News

COVID-19 Advice for Families

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 11:55:17 AEDT

Please access the link below for up to date information regarding COVID-19.

https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families

School Photos 2021

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 12:45:49 AEDT

Please be advised of a change of date to school photos.

It will now be Friday the 26th of February, with a backup on the 3rd March.

Further information will be given to students in the coming days.

Requirements for Years 7-11 for 2021

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 17:58:29 AEDT

Attached below are requirements for Years 7-11!

Year 7, 11 and 12 return on Friday 29th January 2021

Year 8, 9 and 10 retrun on Monday 1st February 2021.

New phone policy reminder

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 18:06:37 AEDT

A friendly reminder to everyone, from day 1 our new phone policy is in place.

Attached is the link for all relevant information.

https://albionpk-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/about-our-school/rules-and-policies/aphs-policies-aphs/student-mobile-phones.html

Get #FirstDay2021 ready for the new school year

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:59:45 AEDT

Be prepared for the new school year with our back to school tips and tools.

The start of a new school year can be both an exciting and demanding time for parents and students alike.

Our parents and carers Back to school hub can help you prepare for the year ahead with practical articles, tools, activities, calendars and checklists so you and your child can be ready from day 1, term 1.

Find out about what your child will learn in high school, how to support their health and wellbeing, and help them make decisions about their future.

There's also a dedicated section for students starting Year 7 and Year 11 & 12 where you'll find tips for a smooth transition into high school, and pathways for students after school.

Video – #FirstDay2021

Duration – 0:49

Key dates for 2021

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 08:56:33 AEDT

Years 7,11,12 Return

Friday 29th January 2021

Years 8,10,12 Return

Monday 1st February 2021

Uniform Shop Additional Opening Hours

19-25 Jan 9am to 2pm

Swimming Carnival

5/2/21

School Photos

8/2/21

Our public school students are top class

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 15:20:38 AEDT

Public school students have again dominated the HSC honours securing 71 of the 126 First in Course awards announced today.

Among the high achievers, Sariena Ye from James Ruse Agricultural High School became only the fourth person since 1991 to secure first place in both Chemistry and Physics – and the first female in 27 years to top both subjects.

NSW Education Secretary Mark Scott congratulated the winners and also paid tribute to every student that had completed their HSC in 2020.

“Those students who received a First in Course – and their families - should be rightly proud of their achievements,” Mr Scott said.

“Considering the particular challenges of 2020, we are extremely proud of every student that has shown the determination and resilience to achieve their best and finish their HSC.

“They now leave school with the skills to embark upon a successful life, no matter what they choose next.”

Public school students secured First in Course across a range of subject areas including, among others, three of the five mathematics and English courses, chemistry and physics, science extension, Aboriginal studies, economics, ancient history, languages and visual arts.

Mr Scott said the diversity of subjects topped by public school students showed NSW Education was committed to quality education across all fields of endeavour.

“Our success in the HSC is also a tribute to the quality of teaching and dedication of staff in supporting our students during their final year of schooling.”

The First in Course winners this year came from a wider selection of schools with James Ruse Agricultural High School the most successful school overall, securing six First in Course positions.

Best Start Year 7 Assessment 2020

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 10:05:27 AEDT

Dear parents and carers,

Year 7 students will participate in the Best Start Year 7 Assessment in Term 1, 2021.

Best Start Year 7 is an online literacy and numeracy assessment available to secondary schools to assesses key literacy and numeracy skills of Year 7 students. It is designed to assist teachers to identify students who may require additional support in developing literacy and numeracy skills. The assessment is undertaken between 1 February to 5 March.

Best Start Year 7 is one of a range of assessments used to provide feedback to teachers to help identify student needs.

Please inform the school if your child has special needs requiring support to complete an online assessment.

Students will be asked to bring headphones or earbuds that plug into a computer to enable them to hear audio during the assessment. The type of computer connection needed is a jack or USB.

If your child needs headphones provided by the school, please contact Lisa Hoole.

Schools Spectacular remixed for television

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 15:50:50 AEDT

Relive memorable acts and performances from the past four years in a special televised Schools Spectacular event.

The annual Schools Spectacular, cancelled this year due to the pandemic, will entertain audiences with a special television broadcast next week.

The Schools Spectacular 2020 Remixed will air on Channel 7 on Saturday 5 December at 7pm.

The two-hour broadcast will feature memorable acts and spectacular moments from the past four years.

The show will also feature a surprise digital performance from this year’s graduating Class of 2020 with the Year 12 students sharing their passion and talents while celebrating with NSW Education for one last time.

This technical feat aims to inspire audiences as more than 70 dancers, singers, instrumental musicians and signing performers from across NSW assemble virtually for the performance.

Mark Scott, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education, said this event is an opportunity to revisit memories of past performances and celebrate the talents of students in NSW public schools.

“Schools Spectacular 2020 Remixed will be an extraordinary broadcast and a unique opportunity to look back at some of the many achievements of our talented performing arts students and their hard working and committed teachers from the past four years,” he said.

Audiences can also share their own memories and see highlights from past Schools Spectacular performances on the Schools Spectacular Facebook page.

Schools Spectacular Remixed 2020 is produced by the NSW Department of Education and proudly supported by Presenting Partners, Telstra and the NSW Teachers Federation, and Segment Partner, RØDE Microphones.

Celebrate Schools Spectacular 2020 Remixed on Saturday 5 December at 7pm on Channel 7.

Supporting effective learning at school and home with the ‘What Works Best: 2020 update’

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 13:33:59 AEDT

The ‘What Works Best: 2020 update’ outlines the eight most effective teaching practices and how these can be supported at home.

Parents and carers can support effective student learning at home through the ‘What Works Best’ resource, now updated for 2020.

The What Works Best resource has been very successful helping teachers bring the best teaching practices into their classrooms. The ‘What Works Best: 2020 update’ outlines eight evidence-based teaching practices that teachers can use in their classrooms to improve student learning.

You can find out more about these practices, how it’s used in schools, our handy guide for parents and carers and conversation tips to help continue student learning at home when you visit the ‘What Works Best’ parents and carers hub.

Transition Day for students with Additional Needs

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 12:30:36 AEDT

Some of our Year 7 students had a great time showing around future students on the first of our transition days.

Reminder:

Our whole school Orientation Day is next Tuesday Dec 1

School Updates App - be prepared for any emergency

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 15:45:24 AEDT

Receive notifications of school closures. Opt in to receive timely, accurate notifications about the operational status of your chosen NSW public school(s).

The NSW School Updates App was created to help our parents and carers check on the status of their school during last summer’s bushfire season. And it’s been invaluable during COVID when schools were required to close for deep cleaning.

The app is free and available now for iOS and Android users.

Visit NSW School Updates App to download and for more information

Privacy information

The app doesn't store any personal or identifiable information.

Join in the virtual NAIDOC Week celebrations

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 16:21:26 AEDT

Education celebrates NAIDOC Week 2020 (8 – 15 November 2020) with the theme ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’.

It’s a time to reflect and celebrate the history, culture and achievements of the First Nation peoples – recognising them as the traditional owners of the land.

Schools were invited to film and submit videos to celebrate history, culture and achievements of past and present Aboriginal and Torres Strait students.

Secretary, Mark Scott will give an opening address on Monday, 9 November and then Aboriginal students run a Question and Answers session with Mark Scott, Cindy Berwick, President of the NSW AECG; Martin Graham, Deputy Secretary; Michelle Hall, Executive Director, Connecetd Communities and Karen Jones, Executive Director, Aboriginal Outcomes and Partnerships.

Tuesday will showcase how NSW public schools are embedding Aboriginal cultural practices. Special thanks to; Windale Public School Preschool, Terrigal Public School, Wilcannia Central School and Murrumbidgee Regional High School for participating.

Wednesday will highlight the outstanding achievements of Benson Igua Saulo, In-coming Consul-General to the US based in Houston (2021), as his is interviewed by current students from his former schools, Tamworth High School and Peel High School.

Thursday will see Uncle Michael Jarrett deliver a Gumbaynggirr language lesson.

Friday will close out our virtual celebration with a beautiful virtual choir led by Uncle Archie Roach. Students will join him singing ‘Took the children away’ and ‘Children came back’.

Join the virtual celebration via video streams hosted by Aboriginal Outcomes and Partnerships , each weekday morning, at 9:30am, during NAIDOC Week 2020.

2021 term dates now available

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 15:46:01 AEDT

Most students start Friday 29 January (or Friday 5 February for Western division) in Term 1 2021.

To support a strong start to 2021, school staff will now have two school development days at the beginning of Term 1.

For 2021, students will return to school on Friday 29 January (or Friday 5 February for Western division), unless otherwise notified by the school. School term dates for 2021 are now available.

Western division schools, also known as ‘late start’ schools, are located in the far western region of NSW. Check if your school is a Late start school.

#MathsTrainsBrains for the future

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 18:55:00 AEDT

Parents and carers can now explore the importance of mathematical skills with the new Everyday Maths experience, featuring activities, resources and explainers targeted to year groups.

The digital launch is part of the NSW Mathematics Strategy 2025, which aims to strengthen mathematics teaching in NSW public schools, promote understanding of the usefulness of mathematics and build positive perceptions of mathematics.

Tune into Education LIVE to find out how high profile Australians like media guru Kellie Hush, former Olympian Steve Solomon and former Masterchef Alice Zaslavsky use maths in their everyday lives.

Video – #MathsTrainsBrains

Duration – 1:00

Electricity Network Investigation

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 09:49:09 AEDT

As part of the Cooler Classrooms works at our school, we have been advised by the local electrical supply authority that an upgrade to the local electricity network is needed to support the increased electrical demand of the new air conditioning systems.

Further investigations including engagement with our valued school neighbours may take place in the coming weeks. We will continue to keep you updated on progress.

Albion Park High School Information Night Video

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 11:33:06 AEDT

Transitioning from Year 6-7 can be daunting.

Meet some of our amazing staff and learn about the various opportunities available at APHS.

View the Albion Park High School Information Night Video.

NS School Updates App

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 16:46:34 AEDT

Year 10 Exam Information 2020

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 13:33:55 AEST

Parent letter regrading Year 10 exams in Term 4.

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 14:59:32 AEST

Lake Illawarra South Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Graduation 2020

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 14:52:47 AEST

A MASSIVE congratulations to our four Year 12 students who participated in the Lake Illawarra South Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Graduation today!

APHS along with Dapto HS, Lake Illawarra HS, Oak Flats HS & Warilla HS celebrated the significant milestone in a zoom graduation ceremony! A big thank you to AECG President Jodie Edwards and Director - Educational Leadership, Raechel McCarthy for your organisation, support and participation in today’s event.

Amazing! We are so incredibly proud of you all

New resources to help HSC students stay healthy

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 12:39:43 AEDT

With only a month until the first written HSC exams, Year 12 students have an extra place to look for support.

Year 12 and the HSC can be a stressful time, and this year’s students have already overcome bushfires, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The department has brought together new and updated tools to help HSC students stay healthy, active and connected as they finish their final weeks of school.

Stay healthy HSC includes:

advice about looking after your own mental health and checking in on friends from ReachOut.com
exam tips from the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA)
on-demand video lessons, written by teachers, to help with study.

Visit Stay healthy HSC to explore the resources.

Year 12 student to have COVID-19 test results faster

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 11:29:15 AEST

Preliminary Exam Schedule

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 11:32:24 AEST

Preliminary Exam Schedule

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 15:19:09 AEST

Build Literacy Skills

Study Tip of the Week

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 09:51:11 AEST

Subject selection websites

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 18:35:09 AEST

Study tip of the week

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 09:59:19 AEST

USE A PLANNER

Whether you use a paper diary, an ediary or your phone, make sure you keep a record of all the work you need to do, key dates and other relevant information for school. Cross out things as you complete them.

Trial HSC Timetable and Information

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 10:24:09 AEST

Trial HSC Timetable and Information

Updates to COVID-19 restrictions affecting NSW schools

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 23:11:32 AEST

Latest COVID-19 case locations in NSW

NSW Health has a website to inform you of the actions you should take if you have been in a location where there have been confirmed cases of COVID-19 within NSW. Monitor the site and follow the relevant health advice if you have been at any of the locations at the specified dates and times.

Students and staff who have travelled through or visited Victoria

All students and staff who have visited Victoria must have a permit to enter NSW and are required to self-isolate for 14 days.

Except for students and staff who reside in a border town, all students and staff who have visited Victoria in the 14 days before the commencement of school should not attend school until they complete the 14 days self-isolation period since they left Victoria.

Students and staff who are unable to return to school due to these self-isolation requirements will be supported to learn and work remotely during the self-isolation period via the online learning hubs until they return to on-campus learning and teaching.

NSW Health has requested anyone who has been in Victoria and is unwell or has flu-like symptoms arrange to be tested through their local medical practitioner or one of the COVID-19 clinics.

Refer to current advice for people who have recently visited Victoria.

Information for students and staff on new NSW-Victoria border restrictions

The NSW Government has announced further tightening to the restrictions for people travelling across the NSW-Victorian border.

From midnight Tuesday 21 July a border zone, defined along the Murray River, will be established.

Anyone travelling from Victoria to NSW must apply for a new permit through Service NSW.

Victorian residents who have been in one of the restricted areas in Victoria in the last 14 days must not enter NSW.

Attending schools along the border

Current permits will expire at midnight, Tuesday 21 July. We strongly encourage all parents and staff to check they have a permit and if not, apply for one through Service NSW.

Students and staff who reside in Victoria will need to be eligible for a border permit to attend school in person.

Under the new public health order, the border zone has been reduced significantly.

Not all students and staff may be eligible for a border permit under the public health order. If you are not eligible for a border permit you will not be able to cross the border. Students and staff will be supported through remote learning and working via the online learning hubs until they return to school.

Further information on the new border zone is available from Service NSW.

Border permits can be rescinded at any time if a cluster outbreak in your community occurs. We encourage parents to monitor local circumstances regularly as things may change in the coming days or weeks.

Transport to and from school will run as scheduled. For travel advice to and from school refer to Transport for NSW.

New restrictions affecting boarding schools

Any student returning from Victoria to reside at a boarding school in NSW must now self-isolate for 14 days in a NSW location separate to the boarding school. They must also obtain a negative test swab from day 10 of their isolation before entering school and have written confirmation of the test result and the period spent isolating.

Those who are unable to return to boarding while they are completing the self-isolation period will be supported through remote learning and working via the online learning hubs until they return to school.

More information

Returning to school in Term 3

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 12:03:40 AEST

Our school will be open to welcome students back to onsite learning from the beginning of Term 3 – Tuesday 21 July 2020.

As you would be aware the border between NSW and Victoria closed as of 12:01am 8 July 2020.

All staff and students returning from Victoria after this time must have a permit to enter NSW and are required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days.

All students who have been in Victoria in the last 14 days before the commencement of school must not attend school until they complete the 14 days self-isolation period since they left Victoria.

NSW Health has requested anyone who has been in Victoria and is unwell or has flu-like symptoms arrange to be tested through their local medical practitioner or one of the COVID-19 clinics.

Refer to current advice for people who have recently visited Victoria.

Students who are unable to return to school due to the border closures or self-isolation will be supported to learn remotely.

We would like to remind our community the most important action you can take is to practise good hand hygiene and physical distancing. Our school will be vigilant in implementing these requirements to minimise the risk at school.

Curriculum reform focuses on deep learning

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 08:45:16 AEST

Changes to the NSW school curriculum will be the biggest education shake-up in 30 years.

The reforms, announced by the NSW Government on Tuesday, will start rolling out in 2021. All Kindergarten to Year 12 students will learn the new curriculum by 2024.

The changes are in response to the NSW Curriculum Review by Professor Geoff Masters and will ensure every student is prepared and ready for their future.

The reforms are based on:

decluttering the curriculum by reducing unnecessary subjects
a ‘back to basics approach’ that will see a renewed focus on the core subjects of English, maths and science
Year 11 and Year 12 prequalification for university and TAFE courses.

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 15:43:55 AEST

Sometimes if you are tired in the evening it is better to get to bed earlier and wake up fresh when your brain is ready to go rather than staying up late to finish your work. Even if you have never been a morning person, you might be surprised at how effective and efficient your learning is when it is quiet and you are just starting the day.

Education Week to celebrate learning together

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 11:52:42 AEST

Education Week 2020 will be held from Monday 3 August to Friday 7 August.

Education Week is our annual week of celebration to highlight the achievements of our students and staff and the role of public schools as the cornerstone of their communities.

This year’s theme is ‘Learning together’ and it reflects the incredible months of 2020 where NSW public school students have continued to learn and achieve, despite natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our schools have experienced significant disruption but our staff – in partnership with parents and carers – have worked tirelessly to ensure that high quality teaching and learning has continued for all students.

Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott said the best learning takes place when there is a partnership of students, teachers, parents, carers and the community.

“Our schools and families benefit from strong, respectful relationships where responsibility for student learning is shared,” Mr Scott said.

“As our lives slowly return to normal, it’s time for us to reflect on the achievements and resilience of our entire school community. We look forward to celebrating Education Week with all of you in August.”

Statewide events for Education Week include:

a live stream launch on Monday, 3 August
activities for National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day on Tuesday, 4 August
a live streamed student film festival on Wednesday, 5 August.

Schools are invited to share photos, videos and stories of local celebrations on social media using the hashtag #EdWeek20 or send an email to educationweek@det.nsw.edu.au.

Reconciliation Week 2020 @ APHS

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 07:05:52 AEST

To celebrate Reconciliation Week at Albion Park High School, the staff and students have worked hard to create this awesome video. It explains why we celebrate Reconciliation Week and why it is important for all to do their part in embracing reconciliation.

We hope you learn something and feel inspired to be an ambassador of change!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/WxS6-14Oms8

Supporting each other

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 10:08:24 AEST

We all know the importance of asking for help if you are struggling in some aspect of your life. Sometimes though students are reluctant to reach out. Keep an eye on your friends and check in on them.

NSW students return to the classroom full-time

Tue, 19 May 2020 10:46:25 AEST

Students across NSW will be back in the classroom full-time from next Monday, 25 May.

The success of the phased return to face to face teaching has demonstrated the education system and community are ready for school to come back full-time.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell thanked school communities and parents for their patience during this difficult time.

Ms Berejiklian said a return to full-time face to face teaching and learning is crucial for the education progress of every child in NSW from Kindergarten to Year 12.

“Since starting a managed return to the classroom, we have seen a strong degree of confidence from our school communities in managing COVID-19 and a clear desire for all students to be back at school,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“We expect schools to stick with the health advice – increased cleaning, access to hygiene supplies and compliance with hygiene practices – and look forward to seeing all students back on campus five days a week.

“The health advice is very clear; a return to full-time face to face teaching is safe.”

Over the last two weeks schools have been working hard to support students practise good hygiene and implement new routines at school, which has been successful giving the community confidence that full-time face to face teaching can resume.

Ms Mitchell said she was eager to see students back in the classroom full-time.

“Our principals, teachers, support staff, parents and carers have gone above and beyond to continue the education of our students while we respond to this pandemic,” Ms Mitchell said.

“My priority is the education of our children. We know that parents across NSW share our desire for students to be back in school, and that is our expectation.

“Schools will need to maintain the measures and precautions they have put in place for the foreseeable future, including no assemblies and excursions.

“Teachers will be focused on identifying where their students are at in their education and we will be supporting them to recognise and assist those students who need additional help.”

Read the department's latest advice for families.

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 18 May 2020 14:07:19 AEST

Take notes when you are listening to the teacher talk or make a mind map about what is being discussed or write a list of questions to ask. If you are writing about what you are learning it will help you to be more focused.

HSC Written Exam Timetable 2020

Fri, 15 May 2020 11:41:59 AEST

HSC Written Exam Timetable for 2020 HSC

Students, your personal exam timetable is available from studentsonline.nesa.nsw.edu.au

Website link for more details:

https://www.educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/key-dates-exam-timetables/hsc-written-exam-timetable

Use the links on the side to access other relevant information.

Keeping our school COVIDSafe

Tue, 12 May 2020 16:26:51 AEST

Help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community by downloading the app.

Social distancing and washing your hands remain the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The COVIDSafe app, developed by the Australian Government, helps to reduce the spread by allowing health experts to find close contacts faster and more accurately.

The app does not track your location. It uses your phone's Bluetooth to record other users you come into contact with, so if they test positive, NSW Health can let you know.

Find out more:

Students begin return to classrooms

Fri, 08 May 2020 18:50:28 AEST

From Monday 11 May (Week 3) students will begin a phased return to school.

The phased return will maintain distancing in the classroom while supporting students' education and wellbeing.

Most students will continue learning from home and will only attend school 1 day each week.

Our school will continue to provide detailed information about the return to the classroom throughout the rest of Term 2.

Measures to keep schools clean and safe for all students and staff include:

25% more cleaning time focused on high-touch areas
priority deliveries of hygiene supplies including soap and hand sanitiser
local school changes to pick up, drop off, lunch and recess times and processes.

Week 3 - Phase 1 - Return to School

Wed, 06 May 2020 11:39:39 AEST

Canteen Menu from Term 2 Week 3 BY ORDER ONLY

Tue, 05 May 2020 19:52:51 AEST

Religion and ethics lessons continue at home

Tue, 05 May 2020 10:24:58 AEST

Students learning from home can continue to access Special religious education (SRE) and Special education in ethics (SEE) classes.

Face-to-face SRE, SEE and Voluntary student activities of a religious nature in schools (VSA) will not be available until schools resume normal operations.

