Blues News Gosford High School & Community News Find us at: Racecourse Road, Gosford 2250 T 4325 2048 F 4323 3175 E gosford-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Issue No 1: February 2019 – Term 1 22/02/2019

PRINCIPAL’S NEWS

Welcome A big welcome to all parents and students to the 2019 academic year, after what I hope was a restful and enjoyable holiday. I especially welcome our new parents who have children commencing at Gosford for the first time this year. I sincerely hope your involvement with Gosford will be happy and beneficial. As a staff we try hard to tailor our time, our resources and our programs so that every student is known, valued and cared for. Year 7 Year 7 have definitely embraced their new home. I have managed to visit quite a few of their class in the first few weeks. It is with great pleasure that I can assure all parents/caregivers that all the year 7 classes are very settled and on task. I am looking forward to visiting even more classes in the upcoming weeks. Outstanding HSC Results I am so thrilled and proud to inform you of the HSC results of our 2018 HSC class. They were magnificent and truly well-deserved. 120 students received a minimum of one Band 6 result and there were 171 Band 6’s across the HSC courses. Six students were recognised on the All Round Achievers List. We will continue to maintain our focus on ensuring our students can achieve the best possible results they can in their HSC. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the teachers of this fantastic school. The teaching staff at Gosford High School is amongst the best I have ever worked with and thoroughly prepare students for the HSC examinations and the future ahead. Most of our students gained University entry and are very happy with the tertiary courses they have been able to access. In the upcoming weeks all Head Teachers will be analysing the data from the HSC results with their faculties and celebrating successes and reflecting on performances.

Welcome to new staff We have a number of new teachers to welcome for 2019.

English – Ms Amirah Ahmed, Mr Jessey McGuire and returning from leave Ms Laura Craven

Science – Ms Linda Middleton

Mathematics – Mr Eric Choy and Mr Colin Bailey

PDHPE – Mr John Cobham, Ms Jessica Pollock and returning from leave Ms Grace Stockwell

HSIE – Ms Nicole Badior, Ms Laura Besley, Ms Emily Starkey and returning from leave Ms Claire Robertson

Languages – Mr Martin Koester, Ms Jeanine Prosser and Ms Emiko Allum

CAPA – Ms Eliza Fuger

Uniform It has been really pleasing at our recent whole school assemblies to see our students return for the beginning of the academic year so well attired. Students looked marvellous in crisp new shirts and appropriate black leather shoes. It is now most important that this wonderful standard be maintained throughout the year. Parental/caregiver support of our school uniform policy is vital to maintaining this high standard. Special Religious Education / Alternative Program for Non-Participants Special Religious Education (SRE) is part of the curriculum in government schools. Representatives of approved religious persuasions have an opportunity to provide SRE in every government school in NSW. When you enrol your child you may, if you wish, nominate an SRE class for your child to attend. Your child will then be placed in the nominated class. At any time you can ask for your child to be transferred to a different SRE class or be allocated to a non-scripture group. The content of SRE classes is specific to each religion or denomination. Each school term, Years 7-10 attend one period of scripture. Teachers who provide SRE are authorised by their religious persuasion and many of them have completed special training. Students who do not attend scripture are assigned a non-scripture group, in which they do private study supervised by teachers. During these lessons students are required to have meaningful school related tasks to complete.

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

Tuesday 19th March 6:30 pm Common Room- Everyone welcome

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Communication Open communication is valued and encouraged at all times, with Year Advisers the first point of contact for matters relating to specific students. We welcome Mr John Abra (Year 7) and Mr Neal McFarlane (Year 10) joining the Wellbeing Team of Mr Ben Watson (Year 8), Ms Louise Johnson (Year 9), Mr Luke Shelley (Year 11), Mr David Sneddon (Year 12) and Ms Glenda Horner (HT Welfare). Our two deputies, Ms Sue Daw and Ms Caroline Scott having overarching responsibility for Years 7, 9, 11 and Years 8, 10, 12 respectively. Our school counsellors, Ms Genevieve Chivers, Ms Nereda Murray and Ms Denise Sims are also available to provide additional support for our students when required. The office staff are available to help new students sort out transport, finance and paperwork issues, while other students and staff are always willing to assist when required. Thank you P&C On Tuesday 12th February GHS welcomed our new parents/caregivers to a Meet ’N Greet organised by the P&C. It was a wonderful evening where new parents/caregivers were welcomed into our school community and engaged in learning activities. The evening was a resounding success thanks to the support of our P&C. We are very fortunate here at GHS to have such a positive relationship with our P&C.

