Term #01

2013

Bridge Road, Homebush 2140 Phone: 02 97643611 Fax: 02 97463614 www.homebushbo-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

BUSH BULLETIN HOMEBUSH BOYS HIGH SCHOOL

Editor: K. Attwood

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Welcome to Homebush Boys High SchoolWelcome t o the Homebush Boys High School community! I trust that your association with our School will be satisfying, enjoyable and productive, not only if you are making your first family contact with the School, but also if you have family members already attending.

Homebush Boys High School has a proud history built on years of tradition and enjoys an out-standing reputation as an exemplary school which is acknowledged state-wide and aims for high standards in all respects. The provision of a q u ality e d u cation t h at is inclusive of all students is important to u s.

The choices provided t o students at t h e school are many in academic, sporting and cultural pursuits. And through a wide range of extra-curricular activities students will develop their so-cial and leadership skills.

Ms Linda Adams

Year 7 Adviser

Yr7 Adviser Ms Adams addresses students accompanied with Ms Meucci and Mr Achmad

Principal Mr Jurd welcomes the new Yr7 students

A new phase of learning for our new Yr7 students Prefects welcome the Yr7 students to our school

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PRINCIPAL’S REPORTGapyeong and Cheongju High School Study Tours

The Gapyeong Male students arrived on the first day of school and were greeted by their home stays buddies. The female students were billeted with our sister school, Strathfield Girls. I would like to thank the homestay buddies, Manjyot Joher, Peter and Stefano Totidis, Dilukshan Thomas, Andrew Simpson, Zeerik Malik and Phillip Raneri for looking after these young men so well. I would also like to thank their parents for so warmly caring for the visitors. The Gapyeong students left on 18 February after nearly 3 weeks leaving behind many friends.

Cheongju High School students arrived on Wednesday 13 February for a period of 1 week. This study tour of 22 boys overlapped the Gapyeong and as such securing homestay billets was a little more problematic but in true Homebush fashion our students and parents came through I wish to thank the following students and their families for the help,; Cory Jnr Sharma, Jordan Mallia, Jiazheng Cao, Dinesh Sritharan, Daniel Cho, Allan Lai, Min Young Park, Kiran and Jai Surti, Bowen Yu, Sang Park, Arjun and Chris Kumar and Nathan Adams.

Both groups of visitors had an excellent time and enjoyed English lessons organised by our talented Learning Support Staff especially Ms Muruvet Altundag. Ms Caitlin Dwyer organised the welcome and Farewell assem-blies and the tour was brilliantly supported by our SRC and prefects. Ambrose Hill was instrumental in making the tourists feel welcome and he is definitely an honorary Korean.

Thanks to all staff for their help and allowing the visitors to share your learning spaces.

Staff Changes

Ms Rashmi Singh has joined our mathematics and she brings a wealth of knowledge and talent to this suc-cessful team. Mr Wayne Goodwin was successful in gaining an appointment to the Acience staff by merit selection. Mr Goodwin has been a familiar face on the staff over the last 2 years and we are pleased that he has been given a permanent position.

Ms Leisa Willis has been appointed Year 8 student adviser after 2 years assisting Ms Douyna Fattouh. Ms Wil-lis will be assisted by Mr Daniel Carrozza with this vital welfare role. Our year 6-7 Transition co-ordinator is Ms Dana Quick. Ms Quick’s duties have already started with Open Day (March 4) and we look forward to her working with our feeder Primary schools for next years intake of Yr7 students .

Mr Jurd with Gapyeong Teachers and students at an assembly farewell

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Year 7 Camp at Coolendell

From Wednesday 13th February to the 15th February, the new Year 7 class went to Coolendell to enjoy their Welfare Camp. The excellent group of staff were led by year advisers Mr Linda Adams, Mr Syarief Achmad and Deputy Kamie Khurshed. As you will see from reports in this bulletin, the students had an amazing time and they were excellently behaved. A number of student mentors from the Prefects and S.R.C. accom-panied the campers and these leaders worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and smooth running of all the activities (and have a great deal of fun also). Thanks to all for their hard and rewarding work.

Asbestos

In 2012 when staff recognised that some demountables and smaller buildings had degraded asbestos panels, the DEC was quick to act and closed the rooms for repairs. The demountable 69 was refitted and repainted; and other rooms were recommended by staff for refitting including kitchen 67, which had a new ceiling fitted, new lights, fans and it was painted. As well as this, many demountable steps and landings were sealed and painted as staff identified these also as concerns. This work was largely carried out during the vacation periods.

Major concerns were expressed by staff over Block G (Rooms 17,18) as this old weather board building had wall cracks and degraded panels. The DEC closed this building in Term 4 2012 and worked during the holidays installing new panels and carpet. In 2013, staff continued to have concerns, so the DEC conducted independent air and soil testing which indicated the block was safe to occupy. However, to ensure that it doesn’t occur again, staff moved that any remaining asbestos panelling must be removed and the asbestos ceiling be replaced. This will be done during 2013. The safety of students has been a priority for the staff during this difficult period.

Once work has been completed block G will have reverse cycle air conditioning installed and an interactive white board will be included in both rooms.

In the meantime we apologise to students for any inconvenience due to lack of appropriate, quality room-ing.

P & C and School Council

The P & C has started the year with gusto. The team of President Simone Burton, Vice President Simon Ford, Secretary Fiona Murray, Treasurer Anita Kumar and Fund Raiser Cheryl Miller is most effective. The first meeting on the 19th February saw 50 people attend Ms. Dwyer and Mr Khurshed summarised the student wellbeing themes for new students including the year 7 camp and the “small fish in the big pond” concept. The next meeting is on March 26 so please come to meet the team.

On the 12th of March, the School Council will meet, the P & C representatives who are Simone Burton, Dimon Ford, Nicole Zabbal, Kim Houhlias and Catherine Lea. The school council meets with the staff and

Yr7 students enjoy bike riding at the camp

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students to discuss school plans, programs, policies and directions.

