PPaarreennttss && CCiittiizzeennss’’

AAssssoocciiaattiioonn MMeeeettiinngg Thursday 22 March

Staff Common Room 7pm

MMootthheerrss’’ CCoommmmiitttteeee MMeeeettiinngg Wednesday 4 April

Library 10am

PPaarreenntt TTeeaacchheerr EEvveenniinngg

YYeeaarrss 77 aanndd 1122 Tuesday 10 April

Assembly Hall 3:30pm – 6:30pm

SStt GGeeoorrggee GGiirrllss HHiigghh SScchhooool Telephone: 9587 5902 Facsimile: 9553 8043

Email: stgeorgegi-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website: www.sgghs.com.au

The Gazette

Monthly Bulletin March 2018

Vol. 23 No. 2 PPrriinncciippaall’’ss MMeessssaaggee Dear Parents and Students, The first half of the term has been very eventful with a range of important and exciting activities and events held at St George Girls High School over the past month.

CCoonnggrraattuullaattiioonnss MMiissss QQuuaahh I would like to begin my correspondence by formally congratulating Miss Jenny Quah on her successful permanent appointment to the position of Technological and Applied Studies (TAS) teacher, following a rigorous merit selection process. I know Miss Quah will continue to make a valuable contribution to the school and the TAS faculty. This is a well-deserved appointment for a very talented and engaging teacher, St George Girls is certainly very fortunate to have secured such a quality educator as a now permanent member of the teaching staff.

YYeeaarr 77 CCaammpp The Year 7 Camp held at Vision Valley was a great success this year. The staff and students departed on Monday 26 February and safely returned on Wednesday 28 February. This annual camp is such a valued wellbeing initiative that facilitates and supports the student’s transition into High School. I had the pleasure of visiting the camp on the Monday and I was so impressed to witness the students

enthusiastically embracing each of the planned activities and events, often pushing themselves outside of their own natural comfort zones. What I was equally impressed to see was how the students encouraged their peers through all the varied activities. I would like to acknowledge the work of our Year 7 Year Adviser Mr Charbel Rahmi and Assistant Adviser Ms Kate Di Leo, who did a fabulous job in organising the camp. I also would like to thank the dedicated team of staff who volunteered to attend the camp over the three days, Ms Abson, Mr Bowen, Mrs Williamson, Ms Dwyer, Ms Mileski, Miss Wetmore, Ms Torrisi and Miss Hamilton. Without the good will of staff volunteering their own time, events such as these camps are not possible and we are grateful for their continued support.

22001188 TTEEXXSSTTYYLLEE EExxhhiibbiittiioonn On Thursday 8 March, I had the pleasure of attending the Texstyle exhibition at Rosehill Racecourse with Mrs Kaye Williamson and Miss Kristi Stiskala. We attended to celebrate the selection of Ivy Chen’s HSC Major Texstyle Project into this prestigious exhibition. It is a real honour to be selected for inclusion into this exhibition and it was lovely to celebrate this tremendous achievement with Ivy and the teachers. I was inspired to see the creativity and skill of students from a range of schools and students across NSW on display and it was a very proud moment to hear Ivy’s name and the name of the school called out and celebrated on the evening.

CClleeaann UUpp AAuussttrraalliiaa DDaayy On Friday 9 March our students participated in the Annual Youth Clean Up Day that features as part of the annual Clean Up Australia Day campaign. Clean Up Australia Day is held annually in March and over the past 27 years, Australians have devoted more than 32 million hours towards the environment through Clean Up Australia Day and collected over 344 thousand tonnes of rubbish. I am pleased to report that our school and students have also contributed to this worthwhile and valuable national initiative.

I would like to thank Ms Greenaway for her organisation of this afternoon and to students who spent the afternoon cleaning up the school and the surrounding local area. It is always great to see our students acting locally to promote the importance of looking after and caring for the environment.

HHSSCC EExxcceelllleennccee CCeerreemmoonnyy On Thursday 22 February, we had the opportunity as a school community to celebrate and publicly acknowledge the impressive individual achievements from class of 2017 at the HSC Excellence Ceremony. It was a real honour to invite back the top performing students who achieved personal excellence, along with their very proud parents and family members. All of our students have made us very proud and I know that the class of 2018 are so fortunate to have this wonderful group of peer role models to learn from and aspire to. We are looking forward to hearing all about the future successes of our graduating students and we welcome them to return back to St George as very proud Alumni in the years to come. I would like to the thank Mrs Kim Archibald, President of the St Georgians, Mrs Hall, Ms Horley and Mrs Barry representatives from the St Georgians Class of 1967, who made the special effort to join us as special guests to make presentations to our Award recipients. The students have now commenced their tertiary studies in exciting areas such as Medicine, Sociology, Science, International and Global Studies, Education, Engineering, Law, Media, Pharmacy, Music, Architecture, Commerce, Design and the Liberal Arts - the list is comprehensive and reflects the character and diversity of our most recent graduates. It was great to have the students return back not only to celebrate their success but to also to wish them all the best for their promising and exciting futures ahead.

SSwwiimmmmiinngg aanndd ZZoonnee CCaarrnniivvaall UUppddaattee As I reported last month, the 2018 Swimming Carnival was a great whole-school event. I am pleased to report that the winning House for this year’s swimming carnival was Allunga and it was great to see the impressive levels of student participation in both championship and novelty events on the day. I would like to thank Miss Papas who has compiled the results from the carnival to report to the school community. The talented students certainly displayed their swimming skills on the day and I would like to congratulate the following Age Champions and Runner Ups for 2018.

12 Years Age Champion – Selsabeel Al Hariri 12 Years Runner Up – Gabrielle Ciu

13 Years Age Champion – Chloe Xu 13 Years Runner Up – Kayla Huang

14 Years Age Champion – Celine Tang 14 Years Runner Up – Mindy Liu

15 Years Age Champion – Laetitia Cooper

15 Years Runner Up – Catherine Weng

16 Years Age Champion – Sophia Li 16 Years Runner Up – Arkie Zhang-Langley

17 Years Age Champion – Erica Li 17 Years Runner Up – Helen Chen

A very strong St George Girls swimming team attended the Zone Swimming Carnival on Friday 2 March and Monday 5 March held at Roselands Swimming Pool. The Zone carnival allows all our talented school swimmers to compete amongst all the other schools in the St George Zone.

It was a highly successful day for our school as the winning Girls High School, with all of our relay teams also successfully qualifying through to the upcoming Regional Swimming Carnival to be held on Tuesday 20 March. The Relay Teams to participate in the Regional Carnival include:

12 Years 4x50m Freestyle 13 Years 4x50m Freestyle 14 Years 4x50m Freestyle 15 Years 4x50m Freestyle 16 Years 4x50m Freestyle 17 Years 4x50m Freestyle Opens 4x50m Medley All Age Relay Team 6x50m Freestyle Congratulations to the following students who were either the Zone Age Champions or the Zone Runner Up for 2018:

17 Years Age Champion – Erica Li 16 Years Age Champion – Sophia Li 16 Years Runner Up – Arkie Zhang-Langley 15 years Age Champion – Laetitia Cooper 13 Years Runner Up – Chloe Xu

Congratulations to Erica Li who also received the “Female Athlete of the Meet Award” as she accumulated 76 Individual points, more than any other female competitor did over the two-day carnival. We wish all of our swimmers the best of luck at the Regional Carnival and I look forward to hearing about and celebrating their success.

