Issue 8 2015 - Canberra High School

Canberra High Times
Term 4, Issue 8
Tuesday, 24 November 2015
From the Principal
Dear parents and carers,
Diary Dates:
25 Nov Yr 7 2016 Info
Evening—6.30pm
1 Dec
Yr 10 Reports
Issued
1 Dec
P&C Meeting
7pm
4 Dec
Yr 10 Farewell
Assembly / BBQ
Brunch / Formal
9 Dec
Yr 10 Graduation
7pm
10 Dec Presentation
Assembly Yr
7,8&9
18 Dec Last Day Term 4
2015
1 Feb
2016
First day of
school all new
students
2 Feb
2016
All students
return
Parent School Board
Representatives;
Rhonda Payget—0418495566
Roger Amey—0400372388
Alison Cerritelli—0402249111
This term has been a very
successful term at Canberra
High School Term 4 and I
thank all the staff and the
students for the great work that
has been happening.
The highlight of the term was
the Arts and Technology
Showcase held on Thursday 5
November. This was an
outstanding example of the
high standard of work being
produced by the students at
Canberra High with the
support of their teachers. The
evening concluded with the
performance of the play cowritten by Ineka Voigt and
Shaylah McClymont It was
very well received and
enjoyed by the large audience
in attendance. Congratulations
to all involved.
Congratulations to Ineka Voigt
on her success in the Doodle
for Google competition. Ineka
was awarded the national prize
in recognition of her
outstanding entry. Her award
winning entry will be on the
Google webpage on January
26 2016.
Year 10 students have nearly
finished their time at Canberra
High School and will soon be
involved in a number of events
that will celebrate their
achievements. On Friday 4
December the school will have
a farewell assembly when the
student body will be able to
farewell the Year 10s. The
Year 10 formal will be held at
The Abbey on Friday 4
December and the Year 10
graduation will be on
Wednesday 9 December.
These are significant
milestones in the students’
lives and I am certainly
looking forward to both
occasions.
At the same time our Years 7,
8 and 9 students will be
finishing of their work and
assessment but also beginning
to look forward to their future
directions and opportunities at
Canberra High School. Their
presentation assembly will be
on Thursday 10 December.
As this term progresses I urge
parents and carers to talk with
their children about upcoming
assessments and that students
focus on producing their best
results possible. I certainly
would enjoy seeing you at the
upcoming events as we can
recognise the great
achievements of our students.
Regards Phil Beecher
Regards
Phil Beecher
T e r m 4 , I s su e 8
SHOWCASE—2015—CANBERRA HIGH SCHOOL
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P age 3
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P age 5
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P age 6
News from the Arts and Languages Faculty
LANGUAGES
China Trip
The trip to China at the end of Term 3
ran without a hitch. Students and staff
returned home tired but happy, and
with many stories and experiences to
share with family and friends.
Organising an overseas trip like this is
a huge undertaking, and Mr Dan Yin
and Ms Alison Davis worked
tirelessly to ensure the success of the
visit.
Forging Links with Vanuatu
With the generous support of
Belconnen Rotary Club, Ms Webber
arranged for a student from Vanuatu
to visit our school in Week 2 of Term
4. Vanuatu is still recovering from the
devastating effects of Cyclone Pam,
which hit the islands earlier this year.
Henri Holland is from Port Vila, is 14
Years old, and spent the week in
various Year 8 classes, practising his
English and experiencing school life
in Australia. He also shared aspects of
his culture and language with French
classes. He made many friends while
he was here!
We look forward to continuing our
links with both Henri and his school,
and hope to perhaps establish regular
visits like this in the future. Many
thanks must go to Ms Webber, who
came up with the idea and worked
extremely hard over a long period to
ensure the visit’s success. And thanks
also to Ms Stewart who provided
invaluable support during Henri’s visit
and to all the teachers and students
who welcomed him into their classes.
ARTS
Band Festival
All four CHS bands took part in the
ACT Schools Band Festival in Week 8
of last term. Each bands prepared a 20
minute program, performed it for an
adjudicator (and an audience of
parents and other school students) and
then workshopped the pieces with the
adjudicator. All the bands performed
creditably, and gained a great deal of
experience and enjoyment from taking
part. Congratulations to all the band
students!