Principal’s “Bits and Bobs”

World Challenge Congratulations to the seven year 10 students (now year 11) who took on the “World Challenge”. Lukas So-rensen, Deren Mehmet, Lachlan McIntosh, Billal El-SAyed, Po- Shen Wang and Songlin wu were supported and led by expiditionn leader Mr Jonothon Sculthorpe (HT PDHPE) in spending 5 weeks in Malaysia visiting Kuala Lumpar, the Cameron Highlands, Elephant Sanctuary and living with Malaysian villagers. It was marvellous for all these students who learnt so much about less priviledged people and how they can help them. Well done Mr Sculthorpe and your excellent young men.

Study Skills The Study Skills program has concluded and my thanks to Ms Milovanovic. All students now have done as-sessment guides and diaries that will help their organisation during 2013.

Congratulations to Scott and Bassel – Public Speaking Finalists. On Monday, February 18th, School Captain Scott Worthington and Senior Student Bassel Rana represented our school at Burwood RSL for the Lions Club Public Speaking finals. They did extremely well and were run-ners up.

Grand Finals Congratulations to all sportsmen and coaches on an excellent summer season. We finished 2nd to Epping on the points table, but then we won 14 of 16 grand finals contested. This is an unprecedented success story. Well done men as many of the finals were against... you guessed it.. Epping!

Surf Ocean Swimmers Congratulations to Ocean Swim Team Rowan Castro, Serge and Jay Houhlias who are coached and captained by “Old Bushy. Troy Rackcliff. These men swim under the team name Enfield Eels after their training pool.

Underpass Rail Project North Strathfield Rail Underpass project has started and may cause some inconvenience for students and their families living in that part of our catchment. It will be of great benefit when finished.

Congratulations to the four Homebush students seen by a MOP (member of the public) eating at Burwood Westfield Food Court before sport on Wednesday 13 February. This kind “MOP” reported that the bys behaved impeccably, talking quietly, no phones in sight, and cleaned away all rubbish. Thankyou men; keep up the

Troy Rackcliffe and Mr Jurd congratulate the boys on their fantastic ocean swim

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schools’ good name.

HSC Results As many are aware, our HSC results were stunning with 101 merit entries (equal to or greater than 90) and 3 Premiers all-rounder award winners (Derek Wong, Aaron Park and Brendan Trinh). These three students all achieved ATARS of over 99 with Derek the 2012 school dux with an ATAR of 99.85.

The school did excellently with 71% of all courses scoring averages above the state (candidature 10 or greater) and 77% of cohort receiving university placement offers.

World’s Greatest Shave World’s Greatest Shave has created some interest with Rhys Neuhold, Jack Gerbec and Pavithran Sivakumaran, signing up to shave their hair. We wish them goodluck with this fundraiser for the fight against ‘Leukaemia’.

Golf Star in the making? Congratulations to golfer, Isaac Noh, who has been selected to be part of the NSW development team. He will be travelling to represent the NSW golf team at the “National Match Play” and Australian Boys Amateur Cham-pionship” in Penrith in April. Isaac has earned a scholarship from Golf NSW to assist with expenses. Perhaps we have a new Tiger Woods amongst us!

Future golf champion Isaac Noh

Baki Redzeposki being congratulated on winning his age division in the Australian Judo championships

Scott Worthington and Bassel Rana withtheir certificates at the Public Speaking Finals

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HOMEBUSH BOYS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WINS

BURWOOD YOUNG AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD 2013Homebush Boys High School student, Leonardo Pane, has won the Burwood Young Australian of the Year Award 2013.

Leonardo is currently a Year 12 student and has proven to be a valuable asset to both the school and region. He has also been an organiser and participant of school activities, as well as, being a fine student. He is reliable, courteous and trust-worthy. He is hardworking and conscientious, and an extremely punctual student. He is also responsible for First Aid at Homebush Boys High School carnivals and as a prefect, performs his roles in an outstanding manner.

Leonardo has impressed me with his commitment to his studies, his reliability in meeting deadlines, his determination to overcome any weaknesses that he may have and his generous attitude to his fellow students and teachers. He has resolutely striven always to complete tasks and organise initiatives on time. His achievement in this regard is of a very high order indeed. His experience at school and abroad have given him sensitivity to the needs of other people, and a capacity to share his time and feelings with them.

Leonardo has a pleasant and engaging personality and shows many of the personal attributes needed for success in whatever profession or further study he may undertake. He is a caring person who has been a fine comrade to fellow students.

Leonardo’s mindful and conscientious approach to all tasks he has been set or has set for himself is his greatest asset. His balancing academic school commitments, extra-curricula pursuits and community work, together with his obliging and caring nature, are clearly evidence of his interpersonal, intellectual, leadership and organisational prowess. He is a talented young man with integrity who will be an asset to any employer and broader community.

For St. John’s Ambulance NCO, Leonardo, helping people is second nature. He has been performing this task since the age of 11. His Young Australian of the Year Award came as a surprise to him, a delight to Homebush Boys High School and St John’s Ambulance.

“My mother and father did first aid and I thought it would be better to learn something than staying at home,” said Leonardo. “I started when I was 11. Being with St. John’s has provided me with many opportunities at events such as the Big Day Out, City to Surf and the Easter Show and also opened a career path. I did not expect this honour. I was very surprised but really appreciate it.”

Leonardo plans to become a paramedic or take up nursing.As Head Teacher Teaching and Learning, I have appreciated Leonardo’s warmth and openness, his capacity to laugh, his honesty and most importantly his concern for others. He has assisted me with many initiatives and sincerely welcomed me to Homebush Boys High School when appointed as a staff member to the school. It was for the above reasons and many others whole school achievements that I was pleased to sit down with him and assist in the writing of the application for this award.

I personally congratulate Leonardo on the gaining of this award and wish him all the very best for the future.

