Model Farms High School NEWSLETTER

ISSUE 7 Term 1 – Week 8 Monday 18 March 2013

Gooden Drive, Baulkham Hills Telephone: (02) 9624 3133 Facsimile:(02)98388407

Email: modelfarms-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE… Student Success: Congratulations to Leroy Jennings and Amy Gibbs who have been short-listed as a finalist in the 2013 Sydney Hills Youth Awards conducted by the Hills Shire Council, and are now in the running to win each of their categories. Category winners will be announced during Youth Week 2013 at the Sydney Hills Youth Awards ceremony. Presented by the Mayor, Clr. Dr. Michelle Byrne, the event seeks to celebrate the talents and achievements of young people from our local community and will culminate with the announcement of the 2013/14 Hills Youth Ambassador. Year 7 students Jayden Chesson and Nicholas Smith and Year 11 student Nathan Smith have been selected to swim in the NSW State CHS 2013 Swim Championships at Homebush Aquatic Centre early in April. Jayden will compete in the 200m and 100m Freestyle, and Breaststroke events. He will also be a member of the winning 12 years Boys Relay team. Nicholas will swim in the 4 x 50 m Relay and Nathan Smith will compete in the 100m Backstroke. We wish these fine young people all the best. Castle Hill Show: Congratulations to all our students who participated in the Annual Castle Hill Show. When I was there on Friday they had lots of primary school kids interested in their farm display and it was a delight to see the way in which our students were interacting with them and other members of the general public. Participating in the show is a huge task, there is a lot of time invested in planning, preparing, arranging and manning the display. Our students are there from morning to night on all 3 days of the show. Their enthusiasm is awesome. Ag teacher extraordinaire, Mr Nev Newton is also to be congratulated for giving up his entire weekend so that our students could have this experience. Well done everyone. Year 7 Camp: I visited the Year 7 students while on camp last week and they all seemed to be having a fantastic time. They spent two nights at Narrabeen Sports and Recreation and while I was there everyone looked like they were enjoying the range of activities that were available to them. Students walked on the high ropes course, abseiled down cliffs, kayaked on Lake Narrabeen, shot arrows on the archery range and went to the beach. All of these activities were designed to help them take calculated risks to understand that nothing is achieved if you don’t move out of your

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comfort zone. Back at school I can already see some new friendships have formed and that the camp has helped greatly in assisting our new students’ transition to high school. I must thank all the staff who once again gave of their own personal time to go to the camp. School doesn’t knock off at 3pm when you’re on camp, so their commitment to your students is admired. Well done and many thanks to all. Christina Bennet Principal

DEPUTY’S MESSAGE Thank you to the parents and staff members who completed the evaluation of the Year 7 In Touch Evening. Responses indicated that the night was highly valued by parents and teachers and the casual meet and greet in the school quad was a highlight. The responses also indicated that a shorter formal component was desired along with identification of staff members through either assigned areas or badges. These will become features of the delivery for the next cohort in 2014. A sample of the comments received can be found below.

It was a great opportunity to meet the parents of my child's new school friends. I have not heard of a similar meeting at other high schools and did find it beneficial. It was great to talk to the teachers. The time seemed to go so fast though. Maybe you

could have different KLAs in a designated area of the quad.

A shorter formal part of the evening would be great, with perhaps just one musical item, so we could get our Year 7's home at a reasonable time on a School night.

The piece around the merit system and Bullying was fantastic! IT was wonderful to hear common sense being spoken around bullying and Facebook! Building a bit of resilience is really important and I love that my daughter attends a school with the same ideas as me.

At a recent assembly, I identified this week as a challenge for our Year 11 students as a large proportion will be completing more than one assessment task. To succeed in this environment, students will need to carefully plan their preparation, social and sporting commitments as well as homework requirements in other courses. Remember the practices that will support your academic success each and every day, though even more so this week include a healthy diet, quality sleep and a balanced life including exercise and fun. I wish each and every student success in the forthcoming week. Mark Grady Deputy Principal

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DEPUTY’S MESSAGE

Year 6 into 7 Expressions of Interest (EOI): A reminder to all parents who have students who will be beginning their High School journey next year that your EOI needs to be returned to your PRIMARY SCHOOL no later than the 22nd of March. This will give the Primary schools time to process the forms and send them off to the appropriate High School. Parents who are “non-local” please check the MFHS Enrolment Policy and related documents on the school’s website. Parents who have not been given an EOI form by their local primary can obtain one from http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/schoolsweb/gotoschool/highschool/eoi.pdf Model Farms High School's enrolment policy has been developed in close consultation with the P & C and endorsed by the School Council. The Enrolment Policy and related documents can be found at http://www.modelfarms-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/our-school/enrolment Documents on the site include:

