23 March Edition Week 13

PIC NEWS
Picnic Point High School Newsletter
March 2016 Edition
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
It’s been another busy term, as you will see when
you read the many articles in this edition of
PICNews. I commend the dedication of our staff and
amazing initiatives and talents shown by our
students which have been showcased this term. In
this article I will highlight some of these
achievements.
Once again our Open Night for prospective Year 7
students for 2017 demonstrated the amazing talents
of our student leaders who guided over 700 visitors
around the school, candidly answering parent
questions and professionally escorting their groups
throughout the school to cover as many areas as
possible in the time allocated.
One of the best advertisements for our school is our
wonderful student leaders. I would also like to
congratulate the many staff who gave up so much of
their own time to attend on the night and
demonstrate what PPHS is all about when it comes
to student learning and providing young people with
such wonderful learning opportunities. The feedback
from so many parents was exceptional and
rewarding for the hard work put into the night by
students and staff.
Last week we had the first of our student leadership
workshops for the year, led and organised by Mrs
Davilla, Mr Burgess, Ms Stavros, Mr Rawlings and
Miss Marquis. 188 students were involved in the
day's activities where their skills in being a leader,
working in groups and building self-confidence were
developed in a range of fun and engaging activities.
Principal
Mr Wolly Negroh
B Ed, Dip Teach
Term 1 Week 9
NAPLAN tests will be held in week 3 next term
which will test important skills that are essential for
every child to progress through school and life, such
as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and
numeracy. At the classroom level it is one of a
number of important tools used by teachers to
measure student progress. In 2016, NAPLAN tests
will be held on 10-12 May. Information specifically
for parents and
carers can be found
at http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support.html
Recent school and student successes include
 Congratulations
and
commendations
to
Harrison Walther, coming first in the national
Darrell Tree Essay Writing competition, a
nationwide competition being run by the
Australian
Bravery
Association.
Also
commendation to Jasmine Zande, for achieving
third and Brenden Selby and Caitlin Millar, for
achieving Highly Commended awards.
 Congratulations to the SRC that hosted a
fundraiser barbeque for the Leukaemia
Foundation. Their excellent teamwork and
leadership raised $300 towards this very
worthwhile charity.
 Once again, PPHS was crowned the zone
swimming champion school with many of our
students representing the school and zone at
the regional swimming carnival.
 The boys’ water polo team is once again
competing in the final 8 of the NSW CHS state
knockout competition in Newcastle under the
expert leadership of Coach, Mr Sparks.
 Congratulations to the Year 10 Peer Support
Leaders for their commitment to the program
and support of Year 7 in their transition in Term
1, to Picnic Point High School.
CONTENTS
Deputy’s Reports
What’s On
Student of the Month
P&C News
News
Programs
Faculty Reports
Year Adviser Reports
Sport
Page 2/3
Page 4
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 10
Page 19
Page 20
61 Kennedy St, Picnic Point
Ph: 9772 1700 Fax:
1 9792 3960
Email: picnicpt-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Web: www.picnicpt-h.schools.nsw.edu.au
DEPUTY’S REPORT – MRS SHERRY
Year 7 Information Evening
On Tuesday 8 March we held the first Year 7 Information night for parents at our school. The aim of the evening
was to increase parent knowledge of how to support their child’s learning at Picnic Point High School. There
were four workshops for parents to attend which covered the areas of assessment, reporting, welfare and study
and homework. Feedback from the parent evaluation at the end of the evening showed that parents came away
from the evening with an increased understanding in each of the four areas.
Prior to workshop
At the end of the workshop
Very
Minimal Adequate Strong
Strong
Minimal
Adequate
Strong
Very
Strong
23
24
14
3
Assessment
with Mr Rawlings
0
6
35
31
25
24
12
3
Reporting with
Mr Bleyerveen
0
4
37
32
17
25
17
3
Homework &
Study with Ms
Ng
0
4
33
33
16
27
16
5
Welfare with Ms
Marquis
0
3
33
37
In the comments received from parents there was a mix in those requesting longer workshops and those saying
that the timing was good. As always, we are aware of families time commitments and how busy families are, so
keeping the evening succinct and flowing is important. As a result of the workshops, parents stated they will be
able to assist their child more in the future and will be more active in discussions and support of their child.
A very big thank you is needed to the P&C who organised the light dinner for parents providing them with
valuable time to talk to staff members and other Year 7 parents. The P&C members not only catered for the
evening but ensured that the workshop movement and timing worked effectively.
Year 6 Open Night
Once again our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders presented themselves and our school in an outstanding manner
during the tours of our school on Open Night in Week 6. Parents always speak highly of them and they should
be proud of the work they do to support our students and the school.
Year 11
Year 11 students have started completing their first assessment tasks for each subject they are studying. During
the year meeting this week, they were given the opportunity to start thinking about their year and were provided
with strategies and resources to assist them in meeting their deadlines and successfully completing their
Preliminary Studies.
RELIEVING DEPUTY’S REPORT – MS TARASENKO
Year 12 commenced their Half-Yearly Examinations on Tuesday 22 March through to Friday 1 April. This marks
the half-way point for their HSC year. All students should always endeavour to work to the best of their ability
and ensure all tasks are completed on time and to the highest standard in order to obtain the best possible rank
in their course. Whilst striving to do their best, students and their parents are reminded to find the balance
between school, work and family commitments and not place undue stress on themselves. There are many
exciting activities around the school for our Year 12 students to enjoy their final year and take with them some
lasting memories.