Ms Suzi Milovanovic / Head Teacher Teaching & Learning

A proud Leonardo with Ms Suzi Milovanovic

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World Challenge expedition

Malaysia December 2012- January 2013Our school had the good fortune to be involved in the World Challenge program. The program is run by a private organ-isation and was developed to improve the confidence, level of responsibility and world view of our young people. This is achieved by the students accruing money (employment and fundraising) to fund their trip to Malaysia and pay for the trip budget for a month. Once there, the students become the leaders and make the essential decisions needed for travel. They are responsible for the budget, the accommodation, transport and food over a 30 day period in a develop-ing country.

An itinerary was compiled to cover as much of the Malaysia peninsular, whilst encompassing volunteer projects and a trek. The itinerary for our trip was full of transit and little time to waste. To the credit of our boys, not a train, bus, taxi or boat was missed in the entire month.

Upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur (after discovering the loss of a phone on the plane), Po Shen Wang of year 11 became our first leader. What a task! He was given the job of delivering a team of eleven teenagers and three adults to our first hotel, equipped only with the hotel name. One and a half hours later and after a delightful walking tour of Kuala Lumpur, we arrived at our hotel- a mere 500m from our original location.

We spent two nights in the chaos and colour of Kuala Lumpur, before catching a bus to Tanah Rata , north of Kuala Lumpur in the Cameron Highlands. Here we stayed in the palatial Twin Pines hostel. Each room was large enough to fit a person and a bed in. The larger ones even had room for the person’s baggage. We spent several days and nights here and immersed ourselves in the local culture. We undertook two day walks, exploring the cooler climes of the Cameron highlands; through fruit, vegetable and tea farms. We spent New Year’s Eve in the Twin Pines, and then woke to travel to for a day of white water rafting. This ‘acclimatisation’ phase allowed the group to gel and for us to eat a lot of Malaysian and Indian food.

After Tanah Rata, we travelled by bus back to KL, and off to an industrial town named Temerloh. Here, we had a one night stay before catching taxis to the Kuala Gandah Elephant sanctuary. This simple, but beautiful location was our place of work for the next 5 days. We prepared food, cleaned pens, cut down trees, helped make fences and cleared land. We protected trees from the elephants and fed them. All the time, we were in direct contact with these extraordi-nary animals. At night, our accommodation was the living room and balcony of Rasli, an employee from the sanctuary. This beautiful family took our group in, even with his daughter arriving home with a new born baby, and fed us. We experienced the home life of the rural community through Rasli’s house and that of his neighbours.

After a teary good-bye to Rasli and his family, we caught a bus, then a train to the wonderful frontier town of Kuala Lipis. This small town is on a river and would be our starting point for our 7 day jungle trek. The group met up with our guide for the trek- Appu (who proved to be the Bear Grylls of Malaysia), while in an Indian restaurant. The second day, we had our bags packed (two sets of clothes- one to walk in, one to sleep in) and after brekky, were driven to a jetty to catch a boat across the river to our jungle trek. Insect repellent on, pants tucked into our socks and bags on our backs, we set off on our trek. First stop, the fruit trees of Appu’s mates- Mangosteen and Langsac. Fresh fruit straight from the trees. After this, we trudged through the mud, through caves and jungle to our first camp under a limestone overhang. You can hear so much in the jungle- birds, insects, gibbons, and can see the signs of other creatures (elephant tracks), but the thick green ‘walls’ of the foliage prevents you seeing any actual living creatures. We did however, get a lot of ‘dancing worms’- leeches. The second day in the jungle, we walked 13km to a new site next to the river. Three nights were spent here- catching fish, learning the fine art of human waste management in the jungle and swimming in the pristine water. On the fourth day here, we walked back to our original site and involved ourselves in swimming in the river, exploring nearby caves and completing a couple of day walks. Our trek out of the jungle proved to be a challenge, through deep mud and in warm conditions. By this stage, each team member smelt like a durian, therefore keeping any unwanted animals at bay. Back in Kuala Lipis, we had a much needed shower and did some washing of clothes. On reflection, the team learnt several new skills and coped with working outside of their comfort zones. Three boys arranged transport for the next day. After a good sleep in a real bed, we were up and away on a bus to Bentong.

Bentong is a town comprised mostly of Chinese- Malaysians. It’s a busy commercial centre. We were luckily heading 8km out of town, away from the noise and pollution to an old fruit farm. Here a husband and wife had set up a home for Orang Asli kids (indigenous kids), funded solely from donations. They have encouraged the kids from their jungle homes and now give them regular food, health care and education. The current location is on a rental property and we were involved in the long term construction of a new site for their home and school. Several days of satisfying physi-cal labour were interspersed with interactions with the kids and trips to town or a nearby waterfall. Our team took a lot from this project. The self-reflection that came from it and the sense of achievement were part of the major aim of the World Challenge experience. To see the children crying when we departed and knowing that we had helped, left a strong feeling of pride and sadness in each of the team members.

Back to KL! The long trip back gave us time to consider what we had experienced up until this point. However, it

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didn’t prepare us for dropping back into the chaos of KL. We had been out of major cities for a long period of time and the noise and crowds had an initial impact. The team almost immediately, began looking at shopping options. Firstly though, they had to work out a way of getting to our one day project on the outskirts of the city. Fortunately, the trans-port system around KL is brilliant and a plan was quickly formulated. That night, shopping was on the agenda. The night markets in Petaling Jaya proved no match for the bargaining powers of our boys. All came back with a swag of useless, cheaply made products and a perhaps false sense of being street smart. We also had our first chance to get our feet nibbled by the ‘doctor fish’. What a feeling! The accommodation for the night was the worst of the trip, but we were dry and safe.

