SaintsNews

1Web Site - http://www.stjohnsparkhs.nsw.edu.au

UpdateKeep informed about changes at your school

Edition#1April, 2010

Swimming Carnival 2010Photographs and story inside

UPDATE Medieval Day - Year 8Photographs inside

Crazy Hair DayPhotographs and article inside

Where were you?Find out what happened on 29th July, 1969

HSC MERIT LISTOur successful students and their results

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Inside this Edition April 2010

Update

Disclaimer: St. John’s Park High School ensures by every means possible that student, parent and staff privacy in our photographs and written material is maintained. If photographs or written material offend or permission was not given please contact the school and notify our publications department. We regret and apologise for any embarrassment.

Photojournalists: Amanda CHEUANGHANEKatie BANH Rebecca DUPONKim HUALena KAKOAnita KEIGALDIECatherine LAI Lisa NGUYENMadison WONGEden ZHANGDonna LU

Contributors:Mrs C. GloverMrs V. StevensMs N. OlivierMr M. Iqbal

Emai l: s t johnspk-h.schoo l@det .nsw.edu.au.

Cover: Swimming Carnival - “Flippers” Photograph by Katie Banh Year 11

MAIN EVENTSWIMMING CARNIVAL 2010

An excellent turnout for this year’s Swimming Carnival. House Patrons were eager to get their supporters into the swing of things achieving points for their House. Rothmony Bun Hoor of Year 10 was an enthusiastic supporter for Epsilon.

Photograph of Rothmony Bun Hoor (Yr10)

Committee:Principal: Mrs S. French

Editor: Ms. M. Hampson Art Director: Mr. M. Herger

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Our student’s successes at the School Certificate, Higher School Certificate and in NAPLAN were pleasing. Our results continue to be generally higher than similar schools. Our 186 Year 12 students received 104 university offers according to the Universities Admissions Centre. The details of our achievements will be elaborated on in the school’s Annual School Report that will be published and disseminated during Term 2.

We were deeply saddened at the loss of our esteemed colleague Phil Barker. Phil was a gifted teacher who enjoyed every moment of his time at St John’s Park High School. He was highly regarded by current and former students. He had many loyal and loving friends and colleagues. A memorial service was held at the school on 9 March 2010.

We welcome Steve Moisidis our new Head Teacher English. Steve has been at the school since October 2009 and has fitted in well with staff and students alike. I am pleased at how he has continued

to establish a culture of excellence in the English Faculty.

Currently there is a great deal of work being carried out at the school: • The refurbishment of all of our Science laboratories has commenced and will be completed by 14 May.

• The Languages Laboratory is underway and will be completed by 20 May. This will give the school state of the art Languages facilities.

• Storage in Visual Arts is to be replaced within the next two months.

• After years of burst water mains, new mains will be laid during the Autumn holidays.

In addition we are planning• to refurbish the School

Canteen to bring it up to industry standards

• to rebuild the Basketball Courts to ensure the safety of all students using the area

Sue French

2010 will be an exciting year for St John’s Park High School.....

Building Transitions...

Languages centre

Visual Arts rooms

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Update

JASON TRAN YEAR 12

2009

The School sends its condolences to the family, friends, school mates and teachers of Jason Tran who died in a tragic car accident in September.

Above:Year 12 Memorial to Jason which was located in the MPC for students and teachers.

It is with great sadness & honour that I pay tribute and celebrate the life of our friend, teacher and mentor, Mr Philip Barker on behalf of the St John’s Park High School community, both past and present.Mr Barker was an extraordinarily gifted teacher who had an amazing depth of knowledge which he imparted to his students with ease, which is no easy task. He was born to teach. His soul deep passion for what he did every day in the classroom was reflected by the high level of respect he received from our students at St John’s Park High. He believed in encouraging ALL students to reach their true potential, inspired them to set goals and supported them in experiencing success. He was also a valued Year Advisor twice over.Phil loved Volley Ball and successfully coached School, Zone and Regional teams achieving outstanding results which earned him high regard both at school and in sporting circles. I still remember Phil religiously training his Volleyball teams and even taking one team to New Zealand in the school holidays.I will always remember Phil’s wicked sense of humour……………… When I arrived at St John’s Park High School, Phil convinced me that, as the newest member of the English Faculty, I had to bake a cake each week. And I stupidly believed him. It wasn’t until six months later that someone else explained this wasn’t the case.He had many interests. He loved to swim, ride his bike, read mystery books and especially his border collie, Jess. He and Jess were inseparable. Gardening was a true passion with Phil and he was a font of knowledge on the gardening world.He also loved Trivial Quiz games and would participate one night a week as a member of the St John’s Park High School Staff team. He knew it ALL!Phil did endure great pain and suffering in life, but faced all with courage, privacy and great dignity. He never complained and always wore a smile.I look around at this huge gathering and see many faces from Phil’s life and know this is a testament to the love and high regard in which he was held. I know we will all miss him, but will treasure the impact he had on our lives.