Adrienne Scalese Relieving Principal

Coming Events

February 2019 Tues 26-27 Year 12 S&C Nan Tien Temple Wed 27/2 – 1/3 Year 11 Camp Thurs 28/2 Year 11 Information Evening (parents)

March 2019 Thurs 7/3 Zone Swimming Carnival Thurs 14/3 Selective High School Placement Test Fri 15-25 Year 12 Assessment block Mon 18-23 TAS to Tasmania Mon 18-23 Kokubunji High School visit Tues 19/3 P&C Meeting 6.30 pm Thurs 21/3 Sydney North Swimming Carnival Fri 29/3 Religious Seminars (Years 7-10)

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

We extend a WARM WELCOME BACK to our Gosford High School Community and a special welcome to our Year 7 students and parents. As Deputy Principals, we know that as a member of our school, you belong to a community who cares about each other, respects one another and has pride in our triumphs and achievements but importantly as a community we also support one another in times of challenges and adversities. Gosford High School is an incredibly busy place. As we prepare this report we have been reflecting on the huge number of events that crowd our calendar and make this school such a stimulating environment for students and staff alike. Already this term, whole school events such as the Swimming Carnival, the Dance Party and Valentine’s Day have been enjoyed and celebrated across the school. Additionally, students have competed in a range of knockout sports, the Zero Robotics Competition, Music excursions to Reprise and Encore, the Drama excursion to OnSTAGE, Year 10 Geography to Terrigal Lagoon and AG GATS at the Maitland Show. Is it only Week 4? We are very lucky to have such a generous and supportive staff who provide many wonderful opportunities for our students. The behind the scenes work that goes into organising such a range of events is very time consuming and we warmly thank our staff for their efforts. Assessment Our teachers use a wide variety of strategies and tools to assess student learning. Assessment for learning, or formative assessment occurs throughout all lessons and provides information to adjust future learning. Assessment of learning, or summative assessment activities are also used throughout the year. Tools or strategies that are used by teachers to assess student

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learning include observations, discussions, authentic learning tasks, samples of learning, games, learningjournals and student reflections. Teachers meet regularly to moderate student assessment activities to develop consistency of teacher judgement. The Assessment schedules for Years 7-11 are now available online. The schedules outline, course by course, assessment task topics, the type of assessment task, the term and week it is due. These documents are important to both you and your child. They enable students to manage their time to complete all tasks to the best of their ability by the due date and they provide you with the information to help support your child with time management and organisational skills. At Year 11 and Year 10 meetings students have been reminded of a number of points which will assist their path through the year. As parents and caregivers you can also support you child by encouraging the following:

Overall attendance needs to exceed 85%. Missed content and skill development creates more stress for students in terms of catching up on the required course work. Please be advised that students’ attendance is closely monitored to make sure compliance with NESA coursework requirements are met.

Emphasised the need for students to be mindful of time management strategies in assessment task preparation and Year 11 will be provided with study skills at the upcoming Camp at Collaroy.

All years have been or will be informed of the GHS Assessment Policy and Procedures at Year meetings. Each faculty has also provided students with overviews of their courses. We provide detailed information to students about what we expect from them throughout the year and how their work will be assessed. Students have a number of formal assessments throughout their schooling. Teacher Professional Learning The ongoing professional development of our staff forms a critical element in the delivery of effective education at Gosford High School. Within our active professional learning culture, we have been focussed on assessment and how it informs all aspects of the School. At our staff development days, teachers have undertaken professional learning which has developed their capacities to analyse and evaluate practices for assessment for improved student outcomes.