Dance Festival
Our Dance Festival group performed
at the Ausdance Youth Dance Festival
at the Canberra Theatre on September
17 (Term 3, Week 9). The
performance was the culmination of
many hours of rehearsal, planning and
organisation, and the final result was a
confident and polished performance
that was one of the very best on the
night. Congratulations to all Dance
festival students, and to their teachers,
Ms Battye and Ms Nelson.
End of Year Band Concerts
Parents and families of band students
are invited to end-of-year concerts in
Week 8:
Monday 30 November: Senior Band
Tuesday 1 December: Year 8 Band
Wednesday 2 December: Year 7
Beginner and Continuing Bands
Invitations were sent home via
students in Week 6.
Botanic Gardens Photography
Competition
Once again, Canberra High School
students have received awards in the
Friends of the National Botanic
Gardens Photography Competition.
Congratulations to the following
students:
Nicholas Campion
Shelby Castles
Matt Cleaver
Ryan Crowe
Eliza Harrison
Shaylah McClymont
Skylar McEwan
Wendy Nguyen
Emily Ridley
Vanessa Thompson
Alexandra Williams
Arts & Technology Showcase
Our annual Arts & Technology
Showcase took place on Thursday 5
November. The Showcase featured
displays from visual arts, ceramics,
photography and media as well as
performances from band, dance and
drama students.
World Premiere – Mad Apple
This year’s Drama Production was
written by two students, Ineka Voigt
and Shaylah McClymont. The play
featured as part of the Arts &
Technology Showcase on November
5.
String Ensemble
The String Ensemble has been
rehearsing every week in the lead-up
to their performance at the Arts &
Technology Showcase. The
Ensemble has also been invited to
perform at the National Gallery of
Australia on November 26, for the
ACT Chief Minister’s Reading
Challenge Award Ceremony.
CHAMP – Canberra High
Afternoon Music Program
Canberra High Afternoon Music
Program (CHAMP) provides music
lessons by professional tutors,
providing enrichment and extension
opportunities for students who
would like to learn a musical
instrument. Tutors are provided
through Canberra Music Tuition,
with weekly lessons priced at $31
per half hour lesson.
If you are interested in taking up this
opportunity for your child to have
music lessons, please contact Eileen
Currie (Ph 62071546 or 6205 7038
eileen.currie@ed.act.edu.au)
Eileen Currie
Executive Teacher
Arts & Languages Faculty
T e r m 4 , I s su e 8
THANK YOU FROM
MRS CURRIE
Thank you very, VERY much to everyone
for my surprise award presented in the last
week of Term 3. It was a very special and
memorable event for me, and made me
P age 7
very grateful to be part of such a
supportive and affirming school
community. Many thanks, once again.
News from the Library
We have had a jigsaw table set up in the
Library for a few terms now and it has
been a success. Lots of students have
been working on it
before school and
during
lunchtimes. I have
really enjoyed
seeing the
progress of the
puzzles. The first
one completed
was the safari
scene and this
seemed to take ages. Who knew
backgrounds were so tricky?
The second one finished was the Wasjig
one in the other photo. This was a
challenging jigsaw because the photo on
the box wasn’t the same as the picture
that is on the jigsaw. The students
figured it out quickly and this was
finished in only a few weeks. The
students in the photo are the lucky ones
who got to put in the final pieces. And
yes, we have already put another out on
the table.
Ilona Horvath
Outdoor Pursuits—Surfing
On the 9th and 10th of November students from Mr Beasley’s Outdoor Pursuits class attending a surf camp to North Broulee
beach. Broulee Surf School, Total Eco adventures and Miss Colbert took us on three adventures; Two Surf lessons, Stand Up
Paddle and Snorkelling. Fun was had by all and everyone was persistent enough to stand up surfing
T e r m 4 , I s su e 8
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Outdoor Pursuits 2—Canoe Camp to Kangaroo Valley
At the end of Week 2 the Outdoor Pursuits
2 class left school early at 6am heading
towards Kangaroo Valley. The weather
was not great with persistent rain, wind
and overcast conditions that would
continue throughout the whole day.
