From the Principal
2013 Student Leadership Team Named Following an extensive selection process, the 2013 Student Leadership
Team has been announced. The process involved self-nomination, interview
by teachers (Ms Smith, Ms Mangraviti and Mr Ovens) and for those Prefects
who wished to be considered for a Captain‘s position, a short speech delivered
to the whole teaching staff and Prefect body, as to their suitability for the
position.
The School Captains are: Ruby Calder-Little and Harry Alexiadis
The Vice Captains are: Sunny Manola and Joseph Auciello
The Senior Prefects are: Tara Aftanas Jessica Allen Spira Anogianakis
Shaista Azam Natalie Bakrdanikoska Stephanie Bogdanovski Ruby Calder-Little
Lauren Evangelo Xiatong Liu Sunny Manola Hristina Mitrevska Claudia Poposki
Charlene Su Constania Tzavellas Wendy Yang Harry Alexiadis Joseph Auciello Edward
Khuu Constantino Kokkinidis Mark O‘Neill Jordan Seib Wira Tjo Vince Wang Aubrey
Young.
Congratulations to all of our new leaders.
Year 12, 2012, Nears Completion As you read this newsletter, Year 12 will be in the process of preparing for their HSC exams.
Their Trials were held earlier this term and I have been impressed with the way they have
continued to attend class to consolidate their learning in order to improve on their HSC Trial
results.
As part of their final days at Blakehurst High School, Year 12 have continued to raise funds to
provide their gift to the school. In Week 9 they held their ―Slave Day‟ – an enjoyable day where
the senior students put on performances for the junior years and then auctioned off their services
(for things such as note taking; bag carrying etc.) to the younger students for the rest of the day.
The students also ran a Gelato stall for the school. The day raised over $1000. This money will go
towards their gift to the school (i.e. contribution to the purchase of an electronic sign for the front of
the school). The Year 12 Graduation was held on Thursday the 20th of September. Their academic,
community and sporting achievements were acknowledged at this ceremony.
Semester 2 Merit Assembly The Semester 2 Merit Assembly was held in Week 7. Over 200 students from Years 8-12 were
recognised for their all-round work/effort at school. This ceremony is a bit different to the Presentation Night when we recognise academic and sporting
achievements for the year. At the Merit Award Assembly we are acknowledging the student‘s participation in school life. This includes;
Regular attendance
Wearing appropriate uniform
Behaviour and effort at school and in class
Sporting achievements
School representation in extra curricula activities such as SRC, assistants at after school
functions, sport etc
Contribution to the school community e.g. stream watch, library monitors,
fundraising etc.
The Merit scheme at BHS works on a hierarchical system i.e. BRONZE_SILVER_GOLD. Each level is achieved by the student receiving 10 individual certificates or nominations from their teachers. These nominations must be from a
variety of the categories mentioned earlier i.e. academic; community etc. To proceed from Bronze to Gold the student must also take on increasingly complex responsibilities e.g. Zone
representation, leadership in the SRC or Prefects etc. Therefore, to achieve GOLD award is quite difficult and many do
not achieve it until their senior years at BHS. It is great that at our assembly we celebrated a number of students who
qualified for the award of the GOLD medallion. Special mention must be made of Lik Wong Yu (Year 12) who achieved a
Triple Gold award – quite amazing. The other students (all Year 12) who received a Gold award at this assembly were:
Arielle ADRIAS Marcela CUBA-CHEN Matthew EDENBOROUGH Marija HRISTOVSKA Meg JOHNSON
Illia KLIANEV Mark LANGLEY Nicholas MARICIC Kristine MARINKOVIC Ella TUAAU-ALLEN Kiara MERES-WASTELL.
Thus you can see that our Merit System recognises ALL ROUND students. Congratulations to all award winners.
N E W S L E T T E R
Blakehurst High School
Your Outstanding Local Comprehensive
Secondary School
Term 3 Update – September 2012
270A Woniora Road BLAKEHURST NSW 2221 Ph: 9546 3281 Fax: 9547 1024 Email: [email protected] Website: www.blakehurst-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
Blakehurst High School
PLEASE USE THIS FORM FOR CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS ONLY
Student Name: Roll Class:
Payment For: PAYMENT DETAILS: {Please tick on box} Please debit my credit card for $
Visa Mastercard Name on Card: Card Number: PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY
Expiry Date: / Signature:
(Receipt will be sent home with student)
2012 NAPLAN Results NAPLAN reports were distributed to Years 7 and 9 students this week. I will report back on the results in our next newsletter after having time to properly analyse our 2012 performance.
P&C Meetings At our recent P&C meeting on the 12th of September the members approved a number of funding requests, which included;
A major upgrade of the Hall‘s audio, lighting and video facilities. This will see the projectors and screens
replaced; the audio system redesigned to make it easier to use and more powerful/effective, as well as the
installation of lights which can be linked to a computer program for musical performances etc. All the
equipment will be state of the art and should enable us to improve the visual/sight quality of our assemblies;
public meetings and musical performances etc for years to come. This project will cost over $26000.