Eulogy spoken by Mrs J Andrew at Mr Barker’s Funeral on behalf of staff and students of St. John’s Park High School.

Vale Mr Barker

26.12.1958-15.02.2010

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NewsSaintsCongratulations....

2009 HSC Honour Roll

HSC Merit List 2009(90 – 100)

Business Studies Angela Ostojic Mouy Charles Tan

Community and Family Studies Diana Barbrian

History Extension Samantha Siv

Legal Studies David Thai

Macedonian Continuers Angela Rabadzievska

Mathematics Extension 2 Allan DiepChi Cuong KimThi My Khanh LeTam Minh NguyenPhuc Kieu Diem Phung

Mathematics Extension 1Michael FarahChi Cuong Kim

Mathematics Michael FarahStephanie Phuong Truong

Modern History David Thai

Music Wendy Nguyen

PDHPE Diana Barbrian

Visual Arts

Laura Torreblanca

Automotive Phillip Dearle

Business Studies Karmen CheungKevin CortezCarina LamPaul LeLisa LinKenneth MillerAmanda NguyenGeorge Thanh Hai Nguyen

Community and Family Studies Rabieh El-SayedAmy MoralesCaroline Nguyen

Earth and Environmental Science William HongAngela Ostojic

English Advanced Lisa LinJeannette Ta

Hospitality Siewlee Chen

Information Processes and Technology Michael FarahWilliam HongJason SetiawanNelson Kim Tran

Khmer Continuer Bunhab Chiv

Legal StudiesJacqueline DuongSamantha Siv

Mathematics Extension 2Tuyet Nham ( Tina) Phan

Mathematics Tiffany HongTanmayta KaurAmanda NguyenLisa NguyenLe Bich Tuyen Joanne PhamCynthia QuangJason SetiawanMouy Charles TanDavid Thai

Mathematics General Kevin CortezJames D’CunhaRabieh El-SayedPhillip Roberts

PDHPE Kevin CortezJames D’CunhaRabieh El-SayedSamantha Siv

Physics Karmen Cheung

Society and Culture George Thanh Hai Nguyen Visual Arts Jeannette Ta

HSC Merit List 2009(85-90)

Update

Community news On the 13th August 2009 we had our first community meeting with the Principal Ms. Sue French who explained our School Planning – School Development – Subject Selections and NAPLAN. Parents were also shown how an Interactive White Board is used and how it could be used with other schools and students for sharing ideas, teaching and learning and communication.

Ms. French explained in detail how the graphs in our Annual School Report indicated how the students of St. John’s Park High School performed compared with the state and similar schools. She also explained how our SMS to parents is a positive and important aspect to student safety. As the Community Liaison Officer I will be informing parents/carers by letter of our next meeting. We hope to have a meeting once a term and we look forward to seeing as many people attend as possible.

As Community Liaison Officer for St John’s Park High School I am looking forward to promoting and facilitating effective partnership and networks among the school staff, students, parents and carers and the wider community by:

• Improving and maintaining regular, meaningful, two-way

communication between the school and its community on educational goals

• Encouraging and supporting the participation of parents and carers in decision – making processes about their children’s learning, especially in Literacy and Numeracy

• Facilitating the establishment and implementation of parent groups in consultation and collaboration with the school and its community

• Collaborating with regional support teams, community officers and other community agencies that contribute to and support students’ achievements in Literacy, Numeracy and engagement in schooling

• Developing a register of community resources available to the school community

If I can be of any help in supporting you in any area listed above please do not hesitate to call on me.

Maria Newton.Community Liaison Officer.

School Captains 2010

Introducing our new School Captains for 2010.

Left to Right:Michael Grasso and Christine Vo (Captains), Christina Truong and Thomas Giang (Vice-Captains)

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WELCOME TO YEAR 6 Update

On the 11th of March 2010 - St. John’s High School played host to 150 students from our local Primary Schools. Year 10 and 11 students played chaperones for the day, during which students made visits to all the faculties. Parents were keen to find out information about our school and were given tours and information packs on the day.

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(Photos by Amanda Cheuanghane Year 12)

On the 23rd September, 2009 the Year 12 ESL class had a fantastic BBQ lunch to celebrate the end of their studies. We had kangaroo as well as other more conventional meats. Thanks to Ms Becker for helping to prepare the food and for providing the sausages. It wouldn’t be an Aussie BBQ without snags or coleslaw, so we had that too.

Many students brought items of food. Harry Vo provided the bread rolls from his aunt’s bakery in Greenfield Park. Sweedlana brought in olives that her mum had pickled. Delicious! We also had fruit salad and soft drinks.

Not only did we share food and drinks together, but we also shared the best memories with our ESL teacher, Mrs Glover, who has been teaching ESL students at St John’s Park High School for 3 years.

Bunhab (Ben) Chiv

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ESL’s aussie BBQ!

