Term 2 2021 Times are Changing Winter always catches us by surprise and as we move towards the end of Term 2, 2021 we are again reminded how time passes so quickly. Our Year 7 cherubs are already looking taller while our Year 12 are moving quickly into the last term of their secondary education. It does not feel six years have passed since our Captains entered high school! This term has offered so many great opportunities for our students and they have shone in all the many opportunities this term including sporting, drama, dancing, acting, musically, marine excursions, fundraising, work experience and who can forget the wonderful Reconciliation Walk and Assembly? In Term 2, we visited partner primary schools and began introducing BCHS to our new Year 7 2022. Soon time will fly and we will be helping those young people choose their senior subjects! Term 2 also saw NAPLAN, Tell Them From Me and Learning Conferences occur. Semester 1 Reports have been written and Year 7 enjoyed an action packed camp. We celebrated our community partnerships with a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed with Ballina RSL. We ended the term with NAIDOC Week. We welcome new staff in Term 3, Head Teacher HSIE Jake Parmenter as well as new teaching staff in Learning and Support, Support Centre and TAS. We will introduce you to the new staff soon! We enjoy offering opportunities to our students because we have amazing casual teachers and we are enjoying the SCU practicum students and their innovation and thinking. Thank you to our SASS staff, SLSO’s, GA’s and Cleaners who continue to keep us afloat. We are also grateful for our Café staff and the amazing food they provide every day! Thank you! Time flies but it allows us to fill our days with wonderful things. We have staff with bubs on the way and time is quite possibly flying for them. I don’t want time to stand still. I don’t want time to fly by. I am enjoying what BCHS has here and now as we continue working towards making it better every day. Janeen Silcock, Principal V I B E
Transcript
Term 2 2021
Times are Changing Winter always catches us by surprise and as we move towards the end of Term 2, 2021 we are again reminded how time passes so quickly. Our Year 7 cherubs are already looking taller while our Year 12 are moving quickly into the last term of their secondary education. It does not feel six years have passed since our Captains entered high school! This term has offered so many great opportunities for our students and they have shone in all the many opportunities this term including sporting, drama, dancing, acting, musically, marine excursions, fundraising, work experience and who can forget the wonderful Reconciliation Walk and Assembly? In Term 2, we visited partner primary schools and began introducing BCHS to our new Year 7 2022. Soon time will fly and we will be helping those young people choose their senior subjects! Term 2 also saw NAPLAN, Tell Them From Me and Learning Conferences occur. Semester 1 Reports have been written and Year 7 enjoyed an action packed camp. We celebrated our community partnerships with a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed with Ballina RSL. We ended the term with NAIDOC Week. We welcome new staff in Term 3, Head Teacher HSIE Jake Parmenter as well as new teaching staff in Learning and Support, Support Centre and TAS. We will introduce you to the new staff soon! We enjoy offering opportunities to our students because we have amazing casual teachers and we are enjoying the SCU practicum students and their innovation and thinking. Thank you to our SASS staff, SLSO’s, GA’s and Cleaners who continue to keep us afloat. We are also grateful for our Café staff and the amazing food they provide every day! Thank you! Time flies but it allows us to fill our days with wonderful things. We have staff with bubs on the way and time is quite possibly flying for them. I don’t want time to stand still. I don’t want time to fly by. I am enjoying what BCHS has here and now as we continue working towards making it better every day. Janeen Silcock, Principal
VIBE
ANZAC DAY 2021 On 23 April BCHS held an
ANZAC Assembly. Welcoming honorary RSL guests and
commemorating Australia’s fallen heroes in a very moving
assembly. School Captains also attended an official wreath
laying ceremony on ANZAC Day.
RECONCILIATION - WALKING TOGETHER IN UNITY This year Ballina Coast High School students and staff walked around the perimeter of the school to recognise Reconciliation Week. The walk was an expression of support for meaningful reconciliation between Australia’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. We showed unity as all cultures walked together and acknowledged the past histories of the Aboriginal people of Australia. This gave an increased understanding of Indigenous cultures, the history of past dispossession and present-day disadvantages. The walk was proceeded by an Acknowledgement of Country and Flag raising witnessed by the whole school.
Sorry Day Assembly 26 May 2021
Students and staff were immersed and enlightened by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students at BCHS during a Sorry Day Assembly to acknowledge and remember the past policies of forced child removal, and reflect on the sad and painful stories of the Stolen Generation. Joshua Davis performed a moving song that he wrote, in front of a captivated audience. His song encompassed themes that were important to him as a young Aboriginal man.