Continued support of the online study skills project. As such, the P&C will fund the scheme for 2013
(subscription is $1077 pa). Please refresh yourself as to the program and use it with your child. All students
and parents of BHS can use the site free of charge. Year 10 will also be using the site at the end of the year to
prepare for their senior studies.
www.studyskillshandbook.com.au
User Name; blakehursths
Password; 186results
I would like to thank the P&C for their ongoing support. As you can see they commit their funds for projects that
support your child this year and into the future. All parents are welcome to attend P&C meetings. The next meeting is
on Wednesday the 10th of October, at 7pm in the Staff Common Room.
School Fees
Again I would like to thank all parents for promptly paying their child‘s general and subject fees. As I have discussed before, these funds are used for the support of your child‘s education this year. Please feel free to contact me or Kim Morris (School Administration Manager) if you wish to seek assistance with paying these fees.
Parent Tips Published in the Department of Education Newsletter
Have a happy and safe holiday. All students return to school Monday 8
th October. The Higher School Certificate
begins Monday the 15th
October 2012.
Fun with Friends and Family
Want to encourage your child to try something new outside of school? Try the range of options provided by NSW Sport & Recreation – from camps and sailing to a variety of disability sport activities.
Go to: What‘s on around NSW – Sport and Recreation – http://www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/active/whatson.asp
Mr B Lester
Principal
Sickness
procedures
during the
school day
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S Report
This has seemed like a long term and there has been a lot of illness during this winter. Many children each day have
needed to go home. So that both the school and the parents are fully aware of where children are at all times, school
procedures are:
If a student is unwell they must see Mrs Paton or the Office Staff. Office
staff or Mrs Paton will contact the parents so that we know when they are
being collected, who is collecting them and that the parents have given
them permission. Students are not to initially contact their parents.
Parents must collect students from the front office. Unless there are
exceptional reasons, students will not be given permission to walk home or
wait at the front of the school.
Students must not leave the school without going through the front office.
Parents cannot give permission the following day for students who have left the premises. If students
leave the premises without our knowledge the absence is deemed a truancy.
Students should not be asking to go home during period 1. If a student is sick, they should not attend
school. It is highly unlikely, therefore, that students should need to go home so early in the day.
If parents cannot be contacted, students cannot go home. Siblings cannot give permission for students to
leave early.
Only people listed as emergency contacts can give permission for students to leave early.
Blakehurst High School does not have a sick bay or clinic. If students are not well enough to be in class they are
expected to be at home. Otherwise they need to be in class. Currently, Front Office staff and I are the only people who
assess whether students need to go home and contact parents.
Pole Depot Community Centre
Girls Space is changing to Tuesdays!
Girls if you are between the ages of 12-18 years come along and join in our new program. This term we are running a
gentle exercise and nutrition workshop learning all about the importance of nutrition and the benefits of having a
healthy body image and self esteem. If that’s not for you join in one of our other activities such as arts/crafts, cooking
lessons and mix media.
Every Tuesday: 2.30pm – 6.30pm
Free
Mums and female guardians are welcome
Supervised by female youth workers
Venue – 18 Treacy Street, Hurstville
For more information call Youth Zone – 9580 8008 or visit the website at poledept.org
Mrs Lyn Paton
Deputy Principal
News from the LIBRARY
Grow your Reading in September
How has your reading changed as you grow? Does your reading help you to
grow? It can, if you grow your reading habit and read at least 15 minutes a day
this month. Go on a reading journey of personal growth, or even just read
bigger books: those with more pages, not necessarily bigger print!
The holidays are a great time to start your journey: relax and lose yourself in a
book. Come up to the Library for some great holiday reading suggestions
Congratulations to all the 121 students from Blakehurst who finished the Reading Challenge for 2012.
Year 7 N Affouf, M Arvythis, A Avramovski, Z Azam, V Bojanic, H Cask, M Cheung, J Da Silva, N Driscoll,
S Fanunza, S Gaddes, M Gee, G Hattori, J Hawes, S Hayat, R Huang, J Jiang, E Leong, G Li, Y Lin,
J Liu, A Lu, A Muneef, S Nasser, S Ng, C Que, M Ruan, D Ruseski, T Sekulovska, J Shin, Z Su, C Trpkoski,
C Tsang, J Vishwa, A Wong, C Wong, R Wong, M Yao, E Yeung, E Yu, T Zheng
Year 8 N Afalon, D Alima, M Allen, J Atanasova, J Chen, M Chen, E Cvetkovski, C Dantos, F Diab, H Diasinos,
H Doad, E Doulkeridis, R Dunk, S Farran, J Feng, N Fong, D Hardy, R He, V R Herman, S Holden, Y Hong,
H Irving, L Judd, Z Khamhing, J King, E Koutsoukos, T Lambropoulos, H Lee, L Lin, R Malaxos, A McCuaig-
Walton, A McLeon, J Mohamad, T Nasser, I Neckovski, K Nguyen, M Ostrugnaj, A Petkovski, T Pham,
C Potross, G Qian, M Qin, V Rorris, D Roubekas, L Sun, A Taleb, M Tan, M Trajcevska, P Triantafyllis, A Tse,
J Wang, A Wang, G Watts, N Wong, J Xabregas, B Yeung, E Yuan, P Zheng, H Zhu
Year 9 K Abrakasa, L Auciello, E Bayas, J Bhagwagar, R Blatch-Williams, M Cheng, R Gray-Schwarz, A He, R Hu,
S Khan, T Kosasih, P Koutsoukos, M Kuang, E Kwan, M Liow, G Melas, A Psalti, N Stankovic, T Tang,
J Tsang, T Wong,
Great Effort!
