From the editor
Leaves NewsletterP&C MEETING
The next P&C Meeting will be held on Wednesday 20th MAY AT 7.30PM
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT
We are currently in the process of enroling students for 2010 and I would encourage parents to contact us as soon as possible to ensure that their student obtains a place at the school.
In last week's report I mentioned the contribution of our school captains to the Anzac Services at Forestville RSL and Peace Park. In addition to thanking the captains, I should have included a thank you to members of the The Forest High School Band who braved the bad weather and accompanied the Forestville Choir at those services. We very much appreciate their hard work and support at numerous school and community functions.
Additionally a number of our students participated in this year's Forestville RSL "Australia My Country" competition. We were strongly represented by prize winners with students winning in the following categories: Written Essay Years 7 - 8, 2nd and 3rd Prizes; Written Essay Years 9 - 10, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Prizes; Poetry Years 9 - 10, 2nd Prize and Non Written (Drawing/Art/Craft) Years 9 - 10, 2nd and 4th Prizes. We are extremely proud of those students and their achievements.
This week our SRC worked with the Regional Consultant on Positive Behaviour Engaging Learners (PBEL). The students looked at the core values identified by staff and parents and discussed the school's expectations around those values. At our next P&C meeting on Wednesday May 20th, parents will also have an opportunity to learn more about PBEL.
I would like to update the community on what will be happening at our school as a result of the Government's "Building the Education Revolution". Very shortly work will begin on a massive upgrade of our gym facilities including complete refurbishment of the change rooms. We will also be utilising the funding to upgrade heating in our Hall and on other improvements. I will be providing a full report on the projects at the P & C meeting.
Rosemary McDowall
Principal
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT REPORT
ENGLISH
The English faculty is delighted to have a new member of staff, Mr Wood who will teach English and ESL. He taught ESL at The Forest during his training, so it is pleasing that he returns to us now with great enthusiasm and innovative ideas. It is also a pleasure to announce that Miss Jacqui Payne has been appointed permanently to the school. Miss Payne is very much appreciated for her highly professional approach to teaching and wonderful commitment to her students. She is a welcome addition to our faculty.
Naplan
Three days of testing of NAPLAN for our Year 7 and Year 9 students went very smoothly and they are to be commended for the serious approach they took in both the preparation for, and sitting of, the test. Later in the year, parents will receive a comprehensive report on how their child fared in the areas of spelling, grammar and punctuation, writing, reading, and numeracy. Thanks go to the Maths and English teachers for their input, and to parents for encouraging and supporting their children during this ‘testing’ time.
Writing Competition Winners
Congratulations go to all students who entered the “Australia My Country” writing competition run by The Forest RSL. The competition is designed by the RSL to promote patriotism and awareness of courage, sacrifice and contribution of other Australians.
We thank the RSL for their promotion of these worthy values and the time and effort expended in the marking of the entries. Likewise, thanks go to teachers for encouraging and supporting student participation. To plan, compose and polish a piece of writing for publication, or art work for display, is an invaluable exercise for improving skills and promotes better performance in class assessment tasks and examinations.
The top prize winner won $150 and all prize winners were presented with their prizes at the Anzac day service held at the Forestville RSL.
Special praise goes to the following Forest High prize winners. Well done!
WRITTEN ESSAY YEARS 9 – 10
1st Prize Kara Peake
2nd Prize Rohin Thompson
3rd Prize Katelyn Quinlan
WRITTEN ESSAY YEARS 7 – 8
4th Prize Georgia Crombleholme
POETRY YEARS 9 – 10
2nd Prize Lucy Hodges
NON WRITTEN (DRAWING/ART/CRAFT) YEARS 9 – 10
4th Prize Jin Kyung Lee
Speaking Competition
Sam Ecob (Year 12) and Mesepa Falealoto (Year 11) competed in the Plain English Speaking Award competition at Hornsby Girls High school. For the prepared speech, each spoke for eight minutes on a topic of interest. Sam amused the audience with his description of the youth of today and the challenges they face, while Mesepa spoke of the complications of knowing one’s identity. The impromptu topic, which they addressed for three minutes, was Bonus. Fourteen students from the Northern suburbs competed at this Zone Final. Congratulations go to Sam and Mesepa for representing our school so proudly.
WOW Workshop
A number of Year 9 and year 10 students participated in a writing workshop in preparation for WOW. This is the Forest Learning Community’s WOW – Web of Writers Project. It is an exciting educational initiative which involves interaction between
Students learnt that the process of writing involves brain-storming, planning, drafting, revising for content, redrafting, editing, redrafting and finally proofreading before publishing the final draft. They were given the opportunity to write for pleasure and all will submit a polished piece of work for publication. Thanks go to Miss Payne and Mrs Read for conducting the workshop.