BCHS PRESENTS ANOTHER INCREDILE MADD PRODUCTION – “SEVEN”
And that’s a wrap!!! Almost 100 performers, 5 stellar performances, over 1000 tickets sold, 22 togas, 11 wigs, an electrifying live band, a flaming scooter, a rock star cameo and a two-headed dog later, and the curtain has fallen on the premiere run of SEVEN. This production was a long time in the making with the first round of auditions being held in February 2020, just weeks before theatres from Broadway to Ballina went dark. Fifteen months on and many of our original cast members have graduated, many new ones have joined and the whole world has changed, but the message of our show remains the same. Be kind. Don’t be dumb. One of the most rewarding elements of our production is, from the moment we move into the PAS, the students run the whole show. I wish we could bottle the wonderful, busy energy that the show generates! It’s such a joy to watch 100 young people all working so hard together to bring this project to life, onstage, backstage and in the tech box. Year 12’s staying back on their half days to help Year 7’s polish their dance routines, seniors teaching juniors new riffs and gymnastic tricks, little spontaneous concerts, pizza parties and make up lessons, small groups brainstorming together to solve big problems, are the many lovely examples of the cross-curricular, student-based learning we champion here at BCHS. Huge, heartfelt thanks to everyone who came and supported our wild MADD adventure making it such a success. I’m sure you will agree our students are quite incredible. The way they all worked together collaboratively with such creativity, leadership, patience, kindness and good humour to pull this show together was absolutely inspiring. Until next year, be kind. Ali Chigwidden, MADD Director
MADD ~ SEVEN
MADD ~ SEVEN
As part of our unit of study on Transport we had the opportunity to take a trip on the Solar Train in Byron Bay and visited the Bryon Bay Lighthouse. We all had a fantastic day out in our beautiful community and feel so lucky to live in such a magical place in the world. In HSIE we have been learning about Biomes. We all made our own terrariums which represent small ecosystems. It was fun designing and planning the terrariums. Drama with Ali is always colourful and a lot of fun. Students express themselves in many characters. In science we did the marshmallow challenge, building towers taller than the students.
Our Support Centre students and teachers have had a fantastic Term 2
BCHS SPORT
Around the Grounds Sports Wrap This term has been full of sporting events and achievements which have been amazing after all events being cancelled and removed from the calendar last year. Events have included our annual Cross Country Carnival and Athletics events, CHS knockouts, TSP and students representing in both FNC and NC levels for various sporting events. It was a stormy overcast day for the BCHS Cross Country which made conditions challenging for runners on the day. Despite the weather, a large turn-out saw some outstanding performances in all age divisions. Athletes went on to compete in both FNC and NC events and have now qualified for the NSW All Schools Championships next Term. The Athletics Carnival was a huge success on our home ground “Prawn Stadium”. The smiles on both students and staff faces as they interacted and competed in the events will be remembered! Successful students have competed at FNC level and those who performed well on the day will be competing at NC level next term. We have had students involved in CHS Knockout teams in touch Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Rugby League Buckley Shield (U14’s), Soccer and Netball. We have also had students represent CHS teams this term in North Coast AFL, Hockey and Touch Football. Our TSP students have had another busy term of training and development in their chosen sports, many of them representing the NC teams. To finish the term all TSP squads are playing a gala day against Alstonville High School on 25 June which will give them all a chance to put their skills to the test. Term 3 will start with a bang for the TSP students with a nutrition seminar in Week 1. They will be learning all about the fundamentals of nutrition and fuelling themselves for success with Sports Nutritionist, Adelle Purbrick. Congratulations to all students who have participated in all events this term. You have shown great sportsmanship and made all of us at BCHS proud.
Term Sport A variety of sports are offered at BCHS for Year 9 & 10 students to participate in each term. The girls Fitness Group had the opportunity to go out on the Outriggers recently. They tested out their paddling strength and ability. The skate crew attended the Truckstop Sk8’s indoor facility. The skatepark had some challenging obstacles that the skate crew had fun shredding!
TSP Surfing Surfing is one of the sports offered in our Targeted Sports Program. Our surf team attends weekly coaching sessions with local coach Michael Crisp and followed up with the opportunity to attend the Surfing Australia high performance centre for two sessions a term. All team members are given video performance feedback at each session. During the recent North Coast School Surf Titles this term, Shay Buffery and Keenan Crisp placed equal 5th in a very strong field of local surfers. All of the team will be surfing in the Oz Grom Skullcandy event in Lennox Head during the holidays and will be on show with some of the best surfers in Australia and Internationally.
