MHS Newsletter 2020

As we commence Term 3, I would like to acknowledge the leadership of Mrs Fairweather throughout the course of 2020.  I feel fortunate to have been welcomed so warmly by the students and the staff here at Muswellbrook High School and I am looking forward to ensuring that the decisions we make now, and for the future, remain focused on our students.

As a Principal since 2016, and an English/History teacher before that, there have been many changes in education. However, one constant must always be the focus on students. Presently, Year 12 are undertaking their Trial Higher School Certificate exams and to the many staff who volunteered their time to tutor Year 12 during the most recent school holidays, thank you. A sign of any great school is the willingness of staff to go above and beyond to ensure students are able to achieve their personal best and the good will and support for students I have already seen is impressive.

With Year 12 undertaking the steps to finish their journey with us, we also commence the transition of Year 6 students in to Year 7 Muswellbrook High School students. The team is working very hard to ensure a smooth transition for our prospective students, including those wishing to enter our enrichment class. More information in this space will be released shortly.

Lastly, I would like to reassure parents that whilst COVID remains a significant barrier to the activities we would like to be offering students, hygiene remains a key priority. This includes using hand sanitizer here at school throughout the day. I do ask that if your child is unwell they remain at home – our collective vigilance is vitally important to ensuring continuity of learning for students.

Every good wish for a positive start to Term 3 and I look forward to enriching the school’s relationship with you as the year progresses.

SUBJECT SELECTION TIME

2021 SUBJECT SELECTIONS

Third Term is set to be yet another extremely busy term. Planning for 2021 has already began, with students from Year 7-10 being asked to select their subjects for the following year in order to provide the timetable committee with all the information they require to build next year’s timetable.

 Students in Year 10 and Year 8 have already had a half a day at school, where they were informed of the subjects on offer in 2021 from the various subject Head Teachers. It’s important that if your student has any questions about the information sessions that they speak to the relevant staff member to clarify exactly what the subject involves and whether they feel it is suitable for them.

Because of COVID-19 and department/government restrictions the subject selection process is a little different this year.

·        No Parent/Caregiver Subject Information Evenings

·        No Yr 10 Interviews, instead the Yr 10 Deputy, Stage 6 Head Teacher and Careers advisor will go through the student choices and                      contact the parents if there are any issues.

·        Yr 10 Subject Choices were due on the 5th August

·        Yr 8 & 9 Subject Choices are due on 14th August 

Subject Selection booklets are available on the school website at:

 https://muswellbro-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/learning-at-our-school/subject-selections.html

This is an exciting time for students who are able to further their education in more specific areas and build upon their interests. It is important that you discuss these choices with your student and you be asked to sign the subject selection receipt to ensure that you are aware of the costs associated with some courses and are happy with what they have picked.

 Dan O’Hara

Deputy Principal

The year of 2020 is certainly having an effect on all school events and Education Week is another casualty of Covid restrictions. We were unable to have our formal assembly to present the awards so this year we have gone digital and you will soon see our virtual presentation of awards on our Facebook page.

A huge thank you to Robyn and Tara for the time and effort they put into this years Education week organisation.

 If you see some of these fantastic staff members around school please help us congratulate them for the outstanding contributions they all make to MHS.

 Award for Excellence in Teaching

Kay Sokulsky            Exceptional ability to establish authentic student relationships whilst simultaneously advancing their academic outcomes

Lauren Gallagher     Demonstrated outstanding support of our Stage 5 students through her understanding of the curriculum requirements and her focus on student wellbeing

 Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Non-Teaching Staff member

Robyn Ward                Demonstrating continued commitment and flexibility in providing quality support services to both the students and staff at Muswellbrook High School

Kim Kemp                    Supporting the welfare of our  Special Education students by organizing a weekly fruit box through Woolworths Muswellbrook

 Award for Excellence in Student Achievement

Meg Rankin              Demonstrating innate determination and commitment to achieve outstanding academic results across all Stage 6 subjects

Nikita O’Hara            Demonstrating determination and resilience to achieve outstanding academic results, particularly in Stage 6 English

 Award for Outstanding Contribution by a School Community member Donna Taylor            Canteen Supervisor Outstanding appreciation for the products, service and genuine care towards the wellbeing of                                     Muswellbrook High School students

Jodie Schmierer       Canteen Supervisor Outstanding appreciation for the products, service and genuine care towards the wellbeing of                                     Muswellbrook High School students

