NEWSLETTER Gooden Drive, Baulkham Hills, Telephone: (02) 9624 3133 Facsimile: (02) 9838 8407) Email: modelfarms-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Student Success

Each year our Industrial Technology students do very well with their major

works and are usually nominated to have their major works exhibited with other

quality HSC projects in 2017. This year Dylan Cramb and Jake Krnel were

chosen for their furniture pieces and James Norcott and Jonathon Zalakos had

their multimedia projects nominated. These will now go through another

selection process and should find out early 2017 if they have actually been

selected for exhibition. We wish the boys well.

Congratulations to Brendan Carroll and Dylan Wright who have both been

awarded a Sydney West Secondary School Sports Association Blue for

outstanding achievement in Trampolining and Baseball. Both boys will receive

their awards at an awards ceremony held in early December.

Congratulations also to Year 12 student Timotius Teh who will receive a major

award at the Annual University of Wollongong Faculty of Engineering and

Information Sciences STEM Competition Presentation Evening in December for

outstanding academic achievement in Engineering. Timotius submitted a design

report on a Civil structure, a personal and public transport system and an

aeronautical engineering project. Obviously they were outstanding and shows

promise as an Engineer.

Front Office Refit and Car Park

Rebuild

If you’ve visited the school in the last

week you will notice that there are some

major works underway and these have

caused some major disruptions to the

way we operate. The old office area at

the front of the building is out of action

and the refit has meant that the front path

up from Gooden Drive will not provide

access to the school for the remainder of

the year. The office has been moved to

the staff common room and can be

accessed via the entry off Redmond

Avenue and then follow the signs to

Block 5. Additionally, the carpark at

Redmond is being resurfaced and

widened to provide better disabled access and parking and this has meant that

deliveries now have to be done through the top carpark and unfortunately there

is no room for visitor parking until the work is complete.

18 November 2016 Term 4 - Week 6

CONTENTS

From the Deputy Principal Mr Grady p3 From the Deputy Principal Ms Pledger p4 Upcoming Calendar p5 Careers Office p7 Sports Venues p8 Home Ec p9 Maths Faculty p12 PDHPE p13 English Faculty p18 Vaccinations p20 Indonesia Project p20 Community Ads p22

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While we are sorry for any inconvenience

this has caused we know that the end result

will be worth the disruption. Both projects

are funded by the DEC with some school

and P&C funds being added to the office

project to ensure that the design is

appropriate for the school.

We encourage you to avoid coming to the

office during this transition if it is not

necessary. Options like utilising and

Parent Online Payment portal on the school

website for payments Make a Payment

can be one way to avoid any unnecessary

frustration. You are welcome to phone or

email the school with your enquiry also.

Recognition Breakfasts

We held our first Recognition Breakfast

this week, acknowledging all the hard

work done by Year 11 in 2016. Many awards were handed out and hopefully students are

motivated to continue their work into the HSC year ahead. Other assemblies will follow in

December culminating in our annual Presentation Night on 14th December. These are all

important events and of course parents are invited to attend and join in celebrating the

success of our students.

The 2017 Timetable Structure

We have been working feverishly on the timetable for next year and, as communicated to

the parent body earlier this year, are proceeding with attempting to have an early finish

afternoon on a Tuesday. At the minute it looks like the school day will end on a Tuesday at

around the 2.15pm mark to allow staff to engage in further professional development,

meetings and compliance training. This change will not affect the number of hours and

minutes required by BOSTES or the Department of Education to completely cover the

curriculum and students will be permitted to leave school at that time. There could also be a

slight change to the start of each day but this may well end up only being a matter of

minutes. Obviously when this process has been finalised we will communicate this to the

community.

Christina Bennet

Principal

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FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL – MR GRADY

