PRINCIPAL’S REPORT Welcome back to Term 3 and I hope everyone had a great holiday. We farewelled Carmel Kean last term as she moved to an overseas position. Our new counsellor starting this term and working on Wednesday and Thursdays is Ms Audrey Hunt. We also welcome Ms Stephanie Mitchell the new Japanese teacher (beginning week 5) who replaces Ms Irons in a permanent capacity. Congratulations to Chris Millar who at the end of last term was successful in securing the permanent 1 day a week SAO position through merit selection at PPHS. Many thanks to our dedicated teachers and parents for attending parent teacher night. I appreciated the comment of one parent who attended both Parent Teacher nights and reported how impressed she was with our teachers and the valuable feedback and suggestions for student improvements that were discussed. Recent school successes include:

Accolades to Ms Myles and the “101

Dalmatians” team Mr Cottell, Mr Andrews, Mr Monger and Mr Clay and to the talented students and many others for a highly successful school production involving both local primary school students and of course our own drama students.

Stacey Hayward Year 7 won both silver and bronze in the CHS and in the All Schools State cross country championships

Ms Kirsty Elwell (Science teacher) has been successful in obtaining a grant for $22,600 to rehabilitate Morgan Creek. This environment grant will help to produce an excellent outdoor learning environment for our students.

Congratulations and thank you to the student leadership team for providing a highly successful leadership program for 131 students.

Students found the day to be very useful and enjoyable.

MADD was a great success. Well done to the wonderful talented art and performance students and teachers.

The opening ceremony of the new Science facilities was held last term and Mr Alan Ashton (State Member of Parliament) and on behalf of the Minister of Education, assisted the school in celebrating the opening of these fantastic new facilities.

Congratulations to Lachlan Burr on his selection into the Australian Schoolboys Rugby League team to tour England, Wales and France in November this year.

Well done to our Open Boys Touch team who defeated Wagga Wagga High 7-3 to progress to the last 10 in NSW and a trip to the State Finals in Gosford.

PICNIC POINT HIGH SCHOOL 61 Kennedy Street Picnic Point

Phone 9772 1700 Fax 9792 3960 Principal Email picnicpt-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Mr Wolly Negroh

Web site www.picnicpt-h.schools.nsw.edu.au B Ed, Dip Teach

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CONTENTS Principal’s Report Page 1 Deputy Principal’s Reports Page 2 What’s on Page 3 New in the Library Page 3 Talented Sport Report Page 3 Sport Report Page 3 P&C News Page 4 Student of the Month Page 5 Term 2 Rewards Day Recount Page 6/7 Industrial Arts Page 8 Visual Arts Page 8 Student Leadership Page 9 LOTE Report Page 10 History Report Page 10 Year 11 & 12 Photography Page 13 SRC Picnic @ the Point Page 13 Home Economics Faculty Report Page 14 Regional Ambassador Page 14 Science Report Page 14/15 Careers Report page 15 CAPA Report – Star Performance Page 15/16 Environment Group Update Page 16

mailto:picnicpt-h.school@det.nsw.edu.auhttp://www.picnicpt-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/

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Deputy’s Report – Mr Baczynskyj

Term 3 has started with a wave of activities, led by the parent/teacher interviews for Years 7, 8 and 9 in the first week. Thank you to all the parents who came on the evening to make and reinforce valuable partnerships with the teaching staff. The more we communicate with each other, the more likely we are to create the sort of learning environments that enable students to best develop their knowledge and skills. Year 9 students are making good use of their laptops in classrooms. As I visit classes across the school, I have a real sense of pride in the professionalism of the teaching staff at Picnic Point HS who have adapted quickly to ensure that the laptops enhance the quality and variety of lessons. New laptop covers (better suited to protecting this year‟s laptops) are arriving in the school and students will receive these as soon as practical. Year 11 students are quickly approaching the end of their Preliminary studies. As well as end of course examinations, it is important that these students have met all their requirements. Any notifications about incomplete assessment tasks must be addressed well before the end of this term. A valid attempt at all aspects of the Preliminary courses must be made before the HSC courses can be commenced in Term 4. The school uniform has been exemplary at the start of this term. Once again we thank the school community for the ongoing support that enables our school to maintain its incredibly high standing with the surrounding community. We can all, quite deservingly, be very proud of the students (your children) who consistently represent some of the most important values in our society; integrity, excellence, respect, responsibility, co-operation, participation, care, fairness and democracy. Adam Baczynskyj

