IN THIS ISSUE:

Term 4

Buzz Team 2019

C o n t r i b u t o r s

Nithya Iyengar Year 11

Khadija Salim Year 11

Anooshay Omer Year 11

Jenny Lam Year 11

Vivien Vu Year 11

Amal Cheikha Year 11

Linh Vo Year 11

Emily Deadman Year 11

Ivonne Stafurik Year 10

Julie Nguyen Year 10

Vivian Chiem Year 10

Nur Suryantoko Year 10

Lara Ayoubi Year 10

Alaa Harb Year 9

Jennefer Phan Year 9

Jannah El Badaoui Year 8

Anna Suryantoko Year 8

C o o r d i n a t o r s

Ms Voros

Mr Baker

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Principal’s Report

Deputy Principal’s Report

Links to Learning

Faculty Report – English

Faculty Report – CAPA

Faculty Report – Maths

Faculty Report – HSIE

Faculty Report – Science

Daily Telegraph Workshop

Faculty Report – PDHPE

Creative Writing Workshop

Influential Personality

Fast Forward

Climate Change

Encouraging the Arts Excursion

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High School for a Day

White Ribbon Day

SRC 2020

School Musical 2020

Year 12 Camp

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‘Courage is contagious. Every time we choose courage, we make everyone around us a little better and the world a little braver.’ Brene BrownThank you, Bankstown Girls High School, for an amazing 2019 and for spreading the courage across our school and school community.

As we see the end of term 4 we set our sights in preparing for next year. A few weeks ago, we had a large number of our new 2020 year 7 students and their families join us at Orientation day. There was a real buzz in the atmosphere amongst the parents and students. They showed lots of enthusiasm and are ready to start their high school journey at Bankstown Girls High School. This week we celebrated the achievements of many of our students at our annual Presentation Day. Congratulations to all our award recipients for taking a strong hold of the opportunities and achieving success. Congratulations to all our scholarship winners. The Bankstown Sports Club Scholarship for 2020 have been awarded to Amani A, Anna S, and Angelica G from year 8. Ainslie K, Ivonne S, Ana N, Quynh Diem N, Tamanna F and Amy N from year 10. The Harding Miller Scholarship 2020 was awarded to Anna S. Thank you to Bankstown Sports Club for their continued support and generosity. We are also very proud of Samia Hammoud who was awarded the prestigious Victor Chang Award earlier this term for her exceptional performance in the science subjects.

I would like to thank my entire staff for their professionalism and dedication to their roles in the school. It is this dedication that provides students with a number of opportunities. Their enthusiasm and commitment are noted each day. I would like to thank our School Administrative and Support staff who work in the background to support the operation of the school and our teachers in delivering their learning programs. A huge thank you to my executive team, Cathy Porecca, Mark Leary, Jim Tsafis, Lisa Carmody, Vicky Saisanis, Anna Edwards, Evelyn Michevski, Helen Shaddock, Shadi Ghazal and Anita Martinson for your support this year and ensuring that courage is contagious around the school. Your leadership in support of the range of student programs ensures that we will continue to be a school that excels and remain future focused through this continually changing educational landscape. Thank you to our Community Liaison Officer Sam Miski and the work of our P&C under the presidency of Fadwa Qasem and Rouba Rifaie for the number of successful community events held this year from our first Iftar night, Mother’s Day stall, Westmead Hospital Toy drive, Swim Sisters program to the year 7 Orientation day. These events grow from strength to strength uniting our school community. On a sad note, we get to say good bye to an exceptional teacher Michael Baker who has been part of the Bankstown Girls High School family for two years. On behalf of the whole school we thank you for your hard work and support. We all wish you well on your new adventure and hopefully we will see you back again.

I made it through my first year, and what a memorable year it has been. I have enjoyed every moment and look forward to working beside you all again in 2020.Have a wonderful, restful break.

Suada BilaliBUZZ NEWSLETTERsemper optime

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I wish you all a happy and safe holiday, thank you all once again for your

ongoing support and look forward to working with you in 2020.BUZZ NEWSLETTER

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Mrs Porreca

s the year draws to an end I would like to take this

opportunity to acknowledge all the hard work of our school community to

make Bankstown Girls High School such an exciting place to be. To begin

with, I would like to congratulate all the merit award recipients who have

continued to show a strong commitment to their learning and have been

celebrated at a wonderful merit assembly organised by Ms Shaddock

and the Year Advisors. To complement these awards there were some

wonderful musical items performed by our students who constantly

amaze me with their depth and breadth of talent.

A big thankyou to all families, students and staff who have donated toys

for the Westmead Children Hospital Christmas appeal. My office has

been full to the brim with donations that I am sure will brighten the lives

of many children who are doing it tough this year because of their poor

health. A number of families have also donated gifts of cash which shows

the generosity of our school community in helping others. A big thankyou

once again to all of you. Ms Miski, our CLO continues to do a wonderful

job in engaging our students and their families with the wider community

in order to build strong links which are of mutual benefit to all involved.