Reporting Evaluation Thank you, to the parents who have taken time to help the school reflect upon the effectiveness of our teaching, learning and school practices through the reporting evaluation. To ensure you have a say in how we report student progress to you, could a representative of each family follow the link below, taking less than 10 minutes to complete the survey. Your thoughts and ideas are certainly appreciated. The survey will remain open for two more weeks. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VFMDVQW Year 9 Camp Several weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to attend the Year 9 Camp, held at Toukley NSW. The camp provided students and staff the opportunity to socialise, meet new friends and spend quality time engaging with current and new acquaintances. Students also engaged in activities including surfing, snorkelling, beach games, canoeing, paddle boarding, bushwalking, abseiling and the flying fox. It is a pleasure to inform the community (though not really a surprise), that our students were exceptionally behaved, bringing credit upon themselves, their families and Model Farms High School. Well done to Mr Dawson for his organisation, and the team of teachers who supported the students throughout the camp. Energy Drinks A concerning number of students are bringing large cans of energy drinks (Red Bull, Mother….) to school, to consume during the course of the day. These drinks are not appropriate for a school environment, due to the physical effects that can occur on a young body. More than likely, students are purchasing these on their way to school. If students are found with energy drinks, they will be confiscated and parents consulted to determine an appropriate course of action. At MFHS we openly discourage the consumption of drinks such as these and look forward to community support regarding the issue. If you have any questions regarding this, please feel welcome to contact one of the Deputy Principals. Year 12 Formal Wow! What a fantastic evening for a wonderful group of students and staff. Well done Ms Letherbarrow and her team for choosing a quality venue, and providing the night for the students to shine. And shine they did. The entire cohort dressed up and had a lot of fun, dancing to some very memorable tunes. The way they conducted themselves has set the bar so high for following groups. Well done to a great group of young adults. Ms Letherbarrow has been an outstanding Year Adviser, Role Model and Mentor to her year group and continued her "mum" duties, even on the night of the formal. A big thank you from all of the students and staff at MFHS.

Have a wonderful week, Mark Grady Deputy Principal

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FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL – MS PLEDGER

Year 11

On Tuesday we celebrated the success of Year 11 students with a recognition assembly. It was a fantastic morning and it was great to see so many parents, grandparents, friends and other supporters cheering on our Year 11’s. Year 11 is a strange year for the students; as the year draws to a close they cannot start relaxing as they have done in previous years as majority of their subjects will have an assessment task due that counts towards the HSC in the last few weeks of term. It is important for Year 11 to continue working right up until the last day of term. All Year 11 students have been issued with their HSC assessment calendar and the rules and procedures for the HSC. Please take the time to sit down with your child and go through their schedule of tasks so that they are aware of any busy periods in 2017. On October 31st Year 11 had our In Focus Evening. The PowerPoint presentations from that evening can be found on our school website. http://www.modelfarms-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/years/year-12 Senior Student’s and Cars PLEASE stress to your student the importance of driving safely when leaving school of an afternoon. While I can appreciate their desire to race home and study (or attack the fridge) it is essential that driving around school zones be done in a safe manner. All students who drive a car to school should have return the “Permission to Travel to and from School by Private Vehicle”. A copy of this form has been included in this newsletter if your child still needs to return this to school.

Pre-loved Uniforms If you have any preloved school shorts (both sport and boys grey shorts) please have your student drop them into my office. It is surprising how many kids tear their pants, get mud on shirts etc and need a quick change of clothes. We also have other families that are really struggling financially at the moment. While we do our best to use the small amount of Student Assistance money allocated to us uniforms are a significant expense. Thanks in advance for your donations.

Have a great week Jennifer Pledger Deputy Principal

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Model Farms High School

Permission to Travel to and from School

by Private Vehicle

I give consent for my child, __________________________ to drive a car/motor

cycle to school.

The vehicle’s registration number is _____________

I have read and discussed with my son/daughter the conditions below.

Conditions of Agreement Students with their Drivers Licence, who wish to drive to and from school, drive to a study venue during study

periods, and/or drive to TAFE, do so only with the permission of their parents.

If you drive to and from school, you must do so in a responsible manner.

You are NOT permitted to go to your car during the school day, including recess and lunch.

Please respect our neighbours and be conscious of young pedestrians and other road users near the school,

especially at the start and end of the day.

Under no circumstances are drivers to take other students with them in their car.

Student Name: _______________________________

Student Signature: _________________________ Date: ______

Name of Parent/Guardian: ______________________

Signature of Parent/Guardian: ____________________ Date: ______

Have a good week,

Jennifer Pledger Deputy Principal

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TERM 1

WEEK 7 Mon 21st Nov Primary Links Matthew Pearce PS Yr11 Frisbee Boys KO Yr11 Visual Design Task 1 mosaics 9GY Geography Semester Exam Tues 22nd Nov Aboriginal Education Day 9GY Semester Day Yr8 Science Day Wed 23rd Nov Yr 7 Science Group Sydney Uni Science Spectacular Thur 24th Nov - Friday 25th Nov Year 7 vaccinations Multicultural Day Yr 11 PDHPE: Sports Medicine

WEEK 8 Mon 28th Nov Primary Links Matthew Pearce PS Tues 29th Nov HSC ITMM & ITT task 1 Yr 7 Gala Day vs CHHS Wed Nov 30 - Thur 1st Dec Year 9 High Resolves Year 11 Ancient History Core Study Source Assessment Fri 2nd Dec Yr 11 Chemistry Production of Materials Assessment Year 10 Luna Park Excursion HSC ITMM & ITT task 1 (Presentations) Yr 11 Senior Science Lifestyle Chemistry Test Task 1 Yr 11 Physics Skills assessment