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Year 7 It has been our pleasure to liaise with Year 7 students and their families during their transition to high school. We commend the students on the way they have embraced high school life and thank the Year Adviser, Mr John Abra, for his commitment to ensuring that each student has been successfully navigating this time of change and increased responsibility. We look forward to Year 7 students continuing to build friendships and resilience while also having fun at the Myuna Bay Camp this week. They will return home tired but hopefully excited about what they have achieved. New Students in Years 8, 9, 10 & 11 A big welcome to you and your families. As you meander through the corridors making sense of the layout of this large school, we hope that you will grow to appreciate understand the school’s history. We also know that transitioning to a new school may be challenging Please do not hesitate to contact your Year Adviser, Deputy Principal, or Head Teacher Welfare if any assistance is required.

Year 11 and Year 10 Accelerated Students The Year 11 Assessment Booklet is available online. The booklet outlines the requirements and responsibilities. It also includes appendices with revised copies of important forms and documentation including Illness and Misadventure. Please note that if students are away from school two days or the morning before a task is due without a valid reason (including supporting documentation) that this may be deemed to give the student an unfair advantage and could be determined as malpractice. A useful flowchart is included as a guide. It is good practice for students to note the dates of all assessments in your diary for the entire course to assist with study planning. We congratulate students on their transition to senior school. Also, we thank Year 11 students, for their willingness to assist with events in the school as they work towards their leadership goals.

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Absence from school:

Electronic roll marking is completed in every period by teachers in class. The Period 0 and Period 1 rolls then form our daily attendance roll. Students are expected to swipe on at the office if they are late to Period 0 or Period 1, and senior students must swipe on and off if they have flexible attendance and commence classes from Period 2 onwards. You may or may not be aware that absence from school is currently notified using SMS on the school day if an explanation has not been received. Please provide a note to the office on the next day that your child returns to school.

Road Safety:

The extensive Hospital upgrade works continue again this year and this has continued to influence the flow, amount of and type of traffic around the school. There has been a constant stream of trucks and delivery vans around the site. Students must be ever mindful of this as they make their way to from school. As the zebra crossing on Showground Road (south of Racecourse Road) towards the station has been moved up the road toward the school, ONLY senior students are authorised to walk to the train in the afternoons via this route. This route IS NOT SUPERVISED and due to its proximity to the building site and roundabout, it is deemed unsafe for junior students. Likewise Holden Street is not to be used by any students as it no longer has a footpath and is closed to cars and, until the works are completed, pedestrians as well. We seek your assistance in reminding your child that they must heed road rules and also follow the directions they have been given in relation to travel. We regularly remind students that for their own safety they must: Follow road rules at all times. In particular: cross at the lights, walk, obey traffic signals and use pavements. Do not walk on the road.

1. When walking towards Gosford Station in the afternoon, students in Years 7-10 are to walk down Mann Street. They cross Showground Road at the lights outside the School, cross the railway bridge then cross Racecourse Road at the lights at Mann Street. Years 11 and 12 may walk down Showground Road to towards the Station but must keep to footpaths and not walk on the road. Note: These restrictions have been put in place because the footpath in Showground Road is very narrow and, in some places, ill-formed due to the terrain. It is unsafe for significant numbers of students to be using Showground Road.

2. On Wednesday afternoons, students who do not have an early leaver’s pass from Sport must wait in the IA Quadrangle until they are dismissed at 3.10 pm. They are not to leave the school and return to catch buses. Further, the early leaver pass from sport means that the student makes their own way home – not to the shops and then return to

school to catch their normal bus. (parents, please ensure you know where your child is at all times)

These procedures have been put in place to assist student safety, particularly when they are leaving the school in the afternoon.

