Post on 29-May-2020
Newsletter
Principal: Dr Ken Edge
60 Cabramatta Avenue (PO Box 361) Miller 2168 Phone (02) 9607 8669 Fax 9607 9460 Email: miller-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: http://www.millerhighschool.nsw.edu.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Miller-Technology-High-School
Miller Messenger July 2018 No. 1
In this Issue Principal’s Message MTHS– Swimming Carnival SRC Fundraise on Valentine’s Day
NEXT— HSC Student Exhibition International Women’s Day 2018 Harmony Day—Celebrating our Diversity at MTHS
ANZAC Day 2018
DeZiners—D.I.Y. Publishers Sorry Day 2018 Student Leaders visit Canberra MTHS Chess Club Sydney Opera House—Indigenous work experience My Amazing Russian Football Adventure MTHS Drag Racing Car Numeracy Moments Public Speaking and drama at MTHS Practise What You Teach—exhibition
Quota International Student of the Year Competition
Tree of Life 2018 Tree House Theatre
SRC 2017/2018 Report
Pathways To Dreaming
Refugee Week - Tree Planting Ceremony
Full Steam Ahead HACK-A-THON Refill2 with STEAM
Important Dates
MTHS-Miller Technology High School
Scan this QR code to instantly access
the school website
15 August ROSE Assembly
16 August Year 8 Gala Day
17 August Mini Science Fair
24 August Book Week Event
25 August Atura Championship
Sydney Dragway
28 August Year 11 Prefect Speeches
3 Sept CONVerge Concert
5 Sept Focus on Ability
Red Carpet Event
10 Sept Year 11 Exams
26 Sept Year 12 Graduation
27 Sept Year 12 Formal
* Please note dates are subject to change
Principal’s Message
Dear Parents/Caregivers,
Our school is one of the best public schools in the area. This is because we promote
choice, interest, student voice and social-emotional development. We expect all our
students to demonstrate positive-social behaviors and we are willing to invest in ourselves
to help. Importantly, it is because of the hard work of our staff, parents/caregivers and
community partners, and a collective belief that our students are capable of achievement
levels much higher than might be expected elsewhere.
At Miller we are proud of the work we do. In this edition of the ‘Miller Messenger’ we
highlight how our students are challenged across a broad spectrum of classes, how our
professional relationships and how our many well-planned educational programs are
making a difference in the lives of our students and through them, making the world
incrementally a better place for everyone.
Our Facebook and website is also a record of all of the wonderful things we have done. If
you haven‘t already ‘liked’ us yet, check-out the many other great things about our
school and the links in this edition of ‘Miller Messenger’. Additional information on the
school website includes the 2017 Annual Report and 2018-20 School Plan.
Finally, I want to express to all of you my deepest appreciation for your support as we
together agreed to roll up our sleeves and go about our work in professional manner, in a
semester that had its challenges and many successes.
Please enjoy exploring our school - we welcome any feedback!
Principal
Dr Ken Edge
The 2018 MTHS Swimming Carnival was held at the Whitlam Centre in Liverpool for the second year. The PDHPE Faculty did a fantastic job in the organizing and running the event. Thanks to all staff who played a role in the
day it was a great success. Parents for the support of their
children at sporting activities.
All Competitors for their
participation and sportsmanship
at our carnival.
House Captains/Vice Captains
from each of the four Houses
represented.
The staff who have given their
time to officiate.
Mr J. Lane and Mr R. Thompson
for the technical support in
recording of results for the
carnival.
The Carnival Conveners –
Mr A. McCoy and Ms M. Golightly,
PDHPE staff and all staff
members for their exceptional
help on the day.
Whitlam Leisure Centre
management and staff.
’This year the school swimming carnival was
on Valentine’s Day. Members of the SRC ran a
fundraising stall to raise money for our World
Vision sponsor child Yami Joram. SRC
members prepared for the event before the
day selling teddy bears and silk roses every
recess and lunch. MTHS was certainly full of
love on this special day. The poolside was a
sea of red and pink as staff and students
carried their gifts around. We would like to
thank the suppliers who helped us make this
day a great success. We would also like to
thank all the people who volunteered their
time and services. A special thanks goes to Ms
Atkins who helped run the stall and Mr
Podolsak, the SRC coordinator for ordering the
merchandise and organising the pizza
for the event.
HSC Student Exhibition
ARTIST STATEMENT
My body of work is a representation of being a fake
person or pretending to be someone you are not. The
sticky tape symbolizes the fake layer of someone’s
personality and the colours of the lights represent
different emotions. The warm orange–yellow coloured
lights represent a mellow, ecstatic emotion. Whereas
the blue light in the
smaller ball which the
child figure is holding
represents sadness.