In response to requests from school communities, SRE and SEE approved providers are delivering their authorised curriculum with modifications to allow students to learn from home from the start of Term 2.

The lesson content and the mode of delivery has been reviewed and modified for easy access by students. The approved providers recognise that learning at home will not replicate face-to-face learning at school.

The learning from home SRE and SEE programs are now available:

Managed Return to School from Week 3 (11th May)

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 07:28:35 AEST

Managed Return to School - information to students and parents has been emailed to families.

This document outlines the proposed plan for week 3. (pdf)

Year 12 are returning full time / face-to-face on their normal timetable.

Year 7-11 return 1 day per week in house groups.

Managed return to school - phases. (pdf)

Tune in at 8.45am to NSW Education LIVE

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 20:27:29 AEST

To welcome our students back for Term 2, join us at 8.45am from Wednesday 29 April to Friday 8 May for a special live stream.

Musician Guy Sebastian, TV foodies Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and Manu Feildel, Gardening Australia host Costa Georgiadis, Sydney Swans player Ollie Florent, and our very own Eddie Woo, have donated their time to kick start learning from home each morning from 29 April - 8 May.

Tune in each day at 8:45am. We can't wait to see you!

Video – NSW Education LIVE sneak peek

Duration – 0:30

Check out this special sneak peek of NSW Education LIVE – 8:45am weekdays from 29 April.

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 09:51:44 AEST

Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen for 20 seconds, out to a distance of at least 20 feet (around 6 metres).

This will help to relax the eye muscles and reduce eye strain.

Even better – get up and have a stretch at the same time!

ANZAC Day 2020

Sat, 25 Apr 2020 08:59:16 AEST

Today, we would like you all to consider this question: "What does Anzac Day mean to you?"

Latai, Cooper, Grace and Clayten are Albion Park High's 2020 School Captains, and they have created an incredibly powerful and emotional video on the importance of commemorating Anzac Day and what this significant day means to them.

Video link

(If link does not work head to Albion Park High School Official Facebook Page to view)

The staff at APHS are incredibly proud of the compassion, maturity and respect shown by our student leaders in this video. They understand that the sacrifices of so many have allowed us to live in the free, safe and peaceful country we call home today, and that their heroic acts should never be forgotten.

Lest We Forget.

NSW students to transition back to the classroom in Term 2

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 12:51:58 AEST

NSW school students will gradually transition back to the classroom during Term 2 as the Government continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell outlined the plan for students attending NSW public schools to progressively return to face-to-face learning in week three of Term 2.

Ms Berejiklian said health advice continues to be that schools remain open, and parents, teachers and students can be confident that school is safe place.

“We are grateful to all families who kept their children home from school at the end of Term 1 and to teachers who worked tirelessly to deliver education online,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“This allowed us critical time to prepare our schools to develop better online learning options and for considering additional hygiene measures to allow schools to return.

“We know that nothing is more important than a child’s education, and we must begin to return our students to their classrooms in a considered way.

“Under these changes, from week three of Term 2, every student will be attending school for one day a week.

“We will look to increase the number of days students are at school in a staged way and hope to have all children back at school full-time by Term 3.

“I’d like to thank the Catholic and Independent schools for working with the NSW Government at this time, as well as staff, including teachers, principals and cleaners, for working so hard to prepare for a resumption of school.

“I’d also like to thank parents for what has been a tough month, often juggling working from home and caring for children. We hope the partial resumption of on campus learning will provide some much needed relief to those families.”

During the first stage of on-campus learning, parents will be encouraged to keep their children home except on their allocated day of face-to-face learning. Initially, about a quarter of a school’s students are expected to be on site at any one time. The specific days students will be required to attend school each week will vary from school to school and will be clearly communicated to parents.

Classes will be split across schools, allowing schools to appropriately social distance students and teachers.

As always, schools will remain open for students who need them and no child will be turned away from school.

Ms Mitchell said careful consideration had been given to support the school community, providing clarity and certainty on the path forward.

“This plan provides a clear path that balances community concerns with a need to deliver continuity of quality education,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Hand sanitiser will be available in all classrooms and provisions are in place for at-risk teachers to work from home. Drop off, pick up, recess and lunchtimes will also be staggered to ensure social distancing.”

In addition to the staged return to school, the NSW Government has committed up to $95.7 million to help keep casual and temporary school staff engaged in active work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our casual and temporary teachers and other non-teaching staff across NSW schools are critical to our education system, and will help ensure the educational outcomes for our students during this staged return,” Ms Mitchell said.

A cross-sector working group of teachers will also be established to report back to the Minister on recent innovations and educational developments assembled during the COVID-19 period that are suitable to support future educational delivery.

“It’s important that we have an inventory of the cutting edge teaching solutions and recognise the best efforts of our amazing NSW teachers during a difficult time,” Ms Mitchell said.

Teachers will have an additional day to prepare for Term 2 on Tuesday 28 April making the first day of term for students Wednesday 29 April.

Latest advice

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).
Explore the department's learning from home resources for teachers and parents to support both online and offline learning for all students.

Keep your family entertained these school holidays

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 19:50:24 AEST

We know it’s been a challenging Term 1. Just as many communities began recovering from fires, droughts and floods, we moved to learning from home to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The school holidays are coming, which means your family is about to have a lot of free time and nowhere to go.

To support you while looking after children we’ve put together a handy guide of activities to stimulate young minds and keep your family busy and engaged.

Check out our parents and carers toolkit for important self-care tips, free parenting podcasts and apps.

If you need a break, the Service NSW before and after school care finder can help locate vacation care programs near you.

'Learning from home' at school

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 17:41:41 AEST

For students who are unable to stay at home, here is school in lockdown: lots of social distance, washing of hands, creativity with science experiments and working our way through this thing together.

Mental Health Support

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 18:35:41 AEST

Wow, the world sure has had some big changes lately and you may have found yourself stuck at home more than you would have liked to be...or not.

Take this time to ask yourself, how are you feeling about all these changes?

Maintaining good mental health is more important than ever during theseuncertain times but thankfully there is plenty of help out there and ways you can help yourself too!

Read this document for for information

COVID-19 School Update - Week 11

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 08:14:31 AEST

To the Albion Park High Community

As we approach the end of term we would like to thank you all for your support and commitment over the past few weeks. Despite the challenges faced we have worked together to make the transition to Learning from Home as smooth as possible.

In preparation for term 2 we have decided to make this Thursday 9th of April a planning day for teachers, which means teachers will be unavailable on line or by phone on this day.

Please also find attached some essential reading in preparation for term 2, which will look slightly different (for yrs 7-10) in terms of the structure of our school day. Please contact us by phone for any clarification and ask to speak to Christine, Paul or Suzi.

Have a safe and happy stay-at-home Easter Break.
Enjoy the chocolate and the stress-free time with your family.

Suzi, Paul and Christine

Documents to download and read:

Letter to parents COVID end T1

Term 2 Day Structure 7-10

Term 2 Day Structure 11-12

Open letter to Australia's parents and carers

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 13:45:28 AEDT

Open letter to Australia's parents and carers

No child will be turned away from school

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 12:51:06 AEDT

The NSW Department of Education's advice regarding schools is very clear. No child in NSW will be turned away from school.

Schools will remain open for parents who want their children to attend irrespective of their profession or working arrangements.

The decision to keep schools open has been made based on advice from NSW Health, which has not changed.

The department will provide continuity of learning for all students both on and off campus and the Premier, for practical reasons, has encouraged parents to keep their children at home if they could.

Schools will communicate directly with parents on what learning options are available using their communication methods such as the school website, newsletters, emails and other online tools.

Latest advice

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).
Explore the department's learning from home resources for teachers and parents to support both online and offline learning for all students.

NESA Media Release - HSC

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 14:43:52 AEDT

At its meeting today, the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Board confirmed that the Higher School Certificate (HSC) is going ahead in 2020, along with a commitment to providing clear and regular advice to the community about the HSC as the COVID-19 outbreak continues.

Read the full media release at the link below.

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/about/news/media-releases/media-release-detail/2020-HSC-is-going-ahead

New COVID-19 restrictions begin as schools move towards online learning

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 20:21:53 AEDT

The NSW Government has taken significant new steps to increase restrictions across the state - triggering the next level of enforcement necessary to fight COVID-19.

Following the decisions made by National Cabinet, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the shutdown to protect NSW citizens.

"I understand many in the community are worried, and these changes will affect everyday lives, and may be upsetting," Ms Berejiklian said.

"But these decisions will make us all safer, they are taken with the health of all citizens in mind, and they must be taken now.

"If you have the capacity to work from home, you should do so."

In line with health advice, from midday today, the following non-essential activities and businesses will be temporarily shut down:

pubs, registered clubs
gyms, indoor sporting venues
cinemas, entertainment venues, casinos, and night clubs
restaurants and cafes will be restricted to takeaway and/or home delivery
religious gatherings, places of worship (excluding small weddings and funerals that comply with the 4m2 rule, which can proceed).

It is important to note essential gatherings at places such as hospitals, workplaces, constructions sites and for public transport are exempt and will continue.

As confirmed last night by the Prime Minister schools will remain open, based on health advice, which has not changed.

But from tomorrow, in NSW, for practical reasons, parents are encouraged to keep their children at home.

"Because nearly 30 per cent of children are already being kept out of school, for practical reasons NSW is encouraging parents to keep their children at home," Ms Berejiklian said.

"This will ensure there is only one unit of work, whether the student is at home or at school.

"No child will be turned away from school."

Latest advice

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).
Explore the department's learning from home resources for teachers and parents to support both online and offline learning for all students.

COVID-19 Principal Update

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 07:21:24 AEDT

APHS COVID-19 Update

Please view the attached documents to assist you in your journey of learning from home.

Key Contacts for parents and teachers

Learning from home for parents

Learning from home Stage 4

Learning from home Stage 5

Learning from home Stage 6

Access this document to view the process to request a loan device from school.

These documents are also available in the e-learning / learning from home link

Study tip of the week

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 08:00:02 AEDT

Seeing the colour green helps to improve concentration and reduces your chances of making errors – and plants improve air quality.

Schools to implement distancing measures

Sun, 15 Mar 2020 19:55:31 AEDT

The NSW Department of Education is introducing proactive measures to limit the impact of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in our schools.

Mark Scott, Secretary of the Department of Education, today announced that schools would adopt social distancing measures requiring them to cancel assemblies, excursions, travel, some events and conferences.

Mr Scott said these measures are precautionary and designed to reduce exposure via non-essential gatherings.

"Schools have been a focus of the community and the government as the impacts of coronavirus have developed globally," Mr Scott said.

"From Monday onwards, I expect school assemblies and substantial gatherings to be cancelled, along with all excursions.

"The community expects schools to be as safe as possible. We are implementing these measures to provide peace of mind for students, parents and staff."

"These cancellations also extend to inter-school arts, sports, initiative activities and events.

All major arts, sports and initiative activities and events will temporarily be ceased until further notice. This includes whole-school sporting events and inter-school events involving three or more schools.

"Local inter-school sport and other activities can proceed, but we ask organisers to ensure that as far as possible, reasonable precautions are taken," Mr Scott said.

"I trust our principals and staff to show leadership during this time."

Schools will be provided with more detailed advice and suggestions on how they can adjust their day to day activities with minimal disruption.

The department is continuing to prepare for further closures if necessary with scaling up of technology, additional training of staff and preparation of offsite lessons.

Families and students in self-isolation can find useful information to continue learning from home.

For the latest information, check COVID-19 advice for schools.

Tell them from me survey

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 19:02:04 AEDT

Parents please check your email in regards to important information about the Tell Them From Me survey occurring between the 17^th March and 8^th May 2020. Students were sent home with an information sheet.

Eat a healthy breakfast daily

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 15:21:35 AEDT

If your breakfast combines complex carbohydrates and protein you have will fuel your brain for much of the day. For example: an egg on toast, muesli with yoghurt, or an omelette.

If you don’t feel like eating when you wake up, take something with you so you can eat before you go into class. Even just a banana would be better than an empty stomach!

Jerseys for Jarrod

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 08:12:29 AEDT

Yr 7 students participating in Jersey’s for Jarrod, helping to raise funds for the Heart Foundation in the name of Jarrod Reagan.

Study tip of the week

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 08:07:31 AEDT

Clench your fist or clench a ball twice for 45 seconds with your RIGHT hand before memorization. Then do the same with left hand before writing it down.

COVID-19 Update

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 13:59:51 AEDT

The latest information for parents on COVID-19

Calderwood Bus Survey

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 11:01:25 AEDT

Are you a family in Calderwood and would like to see a bus service to your school?

If you live in Calderwood please complete the survey below to help us establish the need for a Calderwood bus service. Share this survey with any families that may be interested. Please note, this survey may be completed by families with students at Tullimbar Public School, Albion Park Public School and Albion Park High School.

https://forms.gle/8wWnYaeeRVofKhgq7

Study tip of the week

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 15:42:58 AEDT

Chewing gum while studying makes 35% difference as it oxygenates the brain.

(But it only works at home, not at school.)

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 14:44:03 AEDT

STUDY WITH A PET (or take a ‘pet’ break)

Pets are natural mood enhancers and help reduce stress.

Swimming Carnival Cancelled - School as normal Wed 12th February

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 20:20:20 AEDT

The swimming carnival set for Wednesday 12th February has been cancelled .

School will run as a normal day.

School open as usual tomorrow Tuesday 11th February

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 17:50:00 AEDT

School open as usual tomorrow Tuesday 11th February 2020

School Non-operational tomorrow Monday 10th February

Sun, 09 Feb 2020 19:23:11 AEDT

School non-operational on Monday 10th February
As you may be aware, there is currently an emergency situation in our community involving localised flooding that has closed road access in and out of Albion Park.

To ensure the safety of students and staff, a decision has been made that our school will not be operating Monday 10th February 2020.

There will be no staff on site tomorrow. Please ensure that you put supervision arrangements in place for your child tomorrow.

Please continue to refer to Facebook and to our website at https://albionpk-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/ for up to date information.

The school will recommence operations on Tuesday 11th February 2020 unless other advice is issued.

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 16:30:42 AEDT

Noisy house? Try noise cancelling headphones

Study tip of the week

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 08:05:27 AEDT

The smell of mint can help you concentrate better.

Reduce the cost of your child's registration with Active Kids!

Wed, 29 Jan 2020 11:37:10 AEDT

The first of two $100 Active Kids vouchers for 2020 is now available and can be used from now until 31 December. A second voucher will be available from 1 July.

Claim your first voucher now: https://sport.nsw.gov.au/sectordevelopment/activekids/parents

Coronavirus - Department of Education statement

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 20:19:36 AEDT

The department is working with the Ministry of Health to monitor and respond to the unfolding international novel coronavirus situation.

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to novel coronavirus.

Best Start Year 7 Assessments 2020

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 15:11:05 AEDT

APHS participates in Best Start Year 7, an online literacy, writing and numeracy assessment available to secondary schools.

All students in Year 7 are expected to participate in the tests during Term 1 Week 2 (Monday-Thursday).

All tests will take place during normal class time, however, we do request students bring their own headphones or earbuds that plug into a computer to enable them to hear audio during the tests. The type of connection needed is a jack or usb. We will have headphones we can provide to those students who do not bring their own.

Best Start Year 7 assesses key literacy, writing and numeracy skills and is designed to assist teachers to identify students who may require additional support in developing their literacy, writing and numeracy skills. It is just one of a range of assessments the school uses to assess student skills. Please inform the school if your child has special needs which require support to complete an online assessment.

Please contact Ms Lisa Hoole, relieving Head Teacher Teaching & Learning and Year 7 Advisor at APHS if you have further questions regarding Best Start Year 7.

Are you #Ready2020?

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 15:40:26 AEDT

Hints, tips and resources to make a great start to the new school year – whether it’s your first day of high school or you’ve been here a while.

We work hard to make sure every student is known, valued and cared for – even before they walk into the classroom on Day 1, Term 1.

We’ve got great advice and resources for high school, no matter what year you’re heading into...

For families of students starting Year 7:

download our Getting ready for high school booklet
read our top tips for a smooth transition.

For families of returning students:

visit the back to school checklist to make a hassle-free start to the year
download the 2020 calendar to stay organised all year
check out our hints for setting up a study space.

Video – #Ready2020: First day at high school

Duration – 1:00

Mathematics Equipment Checklist 2020

Wed, 18 Dec 2019 17:11:22 AEDT

2020 Mathematics Equipment Checklist

Bound for ARTEXPRESS

Sun, 01 Dec 2019 06:20:15 AEDT

We are excited to announce the news that Year 12 student Alyssa Ciegelski got into Art Express with her 5 artworks, “Phases”.

They will be launching the inaugural Virtual Exhibition in July 2020 and more information about this will be available soon.

You can see two out of the five peices here, but to see the rest you will have to visit the exhibition and support this talented young lady.

Congratulations Alyssa!

--------------------------

ARTEXPRESS is an annual exhibition featuring a selection of outstanding student artworks developed for the artmaking component of the HSC examination in Visual Arts in NSW. It includes a broad range of approaches and expressive forms, including ceramics, collection of works, documented forms, drawing, graphic design, painting, photomedia, printmaking, sculpture, textiles and fibre, and time-based forms.

Nominated works are those that have been identified through a rigorous examination process as excellent examples of students' investigations of artmaking practice. The ARTEXPRESS exhibitions are curated from this pool of works.

Exhibitions are chosen by curators to form a comprehensive exhibition that showcases all expressive forms. The bodies of work are selected to compliment each other and work as an entire show. Consequently the choice of venues is not negotiable.

Correct start dates for 2020

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 11:14:57 AEDT

The correct dates for school return for 2020 are:

Staff - 28th January

Year 7,11 & 12 - January 29th

Year 8. 9 & 10 - January 30th

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 10:10:37 AEDT

Keep food and drink away from your computer, make sure the air vents remain uncovered and that it doesn’t get dusty. Back up work regularly or save in the cloud.

NSW schools respond to bushfires

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:01:26 AEDT

Many schools are responding to the catastrophic fire rating that is affecting communities across the state this week.

We are continuously updating the School safety page with a list of government and non-government schools, as well as TAFE NSW campuses that are currently non-operational.

While some schools are temporarily non-operational due to localised fires, many others in high-risk areas are non-operational as a precautionary measure.

Schools in some areas are being used as emergency evacuation centres at the direction of the Rural Fire Service.

For schools that are currently operational, school pickups and dropoffs will continue as usual. If your school is currently non-operational, it will likely remain so tomorrow.

Large scale distressing events affect our school communities in many ways. Headspace’s mental health support resource (PDF 100.52KB) is available to help students, teachers and school staff respond to the bushfires.

Visit the School safety page for updates. The department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts will also provide updates during this period.

Study Tip of the Week

Sun, 10 Nov 2019 08:12:07 AEDT

Reward yourself when you complete a task or goal.

Grab a ticket to Schools Spectacular 2019

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 11:02:23 AEDT

Will you be joining us at Schools Spectacular 2019? Tickets are on sale now. Experience our live show featuring a cast of thousands of public school students from across metropolitan, rural and remote regions of NSW.

Students from different ages, cultures and backgrounds will share the spotlight as they dance, play and sing for you. Choose from one of our four massive performances at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday 22 November and Saturday 23 November.

This year's events will feature:

more than 380 schools
5,500 performers
a 3000-strong choir
2,300 dancers
an 80-piece symphony orchestra
a world-class stage band.

Group bookings

Need to make a group booking for over 10 people? Complete the Schools Preview Order Form 2019 (PDF 110KB) to attend the discounted 11am Friday matinee. The Friday matinee is discounted for school students and accompanying teachers.

If you’d like to grab a spot at one of the other three remaining shows complete the Group Booking Form 2019 (PDF 110KB).

Tickets for you and your family and friends

Save you and your family a spot online or by phone on 132 849.

Video – Schools Spectacular 2019

Duration: 0:26

Year 10 English Examination Notification

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 15:49:51 AEDT

During Week 3 Year 10 students will be completing their end of year exams for English and Science. These exams are compulsory and are an official assessment task for the majority of students in Year 10. Skills21 students will only sit the English Exam. These assessment tasks go towards the final grade and apply to the Record of School Achievement (RoSA). Students will be expected to attend school all day as normal in full school uniform and will be sitting their exams in the first 3 periods of each day. Exam lengths are listed below. Students will attend periods 4 and 5 as normal and finish school at the normal time of 2.35pm

See parent letter for more details.

Congratulations Hannah

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 15:03:41 AEDT

Hannah represented Albion Park High School at the Interschools Challenge on Monday 7th October at Berry where she rode Sweet Chilli Philly and came home with 1 first place, 2 second places and 2 fourth places.

Congratulations Hannah!

Study tip of the week

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 15:07:45 AEDT

Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. If you have exams this term, don’t wait!

Just pick a subject each night and start studying. If you find you can’t do something, make a note and see your teacher to discuss.

Study Tip of the Week

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 08:54:22 AEST

When you look at your exam paper consider the time you have and the marks allocated to each question.

Study Tip of the Week

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 06:07:33 AEST

If you have a noisy house, and lots of work to do, agree with your family when there can be some quiet periods where you are able to work without distractions and interruptions.

Book yourself in for Reading Hour

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 12:12:42 AEST

This Australian Reading Hour, encourage your child to discover or rekindle their love of a good book. Take the time to learn, escape and relax on Thursday 19 September and read for one hour.

Reading has been shown to reduce stress by 68% more than listening to music, going for a walk, or having a cup of tea.

