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Hunter Sports High News Term 1 - Week 5 - 2019

What's On?

  • Monday 4 March: Hunter Region Swimming Carnival
  • Tuesday 5 March: Year 7 Information Session, 6pm-7pm
  • Tuesday 5 March: P & C Meeting, 6pm
  • Thursday 7 March: Open Boys Hunter SSA Rugby Union Trials
  • Monday 11 March: TSP Fitness Testing (Years 9, 11 & 12)
  • Wednesday 13 March - Friday 15 March: Year 7 Camp
  • Wednesday 13 March: TSP Fitness Testing (Years 8 & 10)
  • Wednesday 13 March: CHS Football Trials
  • Monday 18 March: TSP Fitness Testing (Year 7)
  • Wednesday 20 March: TSP Fitness Testing Catch Up Day
  • Wednesday 20 March: Year 11 & 12 Information Night
  • Monday 25 March - Friday 29 March: NAPLAN Practice Test Week (Years 7 & 9)
  • Wednesday 27 March: ATSI Parent Meeting
  • Friday 29 March: HSHS Cross Country
  • Monday 1 April: Immunisations (Years 7 & 10)
  • Tuesday 2 April: P & C Meeting, 6pm
  • Friday 5 April: Year 9 Wellbeing Presentation
  • Friday 12 April: Term 1 Formal Assembly

welcome to 2019!

Welcome to 2019 at Hunter Sports High School, and a very special welcome to all of our new students and families! This year is sure to be a big one as we settle in to our new 'normal' in our brand new school. It certainly started off in an amazing way with our week of opening celebrations which saw thousands of students, parents, business owners, ex-staff, special guests and community members visit the school for a chance to see it for themselves. After five years of meticulous planning, meetings, demolition, construction and constant change, we were definitely proud to show it off and celebrate our exciting new era! Thank you to all who came along to see the school.

I would also like to thank the many staff who worked so hard to coordinate our opening events, putting in many extra hours to help showcase our incredible new school to our community. But without a doubt, the absolute highlight of the opening events was the outstanding efforts and the contribution of our students. Our school leaders welcomed visitors and conducted tours, giving incredible insight into the design and function of the new school and an invaluable student perspective for current and future families. Our hospitality students, under the expert guidance of Ms Barker, also put in many hours in our commercial kitchen to cater for functions, serve food to guests and practiced their barista skills making coffee for visitors at the Open Day. Our students were passionate, professional and articulate - their pride in their school was clear to see and the example they set was exemplary. Our school is definitely in great hands with these students at the helm and they are an absolute credit to themselves and their families.

We have received a lot of amazing feedback from many of our visitors, from school principals to grandparents of our students and many community members and I have passed these messages on to our students and staff. I am incredibly proud of them and of our amazing new school.

A snapshot of our opening events - primary school visits; a parent open morning; a business breakfast; ex-staff event and our community open day. It was a busy but very rewarding week!

Our 180 new Year 7 students have settled in quickly to the new routines of high school. They're getting to know each other and tackling new challenges such as reading timetables, deciphering room numbers and finding their way around the school. Thanks to Year 7 Advisor Mr Strachan for making the transition to high school as smooth (and fun) as possible for our newest recruits! The excitement is building ahead of camp next week and they're looking forward to building on new friendships, getting to know staff and having a lot of fun! We look forward to welcoming our Year 7 parent and families to the school again next Tuesday night 5th March for an information session and opportunity to meet staff and other families. See more details below.

Overall, we've had a very positive start to the school year and student engagement in class has been fantastic. It has been great to see our students responding so well to the new classrooms, technology, teaching methods and collaborative learning environment. The final steps of the redevelopment, including the resurfacing of playing fields, the bus shelter and entrance, are nearing completion and in coming months the classroom spaces will be further enhanced with air conditioning. More information about the planned installation of the air conditioning will be distributed to students and families in coming weeks.