Certificates will be presented in Term 4.
Ms A Alchin Teacher/Librarian
When asked earlier on in the year to coach the 13s Girls Basketball teams, my initial reaction was to decline. To
begin with, I did not know much about Basketball. More importantly, I had taught at a boys‘ high school for years and
coaching a girl‘s grade team was not a skill I could particularly boast on my CV. But I took on the offer, regardless, and
decided to give it my best shot. I was new to Blakehurst High. I was eager to please. I was in trouble.
The girls, I soon discovered, were a wonderful bunch of Year 7 students. Many already knew their basketball. They
were familiar with the many rules and could dribble, swerve, pass and shoot far better than I did when I was their age.
But skills aside, it was their good manners and overall positive attitude that I admired the most. Off the court they were
exemplary, following instructions and listening politely to their novice coach explain and, with a fair bit of luck,
demonstrate this practice drill or that (thank goodness for the miracle of youtube).
On the court they were model players, serious and hard-working but never too proud to laugh off a mistake or
congratulate an opponent player for a point skillfully scored. It was sportsmanship at its best—a light year away from
the stress, adrenaline and aggressive competitiveness occasionally displayed among boys. It paid off: the girls
enjoyed an uninterrupted winning season and progressed straight to the finals.
Then came the momentous day—playing on the neutral grounds of Hurstville Aquatic Centre and under the watchful
gazes of professional referees. Team B won the finals. Team A, despite their best efforts, lost. But that was fair,
considering the other team was eventually trained by a far more experienced coach and its members had played
particularly well on the day. Yet, after a long winning streak it was not the result I had expected and by the end of the
game I could not help but feel a touch disappointed with myself as a couch. Basketball was not for me, I thought. But
then the girls started shaking hands with the winning team, all smiling and in good spirits, and I watched them go about
it for a little longer and remembered the good old sage; how, in the end, life was not just about winning or losing, but
about doing your best and carrying yourself with dignity—regardless of the outcome. It was a poignant moment—the
teacher/coach taking a step back and learning a thing or two from his students. I was humbled…
Well done Girls! You did Blakehurst High real proud. Until we hit the courts again…
The Dream Team
13s Girls Basketball Teams
Mr K Estephan
Teacher Science
Mrs A Peachey
Head Teacher Mathematics
News from
Mathematics Faculty…
Great results in the Australian Mathematics Competition!
In early August over 100 of our students entered the Australian
Mathematics Competition. This is a prestigious and very difficult
competition and we are thrilled with our results.
High Distinction
Year 11 Aimee Chen. Distinction
Year 7 Alexia Mouratidis Year 8 Vincent Hu, Michelle Chen, April McLeod Year 9 Janice Chen, A He Year 10 Sam Chan, Patrick Su Year 11 Judy Hu, Wendy Yang, Michelle Liang, Jessie Wang Year 12 Jayne Cao Credit
Year 7 Geeann Li, Zalika Azam, Cassidy Que, Shelly Gaddes, Shafayat Hayat, Terina Zheng, Sandy Ng Anthony Lu, J Shin, Meggie Yao
Year 8 Mingtao Shi, Richard He, Patrick Huang, Gordon Qian Year 9 Frank Yao, M Chu Kit Cheng, M Kuang, Roger Hu, Ellen Huang, Michael Liow Year 10 Kirt Protacio, Amanda Dong, Alishia Lambropoulos Year 11 Daniel Bu, L Hao, Stefani Zou, Edward Huang, Elaine Chen, Lingbing Liu, I Cheng, S Ma, Tom Xiao Our favourite award, the most consecutive correct answers, was won by Michelle Chen of Year 8. Students detailed results and their certificates will be received and awarded later this year.
………………………………………………………………….
Donate your blood! Others need it!!
Our 2012/2013 Vampire Shield Campaign is
Underway!!
Well done to all students and teachers who donated blood in August; a wonderful gift of life.
More than 35 donations were made, including many first timers.
We will be going again in Term 4 so keep an eye out for posters around the school
A Message from NSW Health re Vaccinations…..
……Each year NSW Health Public Health Units offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research
Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school-based program. If you have any medical queries re the vaccinations,
please contact the Public Health Unit on 9382 8333.
Parent Information Kits will be sent home to parents/guardians. To consent to the vaccination of their child, parents/guardians
are advised to read all the information provided and complete the consent form. Only consent forms signed by the parent/guardian
will be accepted. To ensure your child is vaccinated, please return all signed consent forms to the school as soon as possible after
receiving them.
Parents/guardians who wish to withdraw their consent for any reason may do so in writing to the school Principal. The
procedure for Withdrawal of Consent is available on the NSW Health website at:
www.health.nsw.gov.au/PublicHealth/Immunisation/school_prog/withdraw_consent.asp . Please note that for the HPV vaccine
only: parents/guardians must record their Medicare Number (including all 10 digits) on the consent form, as this is required to
record the student‘s health information on the National HPV Vaccination Register and link to the National Cervical Screening
Program.
