Keeping In Touch The next P&C Meeting for 2017 is on Monday 19th February

at 7pm in the LIBRARY in D Block

(All Parents and Carers are invited)

Principal Report

Welcome to our first newsletter for 2018. The academic year is now in full swing and our student numbers are near capacity. I would like to formally welcome all of our new families to Kotara High School and wish them all of the best as members of our school community.

The New Year has also meant another turn over in our staff with fourteen new teachers arriving day one. I am very confident in our new staff and I am looking forward to working with them and our community. I would however, like to formally introduce to our community one of our new staff members Mr Keith Leyshon. Keith is our new Deputy Principal replacing Chris Dibben. Mr Leyshon comes to our school as a highly experienced Senior Executive and I am looking forward to working with him on our Executive Team.

During the 2018 academic year Kotara High School will be introducing a number of innovative delivery platforms to support student learning and engagement. As a school we will be introducing consistently across the school the ALARM scaffold and Newman’s Error Analysis. The staff began the TPL on these tools on the first day of the year in partnership with the University of Newcastle. In future newsletters staff will be outlining some of the specifics of

KOTARA HIGH SCHOOL

Lexington Parade, Adamstown NSW 2289

Phone: 0249433044 Fax: 0249421049

Email: kotara-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

the TPL we are completing, as well as how it will translate in to the class room. I am very excited about this collective shift for Kotara High School and I am looking forward to benefiting from these initiatives in the class room.

Our new Administration Building is nearing its completion. We are hopeful that a full sign off of the project will be completed by the end of March. The building is looking fantastic and we are looking forward to utilising this new facility. This will also mean, as explained last year a fully furbished Senior Study Space in the old administration area. I appreciate that during the construction of the building access to our site has been compromised but in the long run the school will benefit from the addition and I thank our community for its patience.

Last week we held our annual Swimming Carnival at the Lambton Aquatic Centre. As you can imagine a lot of organisation and prior work is executed before the actual day and I would like to acknowledge Mrs Threadgate for all of her work and dedication. Students were excellent on the day and everyone had a great time. We have been fortunate to have a number of students successful in gaining representation at the Zone Carnival later this term and I am looking forward to hearing about their collective performance.

Finally, I would like to again wish you all the best for the 2018 school year.

Mr Snedden

Kotara High School PARENT ONLINE PAYMENTS

Make Online Payments:

It is now possible for parents to make online payments to the school for amounts owing for students, via a secure payment page hosted by Westpac. Payments can be made using either a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card, and can be made via computer, tablet or mobile phone. The payment page is accessed from the front page of the schools website by selecting $ Make a Payment.

Items that can be paid include voluntary school contributions, subject contributions, excursions, sales to students and creative and practical arts activities (these include band, drama and dance, please note no Entertainment Book payments). There is also a category called ‘Other’ this is to cover items not covered in the previous headings. Other can be used to make a complete payment of a school invoice.

When you access the $ Make a payment you must enter:

the students name, and

class and reference number OR

the students name, and

date of birth.

These details are entered each time you make a payment as student information is not held within the payment system. There is also the option to enter the Student Registration Number and Invoice number if you are aware of them, these are optional fields OR there is also the option to enter the Student Registration Number and Invoice number these are not used at our school, please leave blank.

This is a secure payment system hosted by Westpac to ensure that your credit/debit card details are captured in a secure manner, these details are not passed back to the school.

You have the ability to check and change details of the payment before the payment is processed. Receipts can be emailed and/or printed.

Details of the payments are passed daily to the school where they will be receipted against your child’s account. As a receipt has been issued from the payment page a further receipt will not be issued by the school.

If you have any enquiries regarding the online payment process please contact the School Administration Office on 02 49433044.

