NEWTOWN HIGH SCHOOL OF THE PERFORMING ARTS P. 9519 1544 | E: NEWTOWN-H.SCHOOL@DET.NSW.EDU.AU Term 1 2020

Parent Newsletter

NEWTOWN HIGH SCHOOL OF THE

PERFORMING ARTS

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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Happy Birthday Newtown! A big welcome to our new and returning families in 2020. It was such a pleasure to meet Year 7 and new Year 11 parents at the P&C Welcome Evening in February. This year is a special one-our school is turning 30!!! In typical Newtown style we will be celebrating this milestone in many ways, starting with a big birthday bash on Friday 13 March. A huge thank you to students, staff and parent volunteers for stepping up to run stalls, bake cakes and provide entertainment on the day. I am looking forward to greeting our special guests, past alumni and community members who have a special connection to the school. Welcome to new staff I would like to extend a very warm welcome to new staff: Alan Dwyer (Maths), Elizabeth Abrahams and Michael Preston (Science), Craig Collings (TAS), Sean Hartley (Technical Production Manager) and Sarah Harding (School Psychologist). We are delighted that you have joined our hard working, committed staff and look forward to your knowledge and expertise enriching our school community. 2019 HSC Results NHSPA again achieved impressive results. Over half of all results were in the top two bands (Band 5 & Band 6) and 80% of results were in the top 3 bands with more than half the cohort achieving Band 6 in one or more subjects. There were some wonderful individual results; congratulations to our school DUX, Sigourney Vallis, who achieved an ATAR of 98.75 and to Rosa Scheer & Lucy Valencic for achieving a Band 6 in all subjects. Congratulations to Mia Honigstock who gained a mark of 100% in Textiles and Design and Mia Pasilow Lockett who achieved 100% and came third in the state in English Extension 2. These results are a testament to phenomenal student effort, teacher expertise and mentoring and ongoing parent support and encouragement. Creating classrooms for the future Just as the world of work has changed rapidly over the last 10 years, so have the expectations of employers and parents about what skills students need to equip them to engage successfully in life beyond the school gate. Our teachers are currently working in partnership with Professor Michael Anderson and Dr Miranda Jefferson from the University of Sydney, to explore ways to build the skills of creativity, communication, collaboration and critical reflection amongst all students. We believe that the teaching and assessment of these skills is fundamental to academic success. Swimming Carnival Staff, students and parents had a wonderful day soaking up the sunshine, relaxing and enjoying the fun and excitement of NHSPA’s swimming carnival. A big thank you to the PE staff for their superb organisation and to the rest of the staff and to the Sports Captains who contributed to the smooth running of the races. Attendance Counts Research over many years has linked successful school outcomes and achievement to good school attendance. For this reason, the Department of Education has set targets to improve school attendance over the next three years. At NHSPA we have already begun to put plans in place to improve our overall attendance rates. These measures include counselling late students, parent phone calls, letters home and continuing to record unexplained absences on school reports. Parents are asked to support our drive to improve attendance by not organising

overseas holidays, family reunions and other celebrations outside of school holidays. In accordance with DoE guidelines, requests for school leave will only be granted to students to work in the Entertainment industry, to attend designated sporting events and competitions and for special circumstances such as a medical emergency or a family funeral. Parents of students who are absent for more than three days are reminded that they must provide a note of explanation within seven days of a student’s return to school.

Digital Devices-Phones, Students and the future Recently, we have received inquiries about the use of phones as a learning device in classrooms. DoE policy refers to some key considerations, which include the following points: 3.2 Digital devices and online services are an important part of everyday life, shaping the way children and young people learn, communicate, work and play. Learning environments, at school and at home, should support students to develop technological, social and emotional competencies. This support should maximise the benefits and minimise the risks of digital environments and prepare students for life beyond school. 3.3 Student use of digital devices and online services in schools is intended to enhance learning, wellbeing and educational attainment. Digital devices and online services can help students develop the skills needed for digital literacy, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, interpersonal relationships and collaboration. 3.4 For some students, the use of digital devices and online services allows them to fulfil additional roles and responsibilities they have within the family that may intersect with their school life. 3.5 Digital devices and online services may form part of the reasonable adjustments provided to a student to enable them to participate in school on the same basis as their peers. The school’s phone policy reflects Department of Education policy and is located on the school’s website. Parents concerned about student mobile phone use are encouraged to take the following action:

Encourage and plan times that are phone free every day

Talk with your child about building face to face friendships that are real and authentic

Set boundaries on screen time and then monitor

Take time to look at the security settings of your child’s device.