A Record of Vaccination will be provided to each student vaccinated at the clinic. Parents/guardians should ensure that this
record is kept for future reference and should not assume that their child has been vaccinated if they do not receive this Record of
Vaccination. It is also recommended that you inform your GP so they can update your child‘s records.
What happens if your child misses a dose of the vaccine at school? Provided you have returned a signed consent form,
any student who is absent from school and missed a dose vaccine will be caught up with at the next scheduled
vaccination clinic at your school throughout the year.
Vaccinations Year 7 Vaccinations Year 10
A Record of Vaccination…
…will be provided to each student vaccinated at the clinic. Parents/guardians should ensure that this
record is kept for future reference and should not assume that their child has been vaccinated if they do not
receive this Record of Vaccination. It is also recommended that you inform your GP so
they can update your child‘s records.
Visit 1 30/03/12
Hepatitis B Vaccine (dose 1 of 2 dose course) Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) (dose 1 of 3 dose course - GIRLS ONLY)
Visit 2 29/06/12
HPV Vaccine (dose 2 - GIRLS ONLY) Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis booster – (single dose) Varicella Vaccine (chicken pox) – (single dose) HPV and Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis vaccine –‗Catch ups‘
Visit 3 16/11/12
Hepatitis B Vaccine - dose 2 (for those who received dose 1) HPV Vaccine – (dose 3 GIRLS ONLY) HPV and Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis vaccine – ‗Catch ups‘
Visit 1 30/03/12
Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis booster vaccine - (single dose)
Visit 2 ‘Catch Up’
29/06/12
Year 10 Students
who miss the Visit 1
Vaccinations, can
‘Catch up‘ on Visit 2 or 3 Visit 3 ‘Catch Up’
16/11/12 Mrs J Smith
Welfare Co-ordinator
Another successful Year 10 Jumpstart
Program run in partnership with
Youthzone has run this term, this time for a
group of girls. In one of the seven sessions we
visited St George TAFE and after a very
interesting and informative presentation by the
Course Counsellor on TAFE and University
courses, we moved to the Montgomery St
Campus and were able to visit the Art Studios,
Graphic Design rooms AND visit the Fashion
Design Studios and talk to teachers and
students, who shared their designs, visions and
proudly informed us of ex- students being on Project Runway (look for local boy
Jamie this season).
At Jumpstart the girls have had opportunities to connect with each other and to discuss many issues that may confront them and
their peer group over the next few years. Positive affirmations about the value of education and the many and varied career
pathways available to them are central to this program. Parents of Year 10 2013, feel free to contact Mrs Lyons for more details
about the program, and/or to make an Expression of Interest for your student for next year.
The Yamaha Young Mechanics Student Grand Prix was held on the 6th
September. Our 3 grand finalists from the Year 9 boys
who competed last term were Braydon Pilot, Joram Kritas and Stefan Sarandopoulos. On the day of the Grand Prix the boys
worked on 9 different practical and theoretical tasks, alongside students from Peakhurst High and Hurstville Boys High.
Our students all did very well, with Braydon taking first place for BHS in the Grand
Prix. We will have an official presentation on assembly next term. As this
partnership blossoms, we hope to offer the same opportunities next year. Also
there will be work experience opportunities next term with local Yamaha
dealers.
Our partnership with Yamaha has been brokered by CBCC - Careers
Connections who also help us to develop a
network that includes
local businesses and Councils.
Parents may find the flyer from Kogarah City
Council (on the next page) useful in the very
topical issue of Cyberbullying. Please refer to
the flyer for booking details.
Transition Adviser’s Report
Janelle Lyons
Transition Advisor
Year 11 VET Students
Preliminary Exams have just been completed. Remember the examinations are
compulsory for all VET students up to and including the Trial exam (except for
Sports Coaching). After the Trial exam you may opt out of your HSC VET
examination if you do not require an ATAR.
If you have not completed your 70 Hours of Work Placement please see your class
teacher as soon as possible. Work Placement is mandatory for ALL VET
subjects and you will be N-Awarded if it is not completed.
Update:
Year 11 Hospitality students have successfully run the school Café 2221 this term
and are looking forward to developing their skills further next term.
Year 12 VET Students
If you would like to opt out of the HSC exam please see me for a permission note. There is no need to complete the HSC exam for
your VET subject unless you require it for your ATAR. Keep completing your class work to ensure you get the most out of your
training, i.e. your Certificate II. If you have not met the requirements in some competencies please see your teacher for the work
that is outstanding.
……………………….
St George Workplace Learning Partnership Inc.
School and Business Awards 2012
On Wednesday 12th September 2012 the following students were recognised for their great achievements in a VET course. The presentations were held at St George Leagues Club.
Congratulations to all our winners!!
Business Services - Jessica Garcia
Over the past two years Jessica approached Business Services
with maturity. She has participated willingly in every task asked of
her and always works to the best of her ability, displaying quality
work. At Work Placement, Jessica‘s colleagues were very
impressed with her and spoke highly of her work ethic. Jessica is
a worthy recipient of a VET Excellent Award for Business
Services.