Take the Book Swap Challenge

We all have favourite books that we come back to again and again.

To help celebrate Reading Hour take our Book Swap Challenge. We want students, teachers, staff and parents to try reading something new on the day. To get involved, simply pair up with someone and swap your favourite books.

Take a photo and tag it with #ReadingHour so we can see how you got involved.

Video – Ben Law asks students about their favourite author

Duration: 1:18

Author and #ReadingHour ambassador Benjamin Law talks with some of our students about their favourite books.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 09 Sep 2019 10:19:33 AEST

Go to sleep early before an exam.

Staying up late and trying to study the night before an exam is ineffective. Better to get a good rest – if you need to get up a bit earlier to review your notes.

How to be smart and safe on social media

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 11:27:58 AEST

Use our new Digital Citizenship toolkit to empower your child to understand how their online behaviour affects themselves and others.

You and your child can find information on:

how to ‘be positive’ by understanding online behaviour and its effect
'be smart’ by thinking critically and being digitally aware
'be safe’ by protecting your security, privacy and wellbeing.

A toolkit to empower you and your child

You can find articles and videos to equip and empower your child to minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities in our digital future.

We’ve partnered with leading researchers to produce a curated toolkit – aligned to the curriculum – which teachers and you can share with the young people in your lives.

Guide your child through important concepts such as:

managing privacy settings in social media
collaborating online
avoiding scams and hoaxes
understanding the law when it comes to online speech
Internet banking, shopping online and much more.

Keep your child safe and happy online

Visit and bookmark the Digital Citizenship website. We’ll continue to add articles and resources to ensure the best possible tools are available to help you guide your child to be positive, smart and safe online.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 15:02:10 AEST

Occasional stretching while you work helps to bring oxygen back to the brain and to avoid fatigue and repetitive strain injury.

What’s next after high school?

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 11:26:24 AEST

Is your child in Year 9 to 12 curious about their career choices? Now they can use LifeLauncher, a free online tool to explore and simplify their career choices.

Your child can explore courses and careers in-depth, at their own pace, anytime, anywhere and on any device. The tool includes 4,000 careers and 1,500 course options, all in one place.

How does it work?

Encourage your child to jump online and complete the 5-minute personality and subject quizzes to be matched to a range of career options that suit their passions and strengths.

If they take both quizzes, they’ll get more refined suggestions. They can even create free online pinboards to shortlist the courses and jobs that interest them.

When your child creates an account, they can save their searches and build a real understanding of the opportunities and pathways open to them.

What can your child learn about their career options?

Your child can explore the weekly salary of the career options they’re interested in. They’ll also find the employment and growth rates of those careers and the number of workers currently in those fields in Australia.

Each career option shows them the education they need as well as other related careers. They can follow links to other sites to find out more about a course to help them find the best provider for them.

Launch into the future today

Use this tool to chat with your child about their post-school options in a meaningful way.

Inspire your child to find their career match today at LifeLauncher.nsw.gov.au.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 10:23:04 AEST

Time how long it takes you to complete sample questions to help you prepare for exams.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 10:58:55 AEST

When you are preparing for a test, do lots of practise questions from your textbooks, revision sheets or ask your teacher where you could get more questions or past exam papers to do.

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 17:02:15 AEST

Break down assignments into things like research, writing each section, editing and presenting.
Make a written plan of when you will try and do each step so you will complete it on time.

Aodhan wins the 2019 Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 06:21:56 AEST

Albion Park songwriter Aodhan has taken out the Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative for 2019!

In the truest spirit of Unearthed, the 15 year old from the NSW South Coast quietly uploaded a couple of tracks this year, and without any other online presence won us over completely.

The talented teenager writes, records and produces himself and harkens to coastal folk heroes like Hein Cooper and Angus & Julia Stone. Discovering Aodhan’s music in this year’s Unearthed High competition gave the whole Unearthed team collective goosebumps so it only seems right that we share them with you.

Visit ABC website to read more and listen to the track!

Congratulations Aidan!

Study tip of the week

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 11:17:20 AEST

When you are trying to remember information, test yourself on what you are learning by seeing what you can say our loud or write down without looking. Then go back and review the things you didn’t know.

Education Week – Every student, every voice

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 12:54:39 AEST

We are celebrating our students and their powerful voices this Education Week Monday 5 August to Friday 9 August. Every year Education Week celebrates the achievements of public schools, our students and the value of public education.

This year, the theme is Every student, every voice.

Join us for #EdWeek19 as we celebrate our students and their power to shape the world.

Video – #EdWeek19 – Every student, every voice

Duration: 0:34

Study tip of the week

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 08:11:58 AEST

Make study notes easy to read and remember by using a system of headings, colours and abbreviations.

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 19:49:21 AEST

It’s not possible to do everything perfectly all of the time. Consider whether or not your time is better spent perfecting something that is already pretty good or working on something you’re struggling with or need to improve.

Year 7 Humanities HUB

Wed, 03 Jul 2019 14:18:19 AEST

Year 7 Humanities HUB students recently exhibited their learning to parents, Shellharbour Council representatives and other key community stakeholders.

In Term 2, students have been working on developing a video advertisement on an idea to make Albion Park a more liveable town. They have developed a range of relevant future-focused skills including collaboration and communication throughout the term working in their groups.

Members of the panel were highly impressed with student ideas, and the skills involved in presenting their pitch and making their videos. It was a rich and authentic learning experience for all.

Students also presented their Individual Learning Portfolios - with evidence of activities across the History, Geography and English courses, including a formal letter to the council using persuasive language.

Thank you to Belinda Caruana & Bernadette Sharpe of the Shellharbour City Council, Wendy & Des Stubbs as community representatives and Melissa Cunningham from the Albion Park Chamber of Commerce for providing such positive reinforcement and feedback for students.

Bring on the next project!

Ben Andersen

Lake Illawarra South Network Aboriginal Writers Festival

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 09:04:20 AEST

Students from across the Illawarra have used creative writing to express their voice in the lead-up to NAIDOC Week 2019.

Students at the inaugural Lake Illawarra South Network Aboriginal Writers Festival.

Aboriginal students from Illawarra schools spent the day learning from literacy experts at the Lake Illawarra South Network Aboriginal Writers Festival on Friday.

The 60 students worked with local Aboriginal children’s author, poet and emerging playwright Kirli Saunders to develop their creative writing skills.

Ms Saunders founded the Poetry in First Languages project and was the Illawarra/Shoalhaven region ‘Worker of the Year’ at the 2017 NAIDOC awards. She is a proud Gunai woman with ties to the Yuin, Gundungurra, Gadigal and Biripi people.

Students also learnt about public artworks from Shellharbour Library staff using a range of paintings and sculptures by Indigenous artists housed in the Shellharbour Civic Centre.

The festival was organised by local director, educational leadership, Raechel McCarthy, and principals from the Lake Illawarra South network, as part of ongoing programs to encourage Aboriginal students to express themselves through writing.

The students now have the opportunity to work with mentor teachers to plan a piece of creative writing, which will be submitted in late July for judging by a panel of local Elders.

NAIDOC Week 2019 is held from July 7-14 and focuses on the theme of Voice. Treaty. Truth.

Public schools across the state will take part in early celebrations this week to recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 09:24:58 AEST

Recharge yourself

Year 12 Trial Examination Timetable

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 13:18:20 AEST

Trial Examination Timetable 2019

Study tip of the week

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 11:04:16 AEST

Focus on one thing - rather than multi-tasking

Study tip of the week

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 09:45:34 AEST

Use the power of your mind to help yourself relax and take a positive approach.

Creative and Active Kids vouchers now available

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:28:22 AEST

Creative kids can now put a $100 voucher towards extra-curricular creative activities outside of school.

Together with Active Kids, this program aims to encourage more NSW children to participate in a range of extra-curricular activities such as coding, languages, circus, performing arts and visual arts.

Parents can apply for one $100 voucher for each child enrolled in school on the Creative Kids website and use it towards the cost of registration, participation or tuition. You just redeem the voucher with a registered provider in your area when making your payment.

This is a great opportunity for your child to become involved in a range of activities that will build on their education, growth and development.

Service NSW is working with industry bodies to deliver the program.

For more information, contact Service NSW on 137 788 or creativekids@service.nsw.gov.au.

Study tip of the week

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 10:22:25 AEST

Make a plan to meet your goals

Study tip of the week

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 10:05:48 AEST

Re-schedule missed work

The Game Changer Challenge is back

Fri, 31 May 2019 11:42:32 AEST

It’s not too late to become a Game Changer with applications for the Education Week challenge due by 7 June.

The Game Changer Challenge brings 16 teams from public schools across NSW – eight from primary and eight from secondary – to Sydney during Education Week in August for a three-day, intensive design-thinking workshop.

The Game Changer workshops, which start on Tuesday 6 August, includes teacher training in the use of design thinking as a teaching methodology and its application for school planning.

It also includes a team competition where schools will work under the guidance of experts from industry and academia to develop a solution to this year’s critical question: How might we humanise technology?

Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott has encouraged students and teachers to get behind the event as it highlights the critical thinking students will need to develop to succeed in the future.

“The Game Changer Challenge is an exciting initiative that helps educate and inform our students and teachers on how to integrate the problem-solving methodology of design thinking into the classroom,” Mr Scott says.

“It embraces the 21^st century skills our students will need to thrive in a globalised world such as collaboration, creative thinking and communication.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students at all levels to be involved in discussing and addressing a real-world issue that will affect their future lives. I encourage every school to get involved.”

The challenge is designed to make strong learning and teaching connections to the NSW syllabus specifically in the area of developing general capabilities such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication and problem-solving.

The challenge also provides teachers with an opportunity to gain exposure to the design thinking process and includes teacher resources to introduce this creative problem-solving methodology into the classroom.

Finalists will be selected based on a 60-second video that showcases your team’s vision around the question of humanising technology.

For more information email edweek@det.nsw.edu.au or visit the Game Changer Challenge page.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 27 May 2019 14:37:48 AEST

Set strong passwords

PBL - student of the fortnight

Tue, 21 May 2019 08:50:14 AEST

The PBL Student of the Fortnight for Weeks 1-2 this term was Eva Hadfield of Year 7. Eva had the highest amount of positive entries across the school during this time. Well done Eva and keep up the good work.

The PBL Focus for the Fortnight is around RESPONSIBILITY and following the instructions of your teacher. We also want students to show RESPECT by allowing others to learn.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 20 May 2019 15:51:48 AEST

Save big assignments regularly using different version numbers.

Mother’s Day at Albion Park Warrigal Care Aged Care

Fri, 17 May 2019 09:28:52 AEST

Albion Park Warrigal Care Aged Care celebrated Mother’s Day with a special lunch.

Penny Calvert, Maggie Flynn, and Hope & Makeira Fraser went along to assist with the preparation, serving and clean up at the function, as well as selling the mother’s day raffle.

There were 60 residents and guests who enjoyed the three course lunch and all congratulated the girls on their wonderful preparation and service.

They all enjoyed the experience and were so polite and caring to the elderly attending. The girls have been asked to assist at another function and will be gain further experience with the opportunity.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 13 May 2019 10:58:36 AEST

Make posters of key information

Your NAPLAN questions answered

Thu, 09 May 2019 15:58:00 AEST

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests assess the foundational skills in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.

This year NAPLAN takes place between 14 and 16 May for paper tests and between 14 and 24 May for schools participating in NAPLAN Online.

NAPLAN data is used to help monitor student progress over time against a national measure and to identify areas of strength and improvement. It is used in combination with other school assessments to guide and support student learning.

Watch students ask an expert the tough questions about NAPLAN.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 06 May 2019 08:14:31 AEST

Flashcards can be a helpful way so you can test yourself on formulas or vocab for foreign languages or content you need to memorise

Study tip of the week

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 13:42:02 AEST

Turn off your phone during study periods at home to avoid distraction.

Apply now for My Community Project funding

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 15:12:37 AEST

Do you have a great idea to improve your area?

My Community Project is a new NSW Government funding program that is all about local ideas, local projects and local decisions.

You can apply now for grants from $20,000 - $200,000 for projects that will make a difference to your community. Projects could include new playground equipment, sports facilities, paths or ramps to improve access, public art or a community service.

The local community can vote for their favourite projects in July and successful projects will be announced in September.

Project applications close 15 May 2019.

Apply for My Community Project funding

Bring back memories, not measles

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 14:24:46 AEST

With school holidays just around the corner, it’s time to visit your doctor to check that you and your family are fully protected against measles, before you travel overseas.

Measles is a serious, highly contagious, viral illness that is easily spread through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes or breathes. If you and your family are not fully vaccinated, or have never been vaccinated, you are at risk of contracting measles.

Not sure if you’re fully protected?

In Australia, the measles vaccine (MMR) consists of 2 doses. If you’re not sure whether you’ve had 2 doses of the measles vaccine, visit your doctor. It’s safe to receive another dose.

Children born in Australia

If your children were born in Australia, they may have received the measles vaccine at 12 months old and the second dose at 18 months, in accordance with the National Immunisation Program.
If you have a baby under 12 months old, consult your doctor about getting their measles vaccination.

Adults born in Australia

Born before 1966 – you were most likely exposed to measles as a child and are generally considered to be immune. If in doubt, ask your GP.
Born between 1966 and 1994 – you may not have received 2 doses. Talk to your doctor about the free vaccine if you’re unsure.
Born after 1994 – the National Immunisation Program offers 2 doses, and you can check your vaccination status using the Australian Immunisation Register.

For more information about the measles vaccination, visit NSW Health or consult your local doctor.

Study tip of the week

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 07:56:51 AEST

Document the things you are grateful for each day.

The Smith Family - Learning for Life Scholarship

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 18:43:55 AEDT

Study tip of the week

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 11:09:10 AEDT

Write study notes in your own words to cement your understanding

Study tip of the week

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 08:41:24 AEDT

Complete study notes at the end of each topic. This means you don't have to do huge amounts just before exams.

PBL News of the Fortnight

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 08:54:22 AEDT

The PBL Student of the Fortnight is Samuel Tripi of Year 12 who received the most positive contributions for weeks 6-7 this term. Well done Samuel.

The PBL Focus for the Fortnight is around responsibility and following teacher instructions. We want students to settle quickly and be on task.

Study Tip of the Week

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 10:21:56 AEDT

Making notes while the teacher is speaking in class.

Tell Them From Me

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 12:55:44 AEDT

Student Feedback Survey (Term 1, 2019)

I am delighted that this term, our school, like many other public schools in the state, will participate again in the Department of Education initiative: the Tell Them From Me student feedback survey. The survey measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices.

More information about the survey is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au

The survey is a great opportunity for our students to provide us with valuable and quick feedback on what they think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. Schools in Australia and around the world have used the Tell Them From Me survey to help improve how they do things at school.

I want to assure you that the survey is confidential. The survey is conducted online and will typically take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours between 1^st April to 12^th April. Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary.

A consent form and FAQs for parents/carers about the survey has been sent home with students. If you do not want your child or children to participate, please return the form to school by 29^th March. Copies of the form and FAQs are available from: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents.

Mr E. Davies HT TAS/ART

Study tip of the week

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:06:44 AEDT

A noticeboard is handy to keep key pieces of information or reminders highly visible. You may also put motivational sayings or posters on it, or use it to keep your goals at the front of your mind.

Family feedback about schools

Sun, 10 Mar 2019 16:44:03 AEDT

A new video provides information to parents and carers about how to provide feedback or raise issues about our schools.

Video

We know the quality of the relationship between families and schools has a direct impact on student wellbeing and educational outcomes.

This video, produced in consultation with schools, is helping families find the right person if they have a question or want to raise an issue, make a complaint or provide a compliment. The video encourages families to contact their school or the department early and in a positive way to help resolve any issues together.

The video complements information on our website and is an accessible way for families to find out about the complaints process. Positive feedback is also important and families are encouraged to let us know when something has gone well.

Visit the complaints, compliments and suggestions webpage for more information.

Read the transcript for Contacting the NSW Department of Education video.

Last updated: 29 November 2018

2 day Autism Workshop for parents and carers

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 11:09:05 AEDT

14 and 15 May 2019 Autism workshop for parents and carers

Swimming carnival - 2019

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 11:19:25 AEDT

Friday 8 February, marked our annual School Swimming Carnival, and what a great day it was! The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and Mrs Keen was DJ-ing!

It was a fantastic day with some excellent results in the pool! Year 12 had a blast, dancing up a storm and raising money with a BBQ, lolly guessing competition and a lap-a-thon, all whilst wearing their Hawaiian themed attire loud and proud. Year 12 raised $671 for their formal at the end of the year. Well done!

The following students all earned the most points for their age group, making them Swimming Age Champions for 2019. Congratulations!

12 Years

Emily Longhurst

Jayden Henley

13 Years

Madison Rosser

Tyler Whitaker

14 Years

Elise Sheil

Jackson Williams

15 Years

Isabel Tegart

Matthew Longhurst

16 Years

Holly Wilson

Liam Sheil

17+

Sarah Lucas

Bryce Van Den Berg

An extra mention to Tyler Whitaker who beat a long-standing school record in the 50m Backstroke. A great effort Tyler, bravo! Munda took out the house cup this carnival with a total point score of 779, followed by Gugara on 470, Guruwin on 370 points and Buru on 280. Congratulations Munda, we look forward to bringing some house spirit to our Cross Country carnival later this term!

The Southern Illawarra Zone Swimming Carnival report

The Southern Illawarra Zone Swimming Carnival was held on Wednesday 20 February, at Dapto Olympic Pool. Albion Park High School had forty nine students attend, one of our biggest teams in many years. Congratulations to all the students who represented our school, with many qualifying for the Regional Swimming Carnival in March. Special congratulations to Isabel Tegart and Sarah Lucas for coming runners up age champions at this level. We wish our regional representatives the best of luck on the 12 March, 2019.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 11:02:25 AEDT

Always take the time to proofread your work before you submit it to fix any minor errors and make sure it makes sense.

Study Tip of the Week

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 06:43:22 AEDT

Remember it’s ok to make mistakes. You just need to learn from them.

Follow your heart, not the herd

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:31:14 AEDT

We spoke with a group of Kindergarten students to find out what they had to say about going against the herd. They had some wise words for us on how we can care, respect and support each other in our schools.

Let’s start the year off right and prevent student bullying happening in our playgrounds, classrooms and online. If a group of 5-year-olds know the difference between right and wrong, shouldn’t everyone?

Video – Wise at 5

Duration – 1:08

Study tip of the week

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 11:39:17 AEDT

Try moving all your study stuff outside into the yard or your balcony for a change of scenery and to avoid technology distractions.

House Points - February update

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 06:38:24 AEDT

House points before the swimmining carnival totals have been added.

Online payments explained

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 10:29:07 AEDT

Did you know that you can make payments to your child’s school online?

What expenses can be paid online?

· Voluntary School Contributions

· Subject Contributions

· Excursions

· Sport

· Creative and Practical Arts

· Sales to Students

· Other

Study tip of the week

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 09:25:16 AEDT

Mind maps are useful tools to help you remember key concepts and relationships. If you have no homework make a mind map about what you have been learning

Back to school

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 15:22:04 AEDT

The first day of high school and the return to school in the new year are busy times for your child – and for the entire family. To help you and your child get organised and enjoy the experience we've compiled some useful tips for each year group.

We want every student to be known, valued and cared for in our schools.

Uniform Shop Opening Times - This Week Only!

Sun, 20 Jan 2019 15:55:17 AEDT

Uniform Shop OPEN ...

Monday 21st January 9am - 2pm

Tuesday 22nd January 9am - 2pm

Wednesday 23rd January 9am - 3pm

Thursday 24th January 9am - 2pm

Friday 25th January 9am - 2pm

Parenting Research Centre - online resource for parents

Mon, 10 Dec 2018 09:55:15 AEDT

Raising Children Network

A complete online resource

The Raising Children Network – raisingchildren.net.au – is a complete online resource for Australian parents and carers. It offers trusted, reliable, free information on everyday parenting issues from pregnancy through to teens.

Home to thousands of independently reviewed resources on children’s health and development, it is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services and is our joint venture with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne.

As well as written articles, raisingchildren.net.au features videos, guides, interactive tools and apps on hundreds of topics, spanning health, nutrition and fitness, play and learning, connecting and communicating, school and education, entertainment and technology, sleep and safety.

Approved by experts, designed for parents

Raising Children Network’s content is original, based on the latest scientific evidence, reviewed by experts and designed for busy parents and professionals working with families. All of the site’s information is regularly assessed and updated. It’s presented in an easy-to-use format that’s both informative and accessible.

Parents consistently tell us that they value the site because they can search for – and find – answers to their questions where and when they need them. They leave the site with greater confidence and knowledge of next steps. And they know they can rely on and trust the independent information we offer.

A thriving online community

raisingchildren.net.au is visited by 45,000 parents, carers and parenting professionals every day and has a thriving Facebook community of more than 195,000 followers.

It has won several awards including Best Non-profit & Government site from the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association (AIMIA 2014), and 2007 Site of the Year from the NetGuide Australian Web Awards and the Interactive Media Award 2016.

Learn more

Explore raisingchildren.net.au
Read about MyTime, our program for parents of children with disabilities

Family feedback about schools always welcome

Wed, 05 Dec 2018 16:14:31 AEDT

We know the quality of the relationship between families and schools has a direct impact on student wellbeing and educational outcomes.

There will be times when parents and carers want to ask a question, raise an issue or make a complaint about our schools and it can be hard for families to know where to start. Families have told us that it can be difficult to find the right person to talk to, or don’t know what steps to take to bring an issue to someone’s attention.

