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STEM PROJECT AT AGHS ON ABC NEWS

Learn Lead Succeed ISSUE 1 • APRIL 2018

On Wednesday, 7 March, 2018, during our International Women’s Day week-long celebrations, our Year 10 students were privileged to see guest speakers Associate Professor Muireann Irish and Dr Nicole Roland. The ABC filmed the presentation and also interviewed our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) students and their teacher, Dr Wallis. You can see some of our students below presenting their designs and talking to the ABC reporter.

CHECK OUT OUR NEW-LOOK WEBSITE!

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE STEM Project 1 Principal’s Report 2 Deputy Principal’s Report Years 7 & 8 4 Deputy Principal’s Report Years 9 & 10 5 Deputy Principal’s Report Years 11 & 12 7 School News 9 Important Dates 11 English/History 13 Careers 15 Support Faculty 17 Art/Music Faculty 19 Science Faculty 20 PDHPE Faculty 22 Parent Information 23

http://www.auburng-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/




2 ISSUE 1 • APRIL 2018

Principal’s Report Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to all members of our school community, particularly to our Year 7 students and their families and also to a number of new students who have commenced in Years 8, 9, 10 and 11.

NAPLAN FOR YEARS 7 & 9

Tuesday 15 May | Thursday 17 May

Welcome and Farewell In December we said farewell and happy retirement to our long-standing Deputy Principal, Rod Fisher. Rod is a much loved and highly valued member of our team. He will be missed. Ms Leanne Jackman, will be Relieving Deputy Principal. In the Mathematics Faculty we welcome Ms Jenny Ngyuen, a graduate from the University of Sydney. We also welcome Ms Rachel Serong in the EALD/Support Faculty who comes to us with extensive experience. HSC results The 2017 cohort of Year 12 students achieved some of the best HSC results the school has seen in recent times. There was a combined 100 x Band 5 and 6 results (93 X band 5 and 7 x band 6) results across many subjects. This year our teachers will be delivering a broad range of initiatives to support students in achieving a greater proportion of Band 6 results and ensuring all students achieve their personal best. Ms Diamond has this term launched the “90’s Club” to further support high achieving students who wish to participate. 2017 Student Cohort Post School Destinations From the 2017 cohort of students 85% went on to further education and training after graduation from Auburn Girls High School. 66% of our ATAR eligible students gained direct entry into a Bachelor’s Degree, while a further 27% have begun their tertiary education with a pathway program – a total of 93% of the ATAR cohort. In addition, 38 students received their 1st or 2nd preference. The remaining 7% have either taken a gap year due to family circumstances; elected to complete a VET program first.

Early offers continue to be very popular, with 60 students receiving at least one offer (often multiple early offers) prior to ATAR results being

released. The largest increase was via the School Recommendation Scheme (up from only 11 SRS offers made last year). These recommendations are made based on teacher feedback, analysis of assessment and reports, ATAR estimates and general knowledge of the student in terms of preparedness for tertiary study.

Education, Health, Business and Social Science were the most popular fields this year, although there was increased interest in the following fields: Engineering; Sciences (including Medical Science, Applied Physics, Forensic and Radiation Science); International & Global Studies; Policing & Criminology and Communications (Marketing and Journalism).

In January, three of our Year 12, 2018 students studied at the Australian Catholic University for a one week in an intensive program and completed a 1st year subject of the Bachelor of Health Science Degree. Two passed with distinction and one a high credit. This will allow a lighter load in Semester I of their studies in 2019 when they continue their tertiary studies. Congratulations and well done to Dua Rachid, Riya Amin and Monira Naim for their success.


Year 7 Camp The Year 7 Camp was held at the Outdoor Education Centre at Wyee on the Central Coast and was a great success again this year. Over 70 students attended. This valued wellbeing initiative facilitates and supports our student’s transition into High School. I have enjoyed hearing what a great time they had, getting to know each other and also experiencing activities that pushed the girls outside of their own natural comfort zones. I would like to acknowledge the work of our Year 7 Year Adviser Ms Kavo, and our Head Teacher Wellbeing, Ms Matta, who did a fantastic job in organising the camp. I also would like to thank our dedicated staff who volunteered to attend the camp over the three days, Ms Serong, Ms Young, and 5 Year 10 Peer Support Leaders. Ms Pham also visited during the day. Without the good will of staff volunteering their own time, events like the camp are not possible and we are very grateful for their continued support. Have a happy and safe holiday everyone and we will see students on Tuesday 1st May and staff Monday 30th April. Anna Tsoutsa Principal


Deputy Principal’s Report – Years 7 and 8 As Term 1 comes to an end, I would like to reflect on our start to 2018. We certainly have had a busy term; we ensured that our high expectations were clear for students and we jumped straight into learning. As Deputy Principal for Years 7 and 8 I would like to congratulate the girls on their engagement with learning and their pride in school life.

Year 7

A very special warm welcome to our new students in Year 7. Our Year 7 students have been friendly, excited, engaged, and organised. From what they tell me, they have enjoyed this first term at Auburn Girls High and have settled in well.