WEEK 9 Mon 5th Dec Year 11 English (ESL) Speaking Task Year 7&8 Girls Cricket Day Yr 11 Visual Arts Task 1 (VAPD and essay) Yr 11 Photography Task 1 – practise and research Tues 6th Dec Yr 6 -7 Orientation Day Wed 7th Dec Yr 11 Maths Ext 1 and 2 Exam Yr 8 Dance Incursion p1 and 2 Thur 8th Dec Yr9 Surf School Year 8 – Science, A Case of Conspiracy Yr 11 Modem History HSC Assessment Task 1 – Source Analysis Yr 11 Maths 2U & General Exam Fri 9thDec U-Turn the Wheel Year 8 Science: A Case of Conspiracy Yr 11 Legal Studies Assessment Task 1 Yr 11 Photography Task Appropriation Portfolio Yr 11 Biology Search for Better Health Test

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CAREERS OFFICE Term 4 This has been a great year for Yr 10. They have experienced a Careers Expo, TAFE, a seminar on Survivor Life Skills, work experience and excursions. The feedback from students and employers about their work experience in September was very positive. Due to the maturity and work ethic of some students, they have secured apprenticeship and part time work. A few of our students have undertaken work experience one day a week this year which has secured an apprenticeship for them in January, 2017. These students have been ambassadors for our school and we are very proud of them. I have had the pleasure of watching Yr 10 change into mature and responsible individuals. Younger students have commented on the supportive actions of several of our boys within sport and playground activities which is extremely encouraging. I will be seeing them next year to discusss their University choices and their progresss in TAFE courses. Year 11 students are now seeing me for next year to make appointments regarding University courses they are interested in undertaking. Year 9 are getting ready for next year and they have been visiting me to organise their work experience for 2017. Next year we will be organising a career plan together and discussing University and TAFE options. Thank you to all students who have spent time in my office working on a career path! Ms Katrina Tiedemann Careers Advisor

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MODEL FARMS HIGH SCHOOL

GRADE Round 7 VS Greystanes

Seniors AWAY 23/11/2016

SPORT VENUE ROOM TIME STAFF HT

BOYS GRADE

Open Baseball Col Sutton (training) 1W1 12:15 – 2:40 Stevenson MC

Open Cricket Darling Street Park 710 12:15 – 2:40 Jiminez JB2

Open B’ball a/b GHS 804 12:15 – 2:40 Wood RD

15’s Basketball a/b MFHS 805 12:15 – 2:40 Puleo JB2

Open’s Touch a Bathurst Street Park 507 12:15 – 2:40 Hansen JB

15’s Touch a/b Gooden Reserve 712 12:15 – 2:40 Keen JC

GIRLS GRADE

Open Softball Max Ruddock Reserve

806 12:15 – 2:40 Forrest JD

Open Oztag a/b Bathurst Street Park 711 12:15 – 2:40 Luttringer BM

Open V’ball a/b GHS 6L2 12:15 – 2:40 Edwards FH

15’s Volleyball a/b MFHS 504 12:15 – 2:40 Jones JB

Open Netball a/b Bathurst Street Park 503 12:15 – 2:40 Brown JB

15’s Netball a/b Gooden Reserve 708 12:15 – 2:40 Estacio JC

REC SPORT

Rock Climbing $7.50 + bus

The Edge Castle Hill 8CR1 12:15 – 2:40 Medina JE

TenPin Wondabowl $6.50 + bus

Wondabowl Castle Hill

3MU1 12:15 – 2:40 Gardner, Weingarth JM

Anytime Fitness (16 yrs +) $5

Winston Hills 807 12:40 – 2:40 Dawson JD

Wave Gym & Trampolining $10

Waves 707 12:15 – 2:40 Hoy, Vella MC

Ice-skating $8 + bus

Sydney Ice Arena 4L1 12:15 – 2:40 Robertson JE

Flipout $8 + bus Castle Hill

4L2 12:15 – 2:40 Eastmen, Vince JM

Tennis Olympus $5 Winston Hills 701 12:40 – 2:40 Georgopoulos MC

Zumba $5 MFHS TLC 12:40 – 2:40 Peet JB

Chess MFHS Library 12:40 – 2:40 Craglietto JM

Badminton MFHS 4L3 12:40 – 2:40 Gregory JM

Theatre-sports MFHS 3DR 12:40 – 2:40 Hodgson, Connell JC

Rec Walking Around Yr 8 - 702 Yr 9 - 811 Yr 10 - 801 Yr 11 - 812

12:40 – 2:40 Mansen, Rawat, Jideh,Letherbarrow, Kleemeyer, Tiedemann, Sanders, Parker