The next day, we travelled out of the city to our third project- a home for people with disabilities. Here, we were strongly confronted by the situation that the residents were in. The home has about 150 residents of all ages with severe to mild disabilities and also those with welfare concerns. On our visit, we spent the day interacting with about 40 young children with varying degrees of ability. It is fair to say that the team didn’t find this visit easy. It wasn’t physically challenging, but the emotional barriers that many had to conquer were much bigger than anything else. To see the lives that some of the residents lived made it difficult for some of our boys to accept their own fortune in having it a little easier. It did open the eyes of many boys and the interaction with the residents gave them a small period of stimulation that the carers cannot manage in a day full of cleaning and feeding.

Returning to the city, the team made plans for dinner. It was then time to visit the Petronas towers. These man-made monoliths are beautiful at night as they are lit from within by the thousands of offices and residences. Fountains flank the towers and a huge high-end shopping mall forms their base. Some of the boys took a chance of running through the fountains- anything to cool off in the humidity.

We made a trip to the Batu Caves outside of KL. This natural phenomena is a huge cave system that has been utilised by the Hindu faith as a temple. A 45m gold statue of a Hindu god guards the 270 stairs that lead to a temple up in the main cave. Monkeys did their best to relieve us of our goods, but to no avail. However, some ‘salesmen’ managed to relieve some boys of their money in exchange for some overpriced jewellery.

Over the next few days, KL entertained us with shopping, eating and getting our feet nibbled by fish. We visited the National Mosque and the butterfly farm, plus made our way to various malls that specialised I technology or clothing. Presents were bought and photos taken.

Malaysia gave the team so much. The gratitude and acceptance of the people and their caring nature is what stood out. Those that we interacted with went to great lengths to ensure we were comfortable and enjoying ourselves. We got to experience not just different cultures, but were involved in religious and social activities. This opened the minds of many in the team and ensured that Malaysia will remain in our hearts. Hopefully it has broadened the minds of the travellers, motivated them to succeed in life and created an awareness of how lucky we are. The altruistic activities that the team were involved in I am sure will be replicated in the future.

The team was led by Mr Tom Sylvester, a mountain guide from England (via Scotland) who now works for World Chal-lenge. His knowledge and expertise allowed us to travel safely and gain as much as possible from the trip. We were also accompanied by a group from Bateman’s Bay HS. This included the hilarious and caring teacher, Ms Kerryl Davie and three young ladies- Maddi Wade, Ashleigh Pye and Ella Cockayne. We also had another traveller with us from Perth- Nico Oppliger. The boys from our school were Bilal El-Sayed, Deren Mehmet, Po Shen Wang, Songlin Wu, Lachlan Mackintosh, Alex (Todd) Flinn and Lukas Sorensen. What a brilliant, life-changing trip!

Terimah Kasi!

Petronas TowersFarming at Cameron Highlands

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The students engage in an important art lesson with locals

This poor elephant is missing part of his foot, but would still be expected to be used for work

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A visit to the markets to buy some souveniers

Ready for the next part of the journey

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Year 7 Camp 2013

The three-day camp for Year 7 took place during Week 3, Wednesday 13 February through to Friday 15th February 2013 in the magnificent bushlands of the Coolendel Camping Grounds West of Now-ra. The purpose of the camp was to foster self-development of individual students through provid-ing activities for building self-confidence, social skills, team, resilience and independence building.

Students started arriving at school at 6:00 for buses departing at 6:30. It was a cheerful, sleepy and uneventful three and a half hour trip to Nowra where some students made the most of the time to catch up on sleep or chat. On arrival at the camping grounds the students divided into their 11 tribes with their peer mentors, teachers and their instructors.

The first task was to set up the campsites. Each tribe had their own site with two people to each tent. The program designed for the tribes over the three days challenged teachers and students alike who together participated in: canoeing, swimming, Mountain Biking, flying fox, possum, boomerang throwing, abseiling from fixed points, and problem solving activities with the inevitable daily tasks of cooking, and cleaning.

In the early evening the students were entertained by performers including Slabface with his musi-cal comedy and several of the instructors doing fire batons and indigenous based music. The most memorable experience for my tribe was after we had spent the afternoon swimming in the Shoal-haven River. We had a campfire where lots of stories and games were played. Our instructor then got us to look up at the stars it was amazing seeing the constellations above us and great to listen to everyone point out different shapes in the stars, and hear of how to navigate using their placement.

For some they will never forget seeing the native wildlife the wallaby, peacocks, goanna, possums and wombats going about their daily lives. The river teamed with small fish and tadpoles, which pro-vided some with entertainment if they had time to stop and watch. The songs of the birds provided a harmonious natural background throughout the camp.

Over the three days I witnessed a transformation of individuals growing to work as a team, helping and encouraging others to achieve their tasks. Friendships were formed as students became more aware of their abilities and strengths. Students worked well with teachers, instructors and peer mentors listening inattentively to instructions and safety talks, following directions and interacting positively with others. It is these strengths that we aim to build on when returning to the busy city life at Homebush.

Thank-you to all teachers, instructors and peer mentors who generously gave up their time to lead their teams. This Camp in its beautiful natural surrounds was an experience of a lifetime!

Linda Adams

Yr7 Adviser

Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains. You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of

moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate pat-terns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older

than man and they hummed of mystery.” ― Cormac McCarthy, The Road

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Game time with Ms Gobel at camp

Exploring the outdoors with Mr Wilson at camp

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Year 7 Adviser Report

Students should take the time every day to invest in their future by following these helpful guides recommended in the studies skills course they did in week 4. These skills will assist them in reinforcing their learning.

· Establish a routine by setting aside some time to read and revise your classwork.· Create a good study environment away from distractions. You could even form study groups so you can talk

through and compare work.· Write a timetable to achieve all your tasks by the due date; you could use a calendar to do this.· Look after no. 1 by eating healthy drinking plenty of water and exercising· Reward yourself for your hard work by participating in a social event or talking with friends.· Use resources provided by your teacher and the internet.

· Keep calm, positive and confident.

· Ask your teacher for guidance especially if you are having trouble with one area of work.