Towards the end of this issue of the newsletter you'll find some information and reminders about uniform, bell times, attendance etc. This information can also be found on our school website at www.huntersports.com.au. Speaking of our website, at the end of last year the site underwent a big change as the Department of Education rolled out a new website platform. Please bear with us as we continue to update the site and tailor it for our school community. The 'Parents & Students' section of the site will possibly be your most frequented page - it has links to the parent and student portals, copies of all excursion notes, assessment information, bell times, as well as information about our uniform policy, canteen, absence and payment procedures etc. If you need any further information, please contact the school office on 49435755, and if you're not already following our school Facebook page, you'll find us at 'Hunter Sports High School - NSW DEC' with all the latest news from HSHS.

And in case you missed it, the Newcastle Herald ran a commemorative cover wrap on Saturday 9th February to mark the opening of the new school. The 12-page advertising feature was full of fantastic stories about the redevelopment, our amazing students and staff, and the educational programs and opportunities available at Hunter Sports High. Below are the first few pages, or view all the stories in the online version.

The first few pages of the Newcastle Herald feature from Saturday 9 February.

year 7 information session

Current Year 7 students along with their parents/carers and family members, are invited to come along to an information evening next Tuesday 5th March from 6pm-7pm in S Block. We'll be explaining the 'Education Perfect' online teaching and learning platform that is being implemented in Year 7 classes at Hunter Sports High and the ways that technology is being used in classrooms across the school. We'll also answer all your questions about the upcoming Year 7 Camp, NAPLAN Online, PAT Testing and more! This is a great opportunity to meet some of our amazing staff, get to know other Year 7 families and find out more about the learning programs and opportunities available to students at Hunter Sports High. We hope to see you there!

Supporting our senior students:

meet ms Schubert - senior learning coordinator
Senior Learning Coordinator Ms Schubert supports our senior students to achieve their best. She's pictured here with Year 12 student Krystal Dallinger in the Senior Learning Hub.

In an exciting new initiative this year we welcome Ms Lee Schubert as our Senior Learning Coordinator. Ms Schubert is based in our Senior Learning Hub and will work with Year 11 and 12 students to support, motivate and encourage them to exceed expectations.

This new position has been created to support our students through their HSC years. Ms Schubert will work with individual students and small groups to help with study skills, organisation and time management skills, schoolwork, assessment tasks, exam preparation, applications for university/scholarships, and transition to work and future pathways. She will liaise with staff and parents regarding student progress throughout the year.

Ms Schubert has worked in a similar role at West Wallsend High School for the past two years and is pretty impressed with Hunter Sports High's new Senior Learning Hub and the attitude of our senior students.

"It is an amazing space and is conducive for learning, whether it be collaboration or individual," she said. "The senior students are much more focused and engaged in their studies with the added support and mentoring. I'm looking forward to getting to know each student as much as possible - their goals, aspirations for their future and how they learn - to best support them one-on-one."

Ms Schubert will be running weekly 'Booster Sessions' for senior students next term covering topics such as organisation, time management, study skills, stress management and exam skills including extended responses. She is on deck in the Senior Learning Hub Monday - Friday, including breaks, to support our senior students.

2019 swimming carnival

Thanks to our resident photographer Mr Frazier for his fantastic photos from the swimming carnival!

The 2019 Swimming Carnival was held in Week 2 at Charlestown Pool and was a huge success. The day was hot, the atmosphere was electric and the colour and costumes made the day a fun one for all with a record number of students in the stands cheering on their friends and housemates in the pool. Our house captains did a great job leading their teams and encouraging everyone to dress up and get involved. Well done to Team Beachley who were clear winners in the House Championship with 404 points, followed by Rafter (319), Kewell (290) and Webb (231).

Thanks to Mr Martine for his organisation of the day and to all students who turned up, had a go and tried their best. Congratulations to the following students who claimed the 2019 Age Champion titles and to all who went through to the zone carnival.

2019 swimming age champions:
  • 12 Years: Noah Block & Scarlett Simmons
  • 13 Years: Noah Gregory & Ricada Jones
  • 14 Years: Cody Carruthers & Lilee Davis
  • 15 Years: Riley Byrne & Alyssa Ingram
  • 16 Years: Lincoln Price
  • 17 Years: Zachary Renshaw & Tara Hobbs-Ladd
regional carnival:

Seventeen Hunter Sports High students will represent the school at the Hunter Region Swimming Carnival being held at Lambton Pool on Monday 4th March. Congratulations to the following students and special mention to our 14 years girls medley relay team who very impressively took out the Open age medley relay event at the Zone carnival. Good luck everyone!