Now that The Forest has facilities for the Connected Classroom, eventually, all students will be afforded the opportunity to send their stories around the globe, to have them mentored by other students, not only from our local community, but from anywhere in the world. The workshop was a first step in training our students to share their writing.
Half-Yearly Examinations
Year 11 students have now completed their first assessments in the senior school. For many students this most recent assessment was a ‘wake up call’. Some students have not realized the immense effort required to complete course-work and develop the skills required for success in Stage 6. Students wishing to be successful at the HSC will be making the most of these foundation courses programmed for Year 11.
I would like to remind Year 11 students and their parents that success in Advanced English requires a great deal of study. There is no time to play ‘catch up’ when students begin the Year 12 Advanced course. Because of staffing and student numbers, there is likely to only be one Advanced English class in Year 12 and three Standard classes. Students have been advised that the end of semester results, along with teacher comments on student class work and diligence will be used in determining their best options for attaining the best English result in the HSC. Parents will also be advised of these benchmarks at the Parent Teacher interviews in July.
Year 12 Theatre Excursion
It was pleasing to hear such good reports about the behaviour and maturity of our Year 12 Advanced English students who attended a Shakespearean performance of ‘As You Like It’ by Impulse Theatre at the Pact Theatre. Their experience highlighted how important it is for students to engage in educational activities that also offer cultural and social experiences. The English faculty has plans for more such experiences for the junior school students next semester.
Competitions
Parents, please assist our English teachers by encouraging your son or daughter to enter some or all of the competitions outlined below. It is an excellent opportunity to develop writing skills and it can pay handsome rewards – intrinsic and extrinsic.
|
Name of competition |
Requirements of Competition |
Students eligible |
Due date |
|
Sydney Morning Herald |
700-1000 word short story on topic of student’s choice |
Years 10 - 12 |
10 July |
|
Change your world |
Film a TV ad on smart celebrating, healthy eating or active learning |
Years 9 - 10 |
12 June |
|
Mosman Library Literary Awards |
Original prose of up to 1000words Original poetry of 20 lines or more |
Years 7 – 10 Years10 - 12 |
29 May |
|
Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Awards |
Poetry on topic of student’s own choice |
Years K - 12 |
10 June |
|
Taronga Foundation Poetry Prize |
Poetry on topic of student’s choice (special award for a poem about wildlife conservation) |
Years K - 12 |
22 May |
|
SMH Ultimate Story |
Students write the conclusion to a story published in instalments in the SMH, each Sunday May 17 to June 14. |
Years 5 – 8 Years 9 - 12 |
10 July |
Students are to see their English teacher for details if they do not have entry forms.
Finally, this is a very busy term for our students. They need to be well organized and prepared to work hard both in class and at home. Effort reaps rewards.
Mrs L Town - Head of English
Year 7 Report
It has been a very busy start of term for our Year 7 students. No longer new to the school, they have really all settled in remarkably easily to high school life and have been participating extremely well in recent whole school activities such as the Cross Country run. It really is wonderful to see the year group getting so involved!
Our first Year 7 Parent/Teacher night was held last Thursday and it was great to see so many parents attending to meet the teachers and discuss their child's progress. I met with many parents and was so happy to hear about how much their children like coming here.
SRC elections were held on Friday - a very big congratulations to our successful candidates - you will be great representatives for your year group- Chloe, Krizza, Buster, Matt, Jason, Hannah and reserve Sascha. Standing up in front of the entire year group to present a speech in front of their peers is certainly no mean feat so I think all the candidates need to be acknowledged for putting themselves forward to represent their year group in a leadership role - well done to Tomys, Richard, Taylor, Zoe and Liam for your great speeches and enthusiasm.
I look forward to the rest of the term and keep up the good work Year 7!
Mrs. S. Combes - Year 7 Adviser
CANTEEN NEWS
*FRIDGE WANTED*_! The Canteen needs another storage Fridge. If
anyone has an old fridge that they no longer need or want (in working
order), please consider donating it to the school canteen. Arrangements
to move the fridge can be made.
Please contact Jane Dean, Deputy Principal.
_*VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED*_*!*The Canteen still has some black
holes in it's roster. Can you Help on any of the following groups?
* Tuesdays (Weeks 1, 2 and 5)
* Wednesdays (Weeks 3, 4 and 5)
* Thursdays (Weeks 1 and 2)
Please contact Ros Thompson or Karen Whitehead at the Canteen.
/*SECRETARY NEEDED*/
The canteen committee will need a Secretary to take minutes at our
quarterly meetings. Patricia Irving will no longer be standing and the
committee would like to thank her for all her efforts over the past two
years.