Talyah Keepence
Dimensions of Light, 2017 mixed media
NEXT is an annual exhibition held at Casula Powerhouse Arts
Centre showcasing HSC artworks from local high schools.
The initiative is now in its sixth year and celebrates the
creative achievements of HSC Visual Arts students. This year
the exhibition featured over 20 students selected from 17 high
schools located in the City of Liverpool area.
MTHS Visual Arts student Talyah Keepence had her artwork
selected for the NEXT 2018 exhibition. This year the selection
process of student work was a little different, Staff from CPAC
came to the school and picked the artworks first hand for the
exhibition. Di McClaughlin from the CPAC Education
Programs team and former MTHS student selected Talyah’s
sculpture ‘Dimensions of Light’.
Students from MTHS participated in a number of events
to celebrate International Women’s Day on Thursday 8
March 2018.
Student leaders accompanied by Mr Podolsak and Ms
Atkins attended the Liverpool’s 11th International
Women’s Day Breakfast organised by the ladies from
Quota International of Liverpool. The charity breakfast
which was sponsored by Harry Hunt from Hunts Function
Centre donated funds to the charity Dress for Success.
Students met with a number of community members
including Anne Stanley MP Federal Member for
Werriwa, Chris Hayes MP Federal Member for Fowler
and Councillors Nathan Hagarty and Charishma
Kaliyanda from Liverpool City Council. The guest speaker
was the CEO of Liverpool City Council Kiersten Fishburn
who spoke about ‘Women in Leadership’. Kiersten’s
advice to women in leadership is to “own your ambition”
and “own your own leadership journey“. During
question time MTHS School Captains asked questions on
behalf of the student leaders. Yasser Hashem who was
the only male student present asked the question “How
can males best support and encourage women in
leadership roles” and Asfar Habeb asked “What advice
would you give to young refugee women leaders”. After
chatting with a number of community members the
students then were off to a second event at Casula
Powerhouse Arts Centre ‘GIRLS TALK WOMENS WORK’.
The event featured a number of empowering
discussions by leading industry figures from Western
Sydney in the areas of Music, Arts, Business and Politics.
Deputy Mayor Tina Ayyad was a member on the Women
in Business and Politics panel. The last forum was a
discussion on Women in the Arts. One of the panel
members Catherine Magurie-Donvito Cofounder,
producer and supervising Psychologist for Tree House
Theatre was on the panel. This was a great surprise for
Catherine and many of the MTHS student leaders
present as they had participated in the Tree of Life and
were testament to the success of the program in
assisting young people in becoming confident student
leaders.
2018
Other activities included; Students and staff
dressing in orange and cultural dress. Year 12
students ran a bubble blowing competition.
Mr Wood organised a number songs from
different cultures and the Year 12 led the
students in an inclusive dance .
Year 11 Visual Arts students ran a colouring in
competition and the winners were awarded
canteen vouchers. Year 7 students prepared for
the day by decorating Harmony hands which
had messages of friendship and hope. Dr Edge
and School Captain Asfar Habeb judged the
competition.
Celebrating our Diversity at MTHS This year MTHS celebrated our diversity on Harmony Day with a number of activities during recess and
lunchtime. Even though it was raining students leaders still managed to run a short assembly in the
canteen area. School Captains Yasser Hashem and Asfar Habeb with the Prefects and the assistance of
Year 12 students talked about the importance of Harmony Day and shared a number of facts.
ANZAC
Day 2018 This year 2018 marks the centenary of the
end of World War I and MTHS students and
staff participated in a number of events to
mark the occasion. Mr Podolsak and SRC
members Malak Alzwain, Trinity Hall,
Shakiyah’j Rankin, Avesta Ahmed and Ryan
Sheargold attended the annual RSL and
Schools Remember ANZAC Commemoration
Service at the ANZAC memorial in Hyde Park
held on Monday 9 April .
Our ANZAC Day Service was held on Friday 13 April. Mr Shea was the ANZAC Day Service Director and Mr
Thompson organised the event which was held in the quad. School Captain Asfar Habeb and Vice Captain
Leo Ioane were the Mc’s. The significance of Anzac Day was delivered by Vice Captain Basma Koro and
Prefect Wasan Al Zuhairi. The wreath laying ceremony was conducted by students from the support unit
Mariam Mahtam, Duaa Shanoot and Antonio Situlio.
Prefect Noran Barakat recited the poem “In Flanders Fields”, followed by Tina Nguyen who narrated ‘The
Ode’. The significance of the ‘Last Post’ was explained by Rema Zaghir and ‘The Reveille’ explained by
Tommy Nguyen.