I look forward to meeting you through events throughout the year including the teachers meet and greet on Tues-day 5th March and through gold award day and assemblies.

Linda Adams

Year 7 Adviser

Excitement and anticipation for their new journey Our enthusiastic prefects offer assistancewith the Yr7 students first day

The start of a new experience for Yr7 students

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SCHOOL CALENDAR 2013Week 7 March

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Year 7 music Concert in hall P1+2Sydney North Region Swimming Carnival- SOPACSport - Period Rotation 1,2,3 Winter TrialsBand CampSelective High School Placement TestBand Camp, Verbal Combat- Year 8 presentation10 Commerce to State Parliament/police & Justice Museum Year 9 Vaccinations, Band Camp

Week 8 March

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History Dramas - Years 9 and 10Yr9 laptop Parent information Evening Hall 6:00pmSport - Period Rotation 1,2,3 Winter Trials

year 7 Taronga Zoo

Week 9 March

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Year 8 MusicConcert in hall P1+2Motivational Media- Years 9, 10, 11, 12: HalSport - Period Rotation 1,2,3 Round 1

Good Friday

Week 10 April

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Easter MondayYr9 Laptop RolloutSport - Period Rotation 1,3,2 Round 2Yr9 Laptop RolloutNSW CHS Swimming Carnival - SOPACSchool cross countryyr 12 physics/ chemistry students to ANSTOEDGE Hot cross buns, Yr9 Laptop RolloutNSW CHS Swimming Carnival - SOPAC

Week 11 April

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Hot cross buns (EDGE) for Staff morning teYear 7 Geography Excursion to Katoombayr 12 Kickstart Biology Sydney UniversityYear 9 Geography ExcursionSport - Period Rotation 1,2,3 Round 3

EDGE Music band concert (Hall)

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School Development DaySchool Development DaySport - Period Rotation 1,2,3 Round 4

SUBMISSIONS TO BUSH BULLETIN

If you wish to submit a photograph or article to the BB please send it to Mr Kamie Khurshed email address:kamie.khurshed@det.nsw.edu.au

Great fun at the camp

The boys enjoy a healthy meal

Breakfast Club poster

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LOTE FACULTY REPORT

COME TRAVEL WITH US AND EXPLORE OUR WORLDHenry T. Heald stated that “Education in its deepest sense is the improvement of man so that he will be a thinking individual, not afraid of the validity of his conclusions, even though they may deviate from what may be acceptable and safe at the moment.” 1968

The ultimate goal of education should be to produce analytical citizens who help to shape the environment around them and are not afraid to ask questions or solve problems. I believe that educators should develop in learners, the abilities and skills to empower them to explore and solve problems in the world that they are confronted with. Only then will students come to see education and learning as lifelong processes made up of meaningful experiences.

In 2013, the LOTE faculty is aiming to assist your son to reach his full potential. We believe that this applies as readily to solving problems and fostering positive social relationships as it does to academic learning. LOTE students will be challenged to better themselves at every opportunity and to try new things. The LOTE staff recognise that each student is an individual and as such, support and extension that is offered will not be the same for each student. Our classrooms are filled with young men of different skills, capabilities and needs.

The Languages Other Than English faculty has started off 2013 with some old and some new faces. Ms Lay continues in her part time maternity position and can be found on the premises Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Ms Lay will focus on co-ordinating Stage 4 Chinese studies at Homebush Boys High School and will also be displaying her second passion, that of teaching Italian and French in Years 7 & 8.

We are very pleased to have Ms Su continuing in her wonderful role as Stage 5 & 6 Chinese Co-ordinator on a full time basis. As always, the LOTE faculty is fortunate to have the professionalism & knowledge of Mrs Gilchrist (Italian & French Language co-ordinator) .Mrs Gilchrist continues to look after Saturday & Open High School students plus Distance Education students. The biggest news is our full time Korean teacher-Ms Yu. Although not a new face around the school, Ms Yu will now be with us 5 days a week and will be in command of Korean studies for Years 7 through to Years 12.

2013 marks the second year of KOREAN language studies at Homebush Boys High School. The NSW Curricu-lum and Learning Innovation Centre of the Department of Education and Communities and the Korean Edu-cation Centre continues to highlight Korean as a language of growing importance in NSW. An exciting new program with many interactive activities is in stall for our Korean students this year. Maybe a bit of Gangnam style dancing as well. Who knows? Prepare to be entertained boys!!

Languages studied at HBHS

Year 7 students will be studying compulsory Chinese, Italian, French and Korean in 2012. Year 8 students are studying Chinese, Italian, French or Korean for Year 8 depending on the language they chose at the end of Year 7. We have 3 classes in Year 9 –Chinese and Korean, with Italian and Korean continuing through in Year 10. Year 11 Korean & Chinese classes are running, and in Year 12 we have a Chinese, and Italian. Also, for the very first time at HBHS, we have a Year 12 Korean class attempting the HSC. Our Preliminary& HSC classes in Korean and Chinese contain both Background speakers and Heritage students. Some lessons are scheduled for before school. These are compulsory and attendance at these lessons will be monitored carefully, as with all LOTE lessons.

Year 7 Taster Course 2013

The LOTE staff are happy to announce that the Year 7 students have begun the new “TRAVEL” based course. Off to China we go, exploring the country, our passport requirements, travel itinerary, greetings, scenery of in-

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terest, photo album preparation and collation of all material using one of the many new ICT initiatives on offer.

Korea, Italy and France are also on the travel plans for 2013. The students will have the opportunity to use tech-nology to research, prepare, discover and deliver course material. So parents please believe your son when he tells you they he needs the internet or the computer at home to do his LOTE homework. He is NOT “fibbing”, just letting “his fingers do the learning”.