Deputy’s Report – Mr Shomberg

Yr 10 Subject Selection Process Year 10 students have commenced the process of preparing themselves for their education post Year 10. For the majority of students, this involves carefully considering and then choosing the subjects that they will study over the next 2 years of their education at Picnic Point High School. Recent changes to the law governing the age at which students are allowed to leave school have meant that decisions about their future are now more important than ever. No student can leave school now until they have reached the age of 17 years unless they are enrolled in full time TAFE or other studies or are employed full time or have part time employment and part time education. The emphasis by this change in law is to maximize every student‟s learning opportunities before they enter the workforce as active members of our society. To also assist in this process, Mr Grant (Careers Adviser), has been working over time to assist all students in Year 10 to

make good decisions about their future. It is not uncommon for the majority of Year 10 students to be unsure of what they want to do when they leave school. Mr Grant has been working very closely with Year 10 to help them focus on careers, gain valuable practice at job interviews, investigate the types of subjects (whether that be at school or TAFE) that would assist them in certain careers they may be interested in and to prepare for some valuable work experience after the School Certificate Exams this year. For those students deciding to continue their education into Yr11 at PPHS in 2011, the process will intensify over the next few weeks culminating in subject selection day on Friday 27th August. All Year 10 students have been issued with a booklet summarizing all the subjects offered at PPHS. I would encourage all parents to engage in good conversations with your children about gathering as much information about subjects that interest them as possible so that their decision making processes are based on solid information. The subject selection booklet that they have all been issued is a good place to start. Head teachers will be meeting with all Year 10 over the next two weeks to answer questions and give further information about subjects their faculties are responsible for teaching. As parents, I encourage you to make contact with the school and speak to the relevant Head Teachers, the year adviser (M/s Mitchell), the careers adviser (Mr Grant) or the two deputy principals ( Mr Baczynskyj or myself Mr Schomberg) if you have any questions that need to be answered. Year8 Subject Selection Process As Year 8 students move into Year 9, they will have to choose two elective subjects that they will study for the award of the School Certificate at the end of Year 10. All students in Year 9 next year will study English, Maths, Science, PDH / PE, History and Geography as their core subjects. Coupled with their two electives, this will form their pattern of studies for the next two years in preparation for their School Certificate. Head teachers will also be meeting with Year 8 in order to provide as much information as possible to assist students in their decision making process. Year 12 Trial Exams Year 12 commenced their trial examinations on Monday 9th August. These exams will run over two weeks and will be a taster of what the real HSC exams will be like. When the results come back, it is very important to use the results as an indication of what you have learnt and what needs to be achieved after the trials. The more preparation that goes into these exams is usually directly related to result that students achieve. I wish all students the best of luck in their exams and to all students who have completed Major Works or who have had to complete HSC Practical tasks while the trials have been conducted, I congratulate you on being able to juggle the heavy work load commitment at this time of year. When the exams are over, normal lessons will continue right up until the last week of term 3. It is absolutely critical that all Year 12 students stay focused in that final few weeks in order to maximize their learning. It is amazing how much progress can be achieved in that very intense final 5 weeks.

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WHAT’S ON TERM 3 – 2010 Mon 9/8 Year 11 Work placement Fri 13/8 Year 10 History Excursion – Canberra Mon 16/8 Trial HSC Thurs 19/8 Yr11 RYDA Excursion Mon 23/8 Formal Assembly Week Wed 25/8 School Captain Applications Due Mon 30/8 NSW History Competition Regional Drama Tues 31/8 Year 9 Brainstorm Production Wed 1/9 Year 9 Brainstorm Production Fri 3/9 Captains 2011 Presented to School Last Day Year 12 Cash in Merits Mon 6/9 Year 12 Visual Arts - Body of Work Due Wed 8/9 PIC News Due Thurs 9/9 CHS Athletics Fri 10/9 U15 Boys Basketball K/O Mon 13/9 Year 11 Yearly Exams Tues 14/9 Modern History Study Day Wed 15/9 PIC News Circulated

Library News This year‟s Book Week theme is “Across the Story Bridge” and we have several of the short listed books available for loan in the library. Read them yourself and decide whether you agree with the judges‟ verdict (to be announced in August). More of our students have completed the Premier‟s Reading Challenge. Congratulations to Cameron Taylor, Tayla Allison and Victoria Moggs of Year 9, Samantha Regler (Year 8) and Danica Anderson, Nathan Anderson, Isabella Bull, Kate Cremasco, Jacob Farrow and Stacey Hayward (all of 7Y). Remember the Challenge runs until August 31, so read, read, read. Remember, students in Years 8 and 9 who complete the Challenge will be rewarded at Presentation Day! Year 9 boys enjoying playing games in the library on their new laptops, thanks to the Digital Education Revolution. Marion Aranjo, Teacher Librarian

Talented Sports Report Term 2 saw some of our talented Touch Football teams playing in State Knockouts.

The standout has been the Open Boys team who defeated Wagga Wagga High 7-3 to progress to the last 10 in NSW and a trip to the State Finals in Gosford. Dean Janda and Dwayne Brown were exceptional and the team should benefit from the experiences of playing in the State title last year.

The Yr 7/8 boys and girls touch teams are off to the Regional Championships this term and we are hoping to see more success from these teams.

