Volleyball success
Congratulations again to Mr Shan and our Year 9 Boys Volleyball Team that came second in the NSW Volleyball Schools Cup. Full nail biting report to follow in the next newsletter.
Wearing your uniform with pride
Daniela and Rojda
11 years at South Sydney High School, thankyou RAISE !
RAISE Presentation 2023
Orientation Day
On Tuesday 28th November we welcome record numbers of Year 6 students to South Sydney High School.
If you have any family or friends that would like to join us in 2024 please ask them to contact the school asap.
I will be taking two weeks leave from today, returning to school on Monday 20th November. Mr Patmore will be Relieving Principal during this time and Mr Kassab will be Relieving Deputy Principal for Mr Patmore.
In this issue
- BYOD - Bring your own device 2024
- From our P&C
- Library news
- Souths Cares
- Science news
- High Potential & Gifted Education
- VET news
- Careers hub
- Community news & events
BYOD - Bring your own device 2024
Students in Year 10 are almost finished their junior years of schooling.
To prepare for the incoming Preliminary year we wanted to remind you that all Year 11 students are required to have an appropriate device with them every day at school.
We understand there is a substantial cost involved and therefore are trying to give families as much advance notice as possible.
To find out more about our BYOD policy and necessary specifications visit our website.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact our BYOD coordinator Dave Tipple by email at dave.tipple@det.nsw.edu.au
From our P&C
On Saturday 14th October, the P&C Association held a most successful BBQ at the school's Referendum 2023 polling booth.
A great day was had by all who participated and we made a profit of over $1,800 which is 20% better than what we achieved at the Election Day BBQ in March.
Special thanks must be made to the parents and students who volunteered their time and also to the Mums & Dads who baked amazing treats sold on the day.
Anthony Fajwul, 2023 SSHS P&C President
Library news
Spotlight on David Attenborough
Did you know Sir David Attenborough turned 97 this year? Have a look at our resources to find out more about Sir David Attenborough and his work documenting the living world. Find out which creature does the waggle dance! Students can also view Attenborough’s documentaries on Clickview – sign in with your DoE details.
Halloween
There's nothing quite like curling up with a thrilling book. Check out the Library’s collection of horror novels, psychological thrillers, suspenseful stories, and fantasies full of ghosts, goblins, witches, and supernatural beings to continue the spirit of Halloween.
Halloween writing competition
Announcing the prize winners of the Halloween Writing Competition:
Five word horror story -
Dylan (Year 9) Weeping, I continued eating Grandma
Karel (Year 8) You have escaped, for now…
Write a complete horror story -
Grace (Year 9)
Honourable mentions to Annikah (Year 8), Jian (Year 8), Zeke (Year 8), Annabel (Year 10) Evie (Year 10) and Iris (Year 11) for their spooky submissions.
New non fiction highlights
Please click on the link to take you to the Library catalogue and find out further information about the titles below.
Easy Vegan Bible: 200 Easiest Ever Plant-Based Recipes by Katy Beskow ; photography by Luke Albert.
Easy to prepare, quick to cook and using readily available ingredients, this book is not only the go-to cookbook for new and established vegans, but also for home cooks looking for effortless ways to bring plant-based meals into their kitchen.
Places We Swim: Exploring Australia's best beaches, pools, waterfalls, lakes, hot springs and gorges by Caroline Clements ; Dillon Seitchik-Reardon ; with foreword by Benjamin Law.
From lap pools to ocean pools, rockpools to hot springs, Places We Swim covers the breadth of Australia, bringing you the 60 best places to swim, dive, jump, paddle and float around the country. You'll discover just what makes each swimming spot unique, learn the best time to go, gain some useful local knowledge and find out the best things to see and do in the area.
Still life drawing : a creative guide to observing the world around you by Alice Oehr
This book of quick, achievable and fun exercises from graphic artist and designer Alice Oehr will inspire you to put your own spin on still life and create artworks with what you have.
Portable Magic: A History of Books and their Readers by Emma Smith
Portable Magic unfurls an exciting and iconoclastic new story of the book in human hands, exploring when, why and how it acquired its particular hold over us.
