Airds Announcer

Issue 4 – Term 2

June 2013

Airds Announcer

“A place to learn, lead and achieve your personal best”

Find us at: Airds High School, 2 Briar Road, Airds NSW 2560

airds-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Issue 4– Term 2

June 2013

DIARY DATES

Mon 15th July School Development Day Term 3

Tues 16th July Students return Term 3

Fri 19th July Formal Assemblies

Mon 22nd-26th July Year 12 trial HSC exams

Thurs 25th-26th July Zone Athletics Carnival

Thurs 1st August Regional SSW Athletics Carnival

Tues 6th August School Values Showcase

Wed 14th August Year 10 Subject Selection parent

meeting 6pm

Thurs 15th August Year 10 Subject Selection Day

Fri 16th August Year 10 School Values Day

Year 11 Skills Day

Mon 19th August Science Week excursion to

Wollongong Science Centre

Thurs 22nd August Year 10 Youth & Road Trauma

Forum

Wed 28th August Aspirations Completion

Ceremony

Year 7 & 8 Storm Boy excursion

Mon 2nd – 4th Sept Year 9 camp

Celebration of diversity

Briar Road, John Warby, Bradbury and Woodland Road public schools came to Airds High School to celebrate the cultural diversity in the community. There were several events on the day including a flag

ceremony and student performances in Aboriginal dance and from Samoan, Maori and Cook Islandergroups. This year the population of Airds High Schoolwas represented by 60 flags. Guests included MacarthurMP Russell Matheson and Football United community co-ordinator Assaah Helal.It was the 23rd year the school had held the ceremony and plans for next year’s celebration, which will also mark 40 years since the school’s establishment,have already begun

Picture: Jeff de Pasquale

NEXT P&C MEETING

WEDNESDAY 7th AUGUST

AT 10:15 am

IN THE STAFF COMMON ROOM

WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Year 11 students from the Aspirations program visit to Parliament House

AIRDS HIGH SCHOOL MENTORING PROGRAM

 (Speech from MP Mr B Doyle)

Mr BRYAN DOYLE (Campbelltown) [5.32 p.m.]: "Strive to achieve" is the motto of Airds High School, deep in the opal of the Macarthur. Yesterday I was proud to host at Parliament House a delegation of 30 students—wonderfully presented in their school blazers—and their principal Max Foord, together with Anita Bentley and Peta Demery from Aussie Home Loans. Aussie Home Loans has an amazing mentoring program with Airds High School. The purpose of this mentoring program is to provide inspiration, motivation and support so that all students realise their potential. It enables students to broaden their horizons and consider vocations that they may not otherwise have considered.

 

The program was initiated by the previous Aussie Home Loans chief executive officer, Stephen Porges, and has a continuing strong advocate in the current chief executive officer, Mr Ian Corfield. Aussie Home Loans' involvement with Airds High School is about providing students at the school with every opportunity to achieve their dreams. Aussie Home Loans believes that every accomplishment in life, no matter how large or small, starts with a dream and the active decision to step up and follow that dream.

 

During their visit to Parliament House the students spent some time talking to me, as their local member. But if that was not enough, we also spent some time with the Premier, Barry O'Farrell, the Minister for Family and Community Services, Ms Pru Goward, the Minister for Transport, Ms Gladys Berejiklian, and the Attorney General, Mr Greg Smith, SC. They each raised various issues with the students relating to the importance of vision and education. In fact, our Premier told the students that if he had known when he was young what he was going to be doing in life, he would have studied harder at school. The Minister for Transport spoke about the importance of values and also discussed her migrant history, which is something we all share because everyone in this Chamber has a family history of a migrant coming to Australia for a better life for themselves and their children and grandchildren. Minister Goward spoke to the students about the importance of self-belief and the Attorney General spoke of the importance of service and determination. A group photo was taken of the students with the Premier and the Ministers. We then introduced them to question time—the students were able to see Parliament in action.

 

The success of this mentoring program can be readily demonstrated by the dramatic increase in the number of students planning diverse and exciting futures way past the end of their year 12 studies. What was but a distant hope for some of those students has now become a reality—all achieved by a wonderful program working with the school that focuses on concern, advice, mentoring and broadening horizons. Perhaps one of the best examples was a presentation by Israel Folau, who visited Airds High School and spoke with the assembled students. He told them of his dream as a young fellow. At the age of 15 he wrote down on paper his goal of wanting to play first grade rugby league by the time he was 17. Israel told the students that his brothers laughed at him. They did not think he could do it. He told the students about the importance of goals and self-belief, the importance of sticking to it and working hard to achieve those goals.

 

There is probably no greater thing that we can do than build hope, values and determination in our youth, so that they can go on to achieve their goals. I told the students that they were all unique—there is no-one like them in the world, no-one that had their particular mix of skills and talents, no-one called to their vocation in life—and how important it is not only for them but also for their families and the community that they follow their dreams. I commend the program to the House.

YEAR 10 REPORT

Year 10 Careers Expo

On the 6th of June Mr Hennessy and myself had the pleasure of taking a group of Year 10 students to the Macarthur Career’s Expo. We began the day with a short walk through the crisp morning air and arrived at Mega Mini Golf for a few rounds of putt putt. The students experienced the Lost Jungle, Pharaoh's Tomb and Wild West themed obstacle courses. I was really impressed with the level of teamwork and acceptance among the students present. We then made our way to Minto to attend the Macarthur Career’s Expo. Here, the students had the opportunity to network with tertiary providers and other career pathways that they may like to venture into on completion of high school.

We encourage the Year 10 students to begin thinking about possible Work Experience options that they would like to participate in, as this will be taking place next term. Further to this will be subject selection day with the possibility of an additional TVET course, run through the TAFE. If you have any questions regarding any of the points mentioned above please do not hesitate to contact me at the school on: 46255811

Enjoy your break

Ms Taylor

Year 10 Year Adviser

P&C REPORT

It’s hard to believe that the year is nearly half over, but here we are at the end of Term 2 already! I hope you have all had an enjoyable and productive first semester being involved in all the wonderful learning activities and events that have been happening at Airds High School. There have been camps, swimming, cross country and athletics carnivals; team sport matches against other schools, many of which Airds have won; the LEAPS programme for some Year 9 students; Aspirations for some Year 11 students and many exciting learning activities that have been going on in the school on a daily basis.

It has been great to see so many of our students participating in these experiences and events and experiencing such high levels of success. A huge thank you must go to all staff members who work tirelessly to make sure our children have the best learning opportunities that can be provided and are able to take part in all the extra sporting and social events that happen throughout the year. The staff here at Airds High School are extremely dedicated to each one of our students and all their time and effort to help our children be successful in life is greatly appreciated.