In Rugby League our Under 14 Buckley Shield team made the Regional Final only to be knocked out by Bass High 32-10. The boys played some outstanding football in reaching the final defeating East Hills and St Joseph Banks and put up a great effort against Bass. Jarrod Bow, Matthew Leitch, Michael Marsh and Dylan Butler were standouts. A.Millican Head Teacher PD/H/PE

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Sport report. The Zone Athletics carnival was held in the last week of Term 2. We had a strong team of competitors and had someone in nearly every event. Everyone did their best on the day, and it was a great result, with Picnic Point coming first, beating Bass High by 200 points. Well done to all competitors, and special congratulations to Rebecca Hughes and Kyla King who won Age Champions. Rhiannon Hanson broke the previous triple jump record in the 15 years girls event, and Luke Parmaxidis broke the record for the 12 years discus. We have 60 students from the school attending the Regional Athletics carnival; good luck to all who are attending. The State Cross Country was held early in the term. We had six runners competing – Simon Albrecht, James Stevenson, Shannen Caffrey, Samantha Abbott and Natalie Westren. The best result for the day was a great run by Stacey Hayward from year 7, who came third in her age division. Congratulations also to Brad O‟Connell of Year 10 who attended State Gymnastics. He came fourth in his division and won bronze on two pieces of apparatus. We would also like to extend our congratulations to Lachlan Burr on his selection into the Australian schoolboys team to tour England, Wales and France in November. We are very proud of Lachlan and his achievements and wish him well for the tour. C Worthington P&C News As winter is well and truly with us it is good to see the attendance numbers at the June Meeting of the Picnic Point High School P&C Association remain at a constant. It is hoped that as spring arrives, the numbers at the meetings will again increase. Due to the colder weather and minimal business to be discussed this was a brief meeting however we did vote to give a sum of money to the school to go towards the purchase of more interactive whiteboards. We have held our two pie and muffin drives to coincide with the parent teacher interview nights at the end of both June and July. These were well supported by a small number of families and following the August meeting I will be able to update you on the amount of funds raised. Thanks must go to

Michele McGregor who assisted in sorting the pies and to Sue Morgan who assisted in the distribution on both evenings. Last week I also co-ordinated a taste testing fundraiser which raised $1000 for the school. A big thank you to those parents, friends and ex students of the school who gave an hour of their time on another cold night to complete the taste testing for me. I currently have 153 names on the database but still struggled to get 60 eligible people in attendance until the last minute! I am always looking for more participants and have included a downloadable form on page 8 of this Pic News for parents to complete and send back to school so they can be added to the database. The more people I have on the list, the less often I need to ask people to participate. Some of you may have already completed the forms and yet didn‟t get contacted, this is because you may not have fulfilled the criteria the company were looking for at this particular test. Prior to the end of Term two, Michele McGregor (President School Council) and I were invited to attend the official opening of the new science block and following that enjoyed morning tea with many staff members from the various faculties. It is tremendous to see at first hand the vast improvements made to facilities at Picnic Point High School in the past two years. These can only enhance the learning experiences of all students within the school. The next meeting of the P&C will be held on Monday 16th August at 7 pm in A Block. We have two new head teachers who have not yet formally met the P & C members and we are inviting them to our August and September meetings. They are Mr Burgess, Head Teacher Industrial Arts in August and Mrs Sherry, Head Teacher Science in September. Meetings are usually short and very informal and all are welcome to attend. Thank you for your continued support. Christine Butters P & C President Email: bjcmbutters@yahoo.com.au

SPORT A MONTH

Come and Try Baseball in August

Bankstown City Council has teamed up with several baseball clubs in the local area to offer residents the opportunity to 'Come and Try Baseball' in the month of August, completely FREE of charge. Everyone who registers and takes part in a „Come and Try Baseball” session throughout the month of August will receive a FREE Active Bankstown Gift. So what are you waiting for? Come join in the fun! To download a brochure containing session times and details please visit www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au or call Council on 9707 9999.

mailto:bjcmbutters@yahoo.com.auhttp://www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au/

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SPORT A MONTH

Come and Try TOUCH FOOTBALL FREE of charge in SEPTEMBER 2010 and find out more information about touch football in your local area. Bankstown City Council has teamed up with Bankstown Junior Touch Association and Bankstown Touch Association to offer residents the opportunity to 'Come and Try Touch Football' on Monday 6 September (6-18 year olds) and Saturday 11 September (all ages), completely FREE of charge. Everyone who registers and takes part in a 'Come and Try Touch Football' session will receive a FREE Active Bankstown Gift. So what are you waiting for? Come join in the fun! To download a brochure containing the session times and details please visit www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au or call Council on 9707 9999.

Michel's (Revesby)

Student of the Month

May 2010

Name REASON FOR THE AWARD

7 Kathy Karaolis Consistent effort in all subject areas.

8 Paul Dilionardo For his excellent behaviour and willingness to assist all those around him.

9 Liam Bell

Working conscientiously in all subjects.

10 Jordan Singh

Excellent effort in work experience and a positive attitude.

11 Vinh Nguyen Outstanding results in the Half-Yearly Examinations.

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Elise Hawke Outstanding results across all subject areas in the Half-Yearly Examinations.

Michel's (Revesby)

Student of the Month

June 2010

Name REASON FOR THE AWARD

7 Riley Karssemeyer

Excellence in Performing Arts.

8 Jack Harvey For outstanding focus and applied effort in Mathematics and Science.

9 Ronny Thai Excellent Half-Yearly Report and consistent effort in all subjects.

10 Amy McCann

Excellent Half-Yearly Report and consistent effort in all subjects.

11 Hannah Dodd Excellent Half-Yearly Report and consistent effort in all subjects.

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Kelly Smith Outstanding results in all subject areas in the Half-Yearly Examinations.

Want to join the Club where “Steve & Mark Waugh”

learned and played their junior cricket?

