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Blues News Gosford High School & Community News Find us at: Racecourse Road, Gosford 2250 T 4325 2048 F 4323 3175 E gosford-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Issue No 3: May 2019 – Term 2 17/05/2019

Blues News 17/05/2019

PRINCIPAL’S NEWS

It has been a very exciting start to my role as Principal at Gosford High School and to the start of Term 2. The term commenced with teaching staff continuing on with the work planned in Term 1 on Formative Assessment Practices and how this can be effectively implemented at Gosford High School with a focus on explicit feedback techniques. Over the next term my emphasis is to support all staff with the professional learning and resources they require to continually reflect and share their expertise in teaching. One of the attributes of the Gosford teachers that has struck me in the short time I have been at the school is the number of teachers who are engaging in postgraduate study and research or professional learning to extend their specific knowledge about both pedagogy and curriculum. This knowledge and personal drive to further skills in the classroom is providing further opportunities for students to be challenged during their learning whilst instilling an understanding of the continual learning journey that we all undertake. The school offers an array of ways that students can engage in extra curricula activities and I am very impressed with the enthusiasm of the many participating students. The upcoming school trip to Orange celebrating its 50th year is a highlight for the school. The school has had success in many areas over the last few weeks including Debating, Public Speaking, Football, Lawn Bowls and the HSC Music Day. Remember to follow the school on Facebook to keep up with all the latest information as Mrs Scalese and Mrs Scott work to keep the community up to date with posts as they happen. I had the pleasure of meeting the P&C on Tuesday last week for the Week 3 meeting. It was great to see so many parents involved and interested in the school’s activities. Over the coming meetings we will be including information for parents on the educational practices at the school and inviting guest speakers from both the Department of Education and School Faculties to school to share information with the parent community about programs offered at Gosford High School. This is a great

opportunity for parents to catch up with the great opportunities offered at Gosford High School. Finally last week the school celebrated and farewelled Mr Rudd as the former Principal of Gosford High School. Mr Rudd built strong relationships with the community and was always very supportive of staff and students. I would like to thank Mr Rudd for his contributions to the school and wish him all the best. I plan to continue building on the foundations put forward by Mr Rudd and his leadership team. Michael Smith Principal

Coming Events

MAY

Fri 17/5 Year 12 Reports issued.

Tues 21/5 Year 11 Reports issued

Wed 22/5 Year 11/12 Parent Teacher Interviews

Fri 24/5 Zone Cross Country

JUNE

Wed 5/6 Visit to Orange (5 – 7/6)

Thurs 6/6 Year 10 Vaccinations

Fri 7/6 Year 8 Reports issued

Fri 14/6 Religious Seminars (Years 7 – 10)

Year 7 Reports issued

Fri 21/6 Sydney North Cross Country

Year 9 Reports issued

Tues 25/6 Year 7/8 Parent Teacher Interviews

Thurs 27/6 Cabaret Night

Fri 28/6 Year 10 Reports issued

Fri 5/7 Last day of Term 2

AUGUST

Thurs 1/8 Year 9/10 Parent Teacher Interviews

Gosford High P&C News Next P&C Meeting:

Tuesday 18th June at 6.30 pm Common Room- Everyone welcome

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DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