The Trials of Life: A Natural History of Animal Behaviour by David Attenborough
Trials of Life, reveals how animals behave - and why.
The Golden Maze: A Biography of Prague by Richard Fidler
Fidler uncovers the glorious and grotesque history of Europe's most instagrammed and uncanny city: a jumble of gothic towers, baroque palaces and zig-zag lanes that has survived plagues, pogroms, Nazi terror and Soviet tanks.
Ms Maddocks, Teacher Librarian
Souths Cares
Souths Cares are running a program with our Aboriginal students and new Rabbitohs squad members.
Science news
Awards!
The Science faculty would like to congratulate Nehemiah Epp (Yr 7) and Zoe Barker (Yr 8) who achieved a Credit award and Eitan Ashurov (Yr 7) who achieved a Merit award in the ICAS Science competition.
Exciting news!
After a break, we are back with an all-student produced episode of our ‘Interview a scientist’ podcast: SSHS Science Cast. You can find the podcast by searching for SSHS Science cast on your favourite podcast apps like Apple, Google, Spotify. The latest episode is called: David Murray.
In this latest episode- join our outgoing Year 12 students, Aiden and Luisa as they chat with David Murray from the Garvan Institute about genomics, making medical advancements and the pursuit of truth in science. There is a lot of science gold in this episode, so buckle up and come sifting through the mind of David Murray with us.
A special thank you to Josh Newsome in Year 10, who edited this episode of SSHS Science Cast.
Are you or is someone you know an expert in a specific scientific field? Get in touch with us via sshssciencecast@gmail.com and you could feature in a future episode!
Recent classroom activities
Dissecting flowers in Yr 11 Biology, Equilibrium reactions in Yr 11 Chemistry, Building sailboats in Year 10 Marine,
Year 9 Marine: Testing out the snorkelling equipment in Year 9 Marine.
High Potential & Gifted Education (HPGE)
Major school production
Term 1, 2024, ‘A Day at the Beach’
This term we have held auditions and rehearsals are already underway for our 2024 major production, ‘A Day at the Beach’. This play was inspired by a play written in the 1990s by Australian playwright Tim Daly and our production borrows some of the scenes and characters from that play. However, the production we will be presenting is largely a reimagined twenty first century version of the original however that looks at Australian beach culture: past, present and future. The scenes set in the future were workshopped by students in Term 1. They were mentored in this process by HPGE teacher Ms de Paor and the award-winning Australian playwright Donna Abela. The characters and scenes that came from this process offer a bleak dystopian view of what Australian beaches may look like in the future if we do not act to protect our climate and environment.
We look forward to bringing you more updates about our exciting project for students at South Sydney whose area of aptitude and interest is in the creative arts.
Junior SSCIM Camp - Pittwater YHA 22nd - 24th November
We have once again booked the beautiful Pittwater YHA for three days of self-directed project-based learning at the end of November for our Year 7 and 8 students. This year many of those attending will be working on projects related to our 2024 school production: working on character development and learning lines, choreographing and learning dance routines as well as producing poster designs and promotional material. However, we encourage students who are not already committed to this production to come to Friday SSCIM Club and talk to us about a self-directed project they may wish to work on.
Stage 4 Enrichment recognition
Year 7 & 8 enrichment stream students and their parents will be invited to an end of year recognition of their achievement in maintaining their membership of this stream at our school on 7th December. We will e mail parents with details of this event.
School summer holiday opportunities for High Potential students at UNSW
We are frequently contacted by outside providers of programs to HPGE students. The most consistently positive feedback we get about courses that our students have attended over the years comes from those who attend GERRIC programs at the UNSW. The follow is a description of their school holiday program for the upcoming summer break:
Our GERRIC Gifted Student Programs is offered to gifted and talented students (students who can perform in the top 10% of their age-peers) in Years 3-10 at Australian primary, middle or secondary school. This is a school holiday program that expands the minds of bright, inquisitive individuals looking for an intellectual challenge that is more demanding and more fun than they may sometimes experience at school.
