From the Principal

“TERM 2 BUSY AS ALWAYS” Term 2 has been a busy and productive one here at BHS. It has included our

Anzac Day ceremony; a Parent teacher evening for Years 8, 9 and 10;

Assessment tasks and NAPLAN for Years 7 and 9; and excursions and sporting

events, such as the Cross Country. I would like to sincerely thank the Staff and

broader school community for their dedication and support in ensuring such

wonderful opportunities for our students. A big thankyou to all parents who attended

these events and for your ongoing support of the school and staff. Without a supportive

school community we would not be able to achieve all the things we do throughout the

school year.

ANZAC DAY

I would like to commend both staff and students for the very meaningful Anzac Day

ceremony that was held on Thursday 28th

April. I would like to thank the following Year 9

students for their fantastic effort in helping to plan and respectfully run both the junior and

senior assemblies on the day: Swikriti Maharjan, Frangipani Liu, Elani Kamunaga, Alyssa

Warty Hasan, Christine Cheung, Selina Chen and Maggie Chen.

Representing the South Hurstville RSL Sub Branch this year was Mr Adrian Cahill. The Sub

Branch, led by the Senior Vice President Mr John Busuttil, have always been supportive of our

Anzac Day ceremonies. It is a real honour to have their regular involvement in our school,

particularly with members in attendance at key events. In line with tradition, the Sub Branch

donated money ($500) this year for the Peace Prize and other student Anzac Day Awards.

This year’s winners were:

1. 2016 Peace Prize - this award is in recognition of the outstanding contributions by one student who

has shown ongoing commitment to maintaining peace and school spirit. Steven Ribaroski, a current

school Prefect, received this award at the ceremony for his constant and ongoing involvement in all

aspects of the school community. Well done, Steven!

2. Anzac Day Essay Writing Competition – a number of Year 9 students participated in an essay writing

competition with the central theme being to “explain the importance of the returned and Services League

(RSL) to Australian society over time”. The prize winners were:

1st Place – Tirza Winarta

2nd

Place – Swikriti Maharjan

3rd

Place – Hayley Jiang

Congratulations to all of our student prize winners!

NAPLAN

Year 7 and 9 sat for the 2016 NAPLAN exams between the 10th

and the 12th of May. The results of these exams will

be posted to parents late in Term 3. A huge thankyou to Mrs Alison Peachey for her co-ordination of the NAPLAN

exams again this year.

FUNDRAISING FOR A GREAT CAUSE

The following article appeared in the Leader on April 11. It showcases the great work of a group of Year 9 sudents at

Blakehurst High School.

N E W S L E T T E R

Blakehurst High School

Your Outstanding Local Comprehensive Secondary School

Term 2 Update – May 2016.

Term 3 Update – September 2012

270A Woniora Road BLAKEHURST NSW 2221 Ph: 9546 3281 Fax: 9547 1024 Email: blakehurst-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website: www.blakehurst-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

Blakehurst high School lends a

helping hand Eva Kolimar

April 11, 2016, 7:30am

Local assistance: Blakehurst high School shows its support for Fiji

A group of Blakehurst High School students have brought much-needed relief to three villages in Fiji

that were devastated after Tropical Cylone Winston ripped through the country.

The Year 9 students from the school’s Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme team sold cream buns to

rake in funds that were needed to send a shipment of supplies including curtains, cutlery and

homewares to islands.

Commercialised in Fiji in the early 1980s the Fijian cream bun is a national delicacy among locals. The

idea to fundraise was requested by one of the students of Fijian background, Elani Kamunaga 14,

whose grandfather’s island village was affected by the cyclone.

Blakehurst High School

PLEASE USE THIS FORM FOR CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS ONLY

Student Name: Roll Class:

Payment For: PAYMENT DETAILS: {Please tick on box} Please debit my credit card for $

Visa Mastercard

Name on Card: Card Number:

PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY

Expiry Date: / Signature:

(Receipt will be sent home with student)

SCHOOL FEES

Thanks to the many families who have already paid their school fees for 2016. These fees assist greatly in the

running of the school, and all fees received are used to enhance your child’s education this year. General

contributions are used to pay for things such as photocopying, textbooks, teaching resources, library books etc. The

school would simply not have enough money to pay for all of these things without parents paying the General

Contribution. So again, thank you.

Subject fees vary in their amount based on the amount of consumables used in the teaching of the subject. As a

result, some subjects have NO fees but others such as Visual Arts, Woodwork, Construction, Food Tech etc. have

higher fees due to the resources/consumables required and used by the students undertaking these subjects.

The P&C Student Enhancement Fee is used by the P&C to fund worthwhile educational projects/resources around

the school, again to improve the educational outcomes of students this year.