 School Achievement Award

Japanese Sister School - Outstanding contribution to student engagement and enrichment

Click the link below to view

 https://www.facebook.com/mbkhigh/videos/336802784149579/

We have a Year 11 VET Retail class running in HSIE in 2020. Students recently enjoyed

immersing themselves in our simulated retail store in the corner of the classroom. Thanks to

donations of empty packaging we had plenty of inventory for them to practice entering through

our POS (Point of Sale) equipment. This term we have covered modules concerned with safety

in the workplace and organising and maintaining the store environment. Next term, the class will cover competencies aimed at improving customer service skills and building customer loyalty within a retail environment. In term 4, students who have completed required course components will have the opportunity to go out and experience a real life retail workplace as part of work placement activities. If anyone has any stand alone retail fittings they no longer require and could possibly donate, Mrs Farrell in HSIE would love to hear from you.

The SRC have been busy re-grouping and amending our plans after the return to face to face schooling. We had planned a large Trivia Night possibly in term 3, but in light of the Covid-19 restrictions still in place and the impact on local businesses of the shutdowns and business restrictions we felt that asking local businesses to support such an event could wait until next year.

We have been having regular meetings and have been able to offer students a forum to raise issues arising within the school.

Students have been playing a role in helping create student input into the virtual year and full school assemblies that students have had in home groups this term. Our Captains have enjoyed being able to welcome the students to each assembly, just in a different way than usual. We hope to be able to run whole school assemblies at some point next term.

For those students in Year 11 we would like you to start thinking about possibly running for a senior school leader position for 2021. Year 12 leaders are our two Captains, two Vice Captains and two Prefects. Nominations will shortly be called for, with elections held later in term 3. Our newly elected Captains then traditionally emcee  the Year 12 Formal Night.

Keep posted for what we have planned later on in Term 3 and 4.

Mrs Farrell- SRC Coordinator

COVID19 restrictions saw the cancellation of all our 2020 junior half yearly examinations. In it’s place all junior classes had an assessable summary sheet assignment based on their term 2 COVID topic.

 There is lots of research showing the preparation of such summary sheets leads to better performance in tests. With this in mind, we are trialing having all junior classes using their own 2-page summary sheet during their in-class tests. So far the results show a big difference between students who prepare and use them compared to other students.

During the COVID lockdown we hosted a teleconference meeting of Maths teachers from across the Upper Hunter to hear from experts, all about developments in the new Mathematics Standard Course – first examined last year.

Reminder that the Maths faculty continue to run Senior Study every Tuesday afternoon in the HUB (Library). So that Yr 11 and 12 students to have access to a quiet space to complete work and receive assistance with their Mathematics studies.

Mr Morris

Head Teacher Mathematics

Labor Omni Vincit ~ Work Conquers all

Muswellbrook High School students, like many students around the world have, in one view a rather disturbed educational experience this year, due to COVID - 19 however, with these ‘changes’ they have also learnt adaption, skills and participated in programs which previously were not offered to rural students. We have had students ‘virtually’ attend Careers Expo in Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle which has allowed them to connect with universities, training providers and employers from across the state and country. Careers assisted with over 92 student applications for local apprenticeships during term 2, which has been the largest application rate in recent years. Many students applied and were successful in being offered an interview with the employers and due to COVID - 19 restrictions, the recruitment process took an ‘online’ approach which has been a new experience for many applicants. We wish them all the best of luck with the remainder of the interview process!

 Several programs which were due to operate in Term 2 have been postponed due to COVID - 19 restrictions. Many are in the process of being rescheduled and any additional changes or advice will be provided as dates are confirmed. To date, the most recent reschedule is the delivery of the White Card course which was originally booked for March this year but has now been rescheduled for 19th August.

At this stage we are monitoring the advice and situation regarding work experience (Year 10) not only with the department, but with local employers who host our students. As soon as restrictions are lifted and approval to deliver various programs are confirmed, students will be advised accordingly.

 We encourage parents/carers and students to take advantage of the easy access many organisations now offer in the ‘virtual’ landscape, by registering and ‘attending’ virtual expo’s and networks as well as simply using the internet to research information and local opportunities.  I would like to remind the school community that we have our own careers page;

 www.muswellbrookhighcareers.com

 Students and parents/carers can access this site to source information regarding a variety of careers related items, such as job vacancies, tax file and USI numbers, even the creation of a resume. If you wish to book an appointment to discuss any Careers questions you may have, you can book appointments directly on this website or contact me directly through the school office or via email.