Update

Update

Congratulations

Jack Tea (Year 8 2009) was placed in the last 8 winners of the Australia-wide “Google” Banner Competition - a

highly prestigious event. Through online voting, Jack was competing against other students from inter-state. His doodle (pictured) was extremely well received by voters but didn’t quite get him over the line to win the overall competition.

Well done Jack on your efforts!

As an Optometrist, I see patients everyday who come in with tired eyes or headaches. This is usually because their eyes are strained as they try and utilise their eyes more than their eyes can handle. This could easily be avoided by ensuring that you maintain good visual hygiene.So here are a few tips to follow:1.Take regular breaks! I cannot stress this enough. Whether you

are on the computer, reading a book or doing your homework, your eyes need to take regular breaks from near work. Just follow this simple rule of thumb: every 45 minutes of close work, take a 15 minute break. Now it doesn’t mean you can have a short break watching television because that’s not giving your eyes a rest. The best way is to look out a window and look at objects far away, making sure you can see the objects clearly or even just closing your eyes will give you the same benefits.

2. Make sure that you have good lighting when you are reading. Using only a desk lamp or a bedside lamp is not enough. There should be general illumination in the room, so keep your room lights on.

3. Don’t read too close to your work. Make sure that you don’t go any closer than the distance from your knuckle to your elbow, when you have your knuckles against your cheek. This is a quick and easy way to check that you are at the right distance from your

I see you...

TREES purify the environment, increase the natural resources, maintain the ecological balance, prevent soil erosion and provide nutrients to the soil.

The Year 9 and Year 10 Agriculture students and staff members organized a National Tree Plantation day in school on August the 4th, 2009.

Prior to the plantation activity, students were briefed about the significance of native trees, how to plant them and their care after. A perfect day plus the enthusiasm shown by our students resulted in a successful Tree Day. We planted fifty five native trees and bush plants around our school, complementing our school and making it a more welcoming place. Our students embraced the idea of nurturing our environment and demonstrated great pride in their achievement.

Mrs Sue French, Principal of St. John’s Park High School planted a tree in the school and raised the awareness and the importance of the trees. Our special thanks go to Fairfield Council who provided native trees and native bush plants on this occasion.

Mr. Iqbal (Agriculture)

Update

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NewsSaintsreading material. You will find that to ensure you keep an adequate distance away from your work, it is easier to do this when you are sitting at a desk. Try not to read in bed as people tend to bring their books closer than the knuckle-to-elbow distance.

4.Keep a balance between your indoor and outdoor activities. This prevents your eyes from getting overworked and strained, which may lead to visual adaptations such as short sightedness. So for every hour that you spend reading, try to match it with an hour spent doing outdoor activities such as bike riding, basketball, football etc.

If you can keep to these simple tips then this will help reduce the likelihood of tired, strained eyes.

Now for the fun part! Here are a couple of interesting activities that play tricks on the eyes: See if you can read the following passage:I cnduo’t bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I was rdnaieg. Unisg the icndeblire pweor of the hmuan mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whoutit a pboerlm. Tihs is bucseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey ltteer by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.Too easy? Have a look at the next picture. Can you see a horse or a frog? It’s all a matter of perspective.

Christina Tu (NSW Health)

GUESS WHO?Who am I?

See page 31 for the answer.

national tree day

national tree day

Book Review

Teacher Book Review with our Librarian, Ms Ward

What book are you currently reading?“Skin Trade” by Laurel K. Hamilton

What is it about?A Vampire slayer receives a head in the mail. She goes to Las Vegas to kill the Vampire who sent it to her.

What other books do you like reading?Sci-Fi; urban fantasy, adventure like “The Da Vinci Code”.

What attracts you to a book?The author or different worlds to enter. Blurbs on the back of books which sound interesting.

Once read, what makes you like a book?How the different world involves you as the reader. Wanting to see what happens next and sympathy/ empathy for it’s main characters.

What other attractions do you like in reading?Things that make ‘sense’ with the parameters of the world created by the author.

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Sean attended the 35th Annual Science School in July, 2009. This involved a program of lectures on the theme of Genes to Galaxies which was held over two weeks at Sydney University. This photo shows Sean and a student from Fairfield High School with The Governor of NSW Marie Bashir.

Students came from all over the world to attend this prestigious event as shown in table below

Australia 88 New Zealand 5Canada 2 Singapore 5China 5 Thailand 7India 5 UK 5Japan 10 USA 5Malaysia 5

Labscene

The photo below shows the hovercraft Sean’s team made to compete in the Hover Frenzy Challenge. Sean achieved the fastest time for the obstacle and drag races and really enjoyed this experience.

Hopefully keen Science students from St John’s Park High School will follow in Sean’s footsteps in the future and attend this Science School.

Well done SeanJ GrayHT Science

On the 24th September 2009, the Home Economics Faculty finally received officially their new Industrial Standard Kitchen after a 2 month refurbishment. The event was highlighted by the official cutting of the tape by 2009 School Captains and Vice Captains and a sumptuous meal cooked by Hospitality students.