‘Coming to high school has been dramatic and I am still finding my feet. The teachers are caring and our learning is fun” Jana K

“We have made new friends and our teachers have helped out when we have needed it” Ella R

“’I really enjoy high school . there are some stresses such as homework and assignments but teachers really help us” Abir A

Year 7 students were supported in their effective transition to high school by their caring Year Adviser, Ms Kavo and their Stage Head Teacher Ms Fitzimmons. In addition, they have been involved in regular, engaging Peer Support workshops with Year 10 Peer support leaders.

In International Women’s Week the girls participated in an interactive workshop named Big Fish Little Fish (see photo below) which helped them gain strategies and skills to better cope with the challenges and changes of high school life.

In addition, girls at AGHS have access to a wide range of clubs that meet interests and talents such as robotics, drama, art, yoga, Science (below) and much much more.

In Week 10, 70 students attended the annual Year 7 School Camp which was an excellent opportunity to further develop friendships, and connections. The girls engaged in a range of activities that were team building such as mud races, flying fox and Leap of Faith. All girls came back with exciting stories of their time spent together in cabins, at meals and in safe activities. Teachers reported that the girls were well behaved and had a wonderful time that they will remember forever.

Camp was excellent fun. We had an amazing time. I made new friends and new bonds” Jannah T

The benefit of an ‘all girls' learning environment is that our girls are empowered to take risks with their learning and supported to be participants in all that we offer. We met many of our new parents of Year 7 at the beginning of the year in our well attended Information afternoon. This was a valued opportunity for parents to learn more about high school expectations and meet their daughter’s teachers.

Special congratulations Melissa Maharjan – represented our region in the State finals for swimming. Melissa came fifth in the NSW in the 100 metre breast stroke. Well done Melissa!


Congratulations to the following students in Year 7 who have made a great start to high school life and have been awarded Positive Behaviour Awards. Keep up your fine efforts, behaviour and attendance.

Emaan Ahmed Zainab Alabass Attiqa Ali Meerab Arslan Tanya Aumary Sarah Ayoub Reihaneh Bayani Alice Chan Chloe Chan Annie Doan Warisha Durrani Leanne El-Kheir Annisa Elcheick Zaina Elemam Amirah Elsamad Zahra Haidar Najam Saima Haidari Armani Hamdan Areebah Haq Kelly He Hiba Hussain Fabiha Iram Soma Jafari Feriha Kepezkaya

Alishba Khan Sara Khawam Shirley Lo Melissa Maharjan Mahdia Mahdia Hiba Maricar Hawraa Mohammad Sohila Mohammadi Wajiha Mohammadi Yalda Mohammadi Faria Moosawi Ayah Naboulsi Lauren Nguyen Leanne Nguyen Aysha Obeid Deborah Oo Akasya Pelin Shaekiba Rostami Rushmila Sazzad Esma Sevincek Lily Shao Anita Singh Areeba Tauqeer

Year 8 Year 8 have also had a good start to 2018 and are enjoying elective language classes and making sport choices. They are consolidating their literacy and numeracy skills and being positive role models to our new Year 7 students. They have had a number of opportunities for personal growth and extension in a range of activities, competitions and excursions. In International Women’s week they watched a powerful drama production called Verbal Combat by Brainstorm Productions. This play focused on the effects of language and actions on young people and more effective ways of communication. The play was thought provoking and relevant. Supervising teachers remarked that “It was a very well-acted and the girls were very interested.” “The play dealt with very real issues facing teenagers.”

Congratulations to Year 8 girls below, who were awarded Positive Behaviour Awards this term. Keep up your fine efforts, behaviour and attendance.

Muruvvet Akkaya Iktimel Al Rajab Qamar Alameddine Asmaa Ayouch Badia Baghdadi Valerie Bailey Zahra Benkabbour Siclalis Dessiree Bonilla Iram Bookbinder Kubra Caglayan Yumi Cailloce Charif Layal Iffat Fatema Chaudhari Cecilia Do Maryam Fahmi Maryam Farid Roba Goreishi Zahraa Hammoud Naushin Hasan Mashaim Noor Irfan

Lavangiah Karunakaran Sumaia Kashmiri Amal Khan Aneeesa Khan Safiyyah Khan Amy Khoa Grace Lahtaw Kylie Le Fariha Mahjabine Garima Mainali Dehlia Mang Fatema Mansur Helen Mi Mandy Ngo Mahnaz Rahimi Hanya Safdari Falaq Shethwala Thakshana Suresh Sharona Ta Carmen Wong

I encourage all parents to be involved in school life and attend our P and C meetings to ensure home/ school communication is strong. You can contact the school by phone, email or in person. This is the best way for us all to work together to ensure your daughter is happy at school and able to achieve academically. Don't hesitate to make contact with one of the following staff members.