GERRIC Student Programs open a student's mind to abilities they may not have known they possess. At UNSW, gifted students meet others who share their interests and they are taught by educators who love working in this field. Our programs are offered on the UNSW campus and give students the opportunity to work on a small project.
General public tickets will be available from Friday, 20th October. Make sure to grab yours before ticket sales close on Sunday 19th November.
For more information on course topics, and to purchase your January 2024 Student Programs tickets please visit the website.
VET news
Another busy week for our Year 11 Hospitality class, as they move into the Year 12 course.
In Week 2 most of the class completed their mandatory work placement hours required for their course. The following students; Georgie, Katana, Fernando, Zoe, Chika, Rojda, Aaliyah, Daniella and Aisea went out to work in the industry. Venues included Al Aseel Restaurant, Max Brenner cafes, Camy’s Char Grilled Chicken Café, cafes down at Maroubra beach and Grill’d at Galleries in the city.
Congratulations to 3 students who were offered casual jobs from their outstanding performance at work placement. Awesome effort class.
Much excitement and valued learning experiences happening down here in J block.
Mrs Stephenson, VET - Hospitality Teacher, TAS (Technology & Applied Studies) Teacher
Careers hub
Only three weeks to go!!! Let’s get organised to raise some money.
South Sydney High School is hosting our inaugural Christmas Market and Career Expo on Saturday 25th November from 9am to 3pm.
If you would like to run a stall or advertise your business at the market and expo, or if you would like to sponsor this event, please email me - meredith.mattock@det.nsw.edu.au
To hold a stall follow the links below depending on the type of stall you wish to have: retail, food, or careers. All support and help will be greatly appreciated.
Volunteers who would like to help out at the Christmas Market and Career Expo, please complete the following forms to volunteer for the day: Parents/Carers, Students, Teachers
Raffle Prize - South Sydney Rabbitohs Game Day Experience
A big thank you to Souths Cares and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. For our Christmas Market and Careers Expo, they have donated a Game Day Experience to auction/raffle at our event. This will be valid for the 2024 season.
Pre sale - dried flowers
We are hoping to have a pre-sale of beautiful dried flower arrangements. A big thank you to Mrs Banari and Talia in Big Picture. All these flowers are donated to the markets and all money raised will go toward the school cafe. Please use the following link to pre order: https://portal.schoolbytes.education/other-payment/1623
Book exchange/donation
Thanks to the book donations received to date. If you have any books that you would like to donate to our Christmas Market and Career Expo to raise money for the school, please bring them to Ms Mattock.
UAC key date reminders
- 23rd November - Educational Access Scheme (EAS) application and documentation deadline for December Round 2 offers
- 14th December - 2023 ATARs released
- 21st December - December Round 2 offers released https://www.uac.edu.au/media-centre/news/dreaming-of-uni
ADF Gap Year Virtual Information Session
Spend an exciting 12 months in the Navy, Army or Air Force, where you'll get paid for meaningful work while travelling Australia, gaining skills for life and making lifelong friends.
Join us for a virtual info session to speak with current serving personnel about the Australian Defence Force Gap Year. Click here to register.
Macquarie University - Year 12: Get Ready With Us
15th November
If you’re gearing up for Year 12 next year, then you don’t want to miss our Year 12: Get Ready With Us Webinar. This isn’t your typical webinar; it’s an experience tailored just for you and designed to change how you approach your senior year. We’ll keep it fun, engaging and, most importantly, useful.
Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect:
- Personal Stories: You’ll hear inspiring anecdotes from students who have been through Year 12 and have come out on top.
- Study Hacks: You’ll learn practical tips and tricks that have helped our students successfully navigate Year 12.
- Planning the Year Ahead: We’ll provide you with a roadmap for 2024 so you feel organised and don’t miss important dates.
- Live Q&A: You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions. https://page.mq.edu.au/year-12-get-ready-with-us-registration-page.html
Newswriting Basics Jschool Journalism College
Next Intake 5th December 2023
Newswriting Basics is a micro journalism course offered to senior secondary students this summer by Jschool Journalism College.