In 2016 we have seen strong leadership from our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders on Open Night and throughout
the term as leaders of the Year 7 Peer Support Program. As always, our students are our best assets and
should be proud of the work they do to support our students and the school.
Year 8 students have been in their classes for almost a term and are reminded that their focus must remain on
their learning in the classroom at all times. Students should be focusing on improving their assessment marks by
organising their time and producing work to the highest standard. Their aim should be to make a significant
improvement in their overall assessment result and receive an invitation to the Deputy Principal Morning Tea
that will be held next term.
2
DEPUTY’S REPORT – MS STAVROS
LITERACY AT PPHS
Parents and teachers can better support children in
understanding the texts they read by using the 8
reading comprehension strategies.








Previewing
Making Predictions
Making Connections
Questioning
Monitoring
Clicks and Clunks
Visualising
Summarising
The texts we read on a daily basis, in and out of
school, rely on the ability to understand what we
read. Whether the text is fiction, non-fiction, from a
textbook, the internet or a newspaper, these
strategies when explicitly modelled in the classroom
allow students to learn how to use these skills
independently. This term at PPHS, teachers have
been modelling PREVIEWING and PREDICTING in
the classroom.
Parents can assist with their child’s learning by
reinforcing these two strategies at home.
SKIMMING is a helpful skill for students to get the
main idea of the text before reading. Skimming is to
read over a text quickly to get the main idea and
supporting information.
It assists students to predict and can be used in
conjunction with previewing. It can be hard to “sell”
to some students who feel as if skimming is
“cheating” and who are detail focused.
When to use it: when you want a quick idea of a
text before you start answering questions or seek
information.
How to skim:
1. Read through the text quickly to get the
main idea or the big picture.
2. Look at the headings, subheadings,
diagrams, captions, pictures and words in
bold or italics.
3. Read the first and last paragraphs. A
particular type of text will introduce the topic
in the first paragraph and summarise in the
final paragraph.
By encouraging your child to use these strategies at
home when reading any type of texts will allow them
to gain a deeper understanding of the content. The
links below will assist in learning more about the two
strategies: Previewing and Making Predictions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsLD33rczFA
Although this next clip is American it clearly outlines
the strategy of Previewing a text.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6YW-IAIVYQ
3
What’s On – Term 1
Tuesday
22 March – 1 April
Year 12 Exams
Friday
25 March
Good Friday (Public Holiday)
Monday
28 March
Easter Monday (Public Holiday)
Wednesday
30 March
Year 7 Immunisation (Day 1)
Wednesday
6&7 April
Friday
School Photo Day
ANZAC Day Ceremony
Last Day Term 1
8 April
What’s On – Term 2
Wednesday
27 April
All students return
Monday
2 May – 6 May
Year 11 Exams
Wednesday
4 May – 6 May
Year 7 Camp
Tuesday
10 May – 13 May
NAPLAN
Monday
16 May
P&C Meeting
Wednesday
18 May
Year 12 Parent/Teacher Night
SCHOOL PHOTO DAY UPDATE
A reminder that School Photo Day is Wednesday 6 April, with the catch up day for absent students being
Thursday 7 April. Students will receive an envelope during roll call from the photography company with prices
and photograph options. The envelope is printed uniquely for each student. If you require a family photo order,
please see Ms Minos.
Please note that students must return their envelope, even if not buying photos.
Instructions to students and parents are on the envelopes. There are a number of photo packs that can be
purchased. Prices range from $35 to $55 with additional packs available from $20.
Students are asked to bring the envelope on the day of the school photos. Please contact Ms Minos if you
require any further information.
NAME
7
Edward Le
8
Deamma
Taganesia
9
Mustafa Syed
10
Matthew
Blight
11
Monique
Boboleska
12
Jake Capes
MICHEL'S REVESBY
STUDENT OF THE MONTH
FEBRUARY
2016
REASON FOR THE AWARD
For consistently working hard and
displaying a conscientious manner
across all subjects.
Her outstanding moral behaviour and
consideration of other students.
For having a positive and diligent
approach to all school activities and
always treating both staff and students
respectfully.
For having a positive and diligent
approach to all school activities and for
recently auditioning successfully for the
2016 State Drama Ensemble with The
Arts Unit. There are only 25 Students
from across NSW Public Schools
selected for this program. A fantastic
achievement.
For her conscientious approach and
excellent dedication in English.
For his impressive contribution to the
school community.
4
MESSAGE FROM THE P&C
P&C Meeting
We had our first P&C meeting for the year last
month and we welcomed new and returning
parents. Our next meeting will be on Monday 21
March at 7:00pm.
Earn and Learn
Canteen Volunteers
As always the canteen is looking for volunteers. If
you could spare a day a week, a month, a term or
even a year please see the ladies in the school
office to fill in a volunteer form. A day’s work in the
canteen is fun and easy. It’s also a great way to get
know your children’s friends, the teachers and staff
at the school.
Elizabeth Grueninger
P&C President
After a long wait Woolworths have delivered the
resources we selected using the Earn & Learn
Stickers.
Some of the items distributed were musical
instruments and guitar tuners for the music
department, probability equipment for the maths
department, digital microscopes and geology study
equipment for the science department and
stationery for the history department.
We look forward to parents and students supporting
the school when the program is relaunched again
this year.
Year 7 Information Night
The P&C supported the school recently in the
running of the year 7 2016 Information Night. The
information night was a new concept that was
introduced to replace the Meet the Teacher
Welcome BBQ. A light dinner was sponsored by
the P&C and we would like to thank the parent
volunteers who helped put this together on the
evening.
