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CABRAMATTERSSCHOOL NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1
FUTURE HOPES AND DREAMS Cabramatta High
celebrates HARMONY DAY
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Class of 2016 High Achievers
Peparing for NAPLAN
International Women’s Day
Patching Special Memories
World’s Greatest Shave
Clean Up Australia Day
Project Samoa
He Waka Eke Noa
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Harmony Day 2017by Bethaney Waters
On Tuesday 21st March, Cabramatta High School celebrated Harmony Day. The day embraced the true spirit of harmony: many minds, cultures, talents and people coming together as one. There were performances, art works, posters, photography , ribbons, food, and heartfelt talks by our local religious leaders who each spoke about what harmony means for them. Cabramatta High School students walked away from the day understanding the true meaning of acceptance, appreciation for one another and with a greater passion for their cultures. A warm thank you to our religious leaders who expressed how impressed they were and believed that this Harmony Day was the best they had ever attended.They were very proud to have been a part of it.
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Harmony Day 2017
Artwork by CAPA faculty
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World’s Greatest Shaveby Danijela Sekuljica, Katie Le and Carlos Enrique
Our school captain, Luke Trainor participated in the World’s Greatest Shave on the 13th of March 2017 on Mondays’ assembly. Luke made the decision to participate after being moved by the fight Liana was going through. Liana Davidson was born on 15/08/13 to parents AIysha (teacher at Ingleburn High School) and Glen (catering manager). Liana has Chronic Myeloid Dysplasia and requires a bone marrow transplant to prevent Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia. She has already gone through one round of chemotherapy. Our principal, Beth Godwin, was the first person to cut Luke’s long hair. Year advisor Joseph Mansour and Luke’s father, Greg Trainor followed and started to shave his hair. Liana, Jocelyn and Luke’s mother, Diane Trainor also helped. While this was happening, SRC students were gathering donations from the crowd to raise money for Liana. For this great cause, Luke hoped to raise at least $500 but at the end of the assembly that Monday, he had raised over $3000. After the shave was complete, Mr Erskine asked Luke about his thoughts on the shave. Luke explained that he felt a bit nervous ahead of the shave but was happy to do anything to support Liana and the need to find cures for Myeloid Dysplasia and Myeloid Leukaemia.
Mr Trainor and Mr Mansour shaving Luke’s hair at assembly
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Harmony Day celebrations 2-3
World’s Greatest Shave 4
Principal’s Message 6
Christmas Garage Sale Appeal 7
The Science Lab 8
Maths Matters 9
Preparing for Naplan 10-11
Careers Corner 12-13
Project Samoa 14
HSIE Newstand 15
School Council Meeting Minutes 16
Sponsors 17
Industrial Arts Innovations 18
A Note from Dave McEwan 19
He Waka Eke Noa 20-21
Patching Special Memories 22-23
Contents:
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by Ms E Godwin
Principal’s message
2017 has started strong with student success and school achievement. Our school numbers have increased as we accept local students and an increase in refugee students. We warmly welcome our families from Syria and hope that they find peace in our school and country. The students have settled very well and are showing that they are devoted to education and making a wonderful life in Australia. Thank you to the parents and families who have chosen to change their lives completely and who have come to our school to enrich all our lives.
Year 7 have made a positive impact on the school. They have settled into classes and have undertaken many team and leadership activities. Peer support activities have helped them form strong friendships and they have already elected their School Representative Council (SRC) members.
The SRC members are listed in this edition of Cabramatters. This team of dedicated school leaders are making wonderful suggestions for school improvement, raising money for worthwhile causes and representing the school at public events.
Cabramatta High School prides itself on undertaking activities which demonstrated global responsibility. We are very fortunate to be in a country that is considered wealthy and has affordable education for all. In the January school holidays I had the pleasure of opening and visiting the Ethiopian school that was built from the fundraising efforts of staff and students. This will literally change the lives of the hundreds of children who will receive an education there. The school has embarked on a project to recycle prescription glasses sending them to Cambodia to give access to sight for those in need. The front page of both local papers featured a great school event when Luke, our school captain participated in Shave for a Cure. He rose over $4500 to support research for finding a cure for blood cancer. This term our school community united to send a shipping container of school furniture to a disadvantaged school in Samoa. Our mission is to help those in need by providing education to the children so that they can have opportunity to succeed. Students and parents are involved in a knitting/crocheting group creating squares that will become blankets for the homeless people of Sydney. Students giving of their time and skill will make a difference in the life of someone that needs a helping hand. If you would like to help in this project wool and materials are provided from the school and you can either join us before school council in the library or knit from home. Every knitted square helps.