We welcomed Mr Michael Smith to Gosford High School this term and the Senior Executive team has been eagerly preparing for a fantastic term ahead. There are a lot of learning experiences and activities planned this term that are designed for students to find their passion across a wide curriculum of classroom learning, student leadership and social justice, arts, sport, and languages. We are very proud of our school community for the way that it that embraces life in all its colour and wonder. At the heart of our school is wellbeing and from this foundation a love of learning is nurtured and fashioned. On Thursday 23rd May all of Year 7 will work with staff from across all faculty areas on a project based learning (PBL) initiative. The project will see students engage in learning, create an essential question, investigate widely and build new understandings, meanings and knowledge while working as part of a group. The project will run for four days, Thursday 23rd, Friday 24th, Monday 27th and Friday 31st May with a Showcase to be held on Thursday 13th June from 6:30pm for Year 7 students, parents and caregivers. All of our teaching staff were involved in professional development activities on the first day of Term 2. Teachers were engaged in professional learning regarding high impact formative assessment and then focussed on assessment and curriculum planning. We would like to acknowledge the hard work of our teachers. Term 2 is particularly busy with report writing, parent interviews, planning for new HSC requirements as well as supervising our students at events such as the Orange exchange and Gosfest. SOME REMINDERS Student Lateness We are monitoring student lateness and are imposing consequences for students who fail to provide a note signed by a parent/caregiver that explains their partial absence. Assessment Tasks Students are given task notices for all assessment tasks and dates for tasks are outlined in the Assessment Booklets which are available on our school’s website or parent portal. It is important that students refer to these to help them plan their time effectively so that all assessments are completed to the best of their ability. Students are reminded that there are processes and procedures to be followed if you are absent on the day of an assessment task as well as submission of assessments Parent and Teacher Interviews Parent and Teacher Interviews will be taking place in over the course of this term and early in Term 3. Bookings are all to be made electronically through the parent portal. This is a great opportunity for all parents/caregivers to meet teachers and discuss your child’s progress. Attendance at these evenings helps

strengthen our partnership in ensuring your child is able to achieve their best. Adrienne Scalese Deputy Principal (Years 7, 9 and 11) Carolyn Scott Deputy Principal (Years 8, 10 and 12)

ABSENCE FROM SCHOOL Absence from school is notified using SMS on the day of the absence. Parents are reminded that if your child is absent, a note must be provided immediately on return to school. Absences for part of a day, including late to school, are also required to have a note of explanation submitted.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

Students and parents are reminded of the uniform policy at Gosford High School. Full school uniform is to be worn by all students when at school or attending school activities. If a student is unable to wear the correct uniform on a given day, they are to bring a note signed by their parent or guardian, explaining why they are out of uniform that day. This should be taken to Miss Cole in the Head Teacher Administration office, or to one of the Deputy Principals, before school to receive a uniform pass for the day. If a student does not bring a note from home, they are still to obtain a uniform pass for the day and bring an explanatory note the following day. Students who fail to bring a note explaining their incorrect uniform will be issued with a lunch detention. Students who consistently fail to wear the correct school uniform may be issued an after school detention. The correct uniform for all students is demonstrated below, and detailed on the following page. Chelsea Cole Head Teacher Administration

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School Uniform

SENIOR UNIFORM

Senior Girls Senior Boys

Skirt: Dark blue checked

Slacks: Navy blue with logo

Shorts: Tailored navy blue with logo

Blouse: White with crest on pocket

Vest: Winter – Red with logo

Shoes: Black lace-up, sturdy full-skin leather (not suede) enclosing the whole foot.

Socks: Summer – Short plain white (optional) Winter - Black pantyhose or tights

Jumper: Red with crest.

School micro fibre jacket and winter jacket (fleece lined, waterproof). Both optional summer and winter.

The school designed tie (optional except for formal occasions)

Year 12 jacket when available.

Shorts: Tailored Navy blue with logo

Trousers: Winter – Grey, tailored gabardine style with logo

Belt: Optional (black or navy)

Shirt: White with crest on pocket

Vest: Winter – Red with logo

Shoes: Description as above.

Socks: Short plain white (optional)

Jumper: Red with crest.

School micro fibre jacket and winter jacket (fleece lined, waterproof). Both optional summer and winter.

The school designed tie (optional except for formal occasions).

Year 12 jacket when available.

JUNIOR UNIFORM

Junior Girls Junior Boys

Skirt: Royal blue checked

Slacks: Navy blue with logo

Shorts: Tailored navy blue with logo

Blouse: Light blue with crest on pocket

Shoes: Black lace-up, sturdy full-skin leather (not suede) enclosing the whole foot.