Ms Luka then played the ‘Last Post’ and ‘The Reveille’ on the trumpet as she does each ANZAC Day
Assembly. Dunya Hanna and Rema Zaghir raised the flag while the Reveille played.
Our guest speaker was Kenneth Young OAM former
President of Fairfield RSL sub branch who addressed the
school on our ANZAC ceremony. Ken spoke about the
meaning of ANZAC Day, ‘By the Left’ a campaign to recognise
the contribution of women who serve in the defence force
and the wearing of service medals on commemorative days
such as ANZAC day. Lastly Ken spoke about the Lowrey
sisters who served in World War 1 as nursing matrons. They
were the only three sisters who served at the same time in
World War I. The sisters who have a close connection to Ken
as they are the Aunts of Ken’s wife June Young. OAM who is
currently writing a book about their contribution.
During the school holidays on Wednesday 25
April MTHS representatives Ms Atkins, Mr
Thompson and School Captain Asfar Habeb
attended the ANZAC Day dawn service at Cabra-
Vale Diggers. On behalf of the school Asfar laid a
wreath in Cabravale Memorial Park along with
other representatives from local schools and
community organisations who paid their respects.
In the April School holidays students in
Year 9 Visual Arts Shenae Fletcher,
Sumayya Mannan, Gerri Roberts and
Melissa Wynne attended the Arts Meets
West Festival at Casula Powerhouse Arts
Centre. The event hosted by the CPAC
Youth Committee was held during Youth
Week 2018. Students created their zines
as part of a unit on D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself)
publishing. Throughout the learning
process students worked together as a
team, voting on the name of their group,
signage design and the display stand.
They even worked with a graphic design
in class to get feedback from a creative
industries professional. The group known
as DeZiners spent the term researching
and producing their own individual zines
with the goal in mind of holding a stall at
the festival. The students gained a
number of fans on the day who were
very interested in their stall and the
process of how they created their zines.
Festival goers stopped to ask the
students about their Zines which all had
different themes. Artist Stephanie Woods
who had been working in an artist studio
through the Liverpool City Council artist
in residency program came to visit the
students on the day. Stephanie who
herself is a collector of Zines became
interested in the class project after
meeting their teacher Ms Atkins.
Stephanie spent time talking to the
students about their work. The students
presented Stephanie with a class set.
Impressed by the student’s efforts
Stephanie posted on images of the
students zines and commented on
Instagram. The students who attended
shared their experience with their class
members on their return to school.
DeZiners—D.I.Y. Publishers DeZiners—D.I.Y. Publishers
Sorry Day 2018 Sorry Day 2018 A special commemorative assembly
was held for Sorry Day in May
during Reconciliation Week.
Candles were lit by Principal Dr
Edge, Deputy Principal Mrs Kolar
and other staff to show our
compassion and respect for
Aboriginal and Indigenous people
by remembering the Stolen
Generations. MTHS Aboriginal
Education coordinator Mrs Nadan,
organised a number of
representative Aboriginal and non-
Aboriginal students who
acknowledged the importance of
paying our respect during
Reconciliation Week. Thankyou to
IEC Visual Arts teacher Mr Basso
and his classes for their creative
decorations that they made for the
special assembly.
Chess has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Research has proven that there are educational benefits
for young people who are given the opportunity to play
chess. Chess requires both strategic thinking and logic,
and therefore can enhance cognitive ability. This year,
MTHS started Chess Club. The Club is open to any
student who loves Chess and wants to compete against
students from other schools in the New South Wales
Junior Chess League. Each Friday afternoon, students in
the Junior, Intermediate and Senior teams participate in
the Metropolitan Secondary Schools Chess Teams
Competition. The teams consist of four players for each
match, but there is no limit to the number of players
who may play in the different matches. The students
play a round-robin competition, playing against each
school in the competition twice, and alternating
between playing at home and away. The first round
commenced in May. Mr Nugent who started the club
acts as both coach and mentor to the students. As the
MTHS Chess Comp Coordinator, he handles the
administration work relating to the competition and the
organising of transportation to the different venues each
week. Mr Podolsak and Mr Owen also support the
students in the away rounds when the juniors and
seniors play at different schools. When the students play
at home, Ms Atkins organises an afternoon tea for the
chess teams and guests visiting our school and Mr Lane,
who loves technology, sets up a camera above the main
chess board so spectators can view the match from the
digital white board.
The competition is for state and private schools in the
Sydney Metropolitan and surrounding areas and is
conducted by the NSW Junior Chess League, a not-for-
profit organisation. Last year’s competition attracted 276
teams from 79 schools and another 130 schools took
part in the Country Secondary Schools Competition.