I would once again like to encourage all parents, caregivers and community members to attend our P&C meetings. They are held on the first Wednesday of each month in the Staff Common Room starting at 10:15am. Morning tea is often provided and it is a great opportunity for you to meet other parents at the school as well as get to know a little bit about how our school works and what goes on ‘behind the scenes’. Our principal, Mr Foord, is usually at our meetings and is always willing to answer any questions you might have or provide explanations of anything that affects us as parents and community members. If you have young children who aren’t at school yet and would like to attend our meetings, please feel free to bring your children along. They are more than welcome to stay in the common room with you during the meetings and a few books, toys and some food will do wonders to keep them happy! If we have more parents and community members involved with our P&C it will mean that we are able to do more to assist the school in providing for our children’s needs. Due to the school holidays our next P&C meeting will be held on Wednesday 7th August at 10:15am. It would be really great to see some new faces and hear any ideas you might have for our school.

With Father’s Day fast approaching the P&C are attempting to organise a fundraising event that would allow our families to celebrate all the wonderful moments we share with our dads, stepdads, grandads, uncles or other male role models throughout our lives. We hope that some of the money raised may be donated to a charity that focuses specifically on men’s health and well-being, such as prostate cancer or men’s mental health. We hope that our students and families will support the event so that the school in turn can support one of these worthy causes. More information will be sent home when the details are finalised next term, and hopefully we will be able to hold a very successful fundraising event.

I hope everyone has a very enjoyable and relaxing holiday and I am looking forward to seeing you all back here next term. I’m sure the second half of the year will be as busy and as productive as our first semester has been. Congratulations to all our students who have experienced success and achieved their very best this term, and thank you to all our wonderful families who support and encourage their children.

Melanie Cutts

P&C President

PICLO REPORT

Pacific greetings to all our staff students and their families, hoping everyone is keeping rugged up and warm in these colder months, don’t forget we have an endless supply of winter uniforms to purchase to keep out the chills during school hours.

The Bring the Family to Uni day was a great success. Many students and their families enjoyed the evening at UWS Bankstown hosted by PATHE, we were given an informed evening of life in university for the Pacific student. We heard of the personal struggles and obstacles these students had faced in the past and the importance of programs like PATHE who give support and assistance to students during their time at uni. Parents were informed of the various ways to access university and the importance of further education and training for the future of their children. The night ended with a great meal and entertainment and we were excited to be a part of the celebration of PATHE’s first birthday. Thank you Dr Jioji and Moera Sakimi and your team for a great night out. Pathe are holding a workshop this Wednesday 26 June for Years 10 -11 at Airds HS library so students are better informed on how to apply and access Tafe and University. These workshops are invaluable for students in providing opportunities to access further education and training

Pacific Parents Forum went well with parents getting educated about their children’s education it was very interesting to learn about what is expected from our students as far as assignments and attendance goes and it also gave parents the opportunity to reflect on how they can contribute and support in their children’s learning. We were also fortunate to hear an inspiring story from Lyric McFarland who spoke about the positive influences in her life and encouraged students to find career paths that you most enjoy and pursue it to the best of your ability. Thank you to the teachers who presented on the day and students who performed and also the parents who cooked the beautiful lunch, it is awesome to see parents participating in such a positive way for the benefit of their children.

There are a number of upcoming events for Pacific students including an invitation for our Maori Nesian fest performers to perform at the ‘Navigation’ launch at Casula Power house in October and also a selected group of students will perform at the Salvation Army Multicultural Festival at Homebush in September.

Enjoy the holidays everyone and see you all next term.

Kia Manuia

Mrs M Varu

PICLO

SRC REPORT

The SRC has been working very hard during the second half of Term 2. In conjunction with Aussie and Be Learning, the SRC have been developing their leadership skills by working on a project to help improve the school. This has involved attending workshops where they have learnt communication techniques, improved their speaking skills, developed their leadership skills, and learnt how to put together a project plan.

Based on the needs of the student body, the SRC decided that for their project, they would renovate the student toilets. Given the magnitude of this initiative, seven members of the SRC went into the city on the 20th June to ask if Aussie could possibly contribute some funds to help them out. The students had to give a presentation to a number of representatives at Aussie, outlining what their project is, what they have been working on, and how they intend to enact this renovation.

Every single student who spoke presented themselves impeccably and set an outstanding example for the school. They spoke with confidence and passion and clearly showed to Aussie that at Airds High School we “Strive to Achieve”. I would like to congratulate the students on their presentation and express how very proud I am of their efforts.

On Tuesday 25th June, the final SRC/Aussie workshop will be held where our students will find out how successful their presentation was. I am sure that based on their hard work, Airds High School will see newly renovated toilets very soon!

I wish everyone a safe and fun holiday and look forward to seeing what the SRC will produce next term.

Mr Wallace

SRC Coordinator

Michelle, Katelyn, Angela, Adi, Justin, Christina, Paul, Anita (Aussie), Claire (Be Learning)

CLO REPORT

My name is Melanie Cutts and I have recently been appointed as the new Community Liaison Officer here at Airds High School. I’m sure many of you remember Robyn Culbert who retired last year after having worked tirelessly as the CLO for well over 20 years. On behalf of all the staff, students, parents and community members who were helped and supported in so many ways by Robyn, I would once again like to say a very big thank you for all her years of hard work and dedication to Airds High School. I trust that she is enjoying her well earned retirement and she will always hold a very special place in the hearts and minds of many people here at our school.

I am very excited about my new role here at AHS and am looking forward to working with all the wonderful staff, students and families that are part of our school. One of my roles here at school is to be a link between the school, the staff, the parents/careviers and the wider community in order to provide all students with the best possible opportunities for successful learning. Over the coming weeks I will be talking and working with staff, students and parents in order to gain some insight into how I might best assist everyone here at the school. From there I will be able to develop some strategies and programs that will be designed to address the areas with the greatest needs here at school and hopefully in the wider community. I am also hoping to be able to organise for a number of our parents and community members to visit our school on a regular basis and share their knowledge and skills with as many students and staff as possible. If we all work together to provide our children with interesting and varied learning experiences, we will be giving them a well-rounded education and doing all we can to help lead them to a successful future.

In order for me to start to get to know the students and their families here at school, I will be sending out a questionnaire early in Term 3. I would greatly appreciate it if you and your family could fill it out and return it to school as quickly as possible. As your Community Liaison Officer I believe that it is important for me to be providing parents and their families with the support and assistance that they see as areas of need for themselves and the education of their children. By filling out the questionnaire, you will be providing me with that information which I can then use to develop relevant programs that will best assist your families. Your time and effort in filling out the questionnaire will be greatly appreciated and very valuable when it comes to your child’s opportunities here at school.