Socks: Summer – Short plain white (optional) Winter - Black pantyhose or tights

Jumper: Royal blue with crest.

School micro fibre jacket and winter jacket (fleece lined, waterproof). Both optional summer and winter.

The school designed tie (optional)

Cap/Hat: Navy school hat (available from office)

Shorts: Tailored Navy blue with logo

Trousers: Winter – Grey, tailored gabardine style with logo

Belt: Optional (black or navy)

Shirt: Light blue with crest on pocket

Shoes: Description as above.

Socks: Short plain white (optional)

Jumper: Royal blue with crest.

School micro fibre jacket and winter jacket (fleece lined, waterproof). Both optional summer and winter.

The school designed tie (optional)

Cap/Hat: Navy school hat (available from office)

PE Uniform (May be worn on Wednesday Years 7 – 10)

Shirt: GHS sports polo shirt with crest

Shorts: Dark blue unisex shorts with logo

Footwear: Black leather joggers or sports shoes must be worn

Cap/Hat: Navy, available at the school, compulsory for all lessons

Tracksuit pants for sport (Wednesdays only)

Jewellery (Applies to Summer and Winter uniform for Junior and Summer

Should be restricted to:

Watch: 1

Necklace: 1 gold or silver chain

Bracelet: 1

Rings: 2 small, plain

Earrings: Small studs or sleepers only

The school tracksuit can be worn to school on Wednesday. The tracksuit jacket can be worn any day as part of the everyday school uniform (Summer and Winter)

As a safety precaution, and departmental regulation, the wearing of soft shoes is NOT permissible in the workshops or Home Economics rooms. Long hair must be restrained by a net or cap by both girls and boys.

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WELFARE

I wanted to give you an update on welfare and upcoming

events. Firstly Ben Watson, Year 8 Adviser is on leave for a while. Bruce Bennett (Maths Faculty) has offered to fill in for Ben so a big thank you to Bruce. You can either contact Bruce or the Year 8 Deputy Principal, Carolyn Scott if you have any concerns with your Year 8 student. Louise Johnson is also taking a break from her role as Year 9 adviser for the rest of this year. I am currently seeking a person willing to take on this role and will keep you updated. UPCOMING PROGRAMS Vaccinations:

Year 10 Meningococcal June 6th. A number of students will be at Orange on that day so that a catch up has been booked October 15th.

Year 7 catch up for those that missed April 1st. Round two October 15th.

Wellbeing Programs:

Year 9 YAM Mental Health program

Monday 20th May, 27th May, June 3rd. No cost

Year 9 Welfare performance

Thursday June 20th “Cheap Thrills” a Brainstorm performance dealing with risk taking and partying. Cost $7

Year 9 Girls Friday June 21st issues confronting young women - A Winning Edge strategy -$15

Year 10 Boys and Girls separately

July 25th. Winning Edge program on risk taking, consequences of actions and strategies for safety. Part of mandatory Year 10 program. Cost $15 per student.

Further information on these programs will be sent to you closer to the time. Glenda Horner Head Teacher Welfare.

CAREERS

1. Year 10 Students:

The 2019 edition of UAC’s Steps to University for Year 10 Students will be distributed to all Year 10 students in their Careers lesson this term. We will be using this guide in Careers lessons to help support and prepare students for HSC Subject Selections. It covers the following:

THE HSC AND THE ATAR - Understanding more about the HSC, the ATAR and applying to

university will help students make the best decisions about your courses.

CONSIDER, EXPLORE, DECIDE - Year 10 is a good time to start thinking about the future – not just what they’d like to do for the next two years, but what they’d like to do beyond that.

This guide will help students to think about their interests, qualities and skills, explore the careers these could lead to, the courses they could study at university and the HSC courses they could choose.

INSTITUTION CRITERIA UAC’s participating institutions have listed the courses they plan to offer in 2022. It also explains the specific meaning of the terms 'Prerequisites', 'Additional Selection Criteria', 'Assumed Knowledge', 'Recommended Studies'. It is already available in a digital form on the UAC website, along with a whole host of helpful information and resources, download a digital copy.