Helpful information can be found on: https://www.esafety.gov.au/ Staying Healthy For information on Novel CO19 Coronavirus in schools, parents are advised to check the Department of Education, Skills and Employment website. Factsheets can also be obtained from the Australian Government of Health.

Sharon Roberts PRINCIPAL

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DEPUTY PRINCIPALS’ REPORT Welcome back to all students and families to the 2020 school year and a special welcome to students and their families who are starting at NHSPA this year. Each year brings exciting possibilities and opportunities and we look forward to another successful year. YEAR 7 It is a particularly busy time for our Year 7 students with the start of high school. We hope the transition continues to be exciting and enjoyable for them. If, however there are issues your child has raised with you, there are many people in the school to contact if you require advice or support. Do not hesitate to talk with the teachers, the Year 7 Advisers, Tahnae Luke and Joe Kershaw, School Counsellors Sarah Harding and Trish Willoughby and the Deputy Principal responsible for Year 7 Karl Pico. ASSESSMENT CALENDARS AND BOOKLETS The school year has started well and students have settled well in their new classes. Years 8 – 11 students have been issued their assessment booklets and assessment calendars. These documents outline the nature of all assessment tasks scheduled over the year, along with the dates when each task will be held. The booklets and calendars will also be available on the school’s website and Parent Portal. Procedures are outlined in the assessment booklets. Students are required to return acknowledgement slips located at the back of the assessment booklets to the relevant Year Adviser after becoming familiar with processes and procedures. SENIOR ASSESSMENT POLICY AND PRODEDURES FOR ILLNESS / MISADVENTURE The Senior Assessment Policy and Procedures for Illness/Misadventure are outlined in the Year 11 and 12 assessment booklets. The school has a very clear policy in relation to assessment and it is important that all senior students and their parents familiarise themselves with the procedures. If a student is unable to complete an assessment task due to illness or misadventure, the student or family member must contact the school to notify the relevant Deputy Principal of their absence. On the first day of their return to school the student must report to their Deputy Principal and complete the Illness/Misadventure form. YEAR 12 Year 12 students will soon be given the privilege of flexible starting and finishing times, including permission to leave the school grounds at lunchtime once all signed permission notes are returned to Mr Shields. The permission note clearly outlines the conditions of these privileges. Students are expected to be at school by 10am if

they have no class Period 1 and swipe in, and swipe out if they are leaving school early. It is the Year 12 student’s responsibility to follow this process in order to maintain accurate attendance records. YEAR 11 LIFE READY PROGRAM In week 3, Year 11 Students attended the Life Ready Camp held at Stanwell Tops. It was a successful camp with students displaying exemplary behaviour, participating in all activities, engaging in the talks presented by the guest speakers and most importantly, building stronger bonds with their peers. The other components of the Life Ready course were covered by Paul Dillon, from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia. Thank you to Year 11 Student Adviser Jack Taylor for his organisation of such a successful camp and the Life Ready Program of events and the staff who volunteered their time to make this camp such a rewarding experience for our students. YEAR 7 PEER SUPPORT CAMP The Year 7 Peer Support Camp at the Tops Conference Centre, Stanwell Tops will be held from 25 to 27 March. The Peer Support program is a valued wellbeing initiative that takes place for our Year 7 cohort each year to facilitate the transition into high school. Year 10 Peer Support leaders will also attend the camp with Year 7 students. The camp will give our Year 7 students the opportunity to form close friendships with each other and with their Peer Support leaders. This camp is a huge organisational task and responsibility for staff, particularly Ms Bivona, Ms Luke and Mr Kershaw. Our appreciation goes out to these teachers for the hard work and commitment. TELL THEM FROM ME SURVEY This term, students will participate in the 2020 Tell Them From Me survey. The survey is designed to provide valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. Schools in Australia and around the world have used the Tell Them From Me survey to help students improve their learning outcomes. The survey is completed on-line during Weeks 7-10 and is entirely voluntary and confidential. If you do not wish for your child to participate in the survey please complete the form attached to the end of this newsletter and it return to Mr Pico by Friday 20 March. More information about the survey is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents

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DEPUTY PRINCIPALS’ REPORT continued... PARENT TEACHER NIGHTS The Year 12 Parent Teacher Night will take place on Monday 23 March from 4pm until 7pm. Bookings are now open and will close on Friday 20 March at 3pm. To book interviews for the Year 12 Parent Teacher night, you will need your Parent Portal username and password to log into the Parent Portal via the school website. We encourage parents to attend this evening to discuss the progress of their child. The school has refined our Parent Teacher Nights following feedback from the school community. The Year 12 Parent Teacher Night will be a standalone evening and each interview session will be 10 minutes instead of 5 minutes to allow for in-depth discussions about your child’s progress. The school gym and G Block will be the venue for the Year 12 Parent Teacher Night. Should you experience difficulties booking interview times please do not hesitate to contact Ms Rajwar for assistance. Parent Teacher evenings are a very worthwhile opportunity for parents, students and their teachers to meet and engage in early productive dialogue about the progress of the student. We are looking forward to seeing many of our parents and students at our upcoming parent teacher evenings. Parent Teacher interviews for Years 9 and Year 11 will be held on Thursday 7 May, the Year 7 Parent Teacher Conference will be held on Tuesday July 28 and Years 8 and 10 will be held on Wednesday 20 May. Information regarding Parent Teacher Nights will be circulated to students, emailed to parents and made available on the website at least three weeks prior to each Parent Teacher Night. PARENT PORTAL The Parent Portal provides parents/carers information about their child's progress. Parents will have access to a range of information including records of attendance, student timetables, student academic reports and the ability to book an interview for Parent Teacher Nights. We would strongly encourage parents/carers to set up a Parent Portal account by following the instructions emailed to each parent/carer. Should you experience difficulties please do not hesitate to contact Ms Nilaufer Rajwar, Deputy Principal, for assistance.

WELLBEING TEAM 2020

The Student Year Advisers for 2020 are:

Year 7 Tahnae Luke and Joe Kershaw

Year 8 Alain Lavrut and Alice Chen

Year 9 Paul Kennedy and Stef Leotta

Year 10 Louise Roumanos and Sam Byrne

Year 11 Jack Taylor and Danielle Barsi

Year 12 Hannah Hindmarsh and Hans Mayerhofer

The Deputy Principals Kirk Thomas (Relieving Deputy Principal Yrs 7 & 10)

Nilaufer Rajwar (Deputy Principal Yrs 8 & 11) Peter Shields (Deputy Principal Yrs 9 &12)

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SCIENCE FACULTY

Welcome to all our new Year 7 students!

The term has already started with a bang (literally!) with our safety launch and crash course to teach the students all about the tools of science. The mock accident scene created for the safety launch was a fun way to get students critically thinking about possible dangers in the laboratory and how to avoid them, with a few explosive demonstrations to ignite their interest.

Students consolidated this learning by making a safety video to teach other students how to be safe in the lab. I have been blown away by their creativity and focus with this task. We are now learning about all the laboratory equipment and how to use it and students will soon get their highly-anticipated Bunsen burner licence when they pass their test.

Year 8 have been undertaking their Student Research Project with lots of fantastic questions posed for investigation by the students. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to direct their own learning, research something in which they have a personal interest and develop their “working scientifically” skills.

They are maintaining a logbook of their research and should be making entries in this on a regular basis as they progress through the different stages of their investigation.

Year 7 students enjoying the safety day

Year 8 “Wanted” posters on chemical elements

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SCIENCE Cont……. ENGLISH FACULTY

Year 9 are currently completing their first assessment task of the year on electrical circuits. They will continue to extend their understanding of electricity through a look at sustainable production and use of electricity, both in the home and as a society. The topic demands grit and perseverance to understand the tricky concepts involved, solve problems and apply their understanding to wider contexts. It is great to see so many students pushing and challenging themselves. They will be moving on shortly to a biology topic on body systems. The current COVID-19 pandemic will be a great real-world example to aid their understanding of the immune system and the spread of disease, if schools are still open by then! Year 10 are also completing assessments at the moment - a practical problem-solving task on chemical reactions. Using their powers of observation and critical thinking, they will be forensic detectives working to solve a murder mystery. The topic has also given them a good look at the atomic model and interactions between atom. It will be a good indicator of whether Chemistry might be a topic they would be interested to study next year. And if chemistry is not their thing, then physics is up next. Our senior students are deep in their studies now, with Year 11 establishing strong study routines. If any of the students would like further resources for study, there are a number of different texts available in the library. I will also be organising HSC Study Lab subscriptions again for those students who are interested, as it is much cheaper to organise an account through the school. A note will be going home shortly to indicate if you are interested. In addition, a number of excursions are organised to support learning in senior subjects. Please look out for these and be prompt in returning payment and permission notes, as venues require advance notice of changes to bookings and we don’t want students missing out.