Panania East Hills RSL Cricket Club is looking for players

of all ages 5 years to 16 years to participate in the

2010/2011 cricket season.

Sign On days are being held at the rear of Panania East

Hills R.S.L Club (Cnr Marco & Childs Sts Panania) at the

following times:

Sunday, 1st August 2010 from 9.00am - noon

Sunday, 8th August 2010 from 9.00am - noon

Sunday, 15th August 2010 from 9.00am - noon

A $10 registration fee applies for players aged 5 years to

9 years. a registration fee of $40 for other junior players

aged 10 to 16 years.

Plus a free playing cap for all NEW players.

For more information regarding any aspect of the Club visit

www.pehrslcricket.com and follow the prompts to download

your registration package.

Fill in the forms (3) for junior registrations and bring them

along. For all new players to the club please remember to

bring along a copy of your Birth Certificate.

As well as offering our usual cricket program for the

upcoming season, we will be introducing the MILO in2

CRICKET program to run in conjunction with our season. It

will run on Tuesday afternoons between September 28 and

December 21 from 4.30pm to 6.00pm. You will be able to

register for MILO in2 CRICKET at our club sign on days in

August or by visiting www.in2cricket.com.au.

Contact Dave Cuddy (Secretary) – 0412 780 295

Mark Hoppitt (Registrar) – 0424 546 075

Stephen Bursill (Asst Registrar) – 0418 991 691

Paul Cuddy (Senior Vice President) – 0414 310 795

http://www.pehrslcricket.com/https://staffowa.det.nsw.edu.au/owa/redir.aspx?C=00127b51f3db4c429a177a1e65c03af0&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.in2cricket.com.au

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Term 2 Rewards Day Recount On Friday 2nd July, Ms Mackay and Mr Nikolovski took a bus load of students to Sydney Harbour Laser Tag and Bowling, for Rewards Day Term 2. What a day.... After arriving super early at school with a huge amount of energy, jumping onto the bus and rushing for the best seats, we travelled, for a long time to Darling Harbour‟s Kingpin Bowling Lounge and Laser Skirmish. When we arrived we slowly trundled through a shopping centre. We passed a techno-coloured lolly shop, drooling I might add, and eagerly took two flights of stairs only to find that the venue had not actually opened yet. So we sat in the squashy hallway and waited for about five minutes before all rushing inside at the same time. Momentarily distracted by the flashing lights, IPod Nano‟s and Nintendo Wii‟s shining in display cases just itching to be won, we huddled, got our names marked and split into two groups. Our group started with Laser Tag Group. Along with another thirty or so students, we entered a separate room, divided into more groups, stripped of all noticeable colour, collected a gun and vest each and huddled in silence waiting to watch a cheesy video on Laser Tag safety. After all of our group had promised to not run (in case we smacked into any walls), hit anyone with the guns or attempt to climb anything (sad face) we all made a secret pact to go for Ms Mackay. Then the doors opened. The countdown had begun. With a strange, electronic female voice, a hoard of kids bounded in and scattered amongst our coloured groups. Watching the little coloured vests dart through a maze of black we tried our

hardest to keep an eye on our red vested team (Go Team Macbeth!!!) Some people decided to freak out. Their scores were not particularly high. Others took a more hands-on approach and, slyly darting from wall to wall, ready to shoot any intruding colours. Then there were the ones who stayed hidden, crouched and cramped, behind barrels reading “Danger Explosives”, and devised plans even our military would be jealous of. As the initiation countdown finished the dark labyrinth was silent, for about a minute. Then sounds of zinging and zapping hit our ears, millions of red spines of lasers shot out in every direction and you would be lucky if weren‟t hit in the next five seconds. For half an hour our group screamed and dodged and shot and ran (oopsie!) and whined and aimed and, of course, sadly, ganged up on Ms Mackay (Sorry...) After a five minute break, a check of scores, another zillion promises not to do anything dangerous or rash, we were back in and fighting. Many things were discovered in the second game, such as the entire green team had officially occupied the far left corner and any who came within a five metre radius was immediately de-activated. Also it was discovered that running around unprotected in the centre did not help you survive more than a few seconds. Finally at the very last blare of the buzzer we vacated the room, returned our lovely laser guns and went on to sit sophistically by the pool tables and chug unlimited amounts of soft drink. After getting slightly carried away (cough cough Year 10 girls) the creaming soda was taken with us to the Bowling Lanes, which was noticeably similar to the Bowling Centre used in Justin Bieber‟s “Baby” video.

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Half of us fell asleep on the leather lounge chairs, while the others scored strikes and danced around to Justin Timberlake, Kylie Minogue, Jackson 5 and Ben Lee who were singing on a mega flat screen. Congrats to all those winners. To all the...not winners........nice try. After lots of hi-5‟s and a few toilet brakes we headed downstairs to the food courts, struggling on what to choose to eat first. McDonalds, Oporto, Gloria Jeans, Ice Cream, Sushi, Kebabs....etc.... Finally after a frantic search for a few slow stragglers, everyone headed over to the mouth-watering lolly shop and stocked up for the bus ride home, we took a long but efficiently speedy walk to the bus, which had somehow moved to the other side of the harbour....? Finally we found the bus by the Aquarium and after “working out” the seating arrangements we settled down for a nice and cramped ride back to Picnic Point High School. After an odd incident with an un-appealing tissues travelling amongst those on the back seat and a lonely left out umbrella back at the Laser Tag and Bowling Centre we were off and no time sooner had we reached the gates.