Our School Council meets twice a term and invites all parents to attend. We provide interpreters and child minding. We meet in the school library from 6.30 to 8.30pm. The dates are published in the school calendar on the website and on the back of this newsletter. We discuss many things about the school and invite guest speakers from the community to keep us informed of current events and concerns. At each meeting there is a presentation from school executive about current programs and it is a great opportunity to find out what is happening in the school. Everyone is welcome to come along.
*Translations of the Principal’s message are available on the Cabramatta High School website:
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Christmas Garage Sale Appealby Tam Ngo and Cindy HuynhOn the 10th of December, Cabramatta High School held a Garage Sale at the school to raise funds to donate Christmas presents to children at Liverpool hospital on Christmas Day. It was a special event as it had been planned, organised and implemented by students of Cabramatta High School. Leading up to the event, the committee encouraged staff, family, friends and students to donate a range of items to be sold at the garage sale. The garage sale idea was proposed around mid-July 2016, by two senior students - Tam Ngo and Cindy Huynh. They gathered 50 volunteers to assist and had weekly meetings in the months leading up to the day. With help from the local community, Fuji Xerox and Cabramatta High School the students raised over $2,300. On Christmas Day 20 students went to the Children’s Ward at Liverpool Hospital to hand out presents. The proceeds from the garage sale went towards the Christmas presents. The remaining funds were used to purchase three thermometers for the Children’s Ward at Liverpool Hospital. All items not sold at the garage sale were donated to local refugee families.
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The Science Labby Ms Piesse
Congratulations to all our year 12 achievers in the 2016 HSC. Physics, Chemistry and Biology all showed improvement in HSC bands. The science faculty has been busy preparing for a new senior curriculum to be implemented in 2018. We have been looking at the new syllabus and a draft for an extension science course. Work has started towards the development of teaching programs and resource building to support our students in year 11 next year.
Year 9 students were given their VALID results to show parents. The school results have shown steady improvement, especially since the science faculty has implemented some literacy strategies for students so that they are better able to understand the questions and texts in the exam. We encourage all our students to improve in literacy; the science department has three teachers who are also teaching whole school literacy lessons. Home reading is another great way for students to develop reading skills. The Science faculty has a strong belief that literacy and numeracy skills are vital for success in any subject in the school and we actively support any initiatives to enhance our students succeeding to the best of their individual abilities.
The Science faculty is developing a STEM lab that will be used as a whole school resource to better the opportunities for our students. The lab will have the latest computers and programs, interactive board, a top of the range microscope, infra- red camera and data loggers. We are looking forward to participating in more STEM lessons across our school faculties and getting use from our new specialist room! Thank you to Ms Godwin and Mr Erskine for supporting the creation of this resource for our school.
Year 11 Biology are going on a field trip to Georges River in order to participate in a hands on field study. Students will actively participate in collecting and analysing data and observations to better understand the importance of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Our accelerated year 10 Science classes participated in an international neuroscience competition called the “Brain Bee”. This competition gives students an opportunity to delve into the inner workings of the human brain. If successful in the first competition round, students will be invited to attend the state competition which is held at the school of medicine building at Western Sydney University.
Senior Chemistry students are looking very smart in their newly purchased lab coats. The coats are used to reinforce the safety requirements in the lab, protect student uniforms and also to give students a taste of how a Chemistry laboratory is run in industry and at university. We provide the coats to try to reduce the cost for parents.
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Year 9 Numeracy Workshop
Students in Year 9 participated in a mathematics numeracy workshop on the 1st March. It involved students solving a range of challenging problems in a team competition.