In 2015 the P&C funded over $25000 worth of projects which included the funding of the SMS Attendance System as

well as the purchase of teaching and learning resources and software for a number of faculties, to name but a few.

It would be great then, if all outstanding fees could be finalised this term, as we could allocate it effectively to further

enhance your child’s education this year.

If you have trouble in paying your fees please feel free to contact Kim Morris (Office Manager) or myself to organise

payment in instalments or to discuss other arrangements. All information provided will be held in confidence.

Blakehurst High School has recently purchased the Skoolbag App to allow us to communicate directly with

you. It works for both smart phones and smart devices. Blakehurst High School Skoolbag App free to download will

allow you to keep up-to-date with the following:

1. School events

2. School newsletters

3. School documents

It provides a link to our school website and allows you to contact the school directly.

Please see the following information on how to download the app and set it up to receive the free notifications.

iPhone & iPad Users

1. Click the “App Store” icon on your Apple device

2. Type your school name in the search, (using suburb name will help)

3. If iPhone, you will see your school appear, click “FREE” then

“INSTALL”

4. If iPad, change the drop list to “iPhone Apps”, your school will then

be visible, click “Free” then “install”

5. When installed click “Open”

6. Select “OK” to receive push notifications, when asked

7. Click the “More” button on the bottom right of the App, then “Setup”

8. Toggle on the Push Categories that are applicable for you

How to Install Skoolbag

On Your Smartphone

Android Users

You must first have signed up with a Google Account before installing the app.

1. Click the “Play Store” button on your Android Device

2. Click the magnifying glass icon at the top and type in your school

name, (using suburb name will help)

3. Click the school name when it appears in the search

4. Click the “install” button

5. Click “Accept” for various permissions (please note, we do not

modify any of your personal data on your device)

6. Click ‘Open” when installed

7. Click the “More” button on the bottom right of the App, then “Setup”

8. Toggle on the Push Categories that are applicable for you

Dan Ovens Principal (Relieving)

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S Report

We are approaching the half way mark of the year and this term is busy with assessments and reports being compiled. All

year groups have had their Parent-Teacher interviews and reports will be issued soon. The senior students in particular are in

full swing and working progressively towards their goals.

The staff were all trained in Gifted and Talented strategies on our Staff Development Days at the end of last year and have

since been applying these to faculty programs. As part of our strategic plan the staff who teach the Gifted and Talented class

are further trained each year and this years team have now gathered data which identifies the learning styles of all students in

Year 7. All staff will have access to this information to inform their teaching and ensure the needs and styles of all students are

catered to.

The Literacy Team are also working hard to consolidate our school-wide literacy program, “GET IT WRITE”. We are focussing

on Reading and Comprehension initially and have issued all students from Years 7-10 with our specifically designed

bookmarks with the Super Six strategies clearly explained. All staff employ these in classes whenever they have reading or

comprehension activities. The Team is also working on simplifying the language of the Literacy Continuum and we will then

continue our staff training so all staff will be familiar with the markers and be able to identify the progress of each of their

students individually.

Both these initiatives by the Gifted and Talented and Literacy Teams will allow us to meet our 2016 milestones and inform

future directions so the students of BHS are always at the forefront of best teaching and learning practices.

Students are expected to be at school each day and be punctual to every class;

for the seniors that means period 0 for the days they are scheduled on their

timetable. If they miss periods they obviously fall behind in the curriculum and also

have to make up that time with their teacher. It is the responsibility of each student

to comply with these rules and expectations and it prepares them for the world of

work and the requirements they will have to fulfil as employees. I have provided

the attendance charts at the end of this report that the DoE follows for your

information, please reinforce with your child the importance of attending daily

and punctually. If they are absent due to illness please ensure they have a note

when they return and the absence will be noted as an explained absence.

On Monday 16 May, I had the pleasure of attending the annual “In Concert” event

held at Sydney Town Hall. Once again our choir was involved, under the guidance

of Creative and Performing Arts Head Teacher, Ms Jacobsen. This years focus artist was the highly acclaimed Katie Noonan,

and it truly is a wonderful opportunity for our choir to perform on such a stage and accompany artists of the calibre of Ms

Noonan. Experiences such as this are exceptional and I thank Ms Jacobsen for the time and effort she puts into preparing the

choir for this event each year. It is a long day, they set off at 8am and return home at 11pm, and she selflessly devotes her

time so the students have these phenomenal opportunities that they will treasure forever.

As the weather is starting to cool down, in the mornings especially, please ensure your child has the correct uniform and that

they are warm and clearly marked with their name. We are seeing a few different versions of the jumper emerge, along with

the tights the girls are wearing for sport, and I’d like to reinforce we are a uniform wearing school, we promote the wearing of

our uniform with pride and appreciate your efforts in assisting us in monitoring this at home.