Enrolment Policy 2013 Frequently Asked Questions: Information for Parents about the MFHS Enrolment policy Enrolment Application Form: Please note that this form is not used as part of the Year

6 into 7 process. Residency Proof: 100 point Proof of Residential Address Local Area Streets by name: An alphabetical list of streets within the local drawing area

of MFHS Local Area Map: Map showing area considered in-area for MFHS. A large copy of this

map is located in the main office at MFHS for reference. (map correct at time of printing)

Letter to applicants 2013- Outline of change to enrolment policy requiring proof of residence at time of lodging Expression of Interest for placement for Year 7 2014

Year 10 Subject Selection: In Year 10 students are asked to select subjects for Years 11 and 12. Here are some tips to help your teen choose well. It won’t be long before we need to begin this process. Spending some time establishing which course students may wish to undertake after Year 12 may assist in making the subject selection process easier. Find out more: http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/planning-for-the-future/year-10-subject-selection A Crash Course in Poetry Appreciation: Understanding why an author uses certain words or structures in their poetry can help your teenager enjoy the English subject and give greater depth to their writing and language skills. Find out more: http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/en/homework-and-study/english/english-tips/a-crash-course-in-poetry-appreciation-for-your-high-schooler Parent Bodies: The School Council is currently calling for nominations from the parent body for this school governance body. The Council is comprised of students, staff, parents and community representatives and plays a key role in whole school decisions and policy development. Meetings start at 6.30pm. If you would like more information, please contact Lynne Bourke on 0408 957 961. All nominations need to be made on the nomination form attached to this Bulletin. The only qualification required to be a School Council Representative is a willingness to help and improve

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the school. Further information can be obtained via the Contact the Council link below, or by contacting any of the aforementioned representatives. http://www.modelfarms-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/our-school/school-council

Mark Anderson Deputy Principal

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2013

TERM 1 CALENDAR

WEEK 8 Mon 18/03 Yr 11 Legal Studies Excursion Yr 12 Debate periods 1-4 Tues 19/93 Yr 12 Biology Practical/skills test Yr 7 Music Incursion Eddie Quansah Yr 12 Ancient History Assessment

essay in class Yr 11 In Contact Evening 6.30pm in

School Hall Yr 11 Metro Debate Competition Yr 11 PDHPE Core 1 Assessment Task Wed 20/03 - Thur 21/03 Art Express Yrs 11 & 12 Art students SRC Camp Yrs 11 & 12 Art Express Excursion Yr 11 Preliminary Drama “Isms”

Performance due Yr 11 Mathematics Assignment 1 Yr 7 Mathematics Assignment due Yr 7 World of Maths Yr 9 Chemical Reactions Test Preliminary “Ism” Performance &

Written Component due HSC Drama IP Performances due

(rescheduled from 14th March) Fri 22/03 Support Unit Excursion Yr 10 PDH Semester 1 Assignment due Yr 11 Business Task periods 3 and 4 Yr 11 English Viewing & Representing

Assessment Yr 11 Photography Assessment Task 2 due

Yr 9 Chemical Reactions Test SRC Camp

WEEK 9 Mon 25/03 Yr 11 Legal Studies Excursion

Parramatta Courts Yr 11 Physics Prac Test periods 1 and

2 Yr 11 Chemistry Prac Test Yr 11 Food Selection assignment due Yr 11 Modern History Assessment

period 4 Tues 26/03 Peer Support period 3 Yr 11 Chemistry Prac Test Yr 11 Elevate Incursion Recess to

lunch Yrs 7 and 11 Peer Support Wed 27/03 - Thur 28/03 Yr 11 Photography assessment task

due Yr 11 Legal Studies in-class essay Yr 8 Mathematics Assignment 1 due

WEEK 10

Mon 01/04 - Tues 02/04 - Wed 03/04 Yr 9 Melodrama Performance due Thur 04/04 Yr 10 Assignment 1 due Fri 05/04 Lithgow Camp Yr 9 Hazards Assignment due Yr 9 Melodrama Performances (2nd half

of class) due Yr 11 Legal Studies in class essay

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From the faculty that counts! Congratulations to the following Maths merit recipients: Year 7 Chelsea Froggatt, Natasha Newell, Brianna Sorbello. Year 8 Luke Zaccaria Year 9 Rachael Logozzo, Jesse Robinson, Zachary Fox, Dylan Wright. Year 10 Jared Nekipelov

This week’s news:

Assignment Season: Here are the due dates for the assignments. Please note that the Year 10 assignment was due on 7th March.

