ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
We recognise the owners and custodians of the lands and waterways where we work and live. We pay respect to Elders past and present as ongoing teachers of knowledge, songlines and stories. We strive to ensure every Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander learner in NSW achieves their potential through education.
WEEK 2, TERM 4, 20 OCTOBER 2023
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
The extension of the 'Off and Away' mobile phone policy to the playground has now been implemented. The students have dealt with this change in a very mature way. Thank you to our students for your sensible attitude to this change. We also appreciate that parents have reduced their direct contact with students during school time which has decreased interruptions to student learning. Please continue to contact the school office if you require a message to be passed on to your child. Thank you also to our Chorale Director Ms Nadia McCarthy who recorded the chorale group singing 'Off, Off and Away' our new theme song which we play through the school speakers at the commencement of break times to remind students to do the right thing. Well done school!
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Hornsby Girls High School Parents and Citizens Association will be held in the Staff Common Room at Hornsby Girls High School on Wednesday 15 November from 7:30pm until 8:30pm. All office holders will vacate their positions at the AGM and then elections for all positions will occur. Once the positions are filled a regular P and C meeting will then commence. At this meeting members of the P and C will discuss proposed events and planning for these events, and the school will request funds from the P and C to assist the school in the many teaching and learning activities that occur in the school and also explain their importance to achieve the goals of the school. Members of our community are encouraged to attend and join the P and C in the vital work they do for our students. I hope to see you at the P and C meeting.
Year 12 have been completing their HSC examinations and only have a few more weeks until all of their exams are finished. The chief invigilator has commented on their mature approach prior to, during and after each of the exams. They are a credit to the school and their parents. We are very proud of you Year 12. We wish you all the best for the rest of your exams.
YEAR 12 FAREWELL
DAME MARIE BASHIR PEACE AWARDS
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be selected by the NSW National Council of Women as a Highly Commended recipient for the Dame Marie Bashir Award.
Out of many nominees from across the state, 11 young women were selected to be awarded at NSW Parliament House. From developing immersive technology, to volunteering overseas every summer, I was incredibly in awe of these young women - who actively connect their communities through social justice!
Thank you so much to Dr Turner for volunteering his valuable time to attend the event with me. Also thank you to Dr Briggs for making this opportunity available! There were representatives from Zonta and NSW Women Lawyers Association who were very exciting to chat with!
Annabelle Zhang Year 11 Student
HSC Drama Achievement
Congratulations to the following Year 12 Drama students who received OnSTAGE nominations for their HSC Individual Performances. Kavisha Karunarathna has been nominated for her physical theatre performance, ‘Happiness Goes on Without You’ and Soha Shaikh has been nominated for her piece, ‘Pretentious Young Ladies.’
OnSTAGE nominations acknowledge and reward the most exemplary performances across the state. This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our wonderful students!
Ms Mackenzie Carroll - Relieving Head Teacher, English and Drama
YEAR 9 FRENCH
Legacy Junior Public Speaking Award – State Semi-Final
At the end of last term, Yashita Mohan in Year 8 attended NSW Parliament House to represent our school in the State Semi-Final of the Legacy Public Speaking competition. To reach this prestigious level of the competition, Yashita had already successfully competed at local and regional level which was very challenging.
Legacy is an Australian non-profit organisation established in 1923 by ex-servicemen to provide support for the families of Australian Defence Force men and women who have lost their lives or health in conflicts. The adjudicators were impressed with Yashita’s prepared speech on the value of volunteering with her chosen topic being particularly relevant to the values of Legacy. They described her speech as thought-provoking with excellent audience engagement and a good knowledge of her subject matter. Yashita also gave a very topical impromptu speech on the impact of social media on body image.
In both speeches, Yashita spoke with confidence, clarity, and enthusiasm and she should be very proud of her performance. It was also a wonderful learning experience to spend the day at Parliament House listening to eleven other high achieving junior speakers from schools across the state. The students had the opportunity to talk to and support each other, sharing their speech ideas and their stories.
Congratulations to Yashita – it is an outstanding achievement to speak in Parliament chambers in Year 8! Perhaps it could be the start of a future career?