Mrs V Manos Deputy Principal

‘Get it

Write’

A Literacy

Team

Initiative

Attendance Counts

CAPA ‘Column’

Welcome back to all our staff and

students for another action

packed Term 2!!

CHOIR

The BHS Choir very proudly represented our school

on Monday 16 May at the Sydney Town Hall for the

2016 In-Concert Secondary Choral Concert. And

what an amazing concert it was!!

The Town Hall gallery was filled with the gorgeous

voices of the students of the Combined Secondary

Choir, under the expert direction of Liz Scott from

the Arts Unit. We were also treated to a

performance of the magical voice of Katie Noonan.

The choir also sang with her as she performed

‘Blackbird’ and ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’,

accompanied by the Secondary Schools Jazz

Ensemble. The Secondary Schools Orchestra

accompanied the choir in their stunning performance

of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. Click on the link for

this year’s In-Concert performance.

In-Concert 2016

GUITAR LESSONS

Guitar lessons continue each Friday. There are still

some places available for any students who would

like to learn to play the guitar. Please see Ms

Jacobsen in the CAPA staffroom for more

information.

DANCE ENSEMBLE

I am delighted to announce that BHS have, for the

first time in the history of BHS, successfully

auditioned for inclusion in the 2016 Schools

Spectacular. This year it is extra special because for

the first time, the concert will be held in the Qudos

Bank Arena at Sydney Olympic Park instead of the

Sydney Entertainment Centre.

It is a fantastic opportunity for our students and also

a huge commitment! So Congratulations to our

fabulous dance troupe!

We are also commencing our weekly dance classes

this week! We have engaged the expertise of Ms

Jessica Hesketh to work with our students.

Jessica studied classical ballet and contemporary

dance full-time at the Brent Street Studios' Talent

Development High School (Sydney, Australia) before

furthering her studies as a full time dance student

In 2009 Jessica went on to train in New York.

Shortly after that she was the runner up in the 2010

season of So You Think You Can Dance.

She joined the Australian Dance Theatre in 2010,

and has performed in a number of premier shows

nationally. She is also a member of the Dream

Dance Company. We are very excited to have her

on board with us.We look forward to some amazing

opportunities for the kids – for example, regional

dance festivals and future inclusion in the Schools

Spectacular as a featured act!! Who knows where

this might lead us ??!!

For more information, please contact Ms Tanya

Bourtsouklis or Ms Judy Jacobsen. We will keep you

posted!!

MUSIC NIGHT

Once again we are preparing for CAPA’s annual

night of nights – Music Night! Make sure you ‘SAVE

THE DATE’ – Wednesday 15 June 2016. The concert

will commence at 5.30pm and promises to be

another superb evening of musical entertainment.

Tickets will be on sale prior to the event as well as

on the night. Auditions have begun and rehearsals

will commence in week 7.

Camera !!

Came

ra

Lights !!

Cam

era

Action ! !

Came

ra

Jessica Hesketh

Visual Arts…

YEAR 8 CERAMICS

Year 8 have used the “Elements – Earth, Wind, Fire,

Water” as inspiration for their Ceramic Pots. They

used a BRT Earthernware Clay and the

handbuilding method of coils to construct their

pots. They then put the pots into the kiln and

waited for them to be fired at 1000 degress celcius.

The students then use a combination of Underglazes

and Glazes to decorate the surface of the pots, making

them colourful and waterproof. The pots are then placed back into the kiln

and are fired up to 1100 degrees celcius to melt the glazes, strengthen the pots and for the

colours to become permanent.

Year 8 love this task and take great pride in their work.

Alana

Ms Judy Jacobsen Head Teacher & the CAPA Team

Kaitlyn

Jayden

Hope

Xi Xi Zhang

Harley

Chelsea

Alvin

Malaak

John

Welfare Report

2016 National Adolescent Vaccination

Program…

Visit 1 - Friday March 18, 2016

Visit 2 – Friday June 10, 2016

Visit 3 – Friday October 28, 2016

Each year NSW Health and the Public Health Units offer vaccines recommended for adolescents by the National

Health and Medical Research Council as part of the school-based program. If you have any medical queries in

regards to the vaccinations, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Immunisation team on 9382 8333.

