Welcome to Term 4 Week 4
What's in this week's Connect
- World Teachers Day: Celebrating our Teachers!
- Finishing Year 12: What needs to be done?
- Finigan Library News: Halloween on ePlatform; Students using ePlatform
- Finigan Film Festival: Submit a film - any story, any genre
- Wellio Parent Webinar: Guiding Teens Through the Digital World
- eSafety Commissioner: Free webinars in Term 4
- Teen Mental Health Matters Webinars
- 2026 HSC Provisions: Do you need provisions for Year 12 2026?
- Careers: Career Ideas; Competitions; Scholarships; Traineeships
- Learning & Wellbeing Coaches 2025
- Wellbeing: General links
We would love to hear from you. If have something to share in our school newsletter please email it to: finigansde@det.nsw.edu.au
World Teachers Day: Celebrating our Teachers!
Last Friday, our school community came together to recognise and celebrate the many wonderful teachers across Finigan SDE for World Teachers’ Day!
During our whole-school assembly, we learned fun facts about our teaching staff, got to witness some of our teachers in their youth, and witnessed who could ‘crack the code’ in our virtual escape room.
In recognising the quirks and hard work of our teachers at Finigan SDE, we also had students across our school nominate teachers for a series of awards. Congratulations to all of our winners! We are pleased to announce the following teachers as our winners:
Our students and school community has also taken the time to leave a series of kind messages for a range of teachers at Finigan SDE too, as a part of World Teachers’ Day. We thank everyone who sent through a message on the ‘Teaching Gems’ map over the last month.
Finishing Year 12: What needs to be done?
Finigan Library News
Halloween on ePlatform
Students using ePlatform
Travellers, Louise, and Thomas Patterson have been improving their drawing skills by using the drawing books available on ePlatform. Take a look at their impressive artwork!
The titles that they borrowed are: ‘Beginner's Guide to Watercolor Painting: Step-by-Step Lessons for Portraits, Landscapes and Still Lifes’ and ‘Simple Drawing Step by Step’.
Finigan Film Festival
Wellio Parent Webinar: Guiding Teens Through the Digital World
Wellio is hosting a free webinar for parents on how to support the young people in your life to navigate the digital world on Thu, 6 Nov, 6:30pm - 7:30pm AEDT.
With teens spending more time online, many parents worry about how to keep them safe while also nurturing their independence.
You’ll leave this session with tools that help you:
- Set Clear Limits: creating guidelines for your family that balance independence with online safety.
- Spot Online Pressures: how to identify and address signs of cyberbullying or social stress.
- Supporting Digital Connections: strategies you can use to help teens develop safe, meaningful friendships in the digital space.
CLICK HERE to register for the webinar
If you would like to know more, or have any questions, please email Wellio at -support@wellioeducation.com
eSafety Commissioner free webinars in Term 4
The eSafety Commissioner has some free webinars coming up to give parents and carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences.
Term 4 Topics include:
Go to the eSafety Commissioner website to learn more and register for the webinars.
Teen Mental Health Matters Webinar
Available dates:
- Wednesday 12th November @ 7PM (AEDT) - CLICK HERE to Register
- Thursday 27th November @ 7PM (AEDT) - CLICK HERE to Register
- Wednesday 10th December @ 7PM (AEDT) - CLICK HERE to Register
Do you need provisions for the HSC in 2026?
HSC Disability Provisions are now open for students in Year 12 2026. All Year 12 students will receive further information via email in Week 2 and 3 to help you to consider whether provisions can help you during your exam.
If you’ve got questions about HSC Disability Provisions or if you would like to start an application, please get in touch with Jessica Scarcella (HT Secondary Studies) by calling FSDE 6210 5200.
Careers
Eleven factors that influence how much study you should be doing
Find out about eleven key factors that impact on how much you can study.
What to look for in your first superannuation fund
Starting your first job and want to know how to pick the right superannuation fund? We have some tips to help you make the best choice.
Schoolies alternatives you want to know about
Check out these ideas for alternative schoolies celebrations that don’t involve the Gold Coast, and start planning your schoolies today.
Brain boosting snacks for better focus
Smart snacking can boost brain power, improve focus, and sustain energy naturally throughout your day.
University accommodation vs private providers: Which type is right for you?
Not sure about all the different types of university accommodation? We’ve broken them down for you in this blog.
Workplace communication and why we need it
Workplace communication acts like a nervous system, connecting teams through verbal, written and non-verbal methods for career success. Read more about why workplace communication is important.
How to become and Optical Dispenser
If you’re considering becoming an optical dispenser, you can learn everything you need to know about the career in this weeks Job Spotlight.
Resources for Students
The Importance of a USI - A Unique Student Identifier (USI) is a student’s education number for life. All students undertaking nationally recognised training such as VET or a First Aid course, must have a USI to get their certificate. Higher education students need it to access a Commonwealth Supported Place, HELP loans and to graduate. Students can create their USI in under 5 minutes using their ID. For more information visit www.usi.gov.au or email stakeholders@usi.gov.au.
Learning & Wellbeing Coaches 2025
The Learning and Wellbeing Coaches for 2025 are as follows:
- Primary: Homeroom Teacher
- Year 7 & 8: Mark Huynh
- Year 9: Aamir Aftab & Tracey O'Leary
- Year 10: Dylan Wood & Michelle Hill
- Year 11: Donna Needham
- Year 12: John Preston
Wellbeing links
To access the school counselling service students from year 6 to year 12 can self refer.
https://forms.office.com/r/2xBCyq7Gff?origin=lprLink