Bus Safety:

Students who catch buses must always be wary of vehicles and act safely at all times. In particular, when there are large numbers catching a bus it is essential that students behave in an orderly manner and considerate of others. Often pavements are narrow and students must be aware of other students and members of the public when this is the case. Limited supervision is provided through the goodwill of staff in the afternoons, but a high level of student cooperation is essential.

Please discuss the need to cross the road only on the green signal and to wait in an orderly manner at the bus stops with your children.

Dropping off / picking up students:

The Racecourse/Showground Road area is extremely hectic and congested, particularly at the start and end of the day. Road safety issues often arise. If you are dropping students at school or picking them up, please be mindful of pedestrians and other motorists.

Parking:

We would like to take this opportunity to remind all parents about parking safely and legally when collecting and dropping off their children, both at the start and end of the day. We respectfully ask our parents and other family members to be mindful ‘keep clear’, ‘no stopping and ‘no parking’ road markings. It is also important that we park safely in ways that do not restrict clear views of safe places to cross the road. The staff car park cannot be used as a drop off / pick up zone. It is an extremely busy parking/delivery and pedestrian area. In particular, due to safety concerns, it is not acceptable for learner drivers to enter school grounds. Your cooperation in this regard is greatly appreciated.

CONNECT: What is Connect?

A program focusing on ‘connecting’, teachers and students with their learning and each other and with their year groups, house groups, the school and community – including their families, locally and globally. The name and nature of program has been developed in consultation with representatives of the student body, including the Student Leadership Team, the SRC as well as both parents through the P&C and staff. CONNECT has a set program with a focus each term and runs every Friday following Period 2. It also allows the opportunity for Year and House Groups to connect at meetings and the student leaders to provide information about student clubs, activities, competitions and school

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events such as Sporting events, Harmony Day and the Big Day In.

OUR FOCUS:

Term 1 – Making connections

Term 2 – Study Skills

Term 3 – Wellness and Wellbeing

Term 4 – Diversity & Equality We are looking forward to a wonderful year learning in 2019 Ms Daw – Rel Deputy Principal, 7, 9, & 11 Ms Scott – Rel Deputy Principal, 8, 10 & 12

YEAR 11 PARENT INFORMATION EVENING

Year 11 parents are cordially invited to our Information Evening which will be held on Thursday, 28th February from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm in the Assembly Hall. NESA and school requirements for the Year 11 Course will be presented and strategies for supporting your child through this challenging academic year will be discussed. Invitations have been emailed to parents and caregivers. Please RSVP by Wednesday 27th February.

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

NAPLAN - YEARS 7 & 9

14

May

Language Conventions and Writing Test

15

May

Reading Test

16

May

Numeracy Test

17

May

Final day for catch up tests

BYOD

Preparing for 2019 The Gosford High School Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program aims to improve student learning experiences both in and out of the classroom. Gosford High School provides considerable freedom to students in their choice of device. The school does so with the expectation that students will make good decisions with regard to their personal use of technology. While the use of the BYOD program allows individualised learning and classroom access to a dynamic learning environment, it is not compulsory and students who do not have a BYOD device will still be provided with the opportunity and access to an academically challenging and diverse curriculum. For more detailed advice on BYOD and for recommended device specification please look at the Gosford High School Website under Technology. Please remember that all students attending a NSW Department of Education school will have access to download and install Microsoft Office 365 and the Adobe Creative Suite of software on up to one (1) personal device. This will include applications such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop. So you may not need to purchase this software. Access to this software is available on the school’s website or go to your Student Portal and look in the Learning tab. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the school Brian Jackson Head Teacher Technology

ENGLISH

The new year has brought some exciting changes to the GHS English faculty. Firstly, Ms Stocks has left us and taken the position of Head Teacher at North Sydney Boys. Whilst this is fantastic (and well deserved) news for her, it leaves a big gap in our faculty. We are very fortunate though to have had Ms Amirah Ahmed and Mr Jessey McGuire join the faculty, both of whom have brought with them enthusiasm and experience.