All students have received a Parent Information Kit. To consent to the vaccination, parents/guardians are

advised to:

Read all the information provided

Complete the consent form, including signing their name to the vaccine(s) they would like their child to

receive

Return the completed consent form to the school as soon as possible

Ensure your child eats breakfast on the day of the vaccination

Parents/guardians who wish to withdraw their consent for any reason may do so by writing to the school

Principal. The Procedure for Withdrawal of Consent is available on the NSW Health website at

www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation

The following vaccinations will be offered to Year 7 students:

dTpa vaccine (Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis (whooping cough) as a single dose

varicella vaccine (chickenpox) as a single dose; and

human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in a 3 dose schedule (students who commence HPV vaccination in

Year 7 but do not complete the course may be offered catch-up doses at school in Year 8)

Please note for the HPV vaccine only, parents/guardians must record their Medicare Number (all 10 digits and the

11th number beside the child’s name) on the consent form, as this is required to record the student’s information

on the National HPV Vaccination Register and (for females only) link to the National or State Cervical Screening

Program.

A Record of Vaccination Card will be provided to each student vaccinated at the clinic. Parents/guardians

should ensure that this record is kept for future reference and should not assume that their child has been

vaccinated if they do not receive this Record of Vaccination. If your child misses a dose of the vaccine, provided

you have returned the signed consent form, the missed dose vaccine will be caught up at the next scheduled

vaccination clinic throughout the year.

Safe Partying Incursion –

On the first day back of Term 2,

Year 10 attended an

incursion in the form of a

discussion on ‘safe

celebrating’. Lasting

70 minutes in the

school library, the

discussion was to

inform how different

decisions and risks

taken during

celebrations and

parties could lead to

life threatening

situations.

In the beginning, the guest

speaker gave a brief introduction on the

topic and what motivated him to address the issue. Then, he gave us the chance to

participate by reading and answering questions about real-life situations that led to terrible conclusions. After that,

the guest speaker thoroughly discussed his own experience of partying and celebrating when he was young,

stating that his decisions nearly cost him his life. To

conclude, he explained how grateful he was for surviving

his situation and how students like us should appreciate

our lives and always be smart with what we choose to

do when out with friends. The talk was humorous at

times, however it was also very emotional and made

the Year 10 students think and take important

information from the talk to overcome bad scenarios as

a result of drinking, partying or celebrating in public. It

was very informative and was definitely worth

listening to.

…..N ehal B Brandon

….Year 10

N O U R

B E Y D O U N

Ms Olga Pappas Welfare Coordinator (Relieving)

MUNA – Model United Nations Assembly

Towards the end of first

term, we – Sally, Nehal and Ria – were asked to

participate in a Rotary sponsored Competition

known as MUNA, (the Model United Nations

Assembly), a program for students in Years 10

and 11.

For the past few weeks, we have been working

collaboratively to research and produce speeches

for or against UN resolutions. Held on Saturday

the 23rd of May 2016 at NSW Parliament House,

we were assigned to be mock-delegates for the

country of Uganda, and research our country’s

perspective on four major world issues:

The world-wide refugee crisis

The conflict in the South China Sea

The banning of plastic bags

Conflicts arising from control of

water supply

Together with over 20 other representatives from

various schools in Sydney, we debated on these

prevalent issues with our prepared speeches,

dressed in the cultural attire of Uganda. We socialised with other representatives, not only to meet new

people but to form alliances which would strengthen our arguments on these issues that affect the

world today.

The entire day was a fantastic experience, and we learnt so much

about the other country’s perspectives and the functioning of the

UN meetings.

We would like to thank Ms Pappas, Mrs Maricic, Mr Slater and Mr

Bateman from Kogarah Rotary for their encouragement and

support throughout our research, as well as Reverend Simon

Kitimba from the Catholic Church in Carlton who supplied the

Ugandan Gomesis (native dresses). Special thanks to Kevin

Pretty from St George Central Rotary Club for sponsoring the

team and giving his support on the day.

Ms O Pappas & Ms M Maricic

MUNA Coordinators

From the CAREERS Adviser…

On Thursday the 12th of May 2016 I had the

pleasure of accompanying Year 11 students Monica,

Sandy and Mikayla to the NSW Parliament House

to participate in the Young Women’s Leadership

Seminar. During the day our students had the

opportunity to hear from inspiring women

leaders from Parliament and the community and

to discuss concepts and definitions of leadership

issues that might affect women in leadership roles.

Some of the highlights of the day included hearing

from the keynote speaker Kylie Legge, a successful and inspiring

business woman and the opportunity to visit the both Legislative Council and the

Legislative Assembly. Whilst in the Legislative Council we witnessed a lively debate about public transport

and in the Legislative Assembly we heard Member for the Blue Mountains Trish Doyle speak about the

Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Amendment Bill. Following our tour of the chambers of parliament

students participated in an informative question and answer session with three female politicians.