Years 7 and 8 Deputy Principal – Ms Rizzo Head Teachers Wellbeing – Ms Matta, Ms Doyle, Ms Pham Year 7 Year Adviser – Ms Kavo Year 8 Year Adviser - Ms Mahmoud Stage Head Teacher – Ms Fitzimmons Community Partnership Officer – Ms Amr Once again, welcome to the beginning of what will be a year of inspiration, challenge, excellence and opportunity at Auburn Girls High School. I wish you all a safe and relaxing holiday break and I am looking forward to working with all of you.

Santina Rizzo Years 7 & 8 Deputy Principal


Years 9 and 10 Year 9 and 10 have had a great start to the year!

The following students have received merit awards this term: Year 10 Angelina Xia – 2nd White merit badge Toobaa Kahir – 3 Principal gold awards Emma Jidah -9 Principal gold awards Leyla Karasu – 2nd White merit badge Rezwana Anwari – 2nd White merit badge Anna Tran – 3rd White merit badge Doha Goreishi – 3rd White merit badge and bronze merit badge Year 9 Aleyna Yalcinkaya – 1st White merit badge Hafifa Sidiqi – Bronze merit badge Saumya Amin – 1st White merit badge Zoukah Fatfat – Principal Gold award Randa Assoum – 6 Principal Gold awards Parwana Rostami – Principal Gold award Sadia Afridi – Principal Gold award Rodah Eleman – 2 Principal Gold awards Farahnaz Asadullah – 2nd White merit badge Shaniyah Khan – 1st White merit badge

NAPLAN Preparations Year 9 have been busy preparing for the NAPLAN across all their classes. Mrs Ahmad had organised a partnership with the University of Sydney whom have provided the school with iPads and an online study skills program called ‘studiosity’ to support their online learning with online practice quizzes and homework help. We also encourage Year 9 to read books for leisure every night to build their academic background knowledge and vocabulary. Girls in Tech Excursion Year 9 Enrichment students attended the “Girls in Tech” excursion accompanied by Miss Young. The Girls had a chance to:

- learn about exciting new careers in tech and finance

- make technology accessible and interesting

- help girls understand the impact they can have on the world through technology The day was informative, interactive and enjoyed by all! English Excursion All Year 9 are looking forward to the excursion on the 12th of April to see a ‘Wrinkle in Time’ to support their learning in English. This is a wonderful opportunity to socialise with other students and their class teachers and also learn more about ‘voice’ in texts. Creative Youth Conference Year 9 selective will be attending the Auburn Youth Centre ‘Creative Youth Convergence’ on the last day of Term 1. Students will have the opportunity to be involved in panel discussions, workshops, interactive art spaces and performances. They will be accompanied by Miss Rao and Miss Amar. International Women’s Day Event Anoushay Khan, Doha Goreishi, Mahdeeya Halidh, Souad Charaf and Tahmina Rahimy attended the International Women’s Day Event at the 3M Australian headquarters on the 8th March. They had a tour of the innovations complex and mixed with STEM professionals and were able to ask questions about their roles and career pathways. They were accompanied by Ms Amar and had a fantastic day.

Fatima Haq received the Academic Excellence Award for Year 10 at the Great Hall on the 10th April at the University of Sydney. Ms Bakhos and Ms Jackman attended the ceremony to support her and her family and she is to be congratulated on her consistent endeavours towards her studies. We are all very proud of you! I would like to wish all the students and their families a safe and enjoyable break and look forward to Term 2 and all the exciting projects for students in Years 9 and 10. Leanne Jackman Acting Deputy

Fatima Haq

7 ISSUE 1 • APRIL , 2018

Years 11 and 12 Welcome back to the new school year. I have the pleasure of continuing on with my Year 12 cohort and I am very busy meeting and getting to know the Year 11 cohort.

Year 11 have settled into their senior studies pattern effortlessly and have just finished their first assessment tasks for most of their subjects. Years 12 have not only just finished their Half Yearly Exams but also now have completed their first semester of their final year of secondary schooling. I have launched for the first time a “90’s Club” for those students in Year 12 working towards an ATAR of over 90. It has been extremely popular with over 30 students being involved. We look at various areas to help ease the girl’s stress levels and help them achieve their personal best. So far we have looked at individual study timetables, how to study successfully English based subjects compared to Maths based subjects and an excursion to the Blue Mountains as part of having time out is being organised for the school holidays. Thank you to all Year 11 and 12 families for their support with ensuring their children return meeting the school’s expectations regarding personal presentation and attitude to learning. For a second year we have decided as a school to continue having a junior leadership team to help support our Year 12 team when they are busy preparing for any commitments for their final year of study. After a slightly nerve wreaking experience where the girls were interviewed by a panel a big congratulation must be given to the following girls who were chosen.

