking many staff and students out of their comfort zone, but my research points to this being

the way of the future. The workforce that our students will be entering post-school highly values

these skills, far more than they value pure knowledge.

Uniform Shop Thank you for your patience as we have transitioned to the new uniform shop arrangements. I have been meeting with The

School Locker regularly to pass on feedback that I have received and to iron out any teething issues. They have asked me to

pass on the message that the sports shorts order has arrived and that there is now stock of all sizes.

When ordering online, please order directly from The School Locker Woonona High School page, rather through our school

homepage to ensure orders are not lost. Online orders are filled on Thursday mornings when the staff arrive and are

distributed to students during the school day.

https://theschoollocker.com.au/schools/woonona-high-school/uniforms

Road and Rail Safety The safety of students is paramount to us and I appreciate you reinforcing road and rail safety messages at home. I have

spoken to individual students and the student body about safety around roads and railway lines.

Students are reminded that once red lights start flashing on the level crossing at Woonona Station, it is illegal to cross and

offenders may face a fine of $550. There are six security cameras on the level crossing and already footage of Woonona High

School students crossing illegally has recently been brought to my attention.

Your help in dropping students off safely will help maximise student safety around the school. Students should not be dropped

off or picked up in the staff carpark, nor anywhere from the bridge across Nicholson Road at Liddle St to the school gate due to

the limited options to safely turn around. Rangers have been out and about to spot unsafe behaviour including u-turns across

double lines in Liddle St, and parking in the bus zone.

Staff Movements Following a merit selection process, Miss Holly Cohen has been appointed permanently to the HSIE faculty. Miss Cohen has

been a valued member of staff in a temporary capacity for a while now and we welcome her to our permanent staff.

Meantime, Ms Aimee Crilly in Learning Support will be leaving us this term to take up a permanent role at Ajuga School. We

thank her for the contribution she has made to our school and wish her the best for her future career.

Building Works and Possible Disruption

In order to prepare for the arrival of a Year 7 student next year who has different accessibility requirements, we have started

major works to build two lifts and a number of ramps.

The schedule of works has been planned to have the most disruption occurring in school holidays, there will be inevitable

rerouting of students from time to time to ensure their safety.

We are constantly monitoring the works and meeting with the builders regularly to ensure the works are completed in the

time frame whilst allowing the school to function around it.

I am currently in Japan and will be climbing Mt Fuji in the next few days.

I encourage all students to continue to challenge themselves and work hard so they can achieve their goals.

These holidays make sure you prioritise rejuvenating your body and mind in whatever form that takes.

https://theschoollocker.com.au/schools/woonona-high-school/uniforms

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“Captivate” CAPA Showcase On Thursday 27 June the 2019 Year 7 CAPA Enrichment Classes held their first showcase to demonstrate the work that they

have completed in their first semester at high school.

In Music, CAPA students have been learning to play a new instrument as well as how to read music, eventually forming a huge

41 piece band that barely fit on our stage. The CAPA Band opened the show, playing a piece altogether after each instrument

was demonstrated by solos. The audience was very impressed with what they had achieved in such a short time and it was

great to see so many students join Junior Band to continue learning instruments. We were also treated to an entertaining

performance by Year 7 rock band “Down Side Up.”

In Drama, CAPA students have been working together on

plays to experiment with different characters, learn new

techniques, have fun and learn core skills about

performing on stage. These skills, along with the

performance skill of Poi, were demonstrated in their two

pieces.

In Dance, students have been learning a variety of styles

and techniques and the audience enjoyed seeing a musical

theatre piece from 7L and a range of styles and eras from

7U. It was also fantastic to see one of our Year 7 CAPA

students, Kai Neilson, perform an aerial solo on the silks.

Kai was recently selected to attend a circus workshop at

the Opera House.

In Visual Arts, CAPA students have been learning a variety

of skills and their artworks were on display in the Hall,

along with an exhibition of other wonderful works from

our students, including Year 11 Elective Portraits, and

works from the Accelerated Visual Arts Program.

The night also featured performances from the Woonona

High School Junior Band, Vocal Ensemble, Woonona

Community of Schools Primary Band, Dance Company K

and Z, the girls and boys dance ensembles from Woonona

Primary School and a sneak preview of our upcoming

production of Wicked, featuring the cast of over 100

students from Year 6-12. It was a great success and we

look forward to many more performances throughout the

year.


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Science Term 2 Report


This term in Science, students have been using their creative

skills to collaborate to develop some spectacular products.