Monica and Sandy share their thoughts on the day below:

Overall students had a very enjoyable day. It was a great opportunity for them to observe women in

leadership and gain valuable advice.

“The special guest speaker for the day was Kylie Legge, an inspiring woman with a

passion to build relationships between people and their environments

through a fuller understanding of their physical, intellectual and

spiritual needs. This conference reinforced that women do have

the power to make a strong impact on the world around them;

I have come back needing to make the most of every opportunity

I have to make society a better place for everyone” – Sandy

“The first guest speaker Kylie Legge was a graduate of Architecture and also

holds a Masters in Social Science (Environment and Planning) and is the

director of her own company, Place Partners. Personally,I related the

most to when she mentioned that when she was in high school, she

struggled to decide what she wanted to become because she was

interested in both sciences and the arts. She also discussed the

hardships of starting her own business but as well taught us how

fun and worthwhile it is as you can express and share your

ideas endlessly. We were all very inspired and captivated

by her personal story and it was a very beneficial

experience for us.” -Monica

Lisa Evers Careers Adviser

Over three days, from Wednesday May 18 to Friday May 20, 2016

75 Blakehurst High School students from Year 7 through to Year 12,

participated in the NSW Futsal Competition

held at Menai Sports Centre.

On the first day, students from Years 11 and 12 participated in the Open Boys draw, competing

against schools in the Sutherland district. The Year 12 boys played three intense games,

defeating all teams to come first in their pool. Qualifying for the quarterfinals, they won

comfortably and proceeded to the semi-finals to meet St. Charbels College. Despite the close

game, our boys unfortunately lost; however, played with great skill and sportsmanship.

Congratulations to Shaqil, David, Kris, Mihailo, Adam, Nicholas and Kristijian for their

enormous efforts.

The second day, saw the U16 Boys and Girls teams front the competition. We had two teams

come first in their pools and after successfully defeating their quarterfinal opponents, cruised

through to the semi finals. Unfortunately, after extra time, the first U16s team consisting of

Kyle, Jackson, Daniel, Brendon, Ignatius and Vladimir lost against Sylvania High School in a

penalty shoot out.

On the other hand, our second U16s team comfortably won in the semi finals and psychologically

prepared themselves to meet Sylvania High in the finals. It was a nail biting game played with

high intensity by both teams; Blakehurst supporters cheering along the sidelines.

U16s Regional Champions

At the end of full time the

score board read 2-2; thrilling

goals scored by David and

Daniel. The team re-grouped

and strategised, promising

each other the golden goal.

With the referee signalling for

the game to re-commence; Blakehurst High kicked off.

After a few swift passes, GOAL!!!... by a Blakehurst High jersey. Year 10 student Tyler scored

the golden goal!! The Blakehurst High supporters ran on the field with their team manager

Andreas dropping his crutches to join his teammates in their celebrations. Blakehurst High

School were crowned the regional winners for the U16s division. Great work by the whole team

which consisted of: Andreas, Adam, Khoder, Daniel, Kristian, Stefan, Nikola and Tyler. A

fine effort by all the boys who played with great spirit, skill, collegiality and graciousness! STATE

CHAMPIONSHIPS HERE WE COME!!!

The Friday saw our U14s boy and girls compete; feeling the pressure to perform and reach the

standards of the U16s. All teams played well and represented Blakehurst High in a fine manner.

Overall, Mr Tsattalios and I are extremely proud of all the hard work, commitment and

sportsmanship displayed by all students. They are a credit to themselves, their families and our

school community. Once again, congratulations to all teams!

Opens Team

Ms Pappas & Mr Tsattalios FUTSAL Coordinators

TAS Home Economics Update

What a busy Term this is turning out to be!

All our students have been hard at work over the past 5 weeks planning,

designing and producing wonderful and creative design projects.

Year 7 & 8 Technology Mandatory

Our Year 7 and 8 Technology Mandatory students have swapped classes this term and have been busy

learning new skills in the areas of Textiles Technologies or Food Technologies.

Year 11 Hospitality Work placements –

Where theory is put into practice!

In Week 4 and 5 of Term 2, the Year 11 Hospitality classes have undertaken their work placements at

various venues around Sydney. All students have had a wonderful time and gained valuable experience and

knowledge of the Hospitality Industry. All reports by their employers have been positive. Great work Year

11! Thank you to those businesses who have taken on the responsibility to guide and train our students.

Year 12 Hospitality Expo –

The Hotel School Intercontinental

On May 15th, some of our Year 12 students attended The Hospitality Careers

Expo, which was held at the Hotel Intercontinental. The students had the

opportunity to converse with many Hoteliers, discussing career

opportunities in various large Hotel chains such as star City, the

Marriot, Amora Jamison and Sheraton.