Science is simply the word we use to describe a method of organising our curiosity” – Tim Minchin

“ Keep wondering!

Amanda Whitfield Head Teacher Science

Welcome back to Newtown High School of the Performing Arts for 2020! This year follows sensational achievement in HSC English from our 2019 cohort. Results across all Year 12 English courses were outstanding, demonstrating both the commitment of our students and the teaching staff of the English faculty. Our Standard English students achieved at a particularly high level, attaining some of the strongest results at our school in recent years. Congratulations to Year 12 2019, and we wish the current Year 12 cohort the best of luck in their HSC journey this year. This year there have been some major changes to the Year 7 English program as part of the 4C transformative learning focus of our school. In particular, English has been working with the HSIE Faculty to deliver a “History Mystery” project based learning experience in which students construct a picture book on a historical topic of their choosing. Work for this will commence in the latter half of Term 1, with students completing the task early in Term 2. The English faculty looks forward to seeing the finished work of our talented Year 7 cohort! Our students made great achievements in debating in 2019. Of note was the success of the Years 7 and 8 Debating Team led by Ms Chen. These students reached the regional semi-finals before being narrowly defeated. For 2020 debating, Ms Chen will be continuing her excellent work with Years 9 and 10, whilst Ms Ellis will be coordinating Years 7 and 8 debating. Mr Zitser will be working with our senior students for debating. 2020 is shaping up to be another amazing year for Debating at our school. All year groups are now deeply engaged with our first units of work for the year, and are readying themselves for the completion of their first assessment tasks. The English Faculty is excited to work alongside our conscientious and creative students in their search for excellence in 2020.

Jack Taylor Relieving Head Teacher English

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HSIE FACULTY Year 7 History Year 7 have begun History with enthusiasm and engagement. They are learning and developing essential History skills using our 4Cs approach and the Year 7 History teachers – Hans Mayerhofer and Rachel O’Neill – are excited about the depth of understanding that this approach seems to be facilitating. Students are in the midst of their History Mystery Project which is happening in History classes as we speak. Later in Term 1 in English classes they will start to build on their learning and develop their Picture Books. Students will also be creating the artwork for their book covers in Visual Arts and there are plans underway for other faculties including Drama, Dance and Music to build on their learning later in the year. Stay tuned! The Year 7 Ancient History Show run by James Adams Historic Enterprises was a resounding success in Term 1. The Ancient History show covers themes such as weapons, armour and battle tactics from three Ancient civilisations – Ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome. This show runs every year and gives students a truly engaging and hands on experience, bringing their learning of history to life. It fits in perfectly with our Year 7 History theme of ‘How and why do we tell stories about the past?’ with James regaling students with stories about the Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Mycenaeans, cats in warfare and the like.

The Year 8 Medieval & Vikings Show run by James Adams Historic Enterprises was also a huge hit this term. This show covers themes such as battle tactics, weapons and armour and law and order in of the Vikings and of Europeans in the Medieval period.

This show is run every year and is always an engaging and totally fun experience for students, again bringing their learning of history to life through hands on experiences and memorable story telling.

Year 11 Mock Trial The Law Society of NSW Mock Trial Competition will again happen in 2020. Open to students across NSW, the program aims to introduce students to the NSW judicial system by providing practical experience into the running of a court case in a true-to-life adversarial setting. Our first trial is against Fort Street High School in Week 8 this term. Newtown are the prosecution in a criminal case and must prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. Throughout the trials students learn advocacy, debating and problem solving skills. The Year 11 students involved in the Mock Trial team for 2020 will be working with solicitors from Dowson Turco Lawyers Newtown. This is DTL's third year working with our students! If you would like to know more about the team at Dowson Turco you can view their website here http://dowsonturco.com.au/. We are very grateful to have them as part of our NHSPA community. If you have any questions regarding Mock Trial, please contact Ms Stefanie Leotta in HSIE.

