Respect ~ Perseverance ~ Growth

Principal Matters by Mark Watson

HSC Continues Only six days of HSC examinations remain for our out going Year 12 students. The past week has been very full with exams in Biology, Languages, History, Extension English, Business Studies, Timber and Construction. Also during this week a team of markers from NESA arrived at the school to mark our HSC Visual Arts students’ major works. Marking is also underway of the written papers students have already sat. This will be in full swing in the coming weeks with teachers from across the State, including a large contingent from our school, marking exams. The whole process will be completed by the end of this term when students will be notified of their results. We wish Year 12 all the best for the coming week of exams. Year 11 Reports Reports for Year 11 are now available on the parent portal. The reports are no longer mailed; they are distributed through the parent portal. The reports are an excellent summary of a child’s progress in the preliminary, or Year 11 course. Students are now beginning HSC work in class. The work in Term 4 and Term 1 next year will be reported on in the first semester reports for Year 12. As students progress to the HSC courses, some students will want to make adjustments to their study program. To be eligible for the HSC, a student must successfully complete 12 units in Year 11 and 10 in Year 12. This reduction of 2 units in Year 12 does give students some flexibility when considering changes to their study programs. Students will be notified next week when these changes can be made. Mountain Bike Club After careful consideration and planning for many months, our Mountain Bike Club got underway this week. About nine students attended a 90-minute session run by Cameron Schmee after school on Thursday afternoon. The group rode on the school grounds this week with a focus on their skills. Eventually they will ride some of the bike trails that exist close to the school. A big thank you to Kirsty Curnow (parent) and Mr Lawler for getting this initiative off the ground. In addition to our organised sporting programs, we now have extra curricular fitness activities for students to get involved in - Boot Camp, Run Club and Mountain Bike Club. The Mountain Bike Club meets on the school Quad from 3:30pm on a Thursday afternoon. Bare Creek Trail Run The next event the Tuesday Run Club will participate in is the Bare Creek Trail Run on Sunday the 10

th of this month.

The organisers of the trail run established a schools event some years ago with an overall scoring system based on the running times of competitors from each of the schools. We have dominated the trophy in recent years, following some early years of success for Killara High School. The more runners the better, so we are encouraging students to join in even if they are not part of the usual Tuesday morning run club. Thanks go to Mrs Frykberg for organising the team for this event and the Tuesday morning run club. Matilda Tickets Tickets for the school musical, Matilda, went on sale officially last week. Over 1,000 tickets have been sold. Due to strong interest, an additional matinee has been added to the performances on Sunday 1

st December. Tickets

are selling very quickly, so if you want to see the show, the flyer in newsletter has ticketing details. Year 8 Valid Science Tests Students in Year 8 have been sitting their Valid science test this week. The testing program will continue through until the end of next week. Valid 8 is the assessment of a student’s scientific knowledge at the end of Stage 4. The Year 8 tests are compulsory for students in Government schools and they are optional for students in Non-Government schools. Thanks go to Mrs Kaur for organising the testing.

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Building The builders, ACH Clifford, have been making very good progress on the refurbishment of C-Block, as the gallery of photos from the building team show. The outdoor shots are of two new outdoor learning areas on the Hunter street side of the building. We are scheduled to be able to move back into the building before the end of the year and hopefully, as seen in the photos, this will be a reality. Congratulations This week congratulations to:

Georgina F (Year 12). Georgina recently made the NSW Figure Skating Team.

All of the students who participated at Killara High School for grade sport in the first week of this term. We received a very complimentary letter from a member the public commenting on the positive behaviour of our students.

To all of our students who participated in recent Mathematics competitions (see the news item in this newsletter)

Our students who completed the Duke of Edinburgh gold walk in Tasmania last week. This was a spectacular walk, a great opportunity for all to enjoy the beautiful Tasmanian bush (see the report in this week’s newsletter).

Best Wishes Mark Watson Principal

Outdoors First floor

Year 7 Water Awareness 2019

permission note is on the website, go to the Latest news for the note.

Year 7 students must attend Water Awareness Week as it is a compulsory part of the Year 7 curriculum.