Ms Chhabra who organised the day was very impressed with the enthusiasm of the students and their passion for Mathematics. Students who won the competition were Angela Dang, Hilda Nog, Nikola Subotic and Umut Ulukut. Congratulations!
High Performing Mathematics students
Students have recently completed their first assessment task for 2017. The results from many students have been very pleasing. Congratulations to these high performing students.
Year 7 – Ryan Soth, Gia Kiet Chau, Missy Chhuo, Sally Luu, Rachel Tran, Abbas Al-Mousawi, Keeny Huang, Richard Lam
Year 8 – Jennica Lee, Vi Tieu, Sanya Alina Chor, Delena Le, Nancy To, Katherine Tran, Emily Phan, Jacky Tran, Nhi Do, Jessica Phung, Roger Preap-Sor, Teona Petreska, Selina Kha, Thao Tran
Year 9 – Katie Le, Julina Lim, Chitra Va, Phinnapha Inthavongsa, Ha Ngan Bui, Anastasia Malinovic, Hue Trang Thanh Nguyen, Tran Nhan Quang Thieu, Sendy Nguyen, Nahkanee Heng and Class 9 Mathematics Advanced 1
Year 10 – Lucy Chhuo, Trish Nguyen, Jenny Vo, Adrian Lim, Felicity Nguyen, Tammy Le, Mike Nguyen, Hoang Anh Khuong, Judy Nguyen, Gillian Antonio, Adam Ebade, Cyndi Huynh, Dina Suhail Slewa, Trong
Maths Mattersby Mr Powers
Maths PuzzleA football team won 28 out of 42 games played and has 18 still to play. How many of the remaining games must it win in order that its percentage of games won for the entire season will be 75%?
Year 11 – Gia Hung To, Lenghuy Pheun, Hoang Quan Do, Ty Lim, Lam Nguyen, Lam Nhat Nam Nguyen, Lily Ngo, Edwin Tran, Brandon Do, Ilen Rith, Anh Linh Nguyen, Jayde Blume
Year 12 – Vincent Tang, Sunny Wang, Calvin Nguyen, Ngoc Ha Vo, Gia Nghi Tran, Marie Antonio, Ivana Lukajic, Larry Huynh, Nina Odesyan, Monyreach Chuon
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Preparing for NAPLAN
“Let’s start by letting you know what NAPLAN is not. It is not a measure of how intelligent you are. It is not a measure of what you are capable of. Your results on NAPLAN don’t effect if you pass the year or not. I could tell you as a psychologist that your results on NAPLAN aren’t worth worrying about, but I’m not sure you are going to believe me. So if you have ever feltbutterflies in your stomach or a headachewhenever you think of a coming test orNAPLAN, the ideas in this paper are for you...”
Get StressedThe first strategy to dealing with stress is toget stressed. Huh? Makes no sense? Let meexplain.Stress feels yucky but it is actually yourbody’s way of preparing you to perform atyour best. Blood gets pumped to your armsand legs, your heart speeds up, and nonessentialservices like your digestion slow \down- you are ready to take on the world. Sostress might feel unpleasant but realising thatit is your body’s way of revving you up andhelping you to perform at your best, will helpyou to keep these feelings in perspective.
Chew Something.Ok you’ve done all of that and you still feel nervy. The third strategy is to eat or chew on something either before or during the test or exam. Check with your teacher that chewing something is allowed in test and exam rooms. If chewing is not allowed, at least chew something just before entering the test. Some jellybeans or fruit would be ideal. Stress happens when we feel we are in a dangerous situation. It is an automatic process that we can’t completely control. Eating or chewing on something sends asignal to your body that says, “Well, if I’m chewing something I can’t be in total danger, so relax a bit.”
Everybody gets stressed.Everyone gets stressed during tests andexams, even the people who say that theydon't. Look around in a room where peopleare doing a test or exam. Even those peoplewho are yawning, looking bored or stretchingand looking as cool as cucumbers, arestressed.That means everyone has to learn how tocope with these feelings. It is not just you!Stress can block your memory, give you aqueasy tummy, make you lie awake at night,give you a dry throat or a headache- thesearen’t nice feelings to have.