The idea of the information night came about after
feedback from the 2015 Year 7 parents and the
P&C meetings last year. The theme was focused
on what parents would like to know at the beginning
of Year 7 and the P&C worked with the school to
come up with the information for the evening.
The evening was held in the Library and we had
over 100 people attend. Parents were split into 4
groups and teachers presented to each group.
Parents got to hear information about how to use
the Millennium Portal, how to read and understand
the school reports, how to interpret the requirements
and marking criteria of assessments, how to use the
after-hours study group at the school and other
general information. It was great to see so many
parents attend and the feedback from the night was
very positive.
On behalf of the P&C we would like to thank Mrs
Nicole Sherry for leading the initiative and putting
together a great program.
5
NEWS
Year 9 & 10 Free Spirit Girl Workshop
The Free Spirit Girl Workshop on Friday 26 February was very entertaining, motivational and inspiring. Our
motivational speaker Katie Pitsis was confident, engaging and encouraging. She taught us girls about facing our
fears, body positivity, confidence and living our lives in ways that we will be proud of.
Katie included all the Year 9 and 10 girls in the workshop and encouraged them to share ideas and answer
questions. She also had a visual presentation which showed us the influence of social media and the false
images and stereotypes young women are shown today. She taught us to embrace differences and love
ourselves and the beauty we all have.
Overall, the Free Spirit Girl Workshop definitely had a positive impact on all Year 9 and 10 girls. We learnt a lot
about doing our best for ourselves and aspiring to fulfil our goals.
6
PROGRAMS
SRC SUPPORTS LEUKAEMIA FOUNDATION
The Leukaemia Foundation provides personalised
and practical support for people affected by blood
cancers and related blood disorders and their loved
ones. These conditions include: Leukaemia,
Lymphoma, Myeloma, MDS, MPN, Waldenstrom’s
Macroglobulinaemia, Aplastic Anaemia, Amyloidosis
and related blood disorders.
This support is provided by an extensive team of
highly trained Blood Cancer Support Coordinators
who are there to help throughout the individual’s
entire blood cancer experience. All services are
provided at no charge to patients and families and
are available in metropolitan, regional and rural
areas across Australia.
The SRC hosted a fundraiser barbeque for the
Leukaemia Foundation last Thursday 10 March. A
special thanks to Cameron Walsh and Matthew
Blight who cooked the sausages and all the other
SRC members who helped run the event.
The fantastic teamwork and leadership shown by
the SRC allowed the fundraiser to run smoothly.
The fundraiser was a great success collecting $300
to go towards the charity.
Joshua Weatherill of Year 11 is participating in the
World’s Greatest Shave by shaving his hair on 10
April 2016. This is to show his support to this worthy
cause. Come and support him.
If you have missed donating/supporting this cause
during the BBQ, the SRC will be holding another
fundraiser on Wednesday 23 March – An Easter
Egg Extravaganza. We will be selling chocolate
bunnies, chocolate eggs and hot cross buns. We
hope to see you all there as it will be a fantastic
fundraiser. The prices will be $2 and under. Why not
come along and help support your school.
Dang Pham & Molly Miller
Year 9 SRC
PARENT ONLINE PAYMENTS (POP)
If you have not yet used the new Parent Online Payments
system (POP), you are able to make online payments to
the school with Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards.
On the Picnic Point High School website there is a “Make
a payment” tab.
By selecting this link you will be taken to a secure
Westpac payment page. From the initial Westpac
QuickWeb page payers will complete the necessary
details, some of which are mandatory (marked with an *),
before confirming the payment details and completing the
payment. A receipt can be printed from the payment page
and/or be emailed to the payer.
The Leukaemia Foundation is a great cause. A big
Thank You to the students as well as the teachers
of Picnic Point High School who have helped make
a difference by donating and supporting this
organisation.
7
OUR FIRST SOCIAL INC. GROUP MEETING
The room was full and about 4 new members came
along. We briefly discussed what Social Inc. was
about and went on to discuss what the group
wanted to get from Social Inc. this year and what
activities people were interested in. Ideas ranged
from BIG ideas eg: Jamberoo, a Social Inc. Camp,
to Sports like soccer, touch footy, to more low key
activities like gardening, cooking, craft, fundraisers
etc.
Inclusion Council Planning 2016
Present: Austin Johnson, Charbel Azzi, Ella Frazer,
Hayley Baytieh, Sruti Janakiraman, Lily Genford,
Tony Northall and Natalie Bishop
Then we looked at dates and term by term
discussed some issues around some events, e.g.
practicality of purchasing all the eggs for an Easter
egg hunt.
Term 1 Sailing-Social Inc. Members invited to join
support group
Inclusion Council planning meeting for
specific activities & poster making (Charbel
& Austin to do posters)
Social Inc. Netball comp - Teachers v
Students (Mr Northall to organise)
Term 2 will be film making a play, filmed with the
Conference on Thursday 16/6/16
Term 3 Is yet to be decided
Term 4 Say Hi Day 18/11/16
SOCIAL INC. LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
The group shared why they want to be part of Social
Inc. which was great, as there is a real cross section
of reasons…from wanting to build confidence, to
making the school more inclusive or wanting a
career in special needs education.
We started looking at the list of activities that the
group generated and which of them will help them to
achieve their goals.