Hospitality - Food and Beverage - Sarah Kennedy
Sarah Kennedy has been an excellent student in Hospitality Food
and Beverage. She demonstrates exceptional leadership skills in
all areas of Hospitality and always works in a diligent and
professional manner. Sarah is always willing to help out with the
running of the Blakehurst High School Café - Cafe 2221.
During her Work Placements, Sarah‘s work ethic was exemplary;
taking initiative when needed and always maintaining a
professional attitude. She made a conscientious effort to develop
and maintain professional relationships with all staff members and
the wider community. Sarah‘s determination and diligence has
assisted her in completing a Certificate II in Hospitality Food and Beverage.
Jessica Garcia & Sarah Kennedy with Mr B Lester
Mrs J Simpson
VET Co-ordinator
ENGLISH News
MONA WILLIAMS…….
The Mona Williams Incursion for Year 7 was held on the 14th
August.
Included in this report is an item from each Year 7 class who attended the
Incursion.
……………………………
Tuesday,
14th of
August, the
entire Year 7
went to the
library for a
storytelling presentation by a professional story teller,
Mona Williams.
After roll call, we all went to the library anticipating what
the storyteller had to tell us. After everyone streamed
into the room and calmed down, Mona Williams started to
introduce herself. She told us about her background –
that she was from New Zealand, and gave us a short
description of her life and her experiences.
She began her first story by relating it to our daily lives,
how we may feel excluded from our family or friends. Her
first story was entitled „The Outsider‟ which was one of
her first stories ever published about broken families.
„The Outsider‟ was based on her own experience as a
teenager. With divorced parents and sibling issues, she
felt left out and that she did not belong amongst her
family members. After years of separation from her
father, she finally had the opportunity to write to him
when she was 13. After several exchanges, she asked her
father how she got her name. Her father then explained
that her name was based on a life-threatening experience
that he had when he was young. He almost fell off the
edge of a waterfall called Mona Falls. In gratitude for
the fact that he had survived he named her „Mona‟. She
then understood that she was very special to her father
and that she was not unimportant as she had thought she
was. In a way, Mona Williams‟ father helped her to
understand herself and gave her a sense of belonging and
this and helped her to be „the insider‟.
After the first story which she presented in an animated
fashion, we had a little break, where she led us into a
short round of audience participation. In the game, we
had to listen to the rhymes and mimic after her. This
helped us to be more engaged with the stories; it also
gave us a chance to move around, and to prevent any
restlessness.
Callista Wong & Celeste Trpkoski 7BE
On the 14th of August Year 7 had a storyteller
come and visit us. Her name was Mona Williams.
Mona is a well-known storyteller who did an
excellent job of entertaining us. She told many
interesting stories and got us to interact by
singing songs and doing various activities
involving the stories.
Mona‟s first story was a personal one about how
she had always felt like an outsider in her own
family because she was a middle child. The
story was about how she had been given her
name and the impact this had on her. Her dad
had chosen it for her but he was in another
country and they didn‟t keep in contact. When
Mona was a little bit older, she wrote letters to
her father and asked why she was named „Mona‟.
It turns out that when her father was younger
he had gone on an adventure with some friends
and had almost died by nearly falling over a
waterfall while they were paddling down the
river against the tide. The waterfall was called
“Mona Falls” and he had vowed that if he
survived and had children he would call his
daughter “Mona” because it had a very
significant meaning for him as his life was
spared.
Mona felt very special when she learnt this and
felt loved and had a great sense of belonging as
she realised she was no longer an outsider but an insider. Mona‟s stories taught us that even
though you may feel like the odd one out
sometimes, we always fit in, just in different
ways.
Mona Williams‟ stories were interesting and
kept us entertained. We hope to see her again
and hear more of her fabulous stories.
Mona Williams then launched into her second story, which
was called „The Elfwyn Saga‟. The story was about a little
blind girl named Elfwyn. In the story, her clan had
disagreements with another clan, which was ruled by Gore
the Grim. Gore the Grim hatches an evil plan to hypnotize
Elfwyn‟s village, using an enchanted crystal. Elfwyn was
the only one in her father‟s clan that saw through the evil
plot. But nobody believed her, as they thought she was
nothing but a little blind girl who knew nothing. After
several failed attempts to convince her father about the
situation, she finally decided to take matters into her
own hands. Elfwyn broke the magic crystal and ultimately
broke the spell upon her village. In the end, she becomes
the heroine and earns the clan‟s respect. The moral of
the story is to never judge a book by its cover. Through
her storytelling, Mona taught us to never underestimate a
person, or object‟s worth.
The incursion was eye-opening and inspirational because
of the life lessons taught through the stories. We had a
wonderful time and it was a very worthwhile experience.
Cassandra Tsang Joy Liu
Jessica Jiang Caitlin Su 7K
Blakehurst High School has had an exciting year in
debating competitions in 2012. Our debating veterans of year
10 continued to battle other schools in two competitions: the
Premier’s Debating Challenge and the Macquarie
University Schools Day.
They had the opportunity to meet students from other
schools and challenge their impromptu speaking on mature
topics such as Queensland politics and the Australian mining
sector. They came painfully close to winning all three rounds
of both challenging competitions, and had a ball at the same
time. They made their coach proud!
