132 Old Illawarra Road, Barden Ridge NSW 2234 Phone: 9543 8317

Email: lucasheigh-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au Fax: 9541 0036

‘HEIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS’

LUCAS HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SCHOOL

K-12

Term 4 Volume 15 October 2013

Year 12 2013 Graduation Ceremony

New Payment Options

Pleased be advised that from today the only

methods of payment for fees, excursions

and incursions that will be accepted are:

Cash / Cheque / Debit Card / Credit Card

at the office

or by phone - credit card only

Unfortunately we can no longer accept

online payments but we will keep you

advised on the introduction of the new

‘parent portal’ when it becomes available.

Thank you for your understanding.

Regards,

Sally Ann Copp

School Administrative Manager

Published Photographs

Parents are reminded that if they do not wish

to have their child's photo in the newsletter /

website or any other school publication,

contact must be made with the office.

Bruce Redman

Principal’s Report ….

Welcome back to Term 4 and to warmer

weather. It seems we are alternating between

days that I still reach for my coat and days where

we could be forgiven for thinking it was mid-

January. Last week we almost had to implement

our new bush fire danger contingency plan and

close the school. However, the forecast weather

and “Catastrophic” bushfire conditions did not

eventuate. I confirm now that the school will

only be routinely closed during RFS designated

“Catastrophic” conditions. “Catastrophic” is the

RFS designator for the highest level and worst

conditions we may experience.

Last week’s forecast hot weather on Thursday

gave us the opportunity to practise our sms and

email communication methods with parents and

also to establish contingency plans for HSC

candidates should the school be closed during an

HSC examination.

It is important to understand that these measures

are all about being prepared in the event of an

emergency. We always stress to all children that

these practices are all about expecting the best

but being prepared for the worst. We practise our

procedures and contingency plans in a serious

but matter-of-fact way and do our best not to

cause any alarm to anyone. Bushfires however,

are part of the Australian landscape and if you

were present on senior school assembly last

week you would have heard me gain students

attention by introducing my talk on bushfire

contingency plans by reciting the poem; My

Country by Dorothea Mackellar which

commences with; “I love a sunburnt

country………”. It did gain everyone’s attention!

The regrettable thing about bushfires that we

may face in this area is that they are likely to be

ignited by carelessness or by deliberate action.

The HSC examinations have commenced in our

school gymnasium and will run for about the

next three weeks. In the unlikely event that we

do encounter a “Catastrophic” RFS warning and

subsequently close the school, text messages

will be sent out to all students’ parents and HSC

students from this school have been advised to

report to Port Hacking High School for the

normal examination start time. This arrangement

has been established with Port Hacking HS

because of the location within reasonable

walking distance from Miranda train station.

Thank you for your support of your children’s

learning.

Kevin Haydon

Australian Mathematics Competition 2013

Again the students who entered the Australian Mathematics Competition in 2013 did the school

proud with 50% of them getting a credit or higher. Congratulations to the following students:

Year 7

Thomas J, James H, Callum G, Harrison K, Jacob V (Credit)

Year 8

Daniel G, Emily C, Ethan W, Mitchell L (Credit)

Year 9

Patrick W, Dean L (Credit)

Year 10

Luke B (Distinction)

Daniel McO, Jason J, Lachlan Mac (Credit)

Year 11

Vivien Y (Credit)

Year 12

Scott F (Distinction)

A special mention must go to Olivia B in Year 12 who received a High Distinction.

The Mathematics Staff

HELP WANTED

For Year 10 Practice Interview Day

Thursday 21 November

We need volunteers to assist with

interviewing students.

Interviews take place at the school

between 9.00am and 12 noon.

If you can spare some time on that day

and would like to assist,

please contact Kay Smith or Sherrie Eagles

on 9543 8317

1B Story writing

1B wrote about our new grass playground.

The new playground is fun to play tip. We are

not allowed to play bulrush because it is

dangerous. Nate’s brother broke his elbow.

Ryan

When the kids are in class the sprinkler is on.

There are four trees and the grass is soft.