Rachel O’Neill Head Teacher HSIE

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HSIE FACULTY Year 7 Ancient History Show

Rachel O’Neill

Head Teacher HISE and the HSIE Faculty

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VISUAL ARTS FACULTY

We would like to welcome back our students from Years 8-12 and extend a warm welcome to our new Year 7 students and their families and carers. Visual arts has had a busy start to 2020 welcoming a fantastically creative group of new students, going to the Art Gallery of NSW with Year 12 and planning our exhibitions calendar. Art Express Congratulations to our 2019 Visual Arts cohort who performed extremely well in their exams and should be commended for their efforts. In particular we commend Pheobe Hay (Griffith Regional Art Gallery) Grace Troughton (Art Gallery NSW) and Jinu Park (Hazelhurst Gallery) who had their HSC Visual Arts bodies of work selected for art express.

Jinu Park wi his series ‘Tonight again, the wind brushes the stars’ (Prologue)

Phoebe Hay’s XY

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VISUAL ARTS FACULTY Continued...

Exhibitions

Our exhibition calendar kicks off in week 7 with a selection of works from students from the last 30 years and current students in Years 7-10 being exhibited during the 30th Birthday celebrations in our King St Gallery windows. We will be hosting an exhibition of Year 11 drawings from their Places and Spaces unit as well as an exhibition of Year 7 paintings in term 2 so watch this space for more information.

We will be hosting an exhibition of Year 11 drawings from their Places and Spaces unit as well as an Exhibition of Year 7 paintings in term 2 so watch this space for more information. Year 12 Excursion to Art Express and Kaldor at the Art Gallery of New South Wales

Our Year 12 2020 cohort went on an excursion to the AGNSW early in term 1 to visit the 50 Years Of Public Art from the John Kaldor collection as well as Art Express exhibitions. This visit linked in nicely with their current Art World case study where students are studying the Art World, it’s players and practitioners and learning how it all fits together in our crazy world.

They also seemed inspired by the work at Art Express 2020 and spent all day on 6 March at an incursion in the Visual Arts faculty working hard on their Bodies Of Work. The incursion was a great success and a good reminder to students how valuable time is for them during their HSC. The Visual Arts faculty are also continuing to host after school studio sessions this year for our HSC students Monday through Wednesday and students are encouraged to attend one of these session a week in order to make progress with their Bodies of Work. They run from 3.10-5.00pm and from lunch till 5.00pm on a Tuesday.

Grace Troughton’s ‘SPEAK UP’

Year 12 Students at work

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VISUAL ARTS FACULTY Continued...

Call out A call out for working 35mm film cameras for the year 11 photography course. If you have a camera that is working and you no longer use, please drop off to the Visual Arts faculty.

A call out for parents who would be interested in opening the gallery space to the public during the exhibitions. Please contact paris.kotik@det.nsw.edu.au if interested.

Year 11- Places and Spaces We have been so impressed with our fresh Year 11 students for 2020, who have hit the ground running making lots of progress towards their drawing Body Of Work based on the theme Places And Spaces. The culmination of their hard work will be displayed in an exhibition in the King Street Gallery early term 2. The exhibition will include all of their studies and larger works on paper, we hope to see you there!

Year 11 students interested in applying for the 2020 HSC Intensive studio practice course run by the National Art School should be working on getting their portfolio together. The NAS HSC Intensive Studio Practice is endorsed by the NSW Education Standards Authority and has been offered by NAS to Year 11 Visual Arts students in all government and non-government high schools since 2000. This course is designed for students from both government and non-government schools seeking to further their studies in Visual Arts in Year 12 and beyond to tertiary level and should be considering a career in the Visual Arts. Applicants must be nominated by their Visual Arts teacher and must be those who are achieving at the highest level of excellence in their Preliminary Course and who demonstrate a mature attitude to their studies.

This is an exciting opportunity for Year 11 students to extend their practice prior to beginning the HSC year. The deadline for applications is Thursday 9 of April. For more information go to: https://nas.edu.au/hsc-intensive-studio-practice/ Volunteers A huge thank you to our parent volunteers who have enabled us to open the Gallery on King at more regular intervals. Please contact the VA Faculty or the P&C if you are able to volunteer some time to help open the gallery.

