AmbargramAmbargramTerm 2, Week 5 2021 - Issue 51

BOOST programThe start of Term 2 has been very busy for our Boost teachers and students. It is great to see so many students not only excited to be a part of the program, but engaged in improving their understanding of essential skills used in all subjects. We have noticed a significant increase in student confidence and hope it continues as the year progresses.

Many Year 12 students have been engaging in our after school tutorials which is testament to their dedication in their final year of schooling. We must thank each teacher who has volunteered to be a tutor as their expertise is invaluable for our students. If any Year 12 students wish to join these sessions, they are to see Ms Bunce in the English staffroom.

Important DatesWeek 6

28/5/21 – Ancient History Incursion

Week 71/6/21 – Riverside Theatre Excursion

Week 88/6/21 – Year 9 Fast Forward Excursion

Week 9Year 12 Trial HSC Exams

16/6/21 – TRREC Ambassadors Day17/6/21 – Elevate Leadership Program

18/6/21 – Year 9 WSU Pathways to Dreaming

Week 10 Year 12 Trial HSC Exams

23/6/21 – Year 10 Vaccinations

Ms Barnott-ClementWelcome to the middle of Term 2. Recently our staff had a Learning Meeting to discuss how our various innovative learning programs are progressing around the school. It is always so rewarding to attend these meetings and see how passionate our teachers are to offer engaging and research-informed programs to ensure our students are maximising their learning as they get ready to take on the world.

We are increasing our suite of innovative learning programs this year with the inclusion of an Outdoor Education Program. Did you know there is an actual phenomenon known as Nature-Deficit Disorder? As today’s young people spend less and less time outdoors, and more time on indoor pursuits, particularly involving technology, researchers are finding there are significant negative impacts on their health and wellbeing.

In an interesting article by Richard Louv (How to protect Kids from Nature Deficit Disorder) Mr Louv states that there is growing evidence of the negative human costs from our increasing alienation from nature, including “diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, higher rates of physical and emotional illness, a rising rate of myopia, child and adult obesity [and] vitamin D deficiency.” So out into the great outdoors we go!

Later this term, TRREC Ambassadors will be the first students to be invited on a whole day coastal walk from Bundeena to Wottamolla in the Royal National Park. This event will be free of charge and will include a healthy lunch. We are hopeful many students will be excited to get involved and develop their bush-walking skills. If it proves to be popular, we are hoping to develop a full program of events that will see a wide range of students offered many opportunities across the year.

The weather is cooling and it is time to do a quick check on student’s winter uniform to ensure they are both in uniform and able to stay nice and warm. If you need any assistance to ensure this is the case, please contact the school and confidential assistance can be provided.

Just a reminder that we no longer charge subject or course fees, but instead use the funding our school receives to cover these costs for all our families. This initiative began during COVID last year in an attempt to alleviate some of the financial pressures associated with the pandemic. We worked hard to budget our funding to ensure that it continues moving forward.

Enjoy the remainder of the term.

Ms Barnott-C lement

Mrs Fitzgerald

Mrs Fitzgerald

Well done to the vast majority of students who have returned back to school this term settled and ready to learn to their best ability. May I remind all students that as the weather starts to get cooler, please ensure you have your winter uniform ready to wear with pride to school. School shoes need to be leather, black enclosed footwear.

Year 12 should be preparing for their Trial HSC exams that will be on in Weeks 9-10. Students should be undertaking a comprehensive study timetable at home to support their learning at school. Students who have chosen to work with a Learning Mentor should allocate time to meet with them, to plan their HSC goals and set out a revision timetable.

Year 10 students will have the opportunity in Semester 2 to participate in an opt-in program called No Limits. The program encourages students to self-reflect and identify who they are as an individual. The program will focus on developing perseverance and resilience that they can apply to their learning while exploring options for their future. Interactive and engaging experiences will be offered to students to help encourage them to push their boundaries. Students will be provided further information about the No Limits program towards the end of this term.

Earlier this term I had the opportunity to coach the Open Girls Soccer Team. The team displayed our TRREC values when preparing for the game, and during the match despite being down two players. Unfortunately they did not walk away with a win, however it was a wonderful experience.

Students are reminded that if they are experiencing difficulties either with their school work or peer relationships they should see either their Year Advisor, School Counsellor, Student Support Officer or Deputy Principal to get assistance.