Home Economics Kitchen Opening

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YEAR 8 MEDIEVAL DAY

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On the 29th of October, Year 8 participated in an Incursion based on Medieval Europe which we had been studying in class. The day was action-packed with fun activities ahead of us. These included chaotic combat, shooting with archery, using a minor trebuchet, trying on heavy armour as well as holding numerous weapons.

We were split into three groups and rotated to each activity. In each activity we were given a brief summary on its use in Medieval history. The presenters were very humorous with their sarcastic comments as well as their strange costumes. When participating in the combat, we were split into two groups (girls vs boys) and we were taught how two armies would address each other in a real battle. Best of all, we got to charge and hit each other but sadly, it was only foam swords and shieldsL. The next activty was archery. We all had to aim at a particular target and let us tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks. At this stage, we also had the opportunity to use a small trebuchet which catapulted tennis balls. That too wasn’t easy but just as fun. At the last activity, we had the privilege of trying on different forms of armour such as: helmets, chainmail, breast plates, visors and greaves. We also held weapons such as: maces, lances and swords.

All of these activities were enjoyable but overall, in our opinion, the live joust was the very best part of it all. Three competitors riding on their horses charging at each other with a lance from one end of the Hockey Field to the other. We were all allocated a horse and knight to cheer for so there was a loud and competitive atmosphere. At the end of the joust we had the chance to pat each of the three horses.

Year 8 had a very exciting and exhilarating day. Many thanks go out to the History Staff for organizing this extraordinary event. Written By FIOLENE MAMEA & JADE QUEIPO

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On Wednesday, 25th May 2009, 6am, when every other student would be just getting out of bed, more than 240 selected students were boarding buses to go to the University of Western Sydney in Campbelltown. We were chosen to represent our individual schools as Ambassadors for Public Education in the Sydney South West Region. The day was organised to allow the opportunity for students ranging from as young as 5 years old to 18 years to voice their ideas and opinions. It was also a great chance for me to meet students from other schools.

Once we arrived at the campus we were to find our name tags and move into groups according to the area we were from. Our school is part of the Hoxton Park area so I was placed in a group with other students from schools like Leppington Primary and Hoxton Park High.

The day started with an introduction in the Auditorium. We were explained our roles and expectations and what past Ambassadors have achieved. The role of Ambassador for Public Education meant that I was expected to promote and improve Public Education at my school. Once we were given our itineraries, we split into our assigned groups and were sent off to workshops.

The first workshop I did required us to work in our groups to complete set tasks. We were given pictures of Ambassadors and

were asked to discuss what made them good Ambassadors. We were then asked to play a set of games that were aimed at testing our leadership skills and teamwork abilities.

We were given a break and it gave me a chance to walk around and meet new people. After our little break, we were once again placed in our groups and participated in university activities. This included hands-on experience with reptiles like snakes and lizards. We were also given a chance to make a cast on a friend’s arm, watch a Mock Trial and we were given a 101 Chemistry lesson.

After a fun filled day, everyone was starting to get tired and wanted to go home, but of course we still had the Awards Ceremony to attend. So we all filed onto the buses and prepared for an hour drive to Revesby Workers Club. Finally, after a long, noisy ride we arrived at the club and all made our way up to Reception. We rehearsed our acceptance of our awards and seating plans then moved off to dinner.

After dinner, we went back to the Reception Hall and enjoyed talks from notable figures and performances from dance groups and singers. We received our certificates and badges and the ceremony ended with the announcement of the ten Regional Ambassadors. Unfortunately I wasn’t one of them.

All in all I was extremely happy to be chosen for the position of Ambassador for our school. I met some really fantastic people and learned about all the ways I can help improve the education at our school.

By Cathleen Phimdert, Yr 10 SRC member & House Captain

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CRAZY HAIR DAY

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On Friday March 12th 2010, the students had fun on Crazy Hair Day. The SRC collected the $2 coin donation for World Greatest Hair Shave Day for the Leukemia Foundation. The SRC sprayed lots of colour and glitter in your hair. The students had fun spraying the hair at Recess and Lunch. Everybody had a good time during Hair Spray Day.