SSRRCC EExxeeccuuttiivvee aanndd RReepprreesseennttaattiivveess 22001188 On Monday 5 March, our newly elected SRC Executive and Year representatives participated in their Leadership training day organised by SRC Coordinator Ms Tina Whitehead. The students engaged in a range of activities and discussions throughout the day and I know they have begun to plan a suite of great initiatives to enhance the quality of school life for the students. I was so impressed to see the level of enthusiasm and engagement on display by the students and I am looking forward to working together with the students to support some of their creative and cleaver ideas over the year.

It is with great pleasure that I officially announce that the following students have been elected into the SRC Executive positions for 2018;

President: Lily Chen Vice-President: Alice Wang Treasurer: Michelle Lieng Secretary: Anuki Jayawardana New Student Representative: Eesha Ahmed I would like to thank the outgoing Executive (Nuzhat Anjum, Isabelle Laxamana, Angela Tran, Jenny He, Lillian Li and Ilma Akhtar) for doing such a wonderful job in each of their respective roles over 2017.

I would also like to officially congratulate our elected 2018 SRC Representatives; Year 7 Caitlin Matthews, Louella Sant, Julia Hoang, Suneyra Mahmud and Phoebe Mermelas

Year 8 Amara Randhawa, Mia Feghali, Eugenie Yamamoto, Lucy Anderson and Ryfah Mohsin

Year 9 Michelle Xu, Rana Oral, Tammy Lee, Mariam Abbas, Samantha Edvell and Felicity Luong

Year 10 Caoimhe O’Donohoe Deering, Joy Lin, Muhsana Sattar, Cate Armstrong and Sarah Khan

Year 11 Talia Quartullo, Alexandra Spiliotopoulos, Rachel Perera, Christina Nguyen, Miranda Feletar and Natalie Maher

Year12 Helen Chen, Ivy Chou, Deepti Mallampalli, Alice Truong, Bayse McCarthy and Liana Pasas. The SRC representatives will be formally inducted into office at our special SRC induction assembly on Wednesday 4 April. Taking on any leadership role comes with a sense of enhanced responsibility and possibility. I would like to congratulate the students who are about to start their leadership journey for 2018 and I look forward to working with this very talented group of students over the year. I also would like thank Ms Whitehead for the work she will do for this group of students throughout the year as the SRC coordinator and to Ms Lois Aspin who facilitated the refined online voting process for this year.

DDrraaggoonn PPrriiddee DDaayy On Monday 12 March the Prefect body hosted Dragon Pride Day which is a day dedicated to enhancing school spirit and raising awareness about the variety of groups, clubs and opportunities on offer at St George Girls High School. I would like to congratulate our Year 12 Prefects for coordinating such a fun and festive day for the school community to enjoy and I would like to thank all of the students who organised stalls and activities for the students to engage with during lunchtime. I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of our official school photographer Alina Ruan in Year 10 who is doing a fabulous job capturing wonderful images of the quality of school life at St George Girls High School that I am able to use in official school correspondence, such as the monthly Gazette.

YYeeaarr 1122 AAsssseessssmmeenntt BBlloocckk Our Year 12 Students have commenced their HSC Assessment Block this week. This is a very important mid-way point in their HSC journey and will provide the students with some valuable feedback around the areas they are confident in, as well as identifying the areas they need to work towards in the months ahead. I wish the students all the very best of luck for this assessment period and encourage them all to ensure that they create a balanced study timetable that should incorporate ample sleep and moderate exercise into their preparation time. I also know that many of the Year 12 students have been checking in with their teacher mentors over the past few weeks. At the end of last year all students in Year 12 were offered the opportunity to be allocated with a teacher mentor to work with during their HSC journey. A significant number of students opted into this program and I have been so encouraged to see many students take advantage of this additional layer of support on offer from the school. The school has a very clear policy and procedure in place for Illness/Misadventure during an assessment block and it is important that all senior students and their parents familiarise themselves with the procedures in place. All students in the senior school have been informed about these procedures; however, I wanted to remind students that if they apply for illness/misadventure during their assessment block they must contact their Deputy Principal (Ms Housego) on the morning of their examination. I look forward to discussing individually with the Year 12 students their achievement, progress and goals when they receive their semester 1 report at their report interviews on Monday 4 June next term.

TThhee KKooggaarraahh CClluusstteerr Towards the end of last year the senior leadership teams from our local High Schools joined forces to form the Kogarah Cluster of secondary High Schools that includes Sydney Technical High School, Moorefield Girls High School, James Cook Boys High School and Kogarah High School. The idea behind this new network is to work more collaboratively and share expertise and practice across the schools. The senior executive teams from each school meet twice per term and this professional network is planning its first initiative that will involve a joint afternoon faculty session from 1-3pm at the upcoming Term 2 School Development Day.

Last Wednesday afternoon all schools in the Kogarah Cluster hosted a range of planning sessions for the faculty representatives to meet, discuss and plan for the joint session next term. We hosted representatives from the Science, CAPA and Languages faculties from each of the schools and I would like to thank the staff for supporting this initiative and engaging in this collaborative process that has been designed to share expertise and experiences around HSC courses, Teaching and Learning practice, HSC marking and the New Curriculum. We all anticipate that the Kogarah Cluster should now allow for enhanced collaboration across the schools, enhanced student outcomes and the sharing of exemplary practice through open discussion amongst colleagues.

PPaarreenntt TTeeaacchheerr NNiigghhttss 22001188 The first parent teacher evening for our Year 7 and 12 students and their families is scheduled for Tuesday 10 April from 3:30pm – 6:30pm. This evening is designed to provide the welcomed opportunity for our Year 7 students and their parents to visit the school and meet their daughter’s teachers and find out about the topics and tasks that each course has examined in Term 1. For our Year 12 students and their parents this will be a valuable opportunity to receive feedback on the progress made in their HSC courses to date. Correspondence will be sent home to parents and students with the online booking details in the next few weeks. I encourage all families in Years 7 and 12 to save this date in their calendars and I look forward to seeing you all on the first parent teacher evening for the year. I would also like to confirm the dates for our parent teacher nights for Years 8 – 11 early because I appreciate how busy families are and how much you do value the opportunity to meet with your daughter’s teachers. Parent Teacher night for Years 10 and 11 will be Monday 18 June 3:45pm – 6:45pm and for Years 8 and 9 on Tuesday 31 July from 3:30pm –6:30pm. Both these dates follow the distribution of the students’ semester one reports and will allow parents the opportunity to discuss these with the class teachers. This year we will continue to use the schoolinterviews.com.au online bookings for these two evenings. I will ensure that information regarding the online booking process for these evenings will be circulated to the students and made available on the website at least two weeks prior to each parent teacher night to ensure that parents have enough time to book appointments with their daughter’s class teachers. Parent Teacher evenings are a very worthwhile opportunity for parents, students and their teachers to meet and engage in productive dialogue about the

progress of their daughter. I am looking forward to seeing many of our parents and students at the upcoming parent teacher evenings in Terms 2 and 3.