Ebru Balabanel Sabah Charif

Sharifa Hafsah Fatima Haq

Maybelle Thieu Nabiha Ullah

With the start of a new year so begins ‘Student of the Month’ for 2018. Each month Year Advisers nominate outstanding students for consideration. These girls were nominated for their contribution to our school, whether through fundraising, work in the SRC, leadership, or sporting prowess, or

STUDENT OF THE MONTH - FEBRUARY Weyun Xu of Year 11 consistently demonstrates a positive attitude within schooling as well as in her interactions with peers and teachers. She is a diligent and hardworking student who is always on task and helpful to classmates. She is respectful to others and helps in the classroom whenever she can. She is kind and caring to everyone she meets and works hard to make those around her feel important. Her hard work and consistent kindness are just some of the characteristics that make Weiyun an outstanding student. Her work in Textiles is of a high standard and well maintained, and she always provides support to her peers in the classroom.

outstanding commitment to learning. This prestigious award is given to any student, Years 7 to 12, who has been working to their full capacity, and is an active and positive contributor to the school environment. The recipients receive certificates and a $50 gift voucher, as well as being highlighted on our Student of the Month wall. The first recipients of the year are:

STUDENT OF THE MONTH - MARCH Saja Alsulaimani of Year 7 is a dedicated, hardworking and driven young lady who has already demonstrated maturity towards all learning experiences since joining the Auburn Girls High School community just 9 short weeks ago. Saja has demonstrated an outstanding learning attitude in her classes and believes all her teachers are fantastic. Saja’s favourite subjects are Maths, Science and English. Since joining AGHS, Saja has dedicated herself to many extracurricular clubs, including the Science Club. Saja is already working to uphold the school’s motto of Learn Lead Succeed by being appointed as one of the Year 7 SRC representatives. When not working hard in class Saja says she likes to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and sunshine in the Top Quad with her friends.

ISSUE 1 • APRIL , 2018 ,

The following senior students have started of the year so beautifully that they have been issued with the first level of awards on the Positive Behaviour Program. The award is based on having an attendance rate of 94% or higher, no lateness or any demerits. Congratulations to these students who have met the above criteria.

Year 12 students

B e l o w: s e n i o r s c a t e r i n g f o r t h e I n t e r g e n e r a t ii o n a l L u n c h e o n

Rose Gold Award Nimo Aden Rayan Ahmed Emine Akkaya Kubra Alacalioglu Yamama Albadry Deniz Altun Tamana Asad Ullah Fatma Ayoub Iqra Bookbinder Sabah Charif Wafa Dehaiby Sumaya El-Dannoui Jasmine Elcheikh Douha Elrich Derya Elustu Sharifa Hafsah Fatima Haq Emily He Pinar Isik Mariama Kamara Arya KC Shoghla Khan Kader Kilic Rosanna Liang Isabella Maklouf Karla Manansala Olivia Milford Maryam Molaie Masoumeh Moradi Elaha Musavi Sabaat Musharaf Saraf Nawar Sogand Nehmat Ali Acelya Pelin Sahima Rostami Rabia Sadat Faiza Sadiqi Simran Singh Fahima Taimoori Maybelle Thieu Nabiha Ullah Debbie Wu Weiyun Xu Jenan Yaghi Simiao Yang Angela Zhong Iman Zreika

Gold Award Recipients Aamna Ahmed Beyza Akcan Adit Akuen Haneen Al Ugaili Abbi Al-Mouhajer Awatef Alameddine Iesha Alameddine Shireen Alameddine Fatima Alghaidan Tesneem Alkozai Riya Amin Saaima Awan Amina Ayoubi Kadie Bangura Rukhaiya Banu Shahasadi Binth Saleem Alyssa Borra Zainab Butt Kameriya Celik Saada Chaarawi Lina Elmasri Yusra Farooq Sharia Generoso Homaria Habibi Hasna Hadid Sally Hang Sohpia Huang Hajra Irfan Yasmin Ismail Khairanessa Karimi Areeba Khan Fiza Khan Salma Lozi Drishy Mainali Zarin Mansur Jacinta Milford Shamim Mohammadi Mariam Moosawi Monira Naim Ziba Nasrullah Nazdona Nazari Alexandria Nikua Pashtana Noori Gule Orozgani Emine Othman Massoumeh Rahimi Dua Rashid Aalia Sidiqi Marwa Sawadi Maryam Shuja Melisa Sonmez Karen Tran Anna Wong Mahin Zaman

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday, and a reminder to any student or parent that my door is always opened to those who wish to ask any question or needs support. Ms B Diamond, Deputy Principal Years 11 and 12

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School News

LEADERSHIP ACTIVITY This term the Leadership Team have been hard at work, involved in many aspects of school life. As well as admirably representing the school at various functions throughout the term, the Captains and Prefects have been leading various projects including introducing new Novelty games and activities at the school swimming carnival, Breakfast Club (Tuesday and