A short video, produced in consultation with schools, is helping families find the right person if they have a question or want to raise an issue, make a complaint or provide a compliment. The video encourages families to contact their school or the department early and in a positive way to help resolve any issues together.

Visit the complaints, compliments and suggestions webpage for more information.

New video to explain feedback, complaint and communication processes

Sun, 02 Dec 2018 08:53:40 AEDT

Study tip of the week

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 12:45:46 AEDT

Exercise relieves stress and oxygenates the brain allowing you to be a better learner.

Counting the cost of the education revolution

Fri, 23 Nov 2018 09:12:58 AEDT

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-22/counting-the-cost-of-the-education-revolution/10495756

This article is a sophisticated presentation that lays out the way in which the public funding of non-government schools is starting to exceed the public funding of government schools. It builds on the analysis first published three years ago by the late Bernie Shepherd and Chris Bonnor. Chris' ongoing contribution in this area is awe inspiring for all of us.

You can also use the interactive section to see how your school fares.

I urge you to take a look at this.

Suzi Clapham

Study tip of the week

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 14:15:35 AEDT

Libraries are great places to study if you find it hard to work at home. Plus lots of great resources and support will be available.

Grandparents Day 2018

Wed, 14 Nov 2018 12:53:40 AEDT

Grandparent’s Day is a special day that recognises the significant contribution that grandparents make to their families and communities. It is also an occasion for acknowledging the efforts and devotion of grandparents who are full-time carers for their grandchildren. Students at Albion Park High School celebrated this day on Monday 22 October 2018, thanking grandparents and parents for their love and support. Students highlighted the different facilities here at the school with projects on display and performances to highlight the different departments.

2019 school budget allocations

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 13:48:53 AEDT

Like all NSW public schools, this week we will receive a School Budget Allocation Report with our funding for 2019. The report will help us manage our total budget delivered through the Resource Allocation Model (RAM).

The RAM supports schools through needs-based funding to ensure a fair, efficient and transparent allocation of funds. Our school has the flexibility to make local decisions based on the specific needs of our students.

We will use our 2019 funding to support students and improve educational outcomes. The school executive will continue to work with the school community as we implement the school plan using this needs-based funding.

Learn more about the 2019 RAM funding.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 13:11:09 AEDT

Make a decision to try to answer at least one question in each class each day. This helps keep you focused on the lesson.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 05 Nov 2018 08:53:04 AEDT

When you feel overwhelmed, or don’t understand what to do or what you are learning, ask for help from a parent, teacher or friend. Don’t just ignore the problem.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 09:16:28 AEDT

Colour code all your books, folders, binders or boxes for each subject to make
organising, finding things and filing easier.

Study tip of the week

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 15:27:10 AEDT

Ask your friends and family what techniques they use to learn – you might hear some ideas that will also work for you.

Study tip of the week

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 09:10:25 AEDT

Study tip of the week

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 10:30:18 AEDT

Discover your learning preferences

Tougher laws to combat online abuse

Sat, 13 Oct 2018 07:58:21 AEDT

Exerpt from a letter to our school Principal - Ms Suzi Clapham.

-----------------------------

I am pleased to advise that new laws will prevent people from using modern technology to stalk or intimidate their victims.

The changes are designed to protect people from serious online abuse, ranging from serious cases of cyberbullying and trolling, through to the stalking and harassment of victims of domestic and personal violence.

The NSW Government will introduce legislation amending the law to make it clear that the definitions of ‘stalking’ and ‘intimidation’ in the Crimes (Domestic and Personal Violence) Act explicitly includes activities conducted online or via text messages that are designed to instill fear of physical or mental harm.

The amendments will also confirm that courts have the power to make Apprehended Violence Orders in response to serious online abuse. This will ensure that perpetrators stop their abusive online behaviour or face arrest and possible imprisonment.

People who stalk or intimidate using modern technology will face a maximum five-year prison term under the NSW Government’s amendments.

The change announced recognises that online abuse can cause victims significant psychological trauma and have potentially devastating, even tragic consequences.

These changes are not aimed at policing free speech. They are aimed at preventing abuse.

Examples of abuse that these amendments aim to tackle include:

· posting threatening or hurtful messages, images or videos online;

· repeatedly sending unwanted messages online; and

· sending abusive emails.

The reforms address an emerging trend of offenders threatening and harassing victims on social media.

This activity can make its victims feel scared, powerless and depressed. The NSW Government is committed to protecting domestic violence victims and other members of the community from new threats that arise with advances in technology.

I thank you for your assistance in making this very important information available to your students and their families. We all need to work together to stop online abuse.

Kind regards

GARETH WARD MP

Member for Kiama

Wrapped with Love 2018

Wed, 26 Sep 2018 14:23:05 AEST

Congratulations to the staff and community members of Albion Park High for participating in the Wrapped with Love program: designed to provide blankets for the needy.

Each blanket consists of 28 knitted squares which take approximately 3 hours each to knit a square: so each blanket takes roughly 90 hours to make.

That’s 90 hours of kindness and generosity from the Albion Park School community.

This year 11 blankets were knitted and sewn together. The blankets are collected at the end of the September to be distributed to homeless shelters and refugees both here in Australia and overseas.

A huge thank you to people who donated wool.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 10:10:58 AEST

It’s easy to get distracted when you are having a study break. Set an alarm to remind you when it’s time to get back to work.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 09:04:30 AEST

Make a to-do list each afternoon of everything you need to do – including homework, chores and other activities. Prioritise what you need to do and you will be much more effective.

PBL learning focus of the fortnight

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 08:52:10 AEST

Our learning focus of the fortnight is Commitment!

We want students to be in the right place at the right time, especially straight after lunch. As soon as you hear the bell make your way straight to class and be settled, ready to learn.

The PBL student for fortnight for weeks 4-5 is: Sophie Matterson of Year 8.

Congratulations!

Study tip of the week

Mon, 03 Sep 2018 09:05:09 AEST

Make a plan to study every day.

Decide on how long you will study for each day and stick to it.

Even ten minutes a day will add up by the end of the year.

Southern Stars 2018

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 06:58:51 AEST

The NSW Department of Education is proud to present Southern Stars 2018 "Iconic".

Now in its 18th year, Southern Stars is one of the Department of Education's premier creative events, showcasing the abilities of more than 3000 students from across NSW. This arena spectacular held annually at the WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong with audiences of 12,000 each year, is a powerful, inspiring and energetic show featuring vocalists, dancers, circus performers, drama students, a 700 voice choir and live orchestra.
Outstanding performers from NSW Public Schools will surprise and delight with their enthusiasm, skill and talent you as they lead you through the unusual journeys which develop the show. We invite you to join us to the iconic music, times and places.

Show dates and times:

Friday 31 August 7.30pm

Saturday 1 September 2.00pm

Saturday 1 September 7.30pm

Southern Stars - The Arena Spectacular facebook page

southernstarsspectacular - Instagram page

2018 20% off sale at APHS uniform shop

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 09:51:18 AEST

20% off sale at APHS uniform shop Friday 21st and Friday 28th September 2018.

Hours: 8-11am and 1-3pm.

Study tip of the week

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 10:28:36 AEST

Mnemonics are tricks you can use to help you remember content.

Mnemonics include rhymes, rules, phrases and acronyms. For example, “never eat soggy weetbix” helps you remember “north, east, south, west” in the correct order.

Tell them from me survey

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 09:02:14 AEST

‘Tell Them From Me’ Parent Survey

The ‘Tell Them From Me’ survey is designed to help those people involved in making improvements at APHS know how teachers, parents and students feel towards the school in general, any problems that may be occurring at the school, and ideas for making the school better. More information regarding participating can be obtained in the latest Park Press. For frequently asked questions regarding the student and parent survey, please click on the links below:

Link to TTFM Survey Frequently Asked Questions FAQs

Nameless Book of Horrors

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:37 AEST

In the final week of Term 2, 8Eng1 had a launch for their anthology of horror stories: The Nameless Book of Horrors. Containing original pieces of creative writing by each student, the Book Launch was organised, run and catered for by the students themselves, including the creation of invitations for special guests. The launch included readings by several students, an afternoon tea and photograph session.

Congratulations to all the newly published writers and to Ms Kennedy for encouraging and assisting with this achievement.

Learning for Life Scholarship - Supporting the cost of your child's education

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:35 AEST

ARE YOU STRUGGLING WITH THE COST OF YOUR CHILD'S EDUCATION?

The Learning for Life scholarship can provide parents with two payments a year for each child (max 4 children) which can be spent on uniforms, school shoes, stationary, BYOD, excursions and all other costs related to school. (Payments are to be used for school expenses only!)

You may be eligible for the scholarship if your family:

holds a Pension or Health Care card
attends a partner school* (enrolled in Kindy to Year 8 only)
demonstrates a commitment to education (children attend school regularly)

Payments are made in January and July.

KINDY TO YEAR 10 students receive $420 a year.
Year 11 and 12 students receive $679 a year.

(Receipts must be provided if requested)

Please call or text Alisha McLuckie on 0468 554 184
or email alisha.mcluckie@thesmithfamily.com.au

*CURRENT PARTNER SCHOOLS FOR THE ALBION PARK/OAK FLATS COMMUNITY ARE:

Oak Flats High School
Albion Park High School
Albion Park Rail Public School
Albion Park Public School
Mt Terry Public School

PBL Focus of the fortnight and PBL Student of the Fortnight

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:42 AEST

The PBL student of the fortnight is Taleea Norohna of year 8.

The PBL Focus for the Fortnight is on RESPECT and speaking with kindness.

We want students to speak respectfully to both teachers and their peers.

Important Dates

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:31 AEST

The last day of Term 2 is this Friday 6 July, 2018.

All students will commence Term 3 on Tuesday 24 July, 2018.

NAIDOC week event

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:37 AEST

This week Albion Park High School had its first NAIDOC Week event to celebrate and acknowledge Indigenous people's and their amazing culture. We enjoyed a tree planting ceremony and touch football match, which the whole school was involved in. A huge thanks to all the guests from the community who came and helped celebrated this event.

See more photos in the gallery.

Year 12 HSC Trial Examination timetable 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:00 AEST

Year 12 HSC Trial Examination Timetable 2018 (pdf 1235 KB)

Study tip of the week - Meditate

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:59 AEST

Southern Stars Tickets

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:55 AEST

Just a reminder to purchase all tickets for Southern Stars through Ticketmaster (http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/Southern-Stars-tickets/artist/2017467)

or WIN (http://wsec.com.au/event/southern-stars-iconic-2018)

There have been reports of scams from other ticket selling sites.

Study tip of the week - Speak out loud

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:00 AEST

test Kiama training

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 11:44:16 AEST

Testing for the Article

New careers website now live test

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 11:28:13 AEST

The APHS Careers website has recently undergone a refurbishment so this is an opportune time to remind everyone about some of its features.

The website contains a whole range of careers information relating to jobs, qualifications, university, resumes and career planning.

All Year 10 – 12 students have an account in the Student Secure area where they can store resumes, cover letters and career plans.

The link to the new website is http://www.aphscareers.com/

Study tip of the week - Find your best time to study

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:58 AEST

Study tip of the week - Drinking water boosts short-term memory

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:58 AEST

Cultural Treasures - Saturday 23 June 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:22 AEST

Cultural Treasures - Shellharbour Multicultural Festival

Multicultural Food, Multicultural Music, Dance and Performances, Multicultural art and craft workshops

On: Saturday 23 June 2018

At: Reddall Reserve, Lake Illawarra

From: 11am to 3pm

PBL Focus of the fortnight and PBL Student of the Fortnight

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:43 AEST

The PBL Student of the fortnight is Ashlee McIntosh of Year 7.

She received the highest amount of positive entries for Weeks 2-3.

The PBL Focus for the Fortnight is on RESPECT and following instructions.

We want students to listen to the instructions of the teacher and act promptly.

PBL Focus of the fortnight and PBL Student of the Fortnight

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:43 AEST

The PBL Student of the fortnight is Remy Blackett of Year 11. She received the highest amount of positive entries for Weeks 4-5.

The PBL Focus for the Fortnight is on RESPECT for our environment. We want students to care for their environment by putting their rubbish in the bin. Staff will be on the look out for those doing this, and will be rewarding students with Park Positives.

Reconciliation School Flag Walk 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:45 AEST

Shellharbour City Council hosted the 2018 Reconciliation School Flag Walk at Shellharbour village.

Indigenous students from years 7 & 8 participated in the walk along the Shellharbour waterfront to the village park. Community Elders led the walk with Lincoln from Oak Flats playing the Didgeridoo.

Lucas Simmons from Year 7 was the APHS flag bearer. After the exchange of flags students participated in a number of workshops highlighting their culture from songs/ didgeridoo playing, painting and learning about the Indigenous tools and equipment that were used in the past.

Meet our new logo!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:36 AEST

We would like to introduce you to our 'new look' logo.

You will see this logo appearing on our newsletter and any letters you may receive.

This logo will soon appear on new uniforms, but there is no need to update uniforms until they are needed - It is expected the process of moving to the new logo will take a couple of years.

Indigenous art project at the Wollongong Art Gallery

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:32 AEST

Indigenous students from Albion Park High School were invited to participate in an art project at the Wollongong Art Gallery.

Working alongside Aunty Lorraine Brown and Aunty Narelle Thomas, Amellia Curties Henry, Keana Dobeson, Kiara Parsons and Piper Lucas worked on an indigenous ‘Art Story'.

Students were shown Indigenous art styles that told a powerful story, that were on show at the gallery as part of the ‘The Gathering exhibition', where many respected Aboriginal artists had their work hung.

The girls then drew an aspect of their story in readiness for the collaborative piece they worked on during the day. Community and family members were invited in the evening to view their work.

Study tip of the week - Green Tea?

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:59 AEST

Study tip of the week — Mix it up

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:59 AEST

Ward hosts 8th annual Kiama Electorate student leaders forum

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:54 AEST

23 May 2018

The Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Member for Kiama Gareth Ward has today hosted the 8th annual Kiama Electorate Student Leaders Forum at New South Wales Parliament House.

Mr Ward said he was extremely proud to host local school leaders from across the region in the oldest Parliament in Australia.

"Of all the events I host in Parliament, this is the one I most enjoy. The opportunity to listen, engage and talk with student leaders keeps me in touch with the views, opinions and aspirations of our most valuable asset – our young people," he said.

"I don't want young people in my electorate to be in any doubt that I care deeply for their views, priorities and concerns. This forum is but one of the ways I seek to listen to local youth.

"The challenge to leaders is to create more leaders – and not more followers. I passionately believe in encouraging young people to be seen and heard!

"I was thoroughly impressed by the ideas and talent displayed by each of the 33 students leaders who proudly represented seven schools including Bomaderry High School, Kiama High School, Albion Park High School, Shoalhaven High School, Nowra Anglican College, St Joseph's Catholic High School and The Illawarra Grammar School.

"The student leaders were given a tour of NSW Parliament House, watched Question Time and during a workshop they were addressed by the Premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian, Education Minister Rob Stokes and Minister for Mental Health and Women Tanya Davies," he said.

Mr Ward, during the ideas workshop session, asked the school leaders what policy issues that would address if they were given the opportunity to be Premier for a day.

"Policy issues raised included young people and mental health, tertiary education and skills, jobs for young people, local public transport and environmental concerns," Mr Ward concluded.

MEDIA: Kiama Electorate Office (02) 4232 1082 or Ben Blackburn 0423 466 358

Photos: The Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Member for Kiama Gareth Ward MP hosting the 8th annual Kiama Electorate Student Leaders Forum in NSW Parliament House today with special guest, the Premier of New South Wales, The Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP.

Road Safety Forum - Year 10 PDHPE

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:48 AEST

Date: Friday 25th May 2018

Time: 9:35- 10:35

Place: School Gym

Come along to the forum to see what Year 10 Health classes have created in their Project Based Learning activity.

Their road safety campaign will address the question of:

'How can we address the over-representation of young people in road fatalities?'

RSVP by Thursday 24th May.

Opening Ceremony of our Living Classroom

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:39 AEST

On Friday 4 May, Albion Park High School and the Skills 21 classes held an opening ceremony for our living classroom.

The Men's Shed welcomed everyone by entering playing didgeridoos.

There were several esteemed guests who were in attendance.

The guest included:

Peter McGovern – local RSL. Counsellor
Peter Moran (for Maryanne Saliba) Shell City Council.
Mandy Shaw – outgoing Director Education.
Raechel McCarthy – incoming Director.
Glenn Daniels – Principal, Albion Park Public School.
David O'Connell – Principal, Mt Terry.
P&C President Brendon Davies.
Parent representative Mr Cooper.
Nikki Bodel – Principal, Environmental Education Centre at Killalea.
Aboriginal community members including Jodi Edwards and Uncle G.
Steven Jones sent his apologies and will visit us later in the term.

The President of Albion Park RSL Memorial Club, Peter McGovern cut the ribbon to officially open the site.

WIN news were there to film the ceremony and some students in Year 10 were also interviewed, which was shown on the news later that night. The Year 10 Skills 21 class received environmental awards for the work they completed creating the garden last year.

Local MP Gareth Ward also attended the school on Wednesday 9 May and was given a tour of the living classroom and the proposed sensory garden, by some of the students.

The living classroom is such a valuable resource and the Skills 21 classes are looking forward to continuing their work in the space.

Written by the Year 10 Skills 21 class

Seminar - Dr Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services.

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:49 AEST

In June the school has committed to bringing in an expert in the area of learning and study skills.

On 14 June all of years 10-12 are invited to be involved in a session with Dr Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services.

In this session, which runs from 6-7.30pm in the school library, Dr Salter will share her experience and knowledge and research to give families strategies to enhance student study techniques.

PARENTS OF STUDENTS IN YEARS 10-12 ARE INVITED TO THIS SESSION

Albion Park High has expended a considerable amount of money to employ a cutting-edge educator in this area, so I encourage every parent to save the date in the family calendar and ensure that you are able to come along and participate.

The senior executive look forward to seeing you all there!

RSVP slips are due back by Friday 8 June, 2018.

PBL Focus of the fortnight and PBL Students of the Fortnight

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:43 AEST

This week the focus is commitment!

Be committed to your classwork. Produce your best work by keeping focused in class!

The PBL student of the fortnight is:

Jane Giffiths

Congratulations!

Invitation to Sorry Day Commemorative Ceremony

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:33 AEST

National Sorry Day is an annual event that has been held in Australia since 1998, to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the country's indigenous population.

You are invited to attend the Albion Park High School ‘Sorry Day' commemorative ceremony which gives all local community family and friends the opportunity to come together and share the steps towards healing for the Stolen Generations and their families and communities.

When: Thursday 24 May

Time: 9.30am – 10.10am

Where: Albion Park High School Gymnasium Morning Tea: 10.10am (lawn front of school)

RSVP: School office: 4257 1744 (for catering purposes) by Friday 18 May 2018

Study tip of the week — Associate your scents

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:58 AEST

1-2-3 Magic and emotional coaching parent course

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:56 AEST

Want to communicate better with your teenager?

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:54 AEST

Study tip of the week - Get a study buddy

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:59 AEST

PBL Focus of the fortnight and PBL Students of the Fortnight

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:43 AEST

The focus for students is 'Commitment to being in the right place at the right time'.

The PBL students for fortnight for Term 1 Week 11 were:

Jane Griffiths
Ashlee McIntosh
Amity Mayo
Dylan Nguyen

Congratulations!!!

Study Tip of the Week - Feel like watching TV?

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:48 AEST

Cross Country Report - 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:22 AEST

On Thursday 29 March, we held our annual School Cross Country. It was the perfect weather for a fun run and a great way to finish school before the Easter long weekend.

The PDHPE faculty want to thank all students for their participation and positive behaviour during the event. Students who finished in the top 10 places for their age group have qualified to compete in the Zone Carnival.The Zone Carnival is to be held at Integral Energy Park, Tuesday 8 May, Week 2- Term 2.

A special mention and congratulations goes to our age champions:

12 Yrs Girls - Gracie Howells
12 Yrs Boys - Tyler Whitaker
13 Yrs Girls - Calany Meyers
13 Yrs Boys - Joshua Daniels
14 Yrs Girls - Chloe Barton
14 Yrs Boys - Aiden Whitehall
15 Yrs Girls - Keira-Lee Meyers
15 Yrs Boys - Jai Russell
16 Yrs Girls - Karlie Gentles
16 Yrs Boys - Logan Stubbs
17+ Yrs Girls - Taliah Moxham
17+ Yrs Boys - Isaiah Ryder

Study Tip of the Week - Have a daily timetable

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:59 AEST

Tuning in to Teens program information

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:52 AEST

Registrations are open for the program commencing 16 May 2018.

PBL Focus of the fortnight and PBL Students of the Fortnight

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:43 AEST

The focus for students is 'After a break, get to class straight away and get settled quickly.

Be calm, sit down, get your equipment out and quietly wait for instructions'.

The PBL students of the fortnight for Week 9 are:

Emma Drinkwater and
Mikala Koechel

Congratulations!!!

HSC minimum standard changes

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:30 AEST

What is the HSC minimum standard?

A minimum standard of literacy and numeracy is required to receive the HSC from 2020 to reflect the importance of literacy and numeracy for success in daily life.

HSC students will need to meet the HSC minimum standard in three areas – reading, writing and numeracy.