SSuubbjjeecctt CCoonnttrriibbuuttiioonnss 22001188 I wanted to thank our school community for supporting the school through their swift payment of the school subject contributions for 2018. Reminder invoices will be sent home to families who may have missed the 1 March deadline. Schools do rely on the support from their community to continue to provide the quality educational resources and experiences for the students and I certainly appreciate the support families have provided in 2018. I would like to remind families that as has always been the case, if any parent or carer would like to apply for financial assistance, they are welcome to contact me at school at any time.

WWiinntteerr UUnniiffoorrmm As the cooler weather will soon approach, I wanted to remind our community that the official date for the start of winter uniform is Monday 14 May (Term 2 Week 3). The school uniform is a vital element that unifies our school community. Overall, the standard is very high, however I would like to see this maintained particularly throughout the cooler months, when I often notice that the students choose to wear jackets and coats that fall outside of the uniform policy. I strongly encourage parents to check the status of their daughter’s winter uniform and if you find that you need to purchase items, be sure to do so early while stocks are available. Be aware that if long pants are worn they must be purchased through the uniform shop. Scarves are also available to buy in the uniform shop. Students now have the opportunity to purchase the new blue winter coat to complement the uniform. I strongly encourage all families to purchase the coat for the cooler months ahead. Students who do not comply with the uniform expectations will need to obtain a uniform pass at the start of the school day. The Deputy Principals are actively monitoring continued breeches of uniform and they will enforce the procedures outlined in the Student Behaviour Management policy. The uniform shop is open every Wednesday during the term between 12:45pm and 2pm. A special opening will take place on Saturday 5 May from 9:30am-11:00am prior to the winter changeover date.

CCoommmmuunniittyy CCuussttoommeerr SSeerrvviiccee SSuurrvveeyy One of the new School Plan Strategic Directions is Promotion of School and Community Connections. I have registered for our school to participate in a school customer service survey to provide some valuable feedback to start planning our communication strategy for the next few years. Delivering exceptional customer service is a whole-school responsibility. To assist schools, the Department of Education has developed the Excellence in School Customer Service 360 Reflection Tool. This initiative helps schools gather feedback on the customer service behaviours exhibited to both internal and external customers. It is completely voluntary and I am planning to send this out to a cross-section of our school community.

The tool was developed in line with the Excellence in School Customer Service Framework, which identifies types of customer service behaviour. The framework was developed in consultation with principals, teaching and non-teaching staff, as well as various professional bodies including the NSW Secondary Principals Council (NSW SPC) and the School Administrative and Support Staff Professional Association (SASSPA). The survey questions were developed in consultation with the School Communication and Engagement Unit, NSW SPC representatives, and the Leadership and High Performance Directorate. I am hoping to have the survey rolled out to a random sample from our school community by the end of the term. All responses are collated in an anonymous feedback report that outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the school’s customer service. This will help show areas of improvement and identify areas that need further development. Each school participating in the survey gathers the email addresses of individuals they would like to survey from the school and we will be sending the survey out to students, parents, school executive staff, teaching staff and non-teaching staff. I certainly would appreciate that if you are selected to respond to the survey that you provide the school with valuable feedback, to support us in planning for how we can better communicate and engage with our school community.

SSttuuddeenntt AAcchhiieevveemmeennttss In each Gazette, I like to share any specific individual or group achievements experienced by our students. I am always proud to share our student successes with the community and I know that our students are represented in such a wide variety of areas. I don’t always hear about these achievements and therefore welcome updates from students, parents and the community to ensure that I am made aware of any special activities or achievements. Over the past month I have been informed of the following achievements that I wanted to share;

Year 8 and 9 Japanese students took part in the Kanji Mnemonics Competition in December 2017 organised by the Japanese Teachers’ Association of NSW. There were 5 winners for both stage 4 and stage 5 across the state. Two of our student entries by Tiffany Li and Nawaal Adams were successfully selected and they both have received a $50 gift card as their prize.

Amelia Mackadam and Kyla Rivera have been selected to be in the NSW Public Schools Year 10 Drama Ensemble. The students attend rehearsal every week at the Arts Unit and they will perform at State Drama Festival at Seymour Centre 25-26 October.

Public Schools Singers will be performing as part of this year’s Combined Schools’ Secondary Choral Concert held at the Sydney Town Hall on 22 – 23 May. Stella Serrao-Smith in Year 8 has been selected to perform as a member of this group and we wish her well as she prepares for this performance.

Brenda Tan competed in the Regional Final in the Lions Club Youth of the Year competition held last Tuesday 13 March at South Hurstville RSL Club. I attended the final last Tuesday evening with Miss Ashley Hamilton and we were both so proud to hear Brenda answer two impromptu questions (2 mins each) followed by the delivery of her prepared speech (5 mins). Brenda competed against the finalists from Danebank Anglican Schools for Girls and Caringbah High School. Brenda represented the school so beautifully and made us all very proud reaching this level of the competition.

Jessica Nikolovski in Year 12 was selected as a semi-finalist in the BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards for her Project ‘More is More’. This is a wonderful achievement.

Zoe Morris appeared in the Inner west Courier on the 20 February to promote women’s AFL. Zoe has played in the U15’s with the Newtown team for the last 2 years. She is now too old for U15’s so Newtown is trying to start up a new U18’s team for Zoe and her other older team mates. I was forwarded the article by the Newtown Swans Youth Girls Coordinator to share with the school community and this has been included in the Gazette.

CCoonnggrraattuullaattiioonnss I would like to congratulate the following students for receiving Principal Certificates: Vivian Cao, Katherine Elliott (4), Venus He, Carla Kargas, Chloe Khan, Jinhee Kim, Jashan Singh and Agnes Tjokrosetio of Year 8. Dana Choi, Laetitia Cooper, Kelly Pan (2), Arrianna Villena and Catherine Weng of Year 9. Cate Armstrong, Grace Au, Katrina Dinh (2), Stephanie Ho (2), Hargun Kaur, Taylor Ong-Le, Elizabeth Park (2), Kyla Rivera and Annie Wang of Year 10. Sharon Gu and Larissa Liang of Year 11. Well done to all of these girls and to all who have experienced personal success this term. I would like to encourage parents to attend the P&C Meeting that will be held on Thursday 22 March at 7:00pm in the Common Room. Our Deputy Principal

Ms Abson is the guest speaker and she will go through the draft 2018-2020 School Plan with the community. I know this will be a great night and a worthwhile insight into the School Strategic Directions and priorities for the next three years.