Friday mornings before school), fundraising activities including a Bake Sale (left) to ‘Bring Back the Music Bin’, hosting the annual International Women’s Day Breakfast and weekly school assemblies, setting up the new ‘Year 7 Project’ club and assisting in the running of the Harmony Day concert. The Leaders have actively encouraged students to participate in school activities especially supporting the Year 7

students in their introduction to high school life. Novelty Games at the School Swimming Carnival We started the year with the Team, led by our Sports Captain Iesha Alameddine, introducing and organising a new series of novelty activities at the school swimming carnival. The activities gave swimmers and non-swimmers an opportunity to participate in water and non-water games such as egg and spoon races, wet sponge target shot, 3 legged races and so on outside of the pool. It gave non-swimmers a chance to participate and earn points for their house. All students had a great time. The House Captains were also in fine voice leading the cheers in support of their House, as all students sang out their war cries and cheered on their fellow House members. ‘Bring Back the Bin’ Project

The Leadership Team and Senior students have worked together to support our Melba House Captain, Rayan Sabbouh, to raise money to repair the school Music Bin. The Music Bin is a portable sound system housed in a wheelie bin. The Music Bin was introduced to the school about 4 years ago and provided many lunchtimes of entertainment, adding a new experience for many students. The Bin has been out of use for a little while and Rayan has taken the initiative to find a repairer, raise the money to repair the bin and reintroduce the Bin to school life early next term.

ZONTA’S INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY BREAKFAST

Following a very successful International Women’s Day Breakfast at Auburn Girls High on Wednesday 7th March, 2018, hosted by our School Captain, Drishya Mainali and School Vice Captain, Monira Naim, our school leaders again represented Auburn Girls High School on Thursday 8th March at Bankstown Sports Club for another early morning breakfast to celebrate International Women’s Day with the Zonta Club of Sydney West. Rithe Zaman, Auburn Girls High’s recipient of the 2017 Year 10 Citizenship Award and entrant for the Young Women in Public Affairs Award represented us in the Candle Ceremony to highlight the fight for a world without violence and discrimination against women, whilst Drishya Mainali was asked to assist in the presentation of the awards for the Zonta Club’s ‘Young Men Standing Strong Against Family Violence’ Award, a great honour.

Our leadership team at the Zonta breakfast.

9


YEAR 7 PROJECT GROUP

The Leadership Team, led by Drishya Mainali, have introduced into the Clubs Program a new club for Year 7 students. This Club is called the Year 7 Project. The Club meets every Wednesday lunchtime in the Library meeting room. It aims to engage the junior students to build a positive environment at school by conducting small fun projects. The Student Leadership Team runs the Club and encourages the junior students to team up and engage in activities such as: making a video or magazine or an art piece that relates to the theme that they are given. This term the theme has been body image. The Year 7 students have been able to socialize and meet new people who are not in their classes and have gained a greater awareness of their school and its community already. Mrs L K ing (Student Leadership Co-ordinator)

YEAR 11 PREFECTS

Congratulations and welcome to the Leadership Team. Early this term our new senior students, who wished to develop their leadership skills and actively work as part of the Senior Leadership Team, were given the opportunity to apply for the position of Year 11 Junior Prefect. I would like to congratulate all the girls who were brave enough to put their hand up and apply for this role. It took leadership skills to stand up and take themselves out of their comfort zone and go through the nerve wracking application and interview process. This year 6 students were selected to support the Year 12 Leadership Team. Congratulations and welcome to the Leadership Team to: Ebru Balabanel, Sabah Charif, Sharifa Hafsah, Fatima Haq, Maybelle Thieu and Nabiha Ullah. See photo below:

More photos from Zonta

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ISSUE 1 • APRIL , 2018

IMPORTANT DATES

TERM 1 WEEK 11 13 April, 2018 Last day of Term 1

TERM 2

WEEK 1 30 April, 2018 Staff Development Day

1 May, 2018 ALL students return to school

WEEK 2 10 May, 2018 Athletics Carnival WEEK 3 15 – 17 May, 2018 NAPLAN

WEEK 5 30 May, 2018 P & C Meeting

WEEK 8 20 June, 2018 Stage 6 Parent Teacher Night

WEEK 9 27 June, 2018 P & C Meeting School Spirit Week

WEEK 10

6 July, 2018 Last day of Term 2

TERM 3

WEEK 1 23 July, 2018 Staff Development Day 24 July, 2018 First day of Term 3 for students.

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CELEBRATING HARMONY DAY Harmony Day is a day to celebrate Australian multiculturalism. It is about inclusiveness and respect for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background. When people migrate to Australia, they bring with them some of their own cultural and religious traditions, as well as taking on many new traditions. Collectively, these traditions have enriched our nation. AGHS proudly celebrates Harmony Day in recognition of the diversity of cultures in Australia. Being a part of a diverse, multicultural community, AGHS organised some memorable events for students to engage in and participate. Ms Ghemraoui and the SRC organised activities in the library courtyard during lunch including braiding, henna and orange nail polish (the symbol for harmony) to boost the spirits of our students. Ms Matta and Ms Dally with the help of the leadership team selected participants for the Harmony Day concert. A variety of dances and musical performances, traditional or symbolic of the student’s cultures, were watched by all students on the top quad. The Year 10 Choir kicked off the show with a heart-warming rendition of “We are Australian” with many students inspired to join in with them. Year 7 Selective followed with some inspirational poems they wrote themselves about Harmony. They recited their poems with confidence and pride. Then the students were treated to the dance and musical performances from students from Nepalese, Korean, Chinese, Syrian, Afghan and Lebanese backgrounds. All students in AGHS celebrated their own culture and embraced the cultures of others. By Ebru Balabanel

CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Intergenerational Luncheon held in the school hall.

