Volume 14 , 2018 Term 4 , Weeks 1 & 2

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From the Principals Desk

Monday 15 October—School resumes for staff and students Tuesday 16 October—Year 7 PBL Exhibition Thursday 18 October—HSC Examinations commence Tuesday 23 October—Year 7 Gala Day Thursday 25 October—Year 10 Food Technology PBL Thursday 25 October—Invictus Games excursion for GAP class Friday 26 October—Special Education Unit Gala Day

Important Dates

Inside this issue:

Deputy Matters SRC News Focus I and Focus II Program Year 7 Innovate Fast Forward UWS Early offer program Light’s Up—Drama Night Careers Corner

Page 2 3 4 & 5 6 7 8 9 10

Our partnership with the Sydney Opera House through the Creative Leadership in

Learning Program saw Year 8 students and teachers Ms Cagorski, Mr Moralas, Ms Singh,

Ms Gravante, and Mr Bakho embark on an ambitious and innovative learning and

teaching program that saw students showcase their learning of water and sustainability

using narrative and performance. Students performed at the Sydney Opera House, and

their performances were extremely impressive and beyond our expectations. The

performances clearly showed the power of creativity to engage students, communicate

significant concepts and cement ideas. The project pushed our students and teachers out

of their comfort zone, but it was worth it! Our students did us all proud, performing as

though they owned the stage at the Opera House Studio. This opportunity and

experience offered to our students will be with them for a life time. It is also a part of our

ongoing journey, as a school, to engage our students in authentic learning experiences

and improve student educational outcomes whilst enriching the curriculum to assure our

community that we are providing a relevant modern and progressive curriculum.

Finally, as many of you will know, our school community is mourning the sudden and

tragic death of Year 12 student, Belinda Anh Thu Hoang. Belinda was an outstanding

student, who contributed so much to our school community. Belinda has left a strong

legacy through her involvement in House student leadership and the school’s Public -

Relations Team. Above all, we will remember Belinda by her intelligence,

kind-spirit and through her genuine desire to support others and to

always seek out new opportunities and challenges so that she could make

a difference in the world. We all miss Belinda tremendously and extend

our deepest condolences to her family and friends. The school will host a

special memorial for Belinda following the HSC exams.

Page 2 PARK L IFE (FORTNIGHTLY SCHOOL E -NEWSLETTER)

Deputy Matters—Help for our HSC Students !!

After a fantastic celebration with our students and community at Graduation and Formal, it is now time for our Year 12 students to focus and revise for their HSC exams. Below is some advice on how to cope with the upcoming exam stress: Study planning Use a study timetable leading up to the exam to ensure all subjects are being revised – include exercise and relaxation in the timetable. Exam day It’s not unusual for students to have a meltdown on exam day. The best way to deal with this is to be prepared. Be familiar with the exam format – length of time, number of questions, form of questions, topics being assessed and so on. Arrive at least 15 minutes early, prepared with the equipment needed and allowed for that exam such as pens, pencils, an eraser, highlighter, ruler, calculator, watch and water (no labels on bottles). Make sure you have somewhere safe to leave your mobile and/or smart watch as programmable and electronic devices (other than authorised calculators) are not allowed into the exam room. Read the paper Read through the entire exam paper, including the important front page, during reading time.

Make sure there are no surprise hard questions that may require more attention/time.

Find compulsory questions.

Choose the alternative you prefer when a question has options.

Make sure you know how long to spend on each section – keep 5 to 10 minutes at the end to check over the whole paper.

Start with an easy one—You don’t have to start the exam at Question 1 and move through in that order. It can be helpful to start with an ‘easy’ question first to settle any nerves and leave the hardest questions for the middle of the exam time.

Think you've finished? Check, check and check again. Before you are told to put your pens down, spend 5 to 10 minutes checking over all your responses. Read as a reader, not as a writer. Things to look for:

Have I followed the exam instructions regarding which questions to answer and have I used the answer booklets correctly?

Have I always answered the question asked? And is my answer obvious and clear throughout my response?

Do extended responses flow logically, linking my ideas to my point of view or answer to the question?