I would like to wish our school community an enjoyable, safe and restful end of term break. I look forward to working with our school community in Term 2, which commences on Tuesday 1 May for the students. Ms Betty Romeo Principal

DDeeppuuttyy PPrriinncciippaall’’ss RReeppoorrtt

AAsssseessssmmeenntt BBooookklleettss ll students have now been issued with their assessment booklets containing the assessment policy and procedures, and the calendar

overview of tasks and subject outlines. It is important that students understand their responsibilities in regards to completing tasks and what to do if they are sick or late on the day of a task. We strongly encourage all students to keep a copy of the calendar either in their folder or above their desk and highlight when their assessment tasks are scheduled so they can prepare and organise their time effectively. Please note that the dates published may need to change for various reasons. All students will be notified by their teacher in writing and the assessment notification should always be what the students follow as the correct scheduled assessment task date. Any student in years 7-11 who has not returned their signed assessment slip to their Deputy Principal should do so by the end of the term.

SSGGGGHHSS PPrrooffeessssiioonnaall LLeeaarrnniinngg –– MMoonntthhllyy UUppddaattee Professional Learning is a vital part of any career and the staff at St George Girls High School continue to actively engage in a wide range of targeted professional learning opportunities. Professional Learning may link directly to a curriculum area, and with the implementation of a number of new syllabi this year many staff have been undertaking professional learning and programming days throughout the term. As part of the Department’s Professional Learning Framework, identified goals outlined in individual Performance and Development Plans enables the school to effectively support staff in undertaking quality professional learning. The staff are also accessing a range of professional learning that aligns to the 2018-2020 strategic directions and strategic team projects and key milestones. Professional Learning linked to the school plan and curriculum areas for Term 1 has included: School Plan Professional Learning

Critical Conversations in School Planning

Communicating and Engaging with your Community

Implementing a Growth Mindset

Critical and Creative Thinking

Learning Sprints

Sydney Education Forum For Principals

2017 HSC Analysis

2017 NAPLAN Analysis

AA

Curriculum Professional Learning

Stage 6 Chemistry and Physics

InConcert Music

PDHPE HSC Marking Simulation

Stage 6 English

Ancient History Programming

TTeellll TThheemm FFrroomm MMee SSttuuddeenntt SSuurrvveeyy::

YYeeaarrss 77 –– 99 This term our school will once again participate in the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) student feedback survey. The survey measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices. The survey is a great opportunity for our students to provide us with valuable and quick feedback on what they think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. Schools in Australia and around the world have used the Tell Them From Me survey to help improve how they do things at school. With the development of the 2018-2020 School Plan, the TTFM survey will play a key role in collecting valuable data from our students which will be used to guide future initiatives and projects aligned to our new strategic directions. Our school completed the survey in 2015 and 2017, and the data collected was the driving force behind the work that the Student Engagement Team completed, including the student focus groups. The survey is conducted online and will typically take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours on Wednesday 28 March and Thursday 29 March. I want to assure you that the survey is confidential and participating in the survey is entirely voluntary. This is a great opportunity to hear directly from our students and the support of the school community would be greatly appreciated. A consent form for parents/carers about the survey will be emailed to students and parents this week. If you do not want your daughter to participate, please return the form to Ms Abson, Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning by Monday 26 March. Further information about the survey is available through the following links: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/ttfm-surveys/student-survey

http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/images/pdf/TTFM_Student_Survey_FAQs_Parent_and_Carers_T12018.pdf

CCoommbbiinneedd YYeeaarr 77 PPaarreenntt//SSttuuddeenntt SSttuuddyy

SSkkiillllss EEvveenniinngg –– MMoonnddaayy 44 JJuunnee 66ppmm As part of our Year 7 Transition Program we will be holding a combined Year 7 Parent/Student Study Skills Evening in Term 2, with Sydney Technical High School This interactive evening will provide a range of strategies and tools for both parents/carers and their daughters to use in the areas of managing workload, efficient time management, organisation and effective studying in high school. Further information on this evening will be sent home early Term 2, but keep the date free. Ms Pam Abson Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning

Inter-School Dance St George Girls High/Sydney Technical High Schools

Thursday 12 April 2018 Hurstville Civic Centre,

MacMahon Street, Hurstville 6.00pm – 10.00pm

1. Only current students in Years 7-12 at St George Girls High School and Sydney Technical High School may attend.

2. Students must purchase their tickets before the dance. TICKETS WILL NOT BE SOLD AT THE DOOR.

3. Each student must purchase her own ticket. TICKETS ARE NOT TRANSFERABLE.

4. Students must provide a signed permission note in order to purchase a ticket.

5. Students from Years 8 – 12 will need to present their Student ID card on entry.

6. Students will arrive at the dance on time and will not be permitted to leave the venue until the dance finishes (unless you have returned the signed permission note for the earlier leave of 8.45pm).

7. Parents will be contacted if a student purchases a ticket and does not attend the dance.

8. Parents are requested to assemble outside the venue at 9.45pm.

9. All advertising for the dance has stipulated that no alcohol or smoking will be permitted.

10. Security and teacher supervision will be provided.

11. Water will be provided at the venue. No liquids or aerosols will be allowed into the venue.

12. Dress must be appropriate for a school function.

B. Romeo Principal

DDeeppuuttyy PPrriinncciippaall’’ss RReeppoorrtt

YYeeaarr 1122 AAsssseessssmmeenntt BBlloocckk ur Year 12 students are well into their HSC studies with their next assessment block now underway. The examination period commenced

on Monday 19 March and goes until Thursday 29 March. St George Girls High School has a very clear policy and procedure for Illness/Misadventure during an assessment block and all of Year 12 were reminded of these processes at their most recent Year meeting. However, I wanted to remind parents that if your daughter will be absent for an examination or if they will be applying for illness/misadventure during their assessment block they must contact myself as their Deputy Principal on the morning of their examination, you must ensure this absence is also supported with medical documentation and when given information from medical professionals of the expected duration of the absence you must again contact the school for rescheduling of exams to be arranged. For clarification, rescheduling occurs in the next available time slot, as indicated on the medical certificate, and that the student does not have an exam.

I send warm wishes to all of Year 12 for this assessment period and want to remind them that all of the weeks of preparation, practice essays they have been working on with their teachers and dedication in the classroom all add up and ensure our girls are always ready to achieve their personal best.

The other important aspect of an assessment block is feedback, and this is given to our girls alongside their marks. I encourage students and parents to engage in dialogue, constructively looking at the feedback given and discuss ways in which the feedback can be used to generate further progress and development as our girls move into the second half of their HSC studies.

CChhaannggeess ttoo DDeemmoonnssttrraattiinngg MMiinniimmuumm

LLiitteerraaccyy aanndd NNuummeerraaccyy SSttaannddaarrdd RReeqquuiirreedd

ffoorr tthhee HHSSCC From this year onwards, Year 9 NAPLAN tests will no longer be available as an early way for students to demonstrate the expected literacy and numeracy standard. Students will now be required to show they meet the HSC minimum standard by passing a series of online tests which will look at basic reading, writing and numeracy skills needed for everyday tasks. The change has been made to ensure that NAPLAN remains focused on its diagnostic purpose and most importantly to reduce any unnecessary stress this requirement was placing on young people. Current Year 10 students who achieved a Band 8 or above in a 2017 Year 9 NAPLAN reading, writing or numeracy test are recognised as having met the HSC minimum standard in that area and will not need to sit the corresponding online test. If a student did not get Band 8 or above they will need to take the corresponding online tests. Any Year 10 students who will need to complete these tests will be working with Ms Papas (Learning and Support Teacher) to ensure that all standards are met. For further information on the HSC minimum standard test please go the following link http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/hsc-minimum-standard/what-is-the-standard.