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In 2019 the English faculty also welcomes its first Accelerated English class in several years. After completing the outcomes of both the Year 9 and Year 10 course in 2018, 10ENGG have now begun the Year 11 course. During 2018 these students demonstrated not only their academic skills and capacity but also their maturity as learners. Based on their academic data, consultation with parents and faculty these students have been accelerated through the course and are targeting completing the HSC in the English Advanced course in 2020. We as a faculty are both excited for, and proud of, these students and their commitment to the subject and their learning. 10ENGG will be forging a path for future generations of students and we as an English faculty will be there to support and motivate them over the next twenty-one months. Ms Baylis has been busy at work organising an excursion for Year 10 to go and see a performance of Othello at the end of this term. Excursions like this are an exciting chance to get out of the class room and see our subject in the real world. Thank you Ms Baylis for all of the work you have put into the excursion so far. Whilst 2019 has many challenges ahead, including a new HSC, the English faculty has been well supported in developing engaging and challenging units of work that will prepare our students for the year ahead, whatever it may hold. Joshua McMahon, Relieving Head Teacher English

CAPA

Welcome, with a special hello to Year 7 and their parents. I am delighted to introduce the Creative and Performing Arts teaching staff. The Visual Arts and Photography teachers are Ms Ainge, Ms Fugar and myself, Ms Mortimer. Our Drama teacher is Ms Gatland and our Music teachers are Mr Kelly and Mrs Partridge. CAPA are well and truly into the full swing of the school year. Term 1 brings showcases and exhibitions from the previous year’s HSC. These include a visit to ArtExpress at the Art Gallery of New South Wales for Year 10, 11 and 12 art students. Our stage five Drama students are booked to attend Onstage, and the senior Music students will attend Encore and Reprise. The performances and exhibitions are an excellent introduction to the standards and marking processes of the HSC for our senior CAPA students. The HSC results in 2018 were outstanding and provided evidence of the ability and determination of our students in the Creative and Performing Arts at Gosford High School. Their teachers Mrs Partridge and Ms Gatland are to be commended for their hard work, strong

commitment and expertise in working with these talented young people. Percentage of students achieving a Band 6 result in CAPA:

School State

Music 1 50% 21%

Music 2/Extension 40% 41%

Drama (Band 5) 53% 46%

Visual Arts 54% 12%

VISUAL ARTS ArtExpress Congratulations to Amelia Johns for selection in the 2019 ArtExpress Exhibition. Amelia worked hard in the course to perfect both her practice in art making and her understanding of art criticism. An exemplary student and a credit to the Gosford High School community. NAME: Amelia Johns SCHOOL: Gosford High School TITLE: Nganda Mbayimbayi FORM: Collections of Works HSC YEAR: 2018 GALLERY: Hazelhurst Regional Gallery & Arts

Centre, New England Regional Art Gallery

Nganda Mbayimbayi explores the Australian natural environment and its importance to both indigenous and Western Australian cultures through an in-depth study of the Bulgandry Art Site Aboriginal Place and surrounding bushland. This collection of works includes found organic materials from the site. I chose to study the Bulgandry carving site as it is charged with cultural significance for the Darkinyung people. I included references to Australian literature to connect the Australian cultural narrative to the landscape, ever-present for the people who call her home. A Central Vision Make a note in your diary to attend the annual regional exhibition of outstanding students’ work “A Central

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Vision” at the Gosford Regional Art Gallery, Caroline Bay, Gosford. The exhibition will be open from the 28th February to the 27th March and showcases artworks from all the public secondary schools of the Central Coast. Collaboration

Year 11 created a collaborative drawing, investigating the artmaking practice of Australian Colonial artist John Glover’s painting. Natives on The Ouse River, Van Diemen’s Land. 1838

“Selfies” Year 10 Visual Arts are currently studying portraiture. The images are students’ work of observational drawings using the technique of continuous contour line drawing. Students are encouraged to observe closely and create a selfie by not removing their pen from the paper. These drawings will be part of a body of work on portraiture. They are also taking photographs of their peers and family as preliminary images to create a lino print depicting emotion. The in class study of artworks later this term, will focus on how visual language is used by artists to convey meaning.