Year Topic Assignment Due 7 Famous Mathematicians Week 8, 21st March 2013

8 History of the Calculator Week 9, 28th March 2013

9 Probability Week 10, 4th April 2013

Free Maths Tuition: Free Maths tuition is provided every Thursday afternoon after school from 3pm to 4pm. Years 7 to 10 are in room 8-07 and Years 11 and 12 in 8-06. It is fully supervised by the Mathematics Faculty.

Coming Events:

World of Maths Year 7: This incursion will be held on Thursday 21st March. It is expected that all Year 7 students will attend. Money should be paid to the Finance Window by Friday 15th March. Year 12 Half Yearly Exams: are coming up after Easter and start on 2nd April. Here are Mrs Aldabbas’ top tips for preparing for the exams: Tips for effective study: 1. Study in a quiet environment. 2. Break big tasks down into manageable chunks so you're not overwhelmed. 3. Use a variety of study techniques - reading, writing, diagrams, question-and-answer, note-

taking, summarising and essay formats all help you prepare for the different types of questions you will get in the exam. Plus, they work in different ways to help you learn and remember.

4. If you don't feel well prepared, don't worry about what you can't change and focus on what you can do in the time remaining.

5. Try to exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet. 6. Get sufficient sleep and try to stick to a routine.

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7. A little bit of anxiety is not a bad thing - it's to be expected and can enhance performance. However, let someone know if you're feeling overwhelmed.

8. Have regular breaks. After a while concentration decreases and you become less productive.

9. When you take a break - enjoy it. Don't spend this time worrying about what you should be doing.

10. Stay positive. Mrs Aldabbas Calculators: Please make sure that all students have their own calculator. The Casio fx-82AU is sold at the uniform shop for $35. Students need this calculator from Year 7. It is vital for their progress that students are familiar with their calculator and know how to use the different functions. Fun with Maths: Year 10 are studying volume at the moment. This YouTube clip explains surface area and volume. It is a particularly good explanation of the surface area of a cylinder. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZPeEBigUpk From Jackie Dalton and the Maths Faculty Staff

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From the ENGLISH AND DRAMA FACULTY .

Congratulations to Georgia Cini, Elise Pentecost (Year 8), Lachlan Chok and Angela Tsigounis (Year 9) Amy Gibb, Chloe Elbaz, Jarod Nekipelov (10), Rebecca Grainger and Duncan Mitchell (Year 12) who are faculty merit award recipients this week. The importance of practice tasks….. Over the next few weeks students will be submitting practice tasks to their English teachers for marking and feedback. It is important students have the chance to complete a practice task and receive feedback on areas to improve before attempting the official assessment task. Students should allow suitable time and effort to compose their practice tasks to ensure they are thoroughly prepared for their upcoming assessments. Putting in the hard work now will hopefully see good results when completing their assessments under exam conditions. Year 8 and Year 9 are composing exposition tasks, while Year 10 will start working on their interview based on their novel study in class. Years 11 and 12 are putting the finishing touches to AOS and Module A essays as well as their creative writing. A Handy Dandy Text to Build Literacy Skills: Parents often ask us to suggest a text that they can purchase to support their children at home. Last year we sourced an appropriate text: Complete English Basics. The text has a comprehensive range of grammar, language, spelling and reading tasks that students can undertake at home to consolidate their literacy skills. Book 1 is available for Year 7 and Book 2 is offered to Year 8. These texts are optional and for home use only. If you are interested in purchasing one of these texts, an order form can be obtained from the English staffroom. The cost is $13.50. Performances Galore! All our drama students continue to excel! Year 12 Drama students are preparing for their Individual Project Assessment Task. They have their heads down and are working hard to deliver their first performances of the year. I cannot wait to see what they bring to the stage in Week 8. Year 11 Drama students are also underway with their first performance assessment of the year – ‘Exploring the Isms.’ They have engaged with theatre of oppression, the illogical and absurd as well as the subconscious of the surreal. I cannot wait to see what they conjure up over the next few weeks. Year 10 Drama students have been issued with their mime, mask and movement assessment task and have taken to rehearsing. These performances are due this week, I cannot wait to see the end results! Year 9 Drama students have been issued with their melodrama assessment tasks. Their over exaggeration is just what is needed to keep audience’s side splitting! Keep it up guys.