Those lucky students with permission left early and missed out on a suspenseful match of soccer Year 7/8 VS Year 9/10. Mr. Nikolovski sided with the youngsters and proudly kicked a flat soccer ball to the goals. With the Year 9/10 missing a goalie a force of four Year 10 girls united to barricade the open posts, working hard until the ball got a metre too close then scattering. But their loss was repaid when Mr. Nikolovski was almost hit in the head. With the sound of the bell our day came to an end. Thanks to Ms Mackay and Mr Nikolovski for being our chaperones and making our day fun and exciting. Thanks to Ms Stavros for organising our day. We all had a great time! Written by Ruby-Leigh Tonks, Hazel Klimczak and Tayla McGregor Year 10 Rewards Day 2010 Alexandra Adam Keira Walsh Sarah Lepre Timothy Carroll Anthony Carver Ben Le Bas Nicole Potter Holly Nettleton Daniella Tesoriero Michael Tasker Sarah Lord Riley Karssemeyer Teaghan Bartley Jack Dadour Madeleine Buckley Kate Cremasco Tahnya Haddad Kira Vanags Danica Anderson Kathleen Nguyen Toni Cooper Loc Kim Kim Liam Stokehill Kathy Karaolis Tara Edmiston Isaac Heslop Sarah Knebusch Emma Jackson Emma Jackson Courtney Peterson Lenae Zmoda Danae Potter Alexander Adams Dylan Smith Paul Dilonardo Jamie Romcke Omkar Dhupar Tara Adamo Dylan Roberts Jack Harvey Jasmine Ziher Amy Ahern Peter Kallas Marcus Lord Ronny Thai Billy Ismay Tayla McGregor Jingya Yan Jonathan Yung Ashleigh Judge Alison Humphrys Ruby-Leigh Tonks Hazel Klimczak

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Industrial Arts Let me take this opportunity to welcome you back to Term 3. I hope that you had and enjoyable holiday and I am looking forward to a productive term. Term 3 sees the completion of the major HSC practical projects. These projects see the culmination of a year‟s hard work for theses students. We look forward to seeing some excellent projects that reflect the effort the students have displayed. These projects and the portfolios are to be handed into the school for marking on Monday 16 August. Term 3 is the time for Year 12 students to constantly revise course content to ensure themselves every success in the upcoming exams. Year 10 Industrial Technology students will be completing their major project at the end of this term. Semester 2 change over for junior Technology has taken place. Let me take this opportunity to remind the students that it is an Occupational Health and Safety regulation that the wearing of the correct footwear and personal protective equipment in the workshops at all times, this includes an apron. Mr Monger has now completed his online learning space: all metal work classes are able to access course work, assessment tasks and exams online. The link has been

placed on the schools web site; I encourage all his students to become familiar with this site. If you require any further information regarding student learning please do not hesitate to contact me. Mr P Burgess Head Teacher Industrial Arts.

Visual Arts Year 7 All Year 7 students have completed their wonderful mixed-media artworks based on their excursion to the aquarium and Sydney Harbour. This term they have moved into the realm of 3D with wire sculptures. Each class has a different subject matter some being: mythological creatures, insects, birds, amphibians, and zoo animals. Year 8 After our trip it IMAX to see Alice in Wonderland the students have been inspired and are creating 2D artworks in their choice of media. The backgrounds of their artworks are based on their favourite scene in the film and the foreground and midground are made of still-life drawings. To do this some classes hosted their own Mad Hatters Tea Party and created observational drawings of their still-life arrangements. Afterwards they were able to enjoy the cakes! Year 8 believe this was the best homework activity ever! Year 9 Printmaking was the focus for Year 9 students in Term 2 and they have been finishing off some interesting collagraphs and monoprints based on the theme of Water. This term we will be experimenting with a range of media and we will even be using the sewing machine creating some mixed-media artworks using a range of painting, printmaking and photographic techniques. Year 10 Have finished their surrealist paintings based on the figure and are now beginning their Mini Body of Work in which they create their own artworks with choice of subject matter and media. Year 11 Are currently working on digital images that will comprise a part of a Body of Work that represents themselves. This is a first time introduction to digital media for some students. Year 12 Are busily in the finishing stages of their Body of Work which will be due this term. Anna Peterson

