T H E F O R T N I G H T LY N E W S L E T T E R F R O M G A L S T O N H I G H S C H O O L 2 0 2 0 T E R M 1 W E E K 6

Leadership Camp...

Leadership Camp (cont’d) ...

by Amelie Stuut (Year 11 House Leader)

Last weekend, over the 1st to 3rd of March, Galston High School’s student leaders attended a leadership camp at Vision Valley. Over sixty students, comprised of the four leadership teams within the school (prefects, Student Representative Council, house leaders and student librarians) attended.

The purpose of the camp was to assist students to build on leadership skills, plan for the year ahead and develop cooperation between the leadership teams. Activities included traditional leadership skills such as public speaking drills, group challenges and leadership workshops along with physical challenges and group exercises including abseiling, flying fox and game nights.

In the tradition of past leadership camps, student leaders decorated the shared dining room in house colours. House colours set a theme for the camp in building house spirit. As student leaders, we worked together in our house groups to decorate the tables and hang balloons and streamers. It was a great icebreaker and got everyone into the house spirit! Initial activities complete, student leaders then split into their respective leadership teams and did “getting-to-know-you” exercises. The house leaders played a version of bingo in which we had to find people in our group that fit a particular category, for example to find someone who has three dogs or to find someone who walks to school. This activity meant we had to ask each other questions and really allowed us to get to know everyone in each year group. The evening concluded with a games night in which we split into mixed teams and aged groups to play Kahoot and compete in team challenges, work together in a relaxed and fun way.

Monday was a packed day. Each leadership group had different sessions in the day with different activities. In my group, we did a public speaking drill which helped develop confidence speaking in front of a group. We were challenged to talk about a random topic for as long as possible that we were given on the spot. On top of that, while we

were speaking we were not allowed to say the words ‘um’, ‘uh’, or ‘like’. My group had one student speak for a minute and a half about ceiling fans! It really helped us gain confidence and challenged us to speak as if we had prepared something.

During the next session, my group undertook a leadership workshop where, in small groups, we had to build a tower out of marshmallows and uncooked spaghetti! The tallest tower that stayed standing won. This exercise was all about developing communication and group cooperation. We learnt how everyone needs to communicate and share ideas, but we all need to combine those ideas and work collectively. We also spoke about the need for a leader in this drill. Someone needed to step up and take control: the towers of teams without a leader mostly fell apart. We reflected on the activity with our group leader and spoke about what worked and what didn’t. Throughout the camp we did activities such as this which were seemingly just fun on the surface, but really helped us understand the basics of being a leader.

In the afternoon we experienced the flying fox and abseiling. Both activities required courage and support from your team mates. We worked together to help each other complete abseiling. Whilst a few people didn’t initially want to do it, with the support of their peers they did and they said it was absolutely fantastic. It really pushed the boundaries of the students and encouraged them to step out of their comfort zone.

Our last session brought all of the groups together to organise our school’s Open Day. We planned the routes of tour groups and assigned roles for the students. Miss Petrulis and Miss Andrus spoke about the plan for the day and what we should do on our tours around the school.That night, the Prefects of the school ran a games night, including trivia and giant games of Jenga. Each small group had to do small team activities and challenges. The points were collected to see the winning team for the night. The prefects did a great job at hosting the evening and everyone had a really fun night.

Tuesday was our last day and it was devoted to the planning of each team, including events and goals for the year. As a house leader, we spoke about running the sport carnivals and our Oztag competition, as well as our annual easter egg hunt. We added new events, too, including the basketball competition which will happen during Term 3.

The house leaders also rewrote each house team's war cry and at the end of the day we taught it to the other leaders. There was a competition before lunch to see which house could perform their new war cries the best. It really showed how much confidence people had gained as everyone cheered and shouted for their house! It was obvious that everyone had real house spirit and it makes me excited to see the houses compete for the rest of the year.