DRAMA: Welcome back to another exciting year of Drama!

Year 9 start off the year with improvisation, playbuilding and directing. The class this week will participate in a Process Drama set in the 1920s on a train from Edinburgh to London.

Year 10 are already in the midst of rehearsing for a Shakespeare performance of Macbeth at the end of the term.

Year 11 have started with improvisation, playbuilding and acting. Assessment this term is both a group performance and a monologue.

Year 12 are sinking their teeth into significant plays of the 20th Century, studying the likes of Bertolt Brecht and Moises Kaufman.

MUSIC Year 12 Elective Music class are getting the wheels in motion with their HSC program – with a mix of composition, performances and musicology viva voces all starting to get underway. They visit the Encore showcase at the Sydney Opera House to gain inspiration from the exemplary HSC performances of 2018. Both Year 11 Music classes have begun exploring the music of the Baroque era – with Music 2 learning the art of composing using Baroque forms. Year 11 will also visit the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music to watch outstanding performances of last year’s HSC cohort from across the Hunter and Central Coast. The concert will also feature four past Gosford High students!

Performance Ensembles All ensembles have recommenced for 2019.

Chamber Ensemble (woodwind and strings) -

Monday lunchtime in music room 2

Choir - Tuesday lunchtime in Music room 1

Concert Bands: This year with the growing numbers in the Concert band program, an additional band will be formed.

Year 7 will commence band on Friday, 1st March and parents of Year 7 students and current CB2 members are invited to stay for a short time and meet other band parents and ask any questions about the band program. Tea and coffee will be available. On Friday 8th March (Week 6) tutorials will be held and current CB2 members and Year 7 students will be assigned into bands according to their playing level. All bands will be renamed and rehearsal days will be:

Premier Concert Band (previously CB1) - Monday 7:00 – 8:30am

Concert Band 1 (previously CB2) – Friday 7:15 – 8:30am

Concert Band 2 (new band) – Thursday 7:15 –

8:30am

Stage Band – Monday 3:15 – 4:15pm

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Important CAPA dates for your diary:

27 February - 27 March A Central Vision. Gosford Regional Gallery

Friday 29th March ArtExpress excursion Years 12, 11 and 10 Visual Art

Wednesday 3rd April Year 10 Drama “McBeth” performance. GHS Drama Studio

Technology & Applied Studies (TAS)

It is indeed incredible, our students wrote code for the international space station and we achieved exemplary results again! Congratulations to our TAS senior coding students for the incredible collaborative effort they afforded to the nine month project and they should be extremely proud of their fifth place in the world ranking. The students have collaborated with other competition members worldwide to problem-solve authentically and write code. Our Zero Robotics team represented Gosford High School admirably in January in an overnight stay to participate in the real time, online, collaborative project at Sydney University. Congratulations!

The TAS faculty has begun the year celebrating. We celebrate our great 2018 HSC results where 29% of our students in TAS achieved a Band 6. Design and Technology student Stephanie Catley and Textile and Design student Bronte De Zilva received a huge complement with their practical projects nominated for state display. Bronte’s work was chosen from 1454 candidates for display at the NESA HSC awards evening ‘Texstyle exhibition’. Our design students in TAS work on large authentic and creative projects and their innovative design solutions give us a glimpse into the minds of tomorrow’s designers. Our senior design students in Design and Technology are refining their final design proposal and collating experimentation results in readiness for production. Design students must be proactive in keeping to a time schedule and are reminded that Wednesday afternoon the TAS block is available as a problem-solving space. Our technology students in Year 7 are about to start designing their solution to a project presented in class and you may hear them talk about coding their Arduino, designing and building their emachine and personalising a fabric laptop cover. Year 8 design students in Technology are about to create a Tasmanian Oak box with a laser cut lid, evaluate recipes for their scientific chemical reactions and plan the installation of a low voltage electrical system to a decorated décor cushion.