We have many exciting events on our school calendar for next term and I look forward to seeing many of our students participating in the planned activities. I would like to encourage all of our parents to become as involved as possible in their children’s school life and any extra-curricular activities that they may participate in. It would be great to see more parents at events such as zone and regional athletics or cross country carnivals, or cheering on their child’s hockey, netball or football team from the sideline. Sharing these sorts of days with your children can help to strengthen the relationship you have with them and help to motivate them to do well and be successful in their future endeavours.

Finally I would like to encourage all our students, parents and community members to feel free to approach me with any issues, concerns, ideas or suggestions that they may have. I am always willing to listen and do whatever I can to assist you with whatever it is you might need. I will be at school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday each week and if you are unable to contact me please just leave a message at the front office and I will get back to you. Please also encourage your children to some and see me if there is anything they would like me to help them with. My room is located in the library and I am at school from 8:30am until 3:00pm.

I hope you and your families have a very relaxing and enjoyable holiday and our students come back to school refreshed, enthusiastic and with a positive attitude towards their learning and school life.

I look forward to seeing you all next term

Ms M Cutts

CLO

FROM THE PASTORAL CARERS DESK

The end of Term 2 is fast approaching and we will be half way through the year. This term we have seen many encouraging achievements with positive outcomes through the extra programs, events and activities at Airds High School. The dedication and the energy of staff in supporting our students is amazing. They continue to go the extra mile in providing opportunities for their education and personal development. Congratulations to everyone for a wonderful school term, the holidays will be a welcome break for all as we recharge the batteries to be ready for a busy Term 3.

Reconciliation Week was acknowledged recently by the whole nation. It’s a time for reflection and focus on our Aboriginal brothers and sisters. The journey towards reconciliation is ongoing, as we acknowledge the history that has damaged relationships in the past. We look to our elected leaders with hope that they will be guided to speak the truth in love, to seek social justice with mercy and to care for those who are disadvantaged. There is a long way to go, but education and understanding is the key to change and a need to strengthen Aboriginal leadership within our communities. Our school community has much to celebrate with pride as we recognise the achievements of our Aboriginal students and staff.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Melanie Cutts in her new role as Community Liaison Officer at AHS. Melanie will provide an important link for school, community and families. We wish her every success in this position.

I would like to remind everyone that I am at Airds High School on Wednesday and Thursday this term. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Until next time, safe and happy holidays.

Rob Hodgson JP

TEACHING AND LEARNING REPORT

MULTILIT

This term we have been implementing the Multi Lit Reading Tutor Program to selected Year 7 and 8 students. The Reading Tutor Program caters for students who have not acquired the basic skills needed to become functional readers and covers Word Attack Skills, Sight Words, and Reinforced Reading. The program delivers high-level one-on-one instruction over two sessions per cycle with regular monitoring conducted to maximize the student’s progress.

A reminder that parents are always welcome to contact us – Ms Zalewski or Ms Green - and discuss their children and their progress and the extra support they are receiving. We must also congratulate the MULTILIT participants on their extended success this term; it’s great to see the student’s confidence, ability and results increasing!

AM Program

The Awareness Motivation Program has seen a successful term with some new students joining the goal setting program. The program provides students with mentoring and goal setting opportunities as well as time for peer mentoring. Participating students have shown increased attendance rates and decreases in negative behaviours as well as improved engagement in classes. The participating students are to be congratulated on their goal driven success!

Gifted and Talented

The Gifted and Talented Program has seen success this term with differentiated curriculum and withdrawal lessons continuing with both the Year 9 and Year 10 G&T cluster group. This term we have also focused on our selected Year 7 G&T students and hope to continue more withdrawal programs and in class support next term.

Middle School Challenge

This term our Year 9 and selected Year 8 GAT Students will once again, be running the GAT Middle School Challenge. These days aim to give the primary school participants an insight into high school life and aim to further their creative thinking. This terms Challenge will be focused around the central theme of “Space” and the Year 8 and 9 students are already enthusiastically planning their activities

The challenge day will be held on Tuesday 25th June and we welcome any parents and community members who would like to see this day take place to join us in the library from 9.30am. We once again wish all the participating Primary Schools the best of luck going into this terms challenge.

Fast Forward

This term selected Year 10 students have been continuing with the Fast Forward Program. The program is a career driven concept by the University of Western Sydney and aims to prepare students for the future by running workshops and one on one mentoring sessions surrounding work choices, study methods and time management. The mentors are available to help students with school work and are also available to talk about everyday issues.

This term the students went to the Fast Forward Year 10 University Day. The day was fun and interactive with all workshops being based on Sean Coveys 7 habits of Highly Effective Teens. The day provided students with valuable tools and resources to help them make informed decisions about their future study aspirations.

Wednesday Activity Centre

Every Wednesday in the library, we are offering a variety of activities for all students. We have had a very positive response for our activity centre this term and would like to see the numbers continue to increase. We supply a lovely afternoon tea for all students that attend and activities include; Arts and Crafts, Film Club, Homework Centre, Chess and Fitness. Teachers supervise all activities and are available to support students with their assignments and classwork generally. Most faculties have representatives at the library, but if your child would like a particular teacher to support them, then please get your child to contact us in the library. If your child would like to attend the Wednesday Activity Centre please arrange for them to get a permission note from the library. We look forward to helping your students!

From the Library

All of us are faced with making countless decisions each day. How successful we are depends on a combination of skills known as information literacy. Information literacy means more than being able to read or use a computer. It means knowing how to find, evaluate and use the best, most current information available. An information literate person recognises when information is needed and can locate, access, evaluate and apply that information. Information literacy encompasses the effective use of multiple information technologies and formats, enables individuals to develop skills for learning throughout life and supports skills for workplace enterprise and for community participation.

Although they have grown up with the internet, the large majority of students mainly use it for gaming, following celebrities and social media. Often their search skills lack the ability to return good, relevant results, and they have little idea of evaluating whether a website’s information is relevant and credible. We constantly work with students on their information literacy in the library.

Several students signed up for the Premier’s Reading Challenge. This is the first year we have run this, so while I’m new to this, many students are veterans having completed the challenge through all levels of Primary School. Some of our older students also wanted to participate but are excluded because the Challenge is for students in Years 7-9. So we decided to run our own challenge for them – The Principal’s Reading Challenge. If your child is in one of these Challenges, encourage them to keep reading until the finish date (end of August). Premier’s Reading Challenge students can fill out their Personal Reading Log online at https://products.schools.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html. Principal’s Reading Challenge students don’t get it so easy, they have to prove to me they have read a book before I’ll sign off on it. For all students, the holidays provide a perfect opportunity for extended reading.