Overall, the camp was really enjoyable and it helped every student learn new skills and gain confidence. Vision Valley supplied delicious food and accommodation and the organising teachers made it great fun. Every student would have taken something away from the camp. I know I learnt more about the people at my school, I made new friends, I gained house spirit and I learnt how to be confident in my opinion and to speak up more often. The camp was full of great experiences and lessons and, as students, we are grateful to be a part of the leaders of our school and to be given an opportunity like this.

Young Endeavour...

Joel Egginton and Ella Klintworth, both of Year 12, were recently selected to participate in the prestigious Young Endeavour program. Through the generous sponsorship by Bendigo Bank, Joel and Ella will participate in the internationally recognised program in the field of sail training.

Delivered on board STS Young Endeavour by Navy personnel specifically selected for the program, over the course of eleven days the crew of 16 – 23 year-olds learn the skills required to sail a tall ship. At the same time they develop attributes that make them more effective leaders, communicators and team members.

Joel and Ella took part in an extensive and hotly-contested selection process to secure their positions. This process included questionnaires and interviews that assessed the students’ knowledge of not only the Young Endeavour Program, but that their personal attributes would make them suitable candidates.

The voyage they will be participating on will depart on the 4th April. Asked what their expectations for the program were, Joel and Ella were enthusiastic about the opportunity to try something completely new.

“I am extremely excited for the amazing opportunity to test my perseverance through physical and mental challenges.

This experience will further expand my knowledge and skills and will also give me the opportunity to make lifelong friendships.

Joel and I are very thankful for this experience”

Ella Klintworth

“I’m very keen to experience this opportunity of a lifetime and am eager to brave the challenges of sea-faring as a team so that Ella and I emerge from this experience with lasting friendships.

I’m quite excited for this golden opportunity that Ella and I have strived to be a part of, as the tales from previous students who have experienced the Young Endeavour have told of mental and physical challenges which have resulted in strong leadership, coordination and communication skills that are desirable later in life”

Joel Egginton

Congratulations RobbieI am very proud to inform you that Robbie Cullen, of Year 11 represented Cherrybrook Little Athletics Club over the last weekend, at the NSW Little Athletics State Combined Event , held in Tamworth. Over 2 days of competition Robbie competed in discus, long jump, javelin, high jump, hurdles, 100m and 800m. He equalled his best performance in high jump, clearing 1.95m, and threw a personal best in the javelin with 48.63m. At the end of day 2 of competition, Robbie finished with a solid performance, in 2nd place, winning the silver medal.

International Women’s Day Morning Tea...

International Women's Day (IWD) is this Sunday, 8th March 2020. This year, the theme for IWD is #eachforequal, and is firmly rooted in the idea that an equal world is an enabled world that will benefit all of us, but in order to achieve equality, we are all equally responsible for challenging stereotypes, fighting bias, broadening our perceptions and celebrating women's achievements.

In the spirit of IWD, staff partook of a morning tea supplied by the school’s cafe and showcasing the incredible skills of the students who work in the cafe. Students put together an impressive selection of sweet and savoury offerings, beautifully presented, along with the always popular beverages.

During the morning tea, staff affirmed their commitment to providing support for women, both in education and society more broadly.

House Point - Leader Board

634 Points

608 Points

404 Points

401 Points

This Week

Monday 9 MarchSydney North Golf Trials

Tuesday 10 MarchYear 7 SRC/Student Librarian and Farm Leader Induction AssemblyHub Excursion - Travel TrainingGirls Cricket Knockout Match

Wednesday 11 MarchOpen DayYear 12 SLR Galston Aquatic Centre during classYears 7-9 NSW Futsal School Regional Championships

Thursday 12 MarchSydney North Soccer Trials

Friday 13 MarchYears 10-12 NSW Futsal School Regional ChampionshipsHub Excursion - Travel Training

Next Week

Monday 16 MarchHub Excursion - Travel TrainingYears 10-12 Knockout Soccer 9.00am - 1.00pm