Please contact Heather Bone on 0412 790 343 or email
cbone@optusnet.com.au <cid:part1.09030301.02060705@optusnet.com.au> if
you would like to assist on the committee.
PARENT TEACHER EVENINGS
Year 7 parent/teacher evening was held on Thursday 7th May.
Year 8 & 9 parent/teacher interviews will be held on Tuesday 30th June and
Year 10 & 11 parent/teacher interviews are Tuesday 7th July.
FED UP WITH JUNK FOOD ADS TARGETING YOUR KIDS?
The Cancer Council is running a campaign to encourage parents to email the Commonwealth Minister fro Health, calling for tighter restrictions on television advertising of junk food to children.
Children see around 10 food ads on television every day, and almost two-thirds of these are of unhealthy foods. This means children see around 18 hours of junk food ads per year - the equivalent of three full school days! When one in four Australian children are obese or overweight, why do we continue to allow advertising of unhealthy food to children? Add your voice to the campaign - go to www.burgercorp.com.au and tell Minister Roxon that you, like 9 out of 10 parents, support a ban on advertising of unhealthy foods when children are watching television.
FAIR TRADE EVENING AT ST STEPHENS CHURCH
a Fair Trade evening will be held at St Stephens Anglican Church, Lockwood Ave, Belrose on Saturday 16th May from 6pm. Please click on the link to obtain further details FAIR_TRADE_PROMO.pdf
LIFELINE NORTHERN BEACHES BOOK FAIR
Lifeline Northern Beaches Giant Book Fair: end May
Venue: Balgowlah Boys High School
cnr Sydney Rd & Maretimo st
Balgowlah
Dates/Times: Fri 29th May 5pm -- 9pm
Sat 30th May 9am -- 5pm
Sun 31st May 9am -- 2pm
At the Book Fair there will be thousands of good quality books, in many categories, and at bargain prices. This includes a wide range of children's books suited to all ages.
Please note we accept Visa & Mastercard and also have EFTPOS facility available
Entry by gold coin donation very much appreciated
All funds raised support the activities of Lifeline Northern Beaches
HOST FAMILIES NEEDED
HOST FAMILIES -urgent
Urgently needed: host families for High School students from USA, Austria, Switzerland, Germany 16-17 yrs. They will attend a local high school in your area. Students come for 3-6 months on a cultural exchange.
(weekly payment made for your hospitality).
Please call Campus Education
Australia CEA asap – Jennifer TODAY
9451 7071 or 0418 630 414
SCHOOLS SPECTACULAR
The Arts Unit is embarking on an exciting new initiative which will see many ensembles combine in an innovative performance called The Arts Unit Showcase ‘The Art of Making Art’.
Students from our school are participating in this exciting event.
There will be two performances of the showcase held at the York Theatre, Seymour Centre on Saturday 23 May at 4:30pm and 7:30pm
Please support this celebration of public education and the work of our outstanding students.
Please use the link below to download a ticket order form from our website
http://www.pau.nsw.edu.au/arts_initiatives/Showcase.htm
or purchase your tickets from the Seymour Centre Box Office at
http://secure.seymourboxoffice.com.au/tickets/production.aspx?PID=42680
Peter Cook
Senior Coordinator, Arts Initiatives
Director, Schools Spectacular
MIMOSA PUBLIC SCHOOL - AIR GUITAR COMPETITION FIREWORKS EVENING
SATURDAY AFTERNOON BASKETBALL
The Manly Warringah Basketball Association is holding basketball squad training & fun on Saturday afternoons, conducted at the Northern Beaches Indoor Sport Centre. The programme is on each Saturday during school term. There are three age groups - Biddy Ball for ages 7 and under & Lightning League for ages 8 & over. Biddy Ball is 2.30 - 3.30pm; Lightning League is 3.30 - 4.30pm. There is also an All Girls group for ages 8 and over from 2.30 - 3.30pm. Suits beginners and players wanting to improve.
Each week players will be taught the skills of the game by experienced coaches and put into teams for a short match. New players wishing to join a competition team should attend Saturday sessions so they can improve their skills, be graded and later placed into teams when a new competition starts. Players who are already playing will also benefit from the extra skill sessions. The cost is $7.00 per week. If you are interested, please complete the form below and return to the M.W.B.A. office or bring it with you on any Saturday to sign up.
BRAD DALTON (DUAL OLYMPIAN)
MWBA DEVELOPMENT
..........................................................................
Name ..........................................................D.O.B...........................................
Address.......................................................School..........................................Postcode....................... Phone............................................
Email…..................................................... Year at school................................
Basketball Level
£ Biddy Ball £ Girls Only Beginner £
£ Lightning League Experienced £