Mac Fields News€¦ · Olive Maisa 8 Wk4/T2 $40 Officeworks gift card Mabel Truong 11 Wk5/T2 $20...

Mac Fields News Macquarie Fields High School

April 2010

2 Harold Street, Macquarie Fields NSW 2564 Phone 9605 3111 Web page: www.mfhs.nsw.edu.au

Issue 4 – Term 2 June 2017

Calendar Events

Week 9

Monday June 19 P&C Meeting-6:30pm Tuesday June 20 Immunisations-Yr 7.11 & 12 Semester Awards-p2&3 Parent Teacher Night Yr 10,

11 & 12 Yr 10 into 11 Information

Evening 6pm-7:30pm Thursday June 22 Zone Athletics Carnival Immunisations-Yr 7 Friday June 23 Zone Athletics Carnival

Week 10

Monday June 26 - Elective Tasters Week Friday June 30 Monday June 26 Yr 10 STW Focus Week Friday June 30 LAST DAY OF TERM

Week 1 – Term 3

Monday July 17 School Development Day – Staff only

Tuesday July 18 Yr 7-12 students return Yr 11 Elective interviews

begin

Week 2 – Term 3

Tuesday July 25 Parent Teacher Night Yr 7-9 with Yr 8 into 9 Parent Information evening

Wednesday July 26 OC Test

PARENTS PLEASE NOTE

Students absent from school

Please note changes to School Attendance Policy. Where a student is absent from school, a note explaining the absence must be received by the school within 7 school days. Where a note is not received the absence will be recorded as unjustified. This cannot legally be changed should a note be received after 7 days. Absences both justified and unjustified are recorded on school reports.

Recipient’s of PBL Raffle Prize Draw

NAME Year Wk/Term PRIZE Olive Maisa 8 Wk4/T2 $40 Officeworks

gift card

Mabel Truong 11 Wk5/T2 $20 Macarthur Square gift card

Nicky Davis 8 Wk6/T2 $10 Canteen voucher

Yasmin Mamalicos

10 Wk8/T2 $20 Macarthur Square gift card

Apoorwa Chaudhari

10 Wk9/T2 $10 Canteen voucher

From the Principal

It always gives me great pleasure to see our

students achieve success in their chosen fields

of endeavour and I take great pride in being their

Principal. We have many things to be proud of at

Macquarie Fields HS and I would like to share

with you some of the recent events where our

students have shone!

Sebastian Kelly-Toiava: Proudly Public

I recently had the privilege of attending the

celebration of public education at the Public

Education Foundation’s “Proudly Public” event at

the Sydney Town Hall. This event recognises the

hard work and dedication of the many students

and teachers whose work inspires others to

achieve their best. Sebastian kicked off the

whole event with his Acknowledgement of

Country and later performed, Djapana,

accompanied by the Kari Choir, the Aboriginal

Dance Company and Jah Marley on the

Didgeridoo. It was a stunning performance, well

received by the audience and it was a pleasure

to watch and listen! Well done, Sebastian!! Stop

the Press: We have just received word that

June 2017

Issue 4 - Term 2 October 2014

Sebastian has been selected as a featured artist

for the 2017 Schools Spectacular.

Congratulations, Sebastian!

Vocal Group: Spectacular Success

Our Vocal Group, coached by Mrs Davidson and

supported by Mrs Costa and Ms Tran, has been

selected to perform at the 2017 Schools

Spectacular at the Quodos Bank Arena at

Sydney Olympic Park in November. This group

has been working extremely hard to achieve the

level required to be selected and their efforts

have paid off. Congratulations to all involved.

There will be many more hours of rehearsal and

practice but this will be a performance not to be

missed. Ticket information will be available soon

and I hope you will join us in celebrating their

success by attending one of the performances.

Our Vocal Group pictured outside Sydney Town Hall

Winson Lau: Science Superstar

Winson, in Year 12, is well known for his

modesty with regard to his achievements but this

latest success deserves special mention. Winson

was successful through a very competitive

process in being accepted for the prestigious

Harry Messell Science School to be held at The

University of Sydney in the next vacation period.

Winson will attend university lectures and other

experiences throughout this time and will have

the opportunity to network with academics, both

from Australia and overseas and students from

many other schools.

Fast Forward

This year, I was honoured to be asked to deliver

the Principal’s Address on behalf of all the

schools participating in the Fast Forward

program. I was asked in particular, to speak

about the impact the Fast Forward program has

had on past students of the program and I would

like to share some of those thoughts with you

here:

The Fast Forward program has encouraged

students to strive for their personal best. The

experiential learning afforded by their

involvement in the program has allowed them to

develop their skills and become increasingly

familiar with the university learning environment.

In 2016, our students were involved in

workshops, including sessions on aspirations

and barriers, effective habits for teens and

matching interests and personalities to career

pathways. Our students were particularly active

in their use of the “yourtutor” service, which was

used extensively, with 126 tutorials completed

and 2,346 minutes of tutoring!