TAG 20TAG 20 Congratulations to Glen Sawyer who has been selected to play within the Australian U19’s Tag 20 team which is a form of Oz-tag. Recently his team played New Zealand in 5 matches, successfully winning all five games! Glen played exceptionally well, and we wish him every success in his future games.

SUPPORTSensational

ProfectusAt the end of Term 1 students completed their Profectus project which saw students develop valuable skills including collaboration, communication and critical thinking, to understand the long history of shoes. Additionally, they researched many of the well-known brands worn today to better understand their popularity and connection to human identity. Students designed a customised pair of shoes with their own branding and logo as their final product for the project. The term culminated in an excursion to the Australian National Maritime Museum where students immersed themselves in the ‘Mile in My Shoes’ special event.

Term 2 is underway and students have begun their new topic which sees students learning about how to best protect and look after Koalas within our community. As a way of building their understanding of koala habitats staff and students went on an excursion to Symbio Wildlife Park. Teachers and students will now be working together throughout the term to come up with fundraising initiatives that will help to support the population growth of koalas in our area, and we look forward to updating you on their efforts.

LOTE - ItalianEach year, Support Unit students spend the year learning about a language other than English and in 2021 they have been learning Italian. Students spent much of Term 1 learning how to pronounce common words or phrases such as days of the week and numbers. To celebrate their efforts, students had the opportunity to get into the kitchen and make some delicious Italian food such as margarita pizza, spaghetti bolognese and lasagne….. Bellissimo

Taronga Zoo with Year 11 Investigating Science

Scientific Fun ANSTO with Year 11 ChemistryOn Tuesday 16 February, Year 11 Chemistry attended a Depth Study Excursion to ANSTO to discover and investigate radioisotope uses, production and how the nuclear reactor works. Whilst this topic is hard to visualise, it was a great opportunity for students to immerse themselves in some real world applications and see workers in industry.

Australian Museum Year 12 Earth and Environmental

ScienceOn Tuesday 2 March, Year 12 Earth and Environmental Science attended a Depth Study Excursion to the Australian Museum where they undertook a self-guided gallery tour to observe the palaeontology collection. With hundreds of specimens of invertebrates, vertebrates and plant fossils it was the perfect opportunity for students to investigate the significance of fossils in palaeontology and evolutionary biology. It was a fun and exciting day for all the students as they walked amongst dinosaurs, bringing the Mesozoic Era to life.

On Thursday 11 March, Investigating Science students attended a Depth Study Excursion to Taronga Zoo Sydney to investigate how behavioural scientists collect and record data enabling them to test their own hypothesises on animal wellbeing and survival. With over 4000 animals it was the perfect environment for the students to observe and record animal behaviours and speak with Taronga keepers about how they study and care for their animals. It was fun and exciting for all the students, with the day ending in a private seal show.

At the end of Term 1, the Science Faculty held its first Science Rewards Program of the year to celebrate students who have achieved well throughout the term and applied themselves consistently in their studies. We celebrated the students in class with a Topaz Award and a lunch time pizza party with the Science department and Senior Executives. We look forward to continuing to reward students for demonstrating their TRREC values and motivating themselves to make positive choices in Science throughout the year.

Science Rewards

Thrilling Theatre

This term our students have had the opportunity to engage in some amazing theatre experiences. In Week 2, our Gifted and High Potential Students in Years 7-10 were invited to watch Bell Shakespeare present two humorous versions of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Students commented that they loved the audience participation and Year 10 student Jaydn Pye’s performance as the King was excellent.

In Week 3, some lucky students in Years 10-12 went to Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre to watch another of Shakespeare’s works “The Tempest”, sparking interesting conversations on the bus ride back to school. Students study “The Tempest” as part of the HSC module Textual Conversations. Students were so beautifully behaved and Ms Zahid and Ms Nicoll couldn’t have been prouder of the way they represented our school.

Coming in Week 7 is the Gifted and High Potential excursion to the Riverside Theatre. We can’t wait to share more fantastic theatre experiences with you.

GAME ON inPDHPE

The 2021 sporting season is well under way, and Ambarvale High School (AHS) teachers and students have been hard at work representing our school with pride.

AHS has also been active on the soccer field with both our boys and girls Opens Soccer Teams playing their Sydney South West round one matches. The teams each showed great teamwork and sportsmanship but were unable to progress to the next round of the tournament. Coaches Mr Le Serve and Mrs Fitzgerald were both happy to see their players enjoy their time out on the field.