Ms Burgess & Ms Jones

Teacher-Librarians

SLSO’s

It is hard to believe that this term is almost over. Mainstream SLSO’s were impressed with the conduct of the students during the NAPLAN exams. These exams were closely followed with the half-yearly exams and Ms Addamo and Ms Hopwood offered assistance. Although exam time can be stressful, most students took the exams in their stride. The focus for this term has been literacy. Ms Cruz’s Year 8 English class published their works with the assistance of Ms Addamo. The resulting publication will be on display in the library.

Next term’s focus will be on numeracy and both Ms Marie Addamo (Yrs 8, 10 and 12) and Ms Julie Hopwood (Yrs 7, 9 and 11) are working on a long term plan to assist targeted students with an aim to improving numeracy results. Year 12 students are still working towards their HSC and Ms Addamo has been working closely with targeted students to help them maximise their results. Ms Hopwood is continuing to prepare Year 11 for their final year.

Both Ms Addamo and Ms Hopwood are happy to offer assistance to all mainstream students in any year, in any subject. The planned changes in technology and new teaching and learning techniques will be implemented to enrich the learning experiences of our students and Ms Addamo and Ms Hopwood are more than happy to assist any student achieve their learning goals within the values framework of safe, respectful learning.

We are:

Safe

Respectful

Learners

PDHPE REPORT

Well done to all students who have completed their assignments and half yearly exams to the best of their ability this term for PDHPE. It is very pleasing to see students achieve such high results. The following students have produced excellent results for assignments, exams and performances in Health and PE this semester. The students have come in the top 3 places in their year groups:

Year 7

1st Tenielle Dredge, 2nd Alfred Pritchard & 3rd Noreislyn Fuimoano

Year 8

1st Aurin Jones, 2nd Vanessa Siitia & 3rd Joel Etherington

Year 9

PDHPE – 1st Askari Zehour, 2nd Angela Franks, 3rd Rhiannon Cuthbert

PASS – 1st Askari Zehour, 2nd Cougar Smith, 3rd Angela Franks

Coaching – 1st Justin Peachey, 2nd Angela Franks, 3rd Askari Zehour

Year 10

PDHPE – 1st Aidan Ferderer, 2nd Elizabeth Lilomaiava, 3rd Kimberley Gimbert

PASS – 1st Aidan Ferderer, 2nd Al-Harraz Hudaja, 3rd Zac Dunn

Year 11

PDHPE – 1st Kira-Leigh Moore, 2nd Jason Zeballos, 3rd Tanaya Phillips

SLR – 1st Kira-Leigh Moore, 2nd Elijah Sa, 3rd Riggot Varu

COACHING (Consistent Effort) – Alex Oloaga

Year 12

PDHPE – 1st Kane Walsh, 2nd Yasmine Daye, 3rd Amy-Lee Fuentes

SLR – 1st Ali Khalil, 2nd Lucas Macdonald 3rd Joshua Mokoroa

SLR (Consistent Effort) – Stephanie Wasson

Support – Consistent Effort

Cooper – Joseph Michael

Manolo – Jackson Baxter

Gucci – Shyan Tupufia

Blunstone – Blake Waechtler

Prada – Kayla Scafidi

Well done to all those students! Keep up the superb effort!

Year 11 Coaching students have been working hard all term to plan a rugby league Gala Day for Year 7 with the help of our local NRL Development Officer Drew Dalton. On Monday 3rd June, this day was held and they taught the students how to score a try, how to attack and defend and how to work as a team. In the afternoon, there was a round robin touch competition which the coaching students refereed and organised. All students were lucky enough to receive a free football for their participation. Congratulations to the Year 11 Coaching students for their assistance on the day and Year 7 for being fantastic participants.

A reminder to students in Ms Tate’s Year 11 PDHPE class and Ms Simms Year 11 and 12 Sport Coaching classes that notes for the Senior First Aid course being held in Week 7 of next term are due back ASAP. $70 needs to be paid to the front office in instalments or as a lump sum. This course is compulsory for all of the students in these classes and failure to complete may jeopardise the completion of the Preliminary or HSC course. Any problems, feel free to contact these teachers in the PDHPE faculty.

Hope you all have a safe and happy mid-year holiday.

Mr S Wagner

Head Teacher PDHPE

FOOTBALL UNITED REPORT

The Football United program continues to grow and is enjoying increases in numbers and participants.

The Football United After School Training program runs every Monday afternoon from 3:15pm – 4:30pm on the back oval of the high school with Stuart and his team of coaches. This is a fantastic opportunity for the students to have some fun after school and learn some soccer skills (also it is absolutely free!!!). Students from our local feeder primary schools John Warby, Briar Road, Bradbury and Woodland Road as well as Airds High School students in Years 7-10 are welcome to attend. If you want more information or a permission note contact the Sport Organiser at your primary school or Ms Simms or Mr Miezio at Airds High School on 4625 5811. The program will run on the following Mondays in Term 3:

· Monday 22nd July

· Monday 5th August

· Monday 12th August

· Monday 19th August

· Monday 2nd September

· Monday 9th September

· Monday 16th September

On Wednesday 19th June, the South Division Football United Gala Day was held at Miller Technology High School. The junior boys played games against the following schools with these results:

· Airds Vs Lurnea HS – Won 4-0 (Goals to Joshua McDonald (2), Samuel Vyzigiro, Jake Taylor)

· Airds Vs Miller HS – Won 2-0 (Goals to Jonathan Souleyo, Jayden Vidovic McCarthy)

· Airds Vs James Meehan HS – Drew 1-1 (Goal to Jake Taylor)

We were the winners of our division and the boys played extremely well and were excellent ambassadors for our school. The students also got to talk with Paul Reid (former Sydney FC player) and Labinot Haliti (Western Sydney Wanderers player)

If you have any questions about the Football United program, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Simms or Mr Miezio.

SUPERVISOR OF GIRLS

The GAP (Girls Achieving their Potential) program began in Term 2 with a selected number of students from Year 7 participating. The group met every fortnight and completed workshops on bullying, being resilient and making their own decisions. During Week 8, the girls were treated to a Drumbeats session run by Deb and Katrina from Youth Connections. The girls thoroughly enjoyed learning how to play the drums and work together as a team.

Sydney South West Girls Tennis Knockout

We are pleased to announce that Airds High School Girls Tennis Team consisting of Marrenars Srey, Alicia Loli, Teuila Fetui and Siteri Peter made it through to Round 4 of the Sydney South West Girls Tennis Knockout. The girls successfully made it through to round 4 beating East Hills Girls High School, Mt Annan High School, Elderslie High School and then came up against Cecil Hills in Round 4.

We travelled to Cecil Hills High School to participate in the 4th Round of the knockout not knowing what we would be up against. Upon arrival we found out that two of the members from Cecil Hills High are currently seeded players and both represent Australia. This came as quite a shock to our girls but they still put up a fight and unfortunately were unsuccessful in both their doubles games and their seeded singles

.