Mr Shelley’s Year 7 Engineering class designing their Rube Goldberg eMachine

Ms Hadley’s Year 7 class coding their Arduino

Ms Wellham’s Textile Technology class experimenting with fabric decorating ideas for their laptop cover

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Mrs Johnson’s engineering class testing their six simple machines

All technology subjects are project based and demonstrate creative thinking, independent, self-regulated learning through the design process. Our students produce a number of projects throughout the year and due dates are always closer than students think. Our Year 10 faculty excursion to Tasmania is in its final stages now. The last and outstanding amount is now due by the end of Week 3. We will hold weekly meetings after the school assembly outside the hall and all students must attend. Information about buses, flight details, rooming, what to pack, the weather and the movie to be screened will be communicated and this will also be posted on the school website. Students have been asked to complete a quick questionnaire found at https://tinyurl.com/Tasmania2019-1. We are excited to be able to offer this excursion again and look forward to introducing our elective design students to salmon and ginseng farming, couture chocolate making, apple picking, suspension bridge structures, gold mining, Port Arthur history, Salamanca artisan markets, Tasmanian devils, the tiny penguins of Tasmania, seahorse life and much more. I thank the TAS staff who enthusiastically each year commit to assisting to make this valuable outdoor classroom experience a reality. Finally, all students studying a Food Technology subject are about to bring home a note to parents about the nature of any student food allergies and intolerances. As a faculty we value creative and individual work, however, we cannot logistically and economically accommodate food variances without medical reasoning. At times parents may need to supply particular foods that we cannot access when bulk purchasing. Please return the short survey so as quality outcomes can be planned for all. Maxine Johnson Head Teacher TAS

ZERO ROBOTICS

On January 28, the Gosford High School Zero Robotics team attended the ISS finals at the University of Sydney. This is the third consecutive year that GHS team SPATAR has made it to the International Space Station finals. Zero Robotics is a STEM competition run by MIT in cooperation with NASA, the European Space Agency and the University of Sydney. Hundreds of high school teams from more than 20 countries write code to solve challenges using autonomous satellites called SPHERES aboard the ISS. After several phases of competition using online simulators that mimic the real SPHERES, the top 14 achieving teams receive the honour of competing in the live championships aboard the ISS. Astronauts conduct the finals in microgravity and the students interact with them via a 2 way video link. Operating on MIT (and ISS) time, the ‘day’ began at 9:30pm with the first round events at around 11pm. To pass the time between matches (and setup on the ISS) there were Q&A’s with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki together with live crosses to MIT and the European mission control centre. The competition itself was incredibly challenging, with each teams SPHERE needing to dock with and ‘rescue’ a second, disabled SPHERE. Dr Karl had this to say following the event ‘When I saw how difficult the required task was (to hook onto another soccer-ball-sized sphere with a tiny hook) while both spheres were doing X-, Y- and Z-movements in 3-dimensions, as well as rotating (!!), I was astonished that any pre-written Artificial Intelligence Code could possibly work. It was worth pulling an all-nighter (2000-0500) to be there.’ The night concluded at approximately 5.00 am and, while not officially placing in the finals event, Gosford High achieved the incredible distinction of finishing the main competition as the top qualifying Australian team and number 5 in the world overall. Congratulations team SPATAR. We are incredibly proud of your efforts and achievement. The 2018/19 Zero Robotics team members are: Yve Nichols-Evans, Jose Saavedra, Ollie Hogue, Samuel Perrone, Guy Paton, Joel Shortland, Brandon Lucock and from Year 12 2018, Taliesin De Mestre, Ben Braham, Matty Hempstead and Curtis Johnson

The current students of the Zero Robotics finalist team

with Mrs Scalese and Mr McFarlane

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Astronauts holding SPHERES on the ISS

Around 4am at the ISS finals with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki.