On Tuesday 1 March 2016 Mr Tony Northall
announced at the morning assembly the elected
members of the Social Inc. Leadership Council. The
leadership group consists of 7 members from both
support and mainstream classes. Their primary role
is to be the student voice in promoting social
inclusion and acceptance amongst the school
community. The following students are 2016 Social
Inc. leaders: Sruti Janakiraman, Lily Genford, Ella
Frazer, Charbel Azzi, Kiarne Bitz, Hayley Baytieh
and Austin Johnson. Congratulations on your
selection to lead our Social Inc. program.
Social Inc. leaders invite everyone to join the group
to become an advocate for social inclusion. Please
see Mr Northall in A3 to collect the membership
form.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr
Northall for taking over the Social Inc. program as I
am starting at my new school next term. I believe
this very special program will be run by a fantastic
teacher who has always been very committed and
supportive of social inclusion and equity.
Good luck to everyone and thank you for all good
times we have shared together.
Mrs Bray
8
INDIGENOUS EDUCATION/GROUP ACTIVITIES
Over the last 2 years our Year 11 & 12 Indigenous students have participated in the Learn, Earn Legend
program, sponsored by the NRL. The program provides students with a co-ordinator, Shaun Humphries, who
meets with students on a fortnightly basis to offer support and assistance with staying on at school, leadership
programs, training programs, apprenticeships, transition to work and University entry.
Shaun has been a valuable assistant to our students and recently brought along the NRL Indigenous
Ambassador George Rose (ex NRL player) and Canberra’s strongest man, Andrew Fraser, to meet the students
and discuss their post school pathways and how to access information and advice, when required, as they
progress towards the end of their schooling.
The junior students have been participating in small group tutorial sessions every Thursday, which are aimed at
supporting students with class work, homework, assignments and exam preparation. These sessions have been
well attended and the students have indicated that there has been a significant benefit to their general
understanding of school work and also as a tool to assist with assessment work.
PEER SUPPORT
Over the term, Year 7 students have participated in four Peer Support sessions, facilitated by the Peer Support
Leaders of Year 10. The program concluded on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 with many interesting and fun
activities. One of the activities was a ‘Skyscraper Challenge,’ where teams of students had to build the tallest
and strongest structure from newspaper and sticky-tape. This challenge helped students to build skills in
teamwork and resilience. Some of the photos are below.
Thank you to the Year 10 Peer Support Leaders for their commitment to the program and support of Year 7 in
their transition to Picnic Point High School.
Mrs Morris
9
FACULTY REPORTS
ENGLISH
It has been a busy and productive time this term,
with most year groups having completed their first
assessment tasks.
Additionally, a number of
students in Year 12 have attended a Study Day and
the Debating teams are currently being finalised.
The following is a snapshot of some of the
wonderful activities that have taken place this term:
Year 12 English Study Day at Sydney University
On Friday, February 26, Picnic Point High School’s
Year 12 English Standard and Advanced classes
attended the English HSC Study Day at Sydney
University.
A group of 90 students attended the day, along with
English teachers Mrs McGrath, Ms MacDonald and
Ms Kourouche. The day enabled students to
experience learning in a university environment by
experiencing lectures alongside other students
undertaking their HSC in 2016.
The first lecture was concerned with the Area of
Study for 2016 -Discovery. The lecture covered all
aspects of Discovery to assist students with their
examination responses.
A small break followed before classes were split in
the second lecture. The Advanced English students
attended the lecture on the Reading Task with Mrs
McGrath, whilst the Standard students attended the
lecture on Question Three, Essay Writing with Ms
MacDonald and Ms Kourouche. These lectures
enhanced the students’ knowledge and provided
helpful tips and strategies concerning these sections
of the paper.
Once this lecture concluded, students were able to
explore the university campus before the third and
final lecture. Each class was divided between
lectures based on the texts studied in their English
class. Ms MacDonald’s Advanced English class
attended the ‘Go Back to Where You Came From’
lecture, Mrs McGrath’s Advanced English Class
attended the lecture on ‘The Tempest’, whilst Ms
Kourouche led the Standard English students to the
lecture on ‘Away.’
Overall, the day gave students insightful knowledge
that they will be able to apply to their HSC English
examinations this year.
Antonia Mangos
Debating
Debating teams are being organised this term with
interested students trying out for a place in the
junior teams. Watch this space for more exciting
updates on our debating teams!
Assessment Tasks
Students have been actively preparing for their first
term assessment tasks and all students should take
note of the feedback from these tasks in order to
continue to improve the quality and quantity of their
work.
Winners Are Grinners
Congratulations to all the students who put in a
grand effort at the end of 2015 and entered the
Darrell Tree Essay Writing competition, a
nationwide competition being run by the Australian
Bravery Association.
Our students showed determination and proudly
represented our school at a time when many other
schools were wrapping up for the year.
Consequently, Picnic Point High School has been
credited with having the most participants and
receiving the most commended and highly
commended awards, an achievement that we can
all take pride in.
Congratulations and commendations to Brenden
Selby and Caitlin Millar, for achieving Highly
Commended. Commended Certificates were also
awarded to James Ferguson, Christopher
Allagiannis, Dania Saboune, Nicolas Karperos and
Aidan Mikrut. In addition, several Certificates of
Participation were awarded to the students of Picnic
Point High School who proudly accepted their
awards from the Australian Bravery Association
representative, Mr A. MacDonald S.C.
Back Row: Hayley Shipley, Jasmine Zande, Kaisey
Janda, Stephan Kocsi-Thwaites, Tyrone Simitsopoulos,
Harrison Walther, Evan Mangos, Tai Rolls, James
Ferguson, Ethan Barnes, Brenden Selby.