By Amanda Cheuanghane

(Photos by Amanda Cheuanghane Year 12)

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MAIN EVENTSWIMMING

We had a number of participants for each Age Group and the Age Champions were awarded as follows:

Event Age M/F Name House

School SwimmingAge Champions 2010

12 YrsF -M PAZ, Matias Epsilon

13 YrsF ALLOMES, Caroline Gamma

M HUYNH, BryanMARSH, Lachlan

AlphaAlpha

14 YrsF BENIAMEN, Dena

CHUNG, IsabellaBetaBeta

M WATKINS, Hayden Epsilon

15 YrsF NGUYEN, Julyanne AlphaM MALI, Luka Gamma

16 YrsF PHIMDERT, Cathleen BetaM STEWART-WELLS, K Alpha

17+ YrsF LAM, Candy M D’CUNHA, Mitchell Alpha

On Monday the 5th of March the Lansdowne Zone Swimming Carnival was held at Prairevale

Leisure Centre. We had a small but effective team of 17. At this year’s carnival we were placed

4th overall which is an improvement by 1 place from 2009. We had one Age Champion in the

Zone, this was Matais Paz for the 12 year old Boys. Bryan Huynh from Year 8 also had a very

successful carnival breaking 3 records including the 100m Freestyle, 50m Freestyle and 100m

Breaststroke. He also came 1st in the 14yrs Backstroke and the 200m Individual Medley. Our

boys 13 years old Relay team had won their event and included Bryan Huynh, Matais Paz, Jason

Lam and Lachlan Marsh.

On Monday the 15th of March the Sydney South West Swimming Carnival was held at Birrong

Swimming Centre. Here students were competing to make the State Swimming Carnival. We

had one very successful competitor which was Bryan Huynh of Year 8. He came first in the

100m Freestyle and the100m Breaststroke, where he in fact broke Ian Thorpe’s record. He also

came second in the 50m Freestyle. Bryan will go on to compete at the State Carnival later this

term.

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MAIN EVENT

Carnival

THE SWIMMERS17Edition One 2010

MAIN EVENT

The Supporters

SWIMMING

On Friday 5th of February we had our Annual School Swimming Carnival. It was a great day with lots of people getting involved in all the races and house competitions. The houses looked fantastic with everyone decorating their colours to make their house stand out. In the end the winner of the best decorated house was Alpha and the best costume went to Epsilon! Next was the War Cry competition. Each house had to scream their chant the loudest to win Gamma house won.

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Photographs by Madison Wong Year 11

The Supporters

MAIN EVENT

Carnival

It was a really fun day that everyone enjoyed. After all the races were finished the scores were - EPSILON 4th place, ALPHA 3rd place, GAMMA in 2nd place and BETA in 1st place! Thank you to the P.E. Faculty and House Patrons for a fun filled day!Natalie Cooper (Promotions Captain)

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SWIMMING MAIN EVENT

Carnival

Behind the Scenes

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MAIN EVENT

Behind the Scenes

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Photographs by Madison Wong Year 11

Photographs by Katie Banh Year 11

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Ms. Hampson“I was 10 years old and in 5th class at Primary School. I remember lessons being cancelled and sitting in a double classroom with the folding doors opened to accommodate as many students as possible. As I recall I was sitting cross-legged on a mat as all good primary students do, watching the telecast on an old fashioned black and white television. I can remember exactly where I was sitting in that room to this day. I knew something important was happening but the pictures themselves seemed blurred and strange. I don’t think I appreciated the full impact of the event until later in life when I realized that I had been privileged enough to witness history in the making.”

Ms. Greene“I was 22 years old, working as a laboratory technician in the research laboratory of Rothman’s of Pall Mall, Ferndell Street Granville. A TV was made available in the employee’s canteen so that staff could watch the moon landing during their break (we were not given time off to watch). I was fortunate enough to be having lunch during the actual landing and moon walk and saw it as it happened.”

Mrs. Andrew“I was a “little” person (toddler) so I truly do not

Where were you ON???

know nor remember what I was doing. But I’m sure I was doing exactly what my Mum told me to do. After all apparently I was the perfect child!”

Mrs. Prasad“On 20th July 1969 I went to school. I was in Year 7. Everybody was very excited as people were landing on the moon. We all went outside at night and were trying to see if we could see man walking on the moon. As we had no TV we were listening to the radio news on the latest developments by the astronauts on the moon.”

Mrs. Draper“I was in Year 1 at Glendale Primary School and the whole school (about 150 of us) were seated cross- legged in the Kindergarten classroom to watch the moon landing on a big black and white TV that the school had rented for that specific purpose (we only ever had radio programmes in school). It was all very exciting!”

Mr. Mifsud“I was glued to the TV most of the day. In the evening I went to my cousin’s place. We celebrated his daughter’s birthday.”

Mr. Sherry“I was sitting in the Science Lab watching the moon landing on a black and white TV.”

Last year was the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landing. We asked some of the staff (who were old enough) where they were on the 29th July, 1969.

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Ms. Ward“Sitting on the floor at the school cleaner’s house watching the telecast. (Anyone close by who had a TV and worked at Wenty Public had kids over to watch it).”

Mr. Barker“FYI I wasn’t even born in 1969!!! Although just supposing I had been alive on July 20 1969 then I might have been in 5th class at Hornsby Public School. A pre- birth memory would have me and the entire school sitting in the open area on the first floor watching the event on a huge old TV (b/w of course). I can’t actually say I understood what I was watching or why it was significant. On the other hand I can remember where I was and what I was doing so it obviously had an impact.”