Neal McFarlane Zero Robotics Coordinator

The University of Newcastle PODIATRY CLINIC AT WYONG HOSPITAL

FREE Foot and Leg Check The University of Newcastle Podiatry Clinic at Wyong Hospital is offering children age 0-17 free lower limb assessments. Children will be assessed by final year students, supervised by a podiatrist. Children and their families can receive advice on footwear, flat feet, and normal development, and receive treatment of foot warts, foot and leg pain, walking problems, and night-time ‘growing pains’.

When: Mondays from 2.45 to 4.30pm 4th of March to 3rd of June

To make a booking, or for more information,

please call 4394 7280

LANGUAGES

The Languages Faculty would like to welcome Mr Martin Koester (German/French), Ms Jeanine Prosser (German/Japanese/French) and Ms Emiko Allum (Japanese/French) who are joining us for a time while Mr Anthony and Mrs Heinrich are on leave. We are

fortunate to have them with us and look forward to an exciting year for Languages at Gosford High. Year 8 students have begun their language studies in either French or Japanese and have already made excellent progress. The Japanese classes are learning to introduce themselves, talk about countries, nationality and language(s) they speak while also working on their hiragana, with most classes up to 20 or so characters already. The French classes have been learning how to introduce themselves, talk about their taste in music and pronounce the French alphabet with the aid of a great rap song that they found almost impossible at first but have mastered very quickly. Year 8 students have been asked to purchase workbooks which accompany their language coursework at a cost of $30. Students should pay at the office and take their receipts to their teacher in order to receive their books. We encourage all students to revise their class work and vocabulary for 10 minutes each day using Memrise (instructions have been sent home with students) which is part of their homework requirements. This will help build and consolidate both knowledge of and confidence in using the language. Trips & Visits The annual visit from Kokubunji High School is scheduled for Week 8 this term with 20 Japanese students visiting us for 10 days to experience life in Australia and at Gosford High School. The students will visit our Japanese classes to participate in language and cultural activities as well as attend normal lessons with their Gosford High buddies. Please make them welcome when you see them around the school. In the April holidays 25 students from Gosford High will then reciprocate the exchange and visit Japan for 2 weeks including 5 days at Kokubunji High School where students will be billeted with their buddies from the visit to Australia. This is always a fantastic opportunity for language and cultural immersion and both students and teachers are looking forward to a great trip in 2019 (with cherry blossoms if we’re very lucky). 1000 Paper Cranes As part of our visit to Japan we will visit Hiroshima and leave a dedication of 1000 paper cranes at the Children’s Peace Memorial (Sadako statue). We again ask for the support of the school in folding our 1000 paper cranes at 2nd half of lunch each Friday starting from Week 4. In this era of environmental awareness and sustainability it’s important to note that after several months on display at the memorial, the paper cranes are recycled and turned into notebooks, postcards, modelling clay and other practical items which themselves can again be recycled at the end of their life. We hope everyone has a wonderful Year of the Boar in 2019, and we look forward to sharing more about our students’ progress with you in future editions.

Au revoir; さようなら; Tschuss!

Ms Brownlee, Mr Koester, Ms Prosser & Ms Allum

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SPORT

Swimming Carnival 2019p

Age Champions and Runners Up

Girls Age Boys

Age Champion Anaya Nivargi 12 years Khoi Donarksi

Runner Up Grace Baik Jacob Sales

Age Champion Emma Duggan 13 years Joel Maddick

Runner Up Montana Peever Vin Hwang

Age Champion Zali McGann 14 years Josh Sales

Runner Up Kalani See Alex Scholberg

Age Champion Izabella McBurney 15 years Lachlan Duggan

Runner Up Bethwyn Caller Matthew Kearney

Age Champion Courtney Schell 16 years Cooper Hunter

Runner Up Indigo Ditterick

Abbey Johnston

Zachariah Halliday

Age Champion Ellie Richardson 17 years Matthew Hancock

Runner Up Jessica Pollard Jed Richardson

OVERALL POINT SCORE- 1st place- Rowe- 718 2nd place- OSU- 713 3rd place- Wheeler- 613 4th place- Kingsbury- 591

Blues News 22/02/2019 12

Blues News 22/02/2019 13