Congratulations to Year 11 student Ngoc (Annie) Le, who
was undefeated in the first 5 matches in the Senior
Comp. The secret to Annie’s success is the chess
strategies she learnt from her Grandfather as a child in
Vietnam. Also congratulations to the Senior team
overall, who were undefeated for the whole
competition. NEW SOUTH WALES
JUNIOR CHESS LEAGUE
Recently I undertook work at the Sydney Opera
House for my work placement hours part of my
Entertainment VET course. I was one of 8
students from various schools around Sydney to
take part in this program. Our group spent 5
exciting days at the Opera House working with
multiple departments including; tours, the
loading dock, security and front of house. Front
of house duties included front desk, box office, the call centre and the welcome centre, which is where we
organised the public tours. Our group participated in both the public tour, and a special backstage tour,
which is only available for Opera House staff and those doing work placement.
The backstage tour included going behind the scenes of several sets. Our crew
were invited to attend a ‘Town Hall’, which is a big meeting with every single
staff member who works at the Opera House. In the meeting they discussed
the Vivid light show and the history of the Opera House’s involvement in the
show. The meeting was held in the Northern Foyer, which has a view of the
Harbour and the Harbour Bridge.
I was very lucky to be one of the few students selected from the many
applicants who applied to do work experience at the Sydney Opera House.
Something I found really interesting during the work placement I learnt about
the rich history of the Opera House and its architect Jørn Utzon and his son
Jan Utzon. The Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point, and is named
after a famous indigenous man who lived during the colonial period.
One of the things that I very much enjoyed was seeing the stage manager’s
desk with equipment which totalled to over $1million dollars. Unfortunately,
we were not allowed to touch the equipment, but it would be a goal of mine in
the future to be able to use it.
The staff were very friendly and welcoming to our crew. They were extremely
helpful and willing to answer any questions we had about their work.
I am very grateful and appreciative to have been given the opportunity to
experience working in the top entertainment venue in Australia and possibly
the world. My ambition is to one day work in the Opera House in the back of
house as a lighting/sound technician and will hopefully work my way up to
stage manager and be in control of the $1million dollar desk. Big thanks to Mr
Wood, my entertainment teacher and Mrs Nadan, the Aboriginal Education
Coordinator for assisting me with my application form.
Brayden Collis – Year 11 Entertainment student
Indigenous work experience program
In June, MTHS student leaders including
School Captains Asfar Habeb and Yasser
Hashem along with Vice Captain Basma Koro and Prefect
Wasan Al Zuhairi visited Anne Stanley the member for
Werriwa at Parliament House in Canberra.
Head Teacher of Community Partnerships and Student
Voice Ms Atkins, Prefect Coordinator Mr Thompson and
Principal Dr Edge accompanied the student leaders on the
visit.
The students and staff arrived at 11am. They met with Ms
Stanley who gave the students a tour of ‘The House’. This
year Parliament House turns 30 and the building is
undergoing maintenance including the rooftop which
meant we missed out on the traditional photos with an
elevated view of the nation’s capital.
Students had the unique experience of dining in the
members only parliamentary dining room as guests of Ms
Stanley. Over lunch students discussed current issues
relating to South West Sydney and their personal goals and
aspirations for the future.
After lunch it was question time in the House of
Representatives. Everyone hurried along through metal
detectors to be seated in the gallery area. Students gained
a first hand experience of what question time was like
when in session. All the student leaders and staff had an
incredible day and it was an educational experience of a
lifetime.
Ms Anne Stanley MP
Member for Werriwa, New South Wales
In June I travelled to Russia along with my team members Anita, Salman and Noor to represent Football United at the FIFA Foundation festival. The festival differed from my expectations a lot as I thought it would be less fun but it turned out to be amazingly fun. Going to Russia had made me learn more about program football3 and the country itself. On my way I felt as if I wouldn’t be able to fit in and communicate to others in Russia. When I got there I was warmly greeted and was able to meet and make many new friends. The FIFA Foundation Festival encouraged me and made me feel that I was on their team as they gave inspirational messages such as “never give up”, “always follow your dreams” and much more. Through the FIFA Foundation Festival, I got to meet people who came from other countries and was able to learn about their country as
well. The festival was very important to me as I was able to work with others and build on my sportsmanship skills. When I got selected I felt that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity which had made me feel excited. This experience meant a lot to me because it was my first time watching a FIFA World Cup game in real life. That was very special as it was a worldwide event. Being able to go to a
international event was amazing and it also meant I was able to meet new people from other countries easily. Meeting new people meant a great deal to me because It’s a time to see how different their culture is. It was a unique experience just being able to bond together at the FIFA Foundation Festival.