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English/History Faculty

Many things have been happening in the faculty this term. The Senior Debating Team had its first debate against Homebush Boys’ High and narrowly lost this debate – thank you to Mr Bailey for organizing this event.

RECENT EVENTS We began the term with three new staff members: Ms U Rao, Ms N Duran and Ms S Roumie. Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Ms Duran and Ms Roumie who begin next term at new schools and as permanent appointments and we wish them well. Mr Holt will join our staff next term as a consequence of these changes. All students should have completed their first assessment tasks and should have received feedback from their teachers. It is very important that close attention is paid to the feedback given and that students reflect on their strengths and weaknesses so that they can work towards improvement in the future. Some student work has been included for your enjoyment and it highlights the hard work that many are doing.

Ms Richardson Head Teacher, English/ History

PUBLIC SPEAKING WRAP In Term 1 of 2018, Auburn Girls High School participated in the first round of the Legacy Public Speaking Challenge. This is the first year that our school has participated in this challenge and we had an overwhelming response, with more than 37 students trying out. Participants had to write a 4-5 minute speech on a topic of their choice and we had a variety of topics presented on the day such as; consumerism, animal rights, women’s rights, media and sports. The participants also had to face the daunting task of completing a 2-3 minute impromptu speaking task where they had only 5 minutes to brainstorm a speech on the topics: “the best of both worlds” or “the best thing since sliced bread”. We had an amazing group of confident, clever and witty participants this year and judging was very difficult! Our finalists Aya Ali and Hafsa Farooq will compete in the Local Finals in Term 2 against 9 other local school finalists. I also wanted to thank Fatema Mansour for stepping up and representing our community with confidence and pride at the ANZAC Day Assembly. Ms U Rao Debating, Years 7 & 8 and Public Speaking Co-ordinator

An Acrostic Poem Playing with evil Luring you in Attached to the game You get scared In the dark Never might see the light again Games that are too dangerous shall not be played But there may be a way out Expect it to be hard And it will become easy after a while Though you never know If it's really worth Entering at all But know all we do is wait and see Of all we expected we were Wondering if we'll survive Written by Anonymous (from Year 9)

Above left: Aya Ali and Hafsa Farooq our Legacy Public Speaking Finalists; Above right: Fatema Mansur speaker at the ANZAC Day Year 7 Assembly. Below: Our Year 8 Debate Team ready for their first round.

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ISSUE 1 • APRIL 2018

Year 9 Visual Representations

1

Inner conflict

2

3

4

5

Abigail JudahRobert

Love-Visual Representation

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Careers Yet again, the year started off brilliantly in the Careers Office, with some outstanding results for our graduating cohort from 2017. 85% of our total Year 12 group have gone on to further education and training in university, TAFE or colleges, with 55 girls gaining entry directly in to bachelor’s degrees at various universities in Sydney and another 22 in to guaranteed pathway programs of diplomas or foundation studies at WSU.

60 girls received early offers through leadership, academic performance in specific HSC subjects or through the School Recommendation Scheme, and in addition, 48 students received more than one offer (33 of them gaining three or more). We congratulate these girls on their fantastic achievements and look forward to continuing the trend for this year’s group. For our current Year 12s, the foundations have already been laid with our regular Tuesday afternoon information sessions. These address a range of topics including Early Offers, university comparisons and tips to navigate UAC. The girls who stay back for these are ensuring the best possible chance of success for their post-school study options. Ms Lyn Okell has worked incredibly hard to ensure every Year 12 student has been interviewed regarding their career plans, study timetables and EAS bonus point eligibility (now known as Adjustment Factors). Please make sure necessary documents for these are returned to the Careers office as soon as possible to ensure a smooth application process in Term 3. This year we are hoping to place a greater focus on opportunities for our non-ATAR cohort as well as for those planning further education. ABCN (Australian Business Community Network) is working closely with us to assist in job readiness for those Year 12 students who do not wish to study in 2019 with a targeted program involving business mentors and support from recruiting agencies. In addition, we plan to take a group of students from Years 10, 11 and 12 to the interactive Australian Skills Show at the ICC in Darling Harbour next term to gain first-hand experience in a variety of trades. Finally, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to attend a number of Careers Adviser days at various universities and

Engaging with our partner universities early is also a sure way of gaining success, and we have already had a number of events to allow opportunity for this.

• UNSW has facilitated ASPIRE workshops for Year 8 and 9 selected classes as well as offering places to Year 10 and 11 students for the ASPIRE Advantage program. NB: All parent permission forms need to be returned for these as soon as possible.

• WSU has held the Year 12 Fast Forward conference for 500 students across Western Sydney, and we have begun planning for other year groups to take part in workshops and campus visits throughout the year.