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Deputy’s Report2019 has rapidly come to a close and as the last

two weeks move by the school has been so

busy in preparing for Presentations Day and

finalising reports that it has been hard to find

time to reflect on all the amazing activities that

have gone on across the school. As the last few

days approach I would like to reflect on some

of the significant things that have been a part

of 2019.

At the end of Term 3 we said goodbye to

another Year 12 group. It has been a wonderful

experience to watch the girls as they

progressed through their six years go high

school and developed not the young ladies

they are as they leave us for the next stage in

their lives. I would like to congratulate all of the

girls and wish them the best as they move into

this next stage of their lives.

I would like to thank the staff who have worked

so hard in making sure that our girls are given

the best educational opportunities possible.

The dedication and passion that is displayed by

our teachers is inspiring and is deserving of

recognition.

One group of staff within the school who are

not always given the recognition they deserve

is our administrative staff. They work tirelessly

behind the scenes to ensure the teacher staff

are supported and are usually the first point of

contact with parents and community members

who contact the school. I would also like to

thank them for their support and hard work

throughout this year.

Our Year 10 girls will be making a big move as

they become seniors next year. A lot of work

has been done to ensure that we have a

curriculum pattern that caters for the needs

of the girls. As senior students they have a

great responsibility to ensure that they stand

up as role models for the rest of the school.

To show that they are proud of being a

student at Bankstown Girls High School and

lead the rest of the school in reinforcing the

values of being a safe, respectful learner. I

would like to extend

congratulations to Jasmine Abou Dayya and

Hiba Chaudhry who were presented as joint

Dux of year 10 at our recent Presentation Day.

I recognise the hard work and consistent effort

both girls have put into their studies this year

and look forward to seeing their progress over

the coming year.

Our Year 8 girls will be moving into Stage 5 next

year and have had the first opportunity to

choose two elective subjects for 2020. We

expect to see the girls do extremely well in

these courses as their choices should reflect an

interest and enthusiasm for these courses. I

would like to extend my congratulations to

Anna Suryantoko who was named as Dux in our

Presentation Day awards. It is pleasing to see

her rewarded for her outstanding effort over

the year.

As we look forward to 2020 it is clear to see

that we will again have many challenging and

exciting activities to engage and push the girls

to achieve their best. Planning has been

underway for quite some time to prepare for

the year ahead and make sure we start with a

clear plan about how we assist the girls in

developing their skills and experiences.

I would like to wish everyone a wonderful

break over the vacation and I look forward to

seeing everyone back in 2020.

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Twenty Year 9 students participated in the Links to Learning program thisyear from Bankstown Girls High School. They dealt with issues regardingrelationships, behaviours and communication. Through the workshop,students had developed skills to deal with negativity and anger, ultimatelychanging their behaviours for the better. We had the pleasure of interviewingthe Links to Learning Coordinators and a group of students who werepresent on that day.

Nithya: We’ll start with a simple question. What is Links to Learning? What isthe program about?

Student: I think Links to Learning is about life in general. It helps you ineveryday situations, it teaches you a lot of new stuff about relationships,anger management, bullying, studying, friendships and all of that kind ofstuff. We learnt about how to deal with situations and learn skills like how tosave a friend, from the Red Cross.

Jenny (Coordinator): The program is actually designed as a self-esteem, self-confidence, wellness and wellbeing program. It is, as was so beautifullyexpressed by Yasmine, a program that allows students to grow and developand to learn about everyday things that happen in life. They also learn abouthow to deal with tensions and problems, how to make better friends andrelationships, how to grow as person and to make better choices anddecisions.

Waddad (Coordinator): Week to week we run different workshops coveringdifferent topics, subjects, covering the social part of it, the well being part ofit, communication techniques, behaviours, even just study timetables andhow to improve what they already know. Like a little family.

Anooshay: Does anyone have a personal story about how they benefit fromthe group?

Jenny: What have you done since this program? What has improved for you?Has your behaviour changed have gotten into less trouble?

Student: Yeah, my behaviour has changed. I now know how teachers feelwhen I respect them more and like how to deal with friendship problems. Iused what I learnt in the program.6

Nithya: Everyone is talking about self-esteem, what other topics do you discuss?

Jenny: The actual program itself also looks at risk and risky behaviours, we talk aboutcommunication and appropriate ways of communicating. We challenge the studentsto try some of the skills they learnt in the program. We teach about identity and thegirls learn to appreciate not only their own cultural background, but the culturalbackground of everyone else so they become more cohesive when working together.We had Red Cross come in do a program on Save a Mate. We had Legal Aid do apresentation on sexting and interactions with police as well as understanding theseriousness of social media.