STUDENT INTERVIEW SCHEDULE – 2018

Information for Parents

Year/s

Week

Date

Location

Timing

12 & 7

Term 1, week 7

Tuesday 13th March

3:30 – 6:00 pm

MPC

Tuesday A

10 & 11

Term 1, week 10

Tuesday 3rd April

3:30 – 6:00 pm

MPC

Tuesday B

Day after Easter Monday

8 & 9

Term 2, week 5

Tuesday 29th May

3:30 – 6:00 pm

MPC

Tuesday A

Parents/caregivers are invited to attend teacher interviews in the school’s Multi-Purpose Centre on the dates shown above. These times are also published on the school website, Skoolbag and the school calendar on SENTRAL.

About one week before each session interview bookings will be opened on the Parent Portal of SENTRAL. This is the only way that interview times can be booked. In conjunction with this a text message will be sent to all relevant parents/caregivers who have registered to receive such communication.

During the session the MPC will be divided into faculty areas and teachers of the relevant years will be available, in most cases, until 6:00 pm.

This is an opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and obtain feedback on their progress during their first semester of work. I commend these afternoons to you as an important component of your child’s education, and look forward to seeing you on the day.

If you are unable to attend, but would still like teacher interviews, you are welcome to phone the school on 4943 3044 to directly arrange an interview with your child’s teachers.

Mr Greg Mogg

H.T. Teaching & Learning.

This year the KHS Mathematics Faculty are continuing to implement the BYOD policy and integrate technology into all classes. The platforms currently in use are Microsoft OneNote and Mathspace. OneNote is being used by classroom teachers to present lessons so that students can access all content at any time and allows for the distribution of additional resources. Mathspace is an online learning platform that has been funded by the Mathematics Faculty allowing each student individual access to a library of resources. This platform incorporates adaptive learning technology that responds and adjusts to the learning ability of each student. Students are able to interactively participate in Mathematics, receive immediate prompts to help complete questions, access lesson tutorials and complete conceptual investigations. Students can be set tasks to complete by the classroom teacher as well as take their own initiative to improve their understanding and develop their independent study practices.

To ensure the efficient use of technology in classroom learning spaces it is imperative that students bring their charged devices to each lesson. If students are experiencing difficulty with their devices or accessing relevant platforms they should seek assistance from their teacher or consult with Mr Low, the Technical Support Officer. If any parents would like more information regarding the platforms please contact Mr Garner (Head Teacher Mathematics) through the school office.

In addition to using technology in the classroom this year, Year 7 and Year 9 students will be completing NAPLAN Online for the first time, which will take place during Weeks 3 and 4 of Term 2. Students require a functional device that connects to the school’s internet and has a large screen or separate keyboard. NAPLAN Student Training sessions will be delivered prior to the assessment to prepare students technologically and familiarise them with the new format and requirements. Information regarding the KHS organisation of NAPLAN Online will be distributed in the coming weeks, however, general information can be accessed by visiting the ACARA website: www.acara.edu.au.

Upcoming Events –

Students in Years 7 – 11 complete exams with supplementary summary sheets. Students will be taught how to successfully develop and utilise such study aids and can receive feedback from teachers to improve prior to assessments.

The Year 8 Enrichment Class (8L) will participate in the Inquisitive Minds Workshop to be held at Hunter School of Performing Arts in June to engage in enrichment tasks with other local schools. More information will be distributed when it is available.

Year 12 students will complete their mid-course exams for Mathematics during Weeks 9 and 10 of Term 1. Students should already be developing their summaries and implementing productive study time to prepare for their assessments.

Ali

Technological and Applied Studies (TAS) Faculty 2018

Happy New Year and welcome to the 2018 school year. We look forward to working with the students in the TAS faculty to ‘achieve their best’ in all aspects of learning.

We also welcome a new staff member to the TAS team, Anthony Ryan. Anthony was successful in the merit selection process and previously worked at Cessnock High School. Anthony has a wide variety of technical skills and is highly competent and passionate about quality teaching and learning. He is also experienced in student wellbeing programs and initiatives. We look forward to his contribution to the learning community at Kotara High School.

Congratulations to staff and students for the success and high level of achievement in the 2017 Higher School Certificate. We are all working towards maintaining these results in 2018 in all TAS and VET courses.

We take this opportunity to remind students and parents/caregivers of the need to comply with the safe footwear guidelines for all workshop environments. Covered, non-slip leather shoes are essential. If you have difficulties in meeting this requirement don’t hesitate to contact the classroom teacher or Head Teacher for assistance.