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Student Leadership SRC/Prefect Elections The SRC/Prefect Elections were held at the end of last term, during Formal Assembly Week. The SRC provides students with a great opportunity to represent their year group and become involved in the many different events that occur within the school. All nominees should be congratulated on presenting interesting and informative speeches about their leadership abilities. Congratulations to the following students who will form the new SRC for 2010-2011: Year 7 Toni Cooper Nathan Anderson Year 8 Emily Rotziokos Abraham Abdulkarim Year 9 Jessica Fenton Daniel Wilson Year 10 Raquel Kuhle Savanna Peake Patrick O‟Reilly Adrian Tolhurst Year 11 Prefects Shelby Blissett Jake Beck Leah Edwards Alec Christofides Taylor Farrell Daniel Cvetkovski Nicolette Klap Blake Jarjoura Rebecca Marsh Andrew Lloyd Rachel Picklum Sean Nagle Student Leadership Workshop 1 The first PPHS Leadership Workshop of 2010 was held on Thursday the 1st of July, last term. We‟d like to thank all those students who attended and for demonstrating excellent enthusiasm and interest in the workshop activities! A report from Daniel Cvetkovski (Year 11 Prefect) about the workshop. The day started off great as the students were rounded up into the hall to meet all of the fellow leadership members, and spent a few minutes getting to know one another a bit better. The first event of the workshop was the ice-breakers. This activity allowed the students to get to know each other better by finding something out about them that they may not

After everyone had signed in, and the introduction was said, it was time for the students to fulfil their leadership qualities. already know. It allows the students to be able to talk to one another comfortably and at ease. As the day continued, a series of four work station activities were set up for the students. Each work station challenged students and their cooperative and communication skills in different ways. For example, one activity would be focused on communicating with music, or communicating without talking. Nearing the end of the workshop, a scavenger hunt was set up where the students had been grouped into teams. The rules of the hunt were that the students had 30 minutes to complete a series of tasks. The team who had completed the most tasks won! The workshop was a great experience for everyone; it really challenged everyone‟s thinking, and allowed everyone to work together cooperatively.

The student‟s feedback was positive and most said they couldn‟t wait for Workshop 2 to begin! Daniel Cvetkovski

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LOTE Faculty Year 12 Year 12 Continuers are currently revising all course work for their Trials in week 4 of this term. The HSC Continuers Speaking exams are before the Trial – this Saturday the 7th of August. We wish our students all the best as they prepare for their first HSC exam! Australian Language Certificate This week, our Year 10 and 11 students participated in the Australian Language Certificate. This exam comprises a listening and reading test and is an excellent indicator of how individual students are progressing. Results will be distributed in October and we look forward to celebrating some excellent achievements. Year 8 During Semester 1, all Year 8 students have been presenting their projects about various public holidays and festivals that occur in Japan throughout the year. Some samples of this student work can be found on our school‟s website. One of the most enjoyable aspects of these projects is when the pairs present a follow up activity to the class – this could be any activity that relates to their project theme. We‟ve enjoyed making a variety of posters, paper dolls, stick buildings, playing games with jelly beans, going on treasure hunts and even winning some lollies along the way! Well done to those students who have let their imagination run wild! Year 7 Towards the end of this term our Year 7 students will begin working on a research project in class about Japanese culture. Details will be given to each class later this term. This is always an interesting assignment which encourages students to explore aspects of Japanese culture that are very different from our own! AIIU Student Exchange Programs AIIU still has places left in their Student Exchange Programs for 2011. These exchange programs offer students a wonderful opportunity to live and study overseas. For more details regarding these programs, please go to www.aiiu.com.au Saturday School of Community Languages The Saturday School of Community Languages at Liverpool Boys‟ High School offers Greek and Croatian classes to Year 7 to 12 students of Greek or Croatian background. If you are interested in finding out more about these courses, please contact me. Miss K Marquis

History Report In the last week of Term 2 all of our Year 8 students had the opportunity to participate in the James Adams Medieval History Show. As can be seen from the photos Year 8 were able to come to grips with the reality of medieval weapons and armour. As well James Adams gave weapons demonstrations. James also demonstrated medieval punishments with some of our students selected to sample how medieval miscreants were dealt with.

The show concluded with a lively question and answer session. James Adams has been presenting his medieval show in NSW schools for nearly twenty years and his knowledge of Medieval life is very impressive. A great morning of learning was had by all. A message for all Year 10 parents – our annual field trip for Year10 to the National Capital is coming up on the 20th of August. All Year Ten are invited to attend. The trip always adds to our students understanding of their mandatory Australian history course and this learning occurs in a fun atmosphere. I encourage all parents to support this important and enjoyable field trip. Any questions about the Canberra trip can be directed to Mr.Goman Head Teacher History. MR. Goman - Head Teacher History

http://www.aiiu.com.au/

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Michel's (Revesby) are

proud sponsors

of the PPHS

'student of the

month' award.

St Christopher’s Cricket Club Registration Days

The St Christopher‟s Cricket Club will be holding registrations days on 1st, 8th and 15th August, outside St Christopher‟s,

Tower St. Panania, from 11am to 12 noon. All boys and girls welcome. Contact

Brett Court 0414 980 860 for further information.