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MFHS Junior Drama Ensemble is continuing to work hard coming up with some highly skilled conceptual ideas for the oppression of children and adults! Amazing stuff!

Senior Drama Company is hard at work with their production of The Beauty Manifesto. They have put in hours of rehearsal and their production is coming together nicely. I am extremely proud of all the Drama students and their hard work and dedication to the course. The talent at the Farms is incredible! DRAMA FACULTY MERITS!!! Sonia Tahmizian Jesse Robinson Amy Gibb

Musical News Congratulations to our fantastic cast of “Millennium Mayhem” The talent demonstrated at the auditions was highly impressive. On Monday, week 9 there will be a cast meeting at lunch 1 in 3M1. At this meeting students will receive scripts and the rehearsal schedule. Everyone is expected to attend. Rehearsals start in Term 2, so get those jazz hands poised. Mrs Blockley J. Coffey Head Teacher English

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Year 7 gets active outdoors at Narrabeen Sport and Recreation Centre Our Year 7 students swapped desks and computers for fresh air and outdoor activities last week when they visited Narrabeen Sport and Recreation Centre for the Year 7 Camp. The group of 194 Year 7 students, 32 peer support leaders from Year 11 along with 8 teachers attended the 3-day active outdoor learning program that included activities like kayaking, archery, abseiling andhigh ropes. The adventurous activities were certainly a lot of fun, but they also provided a significant educational advantage. The program

was a great opportunity for the kids to challenge their abilities and practice initiative, teamwork and communication.

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Mrs. Varghese Year 7 Adviser

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From the FACULTY THAT MATTERS

Science Projects Year 7 and Year 10 have science projects to prepare during this semester. The following website may help you. In your student portal you have access to TaLe or you can search for it with Google, the full URL for the website is: http://www.tale.edu.au.

This resource is useful to help you design your experiment. To find this resource you can enter this save code X03BV, under the heading ‘OPEN’ or search for it by name.

Using the ‘search for’ function can help you find other resources. All the best for planning your project. Fiona Hoy Head Teacher, Science

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From the HSIE Department

Dusted Off – the Story of Vietnam: Year 10 History attended an emotional and moving performance by Brett Hunt in the TLC on Tuesday. Brett is the son of Frank Hunt the Vietnam veteran who stood on a mine the day man stepped on the moon (he was made famous in the Red Gum song, “I was only 19”). Brett retold the story of his father’s experience before, during and after the war through words, song and drama. He captivated the students with his presence and performance and the students now have a greater empathy for the impact of the war, not only on the soldiers, but on their families. At the conclusion of the performance the students displayed their curiosity about the war and the

participation of Brett’s father by asking some thought provoking questions. Brett will return to the school in June to perform to the students of Year 9 on the subject of World War One. Special thanks also to Jennifer MacLaughlin who expertly translated Brett’s words into sign language for over an hour. Ed McKenna, Year 10 History Coordinator

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From the HOME ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT

From Home Economics I’d like to thank all of the Home Economics teachers for contributing to and setting up this year’s display for Open Night; for the first time in another block! We missed setting up our usual café because of the kitchen refurbishment and had to turn down volunteer students who were

eager to demonstrate their waiter skills. It was lovely to talk about our subjects to the many interested students and parents who attended. The refurbishment is definitely “on track” and the new kitchen is starting to take shape. I must thank all of our students for their patience and cooperation with their teachers for the many room changes they have had to endure. The end is in sight! With a great deal reorganisation and extreme flexibility by my staff, we have managed to host Primary Links with students from Winston Heights Public school over the last few weeks. As always, it was a classroom filled with eagerness to learn how to make Chocolate Balls. Thank you to the following mentors who assisted the younger students on the day.

Caroline Willems

Ashleigh Munns

Claire Lawler

Rebecca Macrae

Kavimaran Kiritharan

Bilel Arab

Alanah Doulman

Lauren Pidding

Your support is appreciated.