Marine Studies Julian Rocks Snorkelling Excursion
Fourth time is the charm, well at least today it was. On, Thursday 20th May Year 9 and 10 Marine Studies students had the amazing opportunity to travel out to Nguthungulli (Julian Rocks) and experience the awesome marine biodiversity surrounding this Marine Conservation Park. This was the 4th time that we had to rebook the excursion after numerous false starts, thanks to misdirected swell hitting Byron Pass rendering it unsafe to launch. But boy, was it worth the wait! With 20-25m visibility, amazing 22 C temperatures, cloudless skies and barely noticeable 10 knot winds, the conditions were perfect for observing a plethora of marine species. These included Wobbegong sharks, Snapper, Blue Tangs and a lone Green Sea turtle among many other beautiful reef fish and stunning coral. The students were able to visit a different world, escape the pressures of gravity and immerse themselves in a school of a different variety. Many thanks to the staff at Byron Bay Dive Centre, Mr Chang for organising and to each and every student’s magnificent behaviour and patience.
Marine Studies Mullet Dissection This term, Year 10 Marine Studies students having been learning about Fish Biology including internal and external structures. The assessment task for this unit required students to dissect a Sea Mullet (not the 80’s or 20’s haircut style) label the internal organs and identify some adaptations of this bony fish that allows it to thrive in the marine environment. Despite the smell and the less than favourable preservation of the mullets insides, the students were engaged, focused and most of all, learned something new. Thanks to Tyler and Bryce for the excellent presentation of their dissected Sea Mullet. Scott Hogden, Marine Studies Teacher
Gold Coast Careers Expo Approximately one hundred students in Years 10, 11 & 12 visited the Gold Coast Careers Expo at the Gold Coast Convention Centre in Broadbeach on 7th of May. The event is specifically designed to help people gather knowledge about prospective careers and future life pathways. The event was fantastic! Some of the highlights included a live performance from the QLD Navy band, live animals on display for showcasing the Certificate III in Pet Grooming, the working equipment on board the defence force rubber ducky, the ‘chill-out’ lounge and the live student talks with question time. Thank you to all of the students who attended this great day.
Careers News In Week 2 this term the careers team ran another successful white card course with 17 students attending this one-day registered training course. A white card (or general construction induction card) is required for workers who want to carry out construction work. This year BCHS, in conjunction with the Educational Pathways Pilot Program (EPPP), were able to provide the course for free for all participants. It was such a great opportunity for this group of students. This term a group of Year 10 students have been attending the 8 week YES program each Friday at Ballina and Wollongbar TAFE. YES provides students with the opportunity to try out a collection of different TAFE courses. Students gain skills, and just as importantly, this exploratory experience helps them to decide which subjects they may want to choose in their senior years and also for post school career options. Lee Skimmings is pictured beginning a phone speaker system which they built in a day at Wollongbar TAFE.
School Based Traineeships & Apprenticeships Euro Detpang and Deah Pongmetee are currently completing a school-based traineeship in commercial cookery at Cherry Street Bowling Cub. Recently they took part in the filming of an official Department of Education video to promote School Based Traineeships and Apprenticeships. They will be showcased in the next episode of The Educational Pathways Pilot Program, also referred to as the EPPP. The team at the Cherry Street Bowling Club are incredibly proud of the boys and are very committed to investing in youth through programs like that to ensure they are doing their part for future generations. The boys are pictured above with Head Chef, Keith Windsor.
GREEN TEAM Green Team has started again this year. We had 26 students in years 9 and 10 participate in the application and interview process with 16 successful, with a mix of both boys and girls. Green Team is a work experience program, running one day per week where students will build a professionally designed sensory garden in the school grounds supported by school staff, a retired builder, as well as a horticultural expert/landscape design student. The garden will provide a quiet, calm space for students to access out of the hustle and bustle of the playground and will contribute to the health and wellbeing of many of our students. It will also be wheelchair accessible. Students have been busy getting involved with the design process, line marking the garden, calculating supplies needed and designing an Aboriginal inspired mosaic. They have also been involved in the major upgrade of the chicken coop at the school. In Term 3, we will start to see the garden develop with the construction of planter boxes for natives and edibles, seating, an arbour, pathways and succulent and flower gardens.
JULY Students return to school 13 July Year 10 into 11 Information Evening Year 7 – 12 Parent Teacher Night NC Athletics Carnival & Tennis Tree Planting Day
AUGUST Trial HSC Examinations Year 10 & 11 Ski Trip Work Experience Water in the World
SEPTEMBER FNC Futsal Year 11 Final Examinations NC Cricket & Mountain Bike Year 12 Farewell Assembly
The Edge Workshop On Tuesday 1 June, select Year 10 students from Business Services and FSK classes attended the EDGE workshop. EDGE stands for Education, Deportment, Grooming and Employability skills. The workshop was created to address the gap between what students believe and what employers know. The students attended, fun, interactive and educational workshops with industry professionals and local employers that were about different training and education pathways, tips on personal branding, presentation and communication and how to become job ready. The workshops included working in small groups in relation to hair, skincare and clothing. Some of the boys even received free haircuts!