HSC Results 2012

There was definitely a continued & marked improvement in the 2012 Chinese HSC results. All students in the Chinese Background Speakers Course achieved results in Bands 4-5. These results were not only the best in our school’s history but each student’s mark was the highest above any other subject. The students did well to overcome the pressures of the HSC, considering that components of the exam require responses in English and that all students are from Non English Speaking Backgrounds. Congratulations to all students and Ms Su for all her efforts with “The Class of 2012”.

The Italian Beginners Class achieved better results than the Continuers group. Both these groups had sound bands allowing their Language studies to rank favourably in their final ATAR performances. As senior students, the Italian groups understood that challenges of the papers and were exposed to more than adequate prepa-ration before sitting the Final examinations. Congratulations to all students and Mrs Gilchrist for all her efforts with “The Class of 2012”.

For all LOTE students

I would encourage all language students to consider the following

· Come prepared for every lesson. Make sure you are punctual, have all resources and have completed all necessary homework tasks.

· Participate in all language classes. Italian, French, Chinese or Korean classes are NOT for spectators only.

· Make sure you are using your DIARY to record homework, incomplete class work, assessment tasks, projects and any other reminders

· Abide by the LOTE Faculty classroom rules· Abide by the HBHS Student Code of Conduct and· Respect the learning in ALL classes.· As Richard Branson (Founder of Virgin Australia) says, Just do It, Have Fun, Be Bold, Challenge Yourself,

Stand on your own two Feet, Live the Moment, Value Friends & Family, Have Respect!For Parents of LOTE students

Please feel free to contact me at school, if you have any queries and/or questions regarding your son’s lan-guage studies at HBHS. I will try to assist you in any way possible. I am keen to have contact early in the year, to establish any concerns.

I look forward to a happy and productive 2013, a year full of growth for our LOTE students - growth both physi-cally but also mentally as we endeavour to immerse them in the spoken and written language and the culture of our European and Asian languages.

语言系学生家长

如果您有任何关于您孩子在我校学习外语的问题，请随时与我联系。我会尽量帮助你。我衷心希望在新学年开始之际与您建立紧密联系。

我期待2013年是一个愉快并富有成效的一年，是我们语言系学生人数持续增长的一年。在我们致力于传播多元文化（亚洲和欧洲语言学习），口语和写作语言的训练中，使学生在德、智、体各方面得到全面发展。

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Finally, a few inspirational quotes that define my goals for the LOTE faculty and its students in 2013.

· Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Nelson Mandela.· I am not a teacher but an awakener. Robert Frost.· The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. Plutarch.

Mrs Matina Shadwick

Head of LOTE Faculty

Students enjoy a calligraphy lesson

Year 9 students attend the Korean Cultural Office

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Ms Yu and the Year 10 Korean class

Year 9 students doing Korean folk dancing

Year 8 Korean class playing host to Gapyeong

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Mrs Gilchrist with her Year10 Italian class

Ms Lay with her Year 10 Chinese class

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English Report, Term One, 2013A warm welcome, from all the English staff, to all students for another productive year at Homebush Boys. And a special welcome to our Year 7 students and all new enrolments.

The English Faculty remained stable for the first time in 3 or 4 years. But we did farewell Kate Gabor who was a valuable contributor to the faculty even though she taught mainly LOTE. Her contributions over the years were most welcome and conducive to the faculty. On behalf of the whole staff, I wish her a wonderful retirement.

I can’t let this opportunity pass without recognising some excellent achievements the faculty had in both the Higher School Certificate and the School Certificate in 2012. All the courses were well above the state average. In the Advanced course 24 of the 31 candidates achieved bands 5 and 6, meaning their marks were 80% or better. This equates to being about 20% above the state average. The Standard course average was more than 4% above the state average. Some 40 students scored above 80%, this was twice the state average. This continued the trend of some remarkable results over the past 6 or 7 years in this course. Well done to all the students for their outstanding efforts and to the teachers involved for their dedication and persistence.

It is a busy time of the year for all students, particularly the senior students. The Standard and Advanced students have assessment tasks coming up soon as they begin work on the new modules. The students need to communicate with their teachers about the requirements, continue to read as much as possible and draft their written responses. Continuous effort and application will be rewarded in the end.

There are ample opportunities for students to be involved in extra-curricular activities which are both rewarding and stimulating. Ms Sahay is currently organising the John Symonds Public Speaking competition at school. This is open to all students. More competitions will be help during the year. Debating teams are being formed as well. There is a team from each year group contesting the Premier’s Debating competitions. As well, the first Great Book Sale for the year will be held during the lunch break on Thursday of week 10 (4 April). This is a great opportunity for students to purchase novels cheaply and in the process help a worthwhile charity – The Indigenous Literacy Project. Last year the school raised over $1000 for the ILP via three book sales. Also, the Premier’s Reading Challenge had begun. All students from year 7, 8 and 9 are encouraged to enter this fantastic initiative to help improve their reading and literacy skills. Last year Ms Kumaralingam did an outstanding job in promoting the PRC which resulted in the largest number of participants we have ever had.

I can’t emphasise enough the importance of students of all ages maintaining a consistent reading programme at home. This could only mean reading something that interests them for 30 minutes each afternoon or evening. Reading is crucial for improving all aspects of English literacy and communication. Students have ample opportunities to engage in reading at school. Years 7, 8 and 9 students are involved in a wide reading programme in their English classes where the parents have to sight their son reading most nights of the week and sign their child’s book. As well, the school has the DEAR programme 4 mornings a week and students from Years 7, 8 and 9 are encouraged to enter the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Support at home will help consolidate the students’ development through these initiatives.

Mr Cheiban Elaro,

Head of Department

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Environment ReportThis Friday 1st March is ‘Clean Up Austra-

lia Day’ and Homebush Boys High School will be involved for the 12th year in a row. Ms Symonds is coordinating the day this year.