The girls were great ambassadors for Airds High School and deserve to be congratulated for their sensational effort and sportsmanship.

Miss Zalewski

SEMESTER 1 SPORTS REPORT

It has been an action packed first term with some outstanding achievements from our talented students. This has been my first term as sports organisers and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I must thank some people first. To all the teachers who have given up their time to take a knockout team. Thank you, as without your help and support our students would not have the opportunity to compete and participate in these scheduled events.

Knockout teams for 2013

Open boys cricket

Mr Moss

Open boys basketball

Mr Tyler/Mr Bromley

Open girls basketball

Mr Clements

U15s boys basketball

Mr Hennessey

Open girls volleyball

Mr John

Open boys volleyball

Mr John

Open girls hockey

Miss Tate

Open boys hockey

Miss Tate

Open boys rugby league

Mr Latulipe

U15s rugby league

Mr Tyler/Mr Bromley

U13s rugby league

Mr Tyler/Mr Bromley

Open boys soccer

Mr Moss

Open girls soccer

Mr Farmer

Open girls netball

Miss Zalewski

Open girls Tennis

Miss Zalewski

Open mixed table tennis

Mr Rosete

Futsal

Mr Halliburton

Airds High School Swimming Carnival

Unfortunately the schools swimming carnival had to be cancelled due to the bleak outlook from the weather forecast. This decision was made with the student’s safety in mind. We made it serious competitors only. The turn-out was poor on the day but we still had a handful of students pulling some good times and even records.

Congratulations to our Age Champions for 2013 are:

Girls

Name

Boys

Name

13 years

Madison Tidmarsh

13 years

Nahi Hona

14 years

Hayley Greatley

14 years

Zac Gialanze

15 years

Chloe Greatley

15 years

Aidan Ferderer

17 years

Katelyn Ferderer

16 years

PJ Mati-Leifi

17 years

Adrian Holahan

Aidan Ferderer must be congratulated for receiving the 15 years boys Age Champion at the Fisher Zone Carnival. This is his 4th consecutive year for receiving this award.

Records broken on the day

Name

Age group

Event

Time

Aidan Ferderer

U16s

200IM

2.42.62s

Aidan Ferderer

U15s

50m Freestyle

29.38s

Aidan Ferderer

U15s

50m Backstroke

35.89s

Aidan Ferderer

U15s

100m Freestyle

1.05.10s

Aidan Ferderer

U15s

50 Breaststroke

40.74s

Aidan Ferderer

U15s

50 Butterfly

34s

Katelyn Ferderer

U17s

50m Backstroke

43.57s

Katelyn Ferderer

U17s

50m Breaststroke

53.19s

Regional Swimming Carnival

We had 2 students make the regional carnival held at Bradbury Pools. Katelyn Ferderer must be congratulated for her consistent performance at every swimming carnival that she has attended from Year 7. She is now in Year 12, and has made it to the Regional Carnival every year. What a fantastic achievement! Aidan Ferderer swam fantastically well in all his events and made it to the State Championships which will be held at Homebush in early April. Aidan’s results consisted of 2nd in 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle, 2nd in 100m butterfly, and 1st in the 100m backstroke. These are some fantastic results Aidan! Well done!

State Swimming Championships

Aidan had a big schedule of swimming in week 10 of Term 1. Most swimmers are lucky to make 1 or 2 events at a State level and Aidan was competing in 6 events. Here is a summary of Aidan’s performances.

Event

Place

Time

50m free

19th

27.68s and a PB

100 free

14th

1.00.29

200 free

14th

2.11.41 and a PB

400m free

13th

4.46.37 and a PB

100 butterfly

16th

1.10.70 and a PB

100 back

17th

1.14.13

Sydney South West Representation

Rugby Union

Congratulations to Paul Vaai and Seru Tamani for making the Sydney South West training squad for Rugby Union. Fingers crossed for both of you to train hard and hopefully make the SSW Union team for 2013.

Hockey

Congratulations to the following students who made the Fisher Zone Hockey teams to compete at the regional carnival in April.

· Aimee Burke

· Katelyn Ferderer

· Kimberley Gimbert

· Samantha Gimbert

· Emma Morris

· Angela Franks

· Rhiannon Cuthbert

· Jake Taylor

· David Baker

· Christian Woodin

· Robert Clarke Hirka

Congratulations to Kimberley Gimbert who was successful in making the Sydney South West Hockey team for 2013. This is an outstanding achievement considering she is only in Year 10. I have heard from Miss Tate who was the coach of the Fisher Zone team that Kimberley played outstandingly all day. She showed great skill, fitness and team work on the day which made her a successful player and now representative for SSW.

Robert Clarke- Hirka in Year 11 was very close to making the Sydney South team for 2013. He made the final squad of boys to play in the last game of the afternoon. Unfortunately he was 1 of 8 boys dropped in the final round. We want to wish you all the best for next year Robert!

Cross Country

Our school Cross Country carnival was held on the 3rd of May. Students competing ran a new track which equalled 3.6km. Congratulations to Aidan Ferderer who took out the boy’s race and Kimberley Gimbert who won the girls race during period 2.

Congratulations to the following students who received Age Champions for 2013

Age

Name

Age

Name

12

Abbey Olsen

13

Malik Reid

13

Madison Tidmarsh

14

Alex Bustescu

14

Hayley Lardner

15

Aidan Ferderer

15

Kimberley Gimbert

16

Sitai Burogolevu

17

Robert Clark Hirka

Fisher Zone Cross Country

Fisher Zone Cross Country was held at Mount Annan Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful day with no rain in sight which is always good news for the Cross Country Carnival. We had a number of students who ran well on the day and are now through to the regional carnival. Big congratulations to our 15 boys who ran in 1st, 2nd and 3rd on the day. Well done boys, what a great effort!

The following students made the Fisher Zone team to compete at regional

Name

Place

Age Group

Abby Olsen

3rd

12 years

Madison Tidmarsh

7th

13 years

Kimberley Gimbert

3th

15 years

Aidan Ferderer

1st

15 years

Jake Taylor

2nd

15 years

Wiz Foster

3rd

15 years

Liam Stark

6th

16 years

Sitai Burogolevu

2nd

16 years

Regional Cross Country

Regional Cross Country was held on the 13th of June. We had many of our talented runners perform well on the day. Abby Olsen received 19th position in the 12 years girls. Madison Tidmarsh from the 13 years girls ran in at 28th. Kimberley Gimbert ran in 21st in the 15 years girls. Big congratulations to Aidan Ferderer who made it to the State Championships for the second year in a row. Aidan placed 5th in his age group and was just tipped on the line for 4th place in a sprint finish. Well done to all the athletes who competed on the day.