UUppccoommiinngg NNAAPPLLAANN DDaatteess ffoorr YYeeaarr 77 aanndd 99 Tuesday 15 May – Thursday 17 May In Week 3 of term 2, all Year 7 and 9 students are to complete the NAPLAN tests. Some schools are being transitioned into the online platform for NAPLAN this year, however, we have had confirmation that students at our school will continue using the print material for NAPLAN 2018. Further information regarding the organisation of NAPLAN will be provided to students at the beginning of the term.

Ms Housego Deputy Principal (Relieving)

EEnngglliisshh

NNeeww SSttaaggee 66 SSyyllllaabbuusseess 018 has seen the beginning of a brand new set of syllabuses for stage 6 English, starting this year with year 11. The English faculty worked

tirelessly over 2017 to prepare the implementation of the new English Advanced and English Extension syllabuses, and the teaching of these new courses is now underway. The new syllabuses have allowed us the opportunity to refresh and rejuvenate our Senior English courses, teaching some new and interesting texts, such as David Malouf’s Ransom and Alice Oswald’s Memorial, as well as key texts from the past, such as Homer’s Iliad and Shakespeare’s Othello. Work is well underway preparing the new HSC course and we look forward to teaching the new course to the class of 2019.

SSiinnggllee AAssiiaann FFeemmaallee Outside of the classroom, all of Year 11 recently visited Belvoir St Theatre to see the exciting new play Single Asian Female, an experience that highlighted the importance of diverse representation in Australian theatre. This has hopefully inspired our students to find their own voice, and their own stories as they continue to refine their own pieces of writing over term 1. A huge thank you to Mr Kirszman for his tireless work to organise such a valuable experience for our students.

The whole faculty is looking forward to the year ahead, with our continued focus on the importance of reading and writing from Year 7, all the way through to Year 12.

OO

22

018 began the implementation of the new NESA Stage 6 syllabuses for Physics, Biology and Chemistry. Preliminary (Year 11) students are

currently being taught from the new syllabus and will be the first year to complete the new HSC in 2019. The current Year 12 will be the last year to complete the HSC using the old syllabus.

One of the biggest changes to the syllabuses has been the introduction of a mandatory 15 hour depth studies for both Year 11 and 12. During this time students may undertake an investigation/s, activity or research to further develop their understanding of one or more specific concepts.

Year 11 Biology students modelling population dynamics as part of their depth study.

Practical investigations continue to be an essential part of Year 11 and 12 Sciences. NESA mandates that students have to complete a minimum of 35 hours of practical investigations during Year 11 and Year 12.

LLiibbrraarryy NNeewwss t’s full steam ahead with the continuation of our Lexile Reading Level project, which is a major strategy in the School Library that supports improved

student literacy. Lexile measures assign a reading difficulty level to books using a numerical system between 1 and 2000. Informed by ‘The Lexile Framework’, more than 75% of our Library’s fiction collection has now been assigned their reading difficulty level which is clearly displayed on the inside back cover of the book. Via their Student Portal, students can also search for appropriate reading material 24/7 through our Library Enquiry by typing ‘Lexile’ into the search box and selecting their desired level. The inclusion of Lexile Reading Levels empowers students to ‘be intentional about improving literacy’ because they can now search for and identify books in their Library that meet or challenge their existing reading level in order to improve. More information about Lexile Reading Levels can be found at www.lexile.com

The official opening of the 2018 Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is fast approaching, and students in Years 7, 8 and 9 are encouraged to enter their reading log online from Monday 5th March. The PRC aims to encourage a love of reading for pleasure, and to facilitate students’ experience with quality literature. With the August 31 cut off date, there is plenty of time for students to read and log their twenty books, and while the PRC is a great way for them to stay on track

with their reading, the official certificate, prestigious medals, and opportunity to appear on the Honour Roll are highly impressive ways to showcase student involvement in extra curricular learning. As an additional incentive, students can also look forward to receiving a school participation certificate and merits for reaching school-based milestones along the way! Visit https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html and login using your DEC username and password to enter your reading log.

Students are always encouraged to suggest new books for our school Library and can do so using the online form accessed through the tab on our Library Enquiry homepage. The Library Enquiry is available 24/7 through the Student Portal, and is a valuable starting point for all literacy and learning with direct access to curriculum linked resources such as websites selected specifically for educational purposes, DEC created interactive sites, and a variety of e-books. In addition, links to other essential tools such as a reference generator, authenticity filter, website evaluation checklist and study skills help are just a few other reasons why students should develop the habit of visiting the Library Enquiry regularly.

As we start off another exciting academic year, it is a great time to check that students are well prepared for upcoming research with their State Library card at the ready. Membership is free and opens up a world of quality online subscription-based resources including educational journals, databases, encyclopaedias, and newspaper articles that contain up-to-the-minute information and that are not accessible using regular internet searches. To sign up and have your free State Library membership card posted home, visit The State Library’s website or simply click on the tab on the school’s Library Enquiry page to be navigated directly to the page. Other recommended Libraries that are often accessed in class by teaching staff at St George Girls High School include National Library Australia, and Georges River Libraries with information about membership also available on their respective websites.

Ms Bell-Whittaker Teacher Librarian

Student Wellbeing

ince the issue of the last Gazette, the following students have been presented with Dragon Badges:

Chaturmi Atapattu, Saichhya Guragain (3), Chloe Khan, Eleni Markantonakis and Jacqueliya Widjaja (2) of Year 8.

Dana Choi, Clare Jenkins, Noor Kyatt, Michelle Lei, Kelly Pan (2), Alisha Shaikh, Arrianna Villena and Jacquelina Widjaja (2) of Year 9.

Aisha Afsar, Ahona Dutta (2), Vanessa Fong, Sadia Khaja (3), Adrien Lee, Joy Lin (4), Taylor Ong-Le, Yuan Tran, Carmen Truong (2) and Idy Zhao of Year 10.

Linh Cao, Lily Chen, Cecilia Chenh, , Miranda Feletar (3), Sandra Kallarakkal and Sophia Li (2) of Year 11.

The following students have been presented with a Super Dragon Badge:

Adrien Lee and Yuan Tran of Year 10.

Sandra Kallarakkal of Year 11.

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TTeecchhnnoollooggiiccaall aanndd AApppplliieedd SSttuuddiieess

YYeeaarr 1111 IIPPTT –– UUbbeerr EExxccuurrssiioonn n Friday 9 March, 30 floors above the busy streets of Town Hall, twelve Year 11 students ventured into the Headquarters of Uber in

anticipation for a fun workshop. Upon entering the large revolving doors, we were astounded by the advanced-tech elevators and high-quality marble tiled architectural design, giving us high hopes for the events to come. Our eyes were pleased the moment we stepped out of the elevator, into the aesthetic and minimalist setup. After reaching the entrance of Uber’s headquarters, we were welcomed by Raymond Ho, our guide for the day. He gave us a tour of the office on the way to the “yoga room”, used by Uber employees to exercise during work hours. This was also the room where we would stay in for the duration of the workshops and lunch.