The Environment Committee has made it one of it’s aims to ‘Keep our school environ-ment, free of rubbish and litter’, so there will be a public awareness campaign, which has been successfully initiated by Ms McGuinness and other members of the school Environment Committee. This campaign will involve replac-ing all open rubbish bins around the school (to stop birds getting into the bins, searching for food scraps), establishing the use of PET bottle recycling bins (the school has been fortunate to have two bins donated to the school by Bun-nings Hardware), encourage students to not litter and recycle most of our waste paper.

At the end of last year a group of 15 students volunteered to take all the weeds from the front garden and plant native plants donat-ed by Strathfield Council. A rewarding task for all students involved and the school environ-ment.

Mr John PearsonEnvironment Team Leader

Students doing their bit to beautify our school appearance

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SCIENCE REPORTWelcome to another year of Science in our wonderful school.

Staff changes: Ms Neelam Gounder has resigned after a year teaching with us. Our replacement will commence in term 2. Ms Kamil Kaur has taken maternity leave and is replaced this term by Ms Kathleen Digges.

Opportunities for students:

We encourage all students to make the most of their opportunities. This includes many activities for our junior students during Science week as well as our annual G & T Canberra three day field trip. Competitions are offered in The Science Competition, The Chemistry Competition, The Titration Competition and numerous Gifted and Talented workshops.

Field studies are an exciting part of junior Science- year 7 to the Zoo, year 8 to Luna Park, year 9 to the Powerhouse Mu-seum and IMAX.

Homework:

Homework is an important part of a student’s education. In Science, all juniors are expected to attempt a homework ex-ercise each week. Year 7 will have skills and literacy booklets, years 8 and 9 will have exercises from “Process Questions in Junior Science”, year 9 and 10 have specific exercises for their laptops which have been purchased for this purpose. These exercises will be recorded and parents notified if a student fails to make three attempts each term.

This does not preclude other forms of homework such as projects, assessment tasks, completing classwork etc.

Have a wonderful year in Science.

Alan Everett (Head Teacher)

On the 8th of December, 13 people got the opportunity to undertake a free First Aid Course offered by the Strathfield council. The day started at 9 am when we met a creditable lady, Ms Yuonne Yun (Community service -Strathfield Coun-cil). We then introduced ourselves to our trainer and examiner, Phil Wicks from the Royal Life Saving Society.

During the day, we were taught everything required to pass the final exam which consisted of 50 multiple choice questions and approaching senarios. We learnt everything from DRSABCD, to how to commence CPR, treating burns, embedded objects, diabetes, shock, bleeding, poisons and venom etc.

We were all given a manikin to practice CPR and took home at the end of the day at 4.30pm. This was a memorable day for all of us, I am now proud to say I am able to safe lives. I must take this opportunity to importantly thank Ms Younne Yun, Mrs G Sahay, Strathfield Council, Mr Phil Wicks for working so hard in giving us this worthy prospect. I took the most out of this and I am sure the others did too. Thankyou!!! I got the certificates posted to our homes during the school holidays, and was so proud.

VIDHUSHAN PAHEERATHAN

The Importance of Knowing First Aid

Students enjoying their First Aid experience

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Duke of Edinburgh Awards 2013

The Award is…

Available to everyone

Any young person aged 14 – 25 can do The Award, no mat ter what your gender, cultural background, religious or political affiliation, or ability.

About experiencing, connecting, developing

You will get out of The Award what you put in. There is the opportunity for you to both grow personally and connect with others, through a range of new experiences. You have the chance to discover your potential.

Not a competition

The Award is not a competition against anyone else, but rather a personal challenge. It offers the opportunity to work with others whilst focusing on your own unique abilities.

Flexible

The Award offers a framework for you to focus your inter ests, improve your abilities and do something you’ve always wanted to do. You can enter The Award at the level that best suits you, and choose activities that fit in with your life.

Balanced

The different sections of The Award give you the chance

to experience a wide range of challenges. You have the op portunity to extend your existing abilities and also try some thing entirely new.

Progressive

You can improve your abilities and increase your personalisation of The Award with each level you do (Bronze, Silver, Gold).

About personal achievement

You set your own goals, and work towards them. Your achievements are your own, and are not bench-marked against anyone else.

A marathon, not a sprint

The Award is about showing regular commitment and perseverance. Your efforts are recognised over time, and your achievements are your own improvements.

Fun

The Award is fun. The activities you choose reflect your interests and passions, so enjoy the challenge!

Meetings every Friday Lunchtime in room 42. See the Duke of Edinburgh website or one of the following teachers who coordinates the award.

Co-ordinators: Ms Adams, Mr. Goodwin Mr Albertson

Students on their walk during for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards

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2013 STUDY SKILLS PROGRAM ROLLS OUT AT

HOMEBUSH BOYS HIGH SCHOOLHomebush Boys High School 2013 Study Skills Program commenced in the first weeks of school. The 7-12, Study Skills Program, is an essential part of the school’s curriculum.

The Study Skills Program assists students with their educational endeavours.

Year 7, for 2013, was the first year to commence with the program. Topics included assessment schedules, using your diary, getting organised/setting goals, and what is studying in high school.

An important aspect, for both the junior and senior school program, is that each student produces an individual assessment planner that assists them in reaching their assessment goals for the year. Students are provided with a copy of assessment schedules for the year from each of their faculty areas. They then use these schedules to create their own individual assessment planners and ensure successful completion of all tasks for the year.

The Junior Program further assists students in their transition from primary to high school and in addition, gives students the opportunity to further develop their academic/organisational skills, study habits, examination techniques and processes for goal setting. The Senior Program has also included a motivational session presentation by guest speaker Mr John Coutis this year and visits last year to over 8 universities for course information and study pathways.

In addition to this, the school has this year introduced a new diary both in paper and electronic form versions. Students examined the contents of this diary as part of the Study Skills Program – Session 2. Students were required to examine facets of school life, school policies/procedures and the introduction of a new school timetable.

As Head Teacher Teaching and Learning, I would like to thank all those involved in the implementation of the 2013 Study Skills Program and I wish all Homebush Boys High School students the best in their educational endeavours.