The standard is set at level 3 of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF), which means students will have the basic reading, writing and maths skills needed for everyday tasks and future learning after school. It includes skills for tasks such as:

following safety instructions in equipment manuals
understanding a mobile phone plan
writing a job application
creating a personal weekly budget.

Literacy and numeracy skills are essential for success in learning and life after school. Together with the NSW Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, the HSC minimum standard is part of an effort to extend the literacy and numeracy focus up into secondary school.

Watch the video below for an explanation.

Who needs to meet the HSC minimum standard?

If you are sitting the HSC in 2018 or 2019 you do not need to meet the HSC minimum standard.

Flyers and letters for parents

Are you a parent of a student due to sit an online test? The following resources have been created to provide you with information on the HSC minimum standard.

For more information visit this website: http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/hsc-minimum-standard

Study Tip of the Week - Drink plenty of water

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:58 AEST

Albion Park High School wins Aboriginal education excellence award

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:04 AEST

Read the full story here: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/5303370/albion-park-hs-wins-aboriginal-education-excellence-award/?cs=300

The brain-changing benefits of exercise

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:51 AEST

Reference: https://www.ted.com

What's the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today? Exercise! says neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki. Get inspired to go to the gym as Suzuki discusses the science of how working out boosts your mood and memory -- and protects your brain against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.

Watch the video here

PBL Focus of the fortnight and PBL Students of the Fortnight

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:43 AEST

PBL Focus for the Fortnight is around RESPECT and Following Instructions.

We want to see students reacting to teacher instructions straight away and following what they have been asked to do.

The PBL students of the fortnight for Week 7 are:

Jane Griffiths and
Keely Nolan

NAPLAN Information - Year 7 and 9 Students

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:37 AEST

National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) 2018

Information for parents

In May 2018 the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will be completed by students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

NAPLAN has the support of all State and Territory Education Ministers and will assess the literacy and numeracy skills of students across Australian schools.

The NAPLAN tests will be conducted from 15-17th May 2018.

The schedule is as follows:

Tuesday 15th May 2018

Language Conventions (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar)

Writing test

Wednesday 16th May 2018

Reading test

Thursday 17th May 2018

Numeracy test

Friday 18th May 2018

A 'catch-up' day is scheduled for students who missed a test or who were absent on a test day.

A detailed letter regarding NAPLAN testing has been sent to parents via email. Please contact the front office if you have not received this.

Study Tip of the Week - Learn from your Mistakes

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:48 AEST

International Women’s Day

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:33 AEST

Piper Lucas, Madison Coric, Shataya Parsons and Isabella Di Noro attended the International Women's Day Function at the Illawarra Women's Health Centre.

All the women who attended the celebration were treated to a sensational high tea experience. This was a fabulous opportunity to chat over a cuppa to the many women there and hear their story. A couple of the ladies were in their nineties and chatted about their families and past memories. The guest speaker Maliha Reece was born in Hollywood to a black mother and white father. She shares her powerful story through comedy and song.
Isabella and Piper said her most positive message was, ‘Love who you are today, never wish ahead, be confident with your own body as it is now.' Shataya thought that she conveyed the positive message to always, ‘Feel proud of who you are and not be concerned about what other people think of you.'
Madison commented that not many people would have known that over 135 Syrian Refugees have moved into the Illawarra Region recently and need to be supported and encouraged to feel part of our community. The Syrian ladies showcased their belly dancing techniques.

The many and diverse areas of the Illawarra Women's Health Centre were explained along with introductions to all staff who facilitate the services.

Study Tip of the Week - Teach it!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:00 AEST

Study Tip of the Week - Feed your Brain!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:58 AEST

PBL Focus of the fortnight and PBL Students of the Fortnight

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:42 AEST

The PBL Focus for the Fortnight is around COMMITMENT and BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME.

We want students responding quickly to the warning bells after lunch and recess and moving to straight to class.

We also want students to get to the correct sport on time and being committed to the choices they have made for sport.

The PBL Student/s of the Fortnight are:

Olivia P,
Jacob V and
Cheyanne T.

These 3 Year 7 students have all received 27 positive entries in Sentral since the start of the year.

Congratulations!!!

Study Tip of the Week - SET ASIDE HOMEWORK TIME EACH DAY

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:00 AEST

Decide with your parents how long you will set aside for homework each day – think about your goals when you're deciding what is the right amount of time for you.

Does your Year 11 or 12 student study a VET course?

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:23 AEST

If the answer to this question is yes, then you should read on…

VET courses including Business Services, Construction, Hospitality, Information, Digital Media & Technology and Metals & Engineering all have a compulsory work placement component of 70 hours over two years (mandated by NESA). Sport Coaching has 35 hours of work placement over 2 years – most of this is completed as part of the course work.

In most cases students are provided with a list of employers to select from for their placement. These employers are registered with Workplace Learning Illawarra. On rare occasions, students may have to or want to source their own placement. To allow placements to proceed, students, parents and the employer are required to complete paperwork called a Student Placement Record. Once all the information is recorded and the form is signed and returned to school, students and the employer are covered by the Department of Education insurance. This is important just in case an injury or accident occurs in the workplace.

2018 Placements are scheduled for the following dates:

Whilst we do our best to send students out on placements during the allocated weeks there are sometimes reasons why this is not possible, so a degree of flexibility is required.

Students studying EVET courses (i.e. at TAFE) also have a work placement requirement. This is organised by TAFE or the RTO providing the training. If students fail to properly organise and attend their allocated work placement they, and their families, will be responsible for organising an alternative placement to satisfy the mandatory requirements. Failing to complete work placement can also result in a student receiving an N-warning for the course. Further information about work placement can be found in the Workplace Learning Guide for Parents and the Workplace Learning Guide for Employers.

Links are below:

https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/vetinschools/documents/work_learn/2017/DEC_EmployerGuide2017-digitalFINAL.pdf

https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/vetinschools/documents/work_learn/2017/DEC_ParentsGuide2017-digitalFINAL.pdf

If you have any questions regarding VET courses and work placement please contact Allyson Fisher – HT VET/Careers on 42571744.

Higher education admission information is improving!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:30 AEST

What's happening?

The Australian Government, in partnership with higher education institutions, is making changes to the way universities and other providers explain their admission processes. These changes are intended to make the processes for applying to study higher education easier for students to understand, and to compare. Some changes are already in place, with more coming in 2018, to support students enrolling in 2019.

Find QUICK REFERENCE for students and parents here (pdf 383 KB)

(Source: https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/ed18-0007_-_he_-_quick_reference_documents_students_and_parents_acc.pdf)

Special Study Skills evening with Dr Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:55 AEST

Hi parents,

Is your child's education important to you? Do you want to help your child get the best results they can? Well here is an important date for your diaries.

We are super excited to invite parents and students from years 10, 11 and 12 to a special Study Skills evening with Dr Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services.

WHEN? Thursday 14^th of June at 6pm

Our goal for the evening is to help students cope better with the academic demands of school by building their skills around study.

More information will follow in weeks to come as well as a weekly study tip for you to discuss and work on with your child.

Here is this weeks Tip!

Principals Message

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:44 AEST

Welcome back to Albion Park High School 2018, we have had an amazingly smooth and stress-free start to the new year with Year 7 settling in brilliantly and the seniors starting straight into their studies.
The new black shorts look fantastic and the uptake has been great.

Thank you to all of the parents who purchased the correct items. As always the BLACK LEATHER SHOES continue to be a focus for us and the vast majority of students are appropriately attired.

I wish to congratulate Year 12 2017 on gaining the best HSC results in the history of the school. With twelve Band 6s and 68 band 5s. Many of the students gained individual results that they were very happy with. It is a time to celebrate. Year 12 2018 will have a lot to live up to and Itrust that their study regime has kicked in immediately. Thank you to my wonderful staff who worked tirelessly to support their students.

Congratulations to our new SRC captains and vice-captains for 2018: Dallas Harrison, Emily Harris, Daniel Gonzalo and Macayla Hilton, their ‘bio' details are in the latest newsletter. We are lucky to have such talented and enthusiastic young people to take up the leadership role.

We would also like to welcome to the school new staff members.
Head teacher HSIE: Ben Andersen and Special Education Teacher: Alison Waters

Chicks a hit with Albion Park High School students

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:19 AEST

preparing for Sydney Royal Easter Show competition

The "cutest little chicks" at Albion Park High School are a hit with students and teachers alike.

But Liam Sheil and his fellow classmates are trying hard not to get too attached.

This though has proven to be "almost impossible" since Steggles delivered 14 of the one-day old chicks to the school earlier this week.

Albion Park HS is one of 75 NSW schools taking part in the Steggles Sydney Royal School Meat Bird Pairs Competition.

Continue reading on the Illawarra Mercury wesbite here).

Swimming Carnival Information - 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:50 AEST

SWIMMING CARNIVAL 2018

Dear Parents and Caregivers
Our annual swimming carnival will be held on Wednesday 7 February, 2018 from 8.30am to 2.35pm at Albion Park Pool.

Students from Years 7-12 are eligible to compete but competitors must be capable swimmers. Students must swim in the age that they are turning this year.

The carnival will involve the following swimming activities:
• 100 metres Freestyle
• 50 metres Freestyle for 12 – 17 + year olds
• 50 metres Breaststroke for 12 – 17 + year olds
• 50 metres Butterfly for 12 – 17 + year olds
• 50 metres Backstroke for 12 – 17 + year olds
• 200 metre Individual Medley – this event is nomination only and is held at 8am on the day.

Students must nominate at the PE staffroom before Wednesday.

A child's age group is determined by the age they turn this year (2018)

Students need to attend school for a normal 8.25am roll call before they will be walked to the pool by staff.

The cost for pool entry is $2, which needs to be paid as we enter the pool.

All students need to wear either their Albion Park High School sports uniform or their house colours. Sunscreen, hats, water etc., needs to be brought as well as appropriate swimwear.

The canteen at the pool will be open for the purchase of food.

Students are encouraged to participate in our competitive swimming events but this is not compulsory.

There are a number of novelty events that are also held on the day that students may also involve themselves in.

Parents are encouraged to attend this day and support their child(ren) and our school.

Yours sincerely,
Amy Caldwell and Michael Todd
Carnival Organisers

Pdf - letter (pdf 122 KB)

Pdf - order of events (pdf 107 KB)

Help for parents to help keep teenagers safe online

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:29 AEST

Technology is an integral part of life for all of us. As parents, it can sometimes be hard to keep up with the constantly evolving new developments in technology that attract children and teens. While we may not always be able to keep up with every latest thing, we can introduce a framework for our family so that the younger members can develop a healthy and safe relationship with technology.

Here you'll find our top tips and conversation starters to encourage your teenager to use technology responsibly.

Technology is a part of life. Help your child recognise that it's a privilege to have this ‘tool' and that they should use it responsibly. That means sticking to the rules you set up for its use.
It's an important lesson to learn that online material is forever. How does your child want to be seen in the world – not just now, but when they're an adult looking for a job?
Respect is key. Teach your child not to say or do anything online that could hurt or humiliate anyone, just as you would expect them to behave in real life.
They must only make friends with people they know in real life and should not do anything that they know you would be unhappy with, such as forwarding material that would hurt or embarrass someone else.
If they ever receive material that is private, such as personal or explicit photos or videos, they should delete them immediately. Failure to do this could have very real consequences.

(source: reachout.com)

For more information visit reachout.com

Principals Presentation Evening Speech 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:45 AEST

I would like to welcome our newest school captains & vice captains into their respective leadership positions:

Emily Harris - captain
Dallas Harrison – captain
Daniel Gonzalo – vice captain
Macayla Hilton – vice captain

Well done to our many award recipients, be proud in your success, be both grateful and gracious in your achievements. Remember to thank your teachers and your parents.

I've built what I have to say tonight around the theme of pride. I must admit I have drawn some of my inspiration from the YES vote on same sex marriage. If any of you heard some of the speeches in parliament, they were the most moving I have ever heard.

The students here tonight have much to be proud of – they have achieved a high enough standard to be recognised for either their academic prowess or else their special achievement in a specific area. Well done to you all.

I would like to share with our community some of my own gratification in being the principal of Albion Park High School. I have a great deal with which to be satisfied. There are so, so many examples I could share with you; from learning of Mr Shannon Farrugia's National Education In Teaching Award … to the two Year 12 students who recently gained the VET Illawarra student of the year in Business Services and Construction (Aleesha Windsor and Jordan Darracott), to finding out that Isabel Harding was a state finalist in the Youth Frontiers program. From watching

my amazing Year Advisers work with love and kindness and professionalism to support their students, through to watching staff as they gave and received random acts of kindness with each other – a beautiful initiative by Patrice Joynson. But I think the best way to illustrate my deep pride in my staff and students is to tell two stories.

FIRSTLY - there is the story of the primary school principal from Sydney, who contacted me out of the blue to see if she could visit with a teacher, to learn about what we had done in the Skills21 living classroom permaculture program. It would take me far too long to unravel the full conversation but the amazement on our visitors faces as they spoke to our skills21 students in Year 9, as they walked through our school whist students openly said hello and smiled, whilst they viewed the permaculture area (PS if you haven't seen it yet please do so!), as they learned about the three year journey we have taken and listened to me rave about my brilliant staff and my awesome students – those faces said it all – I cannot tell you how proud I was to share!

The second story is that of White Ribbon and how it has grown and blossomed into a belief structure at Albion Park High School which has a strong stand in its zero tolerance of violence towards women – thanks Mr Todd Wilcoxon for leading this year's simple but effective symbolic gesture of trying white ribbons to the front fence with Year 11 boys taking up the leadership role in speaking to all students about respect of men towards women.

The last ‘story' was captured via the video which I hope you all saw as you were waiting for the official party to walk in – this video captured eight individuals representing SRC, CAPA, Sports, Youth Frontier, REVS, Parkside, Support and the Debaters, telling us about what they were most proud of achieving in 2017….

PRIDE – so many of our students say they are too embarrassed, too shy, too unable to accept the accolades that are given – it is a very unfortunate Aussie trait linked to the tall poppy syndrome – but I want for all of our students, as they come to collect their awards tonight, to be really proud, to know that striving for excellence is a great thing, that working hard and aiming really high is something to be admired. Love yourself. Be proud of who you are, as a unique individual and never be afraid to work your butt off!

You are so very privileged to have access to our education system and in particular our wonderful school – never take it for granted.

As I conclude, I would like (as always) to acknowledge my incredible Deputy Principals, Paul and Christine, who work such long hours, often at the cost of their own families to do this difficult job - from our community – an enormous thankyou.

Thanks very much to the P&C – though small in number you are large in generosity.

And finally I wish a fond farewell to Head Teacher HSIE Letitia Summers (who cannot be here tonight as she is in Hawaii), Letitia is an extraordinarily good and effective Head Teacher who is leaving us for Moss Vale High – which is where she lives, I know it's great that you will not have to traverse that darn mountain again each day… but you have left an almighty hole in our executive, we will miss you enormously.

Diary Dates - 2017/2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:23 AEST

School finishes for the 2017 year this Friday 15 December, 2017.

School recommences for the 2018 year for:

- Years 7, 11, 12 Tuesday 30 January, 2018

- Years 8, 9, 10 Wednesday 31 January, 2018

We wish you and your loved ones a Joyous Christmas and a relaxing and safe holiday season.

Child Studies Playgroup Christmas Party 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:19 AEST

We had a great time at our Playgroup Christmas party on Tuesday. We celebrated together in the spirit of Christmas with carols playing while the kids participated in lots of fun activities and ate yummy Christmas treats. It was great way to finish our year together and we absolutely loved seeing the excitement on the kids faces when Santa came bearing gifts!

Thank you to all the parents/ grandparents and carers who continue to support our school playgroup. And a massive thank you and well done to all of the Year 9 Child Studies students, you have done us proud.

Playgroup will return in term 2 in 2018. More information will be announced closer to commencement.

Year 7 & 8 Indigenous student excursion to Bombaderry Creek

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:01 AEST

Year 7 and 8 Indigenous students and their friends travelled to Bombaderry Creek National Park to learn about their Indigenous culture from National Park Rangers.

Students walked the trails alongside the creek and learnt about the Dharawal people living in this region, and experienced tasting some of the bush tucker plants, as well seeing the plants used for medicinal purposes.

Rangers shared with the students the emotional heartbreaking stories of some of the children that were removed from their families as young as new borns and taken to the Bombaderry Children's Home. Children lived there until girls were transferred to the Cootamundra Children's home to learn to become domestic servants and the boys were taken to Kempsey Boy's home to learn to become stockman/ farm workers. A few children were fostered by white families and they tried to assimilate them. It was very sad to relive these memories.

Year 10 Writer's Book Launch

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:58 AEST

Mrs Cable's Year 10 English class has been working with the South Coast Writers' Centre to extend and enrich students' writing skills. Working with Helena, Ron and Adara, students have composed a variety of unique writing pieces which have been published into a book. The official book launch was held on Friday, December 1st, in the APHS Library. Hosted by Leighton Murphy and Stephanie-Chase Horton, the launch included readings by several of the students and expressions of thanks to Helena, Ron and Adara from the Writers' Centre, as well as Mrs Cable, Ms Kennedy and Ms Clapham. It was a very enjoyable and rewarding experience.

More photos available in the Gallery.

Playgroup Christmas party Tues 5th Dec 10-11.30

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:44 AEST

Come and celebrate our year together with yummy Christmas treats, craft activities and Santa

If it is wet weather there will be no outdoor play but we will still run as planned in the PA Hall.

2017 CAPA Showcase

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:56 AEST

CAPA Showcase - 28th November 2017

See photos and videos of the event at

https://www.facebook.com/Albion-Park-High-School-Official-1424049274334340/

White Ribbon @ APHS

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:56 AEST

On Monday 27th November 2017 at APHS the Year 11 boys stood up, spoke out and acted by speaking to all students within their year groups and placing a white ribbon on the front fence of the school for White Ribbon Day. Great work Year 11!

Uniform Shop - January hours

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:53 AEST

January 2017 - Opening hours

Monday	23rd January	9am - 2pm
Tuesday	24th January	9am - 2pm
Wednesday	25th January	9am - 3pm
Thursday	26th January	CLOSED
Friday	27th January	9am - 2pm
Monday	28th January	9am - 2pm

Then every Tuesday: 1pm - 3pm and Friday: 8am-11am and 1pm-3pm.

Uniform changes in 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:52 AEST

After much consultation, we have decided to move to BLACK

pants and shorts for our official uniform.

What does this mean for your child?

You can purchase new items from the uniform shop by the end of the year or at the beginning of 2018.

Alternatively, you can keep wearing the grey and purchase new items as they are needed in 2018, you have 12 months to change over.

If you are in Year 12 you may continue to wear grey although you will need black pants for the graduation ceremony.

PRICES: PANTS - $39 SHORTS - $33

PBL Focus of the fortnight - RESPECT

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:43 AEST

A Message from the PBL Team.

This fortnight the PBL team would like to acknowledge our positive student of the fortnight Bailey Neaves of Year 11/12 and our positive teacher of the fortnight Mrs Casie Horton.

Our focus for the fortnight will see us continuing to look at RESPECT and more specifically the we in which we interact with the staff and with each other. We want to encourage all students at Albion Park High School to respond positively to their teachers instructions and to speak to everyone with kindness.

Thanks
Beck Keen and the PBL Team

Remembrance Day

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:47 AEST

Last week, for Remembrance Day, Albion Park High formulated a very special way of remembering and commemorating its significance. Through the HSIE faculty; as part of Project Based Learning; students in Year 9 created specialised projects which looked very deeply into specific aspects of the World Wars.

These students' projects are a far cry from the projects students did in the past. With the gold standard projects we are all aiming for at Albion Park High School, there is a very real authenticity, a real audience and the stakes for the projects are very high. There is a high expectation for what are regarded as the ‘soft skills' of team work, collaboration and problem solving in preparation for the work skills needed in the 21st Century. As part of this learning program the best projects were taken to display at the commemoration service in Albion Park on the weekend, where they were truly appreciated!

This process also included the service itself at school, expertly overseen by teacher Lucille McGrath. Luci organised the students beautifully but the real congratulations must go to the students themselves who were magnificent. We have footage of the event which will be posted on our site as soon as it has been prepared. Well done Year 9, your willingness to grow and learn is exciting and you are a credit to yourselves and your families.

Suzi Clapham

Principal

AIME Taster Day

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:01 AEST

Year 7 and 8 Indigenous students experienced a day at the UOW AIME program.

Students were inspired by various programs and mentors to aim high and achieve their dreams, whether that be improving their educational or leisure goals. Students were motivated by the activities and are now looking forward to the 2018 Year 9 & 10 program which will be held during Terms 2/3.

Piper Lucas, Courtney Brook and Rory Brown (Years 9 & 10) enjoyed the end of term session at AIME, celebrating moving out of their comfort zone to try new experiences. Many students achieved their short term goals and are now looking forward to the future.

Happy Halloween

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:29 AEST

The Creative and Performing Arts Committee at APHS really ramped up some Halloween spirit this year by having dress up competitions for both staff and students. It was embraced with scary enthusiasm, but underneath the makeup were some big smiles.

The CAPA Committee also organised a cake stall, and the results were amazing, with Halloween themed cakes all round. However, possibly the highlight of the day was the inaugural Amazing Halloween Race. Teams of teachers and students were given a series of clues to follow on a race around the school to see who could be the first to claim "I am Jack the Pumpkin King".

For more Halloween pics, see the Gallery.

Winner of the Ability Artist Competition!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:57 AEST

Shane DuMughn - prize winner of the Ability Artist Competition!

