From the editor
Leaves NewsletterPrincipal's Report
Security fence
As parents, students and community members will be aware; our new security fence is now fully installed and operational. All gates will be open until 9:15 am on school days. However, with the exception of the main gate, the gates will be locked throughout school hours and on weekends to ensure the safety of our students and our premises.
We are hoping this will reduce the amount of vandalism that has occurred to the school over the past years. Community and sporting groups who wish to utilise the facilities must have a negotiated usage agreement with the school.
Year 10 Information Evening
There will be an Information Night for all Year 10 students and their parents on Tuesday 6th March at 6:30 pm in the Hall. The School Certificate is an extremely important educational step for students and it is vital that students and their parents understand Board of Studies requirements and the school’s assessment policy in order to ensure that they achieve their personal best in the School Certificate Examination in November.
Open Night reminder
Parents are reminded that our Open Night for prospective students is this Wednesday 10th March commencing at 6:00 pm. All are welcome.
GAT Testing
The Forest High School will be providing the opportunity for students who missed the first General Achievement Test (GAT) to sit the exam on Saturday 20th March to assist the school in placing students into their Gifted and Talented Year 7 class in 2011.
Registration will be at 8:45 am outside the school hall and the testing will conclude by 11:15. The cost of the test is $17.00 to be paid on the day by cash or cheque made payable to The Forest High School.
Clean up Australia Day
Year 7, 8 and 9 students participated in Clean up Australia Day on Friday 5th March. The students made a positive and effective contribution to the environment by cleaning our extensive school grounds.
They are to be congratulated on their efforts and for their ongoing care for our environment. The cleanliness of the school has improved this year with more students taking the initiative to keep their areas of the playground tidy.
International Students’ Evening
It was my pleasure this week to attend the International Students’ orientation and welcome dinner and I wish to thank Mrs. Jane Dean, Mrs. Lyndell Town and Ms. Marie Qin for organising the event. Our international students come from diverse social and cultural backgrounds that enrich the school’s community. An atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance is highly valued at The Forest High School and this creates a harmonious learning environment for all of us. We welcome the students to The Forest and look forward to learning more about their cultures.
Laptop update
Laptops for Year 9 students will be provided to schools, under the Digital Education Revolution (DER), beginning in March and it is expected that all schools will have them by the end of Term One.
The 2010 laptop will be an improved version of the 2009 device, in keeping with the agreement with Lenovo Australia to provide the most up-to-date technology during the life of the program. Coloured blue, to distinguish it from the 2009 model, it includes”
· the latest generation of Intel’s Atom Processor
· a higher resolution screen
· a new ISO full-size, spill resistant keyboard
· “airbag” technology to help protect data on the hard drive, and
· improved battery life.
Updates on the DER laptop rollout for 2010 will be posted on the NSW Public Schools website shortly, or contact the school if you require information sheets.
Some handy laptop friendly resources for digital learning in all key learning areas is available from the Teaching and Learning Exchange accessed via the Parents and Community link on the TALE website: www.tale.edu.au/tale/live/parents/. From there click on DER-NSW laptop resources from the Quick Links menu.
There will be a Laptop information evening for parents and Year 9 students at 6:30 pm Thursday 18th March in The Forest High School Hall.
Cyberbullying website
The Department of Education and Training hosted a Cyberbullying forum late last year, bringing together national experts on the subject. If you would like to know more about cyberbullying and what can be done about it, or if you’d like to contribute your opinion or experience to the online blog, you’ll find it at www.cyberbullyingforum.org
Get involved
Research shows the more parents are involved in their child's schooling, the better the outcomes for their children. If you have the time to be more involved in your child's school, and would like to know more about how you make this work – from helping in the school canteen to Maths and English homework – the latest issue of School Parents ezine contains a great vodcast in several community languages to help you make the first step. www.schools.nsw.edu.au/ezine
Principal
CANTEEN MEETING & AGM
Date: Monday, 8th March, 2010
Time: 6:30pm
Venue: School Library
The Canteen Committee wish to invite anyone in the school community
interested in the school canteen to attend our next meeting. We are always
looking for 'new blood' and new ideas to keep our canteen thriving.
Drinks and nibblies will be available. We hope to see you there!
Heather Bone
Canteen Co-ordinator
Mb: 0412 790 343
Chaplaincy Service
Reminder to parents and community members that the school Chaplain, Bob Yanni is at school Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and is available to students and family members who wish to
speak with him.
The service is voluntary and students are able to self-refer if they want to discuss anything
with Mr. Yanni.
SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHY DAY – TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010
School photographs will be taken on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 by Advanced
Photographers. Please ensure that your child is wearing full school uniform.
Your child must bring the CORRECT MONEY/CHEQUE on the actual day. There is
also the added option to pay by credit card , which for security reasons can only be
processed online by going to www.advancedlife.com.au. If paying online, please
fill in the receipt number on the photo envelope.
· No extensions or credit will be given.
· No change will be given.
· NO I.O.Us will be accepted, so please have the correct
money/cheque or credit card details for each child in a separate
envelope.
· Please note that the money must be handed in on the day.
To order family photos please obtain a special envelope from Mr Marcs
in the Science staffroom..
REMEMBER photographs are only taken on the ONE DAY.
More detailed information is printed on the envelopes which were
handed out during Roll Call. If more envelopes are required, please
see Mr. Marcs in the Science staffroom.
Period 1 Year 10 + individual portraits
Period 2 1st Half Year 11 & individual portraits
2nd Half Year 7 & individual portraits
Period 3 1st Half Year 9 & individual portraits
2nd Half Year 12 & individual portraits
Period 4 Year 8 & individual portraits
SRC, Peer Support
Bands/Orchestras
Family portraits
Student Calendars
2010 Student Calendars are now available for collection from the Library. Important dates are included to help plan the school year. Dates are correct at publication but please check Leaves weekly calendar for any updates or changes.
SRC EASTER EGG DRIVE
Once again it is the time of the year that the SRC ask for donations of easter eggs. Each year, due to the generous Forest community, the school is able to deliver easter eggs to the patients at Mona Vale Hospital and the students visiting at Manly Far West and Stewart House.
Your donation will brighten someone's day - so please bring in some eggs to the Library to help our students give back to the community. We will be delivering from the 15th March.
Thank you from the SRC
STUDY SKILLS TIP FOR MARCH
HOMEWORK VS STUDY, WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
In Primary school life was different, you just did the work your teacher told you to do. So
if you had homework and assignments, you did them then stopped. But in high school you
don’t just do what your teacher tells you to do. Instead, you are supposed to aim to do schoolwork for a certain amount of time each night. For junior years this may be 1-1.5 hours
per night and in the senior years as much as 3 hours per night – this will vary between
individuals and between schools. This is where the general concept of study comes into
play. If you have no more homework or assignments, then you are supposed to actually go looking for what else you could do to help you improve your understanding of what you are learning at school – and it is this that is often referred to as ‘study’. Basically it means doing things that will ultimately help you get better marks at school. So each night, you do your homework and assignments first, then spare time from the total time allocated for schoolwork
is to do some study. This might mean going back and reviewing what you did in class over
the last day or even over the last week. It might mean doing extra questions on areas you
find difficult. It might mean making study notes. It might mean doing questions from an
additional textbook or study guide. It might be making flashcards on a topic. It might also
mean developing your own study skills through the use of the Study Skills Handbook Website (www.studyskillshandbook.com.au<http://www.studyskillshandbook.com.au>), working
through the 26 different units of study skills work. Don’t forget to visit the “What’s New”
page to find out about all the new content, games and videos added to the site this month.
CANTEEN ROSTER - MARCH 2010
