GrapevineG a l s t o n H i g h S c h o o l term 2 week 8 2021

Life Ready camp highlights

LIFE READY camp - student reports

The assault course was my personal highlight of the camp. After being worn out by the events of the first two days, I had an early night which gave me the energy I needed to give Thursday’s events my all. Our group (Team 1) was extremely diverse in loudness, size, personality, etc. and we weren’t sure how well we would work together as a team. However, we soon discovered one common thread, and that was our motivation and support for our fellow teammates. No individual person felt the need to have their time to shine, each person worked to their abilities and in the interests of the team. Despite the mud, it was absolutely our peak as a team and we all agreed straight after that we had smashed it.

The initiative activities served as an early taster for our group dynamic. I elected to stay out of the four-person sack race, but agreed to keep the beat for our group. It worked as a solid strategy, but if someone started falling they would take everyone else with them. In the other highlight of these activities, we had to hurl wet sponges across a field to each other to fill a bucket. In hindsight there was very little strategy involved, but in the moment it was very fun, exciting and adrenaline-inducing, filled with split-second decisions and getting very wet. Cameron McArthur

On Day 3 of the Life Ready camp, our group spent the day at Dalgety River. There we participated in a number of different activities, including canoeing, raft building, and initiative games. Despite the harshly cold weather, we had lots of fun. Canoeing involved getting into groups of three and paddling down the river. Unfortunately, due to it raining the night before, we were unable to go down the rapids as they were too fast. The next activity was raft building;

we were given supplies to build our raft and use every piece. The goal was to get our entire team to the finish line first while keeping our egg intact. It was challenging but very rewarding. The initiative games were just as challenging, forcing every-one to work as a team to complete each challenge. Overall, the day at the river was very enjoyable despite the insanely cold weather.Sylvie Salt and Mia Djukic

On 10th May 2021, Year 11 trekked down to Berridale on a bus for over six hours to get to our Life Ready camp. We stayed at the Cooba motel for four nights and three days to participate in fun, tough and rewarding activities. On the first day, our group went to the Dalgety River to do river initiatives. It was freezing, and much to our dislike, didn’t get any warmer throughout the day. Once we did the dry activities it was time for us to build a raft and hope we didn’t fall into the river. Unfortunately, our raft half sank, and we were stuck in the ice-cold water. Never has anything been so cold! After having lunch, we went canoeing in the rain and paddled in a loop through the rapids. We have to say, the steering into bushes has got to be the highlight.

The second day was one of the favourites. We got the opportunity to climb Mount Kosciuszko. When we arrived at Thredbo village, the fog had thinned out and the view was amazing. Once we put on our warm and waterproof gear, we headed up the chair lift, admiring the views along the way. Shortly after we got off the chair lift, we started the climb. We saw snow almost instantly, the higher up we went the thicker the snow became. Once we were some-where around 1.5 km from the top, it was decided that we were unable to get to the top because of high winds and extremely

thick snow and ice. We walked back down, changing into warm clothes to defrost our feet and hands as soon as possible. At the bottom we all got coffee and hot chocolate to warm us up before heading back to camp.

One of the activities on the last day was the assault course where our group worked together to climb tyres, swing over to one small platform where everybody had to fit, balance all together on a see saw, com-mando crawl on sand underneath a shade sail and crawl through cold, muddy water to complete the course. Everyone worked together well and all tried our best. Another activity we did was called Survivor. During Survivor we had to push a heavy buggy while 2 people were sitting in it with sand-bags. We had to push it up hills, through water, complete tasks and change tyres with a set time limit. Our group complet-ed four laps. The last activity we did was called maneuvers. During Maneuvers we worked together to navigate and find boxes hidden that contained clues to lead us to the end. The last morning we spent at Cooba before we headed home, we had the choice to wake up early, walk up the hill behind the motel and watch the sunrise. This experience was amazing as the views from the top were beautiful.