• ACU has assisted three of our Year 12 students to complete the first unit of their Bachelor of Health Science degree during the January holidays – Congratulations to Dua Rashid, Riya Amin and Monira Naim for taking up this opportunity and passing with flying colours. New opportunities for this program will be advertised to Year 11 students in the coming months.

TAFEs for current updates on opportunities, information on new courses and innovative approaches to support students in to higher education. All of this information is communicated back to our girls through Year 9 and 10 Careers classes, one on one chats and small group information sessions. I look forward to continuing to work with our girls throughout the year to help them find the best path for their future. Ms Heemi

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Careers continued

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Support Faculty A warm welcome to our community for 2018, and an especially warm welcome to our new families that are joining us for the first time this year. At the beginning of Term 1 2018, Year 7 Support Unit students started their High school education and it has been great to see them settle into school routine so quickly.

Recently Our teachers and SLSO’s have done a wonderful job ensuring the activities and learning experiences are engaging as the students learn new routines. We also have some of our senior students working as peer leaders with the classes. They assist with their learning and build relationship to ensure that the Year 7 girls have a familiar face they can turn to if they are a little lost or anxious. It will be no doubt that 2018 is another fantastic year with high quality teaching and learning the focus for teachers and students. Our School Coffee Shop, Insp!re Café, is a hands-on option for students in the Support Unit. The Café provides them with practical work-related experience, as well as Literacy and Numeracy skills and the opportunity to build personal skills that are important for life and the work environment. Recently Year 10, 11, 12 students and their parents took part in Individual Transition Plan meetings with Mrs Saleh, The School Counsellor, Ms Susan Tomasetti (Transition Teacher) and Mrs Clipsham to discuss the students’ goals when they finish Year 12. It is recommended that some of the students will meet with the TAFE consultant at Ultimo TAFE regarding Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses that are available. Learning is as important for teachers as it is for students. In the second week of February I engaged in Professional Learning about Cognitive Load Theory, to ensure students have an opportunity to move new learning from their working memory to long term memory - to help students to retain their learning and be able to use their learning in the future. This week all Support Unit students and teachers are going to the Easter show on an excursion. We all cannot wait for lots of fun. Next week Year 12 students will start

their Half Yearly exams. Please remember that if you have any concerns for your daughter at school please contact us , we are keen to work with our families and parents to ensure great outcomes for all Support Unit Students. Ms A Saleh Head Teacher

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Support Unit continued

At the Show

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Art/Music Faculty Year 12 Ceramics

Year 11 Visual Arts

Year 11 Ceramics

This term, Year 12 Ceramics students have continued to develop their constuction method techniques. Shortly they will be reviewing the methods of construction and surface decorating techniques that they enjoyed and come up with an idea for their own work.

This year the Preliminary Ceramics students have started by developing a coil constructed form, using an applied design, Japanese transfers and underglazes as surface decoration. They researched the work of Avital Sheffer for inspiration and applied her artist practice to their own art making. The girls have made a fantastic start to the year and soon their finished works will be on display around the school.

Escher inspired tessellations. The Preliminary Visual Art students.

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Science Faculty

It has been an exciting term in Science! Year 7 have settled in learning how to be scientists, while Years 8 to 10 have been learning about different aspects of the Physical Sciences. Year 11 students have been designing and conducting their own depth study investigations as part of the new Senior Science syllabi and our Year 12 students are preparing for their half-yearly examinations.

Science Club Colour is the theme in Science Club this term. So far, our Science enthusiasts have investigated chromatography, pH rainbows and walking water! The pH rainbow was particularly exciting for the students with many gasps and wows as students created a rainbow in a measuring cylinder using common kitchen ingredients. Below is a photo of water ‘walking’ from the full beakers to the empty one.

STEM on International Women’s Day On the 7th of March, the ABC crew visited the Year 10 STEM cohort. We were honoured to have them visit and film what we’ve been working so hard on over the past year. We were also excited to showcase our efforts, including some of our 3-D printing designs and stair-climbing robots. This opportunity has provided us with confidence and has made us realise that STEM isn’t an easy subject, however all the work one puts into it is worth it. We have come to realise that what we’re doing is a great privilege, and each and every one of us has been working so diligently, attentively listening and actively participating, because every second missed in STEM is an ocean of knowledge retracting from the shore we’re standing on. The talks Associate Professor Muireann Irish and Dr Nicole Roland presented were highly engaging, enlightening and eye-opening. Many of us were influenced by these great women. Some of us are now considering their professions of Neuroscience and Computational Linguistics; two very vast fields that most of us haven’t explored before. Thank you to the ABC crew for letting Australia know about what we do and what we work on and thank you to Associate Professor Muireann Irish and Dr Nicole Roland for their amazing talks that have encouraged us and opened us up to more options. A huge thank you to our teacher and STEM co-ordinator, Dr Wallis, for making everything in STEM, from 3-D printing to computer aided designing, possible. A huge thank you to Mr Baxter for introducing STEM to us in Year 9. by Doha Goreishi (Year 10)