Mr. Zborowski“On the day of the moon landing, I attended my Mathematics 101 Lecture at the Wallace Theatre at Sydney University. My Maths lecturer Mrs Dr. Lynch, bespectacled, middle aged red hair tied in a bun, wearing a white dust coat (lecturers still used chalk 40 years ago). She was also a stern disciplinarian who never wasted a minute of lecture time. Mrs Lynch decided to cancel the lecture at approx. 11.20 a.m. She intimated that the moon landing was about to occur and this being such a historical event we should find a TV and watch it live. I walked to the Students Union, Holme Building and gathered around a TV with more than 50 other students and watched the astronauts landing on the moon just after 12 noon Sydney time. The original live images from the moon were transmitted to the USA via Australia’s Honeysuckle Creek Astronomical Observatory and then relayed to the USA. It was calculated that at the time of

the landing, USA observatories would not be in direct line with the moon space vehicle so signals from the moon were sent via Australia.”

Ms. French“I was in Year 7 at High School. My school was the largest in NSW at that time – 2000 students on 2 campuses. My school was Caringbah High and in those days Year 7 was called First Form. We watched the landing in the School Hall on a black and white TV with a screen of about 60cm in size. We couldn’t really see much but we were very excited.”

Mr. Sparke “ I can remember being in Kindergarten at school, it was a cold day and I had to wear shorts. We were all squashed into one classroom and we sat on mats. A teacher had brought in her black and white TV from home and we watched Neil Armstrong step out onto the moon, somewhere amongst the snowflakes that came from the lousy reception on the TV”

Mrs Stevens “I was a student at Berala Primary School. We were made to sit cross-legged on the floor in the School Hall to watch a small black and white TV on the stage to see this historic event. We went into the Hall at 9am and sat there (without moving or talking) watching a static image of the space craft until lunch time. While we were allowed out to have our lunch, the space module’s door opened and man walked on the moon. We had sat for many hours waiting for something to happen and then missed it! I went home that day and saw the replay on the evening news. I can remember feeling disappointed because the landing would prove that the moon was not made of cheese and that there was not a man who lived in the moon.”

HomeworkCentrEThe Homework Centre is open every Tuesday and Thursday between 3 and 5pm. Two teachers will be available to help supervise and assist you with your queries. Light refreshments are also available.Looking forward to seeing you there! All welcome!

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The Chisari Code

Part 3In the last of our series of clues to a mystery event in History known only to Mr Chisari. Try to unravel the clues to solve the riddle. All will be revealed in Edition 2.

Clue Eight : Who does this pipe belong to?

Answer:_______________________________

Clue Nine: Do you know the name of this famous ship?

Answer: _______________________________

Clue Ten: Who wore this ceremonial outfit in 1945?

Answer: _____________________

Clues to Edition 3:Clue Four: HiroshimaClue Five: A form of Radiation Poisoning.Clue Six: NAGASAKIClue Seven:Supreme War Council of Japan

Name: ___________________ Class:_____(Hand in your answers to Ms Hampson (History) or Mr Herger (Visual Arts). All entries receive a Merit Certificate and the drawn winner for this Edition will receive a Canteen Voucher. The winner with the most correct answers will receive a $20 Voucher. There were no winners in our last edition.)

Mr Debrincat has co-ordinated the Paper Recycling for the past 14 years at St John’s Park

High School. For the past 13½ years this was a free service where it didn’t cost the school any money to empty the bins. Just recently our previous paper collector – “VISY Recycling” - started to charge the school $5 per bin, which equated to $100 per week (as we had 20 wheelie bins). This was going to cost the school $4000 a year to empty the Paper Recycling. Mr Debrincat wasn’t too happy about having to be charged to have the paper collected, so he decided to call around to find a paper recycling company that would be happy to collect the paper for free. He was successful and now our new recycling collector is called “GRIMA – Recycling”. Thank you GRIMA Recycling. The money that we have saved will be placed to better use rather than in the bin!

By: Amanda Cheuanghane, Bianca Masling, Emile Kanaan, Dominic Cali, Tony Troung and Dennis Crump.

Only throw paper or cardboard into the recycling boxes.

Teachers and students are encouraged to dispose all paper and cardboard into the recycling boxes that are located in the classrooms and staffrooms.

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Recycling SJPHSEmptying the cardboard recycling boxes located in the classrooms and the staffrooms – Safety First!

For safety we need to bend our knees and keep a straight back when lifting the cardboard boxes into the wheelie bins.

Helping each other to carry a heavy recycling cardboard box – Safety First!

When the recycling box is too heavy to lift and overfilled, ask for someone to help you lift the cardboard recycling box. “Many hands make light work”.

Collecting the blue wheelie bins on Tuesdays.

The full wheelie bins are collected from the Canteen, Staffrooms, Classrooms, the Office, the Library and the Print Room on Tuesdays and are wheeled towards the collection site, which is located behind the English Staffroom.

Making sure that we keep our school clean.