Going to Russia was such an enjoyable time. There was many amazing activities that are very memorable but two stood out for me. Going to watch the Russia vs Spain match at the stadium was one of my favourite memories in Russia. I got to see how many people came to support the teams and was glad I was able to experience such a distinctive moment. The soccer match was a great time because watching famous players compete right in front of me made me feel important as not
everyone is able to go watch the match. Another memorable moment in Russia was playing football3. Football3 is a program created by Streetfootballworld, which uses the sport as a tool for positive social change. Gender equality is a basic value of football3, along with fair play, teamwork, respect, and athletic conditioning. It was such an unforgettable experience as I got to play in teams and have fun with everyone altogether while learning new skills at the same time. It was a moment that not all people will experience and I was glad I had this opportunity. As we competed in our teams we included everyone as well as downside people. I got to see them smiling which made me feel very happy and special that I could bring smiles to other people’s faces. Russia had many memorable experiences for me that were incredible. For me to include others no matter what was so important as it allows you to share such fun experiences with so many more people. Thank you to Football United for selecting me to represent the young people from Australia. Thank you to our mentors from Football United Youth Leader Natasha Hill and Communications Manager Stuart Meney for looking after us on our trip of a lifetime. Also, thank you to the volunteers and everyone who was in the festival for helping us . Thank you to my school, Dr. Edge and Mr Patana. A special thank you to my whole family who were always supporting me in everything even when I was in Russia.
Dalin Koro
Football United Youth Ambassador
The MTHS race car crew have spent a number of weekends
at Sydney Dragway this year in support of the MTHS Drag
Racing Car program. Congratulations to Mr Goodwin the
Head Teacher of TAS at MTHS who so far has made it to
Round 4 of the 2018 Atura NSW State Championships. A
number of staff including school Principal Dr Edge and
Technical Support Officer Mr Shavneel Kumar also attended
the events at Eastern Creek in support of the driver and
crew. Mr Goodwin in the MTHS Drag Racing Car is currently
ranked 3rd. Good luck in Round 5 on Saturday 25 August. To
see more images of the project and video footage of the
MTHS drag racing car visit the facebook page https://
www.facebook.com/ MillerTechnologyHighSchoolRaceCar/
Numeracy Moments It doesn’t matter how you add it up, Numeracy has been massive
last term at Miller High School. I have had the absolute pleasure of
working with the students of Miller Primary School. We have been
sharing with them an innovative process developed internally at
Miller to help them to answer the word-based problems that
make up the Numeracy NAPLAN tests. During term 2 the focus
was on using two mathematical strategies; look for a pattern and
draw a picture.
This term, students in year 7 and 8 will have the opportunity to
use Mathletics to practice their mathematical skills online. During
the maths lesson, students use their laptops for one period a
fortnight to practice curriculum aligned activities. The level of maths
questions is selected by the classroom teacher according to the
students’ ability. Students collect points and are rewarded by receiving
a bronze, silver, gold award.
One of the most popular activities is Live Mathletics where students
can challenge other students from the same classroom, school or
around the world. Teachers will assign Mathletics activities homework
for students to complete. This program is designed to improve
students’ mathematical skills which is crucial in applying to solve
numeracy problems.
During our staff development day all faculties identified the most
important numeracy demands in their subjects and embedded them in
their assessment tasks.
Later this year all junior students will receive a numeracy report based
on their performance in numeracy activities across the whole school
community.
This will allow us to provide a comprehensive numeracy report for all
our junior students.
Numeracy Moments
At MTHS we want all parents/caregivers to be involved in their
children’s learning. During Term 2, our first Numeracy Workshop was
held for parents/caregivers to gain some home-based strategies to
assist in the development of their child’s Numeracy strategies.
Some students and teachers from the Numeracy team assisted on the
day. It was a great opportunity to chat with parents about what they
would like to get out of a Numeracy Workshop and what support they
would like to assist their child at home.
I would like to thank the parents/caregivers who attended the
Numeracy workshop. It was fantastic to see so many parents/caregivers
interested in exploring ways to support their child’s education. The
feedback from the workshop was overwhelmingly positive.
More Numeracy Workshops for parents will continue this term. Please
check the school Facebook page and ask your child if they have received
information about the workshop.
Mrs Abu Swireh—Numeracy Moments Coordinator
On Wednesday 13 June Taysir Elnor and Rema Zaghir represented the
school again at the Quota International Student of the Year Quest, held
at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre. The quest is open to students in
years 10 or 11. Taysir and Rema were interviewed by a panel of three
judges, where they were evaluated on their academic and civic
achievements, and their knowledge and opinions of current events. The
interviews were followed by a public speaking event where each
student gave a prepared speech on the topic of their choice. All students
were then put on the spot with a one minute ad lib speech on the word
Future. Both Taysir and Rema
are to be commended for
their engaging performances,
and for having the courage to
challenge themselves in such
a demanding competition.