All students have been issued with a course introduction handout which outlines course requirements and an overview of the assessment policy. This promotes a productive and fair learning environment for all students. Course fees that are outlines assist in meeting the purchase cost of consumables utilised in the classroom.

Join our Facebook page to stay updated on the faculty’s activities in 2018. Our first parent teacher evening for years 7 and 12 will take place on Tuesday 13th March between 3.30 and 6 pm. We look forward to seeing you at the event to discuss student progress.

A new Technology Mandatory syllabus will be introduced in 2019 to year 7 students and TAS staff will be planning for the successful implementation throughout 2018. A Parent Guide is available and may help explain the implementation time line for the new syllabus. It can be found by following the link below.

http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/2803c528-e3d7-450d-bee9-bd1cac00d9ea/parent-guide-technology-mandatory-7-8-new-syllabus.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=

Head Teacher – Rebecca Murphy

On Tuesday the 6th February, Kotara High’s Support Faculty participated enthusiastically in the annual Swimming Carnival. Our students raced in their age heats, participated in the novelty events and enjoyed a free swim with their year groups. In addition, our students were also offered the use of five lanes in the intermediate pool for an extra free swim session. Everyone enjoyed the day. We look forward to next year’s event!

Phoenix Bartley, Cameron Schuette, Joel Beerwald enjoying their free swim time

Jack Chapple on his mark for the 15 year boys 100m Freestyle heat

Sophie Higgins and Sam Butler enjoying the day

It has been a busy start to 2018 in the HSIE faculty. I accepted the position of Head Teacher HSIE late in 2017 and I am very excited to be at Kotara High School. I would like to thank Mr Sean Brown and the rest of the HSIE staff for the very warm welcome I have received since my appointment.

The HSIE staffroom underwent a major renovation in the Christmas holidays and we have returned to a large, modern and well equipped room from which to work in 2018. The HSIE staff did an amazing job moving out the contents of the staffroom in preparation for the transformation.

In 2018 we welcome Mr Terry Bradley in the HSIE department. Mr Bradley comes to KHS with a wealth of teaching experience and we are very fortunate to have him this year.

Upcoming events to look forward to in the HSIE faculty include:

On 17th May we have booked ‘World War One Living History’ exhibition to visit Kotara HS

All Year 9 History, Year 10 Turning Point, Year 11 Modern and Ancient History Classes will be offered the opportunity to attend this exhibition presented at our school.

This exhibition will give students a glimpse of the diggers experience in the frontline trenches of France and Belgium in the latter half of WW1.

In addition, students will have FREE use of a “WW1 Dig Artefacts” box that will be posted to the school one week prior.

End of Term 2

All year 7 will be given the opportunity to attend the ‘Philip Green Aboriginal Technology Presentation which we are in the process of planning. Philip Green has a large collection of museum-quality artefacts which are given out in multiple touch-boxes for students to examine and handle. A National Geographic photographer, Philip will use his stunning photos in an audio-visual presentation of the native plants and wildlife used for food, clothing, medicine, shelter, weapons and art.

Suzi Evans

HT HSIE

Welcome back everybody! I hope you all had a lovely and safe holidays.

The big news out of the Music department is the new permanent placement we have. Ben Fuiono has joined the staff! Ben was previously working out at Bombala High School near Cooma, but he is originally from Newcastle so he is back home. Ben is a gifted guitarist and he is keen to get working in a bigger school with more opportunities.

As it is the start of a new year, a new crop of students have been trying out for the School vocal ensemble and the School Stage Ensemble. Throughout the year we are hoping to add to this list of activities for the students.

Lastly, this term the senior students are attending the Reprise concert at the Newcastle Concervatorium. This is a showcase the best the Hunter Valley had to offer in the HSC last year, giving the students insight into the effort and level of ability needed to excel in the HSC.

Thank you for tuning in and we hope to see you in the near future at one of our school events!