Anooshay: What was your favourite program?

Student: Save-A-Mate, Be the Queen, a lot of them were really fun. The block one wastoo.

Jenny: The blocks is an activity where one person has to describe what they’rebuilding and the other person has to build it but there’s no interaction. I added a thirdlayer to that, where they had people talk to them to show just how distractions andtalking in class can take away from you learning and understanding.

Waddad: There was a lot of frustration.

Nithya: From the positions of a mentor, how have you seen the girls improve?

Jenny: One of the girls in last semesters group, she was in Year 9. She was always introuble and she wasn’t living up to the full potential of who she could and where shewas going. Towards the end of the program we had an absolute breakthrough and shegot some positive feedback from one of her teachers. From that moment she’s neverbeen in trouble. Her marks have improved, she’s quietened down and because ofthat, she’s starting to reach her potential which is fantastic.

Anooshay: Anything else you would like to say?

Student: That we love you Jenny!BUZZ NEWSLETTERsemper optime 7

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“My overall experience in Links to Learning was amazing! This wonderful program taught me a lot about basic life skills that I can benefit from at the moment and also in the future. Jenny and Wedad, our Youth Coach facilitators were amazing as they were very knowledgeable in what they were doing and this showed throughout the program. Links to Learning taught me a lot about how other people may be feeling or what they might be going through and how I should be treating them and taking their emotions into consideration. I also learnt about drugs through the “SAVE A MATE” campaign. We learnt about this topic to educate ourselves on how to help others and ourselves, what to stay away from and demonstrate strategies to help people who are at risk or in danger.

A professional lawyer even came in and educated us on sexting and its offences, it opened the eyes for all the girls that were apart of this program and showed us how important and serious this topic is. Overall, this program meant a lot for me mainly for two reasons:

Firstly, Jenny and Wedad were great facilitators as they pushed me, along with the other girls to do better in my class work and assignments and proved to me that I am capable of a lot of things that I never thought I can achieve. Secondly, this program helped me learn so much and educated me on basic things we don’t take into consideration. To say no when we don’t want something, to be treated the way we treat others, it’s okay to not be okay and how to uplift each other as women.I really recommend this program and it was a very enjoyable experience and it helped so many of us who were involved in this program.”

Ayah Maikel – Year 98

C A P A What’s new in CAPA?

CAPA has been super busy as always! Take a moment

to lose yourself in this photo montage of musical

moments, exciting excursions and pretty portraits!

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School of Rock Concert – 04/12/19

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Christmas Choir Concert – 11/12/19

Mc happy Day– 30/11/19

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Art Gallery of NSW – 06/11/19

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By Nourhan By Michelle By Nashita

By Halaa By Jeyana By Jessica

By Alaa By Aleeza By Anita

Do you recognise these celebrities painted by Year 9 Students?

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ENGLISHYear 7 are busy connecting their home

stories with school as they create their

Identity Text films. Students are furiously

working in English, Art and Music to bring

to life a family story that has shaped their

identity. Beautiful self portraits have

been created with spirit animals,

orchestral sounds created to reflect the

buzz of family sounds and academy

award winning acting and directing in

some very interesting films. Stay tuned

for the Oscars!

YEAR 9 are busily creating speeches

around their local heroes. Students are

telling stories of survival, kindness and

craziness as they bring their heroes into

the classroom. Inspired by the heroes

they encountered in texts and film, they

have realised they do not have to look far

beyond their families to find heroes like

their mothers and fathers.

Speaking of heroes. Ms Carmody has her

own special heroes, and they are her Year

9 Drama class. They have the

superpower of making her and everyone

around them happy. Recently they

performed their monologues for Year 5

students visiting BGHS for a high school

experience. Another exciting activity for

Year 9 Drama is that every second Friday

they participate in a professional acting

class run by PYT and the Australian

Opera House. Keep your eyes

peeled…..these guys are going to be

famous before you know it!

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YEAR 10 are making sure that

Shakespeare is alive and well in the

classrooms of BGHS. Romeo and Juliet

are sneaking around behind their

parent’s backs, Othello has whipped

himself up into an angry rage over

friendship issues and Macbeth is

moping around wondering whether to

be or not to be! All these characters can

be heard in ye old English as year 9

read and act out snippets of

Shakespeare’smost famous speeches.

Another Year 10 experience has been

their participation in the film and

writing workshops run by Sydney Story

Factory. And congrats to our girls who

were awarded best director and best

filmmaker in Cineverse competition

between schools to turn poetry into

film!

