10th DECEMBER • Personal Best Assembly

12th DECEMBER • Presentation Night, 7pm

19th DECEMBER • Last day of school term

30TH JANUARY, 2013 • First day of school term for

years 7, 11 and 12

31TH JANUARY, 2013 • First day of school term for

years 8, 9 and 10.

8TH FEBRUARY, 2013 • Swimming Carnival

15TH FEBRUARY, 2013 • School photo day

18TH FEBRUARY, 2013 • P & C meeting

APPLETREE NEWS WEST WALLSEND HIGH SCHOOL

2 Appletree Road West Wallsend 2286

Email: westwalls-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Ph 0249532111 Fax 0249531886

TERM FOUR, ISSUE TWO 2012

If you see Courtney Young of Year 9 around the school corridors or in the community, be sure to give her a big ‘Congratulations!’ for her outstanding efforts during term four.

Earlier in the year, Courtney, a valued and long term member of the SRC, committed herself to donating both her hair and money to charity.

THE CHOP FOR A GOOD CAUSE

UPCOMING

EVENTS

Outstandingly, she raised over an amazing $2500 after cutting off a whopping 50 cm of her hair!

The hair has been sent to the Princess Charlotte Foundation so that it can be made into a wig for cancer patients and Courtney is personally presenting a cheque to the John Hunter Children’s Hospital on Thursday 6th December. An outstanding effort!

BEFORE

AFTER

OzHARVEST FOOD DRIVE CHRISTMAS DONATIONS NEEDED

Hayden Nichols, school leaders and members of the Student Representative Committee (SRC) are organising a school collection of non-perishable food items for people in need and also Christmas gifts for children.

Recently SRC members attended the Halogen Foundation’s National Young Leaders Day at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, (see page 2 for an article on this exciting excursion). Hayden was so impressed by Oz Harvest’s inspirational speaker and founder, Ronni Kahn that he was moved to help.

(OzHarvest delivers food to charities – see their website for more details.) All donations can be left in the school office. Donations will be distributed locally to those in need. If every student could bring in just one item it would make a huge difference to those less fortunate than us.

The collection box will be open until the end of the school year. You can even donate on the day of the personal best assembly. A big thank you to Ms. Kelly and Karen Watters for assisting in the organisation of the drive.

YEAR 12 FORMAL

The 2012 Year 12 Formal took place on 21st November, 2012 at Noahs on the Beach. This glamorous occasion began at 4.30 p.m. with photographs being taken by Miss Cross. At 6 p.m. the presentation and academic awards began. Nick Swamy received the prize for dux, Kimberly Britts was runner-up dux and Natalie Cadogan was the second runner-up dux.

The gourmet menu started with spectacular canapés, followed by a main meal of roast chicken and beef. Before dancing the night away, students tucked into a dessert of mousse and caramel chocolate tarts. A wonderful evening finished at 10.30 p.m.

Thanks go to Mr Watts as Year Adviser who was always on hand to offer advice and support his students throughout the six years. (It is to his credit that he ended up with such a large group of nearly 50 pupils.)

REPORT BY MR WATTS, YEAR 12 ADVISER 2012

HALOGEN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE On Monday the 19th of

November, eight students from years 8 to 12, travelled to the Sydney Convention Centre for the annual Halogen Foundation Leadership Day.

The day consisted of many inspirational speakers such as Dr. Karl from Triple J, Ronni Kahn of the OzHarvest Foundation, Taga Paa from The Voice and Kevin Sheedy the AFL legend. The students also had the opportunity to participate in the 10,000 voices video and a career expo.

One of the highlights of the day was watching Courtney Young of year 9 put her hand up for EVERY question. Unfortunately she was never picked out of the 1000’s of students in participation from across the New South Wales, however her passion was admirable. We look forward to the event in 2013!

Thanks also to Karlie McCaffrey, Debbie Beguin and Stacey Cross for helping with the organisation of a successful night. Lana Mansfield filmed the evening and organised for DVDs to be distributed to all the students.

Brodie Roxby, Ashley Worboys and Teagan McCaig assisted with the organisation. Mrs Wallace and her Year 12 English class helped also to organise the night.

Mr Cowling will host a barbecue breakfast at 7.30 a.m. on 19th December at the school for all Year 12 students. We wish them well with their results and their future endeavours.