Have I used sophisticated language and specific technical terms from the subject and topic?

Have I used correct spelling, punctuation and grammar? Although not explicitly marked, handwriting, spelling, punctuation and so on can influence a marker.

Never leave an exam early The time set is how much time you are expected to use, that is, to plan, write and check your work. If you do finish early, read over your responses, read every single word, you’ll be surprised at how often you have written so quickly you’ve missed entire words in a sentence. Check your answers, fix any mistakes, correct any poor spelling or punctuation. It's over – let it go When the exam is over, avoid ‘know it alls’ who will want to dissect the exam, telling you how they approached each question and their answers. There is nothing more you can do once an exam has been handed in. It is time to reward yourself with a break and then start studying for the next exam. We wish our students the best of luck!

Mr Steven Moisidis

Years 8 and 10

Mr Steven Daoud

Years 7 and 12

Ms Nicole Sullivan

Years 9 and 11

(Monday, Wednesday, Thursday)

Ms Renee Carniato

Years 9 and 11

(Tuesday, Friday)

Page 3 VOLUME 14 , 2018

On Monday the 17 of September 2018, eight SRC students were invited to attend the annual Jessie Street National Women’s Library Luncheon in the Strangers Dining room at NSW Parliament House. We had the opportunity to attend a guided on a tour of Parliament House and had the opportunity to role-play a debate on the hypothetical bill: ‘the legal age for the consumption of alcohol should be increased from 18 to 21’. This experience enabled us to identify the differing roles of parliament personnel and to make the distinction between the processes of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly.

We were then led to the Strangers Dining room, where we were served lunch and listened to renowned female key-note speakers. This year’s guest speaker was Kate McClymont, an investigative journalist with the Sydney Morning Herald as well as a member of the University of Sydney Senate. The title of her address was: ‘The Narcissists, the Nefarious and the Ne-er Do Wells: Tales of an Investigative Journalist’. She discussed the many threats and obstacles she has and continues to overcome as she reveals crime, corruption and the abuse of power by those in distinguished positions to deliver justice to society. Kate McClymont’s inspiring strength of character was exemplified as she described her almost unbelievable experiences with an admirable sense of humour.

At the conclusion of the luncheon, Grace Bowen (year 8) Cordially delivered a thank you speech to the event organisers and guest speaker, Kate McClymont on behalf of all those who attended.

Mary Adams, 2018 School Captain

SRC News

Page 4 PARK L IFE (FORTNIGHTLY SCHOOL E -NEWSLETTER)

2018 Focus I Program

In ABCN Focus 1 we learnt different variations of leadership styles whilst interacting with female mentors from

citibank through a working lunch. The importance of communication, resilience, passion and motivation was

discussed and developed through the exploration of personal role models. We created friendships with students

from Leumeah High School and were inspired by our mentors Leoni and Rachel.

During our first session, we had the chance to reflect on our own time management practices and discussed our

focus area. We were able to be educated upon the workforce and the career pathways taken by the mentors.

Throughout the session, we were highly engaged in learning and look forward to our future session with ABCN -

Focus and Citibank.

Page 5 PARK L IFE (FORTNIGHTLY SCHOOL E -NEWSLETTER)

2018 Focus II Program

We are so excited to be continuing our work with the Focus program.

Recently, we gained three new additions to the ABCN program further extending our social network allowing each student to gain new skills and develop their confidence. We were split into new groups and were assigned to create a poster on our interpretation of leadership and were told to present our visual work. After this we were informed of an “elevator pitch”. An elevator pitch is a short profile an individual provides to another worker. This exercise pushed each student’s confidence as we were asked to give a professional handshake and a small introduction to the mentors at this program. With these mentors, we enjoyed a working lunch which further projected our confidence as we became familiar with the mentor’s experiences in the workplace. After the lunch we discussed the importance emotional intelligence and team building. Through each group’s presentation on this topic, we discovered the significance of emotional intelligence and the role it plays on the development of our leadership skills. To conclude our first session of FOCUS 2, we parted ways with our mentors and jotted down our own self reflections. There is a lot of anticipation for our upcoming FOCUS 2 sessions where we will receive a stronger understanding on how to communicate as effective leaders, as well as learn the ways in which leaders build their motivation. By Valentina and Elissa