The vast opportunities could take students into many hospitality

pathways such as Human Resources, Events Management and

Advertising, working all over the world in the Hospitality industry. The

Hospitality is an ever

growing and exciting

industry which offers

students a chance to

study while at work.

Year 12Hospitality Prepare and Serve

Non Alcoholic Beverages ‘Mocktails’

Our Year 12 Hospitality Food and Beverage students have been learning all about non-alcoholic beverages in

class. They recently put their theoretical knowledge into practice and have made delicious “Mocktails” in

class.

Year 8 Textiles project

is progressing beautifully..

The students are enthusiastically meeting every

Thursday to create what will be a large wall

hanging. This will be displayed within the school.

Our theme will be ‘Walking together.’ We are all

excited and eagerly anticipating the finished

article.

Special Religious Education Orthodox Christian Scripture at Blakehurst High

There will be a special Orthodox seminar on Pentacost available to all

interested students on Monday, 20 June during period 4.

If you would like your child to participate in this

seminar, please see Ms Winston in the

Languages Staffroom for a

consent form.

Mrs N Dexter

TAS Home Economics Head Teacher

Ms Winston

Scripture Coordinator

Blakehurst High School

2016 Ski Trip

31st July – 3

rd August.

The annual Blakehurst High Ski trip will take place again this

year in Week 3 Term 3. Students will travel to the snow by bus

leaving the school at approx. 9.30am on the Sunday morning and

returning on Wednesday evening at approx. 9.30pm. In between

times we will fit in 3 full days of skiing at Thredbo mountain

with lessons provided each day.

The cost of the trip includes all meals, apart from lunch

on the way down and dinner on the trip back. It even

includes a hot lunch in our own private dining area at Friday Flat in Thredbo.

The accommodation is at Bungarra, located just a couple of kilometres outside of

Jindabyne, in a bushland setting with kangaroos and emus wandering the grounds. Each room

sleeps 8 and are all centrally heated.

Also included in the cost is the hire equipment required including skis, boots and poles as

well as the lift passes to access the mountain. If needed students also have the opportunity

to hire waterproof pants and jackets from the lodge for an extra cost of around $40.

While the cost, at $790, is substantial the cost of skiing is generally recognised as being very

expensive and this I believe represents good value to give students the opportunity to see snow

and try something new. By the end of the 3 days most students will have a solid grasp of skiing and

will be able to cover much of the mountain.

In order to confirm a place on the trip students need to pay an initial deposit of $200 with the

balance required 2 weeks before we leave. Get in quick to take advantage of this opportunity which

is always acknowledged as a highlight of school life in the yearbooks of Year 12 students.

Please don’t hesitate to contact Mr Slater if you have any queries regarding this trip.

Mr P Slater

Ski Trip Coordinator

HSIE Roundup..

YEAR 12 BUSINESS

STUDIES EXCURSION TO

SINGLE ORIGIN ROASTERS

On the 2nd of March, Ms Butler’s Year 12 Business Studies class

visited Single Origin Roasters for a truly entertaining and educational

day, packed with the aroma

of coffee beans. Our

adventure begun in a hired

mini-bus, in which

we travelled to the

company’s coffee

roast works, located

in Botany. There, we

were treated to an

informative tour of

the facility to learn

about the

operational processes of the business. The company sources

green beans from overseas, roasts, packs and delivers

premium coffee to cafés around Sydney and Australia.

It was a very informative day as our class was able to see

the theories and concepts we study implemented in a real

business. We were fortunate to have an opportunity to learn

and observe the operational processes involved in producing

the perfect coffee bean.

To finish off the day, we were lucky enough to taste one of

Single O’s famous coffees!

…. Nurtasya & Kathleen

….Year 12 Business Studies

Mr P Slater Head Teacher HSIE

Jack smelling the

roasted beans

English News

Junior Term 2 Units:

Senior English Our HSC candidates have now completed their Half Yearly exams and are into their next modules of

study. Year 11 students have completed their Area of Study: Journeys and are continuing to equip

themselves with and refine their skills in analysis and forming personal responses to texts. Here are

some study tips to help prepare senior English candidates for assessment:

1. KNOW YOUR TEXT

Read/view your prescribed and related texts a number of times. Develop a clear personal response and

support your response with textual detail. Know the text well enough to be able to make detailed

reference to specific parts of it which prove an argument, no matter what the argument may be (read the

module rubric! This will give you clues about what the question may be).

Year 7 - Fantasy or Myths and Legends

In this unit students will study the genre of fantasy or myths and legends. Students

will closely study how a film expresses the genre. They will study aspects of film

craft, visual techniques and narrative.