YEAR 12 FORMAL 2012

YEAR 10 FORMAL 2012

AUSTRALIAN

AIR F RCE CADETS

CADET RECRUITING

The Australian Air Force Cadets is one of the Premier Youth Organisations of Australia. We are currently recruiting for 2013.

Do you want to:

Learn to fly

Develop your leadership and communication skills

Participate in adventure training and field craft

activities

Meet new people and make lifelong friends

And heaps more

If you:

Are an Australian resident

Have good general health

Are between 13 and 18 years old

Can attend weekly activities

Have permission from your parent or guardian

Become a Cadet in the Australian Air Force Cadets

EDUCATES CHALLENGES EXCITES

For more information, find your nearest Australian Air Force Cadet Squadron by visiting our website at:

www.aafc.org.au

YEAR 10 FORMAL

On Tuesday 27th November, Year 10 celebrated their achievements at a formal occasion at Bella Vista Function Centre at Mayfield. Many students arrived in style and were beautifully presented in formal wear. Parents and friends gathered to meet them in the gardens.

Mocktails and canapés were served in the terrace. After dinner the formal cake was cut by student representatives, Jamie Burgess and Chandlah Huntriss. The dancing was energetic as a DJ played some great tunes.

The evening ended at 10pm. It was wonderful to see the students looking so sophisticated and behaving maturely at this lovely venue. Everyone enjoyed the evening.

A very big THANK YOU to Mrs. Connor for organising the event.

2012 has been a successful year at West Wallsend High School. We have continued to be a part of the ME Program and have School Based Trainees in the junior school who have engaged in a number of activities throughout the year. They have had site visits to Ampcontrol at Cameron Park, participated in electronics, bridge building, engineering challenge and robotics activities. We also had four of our Year 12 students offered traineeships with Ampcontrol, which was an outstanding achievement and an indication of the calibre of some of our Year 12 students. We also participated in an Electric Bike Challenge and F1 Model Car Challenge.

Yearly Reports have been sent out and after I have reviewed progress of students, any who have not achieved the expected outcomes of their year group will have their progression to the following year discussed. This will mean that some students may be on probation or in jeopardy of repeating.

Our STRIVE 10 Interviews were a great success this year with all Year 10 students presenting for interviews. We had fifty community members come along to work on the panels and evaluations of the program were extremely positive. Also we had twelve Year 9 students sitting on the panels and in every case the contribution of these students was exemplary. We also ran Year 8 and 9 STRIVE interviews with all students involved. Non-teaching staff ran the panels and indicated that the serious approach taken by all students was excellent.

During the year many of our Year 9 students have completed six hours of volunteer work at Mercy Services. They have enjoyed the program and have contributed positively at the centre.

I will send out our list of achievements of the students and staff of West Wallsend High School in 2012 with the first newsletter next year. It is pleasing that we have made significant improvements this year and that the area of greatest growth is in improving student learning outcomes.

Students finish school this year

TERM 4 UPDATE: THE PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

year on Wednesday, 19th December. Staff remain at school on Thursday, 20th and Friday, 22nd December and we will be undertaking professional development activities in WHS requirements and syllabus implementation. Year 7, 11 and 12 students return to school on Wednesday, 30th January and Years 8, 9 and 10 students return on Thursday, 31st January.

I would like to take this opportunity in wishing you a safe and happy holiday and a Merry Christmas and look forward to working with you in 2013. Ann Campbell

CHRISTMAS IN THE HOME ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT!

their Cake Pops as snowmen and Reindeer. The ladies enjoyed the task, even though they were challenged by the heat, having difficulty with the melting frosting and chocolate that would not set properly. Well done ladies! The year 9 Food Technology class have also been joining in on the festive fun. In week eight they created unique Christmas themed lemon filled biscuits. Many of the students packaged the biscuits and took them home to give as Christmas gifts.

Christmas cheer is in the air in the Home Economics department this year, with many students celebrating with festive themed cakes and sweets. The year 12 students excelled at the “Cake Pop” task, decorating

STRIVE 10 INTERVIEWS

The annual Year 10 interviews took place in Week 7 over three days. Year 10 students were required to present a covering letter, a resume and a portfolio of tasks and assignments completed during the year. All students were interviewed by a panel comprising of a community member, a teacher and a Year 9 student. (The community members are professional and business people.)