Masterclasses The Visual Arts Faculty will be organising a range of master classes during the year with leading practitioners in the Visual Arts field. These master classes are a chance for our senior students to engage directly with artists and to experience first hand contemporary art practice in Australia today. Students should look out for posters and information from their Visual Arts teachers throughout the year.

National Art School There are a number of holiday workshops and opportunities for students interested in honing their skills in art offered by the National Art School this year. For more information go to https://nas.edu.au/product-category/school-holiday-workshops/young-creatives-ages-13-16/

Paris Kotik and Francesca Heniz Relieving Head Teachers Visual Arts

and the Visual Arts Faculty

Year 11 Students enjoying some En plein air drawing

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DRAMA FACULTY

Daniel Kavanagh

Head Teacher Drama and the Drama Faculty

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MUSIC FACULTY P&C NEWS

Welcome to another exciting year in Music at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts.

Firstly, welcome to our new Year 7 students and parents. While parents got a small taste of 4Cs learning at the Year 7 Parent Welcome BBQ, all Year 7 students warmed up the Studio Theatre recently with the Year 7 ‘Welcome Choir’ taken by Belinda Smith and Amber Johnson.

I would like to congratulate students in all years for a very successful series of ensembles auditions. It takes focus, passion and a great deal of confidence to share your talents and abilities but we would encourage all students to come and make the most of these amazing opportunities.

We have now offered over 500 positions in NHSPA ensembles for this year and all students should now be aware of which ensembles they are in. If in doubt, please come and see us in the Music Faculty.

Please make sure that you have completed all requirements/fees through the front office so that ensemble rolls can now be finalised. Please note that we are still in the process of finalising our lists for extension choirs and Junior Jazz.

30th

Birthday Festival. In place of this year’s World Earth Day, we have the 30

th Birthday Festival, which you will have, no doubt,

heard plenty about.

The Music Faculty is running the Main Stage and will also run the acoustic/Dance stage in collaboration with the Dance Faculty.

We are very excited to be seeing so many student bands. We will also be joined by an incredible line-up for an alumni ‘super group’ as well as The Lazy Eyes before they embark on their US tour. The whole festival kicks off with Weapons of Mass Percussion.

Chris Miller

Head Teacher Musi

Junior (Year7) Choir 2020

The P&C meet every second Tuesday of the month during school term at 6pm in the Common Room located near the school office. The School Principal attends the meetings and it is a great opportunity to keep up to date with current and future events and for the P&C to interact with the school.

We would encourage any parents/carers who are interested in joining the P&C in some capacity to come along. And remember that being a member of the P&C is not an onerous task. There is no fundraising due to the P&C contribution in school subject fees. Feel free to join or just attend a meeting and be informed about what the P&C does to support the school.

It’s a wonderful way to engage deeply and more meaningfully with the school.

Below are some of the events the P&C are involved in :

Teachers and Staff ‘Thank you’ morning tea and lunch—This event is held twice a year and is a way for parents and carers to thank the hard work of all the staff at the school by providing them with delicious treats. A call goes out approximately three weeks prior to let you know it is coming up. These events have been a great success and we know the staff appreciate the recognition of their efforts.

Showcase Season—There are two Showcase Seasons,, one in Term 2 and the other in Term 4. The P&C operates the café during the Showcase evenings.

Working Bees

General Information about the P&C may be found on the School’s website.

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NHSPA UPCOMING EVENTS *

Dates may be subject to change

Always check our website for current information

DATE YEAR/S EVENT/ITEM

FRIDAY 13 MARCH 2020 ALL YEARS WORLD EARTH FES 30TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS

TUESDAY 17 MARCH 2020 ALL

YEARS

SYDNEY EAST SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

WEDNESDAY 18 MARCH 2020 – SATURDAY 21 MARCH 2020

‘AWAY’ by Michael Gow – SENIOR DRAMA PRODUC-TION

MONDAY 23 MARCH 2020 YEAR 12 YEAR 12 PARENT TEACHER NIGHT

WEDNESDAY 25 MARCH 2020 –

FRIDAY 27 MARCH 2020

YEAR 7 YEAR 7 PEER SUPPORT CAMP – STANWELL TOPS

WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL 2020 YEAR 7 HPV/DTPA vaccinations