Year 7 have been studying Energy and how it can be

transformed from one form to another. They learnt about

energy efficiency and were required to design an energy

efficient house, explaining their new modifications. Teachers

were impressed by the quality of the products produced.

Students really enjoyed designing their houses and the Science

staff would like to thank parents and guardians for supporting

their children with this task.

Year 8 have been making connections between body systems

and exploring the new types of technology that have advanced

our health. Students collaborated to design an interactive

board game on a body system of their choice. The creativity

was buzzing throughout the classrooms and students were

tapping into each other’s skills. Ideas stemmed from a range of

games such as Monopoly, Game of Life, Trivia and Snakes and

Ladders, just to name a few. Again, our students in year 8 have

raised their achievement and set a high standard for future

Year 8 students.

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Science Term 2 Report continued...

Year 9 have been looking at disease and coordination in the human body. They were required to research an infectious disease

and develop a breakout management plan. Students were creative in their presentations and demonstrated innovation and

critical thinking in how they would handle a breakout at Woonona High School! Next term year 9 will be delving into a unit on

Atomic Chemistry which we are sure they will all thoroughly enjoy.

Year 10 have stimulated their physics brains, exploring Sir Isaac Newton and his laws of motion. They were required to

collaborate with each other to create an engaging presentation on these laws. Students explored a range of technologies such

as video and stop motion as well as tapping into their dynamic drama skills! We encourage year 10 to be thinking about the

modules as they progress through the year to help them decide on whether science will be a choice for year 11/12, and which

particular science they may choose. We recommend students have a conversation with their classroom teacher to explore

these avenues further.

Our senior students have been busy learning new content in Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Investigating Science. We

encourage our students to continue to ask questions and develop their study notes at home to help deepen their

understanding and better prepare themselves for their examinations. We wish Year 12 the best of luck with their Trial HSC

Examinations.


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Marine Studies Excursion


On Friday June 21st students from years 8, 9 and 10 were invited to attend a Marine Studies excursion to the Sydney Wildlife

World and Sydney Aquarium. After surviving an early wake up ([ ]7:00am!) and train ride of two hours the group made the

short walking journey to the aquarium where they were tasked with the formidable challenge of seeking and photographing

the most dangerous creatures on display. The sharks and dugong were definitely highlights, along with the elusive lemon shark,

which was for some reason very highly sought after by the year 9 boys.

After a lunch break and blowing off some steam at a nearby playground the students visited Sydney Wildlife World and learned

about our incredible diversity of native fauna, with the 5m saltwater crocodile being the most popular.

We were fortunate to have amazing weather and all students agreed it was an eye opening experience. We look forward to

doing it all again next year! Mr Wilson (Marine Studies Teacher)

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NAIDOC Games Day


On Wednesday 3 July, students from Woonona,

Woonona East and Russell Vale Public Schools

joined us at Woonona High for NAIDOC Games day.

Some of the games students were involved in

included Buroinjin, Goori, Kai, Merkolap, Parndo,

Tarnambal and Wana.

Students from Woonona High facilitated the

activities for the junior students. The games day,

organised by Ms Walker, was very much enjoyed by

our young visitors.

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On Monday 24th June, students from Stage 3 and 4 took part in the Community of Schools (CoS) Public Speaking imitative.

Harry and Max were the representatives from Woonona East Primary School. Tyler and Sophie presented for Woonona

Primary School. Savannah and Tara were selected for Russell Vale Primary School. Amelia Elliott and Kayla Turner

represented Woonona High School with their speeches on sustainability.

Public Speaking is a significant component of the Australian Curriculum with students expected to complete a form of

speaking task within every stage of their schooling career. These opportunities of public speaking enable students to

develop the skills needed to develop relationships, prepare for the workplace and travel the world. This highlights the

importance of providing a stage in which public speaking becomes more prominent with incentives to make achievements

within this arena more appealing. Students have exhibited the skills necessary in presenting well -articulated and confident

speeches.

All students should be congratulated on their achievements and participation in the Public Speaking initiative.

Community of Schools Public Speaking Initiatives

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Years 8—10 Bronze Rewards Excursion


Years 8, 9 and 10 enjoyed the rewards for their efforts on

Tuesday. They started the day with ten pin bowling and

then proceeded to the Hoyts cinema to watch Toy Story

(Year 8) or Men in Black International (options for Year 9

& 10). Mr Radford shouted everyone a yummy choc top

ice-cream! As usual, these students demonstrated the

exemplary behaviour that earned them the excursion.