Tuesday 17 MarchP&C Meeting 7.30pm Waddell Learning CentreExcursion Sydney North Rugby League TrialsExcursion Years 7-12 Sydney North Knockout Water PoloYear 12 Encore Performance Music Excursion

Wednesday 18 MarchYear 7 Police Talk period 1Year 8 Police Talk period 2

Thursday 19 MarchHub Excursion - Travel Training

Friday 20 MarchSydney North U15s Touch TrialsYears 7-12 Sydney North Knockout Water Polo Excursion

Saturday 21 MarchCastle Hill Show Livestock Showing and Judging

Still to come

Tuesday 24 MarchSRC Harmony Day Assembly and International Food Stall at lunch2021 Prefect Nomination Forms availableExcursion Sydney North SwimmingHub Excursion - Travel TrainingThinkUKnow Cyber Safety Parent Information Evening

Wednesday 25 MarchHub SLES Expo 4.30- 6.30pmCross Country Carnival

Friday 27 MarchHub Excursion - Travel Training

Upcoming Events

Homework Club

Homework Club operates every Wednesday afternoon from 3.30 - 4.30pm.

Students can receive help from teaching staff with homework and assessment tasks, or simply utilise the Library computers and wifi to complete their work.

Open DayWednesday 11 March 2020

9.30 - 12.00pm

Science & Agriculture Faculty Focus...

The Science and Agriculture Faculty has had a productive start to 2020. We welcome Ms Lauren Bates who is replacing Mr Bancroft who retired at the end of last year. Students have been learning about a range of different topics and have completed practical activities that help to demonstrate the concepts they have learnt.

Year 7Year 7 has been enjoying learning about all the new equipment they will be using during their time in high school science laboratories and for many of them conducting experiments for the first time. They will be putting their skills to the test next week as they complete their Practical Test, where they will design their first experiments to gather some first-hand data. Year 11The Year 11 Biology classes attended an excursion to the Sydney Olympic Park wetlands on Wednesday March 4 to complete their mandatory depth study as part of their first assessment. They gathered a range of data relating to the wetland ecosystem that they will use to prepare report that describes the factors impacting on the site. This was a great opportunity to experience and see the things they have been learning about to start the year.

STEM UpdateThe Year 10 STEM class is currently working on a renewable energy project. They have been doing some preliminary testing of wind turbines to determine the

optimal configuration and size of turbine blades to achieve the maximum voltage generated. In the coming weeks they will be designing, 3D printing and testing their own turbine blades to see which group has produced the best designs.

A reminder to Years 8 and 9 that their homework tasks are due next week! Check with your class teachers for exact dates.

In Term 4 last year, I announced an opportunity for students to apply to win the Anzac Memorial Scholarship. This is an opportunity given to one of our students by the Office of Veteran Affairs. The student who earns this opportunity will travel with 19 other like-minded students in the September holidays, to see battle sites in both Singapore and Greece.

The position on this tour will have been hard earned. The application involved writing a 1000- word essay or other body of work. At the start, we had many interested students in this and I was delighted by the creativity and passion which our students showed. There were at least 12 students working on this regularly during history and geography periods.

ANZAC Memorial Scholarship

Early this term, 5 students submitted their pieces of work and last week faced the daunting task of being interviewed by myself, Mrs Tourlas and 2 community members; Mrs Erica Daly (parent representative) and Reverend Bill Rosier (RSL representative).

The three recipients whose entries have been submitted as the final three entries are:

Lillian Forsayth India Dalton Emily Leventhal

The two other students were

Josh Chapman – Year 11 Tegan Edwards – Year 10.

We provided the students with a morning tea the following day and announced the applicants who would have their bodies of work sent onto the Office of Veterans Affairs. A huge congratulations to all students who entered and we look forward to announcing the student who will be given the opportunity of a lifetime.