  • BOYS: Noah Block, Charlie Maguire, Nathan Williams, Gus Barclay, Noah Gregory, Rohan Walker, Blake Cook, Cody Carruthers, Jack Faber & Zac Renshaw
  • GIRLS: Lilee Davis, Rochelle Clark, Ellie Baldwin, Jade Croese, Annabelle Keene; Ricada Jones & Alyssa Ingram
  • 12 Years Boys Relay Team: Noah Block, Charlie Maguire, Nathan Williams, Gus Barclay
  • 14 Years Boys Relay Team: Noah Gregory, Rohan Walker, Blake Cook, Cody Carruthers
  • 14 Years Girls Relay Team: Lilee Davis, Rochelle Clark, Ellie Baldwin, Jade Croese
  • Girls Medley Relay Team: Jade Croese, Lilee Davis, Annabelle Keene, Ricada Jones

AROUND THE GROUNDS: SPORT NEWS

First Australian reps for 2019
Luis Bardetta, Ruby Jones & Kirsty Fenton: Hunter Sports High's first Australian reps for 2019

Hunter Sports High students have started the sporting year off on a brilliant note, with three students selected in national squads in the first weeks of term.

Luis Bardetta (Year 8) will represent Australia on a two-week tour of the UK in October after being selected in the Australian All Star U14 Futsal squad. Luis was identified as the star keeper in the Under 14's division while representing Northern NSW at the National Futsal Championships in Sydney during the school holidays. Congratulations Luis!

Year 10 students Ruby Jones and Kirsty Fenton were again announced in the Australian Junior Matildas squad last month and are on their way to Laos to compete in the second round of qualifiers for the 2019 Asian Football Confederation U16 Women's Championships. The team will play three matches against Iran, Vietnam and hosts Laos from 3-7 March. The girls took part in a training camp and two training matches against Myanmar on the Gold Coast ahead of the qualifiers and they're in good form! Congratulation to Kirsty and goalkeeper Ruby on this outstanding achievement and good luck in Laos! Australia will require a top two finish in their pool to advance to the 2019 AFC U16 Women’s Championship, which will be held in September this year.

girls selected for NSW CHS Cricket team
Abbey & Allison at the NSW CHS Championships last week

Congratulations to Year 12 students Abbey Taylor and Allison McGrath who have both been selected in the NSW CHS 1st XI cricket team to compete at the All Schools Championship next month. The girls were selected following impressive performances representing the Hunter region at the CHS championships in Campbelltown last week. Both girls represented their school and region in a respectful and courteous manner and acted as mentors to the younger players in their roles as co-vice captains of the team. To top off the championships, Abbey was also awarded the Blackwell Trophy for the overall point score award. Abbey made 154 runs, took 14 wickets and two catches in the carnival to amass 454 points and take out the award and was then selected to play in the Breakers Challenge on Saturday 23rd February and Saturday 2nd March in Blacktown. Congratulations to both girls on this fantastic achievement!

combined high schools (CHS) forms process

Over 200 Hunter Sports High students participate in CHS events each year and we therefore require each student to be responsible for their involvement in these events. To start this process students need to complete their CHS paperwork, collect a blue Leave Form from Sports Central and then follow the steps listed below. Students who attend CHS events without handing their completed paperwork to the Student Services Office will be marked as unexplained absent from school whilst at the CHS event.

  • Collect blue Leave Form from Sports Central
  • Complete CHS paperwork and HSHS blue Leave Form
  • Mr Pascoe to sign both forms
  • Deputy Principal to sign both forms
  • Hand both forms to Student Services Office
  • Forward CHS paperwork to relevant CHS body
  • Retain HSHS blue Leave Form - this is your record of academic requirements while on leave

kicking goals in support unit

A great big welcome to our new students in Year 7 for 2019. This year we have eight new students in the Support Unit coming from Wiripaang, Charlestown East, Mount Hutton and Wallsend Public Schools. Our new students have settled in very well to high school life and are enjoying our magnificent new facilities. As usual a lot of action and fun teaching and learning activities have been occurring as part of every day school life. Following is some information about some of our programs and a selection of photos from our Kicking Goals, Leaving To Learn, Coffee Shop and Technology Rotation programs. Hope you enjoy the ride!