The beginning of the year saw the establishment of two new
teams who attended training days and regular sessions with
their coach to hone their argumentation and speaking skills.
They competed against two teams from Moorefield Girls
High School on topics ranging from education, to media and
Australian society. The Year 7 team was congratulated by
their adjudicator from Sydney University for
making great improvements from the first to
the final round, while the year 8 team
became ZONE WINNERS after winning all
three debates.
Congratulations to both teams! You
have done us proud. The Year 8 team
will now go forth to compete in the inter-zone knock-out
round, against other zone winners. We wish them the best of
luck!
Ms Nozica
Debating Coach and Coordinator
Mrs J Hinson
Head Teacher English
LOTE Report
Year 8 French Students
This term has been
extremely busy for
the LOTE department. The Year 8
French class enjoyed an authentic
French Breakfast of chocolate
croissants and hot
chocolate.
The Greek students…
…enjoyed a delicious lunch at The
Island Restaurant in Sans Souci;
the senior students of Italian
visited Bar Reggio where they
were treated to authentic Italian
cuisine topped off with gelato from Gelato Messina and
finally students in Years 11 and 9 Chinese classes visited
the Chinese Gardens in Darling Harbour.
The Languages
Staff…
…were also involved in the Primary Links Program with
students from Carlton South Primary School. Our Year 9
French students worked with the primary students
explaining the significance of Mardi Gras and making
Carnival Masks.
The Greek Students Excursion….
……
Years 11 & 9 Excursion…. …On 24th August to the Darling Harbour
Chinese Garden and China Town. 52 junior
and senior students were mixed up into
small groups which created great
opportunities for International students to
make friends with the local students and
junior students to practice their Chinese
with the International students.
Mrs A Mangraviti
Head Teacher LOTE
Language Activities – Interviewing Each Other
Senior & Junior Students
YUM CHA at a Chinese Restaurant
CAPA ‘Column’
Term 3 has been a very busy term for the CAPA team!
Year 12 have now completed practical components of Drama
Visual Arts and Music. Year 12 Visual Arts completed their
Major Works for submission on 19 August. These works are
marked by itinerant markers early in Term 4. We will display
these works for viewing by our school community later in
Term 4 once the marking process has been completed.
Something for us all to look forward to! I have however
included some of our Year 11 Visual Arts students
photographs; some portraits and others landscapes.
Year 12 Drama students presented their group and individual
performances on Friday 31 August in the Drama Room.
Year 12 Music students were examined on their
performances on Thursday 6 September, Music 1 and
Monday, 10th September, 2012, Music 2. Thank you to Mrs
Codey, Mrs Bourtsouklis, Mr Jenkins, Ms Psarakis and Mrs
Bellato for your hard work and commitment to our Year 12
students and congratulations to our students for your hard
work and a job well done!
On a lighter note.......I am delighted to commend our Music
students for their performances during the term. During
Education Week earlier this term our String Ensemble
performed at Westfield Hurstville to an appreciative
audience, showcasing their pieces that they have been
working on.
Ruby Calder-Little sang with the voice of an angel,
accompanied on guitar by our 'resident rock star' - Harry
Alexiadis Fabulous performance!! If only there was a talent
scout around!!!
Both groups also performed at our annual Merit Awards
Assembly on Friday 31 August. Congratulations to our
performers for the wonderful entertainment they provide.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the
2012 Year 12 cohort on the completion of their schooling!
Yet another milestone in their lives. Good luck with the HSC
exams to follow in Term 4 and for the next steps they will
take in the rest of their lives! Well done!
Finally, I have some very exciting news to share with the
BHS community! Helen Elakis has safely delivered her two
gorgeous twin boys! The boys were born on Monday 3
September. Mum and babies are doing very well!!
Congratulations to Ms Elakis and her husband Crist on the
arrival of their beautiful babies Paul and Dimitri. We look
forward to Ms Elakis visiting us soon to show off her boys!!
On behalf of the CAPA team I wish you all a safe and restful
spring holiday!
Mrs J Jacobsen
Head Teacher CAPA
The Junior Prefects main
focus has been on fundraising for various charities and participating in school and community projects. They have conducted the Jeans for Genes Mufti Day,
Crazy Hair Day for the Leukemia foundation and were
involved in selling various merchandise for Daffodil Day.
They have also visited the local nursing home accompanied
by Mrs Smith, Mrs Loizos and Mrs Mangraviti. This was a
wonderful opportunity for the Junior Prefects to interact
with the elderly residents. They played the piano and
participated in games of balloon tennis and chatted.
The Senior Prefects have also been busy developing The
Student Leadership Webpage which will shortly be added to
our Website. They are also organising Slave Day the major
fund raiser for the year. Senior Prefects Health Week has
been very successful.
They engaged
students at
recess and
lunchtime in
a variety
of
physical
activities
fostering
harmony
and
interaction in
the playground.
Students were also able to
purchase healthy and delicious fruit kebabs. Some Senior
Prefects have volunteered to sell Legacy Badges on Legacy
Day in the local community.