Visual Arts News We'd like to welcome Miss Kirsty Jackson as our new permanent member of staff in the Art Department and Mrs Emily Robinson who is with us temporarily, filling in for Mrs Leanne Morton who is on leave. In Arty News, we have lots of excursion opportunities for students to attend. All notes are available to collect from the Art Staffroom in B Block - check the labelled trays on the front bench. Overnight Excursion to Bundanon Art Camp - 12th -14th March 2018 (Years 7-11) Some places still available $435 covers all food, all art materials and workshops, transport and accommodation! . No school uniform and amazingly beautiful architecturally built accommodation. An amazing opportunity that only comes around biennially and is not offered to any other school in the Hunter Region. Students will undertake professional art workshops to extend their artmaking practice, set amongst the river landscape of Arthur Boyd's Bundanon and Riverside properties. See https://bundanon.com.au/ for more details. . Please note, if we do not get enough students to attend this camp, then we will be unable to run it again.

Day Excursion to ArtExpress 2018 - 19th March 2018 (Years 9-12) Open to the first 50 people who pay and bring in the permission note. Cost is $22 covering the bus fare. We'll be seeing ArtExpress at the Art Gallery of NSW and The Armoury in Newington. Open to Years 9-12. Please wear full-school uniform appropriate for the forecast weather. Material Contribution Fees

We have lots of Visual arts, Visual Design and Photography classes running this year which is fabulous. When students choose these subjects, a fee is charged that covers the cost of high quality art materials to make artworks, resources such as art books, and being able to print or photocopy in colour. Please note the following material contribution fees if your child has selected these courses. They are payable immediately and instalments can be arranged with the Front Office.

Year 7 Mandatory Visual Arts courses - $40 Year 8 Elective Visual Arts and Photography courses - $25 per semester Year 9, 10, 11 Elective Visual Arts, Photography and Visual Design courses - $50

Visual Arts Process Diaries

These are the mainstay of our classes and our students use them to document and develop ideas, experiment with materials, write notes and develop ideas. These diaries are required by all students undertaking Visual Arts, Visual Design and Photography classes. Most students by now have one. Year 7 – An A4 diary is required. Year 8/9/10 – An A3 diary is required as per your teacher instructions. Year 11/12 – An A3 diary is required. Obviously in the case of parents/caregivers who have purchased alternative sizes these are permitted. There are many places you can buy these diaries including School Canteen, Officeworks, Newsagencies, Big W, K-Mart, Target and some supermarkets if you still haven’t obtained one for your classes.

2017 Archibald Prize

The Year 7 Archibald Prize was held during Term 4 of 2017. This is a portrait painting prize held annually for Year 7 Visual Arts students. Students paint a portrait of their “Favourite Aussie.”

Congratulations to the following students who were finalists and award winners.

Finalists

Shekinah Welsh

Tom Paine

Riley Trevett

Kane Bakker

Laura Kwok

Grace Beddow

Sophie Arthur

Winners

Art Teacher’s Award

Josh Sharpe

Deputy Principal’s Award

Olivia Jenkins

Popular Choice Winner

Lily Nicholas

Welcome to another busy and exciting year of sport at Kotara High School.

The Kotara High School Swimming Carnival was held on the 6th of February and was a great success. Participants were enthusiastic with a great amount of enjoyment and ability on show.

Congratulations to the following age champions:

12years – Emily Townsend & River Peterson

13years – Charli Newling & Luke Taylor

14years – Mackenzie Clancy & Jordan Baggs

15years – Angel Newling & Jack Marsh

16years – Ella Cleare & Thomas Flook

17+years - Adelaide Markey & Bentley Cooke

The Zone Swimming Carnival will be held on Wednesday 21st February at Mayfield Pool with over 50 students representing Kotara High. The Zone swimming team is displayed on the PDHPE notice board.

Term 1 sport for Years 8 and 9 on Wednesday afternoons is well underway with students participating in 13 different activities at school and at local venues. Payments for bus travel should have been made by this week.

Year 7 and 10 Integrated sport has also commenced with Year 7 practicing for the Athletics and Cross Country Carnivals and Year 10 competing in organised tournaments in Tennis, Badminton, Futsal and Basketball.