Emily Hughes
Debating Coordinator
On Tuesday 5th June, seven students represented Miller Technology High School
at the Speaking 4 the Planet competition, held at the Australian Botanic Gardens
Mount Annan. Students participated in the public speaking and drama
competition, which is held annually to celebrate World Environment Day.
The theme this year was Beat Plastic Pollution: ‘If you can’t
reuse it, refuse it’ . Caitlyn Long, Amerita Saafi, Leuta Stowers
and Liam Rashid of Year 7 participated in the impromptu drama performance. Taysir
Elnor of Year 11 entered the prepared speech category, and Rema Zaghir of Year 10
entered the impromptu speech category, where she was awarded Runner Up.
2 June—24 June 2018 | Marsden Gallery
Practise What You Teach (PWYT) is an initiative devoted to motivating and promoting
the artistic practises of art teachers . This is the second exhibition coordinated by
PWYT at Casula Powerhouse proving a platform for work from dual artist and art
educators.
Expectations of art educators are higher than ever. This is a result of the shifting
realities of the classroom, often distancing teachers from their art making practice,
most commonly the factor that attracted them to teaching in the first place. As art
teachers we should practise what we teach, granting ourselves the opportunity to stay
in touch with our own creative interests and demonstrate to our students that we too
are practicing artists.
PWYT addresses this need for re-engagement through exhibitions and public
programming. The initiative also exists as an opportunity for professional
development and networking, providing a strategic avenue for art teachers to
maintain and refine their artistic practice. PWYT ultimately provides educators with
attainable and motivating opportunities that engage and foster artistic practice whilst
simultaneously benefiting the classroom.
The exhibition features the work from Vivian Messimeris, Sophie Bray, David
Robinson, Rebecca Brady, Kate Mulheron, Tracy Smith, Paul McClaughlin, Andres
Basso and Kate Stehr.
Andres Basso—Miller Technology High School
Porcelain Cloud, 2004
Alkyd resin based paint on recycled timber.
Andres Basso
Andres’ body of work explores
how frames throughout art
history have held and
surrounded some of the most
valuable artworks in the world.
However, these frames are often
only seen as a presentation tool
and not given the appreciation of
also being a work of art in its
own right. Andres’ body of work
acknowledges not only the frame
as a physical support for art but
the frame as a culturally
symbolic and aesthetically
interesting form.
Practise What You Teach
Quota International Student of the Year Competition 2018
Quota International of Liverpool began on 18 July 1964 and has
celebrated over 50 years as a Quota Club. Every year Quota
International of Liverpool runs a public speaking competition at Casula
Powerhouse Arts Centre. This year Rema Zaghir and I had the chance
to participate in this event.
This year seven schools participated. The competition started off with a
one on one interview with the judges who asked us general knowledge
questions and questions based on our resumes that we needed to
provide in order to participate in the event. The interview was
approximately 10 to 15 minutes long. Then after the interview we had
dinner with the other contestants. During the next stage we presented
our speeches. In order to win the competition Rema and I had to
present a four-minute speech on a topic of our choice and a one-minute
speech on an unknown topic.
My topic was on refugees. I chose this topic based on my life as a
refugee living in Australia. My speech was focused on the main
question that people ask about refugees. What make them a refugee?
And can't they just go back to their country? I answered these
questions throughout my speech.
Rema's speech was about planet earth and the environment. Rema is
passionate about the environment and believes that humans are the
main reasons that our planet earth is dying. She chose this topic
because it's such an important subject that no one really talks about.
The other schools delivered very powerful and emotional speeches. All
the speeches were based on very important topics such as, racism,
social media and violence against women.
After the prepared speeches we had impromptu speeches. All the competing students were asked to exit the room. Then when your name was called out you had to come back in and were given a one-word topic that you have to talk about on the spot. The topic that we were given was Future. After the impromptu speeches we had a break so the judges could decide on the winners. Unfortunately, we did not win but we were still honored to be able to compete in the event. All the contestants did an amazing job. At the end of the event, each student was given a trophy, a bag, a pen and a participation certificate. Thank you to Ms Atkins and Ms Hughes for their support and thank you to the ladies from Quota International Liverpool for organizing and running the event for the students of Liverpool.
Taysir Elnor—Year 11 student
Participants from the 2018 ‘Tree of Life’
program performed at the Concourse
Theatre in Chatswood and locally at Casula
Powerhouse Arts Centre in June. The
directors of the ‘Tree of Life’ production
Ruth Hartcher-O’Brien and Catherine
Maguire-Donvito and production assistant
Emilija Mrkela worked with the resilient
young refugees during school time, on
weekends and school holidays to create an
authentic account of the Refugee
experience through the eyes of young
people. The program provides participants
the opportunity to share their life stories.