Write Out Your Worries...grab a piece of paper one or two days before the test and write down all your concerns aboutit. Write out an answer to the question, “What would happen if I fail this test?” (Even thoughyou can’t fail NAPLAN). Then write out an answer to the next question, “If I did fail whatwould happen then?” Read your written answers aloud to yourself.Even if doing well is really, really important to you, knowing your fears will calm you.Answering the question, “If I did fail, what would happen then?” helps you to make a back up plan.
Make yourself smarterThe biggest obstacle you face in doing well at a test or exam is not your brain. You have plenty of intelligence. The big issue is yourlevel of anxiety. If you take the time to prepare for the test or exam and use the strategies suggested inthis sheet, you will perform at your best.
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by Andrew Fuller
Andrew’s most recent book is “ UnlockingYour Child’s Genius” (Finch Publishing, 2015). Copyright Andrew Fuller ,2016 www.andrewfuller.com.au
Focus on now.Stress can spin your head. It can have you thinking all sorts of weird ideas. Stress can have you remembering that time you failed all those years ago or that time you were soembarrassed by something. Stress can also blow things out of all proportion and have you predicting bad things in your future. The past is no longer with you and the futurehasn’t happened yet. Worrying has never changed anything in the past and predictions about the future are usually wrong. Doing well on a test or exam means you need to focus on the question in front of you now. Keep reminding yourself, “What do Ineed to do right now?”
Build MomentumAnswer a question that feels easy first off in a test or exam to build up your confidence.
Breathe Out - S L O W L YWhen you feel stressed one of the fastest ways to calm down is to breathe out slowly. We all have a calm down system that is controlled by our breathing. If you breatheout and count silently to yourself, “one thousand, two thousand, three thousand”, you will start to feel calmer.
Stand tall walk proudYour brain is incredibly intelligent. In fact, you possess at the top your neck, humanity’s latest upgrade- the most intelligent brain in allof history. But! Your brain is also incredibly stupid. It believes what you tell it. This means if youstand-up and maintain a powerful posture your body sends a signal to your brain that tells it you are feeling in charge of things and it can reduce your stress hormones.
Look after yourselfBreakfast- eat “brain food” the morning before. Have a higher protein, lower carbohydrate mix at breakfast. That means less toast and more eggs. Drink water- water lowers your levels of cortisol that causes stressful feelings. Avoidenergy drinks as they rev you up and may interfere with your levels of concentration. Sleep well- try to get a good night’s sleep the night before. If you are feeling really worried, set an alarm so you can wake up early and feel awake and ready.
Keep Calm and Carry OnYou have many, many skills that will NOT be assessed by NAPLAN. Tests and exams are important, but they are not the big predictorsof life success.
Do your best and prepare as well as you can but don’t make the mistake of thinking that your score on NAPLAN is a measure of yourintelligence or predicts your future.
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Careers Cornerby Ms Shchupak and Mr Pulham
Year 11 Students Celebrate International Women’s Day at Focus.
Eight female students from Year 11 have been selected for the Focus Program. This program targets young women in senior high school who demonstrate leadership potential.The first session took place at PwC, a multinational financial corporation in the city on Wednesday 8th March. This session was very significant as it coincided with International Women’s Day. The girls met and worked with female mentors from PwC and also had the opportunity to network with female student leaders from other high schools.The session focused on successful female leaders, the qualities of effective leaders and different leadership styles. In the coming workshops, the girls will further develop their leadership skills and knowledge.
Year 11 students celebrating International Women’s Day. From left to right – Janet Puk, Sonali Sharma, Lily Ngo, Azra Ghotbi, Jia Guo and Sothea Keu
Cabramatta High School congratulates our creative ex-student Ruqayah Abed
(HSC Class of 2016) and her wonderful mum ( bottom right) on the event of their fashion and design display (bottom left) timed to coincide with International Womens’ Day 9.3.17.
Thank you to CORE Cabramatta for hosting this event.