Wow! Year 10 have been very busy! A

group went into Sydney University last

week to participate in a creative writing

workshop organised by the university

professors. They wrote beautiful pieces

based on I remember……

Mona Bakkour in Year 7 was nominated

and successful in winning a Community

Service award in the Bankstown

community. N Wednesday night, Mona will

be presented with her award in from of

community memebers at Bankstown

Sports Club. What a wonderful

achievement for our young Year 7

student!

Our P&C have been working hard and are

in the process or organising a toy drive for

the children at Westmead Hospital. Don’t

forget to donate your new toys so we can

help our parents put a smile on the faces

of some sick children.

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M A T H SWhat’s new and exciting in Mathematics?

Dodecahedrons

Year 7 students and Ms Weston have been busy with a range of hands on activities, in particular transforming an A4 piece of paper to a pentagon and then into three-dimensional dodecahedrons. In the process investigating vertices, faces and edges, as well as, having some fun in their maths classes. The finished designs can be viewed in Room 38.

A World without Numbers

To top this off, Mrs Rounis has engaged the students in an inquiry project focusing on the topic of: A World without Numbers. Students have been working collaboratively in teams to investigate this statement and have been keen to present their projects to the year group. The presentation formats were up to each individual team and have ranged from songs, animations to dance interpretations.

The M in STEAM!

Ms Doai has organised the annual Mathematics STEAM Enrichment Day with Professor Tara Hamilton that took part on Monday 25 November. Students from years 8, 9 and 10 had the opportunity to work with Ms Doai and Tara to put into practice some of their mathematics skills focussing on neuroscience and probability.Professor Tara Hamilton has been working with us over a number of years and gives feely of her time to provide authentic and real world experiences to our students. The Mathematics Faculty and in particular Mrs Saisanas, would like to take this opportunity to thank Tara for her generosity. It is important to acknowledge and celebrate Tara’s accomplishments.A timeline of Tara’s inspirational journey, which started at Bankstown Girls High School is presented below. BUZZ NEWSLETTER

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What’s new in HSIE?

Year 9 – History Excursion to the Sydney Jewish Museum

Year 9 had the opportunity to visit the Sydney Jewish Museum, to strengthen our understanding of the Holocaust. The Visit began with students being escorted into a small room, where we were given an introduction to the everyday lives of the Jewish people in Germany before the Nazi’s started rounding them up. Amazingly, the tour guides were actual survivors of the Holocaust, so they had great insight into the horrific experience, which they shared with us.

We were split into groups of 3, and assigned to an individual tour guide. In these small groups we were able to explore the entire museum, receive helpful knowledge on what the Jewish people went through, where they lived, what they ate and most importantly the punishments they received. Our tour Guide showed us pictures of uniforms they were forced to wear, and what the Ghettos looked like. Being able to actually see the past laid out in front of us was a great way to actually understand the way Jewish people were targeted and put on display by the Nazis.

The museum has a dedicated display for all of the Children and babies who died. Knowing that one and a half million kids died, was very devastating. We had the opportunity to actually speak to a Holocaust survivor, who told us of her personal experience as a baby who survived. This was my favourite part of the day because I felt for her and I loved being able to speak with her and ask her questions. The day concluded with us finishing our chat with the Holocaust survivor, and catching a train back to Bankstown Station. The excursion was really fun and it helped me a lot with my essay preparation!

- Mae Eid

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H S I EThe Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,England mourns for her dead across the sea.Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royalSings sorrow up into immortal spheres.There is music in the midst of desolationAnd a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morningWe will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;They sit no more at familiar tables of home;They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,To the innermost heart of their own land they are knownAs the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,To the end, to the end, they remain.

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Originally called Armistice Day, commemorates the end of hostilities for World War I andthe signing of the armistice - an agreement to stop fighting. This occurred on the 11th ofNovember 1918 - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Armistice Day was observed by the Allies, of which Australia was a member, as a way ofremembering those who died, especially soldiers with 'no known grave'.On the first anniversary of the armistice, in 1919, one minute’s silence was instituted aspart of the main commemorative ceremony. Today is the 100th anniversary of this event. InLondon, in 1920, the commemoration was given added significance with the return of theremains of an unknown soldier from the battlefields of the Western Front.

After the end of World War II in 1945, the Australian andBritish governments changed the name to RemembranceDay as an appropriate title for a day which wouldcommemorate all war dead. In October 1997, thenGovernor-General of Australia, Sir William Deane,issued a proclamation declaring:

On 11 November for Remembrance Day Australiansare urged to observe one minute's silence at 11.00amto remember the sacrifice of those who died or otherwisesuffered in Australia's cause in wars and war-like conflicts.

Unlike many of its Allies, Australia did not conscript itssoldiers to fight in the Great War - all Australian soldierswere volunteers. The Australian Prime Minister, Billy Hughes,was aware that the scale of fighting on the Western Frontwould make heavy demands on the nation and hadalways wanted to introduce conscription rather than rely solely on voluntary recruitment.