Year 11 Life Ready camp was a week well spent. We got to experience new things which we’d never thought to try, we talked and worked together with the rest of our year as well as teachers who we wouldn’t usually interact with while learning about each other. This camp was one we would love to do again. Carly Paton and Ashley Townsend

Recount by a tired Year AdviserIt was amazing to see all the excited faces on Monday 10 May, at the bright and early hour of 7:45am. Keen to get on the bus and nab the back seat, the students had their names marked off and were on the bus ready to go.

Monday saw us visit the Ryda Driver Training Centre, where students cycled through various activities revolving around driver safety. Activities relating to the im-pact of serious accidents on the survivors, the role of passengers in the car, the im-pact of their mindset on their own driving ability and a car safety activity involving speed and braking.

2pm came around very quickly and we were ready to board the bus again on our journey to camp. A quick pit stop at Lake George then onwards to Cooma for dinner. After dinner, we made our way to Cooba Sports and Education Centre to settle into our accommodation. A dis-cussion about camp rules ensued, then students made themselves comfortable in their rooms and explored the common and games rooms.

Night one ended with rooms at 10:15, phones handed in and lights out at 11pm. Some very excited students took some time to settle, but with some subtle teacher persuasion they eventually went to sleep.

Tuesday saw the students split into two groups. Mr Bishop’s and Mr Price’s groups made their way to Thrredbo to climb Mt Kosciusko, and my and Mr Lanske’s group went to Dalgety to complete the

River Rats activities. The River Rats com-pleted a variety of activities which required them to work together in teams while competing against another team. It was pleasing to see so many students taking chances in their strategies and stepping up to show what great leaders they will make in the future. Upon return to Cooba, we completed the theory component of the course having discussions about emotion-al regulation and the choices we make in life. Tuesday night was wrapped up with dinner, silly games in the common room, and free time.

Wednesday morning saw the groups swap activities, so my group and Mr Lanske’s group made our way to Thredbo. There had been a lot of snow overnight, and light drizzle continued to fall. We made our way up the chair lift to Eagle’s Nest then trudged almost vertically to reach the start of the Kosciusko hike. But 5km’s into the hike, at Rawson’s Pass, we had to stop. The trail was getting too icy and slippery for us to continue. We watched another school group try to continue, only to see them return in minutes. The mountain de-feated us, short only 1.6km from the top, but it didn’t defeat our spirit. We made snowmen and some adventurous individu-als took their jackets off to see how cold it truly was. The conditions on the trail were challenging as the rain was turning into ice on our faces. But spirits remained high, focused on the hot chocolate in Thredbo waiting for us. Much wearier students re-turned to Cooba, keen for a warm shower and some dinner.

On Thursday, we completed activities at Cooba with their wonderful staff. Ma-

noeuvres, Survivor and Assault activities required organisation and team-work in order for success. It was pleasing to see students working so well together and taking themselves out of their comfort zone while having fun. Some students got to see their Year Adviser have a panic attack while climbing through the tyres, and realising that teachers are actually human too, with their own challenges to face on the camp.

On Friday we packed up and boarded the bus for our return to school. It still amazes me how much students are excited by a stop at Maccas! An accident on the free-way delayed our return but we were so thankful to return home safely.

Thank you to the fantastic staff at Cooba, who co-ordinated our stay and activities. Also thank you to Miss Webb, Mr Lanske, Mr Bishop and Mr Price for volunteering to come on camp with us. A week away from your own families is a big sacrifice, and I know Year 11 are grateful to you all for coming. Lastly, a very big thank you to the wonderful Mrs Searle, who organised this camp. The process is complex and starts while the students are still in Year 10. Without her tireless efforts, Year 11 camp would not happen.

My last thoughts are for the students of Year 11 2021 – I hope you enjoyed camp as much as I did. It provided many challenges and new situations for you, and hopefully has prepared you for the challenges the next 1.5 years of your schooling will provide. I look forward to facing those challenges with you all.