Mrs McDonald

Careers Advisor and VET Coordinator

Wow what a year so far!

This year certainly has had its up’s and down’s. I would like to thank my staff and the students of Muswellbrook High School for their continued efforts over the past months to keep continuation of learning opportunities during such difficult and unprecedented times.

 We wish Jessica Withers all the best for her maternity leave and thank her for her tireless efforts with school programs and for her students learning and wellbeing. She will return next year and we hope the journey of motherhood once again provides an amazing adventure.

 We have welcomed a new staff member this term- Dominic Fiorenza. He has joined us from a previous posting in the central west. He has settled in to the school well and we hope the students will make him feel welcome over the coming weeks. 

During COVID the PDHPE were super impressed with the quality of work received and particularly the engagement of some students who went above and beyond.

We conducted a practical activity challenge, where students were given opportunities to get active and record their efforts for their teachers. They used a matrix of activities and choose as many activities as they liked to complete, with each activity designated a number of points. Students recorded the amount of time they participated, the number of different activities they completed and how many minutes of physical activity overall.

Well Done to the following students who achieved the best results in these 3 categories-

Most Points- Sarah Benge (225 points)

Most Minutes- Imogen Owen (6410 minutes)

Most Variety- Zahlee Maher (44 activities)

JUNIOR PE THIS TERM

Please Note: Year 7 will be learning about changes anatomy, reproduction and hygiene. We understand that these can be sensitive topics for students, if you or your child has any questions or concerns please let their teacher know.

 Year 8- Will be completing a range of fitness tests and lifelong physical activities this term, to reflect upon their own fitness levels and to find ways to keep active that they enjoy.

Year 10 will be studying a unit on Dance. This involves completing a number of social dances and culminates in students forming groups and creating their own dance for the Dance Assessment Task which (with fingers crossed) will be performed in front of an audience. All students are expected to participate, if you child has a medical certificate that restricts this it needs to be provided to their classroom teacher.

Child Studies Shoebox Nursery Assessment

During COVID19 students had to design a safe and practical nursery's using materials from home. Based on some of the outstanding tasks we received, Muswellbrook High School has some future interior designers. 

Real-Care Baby Simulators

Students in Child Studies have had the opportunity to use the new Real-Care Simulated Babies in class. These babies require the students to care for them as though they are newborns, they need to be feed, dressed in appropriate clothing and have their nappies changed. The PDHPE Faculty and our students are very appreciative of the funding provided by the P&C to allow us to have fantastic resources that allow us to provide 'real life' meaning in our curriculum. It is hoped that students can start caring for the babies overnight t see how much care and hardwork it takes to care for an infant.

After unprecedented restrictions during Term 2, Term 3 Sport has been able to go ahead as usual. 

Year 8-10 Sport

Students are able to select to participate in external sports, which are held at various sporting venues within the community. They also have the option to remain at school and compete in various team sports over the course of the term. Participation in external sports requires signed parental permission in order for students to be able to participate.

The NSW Government recommends at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day as optimal for students between Years 7-10. Participation in weekly school sport activities is able to contribute to this total.

This term, the following sports are being run as part of Muswellbrook High School’s sporting program:

·        Indoor Basketball - $4 per week

·        Boxing - $5 per week (plus PCYC membership)

·        Cross-fit - $5 per week

·        Ten Pin Bowling - $12 per week

·        Tennis - $2 per week

·        Power walking - FREE

·        Herdsman Team - FREE

·        Golf - $5 per week

·        School Sport - FREE

Year 7 Sport

This Term Year 7 get to have their first taste of external sports.

 Year 7 students will participate in small groups each week and will attend various community facilities as well as remain at school. Parental permission is required for all students before they are able to leave school grounds.

 The cost of Sport for Year 7 during Term 3 is $5 – to be paid to Miss Anstee in the PDHPE staff room ASAP.

The Hunger games series has a new book which is a prequel to the series and tells the story of President Snow from his early years. It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes

It is the final book which rounds out the story and ends the reign of the thunderhead. Action packed, thrilling, and surprisingly soul stirring — The Toll by Neal Shusterman is a gripping conclusion to the Arc of Scythe trilogy. In the world of Arc of Scythe, death has been conquered. Humanity lives in a post-mortal utopic world where old age, disease and sickness are a thing of the past.