Front Row: Dania Saboune, Jazz Choueifati, Nicolas
Karperos, Jesse McLauchlan, Adam Cambridge, Alicia
Callura, Robert Russell, Christopher Allagiannis, Aidan
Mikrut and Mr A. MacDonald, S.C.
10
The celebrations continued when two of our
students took out first and third place.
Congratulations to Harrison Walther, coming first in
this national competition, and Jasmine Zande, for
achieving third. These two students took home a
plethora of prizes including cash prizes, minted gold
coins,
trophies
and
personal
letters
of
commendation from the competitions namesake, Mr
Darryl Tree recipient of Australia’s highest bravery
honour, the Cross of Valour.
May this tremendous win encourage all of our
students to become involved in writing competitions.
Hard work and determination are what we strive for
at Picnic Point High School and these students have
worked hard and embodied this strength of spirit.
Congratulations.
The English Faculty are very proud of all
participants and would like to invite the school to
continue reading PICNEWS for up and coming
writing competitions.
One such competition is the What Matters? A
Writing Competition being held by the Western
Sydney University. Students should see their
English teacher or visit: whitlam.org/whatmatters for
more information.
English Faculty

MATHS
Mr A MacDonald S.C., recipient of the Star of Courage
presenting Harrison Walther with his personal cheque,
his gold coin and personal letter of commendation.
Year 7
Students
are
currently
studying
Algebraic
Techniques and finishing off with Indices this term.
Parents of year 7 students can support their child by
ensuring that all activities on Mathletics in the topic
Integers and Algebra are completed by the end of
Term 1. It is essential that all students complete this
topic as part of their ongoing revision. For Term 2,
there will two check points occurring in Week 4 and
Week 8 using Mathletics. Could parents and
caregivers please assist by ensuring that your child
completes all of these activities at the relevant
check points. If there are any technical difficulties
please inform your child’s classroom teacher as
soon as possible.
Students having problems with or accessing
Mathletics from home are strongly encouraged to
attend the Wednesday afternoon tutorials.
Jasmine Zande receiving her trophy from
Mr A MacDonald S.C.
Year 8
Students are currently studying Pythagoras’
Theorem and starting Fractions, Decimals and
Percentages to finish off Term 1. Students should
have completed the Mathletics tasks on Algebraic
Techniques by the end of Term 1. For Term 2, there
will be two check points using Mathletics and these
will occur in Week 4 and Week 8. By week 4
students are expected to have completed
Pythagoras Theorem, Fractions, Decimals and
Percentages and by week 8 students should have
completed Equations and Measurement. Could
parents and caregivers please assist by ensuring
that your child completes all of these activities at the
relevant check point. If there are any technical
difficulties please inform your child’s classroom
teacher as soon as possible.
11
MATHLETICS CERTIFICATES
1. Practice, Practice & More Practice
Certificates achieved on Mathletics are being
printed and distributed during week 8. All future
certificates will be distributed during week 5 and
week 9 of each term. A merit sticker will also be
issued for each Bronze certificate and two stickers
for a Silver certificate. Achievement of a Gold
certificate will result in a merit certificate being
issued. Students are encouraged to complete all set
activities to achieve some of the certificates.
It is impossible to study maths properly by just
reading and listening. To study maths you have to
roll up your sleeves and actually solve some
problems. The more you practice answering maths
problems, the better. Each problem has its own
characteristics and it’s important to have solved it in
numerous ways before tackling the exam. There is
no escaping this reality, to do well in a Maths exam
you need to have solved a LOT of mathematical
problems beforehand.
2. Review Errors
When you’re practising with these problems, it’s
important to work through the process for each
solution. If you have made any mistakes, you should
review them and understand where your problemsolving skills let you down. Understanding how you
approached the problem and where you went wrong
is a great way of becoming stronger and avoiding
the same mistakes in the future.
MATHEMATIC QUIZ EDITION 2 2016
The Mathematics Faculty has recently taken
possession of two class set of laptops to assist in
the teaching of Mathematical concepts.
For every newsletter, there will be a math quiz for
readers of all ages. Entries can be submitted to
trieu.le@det.nsw.edu.au
The solution to Mathematic Quiz Edition 1 was $20.
The Tyne Bridge has 4 traffic lanes: a fast and a
slow lane in each direction. Today, vehicles in the
fast lane are travelling at 55kph and are 25 metres
apart. Vehicles in the slow lane travel at 35kph and
are 20m apart.
Year 10G using the laptops to revise for their
When being driven across the bridge, Alex and
Matthew play a game of counting the vehicles that
they pass heading the other way. Alex counts the
vehicles in the fast lane, whilst Matthew counts the
vehicles in the slow lane. Who counts more vehicles
if the boys’ car is in the fast lane? Who counts more
if it is in the slow lane?
Assessment Tasks
7 TIPS FOR MATHS PROBLEM SOLVING
The focus of every Maths lesson is to develop
exceptional problem solving skills. Students and
parents will find the following guide useful for
developing problem solving skills. Be on the lookout
for tips 3 and 4 in future newsletter.
Mr Le
Head Teacher of Mathematics
12
HISTORY
As in previous years our service will be supported
by troops from the 5th Combat, Service and Support
Battalion. Their contribution always makes our
service special.
Parents and grandparents are warmly invited to
attend our Service.
Parents of Year 10 students are asked to stay tuned
for information about an upcoming excursion to the
Jewish museum. This excursion was run for the first
time last year and proved to be a very successful
learning experience for our students.