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We were delighted to welcome back to the school 25 of our high-performing students from last year’s Year 12. The students visited earlier this year and addressed a whole school assembly. They also attended a celebratory morning tea and spoke to current Year 12 students at a year meeting.These students gained outstanding results in the 2016 HSC and this year are pursuing a variety of courses at university, including Law, Medicine, Science, Engineering, Data Science, Forensic Science, Accountancy, Business, Education and Nursing.
Sok Haing Phork gained the highest ATAR achieving 99.3. He also gained a mark of 100 for Mathematics Extension 1. This year Sok Haing is pursuing a Bachelor of Data Science at UNSW. Lan Nhi Nguyen achieved an ATAR of 96.45. Nguyen Dang Khoa Pham gained an ATAR of 95.95 and has commenced a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery at Western Sydney University. Colin Vuong scored 95.9.
We thank them for taking the time out of their day to visit the school to pass on their words of wisdom to Year 12 students and wish them every success in the future.
Year Adviser Mr Prakash with Minh Khai Tran, Sok Haing Phork and Tony Phan
Sokleap Na, Sok Haing Phork with ESL teacher Ms Lee.
Sally Lo, Susanna Ngo and Vincy Cui enjoying at the morning tea.
Congratulations to Our High Performing Students from 2016
Tips for Year 12 Students:•Do a lot of past papers•Prepare for your essays early.•Stress, but don’t overstress.•Always maintain a routine and pattern of study. The most important thing is consistency and hard work.•Do more work than you are required to (but know your limits).•Attend tutorials by your teachers.•SLEEP!! You can’t do anything if you don’t get enough sleep.
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PROJECT SAMOABY MILLI SAMUELU
Project Samoa is a short term plan that a group of dedicated students have been working on over the term. The project aims to collect school furniture such as chairs, tables, whiteboards and teachers’ desks etc. and donate these items to a new school in Samoa called the Manumalo Baptist School. So far we have attained these items from our very own Cabramatta High School and various neighbouring schools that have been kind enough to contribute furniture that will be useful in the new school. The Project Samoa team have also started fundraising appeals in which the money raised will go towards purchasing stationery items for the students. All the items collected for the school will be put in to a shipping container which will be sent to the newly developed school in Samoa.
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HSIE NEWSTANDBY CHRISTYNA LE
On Thursday the 9th of March, Cabramatta students from the Enviro club participated in clean up Australia Day. Our club registered Cabramatta creek as a clean up site and followed the cross country course around and collected rubbish. We noticed Cabramatter’s gutters, waterways, and grass contained a lot of different types of rubbish. We found an arrow, 3 footballs, 2 golf balls, empty alcohol bottles and a crate. In total we had about 50 students cleaning up over the 2 period event. It was a lot of fun and everyone had fun actually doing something that makes a visible difference in the community we live in. Come join the Enviro Club, Fridays Lunch 1 room 7-8!
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School Council Meeting Minutes22.2.17
PRESENT:President: Dieu QuachPrincipal: Beth GodwinCHS Staff: Mark Avery, Andrew Simpson & Lynette NguyenSRC: Luke Trainer & Tracey ChauInterpreters: Trinh Mai, Sorathy Michell, Anh Vuong, Tran Lee & Nabaz Fatah Parents:Thi Kim Phung Quach, Thi Xinh Trinh, Hanh Bao Tra, Nuong Le, Mai Ly Huynh, Kim Vo, Ngan Tran, Rennea Soth, Van Mai, Van Nguyen, My Huong Truong, Thao Pham, Thu Van Dien, Thi Kieu Tram Lu, Tuyet Phuong Le, Jenny Hanh Vo, Chi Thoa Nguyen, Amy Tran, Thi My Chau, Thi Thuy Tien Doan, Phung Lan Tran, Kim Bin Tran, Thuc Nhan Truong, Shira Wu, Tu Lien Duong, Huong L, Annie Soun, Phary Soth, Sitha Keo, Dany Tug, Hong Ung, Taghreed Al-badri, Muthanna Al-badri, Duc Ngo, Nelson Cabrera, Toni Robinson, Diane Sanderson.