2. Year 12 Students:

UAC KEY DATES FOR 2019–20 ADMISSIONS - Flyer included in this newsletter. For a full list of dates, including offer rounds, for 2020 admissions, visit UAC’s website. UAC’s ACCESS AND SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS ARE OPEN Educational Access Schemes, Equity Scholarships and Schools Recommendation Schemes are all open for applications. These programs have opened earlier this year to give students extra time to complete their applications, giving students more time to fill out their Applica-statement, obtain supporting documentation like medical impact statements and Centrelink information, all before the pressure of final exams. If you have a child who may be eligible for these schemes, encourage them to begin their application as soon as they've applied through UAC.

3. For all Students:

There are two great Careers Expos happening in May/June.

i. HSC and Careers Expo - Thursday 30 May -

Sunday 2 June Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park, Sydney https://www.hscandcareers.com.au/

ii. Western Sydney Careers Expo - Thursday 27

June - Sunday 30 June Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park https://www.westernsydneycareerexpo.com.au/

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Both Expos will have exhibitors covering:

Information and resources for the HSC

Information about university, TAFE and training courses

Career advice

Study advice

Employment advice and opportunities

Apprenticeship and traineeship advice

International exchange and gap year programs

Plus 100+ Seminars on topics including:

HSC subjects including English, Maths, Biology, Business Studies, PDHPE, Legal Studies

Tertiary courses

Careers

Employment opportunities

Gap year options

HSC and Careers Expo - Download the 2019 Expo Visitor Guide Western Sydney Careers Expo - Download the 2019 Seminar Program

Megan Brady Careers Adviser

CAPA

Drama: A huge congratulations is in order for the cast and crew of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ put on by the Year 10 Drama. On Wednesday 3rd April we had a full house in the Drama Studio for our rendition of the Scottish Play. The entire cast put on an outstanding performance and should be extremely proud of themselves. The play was so good we will be doing encore performances for Year 8 English classes who are studying the play this year as part of the English course. The senior Drama students in Years 11 and 12 were given the opportunity to work with the professional actors from Zeal Theatre Company last week. They participated in workshops on how to create a self-devised piece of theatre in preparation for the HSC Playbuild task. The students gained insights into the industry and were able to learn from experts in the fields of improvisation, mime, physical theatre, devising, and transformational acting.

Ben and Jacinta as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

Isha, Emily and Caitlin, the Weird Sisters hand in hand.

Important CAPA dates for your diary:

Tuesday 21/5 Hospital Interaction Skills at Gosford Hospital. Year 11 Drama Students.

Monday 27/5 HSC IP Trial Exam. Year 12 Drama Students.

Monday 30/5 Year 11 Visual Arts students attending excursion to the National Art School.

Monday 24/6 ‘The Stones’ performance by Zeal Theatre. Year 8 Students.

Visual Arts Beginning of Term 2 in pictures …..

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Year 10 Visual Arts students created an image of a friend or family member using lino printing techniques. Students began by taking a range of photographs of friends and family members and then carefully selecting their most successful image to form the basis of their lino prints. Emphasis was placed on the expression and cropping of a photograph in order to support the meaning of an artwork and to capture the experiences and emotion of the subject. Year 9 Photo Digital Media have explored non-camera photographic processes as the foundation of their first unit in this course. They experimented by applying a resist, such as sunscreen, moisturiser and toothpaste, onto exposed photographic paper and then placing the treated paper into photographic chemicals. The students’ element of surprise. It is impossible to imagine how the image will turn out as the chemical reactions that occur are both complex and unpredictable.