LIFE READY camp - year adviser report

english faculty focusIn Term 1, 7H studied I Am Malala written by Malala Yousafzai as part of their unit Diaries, Biographies and Life Writing. They thoroughly enjoyed reading this text and the events and themes provided rich

discussion and insight into the early life of an extraordinary girl. The students were asked to convey their thoughts and the key themes of the text in the form of a one-page summary, using text and images.

The following examples were completed by students who used their creativity and conceptual thinking to take their summary to a higher level.

tas snap shot

VETThe Year 11 Hospitality class have recently completed their first work placement in Week 6 Term 2. This new experience was met with a little apprehension by some, but also excitement, as students looked forward to practising their skills in an industry setting.

Businesses that hosted our students included the Sugar Salt Café Galston, Castle Hill Tavern, Stone House Café Maroota, Café Emporium Hornsby, Botinica Café Swanes Nursery, Heritage Valley Café Wiseman’s Ferry and Café Sydney in the city.

We are always very appreciative of local business owners giving their time and expertise to host students and extend their industry based skills. Our students performed exceptionally well during their placements with positive feedback being provided. Ap-proximately 50% of our students have been offered employment by the host employees. Two students have accepted positions and we wish them all the best.

Stage 6 Engineering StudiesWeek 6 has seen Year 11 engineering students move from the classroom to the workshop. Their current topic of investigation has been the construction of a DC magnetic induction motor. Prior knowledge of motor theory was put into practice with students building the motor utilising a diagrammatic image with an accompanying materials list. Students were assessed on their ability to work as part of a team. Students tested their motors and implemented changes in an attempt to improve efficiency.

Year 12 Engineering students have just submitted their aeronautical assessment task. This task involved students deciding upon the appropriate material application for a hyper theoretical high performance plane.

An accompanying practical component of this task required students to construct a balsa glider. Competition will be tense as student test the “flight time” and analyse the control surfaces of their completed gliders.

Industrial TechnologyYear 12 are fast approaching the deadline for their major projects. A variety of furniture and timber products are taking shape with students now realising the importance of hard work and good time management. Student projects include a desk, entertainment units, specific purpose tables and a bar. A variety of hardwoods have been selected by our stu-dents for their construction. We look forward to the major work display come the middle of Term 3. Best wishes for all involved.

Year 11 students have completed document and jewellery boxes. A variety of native and imported timbers have been used by stu-dents. A vast array of designs have evolved with the inclusion of decorative keyed mitre, dovetail and box pin joints.

Year 10 Industrial Technology Timber stu-dents have completed a newly introduced project “the BBQ Caddy” and are just starting their major project for the year, a coffee table which includes a cleverly concealed com-partment within. Year 9 students are in the final stages of completing their timber serving trays.

Year 9 students studying metal are complet-ing their BBQ forks, which have provided the opportunity to learn both forging and welding skills.

Stage 5 Food TechnologyFood patterns evolve constantly. The students investigated the current food trends and the influences behind them. They also had the opportunity to prepare and present foods that reflected current trends.

Students are also learning that foods we need will vary because of specific cir-cumstances. They also delved into these circumstances and examined effective food solutions for a range of specific needs.

Mandatory TechnologyStudents are currently studying Digital Technologies, Engineered systems, Food and Agriculture and Material Technologies. Students are proving to be highly engaged with their learning experiences.

Activities and design projects currently being undertaken by our students include a coded digital lamp utilising Arduino software, the es-tablishment and monitoring of herb gardens, executing healthy snack food recipes, con-structing timber treasure boxes and manufac-turing of creative textile tote bags.

hub report

It was a perfect day for Community Access.

We went on a metro train, sitting up front and saw a driver’s view of the train. We went to the inner city and saw many Australian landmarks up close.

We walked across the Harbour Bridge, and Mrs Wags made fun of Mrs Gilmour taking a while walking up the stairs. We went around to The Rocks and saw the British Lolly Shop where they had many British lollies that you can’t find anywhere else apart from England. There were

bonbons, gobstoppers, English biscuits, chocolate and Scottish lollies as well.