Airds High School Athletics Carnival

Airds was definitely blessed on Friday the 24th of May. The day before the weather was terrible. The sky was dark and gloomy and it rained pretty much all day. But Friday came and the track was still a little wet from the day before but Airds High School received sunshine all day. We were unable to hold high jump due to safety concerns with the track. Many students were disappointed with this as it is a loved event at Airds with many students wanting to participate or watch the spectacle unravel. It was a fantastic day and many records were broken.

Age champions

Name

Age Group

Name

Age Group

Abby Olsen

12 years

Tod Leslie

12 years

Madison Tidmarsh

13 years

Sean Marceca

Sione Teisi

Braydon Watkins

13 years

Hayley Lardner

14 years

Austin Harris

14 years

Sharna Hillhouse

15 years

John Maillei

15 years

Milly Turaganivolo

16 years

Stanley Mila

16 years

Adi Turaganivolo

Evelyn Lardner

17 years

Hayden Harrison

17 years

Records

Name

Age and event

New Record

Abby Olsen

12 years girls 1500m

8m

Madison Tidmarsh

13 years girls 1500m

7m.07s

Hayley Lardner

14 years girls 1500m

8m.35s

Loata Peters

15 years girls 200m

32.12s

Nadine Hakes

15 years girls 1500m

9m. 01s

Adi Turaganivolo

17 years girls Javelin

21.02m

Naya El-Abd

14 years girls Javelin

18.03m

Moses Vuki

12 years boys Javelin

12 years boys 200m

20.22m

31.51s

Chris Manu

12 years boys Discus

22.70m

Seth King

13 years boys 200m

30.71s

Kyle Moore

13 years boys 1500m

6.40m

Aidan Ferderer

15 years boys 1500m

5m.21s

Sitai Burogolevu

16 years boys 1500m

5m.33s

Dylan Mahon

17 years boys 1500m

5m.35s

Knockout teams

Cricket Report

The open boys cricket team performed exceptionally well against Mount Annan High. Bowling first, we managed to restrict the opposition to 165 runs. Brock Baker was the pick of the bowlers taking 3 wickets. He was well supported by Damien Ellis and Zac Dunn who took a wicket each. Elijah Sa and Aubrey French also bowled extremely well. Unfortunately we fell short of their total when batting. Brock Baker showed some resistance and top scored for us with 18 not out. Congratulations to all the players for their determination and their outstanding attitude on the day.

Mr Moss

Hockey Report

Open Girls Hockey Team

As you can see from the above photos the girls played in some tough weather conditions. It poured rain the whole game and the turf was completely covered in water making it hard to move the ball and string passes together. Airds High School versed Ambarvale High School in their first round match out at Narellan Hockey fields. At full time the score was locked at nil all. This meant the girls would have to go back out into the rain and face extra time. No complaints though from our girls who went out there once again to face the conditions and Ambarvale. The score was still locked at nil all at the end of extra time which meant the girls would now have to have a stroke off. This is where the goalie goes up against one field player. They must either push or flick the ball into the goal in one motion. Our goalie was Amy McDonald and she had to face 5 different Ambarvale players. Airds High School stroke takers for the day were Katelyn Ferderer, Aimee Burke, Samantha Gimbert, Emma Morris and Angela Franks. Thanks to the great defence from Amy and our goal scorers Katelyn, Samantha and Emma the girls went away with the victory 3 to 1. Well done girls!

Central venue (2nd and 3rd round matches)

On Monday the 3rd of June the Open girls Hockey team headed off to battle their 2nd and 3rd round clashes out at Moorebank Hockey field. Their first game was against Bass High School. We were back to full strength this time as we had Kimberley Gimbert back from Sydney South West Hockey. The girls played outstanding and defeated their opposition 9-nil. Special mention must go to Adde Liban for her hunger in the circle to put away 3 goals.

The win against Bass High School saw the girl’s progress through to the 3rd round of the competition. The girls went up against Bonnyrigg High School. At the end of the first half the girls were 1-nil down. This didn’t deter their determination or their ability to play as a team. They worked tirelessly through the second half. 15 minutes into the 2nd half Kimberley Gimbert put away a well needed goal to see Airds equal the score. In the last 5 minutes of play the girls won a short corner. We had Katelyn Ferderer score a goal from a beautifull position and a powerful hit into the corner to put the girls in the lead. The girls had the skill and the determination to hold Bonnyrigg out for the rest of the game. I must congratulate all the girls for a wonderful day. You were all great ambassadors for your school and I wish you all the best for the next round matches. With their win the girls are now in the final 4 schools for the Sydney South West region. This is the best hockey team that Airds has seen and all the girls should be proud of their efforts and achievements. Well done!

Open Boys Hockey team

The boy’s first game was held at Narellan Hockey fields. They were up against John Edmonson High School. The boys worked hard throughout the whole game and dominated possession of the ball but just couldn’t find a goal. By the end of the first half it was 1-nil to Airds. Early in the second half John Edmondson scored a runaway goal to even up the score at 1-1. The boys continued attacking and kept their cool to score in the last 5 minutes of play to move through to the second round of the competition. Standout players were Jake Taylor and Seth King in attack and Robert Clarke- Hirka in the middle as centre half.

Central Venue for 2nd and 3rd round competition

On the 14th of June the boys headed off to Moorebank Hockey Field for the next round of their competition. Their first game was against Leumeah High School. Unfortunately Leumeah forfeited, this meant that our boys went straight through to the 3rd round of the competition. The boys were up against older and physically bigger opponents from Holsworthy High School. It was a physical game but our boys did stand up to them to display skill and team work beyond their years and experience. The boys went down fighting all the way to the end. Well done boys! Stand out players from the match were Justin Peachey who scored our only goal, Robert Clarke- Hirka for his work in the middle, Jayden McCormick and David Baker for their defensive efforts.

Miss N Tate

Futsal Boys Knockout

A group of U14 boys participated in the NSW Futsal Competition at Minto Indoor Sports Centre. The boys put in a big effort each week for months in training. The boys played four games over the day, unfortunately they lost all four games. The boys played with a lot of heart, a bit of skill and their sportsmanship was exceptional. Best on the day was Aurin Jones, most improved was Joel Etherington and players player was Adrian Endicott. A big thanks to Mr Matt Jones for all the help with training and on game day. Heads up boys there is always next year.

Mr Halliburton

Sydney South West Girls Netball Knockout

On Tuesday 18th June, the Airds High School Girls Netball Team travelled to Endeavour Park, Fairfield to take part in the SSW Girls Netball Knockout for 2013. The team consisted of mixed year groups and all girls were great ambassadors for Airds High School. The girls that took part on the day were; Vanessa Siitia, Madison Tidmarsh, Siteri Peter, Sharna Hillhouse, Praise Varu, Gabrielle Tuitea, Sonja Ta’ase, Ashley Bell, Margaret Leato and Naya El Abd.