Nonetheless we loaded our canoes with
waterproof barrels full of camping gear,
cooking gear, food, warm clothes and
spare shoes. We set off from Bendeela
campsite and headed towards our intended
campsite for the night at Beehive Point,
14km upstream. The harsh weather
conditions meant that by the time we
stopped on the edge of the Kangaroo
River for lunch everyone was completely
soaked, cold and morale had dropped. The
group continued to paddle upstream with
an increased level of awareness of how to
efficiently move in a straight direction by
getting both paddlers work in sync with
each other. We stopped at a campsite
called Acacia Flat and the group checked
out its suitability to stay the night. The
students were given the choice whether to
camp there or push on a further 2km to
our intended destination. The decision was
made to camp at Acacia Flat and students
began the daunting task of unloading their
gear and trying to setup their tents and get
warm in the heavy rain. The weather
eventually cleared and made for an
enjoyable night at the campsite playing
camp games and telling stories. The
next day meant a longer paddle than
intended (9km) as we had stopped
earlier the day before. The students had
renewed energy, the weather was much
better and the group efficiently made
their way to the finishing point at
Tallowa Dam. Here we unloaded the
gear and then went back out for some
fun practising capsize techniques and
some other games with the canoes. This
was a challenging camp that pushed
students and staff out of their comfort
zones and showed that by using
teamwork the group was able to prevail.
Staff: Andrew Roe, Simon Beasley
and Natalie Darby
Message to families from the Minister of Education and Training
Parents and Carers
I am incredibly proud of the achievements
of our public schools. All schools achieve
great things and we should be doing
everything we can to ensure that our
students leave our system with an
education which is viewed by everyone as
first class.
I hope you will take the time to view our
new Canberra Public Schools clip. I
encourage everyone to visit the Canberra
Public Schools webpage or Facebook to
take a look at one of the ways we are
changing how we communicate and to
hear about some of the changes to come.
I know that we have many stories to share
which showcase our academic
achievements, our caring and supportive
environments and our remarkable
facilities. We have amazing teachers,
parents, school communities and leaders
who come together to give our students
the best possible start in life.
Communication is important work.
Schools, teachers, leaders, school
networks, and the Directorate will be
working together to get our stories out
there. We will improve the way we
communicate through better
information, keeping in touch, and
building pride and confidence in
Canberra’s public schools.
From Friday 23 October, I encourage
you to visit http://www.det.act.gov.au/
canberra-public-schools to find out
more.
Joy Burch MLA
T e r m 4 , I s su e 8
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Ineka Voigt with her winning entry in the Doodle 4 Google National competition.
Ineka’s entry will be on the Google search page on Australia Day.
News from the SOSE Faculty
National History Challenge
Each year, students completing Semester
One core history units in Years 9 and 10
can elect to complete a modified
assessment task within these units that
responds to the theme of that year’s
National History Challenge, a nation-wide
history competition that asks students to
research and develop an historical
response to a designated theme. The
theme of this year’s competition was
‘Leadership and Legacy.’
This term, the State and Territory winners
were announced, with students from
Canberra high achieving some exceptional
results. We would like to congratulate the
following students for their success in the
National History Challenge.
Kyah Priestly (Year 9) – Special
commendation for her essay on Maria
Bochkareva, a female war hero who led a
women’s battalion in World War One
Caitlin Johnston (Year 9) – Excellent
Award for her essay on the ideological
Emma Boulton attended a Morning Tea in
the Mural Hall at Parliament House in
September with the Girl Guides Program.
A number of Parliamentary Leaders
attended and Emma participated in a
round table with Senator Sarah HansenYoung and Senator Katy Gallagher. Her
highlight was meeting the then Prime
Minister Tony Abbott.
legacy of World War One
Elle Butterworth (Year 9) – ACT Year 9
winner and Special Category Winner –
Australian War time Experiences for her
essay on Australian war historian ,
Charles Bean
Ineka Voigt (Year 10) – ACT Young
Historian of the Year, ACT Year 10
winner, National Year 10 winner for her
creative response on Australian female
artist, Nora Heysen.
As the overall winner for the ACT, Ineka
will represent Canberra at the national
awards in December, where she will be in
the running to win the Australian
Historian of the Year award. We wish
Ineka all the best at these awards, and
extend our congratulations to all Canberra
High students who entered this year’s
History Challenge.