Ms J de Meyrick – English Teacher
Women in Science Mural
The school has embarked on another amazing journey, to paint a mural celebrating Women in Science. A call for interested students was announced and an incredible number of students turned up to our first meeting. A consultation/design team was established.
The team includes:
Ahana Chauhan, Yujin Johnson, Talise Monaco, Eliana Tambunan, Eleanor Chim, Riah Kang, Alicia Rodrigues, Jasmine Tran, Sriya Danda, Nimisha Kotoky Purkayastha, Youngju (Scarlett) Shin, Ella Xie, Olive Gibson, Alison Le Van and Elaine Tambunan.
The teams’ first task was to decide on which scientists would be celebrated. After much research and debate we settled on three.
1. Professor Fiona Woods – A highly skilled plastic and reconstructive surgeon and world leading burns specialist, she has pioneered research and technology development in burns medicine. She is most famous for inventing ‘spray-on-skin’ for burns victims.
2. Katherine Bennell-Pegg - is an Australian aerospace engineer and director of space technology at the Australian Space Agency. She is the first Australian to in train at the European Space Agency in Germany as an astronaut.
3. Kaye Morgan – is an Associate Professor at the School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University. Kaye works in the field of x-ray optics, developing new methods of imaging that reach new scales in resolution, speed and sensitivity, and will allow her to take snapshots of the airways and air sacs in the lungs in real-time.
https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/kaye-morgan
Our next task was to secure a mural artist. This too was an exciting search and we decided that Reuben Boughtwood (aka Reubszz) would be best for the job. He has an extensive portfolio of work that can be seen all around Sydney. His latest work was completed in Parramatta Lanes and he currently features on a TV advertisement about Sydney Children’s Hospital.
https://www.reubszz.com/portfolio
On 21 September we met Reuben. He showed us his extensive portfolio of work and took students through the process of how he designs his murals. Reuben held an impromptu mini workshop using Photoshop. Students were shown how to use specific tools found on Photoshop and all had at go at designing their own mural on their laptop.
On 12 October Reuben held a workshop for us on the school oval where we learnt the art, craft and skills of spray painting. It was a really fun session. Everyone had a go and spray painted their own small mural. We ended the workshop with a collaborative spray painted artwork of a fish.
Our next steps are for Reuben to finalise the design of our mural featuring the three women scientists, who are an inspiration to all and whom we can aspire to. We are all looking forward to seeing our very dull wall come to life.
Ms Isabella Pozzolungo - HT Creative and Performing Arts
NSW All Schools Athletics
Congratulations to Aniela Knight and Arabella Lewis of Year 8 who competed at the NSW All Schools Athletics during the recent school holidays.
Arabella placed fourth in both the 100m and 200m whilst Aniela finished third in the 800m.
UBS finance academy
In the October holidays, I was fortunate enough to attend the UBS Finance academy, an annual 3 day program for Year 11 students. Despite the early 8:30am starts, it was an amazing experience that provided me with a valuable insight into the financial services industry. During the few days, we got to participate in interactive workshops, visit Credit Suisse and UBS’ trading floor and present our case study to a panel of judges. A highlight was definitely meeting Ross Gittens (aka The Economist of The Sydney Morning Herald) and sneaking a quick pic with him!
Melissa Tan Year 11 Student
Taekwondo National Championship Achievement
Michelle Kim (Year 9) recently participated in the Taekwondo National Championship in Perth. We are overjoyed that she achieved remarkable success by winning the Gold Medal in the Pair competition and the Bronze Medal in the Family Poomsae competition. Congratulations Michelle!
community news
Hornsby Council ARTS AND CULTURAL PLAN
Arts and cultural activity have an important role in creating an inclusive, connected and vibrant community for all ages and backgrounds. Creative outlets help us develop as individuals and as a community – from early childhood to our later years in life.
Council is in the first stage of preparing a draft Arts and Cultural Plan whose aim is to find out how the community currently interacts with local arts and culture and what people would people would like to see in the future by completing the short survey. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HSC-ACP-Survey
If you have any queries please contact Neil Chippendale, Manager Community & Cultural Development at nchippendale@hornsby.nsw.gov.au or 9847 6523.