1.. APOLOGIES: Nil
2. PRINCIPAL’S REPORT: Beth GodwinWelcome to parents and community members including new attendees. - Week 4 and Week 8 each term - Knitting team to help homeless from 5pm. - Interpreters so that all feel welcome to come to meeting. - aim to give you as much information as we can. - Head Teachers will attend each meeting. - Guest Speakers. - Raffle for charity – “Share for a Cure”. - funding - upcoming projects: - mini bus - replace hall roof - outdoor volleyball court and gym - air conditioning – possibly solar - painting
New Syllabus- New HSC syllabus – English, Maths, HistoryTop ATAR 2016 99.3 Same student got 100% in Extension 1 Maths,98% in Advanced Maths
‘Project Samoa’ – school furniture is being sent over to a Samoan school destroyed in the cyclone. - Opening of school in Ethiopia in December funded by Cabramatta High School. - Harmony Day – Tuesday 21st March Morning cultural items, then food stalls. Parents asked to get involved. - Principal is going to Vietnam and Cambodia for two weeks tomorrow. Lachlan Erskine is relieving Principal. - Principal has sore knees at the moment.Captains- Luke shaving head 13/3 for Leukaemia Foundation. - Idea of changing Year 7/8 sports uniform to House colours: green, red, blue, yellow. Suggestion – vests or sports uniform or coloured armbands. - SRC – new group – students nominate themselves to Year Advisors, give speech, voting takes place. Regular reports by SRC members to grade. -School numbers: almost 1500 students – new buildings, 11 hectares of land. IEC hosting refugee students.
3. HEAD TEACHERS:Andrew Simpson & Lyn Nguyen - Literacy lessons introduced to address NESA Band 8 requirement. Prepare for NAPLAN :-how to read questions,- how to answer questions- improve comprehension- teaching grammar, punctuation and spelling- writing processes- Year 7 and 8 WORD FLYERS - on line interactive programs to engage students- students use in class and can use at home
4. 2017 Healthy approach to school and study’ Mark Avery - Homework vs. study – the differences - Years 7-8 should be doing ½ - 1 hour of study 5 times a week - Years 9 – 10 = 1½ - 2 hours of study 5 times a week - Years 11 – 12 = 2-3 hours of study 5 times a week - Study Centre is open 5 days a week until 5pm. - Distractions from mobiles, laptops etc. - Exercise improves performance - Sleep is important. teenagers need 8-10 hours
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Proud Sponsors of Cabramatta High School
Academy Photography
Bowlarama, Wetherill Park
Cabramatta Bowling Club
Cabra-Vale Diggers
Cabramatta Rugby Leagues Club
Chinghai Meditation Association
Ching Hai International Association
Committed to Coaching (C2C)
Faz Uniforms
Iglesia Ni Christo Church of Christ
International Martial Arts Centres
Languages Other Than English-CHS
Lifeline Macarthur
Margaret Milligan- School Canteen
McDonalds, Liverpool Megacenta
Peak Science
Plus Fitness Cabramatta
Taylors Pharmacy
The Australian Association of All Nationalities of China Inc. - Chinese Language School
Top Class English Tutoring
What The Fudge
5. Fitness Club and Breakfast Club- Monday, Tuesday and Friday 8.15am – 8.45am.- Parents are asked to contribute/volunteer if free- Notes must be signed, if students want to attend the Fitness Club.
6. Cambodia Vision – focuses on blindness eyecareThe school is collecting unwanted glasses to give to this organisation.
Next Meeting: 22nd March, 2017
**Knitting group starts at 5pm, prior to the start of the School Council Meeting.
Liverpool
Cabramatta Bowling Club
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Industrial Arts InnovationsBy Mr Prakash and Mr Lal
Dragster Powered by Student Knowledge
Students in our Year 10 Engineering class, under the guidance of IA teacher Mr Prakash, designed and raced their dragster powered by CO2 (carbon dioxide) on the 20th of March in the School Hall as part of their Term One ‘Alternative Energy’ unit. Students learnt about mass, which is how large and heavy the car is. They also learnt that the less weight your dragster has, the faster it will go. ‘Keep it light’ was the key to a faster dragster. They also learnt about a wide variety of forces that affect its motion and velocity.Here are some of the principal forces involved:• Thrust: The gas escaping from the CO2 cartridge in the car. • Friction: Because the dragster has parts moving against one another, friction is created. Students helped reduce it by making sure the axles are free to rotate, and that the wheels and tyres are not rubbing on the car body.• Drag: Here’s where aerodynamics come into play. As an object moves through the air, it is met with air resistance as speeds increase. This air resistance pushes against your CO2 car and prevents it from going as fast as it could in a vacuum. On race day students prepared and raced their CO2 dragsters. The winning car was the one with the least time taken to finish the race! Great competitive fun!