Chief Minister’s ANZAC Spirit Prize
2016
Each year during the Centenary of world
War One, Years 9 and 10 students from
the ACT can enter the Chief Minister’s
ANZAC spirit Prize. The winners of the
current competition will win a studytrip to Western Europe to visit the sites
of significant battles on the Western
Front and attend the official 100 Year
Anniversary Ceremony of the Battle of
Fromelles.
This year’s competition requires
students to develop a creative response
to a quote by Australian war historian,
Charles Bean. The competition is now
open to students currently in Years 9
and 10, with entries closing 5th
February, 2016.
Students who are interested can visit the
competition website, http://
www.det.act.gov.au/
teaching_and_learning/act-chiefministers-anzac-spirit-prize-2016 or
visit the SOSE faculty for more
information.
Connor Laenen
T e r m 4 , I s su e 8
China Trip—2015
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China Trip—2015
China was a whole new experience for
me, and one that I’ll never forget. Despite
the large number of people and the
amount of pollution, China is a truly
beautiful place. My personal favourite
experience was the Great Wall, despite the
physical challenge of climbing it; I was in
awe of the incredible view and seeing just
how big it actually was.
The biggest challenge of the trip was
definitely the home stays. Being put into a
strange home with strangers who don’t
speak the same language as you is
definitely scary. But although we had had
some troubles, like not being able to
translate conversations properly, and just
needing some personal space, I was very
happy with the way the home stays turned
out; the family was very welcoming and
provided many interesting foods and
activities for us to try so that we could
experience the culture of China.
My favourite city that we went to was
Shanghai, despite it being very busy I
absolutely loved how different and
modern it was. The buildings and
architecture were incredible and so were
the places we visited such as the Bund, the
Pearl tower and the silk factory.
I went to China wanting to try something
new and prove that I could do something
on my own. And I came back with a
whole new appreciation for life as I
know it. I never fully realised just how
lucky I am, there are so many people in
China that have the same amount of
food in a week that I have in a day. The
culture in China is so incredibly
different to Australia, it’s amazing to
think how all of these people have been
living in our world but living such
different lives to us.
China was one of the most amazing
experiences of my life, the food, the
places, the people are all so different but
a good different. I can’t wait to go back
when I’m older.
Isobel Schoon
On the 17th of September I embarked on
probably one of the most memorable
experiences that I have experienced in my
life so far. The week before I went
through a whole bunch of mixed
emotions; mostly anticipation and
excitement. I just could not get my head
around the fact that in a week, I would be
on an aeroplane to China.
There were many, many memorable
experiences which I will keep with me for
the rest of my life. Some of these include:
staying with a Chinese family, going up
the Oriental Pearl tower, the food,
bargaining in markets, and my favourite,
climbing the Great Wall of China. It was
all so amazing, I don’t know where to
begin.
It was a bit of a shock when we first
arrived in Hangzhou. For one thing, the
sky was grey, and the sun wasn’t visible.
The air was also heavy and thick, it was
hard to breathe, but eventually I got used
to it. There were so many people and there
were constant traffic jams, due to the large
population. After this experience, I will
never complain about traffic jams in
Australia again. One of the things which I
personally found quite amusing was that
there were numerous times when some
locals would ask to have their photos
taken with us. I suppose that many of the
local people have never encountered
foreigners. Sometimes, though, they
wouldn’t even ask to take photos of us.
They would just not so subtly, take photos
of us. I didn’t really mind though.
The food was also very different
compared to the Western account of
Chinese food. Whilst most of the food
was very good, some of it was so different
it was difficult to eat.. The Chinese family
that I stayed with really made sure that we
ate well and ate lots. Even when we told
them that we had had enough, they still
insisted on us eating more.
The humidity was, at times, nearly
unbearable. Considering that we had come
from cold Canberra, to China which had
just finished summer, it was just so hot.
The weather didn’t seem to bother the
Chinese people, a lot of them wore clothes
that I would have worn in early spring in
Canberra. Growing up there, they were
obviously use to the climate and it didn’t
seem to bother them at all.
There were a few difficulties that I had to
overcome. One of these was separating
from my family. I was ok though, because
I had my friends with me, and I was still
able to message my family. Whilst staying
with the Chinese family was amazing, it
was at times hard without the rest of the
group and the teachers. It was really good
when we finally got to see everyone again.