To give us an introduction to the world of Uber we took part in a short conference call with an UberEats General Manager, Matthew Denman, who called in from Melbourne to talk about what Uber was, how it started, how it operates, and where it is going. The first workshop we participated in required us to split into groups of four, with each member taking on a particular role; finance, engineering, marketing and operations. The main task we were given consisted of deciding on a city to launch UberEats in, based on the population of the city, number of uber drivers, bike riders and restaurants in each city. Each role was assigned with a set of questions to answer such as revenue aims and marketing strategies to use within the city we picked. We were to answer a few questions in our groups after we had detailed which city we chose and why. Suggestions to improve the UberEats app were provided in our short presentation such as changing the layout to improve the ergonomics and user experience and our constructive criticism was well received.

They provided a poke bowl lunch which was, ironically, delivered through the UberEats app. We were also allowed to roam around the office for snacks if we became peckish. By roam, we mean, go on secret missions for chocolate and chips. Mission success!

Around this time, a dog popped its head in and we were informed that Uber allows their employees to bring their pets in to work! Unfortunately, the dog was too scared to enter the room and retreated, much to our dismay. We were later told it had gone to take a nap somewhere.

After lunch we were introduced to Lucille who would be the main director of us for the second workshop: UberRides. She outlined the creative team-building exercise was to create a form of transport to reduce congestion on Sydney roads whilst encouraging customers to share rides with strangers.

Not only was our creativity put to the test, our problem solving skills were too. We needed to think outside the box and brainstorm together. Luckily, in the exercise, they presented us with an unlimited amount of money for the budget which allowed for no limits and our creativity to run wild. UNLIMITED MONEY!

When it came time for the presentation of our ideas, we had drawn diagrams and notes on the various whiteboards around the room. Team Ubbah had an idea based off a transport that was being implemented in China. They called it… The B R A I N. A combination of “bus” and “train”, this transportation vehicle was to be a Devourer of Cars.

Team OOOBAHHH came up with an exciting Double Decker Hover Bus known as FINE-esse, where Bruno Mars would be signed on as a sponsor to sing and promote the bus to the public. Features included: vertical take-off and landing, aircon, solar-powered and electric, music, noise cancellation, charging ports, free wifi, skyroof, comfortable seating, pet friendly and the FINE-esse’ demographic were commuters and students. They wanted the vehicle to be friendly and efficient, by picking up people from their houses in certain areas. This was aimed to decrease the congestion on the road as the vehicle flies over the traffic and also create a safe and convenient way of travelling.

Team REBU came up with an extension of UberRides. The “Rides in Progress” section allowed strangers who were willing to ride-share with someone, to consent to having their ride displayed on the ‘Rides in Progress’ section of the app. This feature allows commuters to share a vehicle and the cost of the ride, thus freeing

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roads of congestion and lowering cost for those on budgets. For peace of mind, the passenger who originally shared the ride has their passenger rating displayed, and as an added safety measure, a chosen emergency contact will be contacted if either passenger does not reach their destinations within 2 hours after the ETA. To encourage people to use the feature, rides which use hybrid driverless cars will have free wifi (also beneficial to the environment). and there will be a discount for using the feature.

Overall, it was a great informative and entertaining experience that gave us insight on what the future of food delivery and transportation may look like - efficient, advanced and affordable. We learnt about the many systems along with the hard work and innovative ideas that goes behind the making of such an incredible, international company, that is Uber. During the workshops there were always people from the Uber staff to assist us and give us an insight into what it was like to operate within a major tech. company such as Uber. It was an enjoyable, helpful and worthwhile excursion as we put ourselves into the workers’ shoes, solving problems and collaborating as a group in the relaxing yet productive environment of Uber HQ.

YYeeaarr 88 TTeexxttiilleess ast year, Year 7 were asked to choose their very own electives for 2018. Forty five of us chose Textiles Technology in hopes that we would

make something amazing and become the next generation of fashion designers. While we aren’t exactly fashion designers yet, we did make something awesome. Our first project was to make a tie-dye kit bag that would eventually store our future projects.

The first step was to tie our bags in a desired pattern. We were then given the option of soaking our bags in different coloured dyes and left them out to dry. Once our bags were semi-dry, we rinsed them. The ties were now ready to be undone. Some people had tied their fabric in such an elaborate way that it took almost a whole period to unravel them! When everyone had gotten their bags back, we began to use the machines. Throughout the course of this project, we used a number of machines and techniques that were completely new to us. These included making buttonholes, using the overlocker and the heat press (which we nicknamed ‘subway’ because of its sandwich presser look). These machines and techniques were not exactly hard, but the process of unpicking our mistakes were a lot harder! After about a week on the machines, most of us had finished our bags and were onto the final step which was pulling the drawstrings through. All in all, we had an amazing time making our tie-dye kit bags and the new techniques that we learnt throughout it will definitely stay with us. A big thank you must go to Ms Quah and Mrs Torrisi for helping guide students along the way to achieve their Textile goals!

By Aneesa Sukkarieh and Yasmin Fernando Year 8

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n the 2nd of March, Year 11 Textiles and Design students were fortunate enough to meet Eleanor Igoe and Lynne Peebles from the

Spinners and Weavers Guild of Sydney. Eleanor has certificates for hand spinning and Lynne is a master weaver and author of ‘Weave’, an informative book on handmade style weaving. During the incursion, we learnt about how fibres are turned into yarns and then woven, knitted of felted to form a fabric. Eleanor demonstrated her experience and knowledge of fibres and yarns, by explaining the process of creating yarn from fibres. She presented an array of textile items which she had made from yarn which she had previously hand spun. Seeing such unique products demonstrated the dedication and work which goes into hand spun textile products. She even gave the students a demonstration on how to use a spinning wheel to spin the natural fibres, cotton and wool. Seeing this process in action definitely solidified the theoretical knowledge which the students had been learning about in class. Lynne, an award winner of numerous competitions at the Royal Sydney Easter Show, gave us an insight on weaving and showed us her beautiful samples of woven fabrics which had been turned into apparel items. A stand out piece was definitely her award-winning jacket, which was woven with recycled plastic (worn by Da Lin in the below photograph). Lynne definitely inspired us all to think outside the square and that there is no limit to creativity and what you can do with a loom.