Year 8 - A Novel Idea: Author Study

In this unit students read a range of texts by a single composer, studying:

• The distinctive features of the works.

• How the composer makes meaning within and across texts.

Year 9 – Passionate Poetry – Composer Study

Students explore the poetry of two poets, examining the composers’ contexts,

ideas and experiences and the language features through which meaning is

made. Students are engaged in both creative and analytical styles of composition.

Year 10 – Tragedy! Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

In this unit students explore the world of Shakespeare, the form and ideas

presented in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet and where it fits into the

tragedy genre.

2. PRACTISE WRITING EXAM TYPE RESPONSES The Board of Studies website has many past papers from over the years and you can also find practice

papers on Blakehurst’s English Moodle. Use these to practise writing exam responses. Ask for feedback

from your teacher, then write the response again to improve areas of weakness.

Moodle

Don’t forget to access the English Moodle site regularly for homework activities, extended information,

extension activities, practice papers, past papers and assessment notifications. You must log into the

site with your DEC log in, including the @detnsw after your username.

http://web3.blakehurst-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/moodle/course/category.php?id=5

Debating The Premier’s Debating Challenge 2016 is well underway with the majority of our teams having

completed their first round of debates and our senior debating teams having just finished their first three

rounds of debating within the competition. Students from years 7 through to 11 have been training with

their coaches in order to better prepare themselves to compete against the very talented debaters from

other schools within the area.

Special thanks to Ms Malas and Mr Skamanis (years 7 & 8 coaches), Ms Pestana and Ms Ghosn (year 9

coaches), Ms Boulmetis and Ms Lyons (year 10 coaches) and Ms Heron and Ms Shaw (senior coaches).

Most recently, on Wednesday the 18th of May, the junior debating teams went to compete for their first

round debate at Tempe High School. They debated the topic of education, and more specifically the

topics: ‘All schools should have compulsory self-defence classes’ and ‘That all school work, apart from

Art, should be completed on computers’. Our youngest debaters fought valiantly but lost both debates for

this first round. They will continue to work hard and we wish them the very best for their next round.

On Friday the 20th May, our senior debaters completed their second round of debates against Newtown

High School, an incredibly talented and very experienced team of debaters. Our teams have been

working incredibly hard and one of our senior teams was able to win their debate on the day. Very

special congratulations to all our senior debaters! Their main debate topic was in regards to the media

but more specifically: ‘That we should force all Australian films and TV shows to have at least one

Indigenous actor’ and ‘Social networking sites should only be accessible to people over 18’.

Debating allows students to continue to work on their rational and quick thinking skills as well as

knowledge of current issues to build arguments and reason their case together with their teams. We look

forward to the next few debates and the first round of debates with the year 9 and 10 teams. A Google

classroom about debating will also be made available shortly for all debaters who would like to access

extra tips and information leading up to their debates from home.

…..Ms Pestana (Debating Coordinator)

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading is still steaming ahead at Blakehurst and students

are already starting to complete their challenges. We encourage students

to continue challenging each other in Years 7, 8 and 9 to read, to read

more and to read more widely. The 2016 Premier's Reading Challenge

opened on the 7th March 2016 and closes on the 19th August. More

information can be found on the website: https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc

Ms A Heron Head Teacher English

SCIENCE News…

Year 7 are looking forward to their Zoo Excursion on

the 2nd June. They are currently studying a topic

called Exploring Living Organisms and can’t wait to

see a range of expecies and their unique and exciting

features.

Year 10 just finished learning about chemical reactions and are now studying

Evolution. These pictures of

students show them conducting

the ‘rainbow experiement’ .

A Year 12 Student Carrying Out a Flame Test.

Ms Evers

Careers Adviser

Mrs Linda O’Brien

Head Teacher Science

News from…..

Girls DoThe Maths

We’re very happy to have found many Maths excursions

and experiences for our students this year. Later this

year we will be attending a Surveying Day, several

HSC revision days and Maths Inspiration. We have

a team of Year 11 students representing BHS at a

talented students competition day at Sydney

Technical High School next week, and last week 7

of our brightest Year 11 girls attended Girls do the

Maths at UNSW. Here is what they thought…

On 20 May we went to UNSW for a workshop “Girls Do

The Maths”. It was a fantastic learning experience

as there were inspirational speakers to encourage girls to do further study

in Maths. We were shown a list of courses and scholarships available and were given a campus tour to

give us an insight of a University students’ life. They gave us a glimpse of Mathematics learnt in

University. We observed lectures and tutorials, and met many students from other schools who had

similar interest in Maths. The organisers provided great hospitality and made us feel welcome. It was an

enjoyable day and we left with a good impression of UNSW.