Support Unit students have had a fun start to the school year!
Kicking Goals

Support Unit students have been working very hard over the course of this term at a new program called ‘Kicking Goals’. During a set time, all three classes combine and work in targeted groups to complete their individualised literacy work where they practice fundamental skills aimed at reading for meaning, improving their comprehension and most importantly improving their self confidence in all aspects of literacy. Students have been placed into groups of similar ability where they work together to overcome barriers to improving their reading and writing.

So far, students have enjoyed having the time to read to each other and help each other in a caring and supportive environment with a common goal. We have seen a major shift in the culture and attitudes towards improving reading and writing. Thus far, all students have been kicking their goals in all areas of reading and writing!

Leaving to Learn

The Leaving to Learn excursions have been a fantastic way for our Support Unit students to explore local facilities, job opportunities and experience what their local area has to offer. Students participate in activities including catching and utilising public transport, using OPAL cards, dealing with money, communicating with members of the community and using their great knowledge of the local area. Students learn valuable life skills while also having a really fun time. The Leaving To Learn program is invaluable for students, and especially for our new students as they form connections with staff and foster positive relationships with peers from other classes. Thank you to parents and carers for supporting this program.

Coffee Shop

The Support Unit Coffee Shop is well and truly under way for 2019. The Coffee Shop has been a huge hit with staff and holds immense value to the Support Unit students. The students work together to create a ‘cafe-like’ experience whilst proudly wearing the brand new Coffee Shop uniform. They learn important life skills including greeting customers, cleaning and handling real money. We are looking forward to another successful year of yummy food, excellent service and a fun atmosphere.

Tech Rotations

In 2018 our Support Unit Head Teacher Ms Workman had a dream of incorporating robotics, 3D printing and STEM activities into the Support Unit. Her dream became reality when Ms Smith set up the Tech Rotations that now run each Friday. From the first day, Tech Rotations has been a significant hit! We are able to put a whole new spin on teaching social skills with ‘Ask 3 Before Me’, active team leaders and unique collaboration skills. Our students have learnt how to voice an opinion, overcome problems in a team environment and how to cope with change.

Following on from the success of last year's Tech Rotations, students from the Support unit have had their programming, game writing, coding and robotics skills put to the test from day one in 2019. This year students are working with Minecraft, Bloxels, Cozmo and Dash and Dot robots. In the coming weeks we will be receiving an order of Ozobots, pocket-sized coding robots that we can code with colours or learn to code with blocky websites.

Our student team leaders suggested last year that they wanted to show more ownership of their team in managing challenges and social skills. One of our team leaders, Sam, has taken her skills to the next level creating Minecraft for Education challenges where she instructs her team through a number of game scenarios and building ideas. Well done Sam!

Mathematics

2019 has already been a year of optimism and new opportunities for students studying Mathematics at Hunter Sports High. All classrooms have the latest technology and teachers have been able to further engage students in an interactive way using the new ‘Prowise’ screens, OneNote software and our new online platform ‘Education Perfect’. Students have really embraced ‘Education Perfect’ and its interactive problem-based exercises. All classes in Years 7-10 have been issued tasks to complete as part of their homework for each topic. Parents are able to access their child's Education Perfect portal and progress, but must ensure their email address is assigned to the students’ account. All student accounts follow the below format (please note that students can change their password after initial access if they wish).

  • Website: https://www.educationperfect.com/app/#/login
  • Username: HSHFirstnamelastname
  • Password: firstname

Next term will see the introduction of a Gifted and Talented ‘GATS’ program for Stage 5 (Year 11 & 12) students. This course will involve a series of interactive modules aimed at better preparing students for higher levels of Mathematics in the HSC. Applications for this program will be open from early Term 2 and more information will be distributed in coming weeks.

For more information or any enquiries about Mathematics and the programs above, please contact Mathematics Head Teacher Mr Sean Love via the school office on 4943 5755.

Mr Love teaches students to love Maths!

breakfast club is back!