Having Eleanor and Lynne voluntarily come to our school to spend their time sharing their knowledge and expertise with the girls is an invaluable experience. We thank you for sharing your passion and time with us. Year 11 Textiles Class, 2018

YYeeaarr 1111 TTeexxttiilleess

Texstyle n Friday 9 March, Year 11 Textiles and Design students travelled to the depths of Rosehills Gardens for the annual Stitches and Craft

Show! This was a wonderful experience for the girls to see the numerous Major Textile Projects which had made it into the Texstyle exhibit from last year’s cohort, including our very own Ivy Chen’s beautiful apparel item! It was interesting to see the diversity of projects on display and inspiring to view the portfolio documentation which went along with each project, telling a story of its development into the final item. The immense work and creative textile application which had gone into these projects was definitely something to be congratulated and admired. Our girls also had the opportunity of attending a seminar which was run by TEA (Technology Education Association) and experienced HSC Textile and Design markers, who were able to provide in-depth knowledge and advice on everything to do with completing the

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Major Textile Project. This was certainly an eye opener for the students and has allowed them the opportunity to start thinking about what they might like to do for their own MTP next year. I look forward to hearing their inspiration and ideas for their individual projects! After the seminar, we had time to have a look at the rest of the Stitches and Craft Show, exploring what all of the various stores had on offer. Varying from demonstrations by the Lace Guild, to nifty craft tools and supplies, it was a Textile lover’s paradise to visit for the day. We had a wonderful time and I personally look forward to sharing the ideas learnt from this day with my class. ~ Miss Stiskala

GGrreeeenn CCoorrnneerr

DDiidd YYoouu KKnnooww……

n July 2017, a massive crack in the Larson C ice shelf gave way sending a 5800 km2 section of ice into the ocean. This iceberg is nearly 4 times the

size of London.

AAnnnnoouunncceemmeennttss The Enviro Club has many exciting events upcoming this term. Check emails and daily announcements.

WWoorrmm FFaarrmm On every lunch outside the Junior Toilets. Please be conscious of what can and cannot be fed into the worm farm. Take a quick look on the laminated poster on what foods are recommended to feed these worms. Common culprits include: citrus fruits, onions and garlic. Have you thought about starting a worm farm up at home?

GGaarrddeenniinngg Every Thursday and Friday in the garden at the end of the school oval. Fresh, Juicy, Jumbo Sized cucumbers were harvested, shared and enjoyed last month. Along with garlic, corn, strawberries, limes, celery. You should have been there to taste it. Don’t miss out next time! Join now!

The Gardening team is now weeding and tending to the native trees around our school. What’s growing this Month: Celery, Lemons and Mint (For the Food Technology Labs). Plants growing mint are ready to harvest. Whilst the celery stalks and lemons are just beginning to flower and fruit (first buds should be sprouting these few weeks).

PPaappeerr RReeccyycclliinngg Every Tuesday in Room 5. Reminder: No ballpoint pens in paper recycling bins please. It is like finding a needle in a haystack, both difficult and annoying.

SSRRCC aanndd EEnnvviirroo EExxeeccuuttiivvee LLeeaaddeerrsshhiipp DDaayy On Monday 5 March, Enviro Executive Council collaborated to brainstorm ideas for the Upcoming 2018. Some of these ideas include: Green Day Workshops Ideas, Bake for Rose the Koala, Annual Environmental Awareness Days etc. Great Progress was made in terms of collaboration. All ideas will be considered to be implemented at a later date, with pending approval from Ms Duffy and other Senior Executives. On behalf of the Enviro Executive Council, I would like to extend my gratitude to Ms Duffy, Ms Whitehead and Ms Bell Whitaker for facilitating this day, proving to be immensely successful and beneficial to the preparation and execution of events. Both the SRC and the Enviro Executive worked together for part of the day before separating to work on their own agenda.

UUppccoommiinngg EEvveennttss Mark your calendars! To all the environmentally conscious:- Earth Hour is soon approaching. Sign up to participate! Listen out for more updates.

Nareuchaya Karoonuthaisiri Enviro Journalist

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PPaarreennttss aanndd CCiittiizzeennss’’ AAssssoocciiaattiioonn

e held our first P&C meeting for 2018 calendar year on Thursday 22 February 2018, I would like to extend my sincere

gratitude to all parents who attended, especially to our new Year 7 parents for their attendance and participation. We had a great day at Bunnings on Sunday 4 March 2018. We made a total of $930.60 on BBQ and $272 on the cake stall sales. A total of $1202.60 will be deposited into the P&C account. I would like to thank on behalf the whole St George Girls school community for the dedication of the parents volunteered for this event. Special thanks to our events coordinators for their time and hard work. The students who assisted will receive school service certificates. Once again, I would like to thank all the students and parents who volunteered to make this event a success. Once again, we are running Sydney and Surrounds Entertainment Book fundraiser. Entertainment™ Digital Membership – allows you to redeem offers directly from your iPhone or Android smartphone. Purchase your 2018-2019 Entertainment™ Membership now by click this link: https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/203j324 . 20% of every membership sold contributes to our fundraising. Help us achieve our goal by sharing this link with your friends and family. Thanks for your support! Alternatively, if you prefer a hard copy please make your purchase online and collect the book from the school office. The next P&C meeting will be on Thursday 22 March 2018 in the staff common room at 7.00pm. Our guest speaker of the day is Ms Pam Abson, Deputy Principal. Ms Abson will talk to us about the School Plan for 2018 to 2020. For parents new to the school, please park in Victoria Street and enter the school via the front gate. Tea/coffee and biscuits will be available prior to the meeting. Jude Perera President, P&C Association

Jude Perera Usha Marrett John Pistevos Ravinder Baweja President Vice President Treasurer Secretary (minutes) 0431 369 089

Monique Luthra Dale Smith Sharon Khan Secretary (Corres) Finance Committee Fundraising Coordinator Madeline Murray Giang Ho Fundraising Coordinator Executive Member

MMootthheerrss’’ CCoommmmiitttteeee

t was very exciting to see a number of new mums attending our meeting again this month. It was great to catch up and explore new ideas together.

This month we heard from our wonderful principal, Ms Romeo, who updated us on the directions our school plan is taking: to develop a growth mindset in our students, to work collaboratively among staff and with other schools in our area, and to improve communication with our parent community. There were some very exciting initiatives discussed, so thank you, Ms Romeo, for sharing these with us, we are very privileged to have you at our meetings. We were also very honoured to have Ms Bell-Whittaker, the School Teacher/Librarian as our guest speaker. She provided us with insights into a variety of researching issues and options which are available through our school library. She also shared with us how to become a member of the State Library and how accessing their resources can be a time-saving and invaluable point of reference for students. We also learned about federated sources, syllabus bites, and lexile levels! We are now inspired to research. Thank you, Ms Bell-Whittaker! We are looking forward to the Mother Daughter dinner to be held in May/June – we’ll keep you posted with the date and details!

UUnniiffoorrmm SShhoopp NNeewwss The changeover to Winter Uniform is Monday 14 May. Now is the time to come into the shop and get your winter uniform. Junior girls wear the winter tunic, long-sleeved junior shirt and tie. Senior girls wear a skirt and long-sleeved senior shirt. Tracksuits are also available for Friday sport. The Uniform Shop opens every Wednesday during term from 12:45pm to 2pm, but please note that the girls’ lunch break is from 1:10pm to 1:45pm. Payment can be made by cash, cheque or credit card. Year 10 girls, please consider donating your unwanted junior uniform items to the school. Donations can be placed in the container near the door of the Uniform Shop. Good quality items are resold and other items are sent to charity. The Uniform Shop is managed by a member of the school staff assisted by volunteer parents through the Mothers’ Committee. Profits from the sale of uniforms are donated back to the school. We still need more helpers in the Uniform Shop to help it to run smoothly. No experience or cash handling experience is necessary. You can assist by helping students/parents choose the clothes, unpack the clothes, stock take or sort out donated clothes. Volunteers who are willing to donate one and a half hours of their time on Wednesday lunchtimes either once a month or once a term, please contact Sarah Widjaja at sarah168@gmail.com or on 0416 188 198.