A very big thankyou to Mr Radford for organising the day.

Here are few photos of this delightful bunch enjoying

themselves.

Mrs Mellor

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Year 7 Rewards Excursion

On Monday 1 July, Year 7 students who had reached the Bronze level of the Woonona High School merit system were invited

to attend a rewards excursion to celebrate their achievement.

The large group of students spent a fun day visiting Revolution Laser Tag, Hangtime and Hand Dog. Mr Gilbert said all students

enjoyed the day and that they were well deserving of the treat.

On Friday 28 June, Year 11 students who had reached the bronze level of our merit system were invited to attend the Year 11

Bronze Rewards Excursion. Students had fun at Northern Bowl and also enjoyed taking in a movie at Hoyts Warrawong.

Year 11 Rewards Excursion


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Premiers Debating Challenge

The Premier’s Debating Challenge is open to

government schools throughout NSW, with age

divisions for teams from Year 5 all the way up to

Year 12. Our Year 9 team competed at Smiths Hill

High School in a round-robin series of debates

against nearby schools, which included Bulli High

School, Keira High school, Corrimal High School and

Smiths Hill High School.

The girls are to be commended on their debates and

all commented that they learned a lot throughout

the day.

Ms Bulmer (English Teacher)


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PROJECT ROCKIT


On Wednesday, a group of our students attended the launch of an anti-bullying drive by PROJECT ROCKIT, a youth-driven

movement against bullying, hate and prejudice. PROJECT ROCKIT is teaming up with Facebook and Instagram to build the next

generation of Digital Ambassadors all over Australia.

Our Woonona High School team learned about strategies to combat bullying and assist victims in a positive way. The students

contributed enthusiastically and actively listened to others when sharing their ideas.

Mrs Mellor

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On Wednesday 26 June, Year 9 was treated by a visit from

Nathan Katz. He is an inspiring Olympian who represented our

country in Judo at the Olympics in Brazil. Nathan told the story

of his journey demonstrating what you can achieve when you

work hard towards your goals. In his talk he showed films of

himself training, failing, persevering and triumphing. He talked

about learning from failure and building resilience.

Afterwards Nathan answered many questions from the

students and stayed for photos and autographs. A big thank

you to Mrs Rayner for organising the event and Max Lynch

(Year 9 ) for managing the AV support on the day.

Mrs Mellor

Year 9 visit from Olympian Nathan Katz

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Virtual Reality

This week a number of science classes were taken on a

Virtual Reality excursion through the digestive system.

Students were able to view firsthand, the inner workings of

the oesophagus, stomach and intestines and how these

organs work together to digest food.

VR allows the exploration of places and situations that would

otherwise be too difficult or impossible to view.

Ms Webster from our English Department was our guest speaker

this fortnight. Ms Webster is an avid fan of the Harry Potter

series.

I reviewed the Ink Trilogy by Alice Broadway. Picture a world

where every significant moment is tattooed on your skin for

ever. When Leora's father dies, she knows he deserves to have

all his tattoos removed and made into a Skin Book to record his

good life. But when she discovers that his ink has been edited

and his book is incomplete, she wonders whether she knew him

at all. This book is action packed and a great read.

Mrs Roddis Teacher Librarian

Book Club


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Canteen Price List

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July / August Calendar


22/07/2019 Staff Development Day

22/07/2019 Year 12 Trials





26/07/2019 CHS Cross Country

29/07/2019 ISER Performing Ensemble tour - 8 students



31/07/2019 OC Placement Testing

31/07/2019 Year 10 Subject Selection and Pathways Forum

1/08/2019 Japan Dinner Outbound Group

1/08/2019 CoS Leadership Day

2/08/2019 Zone Athletics

7/08/2019 Year 12 Study Skills

8/08/2019 NAIDOC Assembly

8/08/2019 Year 8 Reptile Incursion

12/08/2019 HSC Dance Exam Period

12/08/2019 HALL - 9/10 Aerials Class - Pd 5

13/08/2019 Woonona Bowling Club Essay Comp

16/08/2019 Year 10 into 11 Subject Selections close

19/08/2019 CoS Transition Day

20/08/2019 South Coast Public Speaking Competition

22/08/2019 Year 12 Roadshow to Success

23/08/2019 Southern Stars - Wollongong

24/08/2019 Southern Stars - Wollongong

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https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/9508w13Excellence Innovation Success

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