InTech Nomination for Cabramatta Students
2016 HSC students Tony Phan and Kim Seng Thai’s Industrial Technology Multimedia project have been nominated for possible inclusion in InTech, the annual exhibition of outstanding Major Projects by HSC Industrial Technology students.Tony Phan designed and created an animation trailer about a fictitious reality TV show where 18 contestants battle it out for a chance at one million dollars, similar to the famous US reality TV series: Survivor.Kim Seng Thai designed and created a video trailer about a soccer evolution. The video trailer was about entertaining the audience with humour and promotes outdoor sports.Both students worked hard over the past 2 years with their IA teacher and mentor Mr Lal and achieved Band 6 in Industrial Technology Multimedia.
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Dear staff, students and parents,It was with a great deal of thought, consultation and prayer that I decided to take long service leave with the view of leading to retirement. It has not been a decision made lightly especially after having worked at Cabramatta for the past 34 years. However, I felt the time was right.
So far, long service leave has treated me well. I have been able to step up my training (many days doing 2 sessions per day) which of course was not possible whilst working. Competitions have been quite successful this year both at state and national level winning gold and silver in athletics and triathlon. I plan to compete in Darwin at the Australian Masters Athletics Championships in June. July should see me compete in the Australian marathon championships at the Gold Coast and later in the year at Rotterdam (Netherlands) in the World Triathlon Championships. The ‘gold ribbon event’ of course will be the School Cross Country Carnival in May. I hope all you students have been training.
The best news though is that it has been just over 20 months since completing chemotherapy and there has been no sign of any cancer returning. I still require ongoing tests and specialist visits, but they are becoming much less frequent.
Anyway, this note is also about publicly thanking all the staff, students, and parents (including School Council) for their ongoing support (especially over the last five years). The students at Cabramatta High School will always hold a very special place in my heart and I look forward to visiting during special occasions.
To the wonderful, kind-hearted and generous staff I owe you so much gratitude and cannot thank you all enough. Your support has been overwhelming. I was so very touched not only by all your kindness and generosity during my years of illness, but then, on top of all that by your extremely generous farewell gift at the end of last year. I am truly grateful to be a part of your lives.
As I travel I will most definitely be thanking you all and thanking God for all the fantastic people and for the wonderful friends I have made through Cabramatta High School.
Very best wishes to you all.
Mr. David McEwan
A Letter from Mr McEwan
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The HE WAKA EKE NOA Programby Mr Kerehona and Miss Tavu’i-Leota
The He Waka Eke Noa program is a component of the larger, more detailed, Pasifika Education Program which Cabramatta High School has been providing for our students with a Pasifika background. He waka eke noa is a Maori proverb meaning ‘We are all in the same boat’, and represents our students learning and working together, towards a number of common goals. The program focuses predominantly on Pacific migration and Polynesian navigation or ‘wayfinding’ techniques and skills through theory lessons, as well as practical sessions. The students learn how their ancestors peopled the numerous islands throughout the Pacific region, using double-hulled outrigger canoes, as well as celestial navigation (reading the stars), observing wave patterns and the migration routes of whales and flight paths of birds. This program acknowledges the great feats that the students’ Pasifika ancestors were able to achieve, sailing vast distances all over the Pacific. To put these voyages into perspective, one specific route from Tahiti to Hawai’i, was just over 4 000 km; that’s like sailing from Sydney to Brisbane and back, then Sydney to Melbourne and back, then from Sydney to Canberra – tremendous achievements. Science and Technology and Mathematics were utilised strongly within the program, especially during the practical component. Our students’ learning was enhanced by the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) with computer-generated, animated characters, who delivered course content, provided revision lessons and also gave feedback to students on their learning. We also conducted an excursion to the Australian Museum to view a number of artefacts relevant to our studies.Our on-water component of the program, saw a select group of our Year 7 and 8 students participate in a series of four practical sessions at Kyeemagh Beach, Botany Bay. During these sessions, they learned about: parts of the vessel, water safety, ‘huli’ (capsize) drills, as well as how to navigate their course. All students were assessed, passing swim-tests and being briefed on safety procedures.