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The Mothers’ Committee would like to thank all the parents who have volunteered to help in the uniform shop in the last four weeks – we really appreciate your contribution to our school!

Next Meeting: Wednesday 4 April at 10am in the School Library Guest Speaker – Mr Neil Waters – Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator. Looking forward to seeing you all there! Edwina Murphy President

Edwina Murphy Sarah Widjaja, Megan Feghali President Vice Presidents

Kim Le, Carol Chew Mandy Hook Secretary Treasurer

SStt GGeeoorrggiiaannss

he St Georgians’ Annual Reunion Luncheon is a long-held tradition of the ex-students’ association, and we’d like to extend an invitation

to any former students or staff of St George Girls High School to attend. This year we will meet on Saturday 21 April at St George Leagues Club, Kogarah. If you would like more information please email us and we will send you an invitation. The cost of Life Membership of The St Georgians is a one off payment of $25.00. To join, please download the membership Form from the school website – you will find our page under the “Parents and Community Groups” tag. The St Georgians generally meet on the fourth Thursday of each month, in the Bistro area at St George Leagues Club, Kogarah. For details of our next meeting, please email us. We have a great group of ladies of all ages, and it’s a fun, relaxed atmosphere. We also invite you to stay after the meeting for a little socialising and perhaps lunch in the Bistro. We are always keen to meet new members, and look forward to seeing you there!

TheStGeorgians@hotmail.com Kim Archibald President

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SScchhooooll UUnniiffoorrmm PPoolliiccyy

1. All items of uniform must be regulation St George Girls High School.

2. No jewellery other than watches, ear studs or Dragon or School Badges is to be worn.

3. Uniforms are to be of a reasonable length and no shorter than 10cm above the knee when the student is kneeling.

4. Makeup is not permitted in the junior school. Senior students may, if they wish wear light makeup and pale nail polish.

5. Hijab, if worn, must be plain white or navy.

6. Hair ribbons and elastics, if worn, are to be either red, white and/or navy.

7. School backpacks must be purchased through the uniform shop – backpack with school crest for Years 7 – 9, plain navy backpack for Years 10 – 12.

8. Neck scarves in Winter must be red, white or navy blue.

9. Black leather lace up school shoes only.

10. White plain above ankle length socks in Summer.

11. White plain above ankle length socks or beige, navy or black pantihose in Winter.

12. The navy coat may be worn over the school jumper in extremely cold weather.

13. Black jumpers, cardigans or hoodies are not permitted.

14. Sports Jackets are not to be worn as uniform other than during sport lessons.

15. Skivvies are not permitted.

All uniform items (except for shoes) must be

purchased from the School Uniform Shop.

SStt GGeeoorrggee GGiirrllss MMaakkee NNeewwss!!

Inner West Courier February 20 2018

CCoommiinngg EEvveennttss

Monday 19 March – Thursday 29 March Year 12 Mid HSC Course Assessment

Tuesday 20 March Gazette issued on school website and emailed to parents and students Year 7 Vaccinations Regional Swimming Softball Knockout Competition Students Dismissed 2.25pm

Wednesday 21 March Year 10 IST Excursion, UTS, 8am – 3:07pm

Thursday 22 March Parents and Citizens’ Association Meeting, Staff Common Room, 7pm

Monday 26 March Year 11 Mock Trial

Tuesday 27 March Students Dismissed 2.25pm

Wednesday 28 March – Visual Arts Camp, Bundanon Thursday 29 March

Wednesday 28 March Year 7 ‘Tell Them From Me’ Survey Year 9 ‘Tell Them From Me’ Survey

Thursday 29 March Year 8 ‘Tell Them From Me’ Survey

Friday 30 March Good Friday Holiday

Monday 2 April Easter Monday Holiday

Tuesday 3 April Year 10 History Excursion, Darlinghurst Students Dismissed 2.25pm

Wednesday 4 April Years 7 and 8 FUTSAL Knockout Competition Mothers’ Committee Meeting, Library, 10am

Thursday 5 April Years 9 and 10 FUTSAL Knockout Competition

Friday 6 April Years 11 and 12 FUTSAL Knockout Competition

Sunday 8 April – CHS Swimming Carnival Tuesday 10 April

Tuesday 10 April Years 7 and 12 Parent Teacher Evening, 3:30pm – 6:30pm Students Dismissed 2.25pm

Wednesday 11 April Walkathon

Thursday 12 April Year 11 Biology Field Study, Bonnie Vale, 8:15am – 3:30pm SRC Combined School Dance

Friday 13 April Year 11 ArtExpress Excursion Final Day of Term 1 Monday 30 April School Development Day, Staff Only

Tuesday 1 May Students Return

Wednesday 2 May Mothers’ Committee Meeting, Library, 10am

Thursday 3 May Athletics Carnival

Friday 4 May In Concert Secondary Choral Festival, City, 9:10am – 3pm

Saturday 5 May Uniform Shop Opening, 9:30am – 11am

Monday 14 May Commencement of Winter Uniform

Tuesday 15 May NAPLAN

Wednesday 16 May NAPLAN Year 10 and 12 Study Skills

Thursday 17 May NAPLAN

Wednesday 16 May – Year 11 Camp Friday 18 May

It is important that payment for excursions is made to the Finance Office or Online prior to the due date.

STUDY SKILLS TIP FOR MARCH

INDEPENDENT LEARNING

Some students take a long time to realise that there are actually two types of work in secondary school. There is the obvious work, the work your teacher specifically tells you to do and that is compulsory: homework, working on assignments, preparing for tests and assessments. But students who get good results in school take a larger measure of responsibility for their learning. This means that the nights where they do not have much compulsory work, they also do independent learning. These are the additional things you do, if you have no other schoolwork to do that night, to improve your understanding of your subjects. It is what students who get good marks are doing, they are just not talking about it to their friends!

Examples of independent learning:

• Reading

• Reviewing what you have been learning at school that week

• Extra practise on questions you find hard

• Research on an area you are interested in learning more about

• Making a mind map about what you have been learning

• Making study notes on a topic

• Improving your touch typing skills

• Reading ahead in your textbook

• Improving your study skills (you can complete units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au)

• Doing work from a different textbook or study guide for one of your subjects (check the schoollibrary, local library and bookshops).

Some nights you will not have time to do any independent learning. Other nights you will have no homework and will spend the whole time allocated to schoolwork for that night working on independent learning tasks. Your teacher may even give you a sheet that has suggestions of independent learning work for that subject. If you are unsure, you can always ask. This means in secondary school you can never say ‘I have nothing to do’ – this really just means ‘I have nothing compulsory to do at the moment!’.

One component of independent learning in high school is making your own study notes or summaries. You can learn more about how to make study notes in the unit ‘Summarising’ on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au

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St George Girls High School (Kogarah)

Jude Perera 0431 369 089.

jude.perera@stateplus.com.au

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!