The Great War contributed to the Australian definition of mateship as a shared experiencebased on mutual respect and the significance of Armistice and Remembrance Day hascontinued for Australians. Many households were cast into mourning in the face of suchterrible losses. Many streets in towns and suburbs across Australia were marked byhouseholds bereft of men.

As a nation we maintain the commitment to recognise the sacrifices others have made forus in the past. This is not done to glorify war, nor is it done to belittle our former enemies.It is done so that today, in 2019, we have an understanding of our shared history and acompassion for those who have been affected by conflict around the world both in the pastand in the present.In remembrance on this day people wear a single flower, the Poppy. The significance of thisflower lies in the fact that it was one of the first flowers to grow on the battlefields of theWestern Front after the fighting stopped. It signifies both the human cost of war and hopeof regeneration and renewal at the end of this tragic conflict.

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SCIENCE

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During Term 4, the Science faculty have focused on raising awareness around our impact on the environment.

During this hot season, we are hardly having any rain and are nearly running out of water, we have to act quickly to help to minimise the impacts on the environment. The dry season has resulted in severe bush fires, loss of habitats and resources.

What can be done to help?

Here are 5 tips on how to help reduce energy waste and lower . Energy-saving tips that you do at home can also be done at schools. The Environmental group is encouraging all students to follow these tips to help save energy including water.

1. Turn off taps properly and save water.2. Turn off lights when not needed.3. Turn off electronic devices when not

using them.4. Close doors and use air-conditioners

responsibly.5. Reduce, reuse and recycle.

Plastic pollution is an issue that is becoming worse as time goes on. It is polluting our water ways and impacting on the lives of animals. The average disposable plastic bags, cups and other items are used for only 5 minutes, yet can take up to 1,000 years to break down in the environment.

The amount of plastic that is placed and found in our oceans is a disgrace. To think that people could be so cruel to our environment and our animals is truly awful. Disposable plastic bags have a devastating impact on human, marine animals such as whales, seals, sea birds and turtles.

Bankstown Girls High School students and staff start getting into the good habit of reusing and reducing plastic every day at home and at school. Place any recyclable item marked with 10 cents in the yellow top bin. Do not forget to place the top lid in the small bucket to be collected for children to create artificial limbs. Reduce packaging during recess and lunch in order to reduce its impacts on marine life and sustain our environment.

Join the 2020 Environmental Team!Environmental Quiz: Answer with Yes or No

Do you have an interest to solve School Environmental Issues?............

Do you like gardening and watering plants? …………..

Do you have a caring attitude toward plants and animals?..............

Do you like to celebrate World Environment Day, School Tree Day, and Clean up Australia Day etc…? …………………

Do you like to raise awareness to sustain our school environment such as saving electricity, water and recycling papers?......................

Do you like to make positive changes to your school Environment?.............

Do you like worm farming and collecting worm juice to use it on plants?..................

Do you like to be trained to be a school leader? ………………

If your answer is yes for three or more of the above questions then you should join our environmental Club. See Diem Quynh Nguyen if you are interested.

Important environmental

Dates for 2020:

3rd March- Clean Up Australia

Day

24Th March- Earth Hour

5th June -World Environment

Day

26Th July- School Tree Day

28th July -National Tree Day

15th August -Keep Australia

Beautiful Week

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The BGHS Worm Farm

Worm farming is becoming very popular these days. It is becoming an important sustainable way of dealing with organic waste.

Everything starts with a story. The Worm Farm and the worms that we have on the science balcony were donated by Bankstown City Council. Our aim from having a worm farm at our school is to feed the unwanted fruit and vegetable scraps left by students or the canteen to compost worms (a type of earthworm). By having a worm farm, we reduce the amount of rubbish in our bins and recycle unwanted scraps of fruits and vegetables into worm juice. This valuable resource produced by the farm can be used on the plants in our garden.

First we cleaned the worm farm box and tray from spider webs and insects that can kill the worms such as spiders and flies. We put a piece of cardboard to line the bottom of the worm farm. We added some fresh compost and newspaper shredding to cover the worms and put top soil and coconut husk. Then we released the compost worms in the soil and gave them food to eat. We placed the lid on top of the worm farm to keep it dark and moist and keep pests and predators out.

What do worms eat?

Worms eat eggshells, tea bags, hair, fruit and vegetable scraps (except for potato peels), coffee grounds, soggy paper and cardboard. The worm farm is placed on the balcony of the science staffroom because worm farms like to be placed in shady and sunny spot areas. We all worked hard and learnt new facts about worm farming. It was such a fun adventure exploring the likes and dislikes of worms. We collect food from the canteen and playground and visit the worms every week to feed the worms and check on the amount of moisture and the pH of the soil to make sure the conditions are right for the survival of these worms.