The directors both love theatre, and
believe in the power of stories to enliven
and transform. Catherine as a Psychologist
and School Counsellor, and Ruth as a
Drama teacher and teacher of English as a
Second Language provide students from
the Intensive English Centre support
students through the creative process of
the program from writing to performing.
On Friday 15 June students from MTHS
and other schools attended the
performance at Casula Powerhouse Arts
Centre for the matinee performance. That
evening over forty staff members along
with family and friends of the performers
attended the 7pm show. After the show
members of the audience were able to ask
the cast questions about their
performance experience.
The Tree of Life program
would not be possible
without the support of
schools Principal Dr Ken
Edge and the community
members who volunteer
their time to run Tree
House Theatre a not for
profit organisation that
produces the program.
Tree House Theatre
President: George Rosier
Vice-President: Tamara Sabri
Secretary: Tracey Okeby-Lucan
Treasurer: Red Reyes
Committee members:
- Catherine Maguire-Donvito
- Ruth Hartcher-O'Brien
- Akeel Abbass
- Muheed Jamaldeen
- Bouchra Hader
- Kate Maguire-Rosier
SRC 2017/2018 Report This is the SRC who represent the school comprising of Year 7– 11 also
coming from the IEC and Support unit as well as our coordinator Mr
Podolsak. This is an update of what the SRC have been doing for the past
year.
Fundraising - The SRC came up with ideas to
fund raise money which consists of selling
pizza at athletics and swimming carnivals,
valentines and donut day. We raised approximately
$1000 towards Yami our sponsor child and
improvements in our school such as installing cold
water fountains.
Team Building - As the new SRC of
2017/2018 was formed it was
decided upon within the
fortnightly meetings that a team
building excursion was essential with moving forward
to build friendships and allow great communication
between the years. For our team building session we
went to CT adventure which had multiple escape
rooms. We had split into two groups and battled it out
to see who could escape the quickest this tested our
ability to problem solve, use our knowledge and communicate with each other.
Community Engagement - In several SRC meetings it was discussed that community
involvement was important to our students so we decided to research some
activities to do to represent Miller and engage with locals from the community. A
few members of the SRC attended an ANZAC day ceremony at Hyde Park.
All students were extremely excited with the mention of going to a local
nursing home to volunteer our time and connect with elders. Summit
Care on Elizabeth Drive was kind enough to allow our students to engage
with their residents. Many residents at Summit Care are unable to have
family visit them often or ever so by visiting every two weeks, the elderly
people enjoy and value our time spent with them. This gives us a feeling
of happiness and pride by helping others out, visiting the community. All
students are grateful for the opportunities given to us.
Representing the school - The SRC has committed to several important events outside of school programs such as ANZAC Day,
NSW Public Speaking final at the ART Gallery of NSW, Peace Day at Cabramatta High School, International Women’s Day and
Ashcroft High School Leadership Training Day. On these special events the SRC has gained knowledge and improved our skills
in leadership and organisation within the SRC which helped us to evolve and develop new ideas to create a better learning
environment in our school.
Our Sponsor Child - Previous SRC members
decided upon sponsoring a child, which was
presented to the school in last year’s
assembly. Yami Joram is still updating us on
her life and family, and earlier in the year
we received an email that Yami was turning
8. As mentioned before we fundraised to
gift Yami a surprise present for her birthday
and to also continue funding for her
monthly expenses.
Moving forward in the future - In the future agenda it is
planned to do more fundraising, to find more community
engagement to enhance the connections with our school. The SRC has also discovered
student’s opinions towards the school uniform. Therefore we have come together to
revise the current uniform and share our ideas to further enhance the attitudes of the
students towards our school uniform.
The PB4L Positive Behaviour for Learning- The teachers handed the SRC a challenge to
bring PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) into our school. The whole SRC had a
discussion with a few teachers about our opinions towards the matter, this is
something that would help the behaviour and expectations of the students in everyday
classes. This is our belief that this would make positive change on our school for both
teachers and students.
Over the year the SRC has achieved
many accomplishments from these
opportunities and experiences within
the Liverpool community. By being part of the SRC all students have gained
organisation, leadership, initiative, commitment and collaboration skills. It has
allowed us to create many delightful memories. We would like to thank
everyone that helped and supported the SRC ideas, we hope that the upcoming
SRC continue along this rising journey.
Mackenzie Loxton and Tommy Nguyen
SRC Chair people 2017/2018
What is Pathways To Dreaming?
Pathways To Dreaming Pathways To Dreaming is designed to engage Year 8 to 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
in education. Students are mentored by Western Sydney University students and alumni who act as older
friends to support and encourage them to achieve their aspirations.