FOR SALE Guitar and extras

Please call Mrs Heidi Crimston

Ph: 9792 3465

Why not visit your local community club

28 Childs Street Panania

Proud sponsors of the

Leonard W. Eickenloff Scholarship

to Students of Picnic Point High School

M cQ SM A SH R EPA IR S

17 9 R iv e r R o a d R e v e s b y ( co r n e r U r a n u s R d )

24 H o u r To w in g - 9 7 7 1 58 26 O b liga t io n Fre e Q u o t e s - 9 7 7 1 2335

Co u r t e s y Ca r s A v a ila b le CLO SE TO R EV ESB Y STA TIO N GIO R e co m m e n d e d R e p a ir e r

A u t o R o b o t B o d y A lig n e r Sp r a y B o o t h B a k in g O v e n

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WE WANT YOUR TASTEBUDS TO HELP RAISE $1000* FOR ‘Picnic Point High School’

A few questions about yourself First Name: Surname:

Home Phone:

Mobile Phone:

Email: Gender: Male [ ] Female [ ] Age:

How often do you consume the following TYPES OF MEAT? (In ANY form)

Twice a Week or

More

Approx. Weekly

Approx. Fortnightly

Approx. Monthly

Seldom Never

Eat

Beef

Chicken

Pork

Lamb

How often would you eat the following?

About every week

About every

fortnight

About every month

About every 3 months

Never eat

Rare Beef Steak

Beef Casseroles

Medium Beef Steak

Pork Chops

Beef Stir Fry

Lamb Casserole

Grilled Chicken

Roast Lamb

Well Done Beef Steak

Roast Chicken

Lamb Mince

Roast Beef

Bacon

Roast Pork

Chicken Stir Fry

Beef Mince

Lamb Chops / Cutlets

Do YOU have any allergies or intolerances to any food products, ingredients or any other allergens?

No to all

Yes, food allergy (specify)

Yes, dietary restrictions (specify)

Thank you for completing this form - your time is appreciated. If you have qualified for this project, you will be contacted by your group co-ordinator and asked to attend the taste testing

session www.tastetesting.org

* The club must have the required number of participants to qualify for the $1000

http://www.tastetesting.org/

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Year 11 Photography, Video and Digital Media Last term Year 11 went on an excursion to the city to take photographs focusing on Australian culture. They produced some wonderful prints in the darkroom with the emphasis on cultural icons.

Kieran Honey, Sydney Harbour Bridge

Emma Callanan, Queen Victoria Building This term they will be manipulating digital photographs in the style of a chosen artist or genre to create Post-modern artworks.

Year 12 Photography, Video and Digital Media The students worked together in groups of three to produce a film of their choice in Term 2. This was a first time foray into video for some of the students and they produced great work and are congratulated on their persistence and motivation for this task. This term will be their final practical assessment that will be an individual project of their choice which will use one of the subject areas of the school as inspiration for their art. When completed they will be donated to the relevant department, which will hopefully be the beginning of a photographic gallery throughout the school. Anna Peterson

SRC PICNIC @ THE POINT At the end of term 2 the SRC and teachers alike felt it was time to relax after another term of hard work and what better way than to have a picnic!

After a week of rain on the morning of the picnic the sun was shining and made for perfect weather.

The SRC and Prefect body also began their PICNIC POINT BOOK OF RECORDS attempt with a conga line and set the record of 203 students for any future Year 12 to better the attempt or to create new records.

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Each year new records will be attempted to encourage school spirit and participation. Anna Peterson Home Economics Faculty Report – July 2010 Welcome back to another busy term of learning at Picnic Point High School. We welcome our new Year 7 & 8 students who have joined us in Technology this semester. The teachers are currently explaining safety requirements and course assessment to ensure that students are productive in their projects. It was pleasing to see the number of Year 8 male students who enjoyed wearing their newly constructed boxer shorts to the Principal‟s office last semester. I would encourage all students to attempt all tasks to maximise their learning opportunities and success in these subjects. Shortly, Year 8 and Year 10 students will be given Subject Selection Booklets, which contains a substantial amount of information regarding subjects for next year. I would encourage all parents to take the time to discuss student choices with their children. Choices should be made on interest and suitability to the subject, and not be made on friends, or teachers who may and may not have the responsibility for delivering the course. If you have any questions, please direct your child to the relevant Head Teacher for clarification. It should be noted that some subjects incur a mandatory contribution and these are listed in the booklets. Year 11 Hospitality will undertake mandatory Work Placement this term. Often our students are offered fulltime, part time or apprenticeships at this time. We believe this is a reflection of the preparation of our students and the student‟s commitment to work placement and they are to be congratulated on this recognition. Last semester, the school introduced an extra level in the Welfare System. The Executive believed that students should be rewarded for sustained efforts over a period of time. The introduction of the Academic Excellence and Academic Achievement Awards recognised many students for their efforts in semester 1. The Academic Excellence Award recognised students who were performing at their best and placed at the top of the class, while the Academic Achievement Award recognised students who consistently apply themselves to all activities and are working at the best of their abilities. The staff congratulates all students who