Page 6 VOLUME 14 , 2018

What an excellent excursion for both teachers and students. We all enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city, especially the city views from the TAL building and the delicious lunch provided by TAL. The Australian Business Community Network Innovate Program presenter, Anton, and the mentors made this excursion especially memorable by conducting a well-organised, hands-on and engaging session exploring the concept of the Scientific Method. This activity allowed the students the opportunity to display what they have learnt in the Science classroom along with further developing their problem solving, communication and critical thinking skills.

Well done students, you did the school proud!

ABCN Innovate with Year 7

Page 7 PARK L IFE (FORTNIGHTLY SCHOOL E -NEWSLETTER)

Fast Forward with Western Sydney University

On 25 September, selected Year 9 students attended the Fast Forward Program at Western Sydney University Bankstown Campus. This programs purpose is to introduce students to the university. At this event we gained an insight into possible future courses through the various activities and were given the chance to figure out our main intelligences. We were helped by the WSU Uni-Mates, as well as the WSU advisors.

When we arrived to the campus were introduced to all the participating staff and gave us an overview of the activities for the day. We then received booklets to fill out through the day and had to come up with a team name. Our school came up with the name “Dream Chasers”. Each school went up one by one to the centre and explained the meaning of the name before we were awarded points by each schools teacher. Throughout the day we were told we could accumulate points to win a special prize at the end of the day.

We then started the first activity which introduced us to the idea of multiple intelligences. The eight key intelligences were Musical, Visual-Spatial, Linguistic, Naturalistic, Logical-Mathematical, Bodily-Kinaesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal intelligences. We all then tested for our strong areas of intelligence and were advised on which possible careers to pursue. We were then given a scenario about a student who wanted to drop out of university. We had to come up with solutions on how to help the student as well as having to present the idea visually in front of the other schools.

Afterwards we were given a 30 minute break to explore the campus and noticed there were microwaves for students to warm up their food, campus stores, gyms, study lounge, library, sleeping pods, pool tables, giant chess, huge sporting ovals and computer labs.

After lunch we were given a sheet of questions and clues that we needed to go around the campus to answer the questions. We were taken by the Uni-Mates to our selected area and were split up into 4 different groups. Each group was assigned to different questions and went off to explore the campus for the answers.

Lastly we went back to the lecture room and played a game of Kahoot based on the answers to each question. The game eventually ended with our school placing second in the game, which increased our points. The day then ended with everyone filling in an evaluation form and we were given a WSU water bottle before we headed back to school.

Overall, we enjoyed the activities and exploring the university campus. Through this session we learnt a lot about possible future careers that would suit our interests. We also gained confidence to contribute in team activities and improve our social skills.

Melanie Kao and Kassandra Ao

Page 8 VOLUME 14 , 2018

Applications are now open for Western Sydney University’s HSC True Reward early offer program.

All 2018 HSC students are encouraged to apply for HSC True Reward – a unique program that focuses on the student’s strength rather than their ATAR ranking. At Western, we believe in playing to a student’s strengths because, ultimately, strengths determine their future.

Under HSC True Reward, students will be made an early offer into an eligible course on 13 December based on their HSC subject outcomes.

To apply for this program, students simply search for the courses they’re eligible for based on their HSC subjects and apply directly here.

WSU—Early Offer Program

Have you changed your phone number?

Please inform the school of any updates to mobile phone

numbers. We may need to contact you in case your child is

sick!