Sometimes it could be frustrating, because
the Chinese people couldn’t understand
English, and I can’t speak fluent
Mandarin. I was still able to
communicate what I was trying to say
though, using the Mandarin that I had
learnt. Mr Yin had also put together an
emergency card with phrases that we
may need in case of an emergency. One
phrase which I found very useful was
“Weisheng jian zai nar?” which
translates to “Where is the toilet?”
As there were enough places left after
the other places had been filled by Year
Nines and Tens, I was offered a place.
As a Year Eight, I feel very privileged
that I was offered a spot, especially
since I thought that I would have to wait
another two years before I would be
able to go. I went, not only because I
was offered a place, but also because I
thought that it would be amazing (which
it was), and I’d get to experience actual
Chinese culture rather than just learning
about it in class. What I got out of the
trip was a great sense of independence
and initiative, as I am only fourteen and
I had never been overseas before, let
alone overseas on a school trip.
I just want to say a big thank you and I
am very grateful for being presented
with this amazing opportunity. Overall,
it was absolutely wonderful, and I
recommend the trip to anyone who is
offered a spot in the future.
Gillian McKie
Year 8
T e r m 4 , I s su e 8
Healthy Living Gala Day
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Sculpture in the Inner Quad
You may have heard of Sculpture
by the Sea in Sydney or, closer to
home, Sculpture in the Paddock at
Yass. Well, Canberra High School
had its own sculpture blockbuster
exhibition last week. Sculpture in
the Inner Quad displayed the work
of our Year 8 Exploring Art Class.
This term, Exploring Art students
were tasked with creating
sculptures that represented the
human form. English sculptor,
Antony Gormley, provided the
inspiration for the sculptures.
Gormley investigates the human
figure based on form and space,
and uses his own body as the basis
for his works. The students were
given a limited number of materials,
mainly old musical instruments, and
tools to create their sculptures.
They were required to select and
analyse their components based
on representations of the human
form.
Andrew Kay
Exploring Art Teacher
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Canberra High School Canteen
The canteen has undergone quite an
uplifting change over the last few weeks.
There is a wide variety of home made
meals, fresh fruit, salads, even the school
staff are enjoying the range of fresh food
available daily.
We are currently in the process of having
a flexischools card for staff as well so that
Congratulations to the CHS1team
who were the runners up in the 2015 ACT
Interschool Badminton competition
they can also benefit from the
convenience that the card offers. Students
are able to use their school MyWay card
to access flexischools and parents can
even place a daily limit on the amount
students spend at the canteen.
If you would like to find out a little more
about flexischools click on the link on the
school website or go directly to http://
www.flexischools.com.au/
Canteen staff are currently working on a
new upgraded menu, as soon as it is
available it will be uploaded to the
school website and emailed to all
families.
Students back stage at DancFest 2015
Accident Insurance Cover for Students—important information for parents
Insurance and Ambulance
Transport
The ACT Education and Training
Directorate does not provide any
insurance cover for injury, disease or
illness to students resulting from
school activities or school-organised
excursions. Claims for compensation
are met where there is a legal liability
to do so. Liability is not automatic and
depends on the circumstances in which
any injury, disease or illness was
sustained.
As there is no automatic insurance
cover for personal injury if your child is
injured at school or during a school
organised activity/excursion you should
therefore consider whether taking out
personal insurance cover for your child
is warranted.
This insurance might cover
contingencies including medical/
hospital expenses, ambulance transport
outside the ACT, and cancellation of
transport/accommodation or loss of/
damage to luggage.
The ACT Ambulance Service provides
free ambulance transport for students
who are injured or
suddenly become ill
at school or during
an approved school
organised activity
within the ACT.
T e r m 4 , I s su e 8
Canberra High Times Newsletter
This newsletter can be received by email or a hard copy can be
collected by students. ACE teachers will be requesting e-mail
addresses or you may email the school to be registered to
receive the newsletter electronically. The school’s email address
is: info@canberrahs.act.edu.au.
The newsletter can also be downloaded from the Website.
www.canberrahs.act.edu.au
It is published in weeks 3, 6 and 9 each term.
Front Office Hours:
8 am to 3.30 pm Mon—Fri.
Payment Hours:
8:15 am to 2.30 pm
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