During the day Airds was pooled against Bossley Park HS, Lurnea HS, St Johns Park HS, Moorebank HS and Prairiewood HS. The girls won two games on the day and were closely defeated in 3 of their 5 games.

The leadership, sportsmanship, behaviour and effort shown by the girls the entire day is something they should be really proud of. They were outstanding ambassadors for Airds High School and are to be congratulated on their great performance! Well done Girls.

Miss Zalewski

Mr N Halliburton

Sports Organiser

SUPPORT REPORT

‘Together we can make a difference’

Term 2 is ending, and we are halfway through the year already. How quickly the time passes with such a busy school term, so much has happened. With so much activity and energy in the Support Unit at present, staff continue to work tirelessly to support our students in their learning and personal development.

Coming up is our Parent Teacher night. This is a wonderful opportunity to be able to speak with all the parents. This will give our faculty the chance to inform parents about their child’s progress across all KLA’s. All staff in the Support Unit continue to portray their commitment to ensuring all our students experience quality lessons and excursions that supplement their learning.

Congratulations to a number of students who were involved in sporting teams and who represented our school at zone and regional carnivals. You are all a credit to our Support Unit and should be very proud of yourselves.

It is with much sadness but a huge amount of thanks that Airds HS is farewelling Miss Kate Kennedy at the end of this term. Kate has been successful in attaining a teaching position at another school. The work she has done with teachers, students, parents and the wider community over the past 4 years has been invaluable and greatly appreciated by all those around her. It has been wonderful to experience Kate’s’ happy, positive attitude and the calm and organised way in which she has approached everything over the years . The entire school community and Support Unit will miss Kate greatly. Thank you very much Kate, and we wish you all the very best in your new teaching position and everything you do in the future.

Finally, I would like to encourage everyone to bring in their signed notes for Community Access . Once again in Term 3, all students will be required at attend this compulsory Community Based Program. Also, it is important that all students continue to use their diaries/planners so that ongoing correspondence can continue between all support staff and parents. Could all parents please inform the school if contact details change so that we have up to date records if collaboration between support staff and parents is required.

On behalf of the Support Unit, I hope you have an enjoyable and relaxing holiday and we’ll see everyone back at school for the start of an exciting Term 3.

Mr G Farmer

Teacher Support

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S REPORT YR 7, 9 & 11

What a busy Term 2 it has been. When we reflect on what we have achieved and what we have packed in to the last 9 weeks, it is quite remarkable!

Last week I had the pleasure of going in to Aussie with 7 delegates from the SRC. It was a privilege to watch the students present their proposal to the Aussie Executive and they represented our school so proudly. I wish them luck with their project and hope that they will receive full support from the student body and wider community. I would also like to extend my thanks to Mr Wallace who has been working with Aussie and the SRC on this project.

Term 2 has certainly been a busy term on the Wellbeing front. Whilst each of the Year Advisers have read each child’s report and made a final comment, they have also been busy planning School Values Days. These days are valuable in terms of building cohesion within the year group and for reinforcing what it means to be a safe, respectful learner at Airds High School. I thank each of the Year Advisers for their hard work throughout this hectic term.

At the beginning of Term 3, we will be having interviews with parents of Year 11 students whose attendance is below expectation and who are currently in jeopardy of not meeting the course outcomes in one or more courses. Some students are placing their Preliminary Certificate in jeopardy.

Through our links with Housing NSW, we have been lucky enough to have 5 mentors donate their time to run a mentoring program with selected Year 7 students. The students have responded very positively to this program and we thank Housing NSW and the mentors for their time and expertise.

On a sad note, this term we farewell Ms Kate Kennedy, Year 7 Year Adviser. I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her service to public education, particularly to Airds High School, and it is a small consolation to know that she is staying in our great education system. I know that one of her passions has always been to work with children with challenging behaviours, so we all wish her luck as she takes up her new position as classroom teacher at Rowland Hassall SSP.

I hope that you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday,

Mrs J Fuller

Deputy Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S REPORT YR 8, 10 & 12

Greetings to all the parents and friends of Airds High School. I hope you all have a restful, relaxing and enjoyable holiday with family and friends. This term has been extremely busy with half yearly examinations/assessment tasks for most of our year groups, Athletics Carnival, Cross Country Carnival and of course our famous Flag Ceremony all happening in the first six weeks. No wonder I’m exhausted and looking forward to the holidays!

Our Year Advisers have been extremely busy organising and delivering welfare days for all of our students. These days provide invaluable opportunities for our students to work on their social skills within their year/stage group and to take ownership of their learning, as well as celebrating their success within a safe, secure and fun environment.

Next term will be crucial for the year groups that I have the pleasure of supporting. Year 8 will be picking their elective classes for 2014 & 2015. Year 10 will select their pattern of study for their tilt at the HSC. Last but not least, Year 12 will be completing their last term as classroom students at Airds High School. This could be a stressful time for all of our students and their families, so for helpful hints and strategies please do not hesitate to contact the school and speak to either myself or your child’s Year Adviser.

Mr Foord and I have been busy supervising the construction of our new Trade Training Centre (TTC). This million dollar project will see our Old Hall (Gym) converted into two learning areas, one for PDHPE and the other for Construction. The completion date for the TTC is fast approaching and we are all looking forward to using this wonderful teaching and learning resource in the second semester. The TTC will be available for use both during and after school and will indeed become a major asset for our community.

Of course without regular attendance your child will not have access to any of these wonderful resources and programs. When your child misses school or arrives late it causes them to lose value learning time and therefore opportunities. This also has a negative impact upon their classmates and staff. It also teaches them bad habits in regards to punctuality, which will be hard to break once they enter the workforce. Please support us in encouraging your child to attend school promptly everyday!

That’s all I have at the moment, except to say that we can only achieve the best possible outcomes for your child by working together. I look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon. Hopefully at Parent/Teacher night on Wednesday 26th June if not before! If I do not see you have a happy, safe and enjoyable two weeks with your children.

Mr S McGuire

Deputy Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

TEACHING & LEARNING

TAFE Course

A number of Year 10 students have been provided with the opportunity to participate in a 100 hour TAFE Spray Painting Course it has provided further education, training options and possible employment. The following students successfully completed the course: Aaron Anderson, Blayke Bugatto, Toby Cox, Ziggy Munro, Cheyenne Steward & Jessy Edwards.

DER Laptop Stocktake

We are currently in the process of stocktaking all of the Year 10, 11 & 12 DER laptops. This involves all students using their laptop at school for a minimum of 30min before the end of Term 2. The stocktake will occur electronically while the laptop is in use. Any student that does not participate in this process before the end of the term will be required to hand in their laptop to our TSO (Michael Peppernell) next term where it will have to be recorded for the stocktake manually.