Page 9 PARK L IFE (FORTNIGHTLY SCHOOL E -NEWSLETTER)

Lights Up! Drama Night 2018

On Wednesday, the 8th of August, Year and 12 Drama staged their Senior Performance Evening! Melda Gol, Kevork Barsomian and Danya Danyal did an amazing job as the Masters of Ceremonies. Year 11 Drama, also known as, Wicked Productions performed a series of spine-tingling scary plays. The Halloween themed dramas were a crowd favourite as zombies, witches, serial killers and ghosts delighted the audience! Year 12 Drama presented their Group Projects. There were some hilarious and confronting moments. The projects touched on a wide range of issues including marriage, divorce, homelessness, aliens, war, nuclear invasion, fake news, Russian espionage and more. At St Johns Park High School we are so proud of our students’ play devising skills. Their work is always highly original, dynamic and engaging. Our students work really well in a number of creative arenas, in Drama we teach our students to act, direct, design, workshop and write stimulating plays that connect with contemporary audiences. This year’s Group Projects were particularly outstanding, and they were really well received by our audience.

A great night was had by all. The audience was fantastic, and Ms Mitchell was bursting with pride over

the excellent performances given by all the students. Well done Senior Drama!

Page 10 VOLUME 14 , 2018

Pre-Apprenticeship Courses in the Automotive Industry Apprenticeships Are Us alongside My Trade Start are running automotive pre-apprenticeship courses for students who have recently left school or are planning on leaving at the end of the year. The courses are NSW Government funded for individuals aged 15 to 24. For more information or if you are interested, please call us on 02 9891 6900 or email career@apprus.com.au.

International Screen Academy (ISA), Sydney Wanting to study Acting or Musical Theatre full time after completing your HSC? ISA is one of Australia's premier Acting schools offering a 2 year Advanced Diploma of Acting and a 1 year Diploma of Musical Theatre course. Applications for the 2019 intake are open now. Interested students should apply directly through the ISA website: https://www.isasydney.edu.au.

Sydney Film School (SFS) SFS offers an Advanced Diploma & Diploma in Film Making. Applications for the 2019 intake are open now. Sydney Film School invites all students interested in film making to take a tour of our state of the art film studios: https://www.sydneyfilmschool.com/. Email rtobin@isasydney.edu.au to book your tour now.

OPEN DAY at William Angliss Institute Sydney Interested in a career in foods, hospitality, events, or tourism? Come view our brand new campus, be inspired by cooking demonstrations and masterclasses, and take part in a trial-a-trade! 10am-2pm, Sat 22nd September, 1/11 Bowden St Alexandria 2015 NSW. To book a place in the cookery, patisserie, coffee-making, or mocktail trial-a-trades visit https://experience.angliss.edu.au/sydopenday/

Kenvale College - GET REAL EVENTS EXPERIENCE - Hospitality & Events Management Scholarship Program If you have a student who has a real passion for Event Management then our Get Real Events Experience program is for you. This is a partial scholarship program for Year 11 students in 2018. Our 10 finalists will be working in an events environment for a week. Entries now close on Wed 14 Nov http://bit.ly/2018GREE For more info contact us on study@kenvale.edu.au or 9314 6213 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)

High School Volunteering Opportunities There's still time to join a worthwhile volunteering project in a developing community this summer with Projects Abroad. Join students from Australia and the world on a 2-week volunteering trip in Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Fiji or Thailand to provide child education, renovate community centres or learn about medicine and healthcare in that country. Visit www.projects-abroad.com.au for more info.

Major in Cyber Security or Digital Marketing! MIT Sydney has revamped course offerings for 2019. Students

interested in the Bachelor of Networking can now Major in Cyber Security while students interested in the

Bachelor of Business have the option to Major in Digital Marketing. Be Digital Disruption Ready. Entry based on

Band Results (not the ATAR). Apply through UAC. Visit www.mit.edu.au for more info or email bspinks@mit.edu.au

Careers Corner

Address Phone: (02) 9610-8035

Mimosa Rd, Greenfield Park Fax: (02) 9823-7827

St Johns Park High School

E-mail: stjohnspk-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Disclaimer:

St. John’s Park High School

ensures that student, parent and

staff privacy in our newsletter is

maintained. If photographs or

written material offend or

permission was not given please

contact the school and notify

Lisa Ida or Renee Carniato. We

apologise for any inconvenience.

@SJPHS @STJOHNSPARKHS www.sjohnspk-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

After School Study Hub is open

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