Rod Clark from Ability Artists presented Shane with his prize.

Shane won with his entry of the amazing modern Aboriginal painting he is holding. Shane also came in the top three for the people's choice award. This was out of eighty five artists ranging from primary school students right through to adults. A massive achievement from a well-deserved recipient!

Skills 21 Update

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:51 AEST

The Year 9 Skills 21 class have worked tirelessly all year on planning, designing and now building a Living Classroom and Permaculture Garden.

This will be a resource that can be used by the whole school and it will create an awesome platform for project-based learning tasks. In addition it will promote principles of sustainability, health, nutrition and be a beautiful space to learn and commune.

This year, the students have accomplished a vast amount. This has included: selecting possible locations, surveying staff, acquiring feedback and input, conducting fundraising events, designing the living classroom and now commencing the building of the site.

Before this was done, the blessing of the site by local Aboriginal elders was sought, in which a traditional "Smoking Ceremony" and soil turning ceremony was conducted. This was an amazing spiritual event to be involved in and on behalf of the staff and students of the school we would like to thank Uncle Gerald and the Men's group, the women's group and Warrigal employment for their support of this project.
The site now has a spiritual foundation that will yield an abundance of positive outcomes for the students of this school and the Albion Park community as a whole.

We also have created a you tube channel where we upload weekly VLOGS of what we have been up to with the living classroom. If you'd like to check it out click this link below:

Skills 21 youtube channel - link

Previously in 2017 ...

We commenced a composting program, designed decks and mosaics and looked after calves in the Ag Plot as part of the "Cows Create Careers" program. This is all done in addition to our normal learning experiences in class.

Last Friday, Skills 21 students ran a Nacho Day fundraiser from the Canteen. A huge thankyou to the head of the canteen Shona Smylie and the other parent volunteers who helped and supported this awesome day! The nachos were delicious!

Albion Park RSL has given a generous donation of $20,000 to the Skills 21 living classroom program!

A huge thank you!

We greatly appreciate it and it will be used for starting the earthworks, purchasing plants, soil, mulch and much more. The earthworks phase is scheduled to commence week 1 of term 4.

Grandparents' Day 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:28 AEST

On Monday APHS celebrated Grandparents' Day: a special day that recognises the significant contribution that grandparents make to their families and communities. It was also an occasion for acknowledging the efforts and devotion of grandparents who are often full-time carers for their grandchildren.

Congratulations to the many Year 7 students who spoke about their progress and work in a variety of faculties this year. Some of the displays were game oriented and showcased the skills of the students to their proud grandparents.

Displays included:

Dance and vocal items: (Keana Dobeson, Amellia Curties Henry, Kyarlee Clulow and Jordan Isaac)

English: Film projects

Math: Numeracy board games

Industrial Arts: Tic-Tac-Toe using 3D printers and woodwork projects

HSIE: Geomorphic Hazard Survival Kits

Science: a variety of habitat dioramas

and Visual Arts sculptures, paintings and drawings.

A yummy afternoon tea of scones with jam and cream was provided by Home Economics as students and their family perused the displays. Congratulations to Ms Joynson and all the students who helped to make this such a successful afternoon.

To see more photos, view the gallery on the Homepage.

Early Childhood Picture Book Launch

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:24 AEST

An official book launch for Year 9 Child Studies Picture Books was held on October 24^th. Students were required to create and produce a picture book for an early childhood audience. This included the story and illustrations and some of the results were nothing short of amazing. Parents and community members attending the APHS Playgroup on the day were invited to participate in the launch by perusing and providing feedback to students on their books.

Congratulations Ms Drummond and Year 9 Child Studies.

Albion Park High School teacher honoured with ASG National Excellence in Teaching Award

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:04 AEST

Story from: Illawarra Mercury

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/5009154/albion-park-teacher-illawarras-only-national-award-winner/

Shannon Farrugia loves his job and reckons he's a pretty good teacher.

But the folk at Albion Park High School P&C reckon Mr Farrugia is better than pretty good and nominated him for the prestigious ASG National Excellence in Teaching Awards (ASG NEiTA).

On Tuesday he was the only Illawarra teacher to be honoured with the award which rewards ‘'only the finest teachers who have made an impact in their local communities''.

Only 12 NSW teachers and 60 nationally from 1450 community nominations received the prestigious award.

‘'I wasn't aware how big a deal this [award] was until today,'' Mr Farrugia told the Mercury.

‘'To be the only Illawarra teacher chosen is a pleasant surprise. It's a special occasion and I'm very grateful.''

ASG NEiTA chief executive officer, John Velegrinis says these educators recognise that ‘'it takes a village to raise a child'', which is testament to their dedication and the impact they have on the lives of those they serve in local communities.

‘'Ensuring children have a well-rounded education is something our ASG NEiTA recipients are absolutely passionate about,'' he said.

‘'This passion is welcomed by families as they want teachers to play a greater role in developing their children's life skills, which was one of the key findings in the latest ASG Parents Report Card.''

ASG NEiTA will announce the national award recipients in March 2018.

Mr Farrugia, who has been a teacher for 13 years, has achieved much in his last eight years at Albion Park High School.

Co-ordinating the Skills 21 class, an alternative pedagogy class that targets disengaged or Albion Park High School students who do not respond to mainstream classes, has been one of his most ‘'rewarding''.

‘'This award is unexpected but I'm honoured,'' Mr Farrugia said.

‘'I'd like to take the opportunity to thank the Aboriginal elders of our community and the Albion Park RSL for helping our school tremendously in our fundraising activities.

‘'But above all I want to thank my wife Jade and daughter Clementine.''

Updated HSC Assessment Policy 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:53 AEST

Please find the updated HSC Assessment Policy 2017 here (pdf 827 KB)

LUNA PARK EXCURSION POSTPONED DUE TO BAD WEATHER

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:35 AEST

Year 7 / 8 excursion to Luna Park has been postponed to Friday 3rd Nov due to poor weather forecast. Apologies.

Wet start to Term 4

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:56 AEST

Students and staff are back to school Monday 9th October.

Stay dry and enjoy your first day back.

Australian Reading Hour

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:12 AEST

APHS celebrated Book week and Australian Reading Hour in late Term 3 with some great prizes up for grabs. As all students in Years 7-10 should be doing 10-15 minutes of reading every night as part of ongoing English Homework, they were given the opportunity to formalise it over 6 nights and submit an entry to Mrs Hoole. Regular reading not only improves literacy skills but engages creativity allowing readers to escape into the imagination of an author.

The first prize winner of a $25 QBD Bookshop voucher was Jaxon Thomas. Second and third prizes, tickets to Event Cinemas Shellharbour, were won by Baxter Lean and Heidi Maat.

The photo category: a pic of you or someone you know reading, had some funny entries: a cat reading "Shakespeare for Cats" and a dog, Nudge, reading "A Dog's Purpose" as well as a mystery teacher trying to hide in her book.

Parents Cybersafety Presentation

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:42 AEST

Presented by

Senior Constable Scott Burgess

School Liaison Officer

Parents are invited to come to Lake Illawarra PCYC for a 1 hour information session about Cyber Safety.

The session will cover how to keep children safe, online grooming, online bullying, safety and security online and sexting.

Please feel free to come down and find out how to keep your children safe online.

Where: Lake Illawarra PCYC, Reddall Pde, Lake Illawarra

When: 4th October 10am start

Any questions please contact Senior Constable Scott Burgess on 0437 885 532

Flyer to print here (pdf 31 KB)

Year 12 of 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:00 AEST

As we conclude the term, the class of Year 12 2017 is also coming to an end. Next week we farewell our largest cohort of students, with 120 young men and women about to launch into the next phase of their lives.

On behalf of the staff at Albion Park High we wish them well for their HSC and for whatever future they map for themselves. We have armed them with the skills to go forward and participate in higher education or enter the work force. The rest is up to them.

I would like to publically thank Year 12 Adviser Mr Michael Todd who has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep his young charges safe, healthy and on track, he has given the past six years of his personal support to them, and done a magnificent job. Thanks Toddy.

As Year 12 begins their last week at school, it goes without saying that the entire school community wish them the very best for their upcoming HSC exams and for their years beyond school.
Give it your best shot, class of 2017!

This week, the following events have been organised:

Monday
Last day in class
Kahoot Challenge vs Teachers
Tuesday
Mystery bus tour excursion
Blood donations
Wednesday
Dress up Assembly
BBQ Breakfast
Thank you luncheon with staff
Compulsory Graduation rehearsal
Thursday
Only students required on this day will be those who have a speaking role at the Graduation Ceremony
Students to arrive at school at 5pm in full uniform and black shoes
Friday
Commence study for the HSC

Thanks for all of your support parents and carers.

Wrapped With Love

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:58 AEST

Congratulations to the staff and students of Albion Park High for participating in the Wrapped with Love program: designed to provide blankets for the needy.

Each blanket consists of 28 knitted squares which take approximately 3 hours each to knit: so each blanket takes roughly 90 hours to make. That's 90 hours of kindness and generosity for the Albion Park School community. The blankets are collected at the end of the month to be distributed to homeless shelters and refugees.

A huge thank you to people who donated wool.

Crossroads Excursion 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:22 AEST

Albion Park High School Students in Year 11 travelled to Sydney on the 15 August to attend the ‘Bstreetsmart' program as part of the Stage 6 crossroads initiative. ‘Bstreetsmart' is held because our youth are being severely injured and killed due to potentially preventable road crashes.

The NSW statistics in 2016 for 17-25 year olds showed 78 fatalities and 2479 injuries. These young people hold only 14% of licenses, but they are involved in 21% of fatal crashes.

The forum provides students who are most at risk a realistic look at the trauma caused by road crashes, and gives them information and strategies in an attempt to reduce serious injuries and deaths. A live car crash scene is one of the main features of the day, where young drivers, police officers, paramedics, fire officers and crash scene investigators play out a scenario involving a car crash (pictured below). Students witness the real- life, severe consequences of drinking and driving. ‘Bstreetsmart' also utilises victims of road accidents to talk about how one poor decision on the road has impacted on their everyday lives. Students sat transfixed as they heard the difficulty of living with both permanent physical and brain injuries, and why being safe on the road is so important for all drivers.

Finally, students could also engage with each of the emergency services workers and discuss the jobs of each of these valuable people. By the end of the day the students were emotionally exhausted, and all said that they would definitely take driving more seriously. This is a great success for the program.

Matt Meikle (PDHPE Teacher)

R OU OK? campaign

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:45 AEST

This week the whole school stopped for a few moments to consider R U OK? Under the leadership of Mr Todd Wilcoxen, in period one, staff showed a very short but powerful on-line clip about the R OU OK? campaign. It is timely for us to remember, when emotions are high especially around the HSC time, that we should be checking in with our friends, family and loved ones to ensure that they are in fact OK. Issues around mental health in Australia are at an all time high, and as the adage goes, ‘it takes a village to raise a child', so remember to look out for each other. You could in fact be the friendly conversation that makes all the difference.

Uniform Shop 20% off Sale!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:53 AEST

Albion Park High School

SALE 20% OFF

Weeks 8 and 9 this term

Tuesday 5/9 and Friday 8/9 Tuesday 12/9 and Friday 15/9

Tuesday 1pm to 3pm

Friday 8-11am and 1.3pm

NO EXCHANGES

NAPLAN Online School Readiness Test

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:37 AEST

Our school, along with other NSW schools will participate in a school readiness test on the 4^th and 5^th of September. The school readiness test is a ‘practice run' for schools to assess their technology ahead of NAPLAN Online. The readiness test is not an assessment of student ability. All Year 7 and Year 9 students will need to bring a working set of earbuds/headphones to complete the test on both days. For more information, please read the attached factsheet (pdf 1212 KB)

There is also a NAPLAN Online newsletter and a video available which explains the many chances students have to meet the HSC minimum standard.

This newsletter provides regular updates and information about the transition of NSW schools to NAPLAN Online. In this edition we look at the NSW approach to transition to NAPLAN Online and share where you can find more information and answers to common questions about the transition to NAPLAN Online.

This video explores the many chances to meet the HSC minimum standard.

Newsletter link here

Image Ref: https://www.nap.edu.au/_resources/NAPLAN-Online-RGB-Colour-July2015.jpg

P&C Meeting

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:41 AEST

P & C MEETING Monday 28 August, 2016 at 6pm in the Staff Common Room

Year 7 information evening

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:02 AEST

YEAR 7, 2018
INFORMATION EVENING!

IN THE PERFORMING ARTS HALL

4 - 5 PM TUESDAY 5 TH SEPTEMBER, 2017

‘Tell Them From Me’ Parent Survey

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:51 AEST

The ‘Tell Them From Me' survey is designed to help those people involved in making improvements at APHS know how teachers, parents and students feel towards the school in general, any problems that may be occurring at the school, and ideas for making the school better. More information regarding participating can be obtained in the latest Park Press. For frequently asked questions regarding the student and parent survey, please click on the links below:

Link to TTFM Parent Survey FAQ for parents (pdf 67 KB)

Link to TTFM Student Survey FAQ for parents (pdf 176 KB)

Year 9/10 Debating Team at the Regional Debating Camp

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:02 AEST

In an exciting development in the school's public speaking and debating program, our Year 9/10 team have been pronounced Zone winners in the NSW Premier's Debating Challenge.

The team, comprising Daniel Mayo, Chloe Flynn, Aliya Picker and Aleiya Jolliffe, participated in a round robin style debating day under the supervision of Mrs Louise Turk in Term 2.

Their victorious performance against local schools Corrimal High School and Keira High School enabled them to progress through to the next level of competition at the Regional Debating Camp in August. Accompanied by experienced debater Chloe Clifford, the team will participate in a knockout draw with six other teams to determine the Regional Champion. This is a very well deserved result for an experienced team who have come so close in previous years. Onward and Upwards.

In other news, the campaign for the Year 7/8 competition kicks off this term. We wish the team, under the guidance and leadership of Mrs Casie Horton, great success in their debating efforts.

Mrs.Cable

Year 9/10 Debating Coordinator

A special mention and congratulations to Aleiya Jolliffe who was selected to try-out for the Regional Team to compete at the State Debating Championships.

Subject Selection information for Years 8, 9 & 10

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:48 AEST

Subject Selection for 2018 is now closed. Students in year 7, 8, 9 and 10 who have not selected their subjects online please see Mr Ridgway or Mrs Campbell ASAP.

Subject Selections need to be completed by Monday 14th of August.

Students who did not receive their package need to see Ms Harris in the office.

Below are the Subject information booklets for each year group selecting new subjects for 2018. (Click to download)

HSC Preliminary selection Booklet 2018 (pdf 1325 KB)
Yr 10 Booklet 2018 Stage 5 (pdf 286 KB)
Yr 9 Booklet 2018 Stage 5 (pdf 324 KB)
Yr 8 Extensions Booklet 2018 Stage 4 (pdf 648 KB)

If you have an queries or questions please feel free to contact Ms Campbell (Yrs 7 and 9) or Mr Ridgway (Yrs 8 and 10)

Giving a Voice to the Elephant in the Room

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:27 AEST

Did you know, of every 30 students in Australia, 7 will be dealing with a mental health issue, yet only 2 will reach out for support and 5 will suffer in silence?

During Week 4, Year 10 students participated in a Batyr workshop focusing on preventative education in the area of youth mental health. Batyr (meaning ‘Hero') tries to combat the false ideas surrounding mental health by helping young people talk about the "elephant in the room" in a fun and engaging way.

During the presentation students explored some of the misconceptions surrounding the phrase "mental health" and listened to the stories of two young people who have suffered through, and recovered from, poor mental health. It is hoped that through sharing their stories, young people will be encouraged to:

"This was really engaging for teenagers. Hearing the stories of young people who have experienced poor mental health makes you feel less alone." Stephanie Yr 10

For more information and support please contact:

eheadspace.org.au
au.reachout.com/batyr
Lifeline - 13 11 14

Education week awards

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:24 AEST

Education Week this year has been particularly special in that Albion Park High received the regional School Excellence award, this award from the Director of Education Ms Mandy Shaw was for the work we have done in literacy and the improvements in results, which have been quite stunning. Staff associated with these awards received thanks for their contribution to education last Wednesday in Figtree. I wish to thank all of my hard working staff but in particular the literacy team led by Head Teacher Teaching and Learning Mrs Elizabeth Asanovic.

Individual education week awards have also been awarded to the following staff:

Ms Amy Caldwell for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for a new scheme teacher.
Mrs Debbie Hunt for her Excellence in Educational Support as an SLSO (School Learning Support Officer)
Mrs Patrice Joynson for Excellence in Community Partnerships

It is a huge privilege to be awarded at this ceremony, but in particular it's a privilege for our community to have such wonderful staff at our school!

Kora sets her sights on career in country music

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:34 AEST

Music Scene with Glenn Haworth

Glenn Haworth
2 Aug 2017, 1:30 p.m.

From Illawarra Mercury: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/4826172/kora-sets-her-sights-on-a-career-in-country-music/

Fifteen-year-old Kora Naughton picked up a guitar just over two years ago and taught herself how to play and write songs, but it wasn't until she attended the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January this year that she decided to take her music career more seriously.

Kora applied and was accepted at the CMAA Junior Country Music Academy and began intensive guitar and vocal training with Rod Motby and Kyra Pastrovic respectively through the Haworth Music School Program.

She graduated from the Country Music Academy in July and was a finalist in the "Brand New Star" competition on the Central Coast. Kora has had the opportunity to play with Bill Chambers, has opened before Amber Lawrence and Simply Bushed at the Homes for Heroes charity fund-raiser and played at the Sir Ivan Fire Benefit in Dunedoo.

She has been invited to play at the Nellijam Winter Breaker Country Party in Nelligen on September 9 and at the Crooked River Winery Spring Festival on September 10.

Kora can often be found performing at the Albion Park Hotel and Little Joe's Kitchen & Bar in Dapto. You can download her new single Wrong on iTunes and Spotify under Kora Naughton Music.

Glenn Haworth runs Haworth's Music Centres in Shellharbour and Fairy Meadow specialising in musical instrument sales, repairs and tuition. For more information visit www.haworthguitars.com.au

SRC - Christmas in July - Fundraising for the homeless in our area

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:56 AEST

Abigail Bowes and Seth Phillips, our School Captains, along with our SRC are raising funds and goods for homeless people in our local area.

Students and families are encouraged to bring in non-perishable food items, clothes, hygiene products or any other gifts.

Please put them under the Christmas Tree in the front office.

CAPA Committee's Biggest Morning Tea

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:18 AEST

A big thank you to everyone who came and supported the CAPA Committee's biggest morning tea on the last Wednesday of term.

It was wonderful to see so many staff and students come and share a cuppa, a bite to eat and a conversation.

The CAPA Committee really appreciate the overwhelming support of the event and were thrilled to be able to show off their baking and hosting skills.

Interschool Chess Challenge - 2007

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:33 AEST

Congratulations to Samuel Mawbey, Caleb Bates, Matthew Longhurst (Year7) and Bryce Van Den Berg (Year 10) who participated in the Interschool Chess Challenge held at Edmund Rice College on 20 June.

The boys played in a round robin style tournament both challenging and improving their chess skills.

All boys received certificates of participation, however, special mention must be paid to Bryce who earned a trophy for placing second place overall out of fifty players.

Special thanks to Mr Astin who organised the boys and to Mr Hawker for supervising the boys on the day.

Trial HSC Examination - Student Schedule - 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:52 AEST

Please view the schedule here (pdf 1241 KB)

NCCD 2017 Information for Parents

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:38 AEST

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (the national data collection) is an annual collection that counts the number of school students with disability and the level of reasonable educational adjustment they are provided with.

Read more about the data collection by clicking here. (pdf 340 KB)

Please note that if you do not wish to have your child included in this data collection, you must write a letter to the Principal indicating your reasons not to be included by COB Thursday 20^th of July.

P&C Meeting - 26th June 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:41 AEST

P&C Meeting

6:30pm

In the Staff Common Room

Come and be involved.

Our parents & citizens' association (P&C) brings the school community together.

Parents, teachers and community members can help meet the needs of the school community and contribute to decisions about the school.

Image Source: https://ashmoress.eq.edu.au/SiteCollectionImages

National Sorry Day

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:38 AEST

Albion Park High School commemorated National Sorry Day, an Australia-wide observance on Friday 26 May. This gave the school community the chance to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of the country's indigenous population, and share the steps towards healing for the Stolen Generations, their families and communities.
The school would like to acknowledge and thank the presenters who participated during the commemoration. Our school captains Abigail Bowes and Seth Phillips welcomed our visitors and school community. Keana Dobeson led the assembly with the ‘Acknowledgment to Country.

The team from AIME (Wollongong) shared their story. Dallas Harrison representing the school community spoke about the next generation and the steps they can make to move forward. The Illawarra Flametree dancers, comprising local school students and Shakiah-Lee Preo from Albion Park High School performed. Richard Campbell played the didgeridoo, after the viewing of the apology spoken by Kevin Rudd in February 2008.

Sophie Pardoe, Emma Brewer and Tiana Ristevski who all are studying for a barista course, prepared a light lunch for visitors and guests.

The school community thanks the many elders who attended our Assembly commemorating National Sorry Day.

Year 7 students Amber Fowler, Kiara Parsons, Lachlan Cusack and Brydon Hall enjoyed the ‘Sharing Stories' performance at the Wollongong Town Hall celebrating culture and stories for Reconciliation Week 2017.