June 2017


It was wonderful to see the students attend this

important commencement ceremony with their

proud parents and I would like to congratulate

the following students: Sumaya Akabai, Phillip

Aloese, Mili Dakshin, Anarchy Dharma,

Carlos Higa, Amala Joseph, Harshith

Kakkerla, Kasey Lovell, Gemma McCormack,

Zaina Mohammed, Isabela Rabling, Spencer

Standish, Zarin Subah, Manisha Suresh,

Callan Swain and Alexander Tallon.

2017 Fast Forward Students

On behalf of the students, staff and parents, I

would like to thank Western Sydney University

for their support of these students. I know the

students appreciate the opportunity they have

been given and will do their best to live up to the

promise we have identified in them. I would also

like to thank Mrs Hegde who coordinates this

program in consultation with the University and

also Mrs Gibbs, their Year Advisor who

supported the students through her attendance

on the night. Thanks, too to all the parents who

took time out of their busy schedules to support

their children. Congratulations to the 2017 Fast

Forward cohort!

Vehicle Entry to the School

I would like to provide a short update on the

vehicle management issue which we have been

working through since Term 1. As you are now

all aware, there is no entry by parents’ cars into

the school grounds, with the exception of those

parents who have appointments with staff or who

have been called to collect a sick child.

Since my last newsletter, we have consulted with

School Security and also Campbelltown Council

and are in the process of further consultation with

Macquarie Fields Police. Once the consultation

process has been concluded, I will inform you as

to any change in the existing arrangements. Until

then, however, the current situation, that is, no

entry by car for parents, will remain in place. I’m

sure you will agree that the new arrangements

have provided a much safer environment for all

our students, your children, than the previous

one. We have senior staff on duty each morning

and afternoon, supervising the entry and exit of

students. The new arrangements also allow us to

greet students as they arrive and depart,

enhancing the already positive school culture.

I would like to thank all parents for their

cooperation and support. Our primary concern,

always, is the safety and security of everybody’s

children.

Mrs J Dolstra

Principal

June 2017


2017 in Science

It has been a busy year in the Science Faculty.

We have welcomed two new faculty members,

Dr Bugeja, who is bringing a wealth of

experience across a number of schools, and Ms

John, who in her first substantive appointment, is

bring a positive mindset. Both have fitted into

well into the faculty and have been making

positive contributions to the faculty culture.

Year 7 have been allocated an additional period

of learning this year. This has allowed the faculty

to design an additional unit of work, called I am a

Scientist, which focuses on scientific skills.

These skills will be revisited and expanded on as

students progress through Stages 4 and 5, and

for those students intending to progress into

senior science course and beyond.

The introduction of new Stage 6 courses will be a

change for current Year 10 students. Early in

Term 3, Year 10 students will be doing given a

short exam-style questionnaire which will assess

their aptitude across all areas of science, and

allow the science faculty to best advise students

the courses they will be best suited to.

Term 3 will also see the faculty welcome two

upgraded learning spaces, in Labs 3 and 5. The

builders have been progressing according to

schedule, and they should be ready for use on

the first day of class in Term 3.

Science and Engineering Challenge

June 2017


Students in Years 9 and 10 competed in the

2017 Science and Engineering Challenge at

Thomas Reddall High School early in Term 2.

While our school didn’t place this year, it was a

great effort as we only had a limited preparation.

The students are determined to make a big

impact next year. Thank you to Mr Smallman and

Ms Stanford who helped the students admirably

in a short time-frame.

Leading on from this, the Science faculty is also

trialling a number of projects with a STEM

(Science, Technology, Engineering and

Mathematics) focus.

Staff also undertook some professional

development in relation to the challenge and

various STEM ideas. Mr Ali, Ms Shakir and Mr

Smallman should be congratulated for their

outstanding catapult which trumped our other

science staff, as well as teachers rom other

schools.

Biology Field Trip

On Friday May 5, Year 11 Biology students

undertook their mandatory field trip to the

Georges River Nature Reserve. The students

had a great day, relating theory studies in the

classroom to the outside world.

June 2017


Women in Science Sympsoium

On Friday March 3, Ms Shakir and Ms John took

40 students to the Women in Science

Symposium at the Australiana National Martime

Museum. This is an initiative by the University of

NSW through their Science 50:50 project

(https://www.science.unsw.edu.au/50-50), to

encourage and inspire young women who are

considering future careers in STEM related

industries.

It is probably best for some of the girls to talk

about the experience.