MONDAY 30 MARCH 2020 YEAR 11 YEAR 11 PHOTOGRAPHY LOCATION SHOOT EX-CURSION

WEDNESDAY 1 APRIL 2020 – FRIDAY 3 APRIL 2020

CHS SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

MONDAY 6 APRIL 2020 NHSPA CROSS COUNTRY

WEDNESDAY 8 APRIL 2020 BEACH TOUCH FOOTBALL

FRIDAY 10 APRIL 2020 ALL YEARS LAST DAY OF TERM 1

TERM 2 2020

TUESDAY 28 APRIL 2020 ALL YEARS FIRST DAY OF TERM 2

MONDAY 27 APRIL 2020 SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT DAY

THURSDAY 7 MAY 2020 YEARS

9 & 11

YEARS 9 & 11 PARENT TEACHER NIGHT

TUESDAY 13 MAY 2020 P & C MEETING

TUESDAY 12 MAY 2020 – FRIDAY 22 MAY 2020

NAPLAN ONLINE TEST window

FRIDAY 15 MAY 2020 YEAR 10 YEAR 10 MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINATIONS

WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2020 YEARS

8 & 10

YEARS 8 & 10 PARENT TEACHER NIGHT

MATHS GROUP TUTORING Hello Parents and Carers

I am hoping to run mathematics tutoring programs in small groups of six students at Newtown High School of the Performing Arts after school . These sessions consolidate their classroom learning with homework and extra material completed in the presence of an experienced tutor.

All students will have access to an online tutor, which forms a compulsory part of their weekly assignment (submission of questions with attempts to the Edmodo/ Google Drive portal) to ensure they are engaging with the material. This is an after-hours service, and their solutions will be made available to them before their next lesson. They will be put into a cohort with students of their grade/ course, and will have access to what other students have asked.

Who would be tutoring your children? I attended Rose Bay Secondary College, and received a UAI (now ATAR) of 99+ and completed Extension 2 Mathematics. I furthered my studies in this field, and graduated at the end of 2012 from an Advanced Mathematics program at the University of New South Wales, with First Class Honours in Statistics (High Distinction average). I have had 10+ years’ experience working as a tutor, both in primary and high school, one-to-one and multiple students in one lesson.

Years 7/8 Time: Mon morning before school from Term 2 Years 9/10 Time: Thurs afternoon from Term 2

For more information please contact: But-Elle (“Elly”) Hatooka (Polymath Tutoring ABN 79 765 489 314) Email: b.hatooka@gmail.com Mobile: 0451 844 047.

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Tell Them From Me student survey:

Information and consent form for parents and carers

Dear Parent and carers This term, our school is taking part in the Tell Them From Me student survey – Snapshot # 1. The survey will provide us with valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. Schools in Australia and around the world have used the Tell Them From Me survey data to help them improve. The survey is completed on-line and is run by an independent research company, The Learning Bar, which specialises in school-based surveys The survey is anonymous and school staff will not be able to identify individual students from their responses. To ensure confidentiality, participating students will receive a unique username and password. The survey typically takes 30 minutes or less to complete and will be administered by the staff during normal school hours This survey will help our school measure and better understand student wellbeing and engagement. It will also assist the school in evaluating what works and plan for further improvements to support student outcomes Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary. Your child will not take part if either you or your child do not wish. If, during the survey, your child is uncomfortable, he/she can choose to stop the survey at any time. The majority of questions in the survey can be skipped More information about the survey and the research is available on the CESE website: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents

Karl Pico Dr Jenny Donovan Deputy Principal Executive Director Newtown High School of the Performing Arts Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation

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Tell Them From Me student survey:

Information and consent form for parents and carers

Tell Them From Me Student Feedback Survey Non-Consent Form

If you do not want your child to participate in the Student Feedback Survey, please sign this

form and return it to the school by Friday 20 March 2020.

I DO NOT give consent for my child/children to participate in the Tell Them From Me Student

Feedback Survey.

Name of Student 1_________________________________________ Year _____________

Name of Student 2_________________________________________ Year _____________

Name of Student 3_________________________________________ Year _____________

Name of Student 4_________________________________________ Year _____________

Name of Parent/Carer________________________________________________________

Signature of Parent/Cater_____________________________________________________

Date:______________________________________________________________________