Local indigenous performers from a variety of local schools shared their talents, creativity, identity and stories on the stage. Albion Park High School students Shakiah-Lee Preo and Keana Dobeson danced with the ‘Flametree'dancers sharing the story about the Illawarra Black Swan and the Flannel Flower.
In this intergenerational project, local elders shared their stories with the younger generation, who were encouraged to creatively express these stories through dance, song, and theatre. The students delighted in stories such as the Birth of the Butterfly, Flannel Flower and the Illawarra Black Swan.

BBQ, Beanie and Flanno Day for Anthony

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:14 AEST

On Wednesday 7 June, Year 11 held a "BBQ, Beanie and Flanno Day" to raise money for Anthony Pietrobelli and his family. The response from the school community was outstanding.
It was wonderful to see so many staff and students get behind this great cause and luckily, it was perfect beanie and flanno weather. The sausage sizzle, lolly bags and drinks were also a hit with all items selling out well before the end of lunch.

Albion Park High School is very excited to announce we raised a massive $1,144.70! A big thank you must go out to all the staff and students who donated money, lollies, made posters and assisted with the BBQ on the day.
A special mention must also go to Year 11 and members of the organising committee for giving up their lunch time and for their great team effort. I'm proud to say our first fundraiser as a year group was a huge success.
Raffle ticket sales for the 50/50 fundraiser are also going well and we are on our way to raising $1000. The raffle will be drawn sometime next term.

Parks Media Mark Group

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:42 AEST

I would like to congratulate the PARKS MEDIA MARK group who have, in their Year 11 Skills for work course, created a lunch time radio segment. The nine boys in Ms MacIver's class have done a truly marvellous job in learning how to use digital technology to ensure that the segment works from a technical point of view, they have investigated current music trends, researched iTunes and interviewed students for their opinions to choose music that will ‘work'.

The students use one period a week to pre-record their show with Ms MacIver in class, in the sound proofed music room, so that they are ready to simply go! The reaction to this new program has been extremely positive from both staff and students. The project is high quality and considered ‘gold standard' because of its complexity, the high level expectation of the audience and the ‘high stakes'. Well done to the Skills for Work Team.

Sorry Day - 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:52 AEST

Albion Park High will commemorate National Sorry Day at a School Assembly on Friday, 26 May at 10.45am. All family members are welcome to attend and share this day of observance.

A light lunch will be served afterwards.

RSVP: by Tuesday 23 May, 2017.

Please call the office 4257 1744 to confirm numbers for catering purposes.

The Chess Team

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:51 AEST

Albion Park High chess team had their first round match against Calderwood Christian School at home in the school library at the end of term 1.

Being a newly assembled team with three Year 7 students (Samuel Mawbey, Caleb Bates and Matthew Longhurst) and one Year 10 student (Bryce Van Den Berg) it was a good test coming up against a quality side like Calderwood.

Captain Bryce led from the front and played a clever game to slowly dominate his opponent over the board. The checkmate was sealed with Bryce utilising his piece advantage and notching Albion Park High's first win. Samuel, Matthew and Caleb all battled valiantly as their matches swung back and forth, however, all three were unlucky to go down in very tight matches.

The boys showed great character against students much older than themselves and the experience gained will enable them to become better players down the track.

Round 2 saw us travel to Shellharbour Anglican College to play their chess team. Bryce and Samuel came up against two very experienced opponents and fought hard to try to wrestle control of the board. Unfortunately both went down in tight contests. Caleb had a very impressive win against a much older opponent. In a very close match, he slowly seized control of the board and managed to convincingly checkmate his opponent. Matthew played out a stalemate against his opponent. Even though he dominated the match he couldn't quite find the checkmate and had to settle for a draw.

Congratulations must go to our chess team who were fine representatives for Albion Park High and played all their matches competitively yet sportingly. We look forward to our next competition so the students can further develop their chess skills.

Albion Park High School and Zone Swimming Carnivals

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:01 AEST

May 2017 Update:

Huge congratulations to Amy Lucas (Year 12) who represented the South Coast at the CHS Swimming Championships at Homebush in the last week of Term 1.
Amy qualified for five events at this years' meet, which vindicated the hard work that she has put into her sport for so many years now. Her times leading up to this event were also extremely promising and those in the know were hopeful that she would qualify for some finals at this prestigious and highly competitive carnival.
What we can now announce is that Amy has become a silver medallist at this State Carnival in the 17yrs+ Girls 100m butterfly event! This is an absolutely fantastic result and her time of 1.05.94 was not only a personal best but also just outside her 100m freestyle time of 1.05.00.
Again, we can only throw accolades upon Amy who has now qualified for the NSW All Schools event for the first time.
Well done, Miss Lucas!

_________________________________________________

After cancelling our annual swimming carnival in week three, due to wet weather, we rescheduled for a day in the sun on Thursday 16 February.

It was a fantastic day with some excellent results in the pool.
Year 12 had a blast, dancing up a storm and raising money with a sponge throwing competition, all whilst wearing their Hawaiian shirts.
We had a great turnout from our new Year 7 cohort, all of whom were enthusiastic participants in both the competitive and novelty events. Well done!
The following students all earned the most points for their age group, making them Swimming Age Champions for 2017. Congratulations!

An extra special mention to Amy Lucas who beat a ten year old record in the 100m Freestyle. A great effort Amy. Munda took out the house cup this carnival with a total point score of six hundred and sixty four, followed by Gugara on four hundred and eighty four, Buru on three hundred and sixty five and Guruwin on two hundred and sixty three points! Congratulations Munda, we look forward to bringing some house spirit to our cross country carnival later this term.

Zone Swimming Report
We took a small, but enthusiastic team of swimmers to Dapto Pool on Wednesday 22 February for our annual Zone Swimming Carnival.
Full compliments go to every one of our swimmers and in particular Penny Calvert, Allana Stortz, Amelia Tripi and Josh Vassallo who all swam in events that they were not listed in order for our school to be represented. We appreciate your school spirit.

Great performances on the day from the following swimmers, who have now qualified for The Regional Carnival on the 7 March.

Regional Swimming Report
A number of Albion Park High School students recently attended the South Coast Regional
Swimming Carnival held at Dapto pool.

We had some great results in the pool, with seven students swimming in individual events and seven
relay teams competing for a medal.

Our relay teams each improved on their time from the zone competition and had a great time
cheering each other on.

Congratulations to Amy Lucas who competed in five events on the day and will go through to
represent the region at the NSW CHS carnival later this term. Amy placed first in the 17-19 years
100m Butterfly, second in the 200m Freestyle and third in both the 100m Freestyle and 50m
Freestyle. Good luck at state, Amy.

Youth Expo Day @ APHS - 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:03 AEST

In the very last week of last term we had a Youth Week Extravaganza which involved all students from Year 7-11. Thanks very much to our surrounding community who supported this day and in particular Ms Christine Campbell who oversaw it.

Our students did us extremely proud in their wonderfully responsible and mature manner during the event.

For their support of the Youth Week Expo Albion Park High School would like to thank the following services

Albion Park Village Meats
Albion Park Youth and Community Care Child & Youth Adolescent Mental Health Service
Community Drug and Action Team Defence Force Recruiting
Department of Sport and Recreation
Family Services Illawarra
Headspace Illawarra Koori Mens Support Group
Illawarra Legal Centre
Lake Illawarra Police
Lighthouse Youth housing PCYC
Relationships Australia
St George Illawarra Dragons
Shellharbour City Council Shellharbour City Council Library Services Shellharbour City Council Youth Services Southern Youth

Congratulations to seven students who were outstanding in their roles as roving reporters at our Youth Expo, held last term. Adam Still and Jackson Stolk, of Year 11; Erin Martin, Alana Nicovska, and Courtney Atton of Year 10 and Keira-Lee Meyers and Madison Mikanovic of Year 8, wrote and filed a number of stories on the April 5 expo day. Their stories were published on the Albion Park High School official Facebook page, and gained a wide audience. The seven reporters interviewed students, and members of the community, who visited the school during the one-day event to provide information on the services available to young people in the region. The Expo Day, which coincided with National Youth Week, was aimed at promoting and celebrating the wonderful things young people accomplish and to listen to their ideas on a range of issues.

The roving reporters tackled stories from the light-hearted to the serious. They spoke with community members about the relationship between young people's mental health and social media. They interviewed the school principal Suzi Clapham and deputy principals Paul Ridgway and Christine Campbell about their views on the expo. One of the students also conducted a 'live' video interview with a community spokesman from the St George Illawarra Dragons – it was done in one take with no editing. Supervising teacher Louise Turk said the students extended themselves in their reporting roles to achieve beyond what they first thought was possible. ''The students showed a great deal of maturity when faced with the task of introducing themselves to members of the community they had not met before,'' Ms Turk said. ''They were able to conduct themselves in a very professional manner during the interviews, asking appropriate questions, recording the information, and then composing a story". ''They listened to the instructions and followed them. Their behaviour and commitment to their reporting duties on the day was very impressive.'' Their stories also enabled the wider community to better understand the expo's positive outcomes.

Illawarra Schools Careers Expo - 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:31 AEST

The Illawarra Schools Careers Expo has been organised annually for nearly forty years by the Illawarra Careers Advisers Network and will again be held at the Illawarra Sports Stadium, Waples Road, Unanderra. High school students from across the region will have the opportunity to attend sessions. Year 10 and 12 students from Albion Park High School are booked in to attend on Tuesday 9 May. Permission notes have been distributed and the cost to travel to the Expo is $7.

Members of the public are also invited to attend the Parent Session on Tuesday 9 May between 3:30pm and 5:30pm.

The Expo is a great opportunity for students to seek out hundreds of career options and speak to a wide variety of representatives all in one place. TAFE, universities, apprenticeship centres and the defence force are but a few of the organisations that will be attending this year's Expo. There are limited seats on the bus so students need to return permission notes and money as soon as possible to the front office.
Facebook site for the Expo is:

https://www.facebook.com/IllawarraSchoolsCareersExpo/

Podcast - Growing up digitally

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:44 AEST

I am a very active listener of ABC podcasts and heard one the other day which I believe EVERY parent should hear.
The podcast is called "Growing Up Digitally" and the link is below, I urge you all to have a listen:

Website

Audio link

Digital technology is rapidly changing our lives - we socialise, we're entertained, and we learn online. Today's kids have only ever known a digital world of connectedness with smart devices, search engines, and social media platforms and while growing up digitally offers exciting opportunities, it also has its challenges. We discuss how kids and their parents can get the balance right and be safe in the digital space.

Suzi Clapham
Principal

Image source: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/image/8335746-3x2-700x467.jpg

Restoration of the memorial garden

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:47 AEST

Claire Hansen Arthur undertook the project of restoring the memorial garden in front of the school library as part of her Youth Frontiers program. The garden was originally established as a memorial to students and staff who have passed away, but had become less obvious in recent years with the growth of trees and shrubs in the garden. Claire decided that it needed to be made more prominent and so went about organising a stone and plaque to place in the garden. Claire raised money through a BBQ to purchase the stone and plaque which was provided at a discounted price form South Coast Sandstone. She also had to do some research to ensure that the names on the plaque were correct. Claire was supported through this process by her mentor Hannah and her father. After nearly 12 months of determined work the memorial stone was delivered courtesy of a Cleary Bros truck and placed in the garden at the start of the recent holidays. Well done Claire for identifying a problem and being prepared to do something about it – this demonstrates a strong community spirit!

APHS Cross Country 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:07 AEST

WHEN - Friday 31 March (Week 10, 12.30pm - 2.35pm)

WHERE - Right here at Albion Park High School! You will walk the course during PE before the event

WHY - It is a COMPULSORY WHOLE SCHOOL EVENT, Your participation will earn points for house colours!

HOW - WEAR YOUR HOUSE COLOUR TO SCHOOL, bring a drink bottle, running shoes, hat, sunscreen and your house spirit!

UOW Early Admission - 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:53 AEST

This year, UOW will offer students the chance to earn a place to UOW in the UAC November Round via UOW Early Admission. Early admission will be open to applicants who are in Year 12 in 2017 and completing the HSC and eligible to receive an ATAR.

UOW will still be providing indicative criteria as part of the program. This criteria is based on how
students should be performing at school if they hope to succeed in the course at University, and is
not exclusionary – students who don't meet this criteria can still apply to be considered for Early
Admission.

As well as meeting academic criteria, students will be asked to include a brief CV to show us their
extra-curricular achievements. In 2017, the CV will have five 'sections' that your students may want to
start thinking about now:

Extra-curricular activities (sports teams etc)
Work experience
Leadership experience
Volunteer experience
Special awards - For a student to be made a UOW Early Admission offer in the UAC November Round 1 (on 16 November ), they must be interviewed by UOW. Students who are unable to complete this interview requirement will be ineligible for an offer.

Key Dates
Application information will be available at Careers Markets and from UOW. There will not be a separate UOW Early Admission brochure in 2017. Instead, the Early Admission information will be included in the 2017 UOW Course Directory.

The UOW Early Admission website will be refreshed with 2017 information including
course and criteria information, key dates and information on how to apply.

Tuesday 1 August, 2017 - UOW Early Admission online applications open at 9am.
Friday 25 August, 2017 - UOW Early Admission online applications close at 5pm
Tuesday 26 September – Thursday 28 September, 2017 – UOW Early Admission interviews at UOW's
Wollongong Campus 12 November, 2017 (date tbc) - UAC preferences for November Round one close
16 November, 2017 (date tbc) – November Round one offers released by UAC.

As part of their application, students will be required to enter their academic marks from years
11 and 12. UOW will require certified copies of these marks. Information about the exact
certification requirements and process will be communicated to you as August approaches.

International Women’s Day in the Illawarra

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:33 AEST

Tahlee Parsons, Sara Lindsay and Alyssa Matthews attended the International Women's Day function at the Nan Tien Temple hosted by the Australian Centre for Leadership for Women.

The Keynote speaker was the Hon. Jenny Macklin MP inspiring woman about ‘Gaining the Unexpected' and her journey growing up in Brisbane to being involved in politics for over thirty years.
A panel of seven women from all walks of life shared their personal journeys ‘Achieving the Unexpected'. They were all inspirational but one of the women who had had so much hardship in her life was a refugee from Liberia in West Africa.

She lost many members of her family including her husband and daughter during the war. Her village was set on fire in 1984. She fled and was in a refugee camp for over 9 years supporting her five children until she had the opportunity to travel to heaven (Wollongong).

Since arriving in Wollongong she has educated herself and is at the moment studying for a social work degree at University of Wollongong. She is an employee of Aging Disability and Home Care
and a volunteer with SCARF. When you are determined you achieve anything.

Prizes were presented for winning essays written by students in the Illawarra. Many students read out their essay siting their vision for the future of Woman.

The audience was entertained by talented musicians – singing, drumming and Deeann Green playing the violin. The students had an inspirational, enlightening and informative day about the possibilities available to you if you are open to all opportunities.

Transition to the new NSW public schools’ finance system and how it will affect you.

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:52 AEST

Dear Parents and Carers,

Albion Park High School will transition to the new NSW public schools' finance system and a new bank account on 24 July 2017.

To ensure a smooth transition, there will be changes to the way we accept parent or carer payments.

Direct deposits: As of 30 June 2017, we will no longer accept direct deposits into our current school bank account as we prepare to close this account and transition to the new one. Any payments made using direct deposit after this date cannot be properly allocated to a student's account in a timely manner. Please ensure you have made any outstanding direct deposits before 30 June 2017.
EFTPOS payments: We will not be able to accept EFTPOS payments between 19 July and 24 July 2017. Please ensure that you have made any outstanding EFTPOS payments before 19 July 2017. From 25 July 2017, EFTPOS payments will be accepted as before.
Cash and cheque payments: Between 19 July 2017 and 24 July 2017, we will also not be able to accept payments by cash or cheque as we prepare to close our current bank account and transition to the new one. Please ensure that you have made any outstanding cash or cheque payments before 19 July 2017. From 25 July 2017, cash and cheque payments will be accepted as before.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we transition to our new finance system. If you have any questions, please contact Albion Park High School on 4257 1744.

Yours Faithfully

Ms Suzi Clapham

Principal

Albion Park High School

Launch of Student and Parent Portal - coming soon

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:35 AEST

Everything about a student at your fingertips

Parent portal

Sentral's parent portal provides parents with 24/7 access to their childs data. Parents can log in to access their child's report, attendance information and wellbeing details as well as updating family contact details.

Student portal

Sentral's Student Portal is a one-stop shop for everything your student community need. Using their current individual login for the school network,students can access their timetable, assessment marks, attendance history and reports from anywhere at any time.

Access link here

Tell Them From Me student feedback survey (Term 1, 2017)

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:51 AEST

I am delighted that this term, our school, like many other public schools in the state, will participate in a Department of Education initiative: the Tell Them From Me student feedback survey. The survey measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices.

More information about the survey is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au

I want to assure you that the survey is confidential. The survey is conducted online and will typically take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours between 13 March and 7 April. Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary.

A consent form and FAQs for parents/carers about the survey is being sent home with students. If you do not want your child or children to participate, please return the form to school by 24^th March. Copies of the form and FAQs are available from: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents.

Mr E. Davies HT TAS/ART

Year 12 Bunnings BBQ Fundraiser

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:59 AEST

Year 12 Bunnings BBQ Fundraiser Twenty-two of our current Year 12 students volunteered their time for their year group on Saturday the 18th February to raise money for the "Year 12 Events" of 2017.
Many skills were learnt on this particular day - customer service skills, the handling of money and how to cook the perfect sausage. For most of us, the new-found knowledge that many individuals in our society come to Bunnings just for the sausage sizzle was a revelation.

A huge thank you to these twenty two volunteers, in particular to Rhys Bard and Lilly Christie who were there for most of the day. It was a great day and quite a lot of fun with over $1,000 raised. A fantastic effort. Fortunately for the rest of Albion Park High School, the extra sausages that weren't cooked will be sold at school on Friday 3 March during lunchtime.

Thanks to staff who bought a "sanga" on the day and the dozen or so 'other' Year 12's who came and supported us in some way.

Successful Annual Expo 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:06 AEST

I wish to thank all of my staff in attendance at our second EXPO afternoon, along with our fabulous students who generously ‘showed off' their school. We hosted nearly three hundred people at Albion Park High on Wednesday from 4-6pm, including staff from our partner primary schools and our Schools' Director Ms Mandy Shaw. It is a testament to our local community who see that it is important to attend what is becoming a key event in our school calendar. To showcase our school, students, our staff, our venues along with some exciting activities is a wonderful opportunity. All of the students who participated in EXPO will be receiving Park Positive awards on their school record.

Suzi Clapham

Principal

Our 2017 Captains and Principal

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:40 AEST

See the whole feature published by the Ilawarra Mercury here

Regular Reading Supporting Literacy Skills

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:46 AEST

Reading for pleasure is one of the best things your child can do to improve their literacy skills. Subsequently, a reading program is part of every student's nightly English Homework: between fifteen and twenty minutes per night. A reading log to record English Reading Homework will be given to students in both Years 7 and 8 and we ask parents to sign it each week.

As a joint English/Library initiative, students in Years 7-9 are also encouraged to participate in the Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC). It requires students to read twenty books between 6 March and 25 August, 2017. Fifteen books need to be from the PRC 5-6 or 7-9 lists and five can be of the student's own choosing.
Year 7 students will be receive the PRC Reading Log during their Library lesson. A list of the books on the 7-9 Challenge is available in the Albion Park High School Library or can be viewed at:
https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/booklist/home.html

Please help your child to improve their skills. Encourage them to read every night and sign the Reading Log.

FIT I a.m

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:26 AEST

Did you hear about FIT I A.M Fitness and Breakfast Club??

Get involved! The aim of FIT I A.M at Albion Park High School is to build a healthy, active community in which students have the opportunity to have fun in a supportive environment. FIT I A.M provides students with the opportunity to begin their school day participating in a range of physical activities as well as enjoying a nutritious breakfast. Through FIT I A.M we aim to allow students to feel a sense of belonging whilst strengthening links to our schools PDHPE curriculum.

DETAILS: This great Sports Committee initiative is run every Tuesday and Friday mornings at 7:30am in the school gym. It starts Week 3, Term 2 and runs for the entire year. Students engage in half an hour of physical activity and then are provided with breakfast all before the bell goes for roll call. Students receive a membership card which works on a loyalty system, where a stamp is given for participation for students to earn prizes.

So grab some friends and come along to FIT I A.M!!

Swimming Carnival - Thursday 16th February 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:54 AEST

Compulsory All Day, Whole School Event

Meet at school for normal roll call at 8:25am.

We will depart for Albion Park Pool after rolls have been marked.

The carnival will conclude at 2:35pm.

What to bring: $2 for pool entry, swimmers, hat, sun cream, towel, lunch, drink and money if you would like to buy something from the canteen.

What to Wear: Something in your house colour or school PE uniform!!

House races, novelties and usual events will be held on the day.

Which House will win?? Buru, Guruwin, Gugara or Munda?

First P&C Meeting - Monday 27th February 2017 - 6pm

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:41 AEST

Our parents & citizens' association (P&C) brings the school community together. Parents, teachers and community members can help meet the needs of the school community and contribute to decisions about the school.

The P&C also raises funds that help finance improvements to our school and provide additional resources.

The school motto is "CHALLENGE THE FUTURE". As our school culture and traditions continue to grow and develop the P & C would like to encourage both students and parents to join in the "CHALLENGE" as new issues and demands are presented to us. It is by joining together (staff, parents and students) that we are able to provide the BEST EDUCATION for the students of ALBION PARK HIGH SCHOOL.