EADERSHIP TEAM - Report
On Wednesdays 22 & 29 August, the Year 9 Junior
Prefects accompanied by Mrs Smith, Mrs
Managraviti and Ms Loizos, decided to pay a visit to
the Seniors in the Reirement Village in Cheddar
Street Blakehurst. Across the 2 weeks, the Prefects
took part in activities such as Balloon tennis, (the
Seniors favourite pastime), involving everyone sitting
in a circle and striking at a balloon with pool noodles
(quite fun if not just a tiny bit challenging). Each
Prefect spoke individually to some of the retirees
which in itself was an awe-inspiring experience due
to the fullness and hardships of most of their lives.
Visiting some of the Seniors in the dementia ward
was another experience in itself. To see such
brilliant minds with such a crippling disease as
dementia and to see an ex-Principal of a High School
suffer from it…well we, the Prefects, found it to be a
humbling experience in itself.
Due to the happiness (no matter how short) that was
given to the Seniors during our visit, it was decided
that the Junior Prefects are to make a tradition of
visiting the Retirement Village Therefore once every
term the Prefects are now to go and give just a little
more happiness to the retirees.
We now understand that life does get a little lonely
for those in Retirement Villages, not to mention those
with dementia, other illnesses, and those living by
themselves in their own homes.
To give just a little love and happiness is not much to
ask of anyone; after all it is why God put us all on this
earth.
Junior Prefects – Year 9
Mrs Smith/Mrs Mangraviti/Mrs Loizos
Leadership Team
PDHPE Faculty - Report Year 12 Students
Good luck to all of you as you prepare for the HSC next term.
The PDHPE team wish you all the very best and hope that
you all achieve the results you require to move into further
education or the workforce.
Congratulations…
…Matthew Edenborough who topped Year 12 in 2 Unit
PDHPE. Well done!!
Year 11 Preliminary Course
Year 11 you are coming to the end of this course, with final
exams in the last two weeks of Term 3. Have a pleasant and
relaxing holiday as the HSC course starts in earnest at the
beginning of Term 4.
Year 7 to 10…
…are continuing to work through their respective courses in
both theory and practical lessons.
The PASS and Soccer classes…
…in Years 9 and 10 have now completed the Premier
Sporting Challenge. Well done on your efforts and keep up
the good work and ―exercise‖.
Great news!
The newly developed Foster Street grass area will be ready
for use at the beginning of Term 4 for recess and lunch and
PE lessons. This area, at times, will need to be closed for
maintenance and repair to ensure its longevity. This will be a
fantastic area for our students and will be used by some PE
classes instead of walking to Carss or Todd Parks.
A Big Thank you…
...to all the families and staff who have bought in Coles
vouchers. I have sent in our wish list for sports equipment
which will be delivered after our ―7 bags‖ of vouchers are
counted.
END OF YEAR INTEREST ELECTIVES 2012
Monday 17th
, Tuesday 18th
Wednesday 19th
December 2012
During Week 11 in Term 4 Interest Electives will be held for
each year. This is a COMPULSORY program for all students
with further specific details, for each year, being circulated
early in Term 4. An overview of programs for each year are:
Year 7 Swimming and Life Saving including
Resuscitation.
Year 8 Activities with each student choosing the activity
they would most like to do from the choices offered.
Year 9 Peer Support Training for Year 10 Peer Leaders
Year 10 Be Study Skills/All My Own Work/Financial
Skills are compulsory for progression into Year 11
Year 11-25 Hour COMPULSORY PDHPE Course for all
students as stipulated by the NSWDEC. Components
include: Guest speakers, Resuscitation course
conducted by Royal Lifesaving Society and a peer
building adventure day at Cataract Park. This course
must be completed before a student can progress into
Year 12. The cost for this course is $85 which covers
the costs of all external providers and can be paid in
installments to the front office.
Have a great holiday!
PDHPE Sports - Report
With the completion of Winter Grade Sport and the
commencement of Summer Sport, we have finished Term III on
a positive note. Blakehurst High School had 25 teams
contesting grand finals in Week 7 – Wednesday 29th August and
I am very pleased to announce that we were victorious in 15 of
these finals. What a wonderful achievement by a talented and
enthusiastic group of students, with many thanks to the teachers
who coached these teams throughout the year. Congratulations
to the following teams who were Premiers in the Winter Grade
Sport Championship.
Congratulations also to the following teams, who have done an
incredible job to make it to the Grand Final, but unfortunately
were beaten. The Runners Up in the Winter Grade Sport
Championship are:
Yours in Sport
Mr T Yelavich
Head Teacher & PDHPE Team
Basketball Open Girls Mr Huxley 29-4 Basketball 13A Girls Mr Estephan 12-7 T/Tennis Open A Girls Ms Broadbent 4-2 Open B Girls Ms Broadbent 6-0 14B Girls Ms Alchin 6-0 Open A Boys Mrs Chen 4-3 Open B Boys Mrs Chen 4-3 Open D Boys Ms Winston Ms Lao 4-2 14B Boys Ms Butler 4-2 14D Boys Ms Qiu 5-1 Soccer 15B Boys Mr Irani 2-1 Netball Open B Girls Ms Lyons 7-4 13A Girls Ms Camilleri 20-19 Hockey Open Girls Ms Johnson 12-0 Tennis Open B Boys Ms Evangelinos 11-1
Basketball 15A Girls Mr Ahern 15B Girls Mr Ahern 13A Girls Mr Estephan Hockey Open Boys Mrs Allen Volleyball 15A Girls Mrs Louey 15B Girls Mrs Louey Table Tennis 14A Girls Mrs Alchin 14A Boys Ms Butler Tennis Open A Boys Ms Evangelinos Rugby League Open Boys Mr Van Munster
Oz Tag
On Tuesday 14th August, Blakehurst High attended the annual
St George Oz Tag Championship held at Scarborough Park.