Mr Goman
Head Teacher History

Year 10 Elective History with their teacher Mr
Poolman has been studying the American War of
Independence. During this lesson they looked at the
Declaration of Independence and considered the
many revolutionary ideas it contained. Students
have also looked at the nature of American colonial
society and the causes of the American Revolution.
Students have thoroughly enjoyed studying this
topic, especially because of the ongoing American
Presidential election.
ANZAC SERVICE UPDATE
This year the School will commemorate ANZAC Day
on the last day of Term1, April 8. As in the previous
two years, the theme of our service will be based on
the 100th anniversary of the WW1. History teachers
play a special role in preparing our students for this
important occasion as teaching WW1 forms a
central part of the Stage 5 Year 9 History program.
Older students who attend the service have already
studied this topic.
This year the Service will place a special emphasis
on the year 1916. Some of the biggest and most
costly battles of the entire war occurred in this year.
Australians played a large and important role in
many of the battles that took place in 1916. The
casualty figures for Australians were often
shockingly high.
As well, as with all previous School ANZAC
services, our school will honour the contributions of
all former service personnel who served in areas of
conflict as well as peace keeping and humanitarian
operations. We will also honour the contribution
being made by current Defence Force personnel
serving at home in Australia or overseas.
PDHPE
We have some very busy times in PDHPE at the
moment. Year 11 are currently completing their first
assessment tasks in both PDHPE and SLR. PDHPE
students are analysing the Biggest Loser UK series
to see how the health of individual participants has
been affected by their lifestyle behaviours,
economic factors, cultural factors and environment.
The SLR students are analysing and comparing
major sporting organisations and how they are
structured and governed.
Year 12 are preparing for their Half-Yearly
examinations and the students had a real bonus
recently when George Rose (ex Manly and Dragons
Rugby League) and Andrew Fraser the School to
Work officer for Canberra (and winner of the
Strongest Man in the ACT competition) paid a visit
to the school and had some spare time to address
the Year 12 PDHPE students. They spoke on a
range of topics that are covered in the HSC syllabus
including recovery strategies, training plans,
periodisation,
peaking,
tapering,
pre-season
training, energy systems, technology advances and
drug testing methods.
It was wonderful for the students to be able to
access this information from professional athletes
who have experience in all of these aspects
(George Rose played 15 seasons in the NRL). I am
sure the class gained enormous benefit from the
discussion and hopefully they can return in the near
future to continue the discussions.
Mr Millican
Head Teacher PDHPE
13
SCIENCE
The Science faculty would like to thank the students
who helped our staff during the Year 6 open night.
Our enthusiastic staff always enjoys showcasing
exciting experiments and allowing prospective
students to experience a taste of High School
Science. We are so grateful to the following
students; Brandon Grueninger, Isabel De Araujo,
Germaine Samuels, Georgia Hewitt, Bailey Frost,
Jeremy Graham and Hayden Ormerod who
demonstrated the experiments with enthusiasm.
Year 8 are continuing to discover how organisms
are connected in a delicate balance within
ecosystems in the Circle of Life topic. Recently they
have been discovering the requirements of plants
and animals and how they obtain and use these
requirements within cells.
In the Year 9 Fire Science topic, students are
discovering the positive and negative effects and
aspects of a particular bush fire. Students were
required to research and present information in an
engaging magazine article. The Science faculty
continue to be amazed by the effort of our students
in this creative task.
9G, 9R, 9B and 9Y magazine articles
Year 10 are continuing their journey learning about
how biotechnology has benefited society. Recently
they explored the uses of biotechnology in medicine
and food manufacturing as well as technologies to
improve reproductive success.
As the term continues we progress further through
the contextualised topics of our junior courses. In
Year 7, students delved further into the Dangerous
Creatures topic. They have been observing
unicellular organisms under the microscope,
developing models of invertebrates as well as plant
and animal cells. This term Year 7 also produced
attractive brochures on an Australian dangerous
creature with exceptionally creative results.
Our senior students are continuing their learning in
their respective courses. Year 11 Biology are
studying the local ecosystem which culminates in an
excursion to the Georges River to put the
techniques learned in this course into practice. Year
11 Physics are learning about the behaviour of light
and what happens when light moves through the air
into a glass prism while our Chemists are exploring
the molecular structure of common substances and
gaining experience in analytical techniques used in
chemistry labs worldwide.
Year 7 Dangerous Creatures Brochures
Year 7 Dangerous Creatures Models
Once again the ICAS Science Competition is
approaching and Science students are strongly
encouraged to participate. Permission notes have
been issued and students are required to return
these with payment as soon as possible. The sitting
date for the competition is on Tuesday 31 May 2016.
Science Faculty
Year 7 Cells
14
SOCIAL SCIENCES
This is a busy month for the faculty; our senior Geography classes are conducting their fieldwork activities. Year
12 Geography classes ventured into the Sydney CBD, Milson’s Point and Darling Harbour. The day had
students visiting Luna Park, walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the Rocks and Circular Quay and then
to Darling Harbour via the financial heart of the city, King Street Wharf and the Harbour side – in both rain and
sunshine. Highlights of the day were walking across the bridge for most students, this was their first time to do
so; visit to the City of Sydney Library’s 3-D City model which was built into the glass floor and viewing the
construction of the new Light Rail for George Street.