JD

House Sport Soccer MFHS Yr 9 - 505 Yr10 – 506 Yr11 –3K1

12:40 – 2:40 Joyce, Burnand, J.Singh JE

House Sport Touch MFHS 501 12:40 – 2:40 Leghorn, P.Singh JE

House Sport Netball MFHS 809 12:40 – 2:40 Papas JB2

YEAR 7 SPORT

7J Touch 502 12:40 – 2:40 Hawkins MC

7O Flip Out $8 + bus 709 12:15 – 2:40 Bowen JB2

7U Cricket 3C1 12:40 – 2:40 Snell BM

7R Gymnastics $8 + bus 713 12:40 – 2:40 Martic JC

7N Volleyball 6L1 12:40 – 2:40 Owen FH

7E Ice Skating $8 + bus 812 12:15 – 2:40 Bailey JD

7Y Soccer 6L4 12:40 – 2:40 Villigran FH

NON SPORT School 4L4 12:40 – 2:40 D’Souza RD

SPORT DETENTION School 802 12:40 – 3:00 Cambaz DD

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FROM HOME ECONOMICS

Cooking up a storm! Throughout 2016 the 3 Support classes have been practising their skills in the kitchen

The students have made some wonderful dishes. A few of the things they have made are; Banana Muffins, Tacos, Pasta Bake and Mini Quiche.

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FROM THE MATHEMATICS FACULTY

From the faculty that counts! Congratulations to the following Maths merit recipients:

Year 7 William C, Tiana S, Jacob W. Year 9 Zoe E, Mahroo K. Year 10 Sarah B

Yearly Examinations and Reports

All year groups have completed the Yearly Examinations for Mathematics and now teachers are completing reports. Students are reminded that the work that is now being completed in class is important and is preparing them for their studies next year.

Year 10 Luna Park Excursion

We are all looking forward to the Year 10 Luna Park excursion on Friday 2nd December. This is a reward for students who have completed all of the necessary requirements of the Stage 5 course. The permission notes have been given out and the final date for payment is Monday 21st November. Calculators:

Please make sure that all students have their own calculator. The Casio fx-82AU PLUS II is sold at the uniform shop for $35. Different brands of scientific calculators have different layouts and it is important that everyone in a class has the same calculator. 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.

Have a Mathematical week, From Jackie Dalton and the Maths Faculty Staff

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FROM THE PDHPE FACULTY

Year 7 Gala Day: A Year 7 Sport Gala Day is coming up on Tuesday 29th November. Students play Castle Hill HS in a variety of sports that include: Basketball, Soccer, Netball, Cricket and Touch Football. Students should have already made their preferences. Please see Miss Attenborough or Miss Battistella if you have not done so. REMINDER – hand in your permission notes and payment to the finance window ASAP. Team lists will be posted shortly. Hills Zone Cricket: Good luck to Lucas. N and Atticus. B who are trialling to make the SW Boy’s Cricket team. There trials fall over a two-day period on November 24th & 25th. Well done and best of luck! Year 7 & 8 Netball Round Robin Competition: There is a high interest from our junior school in Netball this year and with that, some outstanding talent. Miss Hoy has organised a lunchtime Year 7 & Year 8 Netball Round Robin competition to start shortly. Students should have already registered their interest with Miss Hoy. Even if you are not participating, go and cheer on your peers! Grade Sport & Rec Sport: Term 4 Grade Sport is well underway. Well done to the students who made Grade teams. Play with passion and uphold values of sportsmanship in each and every game. New Rec Sports on offer this term include Badminton and Zumba. They have received great interest and as a result, they are likely to be a regular option in coming terms. Reminder: basketballers are to bring money to pay for the referee for each home game. Thank you for already being so organised. Sydney West Golf Gala Day: If you are club member and have a competitive handicap, please see Miss Attenborough for more information about the SW Golf Gala Day. There is a 7-9 competition and a Year 1 competition.

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FROM THE CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS FACULTY

Year 12 finished their artworks and exhibited them for family and friends. Now the HSC is over we can show them off to all.

I was so pleased with their attitude and commitment to their art making and they too should be pleased with their results. Year 10 have been completing some painting tasks and Year 10 Visual Design have completed a newspaper task as well as starting some mural works outside our classroom. Year 11 are now developing ideas for their major artworks of Year 12. Their Body of Works are a complex process of concepts, experimentation and completion of task.