Dr Roland (left) and Prof. Irish (right) discussing our STEM projects. 3D Printing

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PDHPE Faculty AUBURN GIRLS HIGH SWIMMING CARNIVAL

Auburn Girls High Annual Swimming Carnival returned to its original location and the newly refurbished Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre, Church Street Lidcombe on Friday 9th February, 2018. It was an enjoyable day for all with perfect weather, blue skies and high student participation and enthusiasm. Year 12 students had the opportunity to showcase their themed costumes dressed as fictional characters, which they did in a stylish and mature manner. Congratulations to all students who participated in the carnival and a special mention goes to the students who were the age champions on the day. Every year at the swimming carnival we hold a teacher verses student relay race which teachers win convincingly. However, this year, it was not to be. Four students Carmen Wong, Grace Lahtaw, Amy Khoa and Sharona Ta set a goal to beat the teachers and that they did. Their celebration after the win was nothing short of amazing. We had 10 students proudly represent Auburn Girls High School in the Zone Swimming Carnival at Auburn pools. We had three students, Layla Sabbah (Year 10), Melissa Maharjan (Year 7) and Carmen Wong (Year 8) progress to the Sydney West Swimming Carnival representing Prospect Zone. Special congratulations to Melissa Maharjan who further progressed to the State Swimming Championships which will be held on Monday 9th April.

Age Champions – Girls 12 years – Melissa Maharjan 13 years – Carmen Wong 14 years – Grace Lahtaw 15 years – Aisha Chaudhry and Anna Tran 16 years – Layla Sabbah 17 years – Monira Naim (School Vice-Captain) 18 years – Iesha Alameddine (Sports Captain) Swimming Carnival - House points 1st – Curie 335 points 2nd – Batten 275 3rd – Melba 259 4th – Cavell 183 points

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PROSPECT ZONE TRYOUTS We had ten students from Year 11 compete in the Open Basketball Knockout Competition. They were convincing in their wins, round one against Holroyd High School and round two against James Ruse High. They are now into round three with the competing school yet to be announced. We wish them the best of luck. We have had a number of students represent Prospect Zone in volleyball, touch football and basketball. Six students from Year 11 Olivia Milford, Karla Manansala, Maybelle Thieu, Abi Xu, Jasmine Elcheikh and Deniz Altun were selected for the Prospect Zone Basketball team. These students have represented Auburn Girls High School in many sports since their junior years and are to be praised and acknowledged for their consistent effort and sportsmanship displayed every year. Additionally Yumi Cailloce (Year 8) represented the zone in volleyball and Leona Waqa (Year 10) in touch football. Congratulations to all students who have been involved in some form of sport so far this year. J Ghemraoui

Touch Football Gala Day Team. Undefeated over three games.

Our Basketball Team

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Parent Information STUDY SKILLS HANDBOOK INFORMATION

MAKING 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 school’s website by selecting “$ Make a payment” from the green taskbar at the top of the page – right hand side of the bar. 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). There is also a category called ‘Other’ this to cover items not covered in the previous headings. ‘Other’ can be used to make a complete payment of a school invoice. 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. For any enquiries regarding the Online Payment process please contact the School Administration Office.

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

ITEM FOR MARCH: INDEPENDENT LEARNING Some students take a long time to realise that there are actually two types of work in secondary school. There is the obvious work, the work your teacher specifically tells you to do and that is compulsory: homework, working on assignments, preparing for tests and assessments. But students who get good results in school take a larger measure of responsibility for their learning. This means that the nights where they do not have much compulsory work, they also do independent learning. These are the additional things you do, if you have no other schoolwork to do that night, to improve your understanding of your subjects. It is what students who get good marks are doing, they are just not talking about it to their friends! Examples of independent learning:

Reading

Reviewing what you have been learning at school that week

Extra practise on questions you find hard

Research on an area you are interested in learning more about

Making a mind map about what you have been learning

Making study notes on a topic

Improving your touch typing skills

Reading ahead in your textbook

Improving your study skills (you can complete units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au)

Doing work from a different textbook or study guide for one of your subjects (check the school library, local library and bookshops).

Some nights you will not have time to do any independent learning. Other nights you will have no homework and will spend the whole time allocated to schoolwork for that night working on independent learning tasks. Your teacher may even give you a sheet that has suggestions of independent learning work for that subject If you are unsure, you can always ask. This means in secondary school you can never say ‘I have nothing to do' - this really just means 'I have nothing compulsory to do at the moment!’. One component of independent learning in high school is making your own study notes or summaries. You can learn more about how to make study notes in the unit 'Summarising' on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au Find the User Name and Password in your school diaries.

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http://www.studyskillshandbook.com.au/

http://www.studyskillshandbook.com.au/

Documents

Learn Lead Succeed - auburng-h.nsw.edu.au · English/History 13 . Careers ... recommendations are made based on teacher ... Yalda Mohammadi Faria Moosawi Ayah Naboulsi