Our whole experience at the Women’s Science

Symposium was very motivational and gave all

the girls attended an insight of all the possible

science careers for the future. Ranging from

environmental (sustainability) science to

computer fashion in health the career options

were endless! The experience featured all kinds

of inspiring stories from the speakers, which

gave us ideas that many of us might pursue a

career in science, regardless of the barriers that

might prevent it from happening. The museum

tour was extremely enjoyable and we learned of

the “Conservation Principles” of the Maritime

Museum. We also had the chance to talk to the

Manager of Conservation about possible careers

in Conservation and Heritage (that some of us

had never heard of!). We also had a peek

‘behind the scenes’ of how the museum artefacts

are stored and looked after.(Megan and

Nafessa)

Some of the other girls had a tour on the

“Destroyer”. The ship served in the Royal

Australian Navy 1959 to 1986. The girls were

given on a full-history on board the Destroyer.

They were led back in time by the terrific curators

and experienced how the sailors lived, the

engine room, the storage of the cannons and the

buffet where the sailors were served food.

Interesting act of the engine rooms: this was the

area where the soldiers on board could receive

messages. (Lavanya and Wendy)

Recommendation: if you readers get the chance

to attend this excursion (in the years to come) we

would highly recommend you go. The experience

will change your perspective on science! It also

exposes you readers, to the vast variety of

opportunities that different pathways of science

has to offer. (Cindy and Divya)

https://www.science.unsw.edu.au/50-50

June 2017


Science Week 2017

The science faculty has received a grant from the

Australiana Science Teachers Association to

develop and run a Science Show during national

science week during August

(https://www.scienceweek.net.au/). This will be a

student-led initiative with more details to come as

the idea is developed.

Mr B Matchett

Head Teacher Science

The Future Teachers give a Lecture at

The University of Sydney

During Week 1 this Term, a large number of our

Future Teachers group travelled to Tthe

University of Sydney to give a lecture on

“Diversity in Schools” to Dr Debra Talbot’s

Master of Teaching students. Fifty students

prepared information on our school, based on

actual research they had done consisting on

interviews, focus groups and observations. They

did a wonderful job and all of the university staff

involved were greatly impressed. Our group

consisted on students from Year 8 to 12 and they

had researched assigned areas of our school to

find out what they contributed to the whole

school culture. Areas included; the Senior

Executive, Social Science and History, Islamic

students, the Moana Group, Languages, Poetry

Club and Debating, SRC, Special Education,

Celebration Day and more. This was our second

lecture and our fourth visit to the University of

Sydney. We are the only school to have ever

done this as well, another first for the FTC.

Thanks to all involved and to Mr Morales who

came with us to witness the event.

Mr P Celestino

Head Teacher Social Science

https://www.scienceweek.net.au/

June 2017


Future Teachers visit the Riverina

On May 7, 31 Future Teachers went for the fifth

time to the Riverina to experience education in

the remote rural areas of New South Wales. This

year the group consisted of only Years 10-12.

This afforded a unique opportunity for our

seniors, many of whom have been members of

the FTC since Year 8, to see the country areas

where they might be posted to if they apply for a

Teach.nsw scholarship.

The FTC visited Barellan Central School for

the first time this year.

This year’s itinerary was markedly different from

previous years. We began with a Sunday drive to

Sutton Forest for a breakfast and loo stop. From

there, we went to the Dog on the Tuckerbox

monument at Gundagai for the traditional photo.

After the stop, we continued to Yanco for our

accommodation at the Agricultural Institute and

the Leeton Caravan Park. The weather this year

was perhaps the best we have ever experienced.

We had four completely clear, sunny days and

no frosts at night.

The FTC group at the Barellan Central School

During the evening of our first day, the group had

an amazing Chinese dinner in Yanco. It was

lovely and included all of the traditional country

dishes such as Sizzling Mongolian Lamb and

Sweet and Sour Pork. We then attended a

special showing at the Leeton’s Roxy Cinema

which is a heritage building and it was a fantastic

experience.

The next day our group went to Narrandera High

and Barellan. The group first had the famous

“bee stings” from the famous Narrandera Bake

Shop in town. We all enjoyed this immensely.

The group then visited the schools, observed

lessons and interacted with the staff and

students. That night we went to a country

McDonalds for dinner.

The next day we all travelled to Hay Memorial

High School and were warmly treated by the

principal, staff and students. We enjoyed a

special tour of their Ag Plot as well. The students

loved the animals and their new garden initiatives

as well.

June 2017


MFHS in the Council Fields which Hay WMHS rents

from the council for $20 per year as an extension to

their agriculture program

After Hay, we travelled to the Altina Zoo which

was a spectacular experience. This is a private

research based zoo that was set up to save

protected and endangered species. We had a

tour in a horse drawn cart. The students got to

see animals being fed close up and observe their

habits. Everyone was very impressed with this

place.

We then returned for our Italian dinner in Griffith

and had pizza and pasta. It was lovely. The next

day we had our final breakfast and boarded the

bus for the return home. We arrived late in

Wednesday afternoon all tired and happy with

our great country experience.

White Lion encounter at Altina Zoo

Macquarie Fields High at Hay War Memorial High

School

Mr P Celestino

Head Teacher Social Science

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