Brent Street Summer Camp 2024
8th - 12th January or 15th - 19th January
Kick off the new year at Australia’s biggest dance event this Summer! Join us in either week of our Summer Camp for 5 massive days of dancing, singing and acting at our world-famous studios. You’ll leave the workshop feeling inspired and pumped, ready to smash your dance goals for 2024!
We welcome students from all studios across Sydney and Australia to enjoy our Summer Camp. It’s so much more than just dance classes; it’s an experience of making friends, a physical challenge and inspiring teachers! https://brentstreet.com.au/workshops/summer/
Are you an Enterprising Girl?
Got a great idea that you don’t know what to do with? Enterprising Girls will give you the tools you need to turn that idea into a reality! The Academy for Enterprising Girls is a fun and exciting entrepreneurship program, available FREE to all young women in Australia aged 10 - 18, funded under the Australian Government’s Women’s Leadership and Development Program. The Academy is designed to cultivate young women’s skills in design thinking, entrepreneurial and business skills. https://enterprisinggirls.com.au
How to Write Essays Worksop for Years 10, 11 and 12
22nd - 23rd January 2024
This two-day Essay Writing course focuses on the essay form and related critical thinking, language and punctuation skills for students in Years 10 - 12. The course is relevant to a range of subjects that require the writing of essays for assignments and exams. We will study how to structure essays, organise ideas and information, and write in appropriate language for assignments and exam essays. There will be an analysis of the essay form and the need for an organised, logical argument with evidence and analytic discussion of the evidence. This will include a focus on appropriate language, rhetoric and punctuation as well as study of the nature of a formal voice, appropriate educated vocabulary for different courses, and the range from a formal to a more conversational voice. Sophisticated punctuation is introduced as a mode of complex thinking. The sections on the body of the essay focus on critical thinking and argument as a combination of a sequence of ideas, evidence and extended analytic comment about evidence. https://cce.sydney.edu.au/course/ESH2
Taronga and Western Plains Youth at the Zoo
Applications open 13th November
Taronga’s Youth at the Zoo program (YATZ) gives teens the opportunity to learn more about how our Zoos operate, develop skills for the future and spend time with like-minded people who share a passion for animals and conservation. https://taronga.org.au/work-at-taronga/youth-at-the-zoo#sydneyapplications
How do I find a landscaping apprenticeship position?
There are many different ways to find an apprenticeship position, from contacting landscaping companies directly to listing yourself with apprenticeship organisations. Through our representation at careers expos, our links to TAFE institutions, our active presence at landscaping and other expos, as well as our prominent website, we are often the first place individuals turn to in finding an apprenticeship position and we receive many calls and emails from employers looking to hire apprentices. We can connect you with businesses looking to take on an apprentice in your area. Click on the link and scroll down to the bottom to fill in our ‘Apprenticeship Expression of Interest Form’ and we will contact you shortly to discuss apprenticeship opportunities. There are companies that specialise in matching trade companies with apprentices. Contact us for details at team@landscapeassociation.com.au https://www.landscapeassociation.com.au/become-an-apprentice/
Pathways into Medicine and Dentistry Live Webinar
15th November
Are you considering a career in medicine or dentistry?
If you have answered yes, then you may need to sit a compulsory entry exam known as UCAT (Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test) before you can apply to certain universities!
The National Institute of Education (NIE) is proud to present the free information seminar all about UCAT and the undergraduate pathways into medicine, dentistry, and some other health science programs. The session is PACKED with loads of valuable information during which we will be covering the following topics and more.
This forum is an excellent opportunity for teachers, students, and parents to find out about the UCAT and to have their questions answered by an expert who has been working in the field since 1999. https://www.nie.edu.au/ucat-free/free-ucat-information-sessions
Return and Earn
Big Picture students have set up Return and Earn for South Sydney High School. The main aim is to clean up the environment and also raise money to build a cafe here at school.
Please bring your Return and Earn into Ms Mattock, Careers
Community news & events
We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Bidjigal people, the traditional owners and custodians of the land we work on. We also pay respect to Aboriginal elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to other Aboriginal people.
Contact us:
Telephone | 9349 3868
Email | sthsydney-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
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