Kotara High Cross Country Carnival will be held at Blackbutt on the 5th April of March. This is the Thursday of Week 10, Term 1. The school day/lessons will be modified and the carnival will begin at lunchtime.

The Athletics Carnival will be held on Tuesday 8th and Wednesday 9th May at the new Newcastle Athletics Stadium, Newcastle West. We are very privileged to hold a two-day Carnival. Further information will be distributed later in Term 1. All students are expected to attend and parents are welcome to come along and watch events.

A number of Hunter team trials are already being held and some ‘Knockout Tournament’ teams have already begun training and competing in a number of sports. Trials for Hunter teams and selection of Kotara High teams are announced during roll call so students must listen for further information.

Kira Threadgate – Sports Organiser

A special day in the library calendar each year is February 14, Library Lovers' Day. February is also Love Your Library Month. At Kotara High School we have been celebrating with a focus on books on reading. Students and teachers have been declaring their love for books and authors on small love hearts and these are now on display in the library. Students have also been invited to take a chance on a blind date with a book. This concept has proved very popular and many students have reported back that they have fallen in love with their blind dates. Blind dates will be available till the end of February.

We also celebrate 13 Year 8 students who completed the Premier's Reading Challenge with an afternoon tea and the presentation od their certificate. Congratulations to: Will Blanch, Stephanie Choi, Bella Firli, Chandana Ganjaseti, Sarah Jones, Matthew Lyons, Sam McClymont, Isabella McPherson. Joseph Scriberras. Gold certificate where awaded to students who have completed the Premier's Reading Challenge for 4 consecutive years: Jake Bambach & Freya Kruse. And Olivia Hughes & Elanor Moore received platinum certificates for completing 7 consecutive years of the Premier's Reading Challenge.

Careers Office

Congratulations to Mrs Atkins, our Careers Adviser, on the arrival of a beautiful daughter late last year. We wish her well for her maternity leave. Mrs McPherson has taken on the role of Careers this year. She is looking forward to assisting our students in the areas of job seeking, training and future career options.

Year 10 Careers Lessons Careers lessons will begin for Year 10 students towards the latter half of this term. There will be a total of 5 x 1hr 15min lessons throughout the year and they will be rotated through subject areas. During these lessons students will cover the following topics:

• Introduction to Careers and future pathways • Interest tests and quizzes • Explanation and hand out of work experience pack • Complete “Ready for Work” program (this is required prior to participating in work experience) • Creating a USI (Unique Student Identifier - this creates a secure online record of training and

qualifications gained in Australia and will allow students access to their training records and transcripts)

• Careers website, research and resources • How to apply for jobs- resumes, cover letters • Work Experience follow up and writing a thank you letter

TVET TAFE courses Year 11 and 12 students who are completing a TVET course are now a few weeks into the course. The following important information was handed out to students: • The gate at the Hudson Park end of the school will not be open until during period 4 which will be

too late. Please leave class at 12.45 if you need to get quickly to a bus and leave through the main school gates.

• Remember that you will need to catch up on the work you miss in class. This is your responsibility to organise as a senior student.

• Attend your TAFE class each week and don’t stop attending as this will affect your pattern of study and possibly the attainment of your Preliminary HSC and/or HSC.

• When absent from TAFE you need to notify me in the careers office. TAFE will not accept parents calling or emailing them as the notification must come via the school. If your parents ring the school they need to get the message through to me about your absence from TAFE.

Useful Careers information and websites Listed below are useful websites and advice to assist parents with careers guidance. Feel free to make an appointment to see me at the Careers Office to discuss any of the options that you have researched or discussed with your son or daughter.

