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PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

TERM 1 WEEK 8 2020 The next three weeks for your diary

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

23 - 27 March

Year 11 Assessment Biology

Year 12 EALD Assessment Task 2

Year 10 Science and Engineering

Year 11 Advanced English - Othello

30 March to

03 April

Year 10 Maths Assessment

Year 11 Advanced and Standard English Assessment

06 - 09 April

Year 11 Ext English 1 Assessment

Cancelled excursions/activities/meetings: Year 12 Legal Studies - Parliament House, Year 11 Legal Studies - Parramatta Court, Year 11 SLR Practical at SOPAC, Year 10 Field Work Iron Cove, Year 9 - Aneete Kellermen Aquatic Centre, Years 11/12 Parent, Teacher Night, Bushcare and Neighbourhood Aid Shopping.

COVID-19 Response As everyone is aware we are all living through unprecedented times due to the COVID -19 situation. In addition to the social distancing measures that we have had in place for several weeks, we have also put some other measures in place to strengthen the effectiveness of this. We put in a bulk order of essential supplies a month ago ahead of the panic buying. So, yes we are fine for toilet paper and yes, I have this precious commodity securely locked up. The NSW Education Department has implemented enhanced cleaning measures in all public schools. In addition to this, high traffic items such as door handles, desks and chairs are being disinfected on a daily basis. All computers, laptops and iPads are being disinfected after each use. The air at the school is a mixture of hydrogen, oxygen and Glen 20 at the moment – the scent is meant to be “Summer Garden” and it smells exactly nothing like summer or a garden! While it remains government policy that schools will remain open, we have adopted an approach of hope for the best, plan for the worst. Should any form of full or partial school closure be announced, we are fully prepared to continue teaching and learning online. We have a comprehensive plan for this and have prepared the ICT infrastructure to support online learning. I’ll explain to parents and the boys how this is going to happen if this should eventuate.

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Dwayne Hopwood Principal

The boys have impressed me with their (mostly) sensible approach to dealing with the COVID-19 situation. Like all things at our school, I think the lovely relationship that exists between the boys, their teachers and their parents has supported us working together and functioning as a highly effective learning community. Contacting the school about absences The office is receiving an almost unmanageable number of phone calls and emails at present. Can I please ask you to help us by doing the following:

1. If your son is absent from school, please simply reply to the SMS you receive. This is our preferred avenue of communication about absences. The office will call you if we need to clarify something. 2. In your SMS response please explain the reason for your son’s absence and its duration. 3. Please only call or email about your son’s absence if there is urgent information that we need to have.

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VISUAL ART STAGE 4

The Year 7 cohort has settled into the big scary world of high school very well over the past few weeks, showcasing their great personalities, and their even better drawing skills. To start this new adventure, Year 7 has been investigating the different ways of representing a person and their personalities through the construction of portraiture. To get started, they had a closer look at the art making practice of Chuck Close and his use of the Grid to assist in the creation of realistic drawings. This proved to be a whole lot more challenging than originally expected for most.

So far, Year 7 has explored portraiture through facial proportions and the use of tone, assisting in the creation of realism and form. This study will continue, broadening their knowledge and understanding of art into the world of colour and design.

Anthimos Karagiannidis Visual Art/English Teacher

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CONGRATULATIONS CHARLIE AND WESLEY

What a delight to announce that Charlie McQueen- Year 7 and Wesley Stewart – Year 11, have both auditioned successfully for the Year 7 and Year 11 State Drama Ensembles. Not only will this provide both boys with wonderful Drama experiences, but the knowledge that they draw from the rehearsals, workshops and performances will be brought back to ABHS and shared in their classes and extra-curricular Drama activities. Well done to both students. There were a number of other students who auditioned for the first time this year. Unfortunately, they were not successful this time around, but they have gained much from the process and it will put them in good stead for next year if they decided to re- audition.