They take part in academic and Aboriginal cultural enrichment workshops at the University and the
cohort at each school devises and implements a group project, with mentors facilitating that process. At
the end of each year there is a celebratory event where the group projects are showcased.
Students join the program from Year 8 and continue until they finish school.
The program is currently running in 30 South-Western and Western Sydney high schools in the
Campbelltown, Liverpool, Penrith, Fairfield, Blacktown and Blue Mountains areas.
Since last year I have attended a number of excursions to
Western Sydney University as part of the Pathways to
Dreaming program. We have participated in a number of
workshops with staff and mentors from the uni. The
workshops we were involved in include Policing activities
where we had a forensic scenario and needed to decide on
what had happened in a crime based on photographic
evidence. We had an artist teach us the skill of creating an
ombre or gradient background for a landscape painting. In
another activity we had an escape room team challenge.
We also learnt different skills such as first aid like how to
strap injuries and learnt how to use a stethoscope to check
our heartbeat. During our visits we also watched a number
of videos on language and culture. Shakiyah’j Rankin
Year 9 Aboriginal Student Leader & SRC Member
Tree Planting Ceremony This year in Australia Refugee Week was held from
17 June— 24 2018. The Refugee Council of Australia
chose the theme #WithRefugees. Refugee Week is
an annual event which promotes positive images of
refugees and celebrates the valuable contribution
refugees make to Australian society. The event aims
to facilitate a better understanding between
different communities and encourage successful
integration, enabling refugees to live in safety and to
continue making a valuable contribution to Australia.
This year at MTHS to start the celebrations for
Refugee Week in Week 6. Deputy Principal for the
IEC (Intensive English Centre) at Miller Technology
High School Ms Stojanovic organised a tree planting
ceremony in the garden area near the IEC office.
Executive staff including Dr Edge joined staff and
students from the IEC for the ceremony. A number
of students leaders from the Student Representative
Council and the IEC participated in the event reading
messages of hope and friendship that had been
written on eucalyptus leaves. After the students had
read the messages the leaves were placed around
the edge holes of the trees that were to due to be
planted. Every year to celebrate Refugee Week
MTHS holds a tree planting ceremony. Students who
attend then have a connection with the trees as they
watch them grow and develop they know that their
own positive messages of hope have contributed to
the development of the trees. This ceremony
symbolises how we as a school community can grow
together.
This year MTHS made it into the final round of the Full STEAM Ahead program at the Powerhouse Museum or MAAS a program sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank through the Australian Business Community Network. The Year 8 STEAM Team took up the challenge to compete in the HACK-A-THON. We we weren’t as successful this year due to some complications for example, on the way we got involved in a little car accident causing us to be 30 minutes late to MAAS which meant we had an extra late start. We were also a person short because one of our STEAM Team members couldn’t make it on the day. The team members who did make it all had their own roles in making our game for the HACK-A-THON. Anastacia and Jason were the Project Managers, Dung and Rasool were working with Virtual Reality (VR), Telliah and Sally were the Thinker shields and they did the coding for the display that went with the game, Teresa and Jia were designing the display and Milaan researched the information for the VR and also printed out some stickers for the display box. We had an awesome experience. We would not have made it to the final round without the help of a few teachers, Head Teacher of Science Mr Lane, Computing teacher Mr Thompson, Maths and Coding teacher Mrs Nand and Technical Support Officer Mr Shavneel Kumar. A special thank you to Ms Atkins for choosing us to take part in this once in a life time event. We highly recommend this event for upcoming Year 8’s in years to come. =) Telliah Lehmann & Anastacia Poulakidas-Wilson
Full STEAM Ahead
HACK-A-THON
CuriousWorks is back
Artists and mentors from Curiousworks are running creative workshops with
students in Year 7 that cover writing, recording and producing music, performance
and drama, video-making, new media technologies and traditional visual arts.
The initiative is a partnership between us, the school and the Casula Powerhouse
Arts Centre who share the vision of delivering a dynamic, multi-arts program for
young people in the community of Miller, including an exchange with Sydney’s
Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA).
CuriousWorks and Miller Technology High first
ran ReFill in 2008 and 2009 and created long-
standing friendships between teachers, young
people and artists. ReFill2(2015-2018) is the
second chapter in our partnership and is a
creative industries mentoring and skills
development project for disadvantaged young
people in the Liverpool LGA.
“If there’s a shining example of how the public and private sectors can work together,
then ReFill is it,” according to Arts NSW. You can also learn more background
in Screen NSW’s interview with the ReFill coordinators.
The latest Refill program has been made possible with four years of generous
support from the Crown Resorts Foundation’s Western Sydney Arts Initiative.
Visit the blog here https://curiousworksrefill.wordpress.com/