Julie A. Elliott MACE Head Teacher Home Economics

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From the LOTE Department From LOTE

2013 is off to a great start in the Language Department! There are many talented linguists in our midst and it will be exciting to see how the year progresses! Congratulations to our recent large Merit Recipients for outstanding and consistent work in class! Harrison Diefenbach, Amelia Kerney, Lawrence Gendron, Frasier Bailey, Caitlan Taylor and Brody Robertson. Thank you to all our wonderful helpers on Open Night!

We couldn’t have done all the crepe cooking and setting up and Origami without you! Reuben Widjaja, Samantha Lee-Shipley, Paige Van Aswegen, Renee Vromans, Rachael Ivers, Maddy De Gioia, Holly Palmes, Isabelle Gillooly, Katrina Swavley, A. T., Renuli Athauda, Andrew Higginson, Chloe Davis , Rebecca Watson, Emily Jenkins, Madeleine Seddon and Rebekah Cooke. Thank you also to Mrs Leghorn and Mrs Hietamaki for their enthusiasm which inspires the students to participate in these extra curricula activities. Japan Tour 2013: We are off to Japan!! Only 33 sleeps (at time of writing) till Model Farms representatives head off to the Land of the Rising Sun. Eleven students and six teachers will fly to Tokyo to start the trip of a lifetime. For 2 weeks we will be visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka and Nara. It promises to be quite an adventure with sightseeing, shopping and visiting a Japanese school, practising all our language skills on real Japanese people as we go! The final Tour Meeting will be 22nd March at 6:30pm in Room 5.5. All participants and their parents are required to attend. We look forward to hearing of the wonderful adventures from this trip. Thank you to Mrs Leghorn for your wonderful organisation so far. Julie A. Elliott MACE Head Teacher LOTE

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MODEL FARMS HIGH SCHOOL UNIFORM PRICE LIST Trading Days and Hours

Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8.10 am until 9.00 am

Payment Options

Cash - Cheque - Visa - Mastercard NO Eftpos

ITEM PRICE BOYS

Shirt - Blue (Junior) / White (Senior) $30.00

Shorts – Grey (easy care) $35.00

Long Trousers (easy care) $45.00

GIRLS

Blouse – Blue (Junior) / Lemon (Senior) $30.00

Skirt – Check (Junior) / Grey (Senior) $55.00

Long Pants $40.00

JUMPERS

Fleecy $40.00

Wool - (Australian Wool) $80.00

SPORT

Top $40.00

Shorts $35.00

TRACKSUIT (By Order Only)

Jacket Only $75.00

Pants Only $50.00

Complete Set $120.00

MISCELLANEOUS

Aprons $13.00

Tie – Junior / Senior $20.00

Blazer $200.00

Calculator $35.00

Exercise Books – ie. maths, music, normal $various

2012/2013 - Prices subject to change without notice – includes 10% GST

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SPORT BUS PASSES CAN NOT BE PURCHASED ON WEDNESDAYS

Sports Bus 052-001

Please indicate preferred pass:

A 5 trip pass for $37.50 No. of passes ______ Total $________

A 10 trip pass for $75.00 No. of passes ______ Total $________ Name of Student/s _______________________________________Year/s____________ Payment by: CASH CHEQUE

PAYMENT BY MASTERCARD OR VISA SLIP Please circle the appropriate card

Please debit my Mastercard / Visa Account No: / / / 4 digits 4 digits 4 digits 4 digits Amount in figures _____________________________ Expiry Date: _______________ CCV: ___________ Name of Credit Card Holder (as shown on card) _______________________________ Signature of Credit Card Holder: ____________________________________________

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The office may need to contact you urgently please complete the form below and detach from newsletter and return to the front office. CHANGE OF CONTACT INFORMATION MODEL FARMS HIGH SCHOOL

Name of Student: ______________________________________ Year ___________

New Address: ___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________ Postcode: _______

Correspondence: ________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________ Postcode: _______

Email Address: __________________________________________________________

New Home Phone No. ____________________________________________________

Mother Mobile: __________________________________________________________

Mother Work: ___________________________________________________________

Father Mobile: __________________________________________________________

Father Work ____________________________________________________________

Emergency Contact if changed: _____________________________________________

Phone No. _____________________________________________

Any change in Medical Condition e.g. Allergy, Asthma etc.

Details ________________________________________________________________

Bus Pass: YES / NO