Year 10 mural walls in progress……. Year 10 news article and scraper board designs…

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Year 12 Art Works

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FROM THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Year 7 Year 7 are currently studying poetry and will complete an exam in Week 4. Please encourage them to revise poetic terms and definitions. You may like to ask them if they know any good similes! Year 8 At the moment Year 8 are learning about the forms and features of effective speeches. Students are enjoying the unit and have had the opportunity to listen to significant speeches from history such as I have a dream, Obama’s Victory Speech and Kevin Rudd’s Sorry Speech. Students are encouraged to prepare for their Speaking Assessment in Weeks 5 and 6. They need to remember that it is a speaking task not a reading task. So, practise, practise, practice! Year 9 Year 9 are immersed in research and discussion of Shakespeare’s legacy. Students will explore Shakespeare’s comedies, romances, tragedies and histories. Year 10 Students have been working on the unit ‘The Individual and Society’. They have explored a range of print and visual materials exploring the topic. Students are currently working on a Narrative in preparation for the Assessment Task in Week 4. Year 11 Year 11 students have started their first HSC unit, Discovery. The students have been immersed in learning about the concept of Discovery through a variety of texts in class. It is important for students to maintain their resources from this unit in an orderly fashion so they can revise the unit in preparation for the Half-Yearly exams. The first assessment for the course is in Week 6. Students will undertake a Reading Task on the concept which will require them to identify conceptual and textual elements of unseen texts. Year 12 Tuesday 8th November, 2016. 9 am TLC. Students are asked return all books and sign out. Year 10 Drama Students are busy preparing a monologue for their assessment in Week 5. The students are required to learn up to four minutes of dialogue and devise their own lighting and set design. Students are also required to record their experiences in a logbook that reflects their process of creative devising. Keep learning those lines Year 10!

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‘Tis the season… to start looking under your beds, in the bottom of your bags, at the back of your lockers for any books that you have been issued in class. Return them and set your conscience free!!! Enjoy the Christmas holidays without the books of lesson past haunting your dreams… or nightmares. But seriously, it is difficult for us as teachers to cater for students in the following year when we have books missing; it prevents us from teaching a great novel to a class when we don’t have a class set. And it’s disappointing when we have to send an invoice home asking for a book to be replaced. Save money, be responsible, return your books!

DRAMA at the Farms from Mr. Hodgson

The Senior Drama Company successfully performed Bassett by James Graham in the TLC on 18th October. Bassett was an exhilarating and startling snapshot of a generation who have inherited a world at war, and as they grow older, are starting to ask questions about their conflicts, their country and themselves. The performance was a great success. Congratulations to all the cast and stage crew who were involved!

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Vaccinations A reminder to all Year 7 parents that final Vaccinations for the year will be taking place on

Friday 25th November 2016. YEAR 7

Human Papillomavirus (HPV vaccination) - 3 doses: Terms 2, 3 and 4

Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (dTpa) vaccination - 1 dose Term 2

Varicella (Chickenpox) vaccination – 1 dose Term 4 Catch-up Program Year 8 students (Year 7, 2015) who missed a dose from last year will be offered a catch-up dose this year to complete the course. Please see Mrs Leghorn for more information if necessary. Those Year 7 students who missed the second round of vaccinations this year will be having them this round. Any new Year 7 students to MFHS will need to see Mrs Leghorn in the Languages staff room.

Indonesia Project

Earlier in the year, a crate of brand new and discontinued “Stampin Up!” supplies was donated to the school. The Year 10 Young Women’s Leadership girls are selling kits of card-making and stamping supplies at a HUGE DISCOUNT from RRP. The money raised will be going towards the Young Women's Leadership Group's "Indonesia Project". This will help pay for teachers and resources in a disadvantaged community school. Now it is your chance to help!

The kits are available from the school and payments can be made to the school office. A sample of each kit is available for viewing on request. There are LIMITED kits and so get in quick!!

So either you are an avid crafter, or you know someone who is, or you have Kids/nieces/nephews/grandkids/aunts/grandmas/people impossible to buy for...you get the idea. Take a look and get some early Christmas shopping done!

Make a lifelong family connection!

Do you have a spare room? Host an exchange student in 2017 and become part of a global network of volunteers. Each year high school students from around the world, travel to Australia to learn about our life and share their culture. The incredible families who host them come from all over Australia and we’d love to include your family! To request a free information pack simply SMS ‘host’ to 0428 246 633 or head to wep.org.au/host.

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