Advertised Jobs and employment

• Go to www.au.indeed.com/ to search for advertised jobs (this will search all job websites) • Also go to www.kotarahighcareers.com and check on the message board for a weekly job link

from Career links. • Hand out your resume to local employers

University Information

• Go to www.kotarahighcareers.com and click on link: → Post school options → university (there are13 links from here)

• Go to www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/ for information from the University Admissions Centre You will receive a UAC Guide closer to the time

• Go to www.jobjump.com.au Log in from Kotara High School and use your private email address so you can access this site after you have finished school

• Visit the careers foyer and look at the university guides sent out to schools

TAFE Information

• Go to Hunter TAFE www.hunter.tafensw.edu.au/ • Go to Smart and Skilled www.smartandskilled.nsw.gov.au/ While there they can use the Course

Finder to check their eligibility, find the right Smart and Skilled course and approved training provider, and estimate their student fee.

• My Skills website – national directory of Vocational Education and Training (VET) organisations and courses www.myskills.gov.au

• Visit the careers foyer and look at the TAFE guides sent out to schools

Private Colleges

• Go to www.privatecollegesaustralia.com/ Private Colleges Australia provides up-to-date listing of further education colleges and courses

• Visit the careers foyer and look at the course guide sent out to schools • Go to Smart and Skilled www.smartandskilled.nsw.gov.au/ While there they can use the Course

Finder to check their eligibility, find the right Smart and Skilled course and approved training provider, and estimate their student fee.

Apprenticeships/Traineeships

• Use the following links for apprenticeship/traineeship contacts: www.aapathways.com.au www.novaskill.com.au www.megt.com.au www.migas.com.au www.mbansw.asn.au/ www.hia.com.au www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au • Go to www.au.indeed.com/ for advertised jobs (this will search all job websites) • Also go to www.kotarahighcareers.com and check on the message board for a weekly job link

from Career links. • Hand out your resume to local employers • Complete some work experience with an employer (see Mrs McPherson for the paperwork)

Gap year and working overseas

• Visit the careers foyer and look at the brochures sent out to schools www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/studying-training/changing-your-mind/taking-a-gap-year

I don’t know where to start………. • Create a resume • Do an interest test at ……….. www.jobjump.com.au Log in from Kotara High School and use your private email address OR www.kotarahighcareers.com and go to the student secure area and create an account

Please feel free to contact me to discuss any careers information.

Mrs Ann McPherson – Relieving Careers Adviser

Mr Mark Hastie is a new temporary staff member at Kotara High School and will be supporting both Year 11 and Year 12 students in the library and the new senior study space throughout 2018 . As Senior Tutor, Mr Hastie will provide students with both individual and group sessions on study principles and time management strategies along with providing guidance on how to effectively prepare for assessment tasks. Mr Hastie has a wealth of teaching experience over the past 30 years including HSC marking. He will be available each Thursday and Friday and we encourage all senior students on study periods to utilise his teaching expertise.

Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lions Youth of the Year

Year 11 students Danika Brown and Mya Hinton represented Kotara High School in Lions Youth of the Year. Students in this competition undergo an interview and then tackle complex impromptu speaking challenges before delivering their prepared speeches. Danika and Mya both demonstrated excellent critical and creative thinking skills and were wonderful ambassadors for Kotara High School. Congratulations to Danika who placed first in the public speaking component of the competition.

The Canteen is looking for volunteers, so if you have any spare time please come along and give us a hand. Just a few hours a month would help us out. The canteen is the fund raiser for the P & C. Just give us a ring at the canteen. What’s new on the menu Everyday Home style Cheese Pizza – Pizza base, pizza sauce and mixed cheeses. $2.50 Tuesday Rogan Josh Lamb and Rice $4.50 or Beef Stroganoff and roast potatoes $4.50 Thursday Toasted Turkish Bread with pesto, chicken, roasted capsicum, Swiss Cheese and baby spinach $2.80 Friday Chicken Enchiladas and Mexican Rice $4.30 Bean Nachos(black beans, corn, tomato, red onion, avocado, cheese and salsa) $4.20 New Sandwiches/Rolls Pulled Pork and Apple slaw $4.00 Falafels, humus, mixed lettuce, tomato, carrots and sweet chilli sauce $4.30 NEW DRINK Juice Bomb – sparkling fruit juice- apple cola or apple blackcurrant $2.00 KEEP CHECKING OUT CANTEEN FOR NEW ITEMS