Ms T Small Head Teacher CAPA

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MARINE STUDIES UPDATE

This term students in Marine and Aquaculture Technology have been studying water safety. Students have learnt first aid and CPR as well as strategies to be safe in the water. Over the last few weeks students have also attended workshops on water safety at the Annette Kellermen Aquatic Centre, practising their swimming competencies and learning how to respond to incidents in water. They have performed safety tows with various equipment, learnt how to stay afloat for long periods of time if stranded and learnt to make flotation devices out of every day items.

In addition, students have been investigating the impacts of water, salt and other factors on equipment used in water like boats and swimwear. They have performed experiments to explore the causes and effects of corrosion in particular.

Ms M Prasad - Science Teacher

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ASHFIELD BOYS HIGH SCHOOL 117 Liverpool Road Ashfield NSW 2131Phone: 9798 6620 Fax: 9716 8004

2020 Digital and Mathematics Competitions

Dear Parent/Caregiver, In 2020 the ABHS Mathematics/Computing faculty will offer the following competitions: the Australian Mathematics competition (AMC) and Computational and Algorithmic Thinking (CAT). These competitions take place each year in schools throughout Australia and globally. Ashfield Boys High School invites your child to participate. Computational and Algorithmic thinking (CAT) is a one hour competition designed to identify pre-programming potential. It is a way to encourage and inspire students who might have hidden natural ability in computer programming; and is suitable for students from Year 7 to Year 12. It is held early TERM 2. The AMC is an engaging 30-problem competition that demonstrates the importance and relevance of mathematics in students’ everyday lives; it is open to students in Years 7 to 12, held in TERM 3.

Please give the ENTRY FEE(S) for the Computing competition by Wednesday 1st April 2020 for the Mathematics competition Wednesday 24th June 2020 using pay online POP code. Entry fees must be paid by the respective dates in order to REGISTER for the competition (s). Student name ___________________________________ Year /class ______________ Ms M. Thomas Head Teacher Mathematics/Computing

Computational and Algorithmic Thinking: WHAT IS IT? Computational thinking is becoming part of our everyday world. It is the basis of all computer programming and has led to platforms such as Facebook and Google.

Computational thinking is a problem solving method that we draw on when solving complex problems with the use of computers. We draw on logical reasoning, algorithms, decomposition, abstraction and patterns and generalisations when thinking computationally.

Entry Fee (per student)

Competition Date POP Code

Computational and Algorithmic Thinking (CAT)

$6.50 (incl. GST) Wednesday, 29th April 534826

Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC)

$6.50 (incl. GST) Thursday, 30th July 534822

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ASHFIELD BOYS HIGH SCHOOL

117 Liverpool Road Ashfield NSW 2131Phone: 9798 6620 Fax: 9716 8004

TELL THEM FROM ME STUDENT FEEDBACK SURVEY

(TERM 1, 2020)

This term, our school, like many other public schools in the state, will participate in a Department of Education initiative: the Tell Them From Me student feedback survey. The survey measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices. More information about the survey is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au The survey is a great opportunity for our students to provide us with valuable and quick feedback on what they think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. More than 6,300 schools in Australia and around the world have used Tell Them From Me to survey 5.4 million students. Capturing the voices of our students will help improve how we do things at our school. I want to assure you that the survey is confidential. The survey is conducted online and will typically take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours between 9 March and 8 May. Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary. A consent form and FAQs for parents/carers about the survey is being sent home with students. If you do not want your child or children to participate, please return the form to school by 25 March 2020. Copies of the form and FAQs are available from: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents. And http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/

images/FAQs/2020/TTFM_Student_Survey_FAQs_Parent_and_Carers_T12020.pdf

Ms J Longman

Deputy Principal

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Students will need parent permission and a smartphone to participate. Please follow this link to read the Information Sheet, discuss it with your child, and let us know your decision: https://www.fpstudy.org.au/eGaY9

Parent Webinar Schedule:

Kind Regards

Year 8 Advisor

Register here

http://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_daHKkam5T6Kp76EF91jy7w

Thurs 2 April 2020 https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jExCJnIZQCaCbo2oeG604w