Then we went to the Sydney Opera House at Circular Quay Harbour, we saw large bream and leatherjacket fish swim-ming in the docking bay for the ferries. We ran up the Opera House stairs, and Mrs Wags wanted to tap dance on them.

On the way back to the train station at Circular Quay, we stopped to listen to the man dancing with a stick with bells on it who was busking. We rushed up to the train to go to the Queen Victoria Building,

but as soon as we were at the top of the stairs the train had closed its doors and began leaving the station, so we had to wait for the next one.

When we arrived at the Queen Victoria Building, we nearly got lost through all the city crowds. We had to rush to get lunch, so we didn’t miss the bus back to school.

Jake and Jonathan

PREfect report

The first stage of the 2022 prefect nomi-nation process was completed two weeks ago, which involved the prefect selection panel meeting to discuss each application and whether students had met the criteria to move onto speeches. The panel con-sisted of our Principal, Deputy Principal, Prefect Coordinator, House Leader Coordi-nators, SRC Coordinator, the Year 11 Year Adviser and Assistant Year Adviser and the 2021 Prefect team.

Students who were successful in moving onto the speech stage of the nomination process presented their speech to Year 10 and 11 students and staff this week. Voting

will be completed by Friday 11 June and the 2022 Prefect team will be announced to the prefect speech candidates on Friday 18 June. All the Prefect nominees presented incredible speeches and it will be interesting to see the results. We would like to thank all students who took the time and effort to put in applications to be part of the 2022 Prefect team and especially to the speech candidates for dedication they showed to achieving their personal best as they pre-sented their speeches.

Last week we also had the Year 8 and 10 subject selection evening, where students learnt about the subjects they can choose

for their next year of school. Students and their parents had the opportunity to speak to teachers and talk about the subjects available for the next year and follow up with staff at the parent/teacher night last week. The selection portal to submit their choices opened on Tuesday and closed this morning.

The Prefect team would like to wish our school community a happy and safe long weekend.

p&c meeting dates6:30pm

waddell learning cenTRE

Tuesday 15 June

Tuesday 20 July

Tuesday 17 August

Tuesday 7 September

Tuesday 19 October

Tuesday 16 November

LIBRARY UPDATE

Author in Residence ProgramOn Friday, 4th June, award-winning author Will Kostakis ran an intensive creative writing workshop with interested students. Having written and published several successful books, Will Kostakis was able to share valuable insights with students and run activities that allowed them to put creative writing strategies into place then seek feedback.

Some of Will’s top tips for writing a short story, especially under examination condi-tions included:

• Focusing on a character in a mo-ment of change rather than trying to fit an introduction / complication / resolution narrative arc into a short story. This moment could be an event that shifts the way they see the world, they way they see someone else, or the way they see themselves. By focusing on the event that changes your character, you’ll have more time to focus on engaging elements of a story.

• The use of strong narrative voice by using language that authentically represents the character you’re writ-ing as so that your character appears more realistic. For example, if your character is a teenager, it would be more realistic for them to use hyper-boles to reflect on a situation instead of an extended motif.

• Manipulating the tone of a story, so that the language fits the mood you’re trying to create. A great way to do this is to start with the same scenario (e.g. a person walking through a door) and writing with a particular genre in mind, e.g. romance, horror, or mystery.

Student Feedback:It was a really fun experience, and I love the way Will Kostakis interacted with everyone. I felt I learned so much about descriptive writing as well as how to create realistic moods and character voices. Will introduced us to writing about a charac-ter’s ‘moment of change’ and how this can

form a really effective short story. I feel this will definitely assist me in my creative writing in the future. Bree Collins, Year 8.