The Study Skills Program will run for several weeks in Term 1.

Ms Suzi Milovanovic

HT Teaching & Learning

Mr Achmad takes students through their study skills

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Students ready to put their study skills in practise

Ms Lakshmipathy instructs students on study skills

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Creative and Performing ArtsWelcome to all students for another productive and creative year at Homebush BHS, especially our new Year 7 students and all new enrolments. This year, students will be again challenged to reach their personal best in both Visual Arts and Music with a range of visiting workshops and perfor-mances to inspire the students. There will also be different excursions on offer so that students are exposed to performances, workshops and exhibitions to gain a greater experience in Music and Visual Arts. Images from these events will be published both in the Bush Bulletin and also on the school website where parents and carers will be able to see photos and video footage of student’s musical performances and student artworks on the CAPA website page.

The CAPA faculty would like to congratulate last year’s Yr 12 Music and Visual Arts students on their fantastic results in the HSC, with 3 band six results in Visual Arts and 1 in Music along with all students achieving their personal best. There is also a special mention to Jonathon Cao who had his Body of Work selected for the prestigious Artexpress exhibition which is a major achievement. Year 12 students also had success at the Strathfield Council HSC Art Exhibition where Najee Roude, Jeremy Chung and Hanel Kang won the major awards for their artworks. These results are evidence that the senior students are consistently performing and achieving at high levels which reflects the outstanding quality teaching and learning that takes place within the Music and Visual Arts facul-ties.

Hopefully 2013 will again produce a wonderful learning experience with some outstanding achievements by all students in the Creative and Performing Arts.

Kim Attwood

HT CAPA.

Yr7 students enjoying their art lessons Ahmad with his self portrait painting

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Images from the Yr7 Camp

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Multicultural Day SuccessThe Bushy Boys experienced their first ever Multicultural Day on 4 December 2012. The day was a great success, thanks to support from both staff and boys at the school. We had our cultural performances and great food on display. It was a real treat for everyone involved. Special thanks must go to parents who sent in platters of delicious food. We have some orphans waiting to be picked up in the ESL staffroom (see photograph below).

SRC Coordinators

M.Altundag/S.Kumaralingam

M.Altundag with exchange students from the Gapyeong HS

Ms Kumaralingam with students and their certificates from the Premiers Reading Challenge

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John Coutis Motivational SpeakerJohn Coutis delivered an inspirational presentation to our Yr12 students recently. John is an exceptional person. Born with a severe disability that rendered his legs useless, John defied medical opinion by refusing to die. Today John speaks all around the world to tens of thousands, very enthusiastic and eagre people, whom he leaves breathless.

John plays a significant role in Australian schools and youth leadership programs. John has spoken in access of 700 schools throughout Australia - on; Anti-Bullying, Life Topics, Treating People The Way You Wish To Be Treated, Goal Set-ting, Over Coming Challenges & Getting The Best Out of Life.

At the end of John’s presentation he was given a generous round of applause by the students and teachers who thor-oughly enjoyed his lifes experiences which were both poignant and humouress.

Homebush BHS Breakfast ClubThe Breakfast Club opens its doors every Wednesday morning at 8.10am to provide a healthy breakfast for all comers. Fruit, cereal, toast and croissants are served by a group of student volunteers. The school would like to thank Foodworx and Homebush Fruit Bowl for generously providing the various food items for the students to start their day with a nutritious breakfast.

Ms Audrey Juska

John Coutis speaks to the students about his lifes experiences

Yr12 students listen attentively toJohn Coutis’ presentation

Ms Juska and Ms McGuinness help out with the Breakfast Club

Students enjoy a hearty breakfast at school

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Leonardo Pane being congratulated on his Burwood Young Australian of the year award

Yvonne Yoon and Andrew Koliopo speak to students about Youth Community activities

Mr Sculthorpe with students that went on the World Challenge to Malaysia

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Ms Carrasco and Mr Jurd with Rouein Momen and his certificate for the Most Outstanding Yr11 student of 2012UWS

Students celebrate Chinese New Year

Ms Sahay with students and their volunteer Certificates

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SPORTS REPORTOur annual School Swimming Carnival was held on the 22nd of February with large numbers in attendance. All boys who attended wore their house colours proudly and put in a great effort, making the carnival a wonderful day. Congratulations to Hayes house who were the eventual winners of the carnival and the following boys who were age champions:

12 Years – Daniel Sun 13 Years – John Vuong

14 Years – Vincent Nguyen 15 Years – Jay Houhlias

16 Years – Matthew Gu 17 Years – Dane Kennedy

Congratulations to Jonah Bolden who was selected in the Sydney North regional basketball team to compete at the CHS basketball championships in May. Also, well done to our 1st Grade Volleyball team who had four players selected in the Sydney North regional volleyball team. Good luck to Willis Choi, Libeesan Surkirthan, Hao Yin and Ian Zhou at the CHS championships in Camden at the beginning of next term.

Winter Sport trials commence on the 6th of March and competition starts on the 27th of March. A reminder the school cross country carnival is on Thursday the 4th of April held after lunch at Airey Park and the school athletics carnival is on Monday the 6th of May (Week 2, Term 2) at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre.

For up to date information for sport please check the schools website in the Curriculum tab and then click on sport. Here you can access the weekly sports arrangement sheet,the latest results for grade sport and a list of all the sportsperson of the week awards for Grade and House.

Mr S Belgre

The proud students that were chosen to be 2013 House Captains and Vice- Captains

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Photos from our Swimming Carnival

Mr Albertson ready to start a Mexican wave at the Swimming Carnival and supporting Greening

Students having fun competing and enjoying the Swimming Carnival

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Just competing means your a winner

Ready set go!

Every picture tells a story.....?????

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Champion basket ball player Jonah Bolden who was selected captain of the NSW All Schools

with Mr Jurd

Friends and winners

Happy staff members enjoy the Swimming Carnival