Frasil Education

(Report by Bradley Clark)

Last Thursday Prada travelled to the city to take part in the Frasil program. We were lucky enough to have two guest speakers. The first speaker was Gus Beaker. He is a 75 year old man who came to Australia from Budapest with his family. He was living in an alcoholic environment so he left his abusive family to live on the streets for a year. He then moved in with his step dad and got a job as a tool maker. Gus’s boss sacked him, but he didn’t let that stop him and 2 years later he had a plastic factory and he was making big money. I learnt that no matter what happens to you in life, you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Hearing his life story made me think I want to do something with my life!

The second speaker was Andrew Moore a 44 year old sports journalist. He commentates the football and has his own talk show called The Game Plan. He started his career during school work experience at a radio station and that’s how he got where he is now. He made me realise that work experience is more important than I think and if you want something never give up. He made me think I want to do the same thing he does!

COMMUNITY LIAISON OFFICER

I would like to congratulate Mrs Melanie Cutts who was

successful in her application for the Community Liaison Officer position. She has been employed to enhance the partnerships between the school, parents/caregivers and our community.

Emmanuel’s PIP (Personal Interest project)

I had the pleasure of Emmanuel from Mr Foster’s class come and see me very excited and proud of the work he had just completed on his PIP. I asked Emmanuel to provide me with some information about his PIP and his report is below.

“In class we have been working on our personal interest projects, for mine I have been researching countries around the Pacific Ocean. In particular I have researched The U.S.A. Philippines, Indonesia and Australia. I researched my information on the internet, and in an atlas and from my memory. I drew maps and flags and typed the information on the computer including facts like languages, location, national food, wild life, etc. I then presented it on some cardboard. I enjoyed researching my pip”

Gifted & Talented Middle School Challenge

The 2nd Gifted & Talented challenge was held on Tuesday

25th June. This was once again a very successful day with

the students from Briar Rd, John Warby, Bradbury &

Woodland Rd public schools participating in set

challenges and rotating their way through KLA based quiz

questions, problem solving activities & team building

experiences. The Year 9 students ran the activities and

they were very mature and well prepared and did a

fantastic job under the supervision of Ms Zalewski and

Mrs Jones. The challenge will take place again on

Wednesday 11th September.

Year 7 Scholarships 2014

We had a number of applications for the Year 7 2014 Scholarships. The panel found it quite a difficult process in deciding on the final recipients due to the quality of the applications. We would like to congratulate the following students for being successful in gaining a Year 7 Scholarship for 2014:

Jade Ashe – Academic, Maria Lilomaiava – Academic, Dean Brown – Academic, Caitlyn Vidovic-McCarthy – Academic, Brooke Pepper – Sporting, Fatima Saleh – Academic (Personal Best) & Alison Bow – Academic (Creative Arts).

I wish everyone and safe and happy holidays and look

forward to all staff, students and community returning

fresh and ready to go for an exciting Term 3.

Mr J Miezio

Deputy Principal Teaching & Learning

School starts at 8:30am EVERY day. Please ensure your child arrives to school at this time EVERY day. If they are late, they MUST bring a note from you explaining the lateness. Thank you for your co-operation

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Semester 1, 2013 has almost come to an end and it has been an extremely busy one. Firstly I would like to thank all staff for their commitment to ensure all students have experienced quality lessons, extra-curricular activities and many excursions that have supplemented the learning for all students.

Parent Teacher Night

I encourage all parents to attend our Parent/ Teacher night and to spend time with staff to find out valuable information about their child’s progress. It is extremely important to support your children in the process of learning. I would also like to extend an invitation to all parents to attend many of the school functions and Parent and Citizen meetings (held the first Wednesday of each month at 10:00am), as the greater your involvement in the school the greater the learning outcomes of your children.

Pacific Forum

Congratulations to Mrs Maryanne Varu on a wonderful Pacific Islander forum. It was great to see so many parents and community organisations coming together to support and enhance the learning outcomes of their children. We look forward to your increased involvement in our school.

Trade Training Centre

Airds High school resources continue to improve; our TRADE TRAINING CENTRE should be up and operational from early Term 3. Students will be able to gain a Certificate II or III in Construction and thus increase their chances of securing a job in the construction industry. We look forward to this fabulous resource, the association with building companies within the Airds Bradbury Renewal project and the future vocational opportunities for our students.

Aspirations

Airds High Year 11 students continue their association with Aussie with their involvement in the Aspirations program. Last Wednesday in at Aussies head office in George St, Sydney, the students enjoyed being involved in a self-reflection activity on the personal skills that are required to be successful in the work place. This was followed by a tour of Parliament House and time in the gallery during question time. Premier O’Farrell mentioned Airds High many times during his responses to questions from the opposition.

School Uniform

Thank you to all students and parents who have readily supported our school value of “taking pride in yourself, school and community”. Wearing correct school uniform is one way of meeting and reflecting this value. If parents are having difficulty purchasing our uniform there are a number of options available to assist you. Firstly we sell the majority of uniform items from our front office and these are sold to you, below cost price. Secondly we are happy to invoice parents, organise payment plans or provide student assistance. Winter is a time when many varied jumpers are worn by students and this undermines our school uniform and causes conflict. It is important that junior students wear bottle green jumpers and seniors plain black as no other jumpers are acceptable. Wearing layers is also a good way of beating the cold. The uniform continues to improve at school and I thank students and parents for their support in this matter.

Extra curricular activities

This Airds Announcer is a bumper issue jam packed with all the extra curricular activities undertaken by the students and staff this term. Can I thank all organising staff, parent support and student participants for making the most of these learning opportunities. Please read all about the wonderful experiences throughout this issue.

Farewell Ms Kennedy

It is with sadness that we say farewell to Ms Kate Kennedy, one of our outstanding teachers of support students in the school. In the three years that Ms Kennedy has been at Airds she has contributed greatly to the learning of the students under her care, in addition provided much needed guidance and support. She has been an integral part of the School Values team and more recently an outstanding Year 7 Adviser that the students will surely miss. Ms Kennedy moves to Rowland Hassall SSP School and we wish her every success.

Finally I would like to wish all students, parents and staff an enjoyable and safe holiday break and look forward to a great Semester 2.

Mr M Foord

Principal

ADMINISTRATION

During the holidays many of you will receive an invoice for payment required for clothing given to your children during the first semester. It would be appreciated if you could settle these accounts as soon as possible in Term 3.

When writing absence notes for your children it is requested that you please add your child’s surname as we have a lot of students who share a first name and this makes it very difficult at times to determine who the note is actually for.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Reading challenges

Older children with reading problems often have misconceptions about how reading works and they need additional strategies to help them. Knowing what they’re good at and what they value can help you to encourage their selections.

http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/english/english-tips/when-older-kids-struggle-with-reading

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