Year 12 Geography Classes at Luna Park
3-D model of Sydney CBD, City of Sydney Library
Year 11 Geography is gearing up for their fieldwork at Salt Pan Creek, Padstow and the Year 10 Geography
fieldwork at the Cronulla Beaches by the end of the month. Mr Stayte has volunteered to co-ordinate the
Australian Geography Competition in 2016 and he will be announcing the details of the competition shortly. All
students are encouraged to participate in the competition and we know that students last really enjoyed the
challenge and this led to very results in 2015.
Our junior Geography classes are well into their courses now and we eagerly await the completion of the first
Year 7 Geography task, as it involves an inter class challenge for the people’s choice of the most popular poster
in the year group. The winner’s poster will be announced in the next issue.
At the end of this term, Mr Sparks will be going on long service leave and we wish him all of the best for his
leave.
Mr Ang
Head Teacher Social Sciences
15
TAS
COMMUNITY AND FAMILY STUDIES
Year 12 Community and Family Studies students have been testing their skills as parents this term. The
experience involves students being responsible for a ‘computerised infant simulator’ over the course of 2 nights.
A pre-set program determines the difficulty level of behaviours. The babies have accompanied their carers to
various classes in school, on the bus, at casual work commitments and in their bedrooms.
The majority of students found this to be a very positive (yet tiring experience) and are currently catching up on
several nights of missed sleep! Thanks to all the teachers and babysitters who participated in the electronic
babies task. There will be some new ‘parents’ selected next term.
Ms Buller
TECHNOLOGY MANDATORY - TEXTILES
This term students have been creative in applying a range of fabric decorating techniques to their pencil case
projects. Some of the techniques they have used include tie dying, stencilling, gelli printing and applique. We are
just about to start sewing. The first step will be to insert the zipper. Please look out in the next pic news for their
final products.
Mrs Thompson
16
COMPUTING STUDIES REPORT
Year 12 Multimedia students have been busy this
term working on their Major Multimedia Projects.
Students are working on their projects that include
websites, short movies, and animation. Examples of
student work are included with these images.
Year 9 students have also been busy working on
their multimedia and animation tasks in class.
Mr O’Mullane
TAS Faculty
Multi Media – Year 12 editing film work
LOTE
Stage 4 Japanese
Year 7 have now completed almost one term of
Japanese, using the Obento Deluxe Course and
Workbooks and are enjoying the study of a new
language. The students are eagerly learning new
vocabulary and the Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji
scripts. They have also completed their first
assessment task – よくできましたYear 7! Year 8
students are also continuing their study of Japanese
using the Hai! 2 Course and Workbooks. All Year 8
students have completed their first assessment
task, a comparison of a Japanese festival and a
festival of their own choosing.
Stage 5 Japanese
The elective Year 9 Japanese class have worked
diligently this term. They have developed the ability
to communicate confidently in written and spoken
Japanese about their family and their likes and
dislikes. Year 9 will soon complete their first
assessment task of the year, a Hiragana Test. Year
10 are also working consistently and have just
started the new course, using the Hai! 5/6 Course
and Workbooks. They are also learning a new
script, Katakana. Year 10 has completed their first
assessment task, reading a text in Japanese and
responding in English.
Stage 6 Japanese
Year 11 has settled into their senior study of
Japanese exceptionally well, with all students
showing a positive approach to the Japanese
Continuers course. They have now completed the
first chapter of the Wakatta! Course and Workbooks
and have just completed their first assessment task.
Year 12 are also consistently working through the
Wakatta! Course and are preparing thoroughly for
their upcoming Half-Yearly Examination on
Thursday, March 31, 2016.
Multi Media – Year 12 class work
After effects use
Speaking Workshop
Our colleague, Mrs Yumi Flynn conducted a
Japanese speaking workshop with our Year 9, 10,
11 and 12 students on Tuesday, March 15. This
was a fantastic opportunity for our elective students
to practise and refine their speaking skills and learn
about the Japanese culture from a true expert! We
thank Mrs Flynn for working with our students.
Japan Trip 2016
The planning for the Japan Trip 2016 is in full swing
and our 13 participating students are eagerly
fundraising for the trip. The students have organised
a Gelato Stall for Friday, April 1. Come along, buy
some delicious gelato and support our students.
There will be other fundraising activities over the
next few months until we fly out to 日本!
みなさん、すごくがんばっていました!
Ms Marquis, Mrs Morris and Ms Wu
17
SUPPORT UNIT
Students from the Support Unit classes have been attending swimming lessons at the Revesby Swimming
Centre every Tuesday for sport - Term 1.
They have been participating in a ‘Learn to Swim’ program that develops water confidence and provides
students with basic skills in water safety and survival.
This program has been embedded into our curriculum for a few years and allows our students to build on their
skills in order to become as independent and responsible swimmers as possible. We would like to congratulate
all our students for their excellent behaviour and fantastic engagement each week.
Well done!
Miss Negroh
Support Unit Teacher
IO M2 CLASS
It has been a very busy term for students from Mrs Bray’s class. Students have participated in swimming classes
each Tuesday at the Revesby swimming pool, attended a couple of bowling sessions at Revesby Workers Club
and Community Access every fortnight.
Last Monday, 14 March 2016 students from Social Inc. Leadership Council and Mrs Bray’s class participated in
a fantastic sailing experience on Sydney Harbour provided by Sailors with disAbilities. All students’ excellent
behaviour has been most impressive and they should be congratulated for their efforts. Have a look at some of
the photos …
Mrs Bray, Mrs Clayton and Mrs McGregor wish everyone a Happy Easter and restful holiday.