The Opens Table Tennis Team were also eliminated in their round one match, going down in a very close 3-2 loss. Coach Mr Sun was impressed with the level of skill displayed by the team and is looking forward to taking on the challenge again next year.

On the volleyball court, Ambarvale High School has been digging deep to produce some outstanding performances. Both the Opens Boys and Opens Girls teams have progressed to the third round of the Steve Birt Memorial Shield after impressive wins in rounds one and two. Coach Miss Omar has been overwhelmed by the passion and dedication shown by all players involved.

The Opens Boys Basketball team, coached by Mr Sorenson, showcased their talents and proudly represented Ambarvale High School at the Sydney South West Central Venue competition. The team played well against some tough opposition, displaying a high level of skill in each of the games played on the day.

The Touch Football Teams also played their first games of the season, both narrowly losing in very well contested matches. Coach Miss Smith was impressed with the enthusiasm and competitive spirit shown by both teams.

The Under 14s Boys Rugby League team continued our school’s history of success in the sport, winning two of their three matches in the Buckley Shield and progressing to the next round of the competition. Mr Williams was happy with the team’s performance and enjoyed seeing the hard work shown in training translate to good results on the field.

The PDHPE faculty would like to thank Sports Organiser Miss Omar for her tireless work in arranging and promoting sporting opportunities for our students as well as every teacher who has volunteered to coach a team so far this year. Without their commitment, our talented students would be unable to show off their amazing skills on the field.

We look forward to more great results for the remainder of 2021.

From the OfficeFrom the OfficeFamily Information – “Have you changed your address or telephone numbers?”The school often experiences difficulties contacting parents and it is extremely important for your child’s wellbeing that your current mailing address, as well as your home, work and mobile numbers are up to date. Emergency contact names and phone numbers also need to be current and contactable. Please request a change of details form from the school office if any of this information has changed and return it as soon as possible.

School Office HoursThe school office hours are from 8:00am – 3:15pm.

Paying for an Excursion or ActivityIf you wish to make a payment for an excursion or activity an online payment option is available on the school website. To make a payment click on the ‘Make a Payment’ tab at the top of the Ambarvale High School website.

Students can make payments in person at the school office at recess, lunch and prior to Period 1.

Student Appointments During School HoursIn the interest of good attendance and to minimise the loss of learning time, it is recommended that appointments for students be made outside school hours. Where this is not feasible, appointments should be made as early or as late as possible. We ask that you try to avoid making appointments during the middle of the day to ensure your child engages with as much teaching and learning time as possible.

Students who have an appointment during school hours, and need to leave early should bring a note from their parents and give this to the Deputy Principal before school. This note should detail:

The student’s nameTime of departureReason for the absence

When leaving early the student hands in the parent note and the authority from the Deputy Principal at the Administration Office. Following this process will assist Administrative staff in ensuring that students can leave school at the required time in order to make their appointment.

Additionally, students who arrive late to school due to attending an appointment should bring a note from their parent indicating the reason for the late arrival. This note should be presented at the Administration Office when the student signs in and will assist us in ensuring that all absences are explained.

Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes are battery operated devices that heat a liquid (or e-liquid) to produce a vapour to inhale. Using an e-cigarette is sometimes called ‘vaping’. E-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes and can be made to look like everyday items including highlighters, pens or USB memory sticks. E-liquid contains a range of chemicals or flavours, and often contains nicotine. In NSW, the sale of e-cigarettes and e-liquids that contain nicotine is illegal. Selling tobacco or e-cigarettes to minors is also illegal. NSW Health is seeing an increase in the sale of nicotine containing e-cigarettes, including to minors. NSW Health takes non-compliance with tobacco and e-cigarette laws seriously and NSW Health officers undertake inspections of retailers to ensure they are complying with the laws. If you think a retail store is selling e-cigarettes that contain nicotine, or selling any tobacco or e-cigarette products to minors, please report it to NSW Health by completing the online reporting form: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/tobacco/Pages/let-us-know-reports-complaints.aspx, or by calling the Tobacco Information Line on 1800 357 412. Further information on e-cigarette is available on the NSW Health website at: www.health.nsw.gov.au/tobacco/Pages/e-cigarette-young-people.aspx

Reporting retailers

of illegal nicotine

e-cigarettes