Notice of 2019 Annual General Meeting of the

St Ives High School P&C to be held on

Thursday 7 November 2019 at 7:00pm in the Multi Function Space (MFS)

in the Admin Block

At this meeting we will have a recap from the

Principal, the P&C President and P&C working groups on the achievements for 2019.

This is also the time to elect the new P&C

members for 2020.

Please join us at 7:00pm for a light supper be-fore the meeting starts at 7:30pm

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RAISE MENTOR RECRUITMENT – FEEDER SCHOOLS AND LOCAL COMMUNITY Australian Youth Mentoring Foundation, Raise is currently recruiting volunteers from the local community to mentor young people in its best practice program running at high schools like St Ives High. Raise’s early intervention mentoring program proves the difference a mentor makes in the lives of young people. Statistically significant outcomes demonstrating Raise’s impact include: increased confidence, ability to set goals, improved coping skills, hope for the future at school and beyond and identifying trusted adults to ask for help. Raise mentors also benefit, feeling they are contributing to the community, gaining improved listening and parenting skills and making a connection to the younger generation. Could you, or someone you know volunteer your time to mentor at a local High School? To ensure the best outcomes for our young people, Raise requires mentors to be: • 21+ years old • Available for 2 hours a week during school term time • Able to commit every week to a young person between March and September • Able to attend 6 hours face to face training plus complete a 6 hours online training module Head to www.letterstomymentor.com.au to find out more and become a Raise mentor today. Raise is the Youth Mentoring Foundation, empowering young people in Australia to become resilient, capable and connected by demonstrating the difference a mentor makes.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH GOLD WALK

As part of the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, five students completed The Three Capes Walk in Tasmania as their final adventurous journey. We were fortunate to have fabulous weather to appreciate the spectacular scenery. Congratula-tions to Shaan A, Abigail B, Nicole C, Nashua H, Nikki P for their commitment to this award. If you are interested in participating in the Duke of Edinburgh Award please speak to Mr Leggatt or Miss Paterson in the PE staffroom. Katherine Paterson Coordinator Duke of Edinburgh Program

THE AUSTRALIAN INTERMEDIATE MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD (AIMO)

Congratulations to Nina K (Y10) and Will G (Y10) who both achieved a High Distinction in the AIMO. This competition was a four hour exam with ten very difficult problems to solve. Consequently, they have been invited to receive academ-ic mentoring and to participate in two more competitions (four hours and five hours) at the University of Sydney. These competitions are international and form part of the selection process for the 2020 Australian Mathematics Olympiad team. Sue Berger Maths teacher

Can you do this question? Both Will and Nina received full marks for this question. A triangle PQR is to be constructed so that the perpendicular bisector of PQ cuts the side QR at N and the line PN splits the angle QPR into two angles, not necessarily of integer degrees, in the ratio 1:22.

If QPR = p degrees, where p is an integer, find the maximum value of p. (4 marks)

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CAREERS UPDATES Year 10 Work Experience reminder As mentioned in Term 1 Careers classes we hold a compulsory Year 10 Work Experience week in Term 4, Week 8 from 2-6 December. You can attend any business of your choosing and the reasons for your choice are to find out about a possible future career by observing and participating in the work-place, to gain employment by being observed by the employer for a week (this will usually be in retail and hospitality roles) or to gain some general work skills and knowledge. We also discussed ways of contacting the employer by phone, email or direct visit. Once the employer agrees to accept you for the week there is a form that needs to be completed by the student, parent, employer and school in that order. Signed work experience forms are due back to me on or before Friday 15 November so that I have time to enter the details into the database and allocate teachers to supervise students during the week. Students are welcome to look over my list of work experience contacts from previous years. Work Experience is compulsory and replaces school that week. The following week is Year 10 Camp.

For more information on any of these or other careers matters visit the Careers Adviser or email Mr Holmes at neil.holmes@det.nsw.edu.au or call the school on 9144 1689 ext 116.

Visit my free careers website at http://www.careeradvicensw.com to view career videos, take career tests,

view subject selection resources, links to all universities on bonus points, scholarships, elite athletes schemes, alternate entry to university, the job market, SRS and more.

SIHS WRITING CENTRE - NEW TIMES

The Writing Centre has changed its days of operation.

It will now be run on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 7.45 am in B16.

In the coming weeks, the focus will be on responding to essay questions and working in exam conditions.

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