Feedback from the community members was exceptional with positive comments on the excellent presentation by our students. Several students have picked up work experience as a result of the interviews and

Tru Kemp has been invited to attend an international conference at Tocal next month with the conference fees paid for by CALM (Creative Accelerated Learning Methods) due to the way she impressed her panel.

The interviews prepare students for the reality of work as well as encouraging them to engage more seriously with their senior studies in order to achieve their goals.

During Week 8 similar interviews on a smaller scale took place for Years 8 and 9. It is hoped that pupils will evaluate their efforts and strive to do even better in 2013.

The 2012 GRIP Student Leadership Conference for secondary students came to Newcastle City Hall on the 6th November 2012. Stephanie Cody and Kirsten Ryan of year 7, Madelyne Ingle and Jenaya McNaught of year 8, Daniel Smith and Madeline Foster of year 9 and the 2012 School Captains Jade Macpherson and Hayden Nichols attended the full day conference.

Over 200 students, from more than 30 schools, attended this interactive, hands-on and practical day that aimed to prepare the students for their roles and responsibilities as student leaders, encourage them to be positive role models who make a difference in their schools and equip them with the tools to do so.

The Student Representative Committee (SRC) members met many leaders from schools in the area, making connections with other students who are as passionate about their school as we are. Madeline Foster, the star of

GRIP LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

UNIFORM SHOP

Year 10 students must collect their senior shirts before the end of term.

Year 6 students also need to purchase their uniforms before the end of the year.

The Uniform shop is open on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. until 10.00 a.m.

HOLMESVILLE FIRE BRIGADE’S ANNUAL LOLLY RUN The retained fire fighters from Holmesville Fire Station will be driving Santa around local streets from 4 p.m. on the following dates.

As well as showering the kids with lollies and spreading Christmas cheer, the fire fighters will be accepting donations of non-perishable goods to be distributed to local families in need.

Tuesday 11th Dec - West Wallsend/Killingworth

Wednesday 12th Dec – Holmesville/Barnsley

Thursday 13th Dec –Edgeworth/Cameron Park (Northridge Estate)

the day, was invited to the stage to help perform a Loud Noise session, where she had to dance in front of all of the other students, doing backup Gangnam Style dance moves! The day was inspiring and mind-changing, reminding the students to focus on achievable goals within the school.

YAKKA DAY 2012– TRY A SKILL On 25th October, our Aboriginal

students attended a career information day at Toronto High School with Ms Kelly. Career Links, in partnership with Toronto High and the parental and Community Engagement (PaCE) program, presented the YAKKA Day 2012 event for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

Together with their parents, students discovered how a school subject could lead to a particular

career.

Hands on experience, in a variety of trades and businesses, was provided on the day. Aboriginal presenters were perfect role models for the students. Employers represented included the mines, defence forces, local council and medical fields. The TAFE and University of Newcastle also promoted many courses of interest to our students. Hundreds of students learnt that attitude and application can affect

career outcomes. In order to have greater job choice later in life, the maximum effort must be made at school.

By lunch time many students had made connections with potential employers. Having a goal or focus in life can make schooling more relevant. Above all regular attendance impresses employers as well as maximising opportunities. All students enjoyed visiting Toronto High School for this very successful occasion.

The annual bus trip, taking in several Sydney warehouses and Ikea, was a wonderful success enjoyed by all. On arriving home, parents, friends and community members were loaded up with packages that included some early Christmas shopping and great bargains. It was agreed by all that the next outing couldn’t come soon enough. As usual the raffle was a highlight.

A reminder to all that the major annual raffle for the cubby house, coffee machine and iPad 2 will be drawn on Presentation Night. Tickets are available from the canteen and cost $2 each.

The P and C is looking for new members for 2013. All members will be warmly welcomed at the monthly meetings. The fundraising efforts improve the resources offered by our school and cannot be underestimated. Many hands make light work.

P AND C REPORT

WORLD CHAMPION AT WEST WALLSEND

On the 23rd October, one of our own from West Wallsend High School, Laura Salter attended the World Championships for Archery. Flying to a town called Miramar, in Buenos Aires Province, on the west coast of Argentina, Laura stayed for two weeks. She shot for five days, including three when she shot Personal Best.