Article contributors:

Khizra NaveedShahd Al-MuzailFatema Al KheenPrabhleen IssarMona Dakkak

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PDHPE

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2019 has been another busy and successful

year for the PDHPE faculty.

Year 7 and 8 participated in the annual Field

Day competition. The girls nominated their

favourite sport out of Newcomb Ball, Netball,

Basketball, Soccer, and 4-wicket cricket. Once

selected, the girls were split into teams and

were coached by Year 9 and 10 PASS students

in preparation to verse teams from East Hills

Girls, Birrong Girls, and Liverpool Girls High

School. We enjoyed a day out in the sun and the

girls were very successful on the day. One of the

Netball teams were undefeated!

Congratulations to these students!

Year 9, 10, and 11 also attended their

Recreational Sport excursion at Sydney Olympic

Park Aquatic Centre. The girls were suited up

and engaged in a range of water activities

including the water slide, whirlpool, playground,

and water polo. The girls had a nutritious lunch

and slept on the bus home after an exhausting

day at the pool!

Students from Year 7, 8, and 9 also

participated in the annual Edmondson Cup

tournament. Students were challenged as they

competed in Badminton, Table Tennis and

Soccer. Students came 3rd on the day and

showed great sportsmanship.

Year 7 attended their first Swim School

program. Students were educated on water

safety and awareness, and refined their

swimming stroke skills in preparation for our

2020 Swimming Carnival.

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There were many award recipients at the

Semester 2 Merit Assembly. Students were

acknowledged for their efforts in the Knockout

Competitions held throughout the year. The girls

were lucky to have received their medal from

our special guest, Beau Ryan, former National

Rugby League player and current media

personality. Mr. Ryan spoke about maintaining

a good work ethic, before expressing his love for

our humble area.

Finally, select students were privileged to be

involved in the ‘El Magic’ program. Former

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs player and

legend Hazem El Masri visited the school and

gave a talk about resilience. He also provided

them with a goal-kicking session to give the girls

the magic boot.

We look forward to an even bigger and better

2020 school year!

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On the 8th of November, members of the Buzz

Media Team and some Art students had the

opportunity to attend an incursion, where we met

John an illustrator for various newspapers and

magazines including the Daily Telegraph.

The two-period workshop was highly educational as

well as entertaining, as it provided us insight into

possible career options and how John got to where

he is.

We were very lucky to view samples of his work and

see how he has grown as an artist, and developed

his own unique and personal drawing style. We

were also able to see the different forms and

mediums that his work takes on - we were

especially intrigued by his caricatures of different

celebrities and iconic figures, including Mick Jagger

and “ScoMo”.

During period 4, John offered to draw something for

us! We had the delight to witness him create a

brilliant piece of the influential personality we were

featuring in the Buzz - Brie Larson, feminist and

face of Cap’n Marvel. It was truly mesmerising to

watch him draw her with such accuracy and speed.

All in all it was a great and refreshing experience,

that provided an interesting outlook into the life of

an illustrator and his fascinating portfolio.

Written By: Khadija Salim23

C L I M A T E C H A N G EAustralia, with its vast and varied wilderness, is currently under threat. Current climate scientists will tell you that Australia is especially vulnerable to the climate crisis, placing our unique environment at risk. Talk to any environmental activists and they will tell you it’s no surprise we are experiencing climate change; since Australia exports more coal than any other nation on earth. So what’s at stake in the fight against coal and for climate solutions in Australia? There are four key ways climate change is impacting the nation and its people such as; heat and drought, bushfires, agriculture and livestock and even damage to the great barrier reef.

Drought since 2018, Australia has battled and continues to endure “its worst drought in living memory.” And climate models indicate that, as rain patterns continue to change and heat continues to rise, southern and eastern Australia will spend more and more time in drought going forward – unless we act. This drought impacts the landscape through dust erosion, bushfires and contributes to the extinction of many animal species.

Firewe already know that Australia is becoming hotter and drier due to climate change – making the perfect conditions for bushfire. Plants dry up and die, the ideal kindling to fuel a fire. Over the past few weeks we have been blanketed in smoke and ash unlike ever before. “The climate is

changing and we’re seeing the effects of that on the frontline by more and more fires, more frequently, and more severe.”

Farmingfarmers depend on a steady climate to grow food and raise livestock. The climate crisis makes it increasingly difficult for farmers to grow food for Australia. As Australia's climate changes, every type of farmer will be affected – from those who raise dairy cows to fruits and vegetable producers to wine growers and everything in between. Our current farming methods required huge quantities of water and fertile land which are become scare in times of drought. Hopefully we can rethink the way we use our land, prevent climate change and ensure people in the future will be able to live sustainably in Australia.