Green is my favourite colour and it is good to

have nature at school. The best part is there

are a lot of places to hide and seek in the

grass area. Lachlan

I love the new playground and I like to play

running races. It is a lot of fun playing there

with my friends. When I am in Year 5 the

trees will be the same size as the other

trees. I am glad that we have a new grass

area. Mia

The first day I went on the new playground I

loved it. My friends and I always go there.

We have fun because it is long and soft.

Chelsea

Musical Concerts - Term 4

Band Concert

There will be a Band Concert for the Training

Band, Intermediate Band and High School Band

on Thursday 24 October (Week 3 of Term 4)

from 6.30 to 7.30pm in the Junior Hall.

There will be a Band badge presentation for all

band members.

Musical Soiree

The next Musical Soiree will be Thursday 7

November (Week 5 of Term 4) 6.30 to 7.30pm

in the Performance Space.

Leading Lights

Congratulations to Connor F of 5S, who

represented Lucas Heights Community

School on Thursday 17 October at the

Sutherland District Public Speaking Finals.

We look forward to his speech in 2014.

Year 7 Gala Day - 14 October 2013

Year 7 Gala Day is an initiative of the Sutherland Zone involving games against Kirrawee, Gymea,

Heathcote and Engadine High Schools.

The day is non-competitive and allows Year 7 students to engage in new sports they may not

normally play.

The Gala Day was held at The Ridge Sports Complex. Lucas Heights competed with enthusiasm in

boys and girls soccer, Newcombe ball and boys and girls Oz tag.

Sandra Holden, Coordinator

Last term was an extremely busy term for

students in all subject areas including Careers.

Students from Lucas Heights have had visits

from Universities, attended TAFE information

seminars, had information visits from

employment group training companies,

participated in the Taronga Zoo “meet-a-keeper”

day as well as engage in Careers lessons

designed to prepare them to plan for their future.

For students in Year 12 the school journey is

almost over and planning for the future is

eminent. Maybe you have a career path in mind

or perhaps you are a still a little unsure of which

direction you want to take. Whichever option

you choose there is lots of help to assist you with

your journey. Our school website is very

informative as well as some of the additional

websites listed below.

www.myfuture.edu.au/: website that can help

you make careers decisions, plan your career

pathways and manage work transitions

www.uac.edu.au/: for information on

universities and courses in NSW and ACT

and university application and admission

procedures

www.tafensw.edu.au/: for information on

TAFE courses and campuses

www.sit.nsw.edu.au/: for information on the

Sydney Institute of TAFE which includes

campuses at Ultimo, Petersham, Enmore,

Randwick, St George, Gymea and Loftus

Colleges of TAFE

www.acpet.edu.au: for information on

Private Courses and Colleges

www.jobsearch.gov.au: a government

website that has a number of jobs for school

leavers under the heading “Australian

Apprenticeships”

Be mindful of the following:

Career development is a lifelong journey

The world of work is always changing

Having a “job for life” is less common

You will have a number of opportunities to

change jobs, learn new skills and gain new

experiences throughout your career.

Year 10: Mock Interview Day

On Thursday 21 November, all Year 10

students will participate in a practice or Mock

Interview Day. The aim of this day is to give

students valuable practice at formal interviews

and better prepare them for successful entry to

the workforce.

At this event students apply for jobs with a

fictitious company, attend an interview and

present their prepared resume as part of the

Career Education Program. Students will be

interviewed by members of the school

community and receive feedback on the day.

Interviewers come from many backgrounds,

including industry, recruitment, service clubs,

government agencies and careers advisers from

local schools. They will interview students on

their chosen job advertisement, give some

feedback if there is time and submit an

individual evaluation sheet on all students. Our

career program will then attempt to further

address any common issues in interview

techniques which students display and we will

assist individual students to work on areas of

concern.

Interview preparation not only assists students

wanting full time or part-time employment it

also assists the many students applying for

scholarships, cadetships or early entry pathways

into university. Participation in this program

attempts to show students both what to expect at

an interview and what they made need to add to

better prepare their resume and themselves for

future experiences.