Hunter Sports High's Breakfast Club kicked off last week and it proved very popular with many students dropping by to start the day with a healthy bowl of cereal, fresh fruit and toast. Breakfast Club is running each Monday and Friday from 8.30am at the canteen and is available for all students so they can fuel up for a big day of learning. Thanks to our fabulous youth workers and welfare team for getting this great initiative up and running again.

Students enjoy a healthy start to their day at our first Breakfast Club!

talented sports program

squad captains announced
  • AFL: Nicholas Ceci
  • ATHLETICS: Ruby Cliffe
  • BASEBALL: Brett Allen
  • BASKETBALL: Boys - Connor Lentfer; Girls - Taylah Bultitude
  • CRICKET: Allison McGrath
  • FOOTBALL: Junior - Reef Parker; Senior - Brodie Volkiene; Girls - Leia Puxty
  • HOCKEY: Natasha Hockridge
  • NETBALL: Abbie Leyshon
  • RUGBY LEAGUE: Junior - Brody Perry; Senior - Kain Anderson; Girls - Daisy Durham
  • RUGBY UNION: Boys - Boston Kerapa; Girls - Kiara Bassam
  • SWIMMING: Cody Carruthers
  • TENNIS: Lincoln Price
  • TOUCH FOOTBALL: Ashton Daley
strength & conditioning sessions
The brand new school gymnasium

Our new gymnasium is now operational and Strength & Conditioning (S & C) sessions for Talented Sports Program students will commence on Monday 11th March (Week 7) under the expert guidance of Hunter Sports High's Strength & Conditioning Coach Mr Trypas. More information and a booking form has been emailed to parents of all TSP students and should be completed and submitted by Wednesday 6th March. Please note that numbers are limited and sessions will be allocated on a first-in-first-served basis. If you have any questions regarding the strength and conditioning sessions, please contact Mr Trypas via the school office on 49435755.

fitness testing:

Semester 1 fitness testing for all TSP students will be conducted over the coming weeks. The testing will again be conducted by Newcastle University staff and interns as part of the wider study being done across all NSW Sports High Schools.

  • Years 9, 11 & 12: Monday 11th March
  • Years 8 & 10: Wednesday 13th March
  • Year 7: Monday 18th March
  • Catch Up: Wednesday 20th March
2020 TRIALS:
  • For students currently in Year 6: Wednesday 15 May
  • For students in all other years: August 26-30 (Term 3, Week 6)

student welfare news

Hunter Sports High's welfare team has a busy year planned with many programs planned to help support our students. In addition to Breakfast Club we are now offering a weekly Homework Club in the Innovation Centre during Lunch 1 on Wednesdays and staff will be on hand to help. Along with the Innovation Centre, The Youth Room is also open during lunch breaks if students are looking for a quiet space to sit and chat (no food allowed though).

Later this term Hunter Sports High will once again be taking part in the National Day of Action against Bullying and we'll also be celebrating Youth Week with a range of lunchtime activities planned to mark these special events. All students are welcome to join in the fun!

school immunisation program:

All Year 7 and Year 10 students were issued immunisation consent cards at the start of term. The cards should be returned to the Student Services Office as soon as possible. Remember to include your Medicare number and sign the form. Please contact Hunter New England Area Health Service Centre for Population on 4924 6499 if you have any questions regarding the immunisation program.

Year advisors:
  • Year 7: Mr Jay Strachan
  • Year 8: Miss Emily Sykes
  • Year 9: Mr David Staley
  • Year 10: Mr Matthew Tull
  • Year 11: Ms Kim Hulbert
  • Year 12: Mr Scott O'Neill

bell times

uniform policy

attendance policy

PARKING REMINDER

It is a new school year and once again, Lake Macquarie City Council Rangers will be patrolling school zones. Please see below notice of school zone offences and keep this in mind when dropping off or picking children up from school to help us keep our school and students safe. Please also be aware that the visitors car park at the front of the school is only to be used by visitors and is not a drop-off zone (with the exception of students/parents from the support unit). Please be mindful of the disabled parking space too and only use this space if you have a disability parking permit. Students are not permitted to park in staff or visitor carparks and must use street parking. As the redevelopment of the school winds up, parking should become much easier around the school.

community notices

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS FROM HUNTER SPORTS HIGH ON OUR SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE. OUR NEXT NEWSLETTER WILL BE DISTRIBUTED IN WEEK 11.

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