Wendy Mortimer Head Teacher CAPA

TAS

Semester 1 for Year 10 Bridge Design in TAS Reflection by Abbey Johnstone This term the topic was ‘Bridges’. In groups we were to create a bridge design then laser cut the pieces in Balsa wood. Other class work was the engineering drawing and a report. Given the freedom to work in groups to collaborate and design meant the classroom was less stressful. In this unit we learnt about bridges, the types, their uses and the physics of why they don’t collapse. We also learnt skills in collaboration and setting group goals. Reflection by Calvin Truswell In my personal opinion, collaborating with others was by far the most enjoyable aspect in our Balsa Wood bridge building unit. With the help of multiple people we can create new ideas from previous ones which in turn generates a sophisticated design process that couldn’t be replicated by just one person. Sharing the workload among a few people assists in making sure you put 100% effort into your own part of the project. This was also enjoyable as it creates a more stress free environment and makes you more comfortable in what you’re doing so your work is of a higher standard. A new skill that has been acquired from all this, is understanding and being fair about how you will share the work load. Group projects usually end in one person doing everything which is not equitable. My group created a plan, complete with roles so we knew exactly what we were doing. This created efficiency in our group project as we all cooperated and we were all appreciative of this.

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Reflection by Arjuna Edirisinghe Being able to design as well as test the bridge design was the most enjoyable aspect of this unit of work. It allowed us to be as creative as we wanted. Although it was sad to see all our hard work collapse in front of us, it was great to learn how the bridge broke and where the improvements could have been nmade. Being able to sketch your bridge design was also interesting because you needed to know all the rules on how to draw it. Although it was hard and time consuming, I did like the finished product. Before we started this unit, I had no clue how important bridges were. I only saw a bridge as a way to get from one place to another. But now I know the behind the scenes work to make a functional bridge. The theory component helped me immensley in the understanding of the types of bridges and especially how specific forces affects a bridge performance, such as tension and compression. I can’t look at a bridge the same way as I used to.

Engineering Technical Drawing

by Arjuna Edirisinghe

By Mia Vaughan: Year 10 Food Technology Year 10 Food Technology students have in the last term been exploring Injustice as it appears in the global food trade and more specifically the growing and trade of cocoa beans and the production of chocolate. This raised multiply issues concerning the breaches to Human Rights and more particularly the Rights of a Child. Developing this area further Year 10 examined the nature of poverty in Australia and around the world which then lead students in two directions. Firstly to explore whether it was possible to break the poverty cycle in third world countries long term and to examine a program being implemented by World Vision in Ethiopia with great success. Secondly students investigated a range of nutritional diseases that are quite unique to communities who experience extreme poverty and the impact these diseases have physiologically and economically on individuals and communities. Supporting their unit of work has also been the preparation of a range of recipes that use staple foods in contemporary cultural response.

The cooler autumn days have appeared and Year 10 Textiles and Design students will be ready with their textured filament yarn scarf. The class has been studying fibres, yarns and fabrics and have been busy making fabric with silk, wool and textured yarns. Silk paper has been made by layering silk fibres and a textile medium then machine embroidering to make a fabric. Wool fibres were wet felted to make a mobile phone case and the scarf has been made using solvee film and textured synthetic yarns. Students started the term with layering ripped fabrics under tulle and machine embroidering to create their zippered prism pouch. A Project Based Learning unit begins Term 2 and extends to the end of Term 3. Students will be asked to create their collaborative textile business, manufacture items from a range and promote their

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creations through their own website. Students will apply drawing skills and individual interests in this PBL unit of work. An excursion to view Akira Isogawa’s silk creations at the Power House Museum is planned for mid-May.

Prism pouches

Silk Paper

Felted wool mobile phone cases

Year 7 Technology Students in Year 7 have moved to their Term 2 classroom and have begun working on their next design challenge and new focus on technology. Engineering students last term tested their Rube Goldberg machine and this terms classes have begun experimenting with the six simple machines and their impact on society.