Mrs Bray
Special Ed Teacher
18
YEAR ADVISER REPORTS
YEAR 7
It’s almost the end of Year 7’s first full term as high
school students! Year 7 are to be commended on
their excellent, settled start to the year. As year
adviser I have been happy to hear about the
numerous positive things Year 7 students have
been doing.
Camp
Just a reminder that, Year 7 camp will take place
from Wednesday 4 May to Friday the 6 May, which
is during Week 2 of Term Two. Please note that
students will be required to be at school at 7:00am
for a 7:15am departure time.
Thank you to the majority of parents for getting
payment and permission notes in on time. Please
be advised all permission notes must be handed in
and medical information completed for students to
be able to attend the camp. All outstanding
payments are required by the end of this term.
An equipment list will be issued to students soon.
Please look at the list carefully and ensure students
have ALL items before coming to camp.
Year 7 Information Night
Thank you to all the families who took this fantastic
opportunity which was an initiative run by our school
and Parents and Citizens association, by attending
the night. It was great night that was filled with lots
of presentations and information about Year 7
schooling.
Year 7 Formal Assembly
We had our own individual year group formal
assembly. Thank you to Ms Ng for conducting a
smooth and well run assembly and congratulations
to our wonderful speakers Danielle Zidan, Lachlan
Ritossa and Michael Ponticello (who spoke to about
“The World’s Greatest Shave” and fundraising for
Leukaemia) for their excellent public speaking skills.
YEAR 11
As Term One quickly draws to a close, I would like
to acknowledge the positive way in which Year 11
has transitioned to their study of the Preliminary
Course. All students are enjoying the study of a
variety of school-based subjects, along with TVET,
Distance Education and Open High School subjects.
Year 11 students have now completed their first
assessment tasks and are working towards their
next assessment tasks, scheduled for Term Two.
At the most recent Year 11 Meeting, students were
reminded of positive study habits and techniques for
stress management, which they should endeavour
to implement as part of their daily routine.
Preparation for assessment tasks should start well
in advance and summary study notes should be
completed on a regular basis, not just before an
examination! Students and parents are reminded to
frequently consult the Preliminary Assessment
Booklet for the schedule of all Year 11 Assessment
Tasks.
Procedures for misadventure and a copy of the
misadventure form are also documented in the
booklet, should the need arise. A printed copy of the
booklet was distributed to all students earlier this
term, but further copies can be downloaded and
printed from the Picnic Point High School website.
All the best for Easter and the remainder of Term
One!
Mrs Morris
Year 11 Adviser
Peer Support
Year 7 is to be commended on their participation
during their Peer Support sessions. I have received
a lot of positive feedback about the maturity of
students during these sessions which are run by our
fantastic Year 10 Peer Support teams.
Merits
Year 7 students have been active in collecting merit
points stickers and merit awards. This has resulted
in a number of Year 7 students being invited to the
rewards Day barbeque where they enjoyed a
sausage sizzle and can of drink. All Year 7 students
are encouraged to keep collecting merit stickers and
awards to raise their point’s totals!
Mr Dannaoui
Year 7 Adviser
19
SPORT REPORT
Grade sport continues, with our teams performing
well and displaying great sportsmanship. We will
soon begin our selections for Season 2 which will
start in mid-May.
It is at this time of year that many of our students
gain selection in Zone and Regional sport teams.
Angie Genford, Alice Haddon and Georgia Gale
gained placings in the Zone Basketball team, while
Olga Gasteratos, Maggie Wain and Hana Herlihy
made the Zone Soccer.
Picnic Point has a strong history in touch football,
and this year Hana Herlihy and Emaison Beck were
successful in making the Under 16’s touch. In
Netball, Jessica Cannon, Kristen Cuskelly, Emaison
Beck and Tahni McCaw were chosen as part of the
Bankstown team.
Connor Keen received a call up to the Regional
Baseball to join Leon Duryea in the team. Jack
Herlihy and Jesse Home put in a fantastic effort to
be selected in the Regional Rugby Union call back
team.
In tennis, Mustafa Baytieh had a very successful
tournament at CHS. He achieved fourth place in the
singles and to the second round in the doubles.
BANKSTOWN ZONE 2016 SWIMMING AGE CHAMPIONS
Age Champion
12YR’S MALE
14YR’S FEMALE
15YR’S FEMALE
16YR’S MALE
Student
Blake Macdonald
Samantha Battams
Jessica Hilley-Hulme
Nathan Linabury
SYDNEY SOUTH WEST REGIONAL SWIMMING
Congratulations to all students who represented
Bankstown Zone at the Sydney South West
Regional Swimming Carnival on 14 March. Picnic
Point High School made up the majority of the
Bankstown Zone team and sent 38 Students to the
carnival.
There were 36 students sent for multiple individual
events and 10 relay teams who qualified to compete
at the 2016 Regional Carnival. Well done to all
students representing Picnic Point High School at
the 2016 Regional Carnival and Good Luck to all
those who qualified for State Swimming Carnival.
Mrs Wolstencroft
Sports Carnival Organiser
Congratulations to all our athletes.
Mr Northall and Ms Worthington
Sport Organisers
BANKSTOWN ZONE SWIMMING CARVIVAL
On the 29 February, Picnic Point High School took
58 students to the Bankstown Zone Swimming
Carnival. All students put in a great effort on the day
and enabled Picnic Point High School to reign as
the Bankstown Zone champion school once again.
Congratulations to all students who attended and to
all those who qualified for the Sydney South West
Regional swimming carnival.
20
SWIMMING CARNIVAL 2016
21