This was one of the best days I’ve had at school so far. I honestly learned so much and I feel very inspired to improve the book that I am writing now and write more. Will Kostakis was very funny and friendly and it was an overall great experience!Scarlett Votano, Year 7

I really loved the attitude towards creative writing that Will Kostakis has, this helped me develop a better understanding of cre-ative writing. I enjoyed the exercises as it helped me put to practice what Will taught us. Overall I really enjoyed the creative writing workshop and hope to do more like it in the future. KK Karki, Year 9.

upcoming eventsMonday 14 JuneTuesday 15 June

Wednesday 16 June

Thursday 17 June

Friday 18 June

Saturday 19 JuneSunday 20 June

Queen’s Birthday Public HolidayP&C Meeting 6.30pmTrial HSC ExamsHUB 2 Community Access - Mr MarshTrial HSC ExamsZone Athletics CarnivalFarm Club promotional activities - lunchtimeHUB 4 Community Access - Mrs GiugniTrial HSC ExamsTrial HSC ExamsYear 7 Geography Excursion2022 Successful Prefects notifiedNSWPS MMB RehearsalNSWPS MMB Rehearsal

Monday 21 JuneTuesday 22 June

Wednesday 23 June

Thursday 24 JuneFriday 25 June

Trial HSC ExamsHUB 3 Community Access - Mrs SmallTrial HSC ExamsHUB 1 Community Access - Ms GilmourTrial HSC ExamsYear 11 Excursion Advanced English - Othello PerformanceFarm Club promotional activities - lunchtimeTrial HSC ExamsTrial HSC ExamsYear 9 PASS Self Defence - in class

COMEDY FOR A CAUSE - SATURDAY 24TH JULYTHE GALSTON CLUB

Please support Galston Public School’s P&C by purchasing tickets and coming out for a great night of comedy!

There will be theatre style seating as it’s a proper comedy show - NO table seating - you can sit wherever you like. There are only 150 tickets available for this event and already we have sold half! Each attend-ee will authomatically go into the running to win a lucky door prize! THANK YOU to those who have already purchased their tickets. Please encourage your friends to buy theirs too.

The committee is working hard planning a fun evening and securings some fantastic prizes to be won on the night. Arrive at 7:00pm in the auditorium for a chance to win and to catch up with other school fami-lies, or even arrive at the Galston Club earlier for dinner before the show.

The comedy starts at 8:00pm.

Book your tickets online now at: comedyforacause.net/GALSTON

Any questions please contact Farah MilesP&C Fundraising Coordinator

farahgps@hotmail.com 0404 044 649

SAV

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ATE

Thursday 24 and Friday 25 June, 9am-3pmSaturday 26 and Sunday 27 June, 9am-3pmSydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park

westernsydneycareerexpo.com.au

For more information contact Resources for Courses 1300 190 290 or team@resourcesforcourses.com.au

2021

• It’s your choice! You can attend the Western Sydney Careers Expo 2021 (located in Sydney’s west) and/or the HSC and Careers Expo 2021 (located in Sydney’s east) (see over)

• Book early to secure your preferred arrival time • Booking instructions enclosed• A COVID-safe plan will be in place

BOOK NOW

Introducing theAUSTRALIAN

VIRTUALCAREERS EXPO2021

For more info visit acexpo.com.au

Thursday 3 and Friday 4 June, 9am-3pmSaturday 5 and Sunday 6 June, 9am-3pm

Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park, Sydneyhscandcareers.com.au

For more information contact Resources for Courses 1300 190 290 or team@resourcesforcourses.com.au

SAV

E TH

E D

ATE

2021

• It’s your choice! You can attend the HSC and Careers Expo 2021 (located in Sydney’s east) and/or the Western Sydney Careers Expo 2021 (located in Sydney’s west) (see over)

• Book early to secure your preferred arrival time • Booking instructions enclosed• A COVID-safe plan will be in place

BOOK NOW

Introducing theAUSTRALIAN

VIRTUALCAREERS EXPO2021

For more info visit acexpo.com.au

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