With a record ten teams; four teams in junior, four teams in
intermediate and two teams in the open competition. Competing
with the sun shining, it was a great day to be playing sport
amongst their friends. After all the preliminary rounds, we had
six teams play in the semi finals, the most from any St George
Zone School. With some very tight matches, some going into
triple extra time. We managed to get three teams into the grand
final, again the most from any St George Zone School. With
three teams in the final, we were favourites in one and even in
the other two.
At the completion of the day, Blakehurst High were Champions
in the Open Girls (Year 11) and the Intermediate Girls (Year
9/10) and Runners Up in the Open Boys (Year 11). A great
achievement by all students, and many thanks to the teachers
who coached on the day. Results are published below.
On Wednesday 5th September, Blakehurst High‘s Open Girls
competed in the Cronulla Sutherland Oz Tag Tournament. With
these girls‘ impeccable unbeaten record in Oz Tag competitions,
they knew they would have to be on their game to compete
against many Shire Schools. Again our girls, went through to the
Grand Final undefeated and were not challenged in the final,
easily accounting for Sylvania High 4-1 in a dominant display.
Congratulations to all these girls and to Ms Berrett who has been
there every step of the way for the past five years.
Martial Arts Congratulations to Matthew Fong in Year 10 who successfully
competed at the Oceania Championships recently and brought
home two Gold and one Bronze medal. These achievements
were in:
Two Gold – Kung Fu
Bronze – Kick Boxing
As a result of Matthew‘s outstanding performances, he has been
selected to represent Australia at the World Chin Woo
Championships to be held in October in China. We wish
Matthew every success in these Championships over the next
few weeks.
Table Tennis On Tuesday 3rd September, Mrs Alchin took a talented group of
girls to the NSW Secondary Schoolgirls Table Tennis
Championships at Sydney Olympic Sports Halls, Homebush
Bay. These girls played extremely well, playing against much
older competitors and came away from the tournament with a
Silver and Bronze medal.
Of the seven teams that played, we had a record six who played
in the quarter finals which is a fantastic achievement and shows
tremendous depth in our school.
Congratulations to the following girls who won medals on this
day.
Silver – Michel Kuang Yr 9 & Natasha Fong Yr 8
Bronze – Tiffany Wong Yr 9 & Tamika Kosasih Yr 9
Athletics At the time of writing this report, we have four talented athletes
competing at the NSWCHS Athletics Championships. These
students are competing in numerous events and had a nice
surprise on Wednesday 5th September when Australia‘s 400m
Olympian Steve Solomon came to visit the school to present
some awards and wish these students good luck.
Steve is the first Australian to make the 400m final at the
Olympic Games in 24 years and only being 19 years of age, will
be a gold medal prospect in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. We were
blessed to have Steve in our company and for him to provide an
insight into his running career to date and also his future
endeavours. Many thanks must be extended to Mr Roff for
organizing such an elite athlete to present the students awards.
Mr Roff is very good friends and training partner with Steve on
the track. The following is a photo taken with our NSWCHS
Athletics representatives after Steve had wished them good luck.
Upcoming Events NSWCHS Athletics Carnival – Sydney Olympic Park Athletic
Centre, Thursday 6th – Saturday 8th September
Senior Grade Sport Summer Finals – Oct 31st & Nov 7th
Junior Grade Sport Summer Finals – Nov 21st & Nov 28th
Sport web sites The following sport web sites are useful for school sport notices,
zone sport information and Sydney East knock outs and
representation.
Blakehurst High Sport Information – http://www.blakehurst-
h.schools.nsw.edu.au/sport
St George Zone Sport Information –
http://www.stgeorgesssa.com.au/
Sydney East Sport Information -
http://www.sports.det.nsw.edu.au/syd_east/welcome.htm
Open girls Oz Tag Champions of both St George & Cronulla Tournaments under the
Blakehurst High School Tent.
S Woulf T Milacic M Soliman Steve Solomon D McCuaig-Walton
Oz Tag
Jnr Girls I & II Ms Grima Narrowly missed Semi Finals N/A Jnr Boys I Mr Kemp Semi Finalist Beaten 5-4 Jnr Boys II Mr Kemp Narrowly missed Semi Finals N/A Intermediate Girls I Ms Hawkins Champions 5-4 Intermediate Girls II Ms Hawkins Narrowly missed Semi Final N/A Intermediate Boys I Mr Tsattalios Semi Finalists (triple extra time) 7-6 Intermediate Boys II Mr Tsattalios Semi Finalist 8-4 Open Girls Ms Berrett Champions 5-1 Open Boys Ms Berratt Runners Up Beaten 2-0
Regards
Mr N Smith Sports Organiser
From the CAREERS Adviser