received these inaugural awards and we look forward to issuing more awards in semester 2. Mrs Cheryl Wardrop Head Teacher Home Economics Regional Ambassador for Public Education We would like to congratulate Shelby Blissett of Year 11 who has been elected to be our representative to the region as an Ambassador for Public Education. Her role involves attending workshops with other candidates within the region and promoting the excellence of education in the public system. Recently Shelby attended a leadership workshop and has written a brief outline of the program‟s events. Shelby’s Report On the 18th June 2010, all Public Education Ambassadors came together to take part in a leadership workshop. As well as meeting many new people from all different schools, we also got to hear from the 2009 Regional Ambassador for Bankstown along with many other guest speakers. The day was a great opportunity and learning experience and I look forward to not only representing our school for 2010 but also attending the next Ambassador‟s Forum and Presentation Evening on Wednesday 4th August 2010. Shelby Blissett Ms Stavros, Mrs Peterson and Miss Marquis Leadership Co-ordinators Science Faculty At the end of Term 2, our school celebrated the official opening of the refurbished Science Laboratories. Alan Ashton MP who has had a significant relationship with Picnic Point High School was present to do the honours. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my staff for their hard work. They have worked tirelessly to turn these rooms from empty laboratories into learning environments that our students can fully utilise. Year 12 students are completing their courses with the study of their options. Students should be utilising their class notes, the textbook they have at home and study guides to revise their work and make study notes ready for their HSC. Year 11 students also have a textbook that they should be using to compound what they are learning in class. Regularly reading their text and making study notes will help maximise their success in their exams. Year 10 students are currently studying one of the following topics; Chemistry; Environmental Issues; or Motion. Their next assessment task will be a practical test in class and will be held in week 4 of this term.

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Year 9 students are currently studying one of the following topics; Machines; Electricity; or Waves. Their next assessment task will be a practical test in class and will be held in week 5 of this term. Year 8 students are currently studying Plants. Their next assessment task will be a practical test in class and will be held in week 8 of this term. Year 7 students are currently studying Separating Substances. Their next assessment task will be a practical test in class and will be held in week 7 of this term. All Junior students should be encouraged at home to regularly revise their work and make study notes. The most successful strategy for this would be for them to read their notes made in class and then have a study guide or textbook that they can receive an different viewpoint about the information. They can then collate this information into dot points or brief statements that they can understand. This will assist them when studying for their Yearly Exams. Students in Year 7 have been learning about the density of different substances and in the photo below they had to determine the density of different salt solutions by layering the different colours on top of each other. On Wednesday the 9th of June 62 students sat for the ICAS Science Competition. The school received 2 Distinctions and 11 Credits. The following results were achieved by our students. Distinction: Max Hopper (11) Joshua Marshall (11) Credit: Ryan Mackey (7)

Timothy Carroll (7)

Riley Karssemeyer (8) Jackie Le (8) Alexander Hassett (8) Van Nguyen (9) Matthew Cash (9) Patrick Apilukapuvadol (10) Apurva Shahapurkar (10) Samuel Davies (10) Jueun Na (10) Hugh McGregor (11)

Congratulations to all students who participated. Mrs N. Sherry Head Teacher Science Careers Report Year 10 Practice Job Interviews 2 to 6 August Our Year 10s have all had the opportunity to earn their Work Experience by going for a practice job interview. Just like the real thing, they had to dress up for the interview and take along their letter, resume, references and report card to prove to that they deserve to get the job. They had to also take along practical work in their favourite career as proof of their passion and effort to obtain their career. All students met with an employer and I am glad to say, that all students passed this daunting but very rewarding experience. Students had to answer questions such as:

Tell me what are your strengths and weaknesses? What do you know about this career? Why do you feel you are suitable for this job? What are your plans for the immediate and long term future?

Congratulations to all Year 10 and well done in receiving your work experience for ater in the year. Gary Grant

Star Performance Last Thursday students from Picnic Point High School performed in the annual school production. This year it was 101 Dalmatians. The students have been working very hard

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leading up to this performance and it was well received with two packed out performances on Thursday. With spots everywhere and Dalmatian costumes galore the students performed at their best, giving a fantastic performance of an extremely high standard. They are to be congratulated on all of their hard work over the past two terms, and in the school holidays. The annual production is another great way of showcasing the acting, singing and dancing talent of the students at Picnic Point High School. Students performed the world premier of this new production with new songs written by Mr. Cottell. This is the second year that the students have had the opportunity to perform new songs written especially for them and their production, making a unique learning experience for the students. A big thank you to Ms.Myles for her work in rehearsing and directing the production, to Mr.Cottell for writing the songs and music and to Mr.Clay, and Mr.Monger for working hard on making the sets. Also a big thank you to Mr.Andrews and the

Year 11 Vet Team for their hard work on running all of the technical aspects of the show. We are looking forward to another great production next year! Stay tuned! CAPA Environment Group Update The Picnic Point High Environment Group has achieved excellent goals in Terms two and three. We have had visits from Georges River Education Centre as well as Bankstown Council officers and bush care volunteers. The Twenty Year 10 students that comprise the group have been working hard to clear rubbish and designated patches of weeds down in the bushland of Morgan‟s Creek within the school. However, whilst we had been toiling away in the past year we realised that we needed some real help to begin the complete rehabilitation of the degraded Morgan‟s Creek. Tayla McGregor reminds us the drain is just for rain. In Term two we applied for $25,000 to the Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and it has just been confirmed that we will receive $22,600 which CMA facilitate out of the Federal budget initiative, Caring for our Country. A large amount of this money will go towards landscapers who will be removing the worst weeds around the creek bed itself. The Environment Group will also be calling for help soon to remove the less aggressive weeds during community working bees which are hoped to be held once a month over the next year. With the help of our new grant we are even more excited about the future of Morgan‟s Creek so stay tuned for the next Environment Group update!