When tipping the recycling box into the blue wheelie bin, some paper may fall on the floor. We then need to pick it up and place it into the wheelie bin to keep our school clean and tidy.

Recycling wheelie bins collection site - waiting to be emptied

The full recycling wheelie bins are lined up on Tuesday’s outside the English Staffroom to get emptied. This area is known as the “Collection Site”.

The recycling bins are emptied on Wednesday.

Returning empty wheelie bins.

On Thursday the bins are now empty and they are returned to most Staffrooms and workrooms.

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Edition One 2010 25

POMPEII EXHIBITION EXCURSION

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It was a cold Winter’s evening on Wednesday 1st July when 75 Ancient History students from Years 11 and 12 and 5 teachers met at Sydney’s Central Railway Station to board the Intercity train to Melbourne. We were on our way to Melbourne to see the Pompeii Exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. It was a very long 12 hours overnight on the train. We passed the time talking, eating, listening to music and taking part in the great card tournaments. A few of us actually got a few hours sleep! On arrival at Southern Cross Station we were met by the Youth Hostel staff who took our luggage, leaving us free to walk to the Melbourne Museum.The exhibition had been open less than a week and it was very busy. However, we were able to walk

straight in and look at the artefacts. It was a spectacular exhibition, displaying some of the very famous remains from Pompeii and Herculaneum, including the plaster casts of people and animals. We saw a 3D movie on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and it was as if we were really there experiencing the terror and destruction. We all spent time in the Gift Shop purchasing our souvenirs and books. We left the Museum to walk to the Queen Victoria Markets for lunch and shopping. Feeling much refreshed, we walked to The Old Melbourne Gaol. As we walked

it started to rain. As one group started our tour of the Gaol, the other group went to the Melbourne State Library to view Ned Kelly’s armour and weapons.The Gaol

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26 Edition One 2010

InboundsOutboundswas cold, dark and rather spooky. Our guide showed us the beam where Ned Kelly was hung and took us through the cells and described the crimes of some of the prisoners and showed us the racks

where prisoners were whipped. Still the rain fell. The other group arrived from the Library and started their tour. It continued to grow darker and some students were really feeling the atmosphere.From the Gaol we went to the Melbourne Metro Youth Hostel. Our accommodation was warm and comfortable and we enjoyed our dinner. Afterwards we had a game of Twister, being played by some energetic and agile students, while others played continuous pool. This was hysterical and of course the teacher team always seemed to win! Most people were tired and glad to

go to sleep in our comfortable beds.Next morning, after breakfast we had the new experience of catching a tram to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The tour of the MCG was fascinating as we saw the player dressing rooms, commentary rooms and corporate boxes. We watched the Victorian Cricket Team practising in the indoor nets and walked up the ramp that Michael Jackson walked up to appear to

the crowds at his Victorian concert. After touring the grounds we went to the National Sports Museum. Comments like “…this is awesome” were common. Our students were able to test their expertise as we experienced the Interactive Room. Here we could shoot holographic arrows at targets, experience laser-sensored bowling action at cricket targets and beat the speed of our computer competitors on the cycles.That afternoon we were given a choice of activities. We could go to the National Gallery of Victoria, catch the tourist tram around Melbourne, have a picnic by the Yarra River or go shopping in the CBD. We all met up a few hours later in Federation Square to go to Southern Cross Station to book our luggage in and then go shopping at DFO. That night we again had a 12 hour trip back to Sydney on the train. This time more weary students tried to find comfortable positions to sleep in. This was an almost impossible task! We arrived at Central Railway Station very early on Saturday morning, ready to go home to sleep.The Year 11 and 12 students were exceptionally well behaved and a pleasure to take to Melbourne. All did as they were told and could be trusted at all times. A special thank you must be extended to Mr Chisari, Ms Tuake, Ms Walker, Mr Daoud and Mrs Stevens for organising and taking us on the excursion. It was an experience that we will never forget.

Mrs. V. Stevens (HT History) on behalf of Year 11 and 12.

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27Edition One 2010

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On the 8th September 2009 the English Faculty invited the author, Jenny Hale to conduct a number of workshops with Year 8 and Year 10 students. Students were introduced to the process of writing novels and the importance of developing ideas from research. Jenny’s book “Jatta” was highly praised by students.

Writer’s TALK

28 Edition One 2010

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Brendan Berkley, our young Senior athlete, did really well again this year at our Annual Athletics Carnival. His results and the places he came is proof of the endurance and power he has. Although he came 5th in the 100m and 4th in the 200m, he came 1st in the 1500’s and 2nd in the 800m.

Brendan has alot of endurance and builds up his power throughout the race to end it well. Brendan has slow twitch muscles, usually the people with better endurance, instead of a sprinter who has fast twitch muscles.

Brendan is not only a good runner, he also did quite well in the other events: 1st in Hurdles, 1st in Long Jump and 2nd in Triple Jump. He also came 1st in High Jump and in Discus representing our school in the Zone.