“Shooting over there was very different, overall it was a great experience,” Laura said. She commented on how Miramar was very different from Australia, saying “it was poorer and had more basic needs”.

Laura’s training and hard work paid off as she came 1st in her division. Congratulations Laura for an outstanding result!

Written by Paige Pearson

GALA DAY AND STATE KNOCKOUT (MOST VALUABLE PLAYER)

Sponsored by: Sugarloaf Accounting

Open Rugby League Cale Smith

Under 15 Rugby League Tom Payne

Under 14 Rugby League Jaiden Tarrant

Under 13 Knights K.O. Josh Knight

Shannon Allen

Open Girls Soccer Annie Griffin

Under 15 Girls Soccer Tyler Radovanovic

Open Boys Soccer Josh Kramer

Under 15 Boys Soccer Beau Wilkins

Open Boys Cricket Cale Smith

Junior Boys Cricket Tyson Jackson

Boys Tennis Paul Schneider

Girls Tennis Courtney Morris

Open Boys Touch Bobby Treacy

Open Girls Touch Brittany Treacy

Swimming Ainslie Kinkade

Netball Taylah Bramble

Table Tennis Mason Jeffries

Boys Futsal Trent Partridge

Girls Futsal Jorjia Hogg

SPORTS AWARDS DINNER 2012

NETBALLER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by: Holmesville Hotel

Brittany Treacy

CRICKETER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by: Sugarloaf Accounting

Sam Jones

TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by: West Wallsend Tennis Club

Paul Schneider

TABLE TENNIS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by: Holmesville Hotel

Jake Sills

YEAR 7 SPORTSPERSON AWARD Sponsored by: Oceanic Coal - West Wallsend Colliery Sian Keating

STUDENT SERVICE TO SPORT Sponsored by: West Wallsend Tennis Club

Daniel Smith

STRIVE IN SPORT Sponsored by: Linsley family

Callen Meir

YEAR 7 ENCOURAGEMENT AWARDS Major Sponsors: Oceanic Coal, United Mineworkers’ Federation and Hunter Valley Buses

Blake Ciappara Bailey Maxton Skye Duncan-Lindley Ben Smith Tayla Paget Tyson Jackson Tyler Radovanovic

SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by: West Wallsend Junior Football Club

Female: Jamie McGee-Stokes Male: Trent Partridge

RUGBY LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by: Companion Credit Union

Jack Beagley

SPORTS AWARDS DINNER 2012

SPORTS AWARDS DINNER 2012

YEAR 11 SPORTSPERSON AWARD Sponsored by: West Wallsend Workers’ Club

Ainslie Kinkade

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO ABORIGINAL SPORT Sponsored by: West Wallsend High School P &C Association

Jessie Milajew

PRINCIPAL’S AWARD Sponsored by: West Wallsend High School P &C Association

Jake Duck

JUNIOR SPORTS ALL-ROUNDER Sponsored by: Hunter Valley Buses

Brittany Treacy

EXCELLENCE IN SPORT 2007-2012 Sponsored by: United Mineworkers’ Federation

Nick Ryan Kira McCaig Teagan McCaig Jake Duck Alex Brandrick Tom Cook Brent Melmouth Blade McNaught Jye Etheridge

JUNIOR SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR Sponsored by: Hunter Valley Buses

Liam Keating

WWHS SPORTING BLUE Sponsored by: United Mineworkers’ Federation

Ainslie Kinkade

SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR Sponsored by: Oceanic Coal - West Wallsend Colliery

Nick Ryan

Congratulations to all award winners! A very special thanks to our sponsors:

Oceanic Coal - West Wallsend Colliery, West Wallsend Colliery – United Mineworkers’ Federation, Hunter Valley Buses, Sweet Bean Café, West Wallsend Workers Club, West Wallsend Junior Football Club, West Wallsend Rugby League Club, West Wallsend High School P & C, West Wallsend Tennis Club, Companion Credit Union, Sugarloaf Accounting, Holmesville Hotel, The Linsley Family.

ASPIRATIONS SURVEY

Message to all parents who have agreed to take part in

the parent survey.

Your child has been given the internet address for

your response. The address is as follows:

www.surveymonkey.com/s/PC_W_Wallsend

Could you please ensure that you complete this 10 minute survey before 21st

December, 2012.

NO MOBILES

TO BE USED IN CLASS

(parent calls included!)