…Cassandra

HOTmaths is live! All teachers are making great use of HOTmaths in class and for

periodically setting homework – as students have access to all levels

from K-12 it is a fantastic resource for either going back for revision, or

extending by looking forward.

All students have their username and password, we encourage parents

to ask their students for a tour of the site so you can see how fabulous it

is. Thanks again to the P&C for funding the program for 7-10 (and 11 and

12 General) this year. www.hotmaths.com.au

Equipment Required in Class We remain astounded that some students continue to come to class without a pen, workbook and/or

calculator!! These are the core requirements for every lesson, please ask your child to show you that

these items are present in their bag.

Exams for Term 2 Get these dates in your diaries. Notifications, with details of the topics, will be handed out in class at least two weeks beforehand.

Year 7: Towards the end of the term, likely week 8 or 9 Year 8: Already done Year 9: Already done Year 10: Already done Year 11: General and Mathematics: 9 June Extension 1: 17 June Year 12: General and Mathematics: 8 June Extension 1: 14 June Extension 2: 21 June

Time to Donate Is Nearly Upon Us!!

We will be donating in Weeks 8 and 9 this term.

Students can speak to Mr Reeve in the Maths staffroom to make an

appointment or to find out more information.

We have almost filled one of the five donation days. There are 19

spots left over the five days to fill. So, year 11 and year 12 students, consider whether you could help

save lives by donating some of your precious blood.

If you are donating, don’t forget to bring your donor card or photo ID (e.g. school library card) and eat

and drink lots before you donate. Listen to the announcements in roll call reminding donors of the date

and time of each donation, and know which day you are donating! Any problems or issues let Mr Reeve

know.

You need to be 16 and meet the health requirements, and you can only donate once in a 12 month

period if you are under 18 years old. Once you turn 18 you can donate up to 4 times a year. The Red

Cross send a vehicle to transport you to the donor centre at Miranda and will bring you back to school

afterwards. You can anticipate being away from school for up to 2 hours (although the donation itself

takes around 10 minutes).

Mrs Alison Peachey

Head Teacher Mathematics

PDHPE Sports Report

Winter sport has commenced for 2016 with grade sport being held at various venues around the St George Zone.

We have had a great start to our winter sport competition with some excellent weather and results. With further

improvement in playing as a team, I’m confident Blakehurst High will have success in the Winter Grade Sport

Competition.

Cross Country

The annual Cross Country championships were held at Carss Park on Friday 13th

of May. With beautiful weather

and enthusiastic students ready to compete to their best, a great day was enjoyed by all. The top 10 runners in

each age group have guaranteed their position to represent the school at the St George Zone Cross Country

Championships which is held at Scarborough Park on Tuesday 19th May. The age champions for cross country this

year are:

AGE GIRLS BOYS

12 years Lili Brandt Philip Angelkoski

13 years Jasmine Driscoll Max Oscuro

14 years Marija Drakulovic Filip Trifunovski

15 years Faith Kak Riki Totsukawa

16 years Nicole Harrington Max Poulter

17 years + Laura Seib Dean Jackson

The St George Zone Cross Country was held on Tuesday the 17th of May at Scarborough Park in perfect

conditions. We had a number of students perform exceptionally well. Listed below are the results of our students

who have progressed to the Regional Cross Country Carnival to be held on the 17th of June at Miranda Park.

AGE GIRLS BOYS

12 years Lili Brandt – 1st

Jessica Gurung – 10th

Noah Kak – 6th

David Ristevski – 9th

Philip Angelkoski – 10th

13 years Jasmine Driscoll – 6th Max Oscuro – 8

th

14 years Marija Drakulovic – 2nd

Jasmine Oglos – 9

th

Filip Trifunovski – 4th

15 years Sally Ibrahim – 7th Riki Totsukawa – 2

nd

Biyush Dhakal – 5th

16 years Nicole Harrington – 1st Max Poulter – 1

st

17 years + Laura Seib – 1st

Shelly Gaddes – 7th

Dean Jackson – 5th

Sports Achievements

Congratulations to Sheridan Smith and Max Poulter who recently competed at the national age swimming

championships. Both students performed exceptionally well and should be congratulated for their efforts.

Upcoming Events

Sydney East Cross Country Championships – Thursday 17th June

BHS Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 31st May (The Ridge – Menai)

Zone Athletics carnival – Monday 27th & Tuesday 28

th June

Sport web sites

The following sport web sites are useful for school sport notices, zone sport information and Sydney East knock

outs and representation.

St George Zone Sport Information – http://www.stgeorgesssa.com.au/

Sydney East Sport Information - http://www.sports.det.nsw.edu.au/syd_east/welcome.htm

Ben Kemp

Sports Organiser