The ocean and great barrier reef

The great barrier reef is larger than the great wall of china and the only living thing on our planet that can be seen from outer space. It might seem too huge to hurt, but our carbon dioxide emissions are killing the reef. Higher carbon means our oceans warm up and become acidic which damages fragile coral ecosystems.

It’s clear that Australia has a lot to lose to climate change if we don’t take action. Unfortunately, much like in the US, Australia's federal government has not risen to the challenge. The repercussions of the climate crisis are affecting societies both environmentally and economically and will continue to do so if there are no preventative procedures in place to mitigate any further potential risks.

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It’s 2019, so why are we still having debates over how women are portrayed in cinema?

Brie Larson, the lead actress of the movie ‘Captain Marvel’, plays a strong, female lead

role that is intended to be a role model for young females worldwide, and she does so

successfully. She is not only renowned for her acting, but she is also an outspoken

advocate for gender equality. Larson played a pivotal part of the "Time's Up" movement,

created in 2018 to combat sexual harassment. Time's Up established a legal defence fund

for victims of sexual misconduct and promoted initiatives to achieve gender equality in

front of and behind the camera, at both movie studios and talent agencies.

In her latest role, Larson portrays a strong,

powerful independent female superhero

who realises that she’s been fighting her

whole life with one hand behind her back,

and that she has been held back her entire

life. Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) is a

physically strong female that was always

having her power concealed and controlled

by males. This is a strong message and

theme of the movie, as that is a very true

and relatable factor of many women’s lives,

and the movie successfully challenges it.

However, Larson receives constant

backlash that she “doesn’t deserve to play

such a powerful female” despite her

continuous efforts in spreading more

awareness about gender inequality and

sexual harassment. Though there are many

internet trolls and ‘haters’ of Brie Larson,

they’re the last people on her mind as she

focuses her efforts on inspiring young

females through programs and continuing

to portray powerful females in her movies

and shows.

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Brie Larson is a feminist and does not shy away from stating her opinions, and it’s

unfortunate that the media and certain groups of people twist her words. When Larson

argues for gender equality, they mark her a ‘man-hater’, which is something that she

very much is not. She stated that “The world isn’t as simple as a straight white guy. It

doesn’t end there, and these films need to represent more than one type of person”,

and while she received backlash for saying this, her ‘Avengers Endgame’ co-star Tom

Holland that said a contrasting statement to hers was praised. In fact, a group of

people spammed the reviews on the Captain Marvel film, claiming she was anti-white

male and there was barely a murmur of conversation over Holland’s almost identical,

pro-diversity statement.

To summarise, even if Brie Larson doesn’t portray a sexualised character or a muscular

character, nor a damsel in distress. Instead she portrays a positive female role model

that challenges stereotypes and breaks controlling societal ideas of how a woman

should act. A female that not only fights the Kree on screen, but also fights societal

ideas and concepts off screen.

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Illustra

tion

by Jo

hn

Tie

de

ma

nn

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“A Kappa is an intimidating

amphibious Yōkai demon found

in traditional Japanese folklore.

They are found in rivers and

they have the ability to drown

people and animals”

On the 6th of November, four students from year 10 Visual Arts went on an adventure to

the Art Gallery of NSW. We went on a private tour with four other schools to the Japan

Supernatural Exhibition, where we learnt about ‘Yōkai’. After the tour we regrouped and

were given a task to create a traditional Japanese scroll which replicated the scrolls we

saw on the exhibition. Each scroll described a story through a visual narrative. Our group

chose the theme ‘good versus evil’ inspired by the mythological characters and creatures

we saw in the Japan Supernatural Exhibition. Out of all the participants, our group placed

2nd, winning a $50 gift card. It was a wonderful experience and we encourage the inner

artist in you.

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FAST FORWARDWestern Sydney Uni

Fast Forward is a program for Year 9 students toexperience university education. We recently wenton an excursion to the University of Western Sydneyand were introduced to Uni student and thecampus.Over the day, we participated in different activitiesto build our communication and team work skills.Students had to find what type of “smart” they are,for example, body smart, music smart, peoplesmart, self-smart, word smart, logic smart, naturesmart and picture smart. By finding which talentthey had, students were shown some of thepotential future careers they could follow.

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On the 13th of November, 10ENGLISH1 went to

the University of Sydney to participate in the

creative writing workshop with three other schools.

We broke off into groups to collaborate with new

people and did an activity based off a book called

‘I remember’ by Joe Brainard. We were given five

categories, within each category we had to write

poems based on our memories. Afterwards, we

were given a tour around the campus where we

were shown the USYD Graffiti Tunnel, Museum and

Fisher Library. All schools then gathered in a large

lecture theatre to present their poems. Here is one

of the poems presented by BGHS student Nur

Suryantoko:

“I remember my old bedroom, where yellow glass

stained windows and til1

I remember my old backyard, where 3 bunnies

made home too

I remember my old kitchen, where the sweet smell

of apples and cinnamon came in winter1

I remember my old garden, where mangoes and

herbs grow all year long.