I will continue to put our school forward in the ballot, so fingers crossed we are lucky enough to offer this opportunity to History students from Year 10 and 11 in the future.

PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS ALL WELCOME

ThinkUKnow Cyber Safety Forum

Tuesday 24th March 2020 7.00pm to 8.30pm

Waddell Learning Centre

ThinkUKnow Australia is a cyber safety education program that educates parents, carers and teachers of how people are using technology, the challenges they may face online, and how to help them overcome these in a safe and ethical way. ThinkUKnow Australia is a partnership between the Australian Federal Police, Microsoft Australia, Datacom and the Commonwealth Bank. The program is delivered in collaboration with policing partners New South Wales Police Force, Northern Territory Police, Queensland Police, South Australia Police, Tasmania Police, Western Australia Police, as well as Neighbourhood Watch Australasia. The presentation will be delivered by a local law enforcement member and an industry volunteer. The presentation covers issues relating to children and young peoples’ privacy and security online, their relationships with other users and their online reputation. It provides insight into the devices young people are using, as well as the popular websites, apps and social networking sites they are accessing. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn more about young people and the online environment, and how you can help them to be safe and responsible users of technology.

For more detail on the presentation, please go to www.thinkuknow.org.au

Prefect Report...

The Prefects were excited to attend the 2020 GHS Leadership Camp. It was three days full of team building, leadership training and planning for 2020.

Day 1Day 1 each student was filled with excitement and eagerness to learn and develop their leadership skills and make new friends. We were assigned our rooms and then headed off to an excellent dinner cooked by the Vision Valley staff and assisted by Galston High school students. Students began writing their warm and fuzzies which are used to show their appreciation for each other and the evening ended with team building activities led by Ms Watt and Mr Gage.

Day 2Day 2 was an action filled day filled with many different leadership and outdoor activities. We started the day with a planning session in our team groups - Prefects, SRC, House Leaders and Student Librarians. Next we started our rotation of activities.

These included, Zipline, Abseiling, a leadership workshop, and public speaking and tour workshop run by the prefects. These activities allowed us to learn more about ourselves by pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone. As the day drew to a close the Prefects organised a jam packed games night. These included giant jenga, trivia, and pass the parcel. Within each of these activities students engaged in challenges.

Day 3Day 3 is the bread and butter of the leadership camp as we organised all the different events that each leadership group will be running throughout the year. We are very excited for what is coming up and what we have to offer to the school and local community throughout the next few months. We finished day 3 and the camp on a high and we’re eager to show what we have to offer. We like to thank the teachers for organising and providing an excellent camp.

140 Arcadia Rd, Arcadia NSW 2159 P: (02) 9653 1207 F: (02) 9653 2697 E: arcadia-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au www.arcadiaschool.com.au

Bus Safety Week reminds all road users to ‘Be Bus Aware’

Our school bus operator Busways is reminding all road users to be bus aware as the NSW

Government’s Bus Safety Week kicks off for the fifth year.

Part of the ‘Be Bus Aware’ campaign, Bus Safety Week sees Governments, bus operators, and emergency services raise awareness about the importance of being safe in and around buses and spread the message to ‘Be Bus Aware’.

Bus Safety Week provides a timely reminder to parents to have a talk with their children about bus safety; to motorists when giving way to buses; to pedestrians to make sure they’re alert of their surroundings; and to cyclists to ensure they can see where buses are.

We all have a part to play in bus safety.

The ‘Be Bus Aware’ campaign has been developed with input from Bus NSW, NSW Police and Transport for NSW.

For more information on bus safety or to learn about Transport for NSW’s ‘Be Bus Aware’ campaign, visit https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/campaigns/-be-busaware/index.hmtl or visit the Busways website www.busways.com.au.

Stay alert and cross with care

WHEN LIGHTS F L A S H40

WALK WALK

© Transport for NSW January 2019 Stock No. 45097046

BeBusAware.com.au

BE BUS AWARE

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