Mr Shelley explaining inclined planes

Zimbabwe project update:

A team of Year 11 students have devoted many hours in their free time to continue working on the ‘Zimbabwe Project’ initiated at this year’s GHS International Women’s’ Day. The international posting date is drawing closer and our students have been busy preparing fabrics for personal sanitary kits for school aged girls in Zimbabwe. This empowerment program allows girls in Zimbabwe to sew their own personal items from the kits prepared by our students. Our students are helping Zimbabwean girls continue their class time uninterrupted. A ‘meet time’ roster is outside TEX 1 if interested in helping – no sewing involved. You just need a humanitarian ideology as motivation.

Maxine Johnson Head Teacher TAS

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Our annual TAS excursion to TASmania19 was great! A fabulous group of Year 10 Technology and Applied Studies students travelled by Virgin airlines and two buses across Tasmania for 6 days visiting engineered structures, niche food businesses, timber and ICT designs and experiencing hands-on textiles. Students were able to compare bridge structures as they walked Launceston’s cataract gorge suspension bridge and Australia’s first bridge “The Richmond’. We all got lost in a corn maze, at least for a little while, until the code was cracked. We sampled boutique chocolate at Anvers, gourmet cheese at the Ashgrove dairy, paddock to plate fare at the Coal River Farm, organic strawberries from the field and smoked baby salmon from the unique 41 degrees South, Salmon and Ginseng farm. The world famous Salamanca markets displayed the many design talents of artisans across Tasmania and we’ll always remember ‘the little blue penguins’ spotted on the beach in north Tasmania, the many seahorses of Australia, the rescued Tasmanian devils and petting the baby Alpaca’s. Port Arthur’s and the Beaconsfield mine experience were moving and captured the unique history and tenacity of Tasmania’s identity. This annual excursion has a focus on engineered structures, the Australian food industry, textiles and timber design in a valuable ‘outside the classroom’ cross curricular year group experience in Tasmania. I thank the teachers who supervised the students for this six day excursion and the students for making new friends and embracing all the activities so enthusiastically to make this student experience valuable in so many ways. Student comments from the end of excursion survey were:

“The best thing was that we all became closer as a year group and some of the activities were better than expected such as the salmon farm.

The accommodation was really good but the food servings were too big

The whole experience was amazing! it was a great experience both socially and also full of learning interesting things! it was worth every cent as it is an all-round good time

I liked all of the historic places/museum things that we went to. My favourite place was Ross and I really enjoyed the on-bus guided tour. Grindelwald was also very pretty!

Port Arthur was much more interesting and better than I expected and it was amazing to learn about the many stories.

The best thing about the excursion would have been socialising with people that I normally wouldn’t. I also wasn’t expecting the Beaconsfield gold museum to be as fun and engaging as it was

Literally everything was amazing. MONA and all the animals and the maze was awesome.

I loved the Chocolate factory, the accommodation, everything was better than I expected it wasn't hyped enough which was good leaving me having fun and excited

I loved all the interactive activities; they were the most fun but also gave me hands-on, practical experience.

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LANGUAGES

HSC students now have the dates for their Speaking examinations. These will begin on Saturday 10th August and continue until Saturday 7th September. Exam dates for our students are: German Beginners Saturday 7th September French Continuers Saturday 24th August French Beginners Saturday 7th September Japanese Continuers Saturday 10th August Japanese Beginners Saturday 31st August In early June candidates will be officially informed of their examination centres and their times will be scheduled. We encourage all students to practise as much as possible to prepare for these exams. One way is to establish a ‘study buddy’ – a fellow student with whom they practise questions and responses. It is also very helpful for students to experience communicating with someone with whom they are not familiar, to accustom them to the exam situation. HSC Speaking Days have been organised by the various language associations and students have been encouraged to attend these days in order to experience mock HSC

exam conditions and receive feedback from a wide range of teachers. 2019 Japan Study Tour Between 10th-24th April 25 students accompanied by Ms Brownlee, Dr Brooker, Ms Daw and Mrs Johnson experienced a whirlwind tour of Japan, including a reciprocal visit to our sister school Kokubunji Metropolitan High School in the outer suburbs of Tokyo. The trip was once again a huge success thanks to the fantastic students and supportive staff who all worked together to keep smiling even when feet were hurting, and bins were nowhere to be found. We are very fortunate to be able to offer this opportunity to our students as it provides such a rich and authentic learning experience. We shared the details of where we went and what we did via the school Facebook page, but now we would like to share with you some student reflections and hear from them in their own words what made the trip meaningful and valuable.