Brendan is also doing very well in Soccer. He has been training for a tourney for about 3 months in the Sydney FC Youth Team. The Sydney FC Youth Team is becoming a Sydney FC Youth Academy and although it is not open for tryouts yet, Brendan has a good chance of already holding a place.

This Academy will also be versing other Academies throughout Australia, a great opportunity for Brendan and also a good reference to becoming a professional football (Soccer) player in the future.

Questions that were asked of Brendan:

Who is your role model? “Steven Gerrard”

Why? “He is the Captain of the Liverpool team in England, a great team leader and I also play the same position as him”.

Where do you get your motivation? “Generally from my friends, and my family. My dad has always been a good support, driving me to practices and being there for me and giving me advice”.

What do you want to do after you leave school? “A professional football player, probably starting small in Australia and working my way up to England”.

By Christina Troung (Year 12)

Brendan berkley

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Edition One 2010 29

Once again St John’s Park High School’s Table Tennis team has returned from a prestigious tournament as winners. The Challenge Cup Championship organised by Table Tennis NSW on the 5th March 2010 at Homebush Olympic Park aimed to determine different age groups champions amongst young students in the state.

Isabella Chung and her partner Jennifer Quach competed in the NSW Secondary Schoolgirls Intermediate or Under 16 Section. They emerged as 2010 Champions after beating Cerdon College convincingly in the Finals.

In the NSW Senior Challenge Championship, we have Emma Pham (Year 11) and Christina Troung (Year 12) who competed in the Senior Girls Section and came Third in the State. Christopher Bui and Ian Lauv, both Year 10, came second in the Intermediate or U16 Boys Section.

The twin brothers,Kevin and Steven Lam, competed in the Secondary Schoolboys Section. They are the reigning Champions for the last four years and were disappointed with second placing this year after losing to Chester Hill High School in a very close game, but hey, SECOND in the STATE is quite cool. Come on twins….should be proud. Four out of 5 is not bad!

Isabella would like to say “thanks to teachers, Mr.D.Ho, Mr.C.Kaing, and Mr.T.Dang for sacrificing all their time in coaching our team. Also special thanks to the twins, Kevin and Steven Lam and Tien from PCYC in the finer points of coaching”

All in, they amassed 10 medals in the first competition this year. Not a bad start for our school. It isn’t a surprise that there are so many successful Table Tennis players at St John’s Park High, as the school has been having after school training sessions every week, each lasting two hours, for the last fifteen years. Keep up the good work!

We are encouraging new students, especially from Year 7 and 8, to join us if they can stay back on Friday’s from 2.55 to 4.25 or 5.00pm in the MPC. However they first must obtain a permission note from Mr Ho and get parental consent before training begins.

By Cathleen Phimdert and Daly Sphabmixay (Year11)

saints on top of the table

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Edition One 201030

Photo by Kim Hua Year 11

Edition One 2010 31

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Can you find Wall-e?

Located in one photograph in this Edition lurks the ever present “Wall-e” the Robot. Can you find him in this edition? Here he is in the last Edition.

BackChat

Can you solve the puzzle?

Art Puzzle

Do you know the name of this painting? Cut the pieces out and rearrange them.(Answer in Edition 2)

Edition 3 Artwork was “The Scream” by Edvard Munch.

GUESS WHO?

From Page 9Mr. Illich(PE Teacher)

Congratulations

Congratulations to Nhung Tran, Jennifer Madden and Lina Lim who were awarded Merit Certificates in the Ilford School’s Photographic Competition. Well done!

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Edition One 201032

Name: ______________________________________ Class: _____________

Q1. Who are our School Captains for 2010?

___________________________________________________________________________

Q2. Which competition did Jack Tea enter and win a prize?

___________________________________________________________________________

Q3. What is the title of the book Ms Ward is reading?

___________________________________________________________________________

Q4. Which High School did Ms. French attend in Year 7 (1st Form)?

___________________________________________________________________________

Q5. Who wrote “Jatta”?

___________________________________________________________________________

Q6. Who is Brendan Berkley’s role model?

___________________________________________________________________________

B ackchat

BackChat

Tear this page off the back, answer the questions and write your name at the top. To be a winner place your entry in the box marked “SaintsNews” in the Art or History Staffrooms.

Prizes will be awarded for each group - Years 7&8, Years 9&10 and Years 11&12.

Competition Edition 1 2010.Your chance to win a $20 Gift Voucher.

$20

Contributions to are greatly appreciated. Please supply your written work, cartoons and photographs in digital form to

Ms.M.Hampson (History) and Mr.M.Herger (Visual Arts)

NewsSaints

SaintsNews Mystery Student

If you are the “Mystery Student” and you can correctly identify yourself with your friends at the Swimming Carnival, you will win a Canteen Voucher courtesy of SaintsNews. See Ms Hampson or Mr Herger with this photograph when the Newsletter has been distributed.