Mrs Eagles and Ms Smith, Careers Advisers

Leading Light

From 17 to 19 September Luke K of 5S represented both Lucas Heights

Community School and South East PSSA at the PSSA Softball State

Titles held in Camden.

The three-day tournament saw the boys compete in eight games. South

East came a three-way tie for third with two boys from South East being

selected for the NSW team.

Luke made a great comeback after a broken foot and with only one week

to prepare. It was a great experience and some wonderful friendships

made. Congratulations and well done Luke.

USEFUL IDEAS

PRIMARY AND HIGH SCHOOL

Choosing the right shoes

School shoes may all look the same but the cost can vary from about $30 to $120 and beyond. Does

a more expensive shoe mean a better shoe? Find out more:

http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/wellbeing/health/choosing-the-right-school-shoes

NSW public school terms and holidays

Here’s a snapshot of NSW public school terms and holidays for 2013 - 2015.

Find out more:

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/events/vacations.html

PRIMARY SCHOOL

Jargon explained

If your child's teacher mentions G&T in the COLA, she's actually talking about gifted and talented

classes being held in the covered outdoor learning area.

More school jargon explained: http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/homework-

tips/school-jargon-busters

Home safety

About 50 children fall out of windows or balconies in Australia each year. Spring is a good time to

install a window lock to limit how far it opens.

It's this easy: http://bit.ly/1dRpQw5

Where’s the octopus

Wow - it's videos like this that show kids how cool studying science can be. Watch it with them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoCzZHcwKxI&feature=youtu.be

HIGH SCHOOL

Is someone in your house preparing for the HSC? Here is some practical advice on everything from

writing an essay to helping the rest of the family stay supportive (and sane) while your teen works

towards their final exams.

Find out more:

http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/homework-tips/tips-for-surviving-the-hsc/

hsc-resources-to-help-your-child

Bushfire Season 2013/2014 - Important information for Parents and Carers

Dear Parents/Carers,

Bushfire season can be an anxious time for children and families. Schools in high risk bushfire areas

have emergency plans in place to keep everybody as safe as possible in the event of a bushfire. Our school prepares for the bushfire season and develops plans for the threat of a bushfire. We consult

with the Rural Fire Service (RFS) and fire safety experts to be better prepared. The RFS is strongly

supporting our school by:

· Sending out 4 day forecast rating

· Visiting schools to assess and talk to communities

· Arranging briefings for school principals regarding the current threats

· Complete a Bushfire Preparedness Checklist · Prepare buildings and grounds by clearing gutters and removing leaf litter around buildings · Update their bush fire action plan and communicate the plan to families · Practice bushfire safety and evacuation drills

· Ask parents to update their emergency contact details

Lucas heights Community School is classified as a high risk bushfire school. The NSW Depart-

ment of Education and Communities has recently updated their Bushfire policy and we have therefore

updated our emergency management procedures. This means:

When there is a catastrophic fire danger rating issued for the Greater Sydney Metropolitan

area this school will be closed.

When there is an extreme rating, our school will be open but on heightened alert. We will follow the

advice of the Rural Fire Service and Fire and Rescue NSW should there be a threat and the school be

required to evacuate to another location. Should this occur you should continue to trust us to care for

your children. We will make arrangements for you to collect them or to get them home when it is safe

to do so.

We will monitor the forecast on a daily basis during the bushfire season. Parents should also monitor

local radio stations or the Rural Fire Service website for bushfire or weather warnings and advice dur-

ing the time of year when the risk of bushfire is highest: http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au . Daily fire rat-

ings are published at 4:30pm the previous day. Following the fire rating publication at 4.30pm you will be notified of the closure via:

SMS from the School SMS service

News flash on the schools website http://www.lucasheigh-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/

Email from the school Enews account

A sign on the school carpark gate (if accessible)

High risk bushfire prone schools work closely with the Rural Fire Service to ensure that our students

are as safe as possible in the event of a bushfire.

Bruce Redman

Deputy Principal