Au revoir! さようなら ! auf Wiedersehen! from the

Languages staff

2019 Japan Study Tour – Student Reflections

This exchange program has been fun. The food is cheap, and the culture is amazing. During the trip the weather has been very nice most of the time. I’ve learnt so much on this trip, from new words to just new ways of living, this trip has taught me so much. Tokyo trains are so efficient and on time, unlike Australia where the trains are almost always late. The castles are massive and beautiful. Society here is so perfect and calm. Keisuke has been a great exchange person and his family is very open. They have opened their home to me as I did when Keisuke was in Australia. Whilst it may be short it is so great that I get to experience this country. I get to experience the Japanese life. I will miss Japan but hopefully I will come back at some point in the future. – James

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The exchange with Kokubunji High School has been fun and I have made new life-long friendships both with Kokubunji students and Gosford students. I have enjoyed the homestay and my homestay sister Hirona is so lovely! We ate delicious home cooked meals prepared by her mum Masami. I have experienced how Japanese people live and learn and I have compared that to Australia. This exchange has opened my eyes to travel and how others across the world live. I will remember this trip forever and I hope I keep in contact with Hirona and Masami for just as long! - Shelby

The exchange experience with Kokubunji students has been such a pleasure so far! I was really happy to meet the students again after getting to know them in Australia. I got to experience Japanese culture and lifestyle and I realised that there are so many differences between Japanese and Australian culture. Although I enjoyed the majority of my experience, I found that wearing slippers indoors at school was slightly uncomfortable. I’ve always known that Japanese is a much more developed country in comparison to Australia, but I was still amazed at the highly developed electronic devices (e.g. toilet seats). This was my first visit to Japan, and it was honestly incredible, I think I would choose to come back to this place with family and friends. I’m also really grateful for my host family and buddy, they are so sweet and caring. I was worried that I may feel homesick but

thanks to their kindness towards me I felt like I was home! ありがとうございました！- Judy

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The exchange program with Kokubunji High School and the whole trip has been amazing. Throughout the study tour we’ve visited so many amazing places and tried so many new things (whether its food, learning/trying to speak Japanese or experiences in general). Visiting both tragic (Hiroshima Peace Memorial) and exciting/lively places (Universal Studios Japan) has made the overall trip so valuable. Homestay has been another memorable and valuable part of the trip. Being able to stay with a Japanese family and attend a Japanese school has opened my eyes to how, deep down, we’re all really similar. The students have been so kind and welcoming and also so understanding about our level of knowledge of Japanese language and customs. Although I wasn’t able to host Kyoka when she was in Australia (I was on another school trip), the time I’ve spent with her has been amazing and really fun. I would highly recommend that people do this trip. It’s a while away from home (as we’re all realising) but it’s definitely worth it! – Lily

Overall the exchange with Bunji High School has definitely been very enjoyable and eventful. There are many positive aspects of this exchange program which include making new friends, learning the other culture, trying new things and essentially conversing with people about our time in the country. There are no negative aspects to this program! This program has taught me many new things and/or new experiences. They include but are not limited to developing my identity and who I am, enhancing my Japanese skills and experiencing different cultural customs. During this program I think I have become a more mature, responsible and diligent student. I would definitely recommend this exchange to other students as it is a once in a lifetime experience!! Also a great way to de-stress from the calamities and anxiety from high school This exchange will assist me in the future if I decide to take a job involving Japanese or Japan’s culture in general. I’d like to

thank all who made this holiday so enjoyable! いろいろありがとうございました！ -Bianca

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