I remember my old corridor where hollow sounds

were made though running across timbre boards.”

We would like to thank Mr Nadile and Ms Hogg for

giving us an opportunity to express and develop

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Y E A R 1 2

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HIGH SCHOOL …...FOR A DAYA DAYBankstown Girls High invited a group of Year 5 primary students from different schools in the area to experience the amazing life of high school and get them ready for the future. The class was divided into groups who were sent to different subjects over the course of the day.

There were many activities assigned for different groups, for example, the first event was a game called “human bingo” where they had to find other students and see if they suit a box on their bingo sheet. In another event, students went around in a circle saying their names and hobbies. The primary students put their creativity to the test during a ‘Black-out’ poetry activity.

Across each subject, activities such as these allowed the students to get more comfortable and confident with making new friends in a high school setting. Both the primary and students of BGHS had lots of fun and left school with a smile on their face.

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In support of White Ribbon Day,

Year 9 Links to Learning

dedicated two periods to create

amazing artworks to show their

support of this movement. White

Ribbon Australia is a part of a

global social movement of men

and boys working to end men's

violence against women. Year 9

Links to Learning aimed to show

their support of an Australian

society where all women can live

in safety, free from violence and

abuse through their powerful and

creative artworks. Well done

girls!

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S c h o o l C a p t a i n s

Asfira Khan and Hayat Nahas

2020

Y e a r 1 1 / 1 2

Hannifah Amin, Vivien Vu, Hawa Kondeh, Saja

Al Abdallah, Emily Deadman, Linh Vo (absent),

Asfira Khan and Hayat Nahas

Y e a r 1 0 / 1 1

Ainslie Kosena, Ana Nguyen, Tamanna

Farheen, Soundarya Deshmukh, Anh Pham

and Colleen Lelei

Y e a r 9 / 1 0

Kathryn Nathaniel, Amani El Masri, Michelle

Le and Ayah Maikel

Y e a r 8 / 9

Siti Jahera, Malak Yassin, Razaan Ghazzoui

and Angelica Griarte

Y e a r 7 / 8

Soundous Sabaoui, Eliyah El Bahsa, Daniella

Mansour and Mona Bakkor34

On the 16th October, forty girls entered the world of Man vs. Wild as we

embarked on an unforgettable experience. With complainants about lack of Wi-Fi

connections and weak shower water pressures, our girls adapted to the

‘wilderness’ of the great Aussie bush camp and had the best experience of their

life!

After enduring the longest three hours of our lives, we arrived with our suitcases

filled to the brim with snacks. With expectations high and everyone was excited,

we were introduced to our cabins of flat mattresses with tiny windows for

ventilation. With a schedule of jam packed activities organised by our instructors,

our camp experience literally began the second we put down our bags. Beginning

with the lost island challenge, this mud course pushed our limits as we swam

under logs, crawled through old smelly sewer pipes and participated in so many

other activities giving such priceless reactions from our friends and teachers. So

what was ‘Man vs Wild’, became ‘Teachers vs complaining students’.

With entrenched bodies of mud combined with the scorching sun, this activity

was truly an unforgettable experience, teaching us how to let go and have fun

even if it ruined our hair. As our socks were filled with rocks and sticks, we

headed over to the survivor challenge. This activity was a challenge of strategy

with two teams racing to get into the centre of the mud pool. Only allowed to use

a few pieces of planks, and tyres in the middle of the mud pool, teams were

screaming of competitiveness to race to the middle. With girls falling into the mud

left and right, this challenge forced us to think outside the box and push our

limits.

Waking up the next day at 6am to the loud speakers of ‘Dance monkey’, we all

walked towards the cafeteria where we ate traditional Aussie breakfast foods.

Faced with 16m poles, girls were strapped and harnessed into the giant swing

and power fan. The air filled with laughs, terrified screams and lots of support, we

were levered to the top of the swing where then the next few seconds would be

the most terrifying yet fun experience ever. With the rush of adrenaline, we

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If we already didn’t already get enough fun,

the commando night was probably the

most thrilling activity. In the pitch black

night, we were split into teams trying to

find glow sticks that were supposedly

hidden in the bushes of bugs and blade

grass. With such high levels of enthusiasm,

our hopes of winning were crushed as the

teachers made it almost impossible to win.

Reeling from this activity, night festivities came to life as

girls blasted loud music, ate one too many instant

noodles, staying up to 5am and pulling fun pranks on the

teachers. Faced with possums, spiders and moths

around the cabins, our lack of sleep followed us to the

next day as we all couldn’t wait to finish our memorable

journey.

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