Tokotoka – “I was interested to learn about the peopling of the Pacific, the migration paths and ways in which my ancestors navigated the seas.”Lydia – “I’m glad that I got to learn how to crew and navigate a va’a (traditional Polynesian outrigger canoe) like my ancestors before me.”Adrianah – “We did a ‘huli’ drill, which is what you do if you capsize the canoe. You need to flip it back over as safely and as fast as possible. It was fun but I didn’t want to go too far out because of the sharks – yeah I was looking everywhere for the sharks.”
We are extending this program into 2017, to include Pasifika students from other grades, beginning with Year 12 in Term 1, Year 11 in Term 2, and hopefully, Year 10 in Term 4. We would like to show our gratitude toward Mounties for their generous support, in the form of a grant, which enabled us to fund this, and other, programs in 2016. We would also like to thank the staff and crew of MAIA Outrigger Canoe Club, for the opportunity to work with, and learn from, them during the course of our program; we hope to continue our great relationship and build school/junior outrigger canoeing in the Sydney region.
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... “WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT”
Excursion to the Australian Museum Familiarization training and safety brief
Our students are learning to work together as a group and continue to improve
Transporting the va’a (double-hulled canoe)
The girls carrying out the ‘huli’ drill, where they right their vessel after capsizing it.
First On-water session
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Patching Special Memoriesby the Support Unit
The Support Unit students’ dream to complete a patchwork quilt wall hanging for the school hall came true, when our school principal Miss Godwin and Mrs. Goodfellow donated all the materials that belonged to their mother, the late Mrs Jan Godwin for this project.
The patchwork quilt project related to all the courses which students undertake in the Support Unit and enabled them to practise their knowledge, skills and team work. All students enthusiastically researched “Patchwork and Quilting”, gathered information, created pictures, studied design and technology, examined relevant equipment and safety and explored various methods of stitching the quilt together. They all showed great peer support in continuation of this project.
Students went beyond the classroom, to Picton Patchwork Shop to study sewing techniques and approaches in finishing a patchwork quilt using a computerised industrial quilting sewing machine.
The unique creation and memories behind this quilt were presented on social media via Picton Patchwork Quilt Shop Facebook page and students’ work was commended by many.
All support unit staff and students’ hard work is much appreciated in making this project a success. A special thank you to Mrs. C.Bower for guiding and supporting the students in the classroom, on the excursion, during the research scheme and the sewing venture.
Please feel free to view the original, magnificent, unique Quilt Wall Hanger in the school hall, put together by the students.
This special quilt is hanging in the school hall
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2017 TERM 2 SCHOOL CALENDAR
WEEK Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Sat/ Sun
April 1Week A
24 25Anzac Day
26School Anzac Day Ceremony
27 28 29/30
May 2Week B
1 2Top 20 CommbankSmart Start program
3 4 5 6/7
May 3Week A
8 9NAPLAN
10NAPLAN
11NAPLAN
12 13/14
May 4Week B
15 16 17School Council Meeting 6pm
18 19Year 8 Sky High Program
20/21
May 5Week A
22 23
Sorry Day
24 25 26Athletics Carnival
27/28
May/June
6Week B
29 30 31 1 2Year 8 Sky High program
3/4
June 7Week A
5 6TwilightTeacher professional Learning 3:30-6:30pm
7Year 9 Goals program
8 9 10/11
June 8Week B
12Queen’s Birthday
13 14 15 16 17/18
June 9Week A
19 20 21Cabramatta High Festival
School Council Meeting 6pm
22Cabramatta High Festival
23 24/25
June 10Week B
26 27 28Year 9 Goals Program
29 30Year 8 Sky High Program