The education system is going through many changes. At our meetings we are kept up to date with current issues and these are openly discussed. School staff often present us with lots of information and they are more than happy to answer any questions. If there is any area within the school that you would like to be involved in, please contact the P & C. We would like very much to hear from you.

The P & C usually meets on the THIRD MONDAY of the month at 6pm in the staff common room. Membership of the P & C is $2 per family. You need to be a financial member to vote on any issues.

The Canteen at the school is run by P & C. Helpers are always needed. Mums, dads, nans, pops and friends are most welcome.

Swimming Carnival Postponed

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:50 AEST

We have had to make the unfortunate decision to postpone our SWIMMING CARNIVAL today.

The pool grounds are quite wet and with more rain forecast for today, our students would have no where dry and comfortable to sit!

Stay tuned for more information about our new carnival date!

Students will need to attend school as normal, prepared for periods 1-5 today!

Welcome back to school - 2017

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:55 AEST

Welcome Back to 2017!

It was a dramatic start for Year 7s this year with forty three degree heat on their introduction to High School. Despite the uncomfortable weather the cohort was wonderful and the day was successful.

Thanks to Year Adviser Michelle Hutchins who sweltered with the students ensuring that they were in the shade, ‘watered' and looked after!

Thanks also to Year 12 who kindly had spray packs of water to cool the students down.

We have a record number of new staff to welcome into the Albion Park High family.

New permanent staff members are: ¿

Head Teacher Welfare Todd Wilcoxon
HSIE teacher Shane Schonell ¿
Science teacher Nick Aston ¿
PE teacher starting term 2, Matthew Meikele

New Temporary staff are: ¿

Art teacher Janine Carters ¿
PE teacher Lauren Farquar ¿
TAS teacher Gavin McKinnon ¿
Art and Special Education Monica Ristevski

I would also like to Welcome back Sarah Hiscocks and Nicole Woods who have been on maternity leave for 2016.

Congratulations to Amy Greig who was married over the Christmas break and is now Amy Caldwell.

Uniform so far in week one, looks impressive but there are still a large number of mainly Year 10 students who are wearing gym boots. This is a reminder that there are only two stipulations for shoes, that they must be:

1. BLACK
2. LEATHER (or suede)

This is a safety issue and there are no exceptions.

Congratulations to Matthew Stevens who received the DUX award of 2016 and gained a wonderful HSC ATAR of 92.20. Well done to Matthew your success is testament to your hard work and determination.

I am quite sure that 2011 am quite sure that 2017 will be a wonderful year for us all as we work together to ensure the very best educational and life outcomes for your children.

DRAMACTVE - A new option for Sport!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:24 AEST

Want to learn to explore life's ups and downs in a creative way… on your feet and not behind the desk?

How about learning some new strategies on how to cope with stressful situations?

Are you interested in learning skills to enhance your confidence, make you a better public speaker?

Do you have a passion for performance and would like to be involved in excursions to the theatre?

Then DRAMACTIVE is for you!!

DRAMACTIVE is a new sport program being offered this semester and is open to all students.

Dramactive will focus on physical theatre, explore ideas for performance and involve theatre excursions to live shows.

There are three main requirements for this course –

A willingness to try new things.
A desire to gain more confidence and a passion for performance.
A set cost for the theatre tickets.

If you are interested and would like more information, please see Mrs Roth in the English staffroom.

Hurry!! Places are limited.

See pdf here (pdf 405 KB)

Movember Fund-raiser

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:36 AEST

There have been some pretty ugly heads on display this month as some male staff and Yr 11 have made attempts to grow some facial hair to support Men's Health issues. Again, another great cause and it's fantastic to see many of our students recognising and engaging in activities that help support those in our community who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Illawarra 2016 White Ribbon Day Walk

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:31 AEST

It was great to see an Albion Park High School representation at the Shellharbour White Ribbon Walk on the morning of Friday 25 November.

The issue of violence against women cannot be understated so well done to the three Year 10 boys and nine Year 11 students who joined hundreds of others in the local community in helping raise awareness of this significant problem within our society.

Just as pleasing, was the response back at school on this day. Led by organiser Chloe Clifford of Year 9 students wore white on the day as well as donated to the cause. It was a powerful moment to see some junior students, as well as the entire Year 11 cohort, join the male staff within the school on assembly to show their support of White Ribbon Day. Well done Park.

Annual Regional VET awards 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:06 AEST

Congratulations to Sienna Wagner, Chris Starr and Kaityn Dent who all received excellence in VET at the Annual Regional VET awards.

Remembrance Day 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:47 AEST

On Remembrance Day 2016, Albion Park High hosted a moving and poignant ceremony to remember those who fought, those who have fallen, and those who continue to place their own lives at risk to protect us and our world.

I wish to thank our special guest Mr Don Tate who spoke very personally about the horrors that he had experienced in Vietnam. Most students had never heard first hand anyone
speak of these atrocities, and whilst it was hard to hear, it was the truth and the truth can never be forgotten.

I wish to thank Ms Lucille McGrath and her Year 9 History class who organised, ran and hosted the entire event. Our serious programming of Project Based Learning continues to grow from strength to strength and I believe that the deep learning experiences that our students are getting at Albion Park High School are second to none in this area. Well done to all involved.

HSIE have been very busy as a faculty and together created, in the library, with all of Year 9 History a magnificent museum commemorating World War 1 and World War 2. The projects involved deep thinking and knowledge, were collaborative and had a serious audience. Thanks very much to the HSIE faculty who are pushing the boundaries in learning and getting great results.

Last Day of School 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:23 AEST

The last day for students this year is Friday 16 December 2016.

The first day for 2017 is :

Monday 30^th January for Years 7,11,12 and
31^st January for Years 8,9,10.

AIME Update 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:01 AEST

AIME is a dynamic educational program that is proven to support Indigenous students through high school and into university, employment or further education at the same rate as all Australian students.

AIME gives Indigenous students the skills, opportunities, belief and confidence to grow and succeed.

The AIME team is based at Wollongong university and they have been motivating and inspiring Albion Park High School Indigenous students the past three terms.

Tutor squads have been coming into the school on alternate Fridays to consolidate the program.

Congratulations to Amaru Ross-Kelloway who has been nominated as the 2017 Aime Ambassador for Albion Park High School.

Grandparent’s Day 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:28 AEST

Grandparent's Day is a special day that recognises the significant contribution that grandparents make to their families and communities.

It is also an occasion for acknowledging the efforts and devotion of grandparents who are full-time carers for their grandchildren. Students at Albion Park High School celebrated this day on Monday 31^st October 2016, thanking grandparents and parents for their love and support.

Students highlighted the different facilities here at the school with projects on display and performances to highlight the different departments.

Japan Trip - 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:34 AEST

We departed, a very excited group, from Sydney on 24 September, on the 9pm flight. The
airport was crowded with groups like ours departing for holiday adventures so after a
quick goodbye to our parents, we moved to the departure gate. Our 10-hour flight was
spent eating, watching movies and sleeping (it we were fortunate enough to). We arrived in
Tokyo feeling not so refreshed, but very excited for the adventures that lay ahead.

Staff and students were greeted at the front of Omiya Kita High School on our arrival on
Sunday morning and then introduced to our hosts. Everyone was excited about the
experience and the students seemed to greet each other like old friends, partly because
they had made email contact prior to the visit and partly because they had made close
relationships with the students during their visit to Albion Park. It was funny to meet the
Japanese people wearing the t-shirts their children had purchased when they came to
Australia.

Omiya Kita High School held a special assembly on Monday to welcome us visitors
with Ms Mayumi Hosoda, Principal, giving a short speech of welcome to the staff and
students of Albion Park High. The Omiya Kita student leaders then introduced our students
to the school and they gave a short self introduction to the whole school in Japanese.
The staff and students of Omiya Kita High were very gracious and polite at our fumbling
attempts at speaking Japanese. We were all presented with a blue tour t-shirt which had
been designed by one of the host students.

The timetable for the students this year was very busy with many programs and special
lessons offered demonstrating a wide variety of subjects from across the school including
Karate, Art, Science, Food Technology, English and Japanese Culture. The students
and staff were treated to lessons on the tea ceremony, kendo and many other cultural
lessons. We also visited the local Junior High School where we toured their school and
watched a few lessons. We also had lunch in the classroom which was served, eaten and
packed away by the students in only thirty minutes. Very impressive!!

On our final day at Omiya Kita High School a farewell party was hosted and this gave the
Albion Park students an opportunity to introduce their host families to their teachers
and thank them publicly for all of the opportunities and fun that had been offered to
them over their homestay. It was fun to look at the photos of all of the good times we have
had in Australia and Japan with our friends and host, but it was sad to say goodbye as
well.

On Friday the staff and students from Omiya Kita High School meet the Albion Park
students and teachers at the Omiya Station to farewell them as they continued their journey
around Japan. It was a very emotional goodbye with lots of tears and photos to
commemorate a successful visit. After departing Omiya Station, we spent five
hours on a bullet train. They were so clean and spacious, and we enjoyed them very
much. We arrived in Kyoto excited for the adventures ahead. The water temple at the
top of Kyoto offered amazing views of the city and from there we enjoyed a cultural
performance in Gion.

We spent Saturday travelling to Himeji Castle which had been recently reopened following
renovations. It was huge! We climbed six flights of stairs to look down on the town
surrounding the castle, it was a great example of fortress building. We spent the afternoon at
the Golden Pavilion, which is covered in 24 kg of real gold!

Sunday was spent with animals. We hiked to the monkey park and hand fed the beautiful
and cute monkeys. In the afternoon we mostly remained unbitten by the deer in Nara.
Monday was spent in Hiroshima. The Peace Park is a tranquil, serene and emotional place
that holds the memories of a terrible tragedy. We hung our 1000 paper cranes (thank you to
all who contributed) at the Sadako Children's Memorial. The most valuable part of this
place; is the lessons we learnt, and the changes we want to make to the world. We
spent the afternoon at Miyajima, an island near Hiroshima which has a torii gate
(traditional Japanese gate commonly found in shrines) built so that at high tide the gate sits above the water. It was really tranquil and the ice cream for afternoon tea was delicious! We ate Okonomiyaki for dinner which we all agreed was Oishii! (yummy)

We departed Kyoto on Tuesday and headed for our ryokan (traditional hotel) in Tokyo. The
hotel specialises in being traditional and we slept on traditional bedding which is on the
floor. It was surprisingly comfortable. While we were in Tokyo we were flat out busy! We
conquered our fear of heights at the Tokyo Skytree, took selfies of us taking selfies at the
Imperial Castle, crossed the Rainbow Bridge, visited the animation museum for Ghibli
Studios, talked to other Aussies at Asakusa, wandered through Ueno Zoo and park and
chased Pokemon indigenous to Asia. It was awesomely busy and fun. We left Japan on
Friday night exhausted and excited to come home and share our stories.

We need to say a BIG, HUGE, ENORMOUS thank you to Miss Hutchins who was the best
organiser and tour leader ever! We would also like to thank Albion Park RSL
for their sponsorship. We used the money you gave us to purchase tour shirts which you can
see in the photos. Your sponsorship was very much appreciated so thank you very much.
Overall, our cultural exchange was a great success, and we consider ourselves very
fortunate to be included in the exchange.

Miss Poole, Miss Hutchins, Mr Poole, Mrs Horton, Mrs Keen.

Experiences from students
Today, we took a two hour train ride to Hiroshima where we placed our thousand paper cranes at the Sakado Memorial. It was touching to see how much effort is put in to maintaining
the memory of her. The next stop was the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The
experience was simultaneously very confronting but also educational. There were accounts of
survivors, their families, technical workings of the bomb and recreations of the aftermath
among other interesting artefacts and stories.

After that we travelled to Miyajima Island by ferry, where the deer are abundant and liked
Jess's ice-cream heaps. From there we could walk to the Itstukushima Shrine which was absolutely
beautiful. We finished the day off with Okonomiyaki for dinner... delicious (oishii!) It was a tiring day but a great one!

Hope Van Vliet Smith

Frontiers Program - Oz Tag gala day - Fundraising event

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:27 AEST

Throughout Term 3 and the beginning of Term 4, Olivia Jackson from Year 9 at Albion Park High School has been working on a fundraising project through the Youth Frontiers Program. Olivia, with the help of her mentor, has organised an Oz-Tag Gala Morning to help raise funds for White Ribbon, a movement working to end violence against women and girls, promote gender equality and develop healthy relationships.
The Oz-Tag Gala day was held on Wednesday 19 October, during periods 2 & 3 across the road from the school, at Di Gorman Oval. There were twenty eight students involved, making up four teams in total. Olivia raised close to $80 for White Ribbon and will personally donate it to the school on White Ribbon Day on 25 November this year.

COS Debating Day - 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:21 AEST

On Friday 21st October Albion Park High School held a Community of Schools debating day with Year 5 students and teachers from Tullimbar, Albion Park and Mount Terry primary schools. We participated in a model debate, learned more about debating in workshops run by University of Wollongong debating coaches Dimi and Annie and competed in mini-debates on fun topics.

Thank you to all the teachers, students and debating coaches for their active participation. It was a great day for all. We look forward to the 2017 COS Debating Day in Term 1 next year.

Illawarra NAIDOC Art Award Presentation

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:31 AEST

Congratulations to Kiara Astbury, Jessica Lindsay and Courtney Walsh who were joint winners of the Illawarra NAIDOC Art Award this year.

Local Area Commander Zoran Dzevlan and Police Youth Liaison Officer Scott Burgess presented the girls with a t-shirt with their art design displayed prominently on the front and back of the garment.

The t-shirts will be worn by students who are part of the Police Citizenship Leadership program this year.

Kiara, Jessica and Courtney were part of the SISTASPEAK program that meets regularly at Albion Park High School working on joint art activities, while connecting with their Elders and community members.

Activity Week - 2016 - Update

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:00 AEST

Activity Week is taking place on the final two days of Term 4, Thursday 15th and and 16th December.

Students are to discuss their parents/carers this week and will collect their permission notes Wednesday Week 3.

Payments and permission notes can be given to the front office from Thursday Week 3 to secure a student's place in an activity.

Further information here (pdf 74 KB) and here (pdf 646 KB)

Sista Speak update 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:50 AEST

Sista Speak is a program for Indigenous students and friends targeting girls from years 9 and 10. The activities vary each term but are about Aboriginal culture and community connection. The program is run within the school and can assist girls to develop a cultural understanding. It also assists students to gain valuable knowledge around their educational needs, career aspirations, personal needs and qualities. Sista Speak links students with community groups and local Aboriginal female role models. This term the Indigenous Community Link based at Warrigal Employment, Illawarra Aboriginal Corporation has supported the program by donating and coordinating an Aboriginal craft activity for the girls.

‘Tell Them From Me’ Parent Survey

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:51 AEST

The ‘Tell Them From Me' survey is designed to help those people involved in making improvements at APHS know how teachers, parents and students feel towards the school in general, any problems that may be occurring at the school, and ideas for making the school better. More information regarding participating can be obtained in the latest Park Press.

For frequently asked questions regarding the student and parent survey, please click on the links below:

Link to TTFM Parent Survey FAQ for parents (pdf 68 KB)

Link to TTFM Student Surve FAQ for parents (pdf 880 KB)

McMorrow Report highlights the importance of a needs based funding model

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:36 AEST

The NSW Secondary Principals' Council (SPC) is the professional body representing Principals of government schools and colleges in NSW that have secondary school enrolments. The Council works closely with senior officials from the NSW Department of Education and the NSW Education Minister and provides advice on matters relating to public secondary education in NSW.

Analysis by education funding expert, Dr Jim McMorrow, highlights the precarious state of schools funding and questions the Federal Government's claim that it will deliver needs based funding to schools after 2017. The NSW SPC President, Chris Presland, said the report was a timely reminder of the importance of the Gonski Review.

Read the full media release here (pdf 340 KB)

School success is more than a NAPLAN score

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:49 AEST

The NSW Secondary Principals' Council (NSW SPC) is the professional body representing Principals of government schools and colleges in NSW that have secondary school enrolments. The Council works closely with senior officials from the NSW Department of Education and the NSW Education Minister and provides advice on matters relating to public secondary education in NSW.

Read the full media release here (pdf 330 KB)

A Midsummer Night's Dream excursion to the Sydney Opera House on Friday 19th August 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:58 AEST

Year 8 English and Year 10 Drama students were fortunate to be in the audience for Bell Shakespeare's acclaimed production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It was a beautiful day to travel to the Opera House to be enthralled by this production, as Shakespeare's magical world came to life on stage.

Ms Court and Mrs Roth were so proud of the students' exemplary behaviour at all times. They were a credit to themselves, their families and the community of Albion Park High School.

2016 SCHOOLS SPECTACULAR – DREAM BIG TICKET SALE ANNOUNCEMENT

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:56 AEST

With just a week to go until Southern Stars 2016 ignite hits the floor at the WIN Entertainment Centre preparations are in full swing with students taking part in a wide range of dance, drama, vocal and music rehearsals around the state. To keep up with all the news about ignite including recent media stories and picture galleries, videos from rehearsals, as well as profiles of performers and teachers involved in the show, visit the Southern Stars – The Arena Spectacular Facebook site. Make sure you "like us" and share with your friends and family! ignite featuring over 3000 public school children, will take place over four performances at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong on Friday 26 August (10am and 7.30pm) and Saturday 27 August (2pm and 7.30pm). You don't have to have a child involved in the show to come along. Southern Stars is a two hour arena style variety show with something for everyone, but most of all it is packed full of great entertainment and guaranteed to be the best show you see all year

Tickets are now on sale for the 2016 Schools Spectacular – Dream Big at Qudos Bank Arena at Sydney Olympic Park.

The 2016 Schools Spectacular will be a brilliantly choreographed and costumed production featuring over 5,000 singers, dancers and musicians representing more than 500 NSW public schools from across the state.

For more information click here

Junior Legacy Public Speaking Competition

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:34 AEST

In late July two Year 8 students, Elaina Boyton and Aleiya Jolliffe, represented the school in the Junior Legacy Public Speaking Competition at Edmund Rice College. The girls were up against stiff competition made more challenging by a lively audience. They spoke with passion on their chosen topics, which was commented upon by the adjudicators. They represented our school with pride. I was extremely proud of their maturity and excellent speaking skills.

Mrs Gilmartin

Sydney Writer’s Festival

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:51 AEST

On Monday 16 May a group of students from Years 9, 11 and 12 went to the Sydney Writer's Festival at the Roslyn Packer Theatre in Walsh Bay in Sydney. We took a train to Circular Quay and walked very quickly to the theatre accompanied by Mrs Cable, Mrs Grant and Mrs Shaw.

The first session involved us splitting up. While most people went to hear Paul Kelly (famous singer and songwriter) speak and sing about his passion for Shakespeare, a few year 11 Modern History students listened to Thomas Keneally (famous author of many novels including Schindler's Ark which became the Stephen Spielberg film Schindler's List) speak about the effect of World War One in shaping Australia. Both talks were informative and entertaining but what came next was even better.
Alice Pung (author), Stan Grant (SBS reporter and author) and Eva Orner (world acclaimed documentary maker) were interviewed by Jennifer Wong (writer and comedian) about their experiences of growing up in Australia and the role of refugees in Australia as well as the varying degrees of racism they faced. Their stories were raw and honest and the audience were riveted.

Afterwards there was an opportunity to meet these famous people and even have their books or CDs signed by them. We then headed into Circular Quay for lunch before the train ride home. It was a long day but one not quickly forgotten.

Mrs Shaw

Red Room Poetry Competition

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:46 AEST

Year 7 students thoroughly enjoyed studying poetry in their English lessons last term, which culminated in an opportunity for students to submit their poems to the Red Room Poetry competition. To enter the competition, students had to write a poem about a significant object; something that was symbolic of a special memory or loved one. Over 40 Year 7 students entered a poem, which is a fantastic display of enthusiasm and commitment.
Composing poetry can be very challenging, but Year 7 students rose to the task and applied an outstanding amount of effort to learn about poetic techniques and then apply these to their own poems. All entries will be published on the Red Room Company's website from 26 September.

Well done Year 7.

Ms Horton

Uniform Shop 20% off Sale - Weeks 9 & 10 Term 3 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:53 AEST

The uniform shop will be open:

Tuesday 13th September
Friday 16th September
Tues 20th September
Friday 23rd September

Wrap with Love - Project

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:57 AEST

There are millions of people in the world suffering extreme cold. In 1992 the ‘Wrap with Love' program began with the idea to help as many people as possible by providing warm Wraps to ward off hypothermia. In the past 23 years ‘Wrap with love' have sent more than 400,000 wraps to people in over 75 countries, including Australia with the help of our hardworking and generous volunteers.

Just one square provides one twenty-eighth of warmth and collectively twenty-eight assembled squares creates one whole warm and sheltering wrap.

Albion Park High School knitters have been busy this winter – Summa Horwood and Breanna Payne are admiring the colours, texture and variety of styles of wraps that will provide warmth for those suffering extreme hardship.

Donations of 8 ply wool and No 4mm / size 8 needles would be greatly appreciated. These can be left at the front office.

Adrian Piccoli - Minister for Education - Modernised HSC sets students up for success

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:00 AEST

A media release from Adrian Piccoli addressing reforms to the Higher School Certificate (HSC) was issued on Tuesday 17th July 2016. Click here to here (pdf 6711 KB) the full media release.

Sean Choolburra Performance

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:49 AEST

Sean Choolburra is charming, cheeky, clever and charismatic and has carved his niche as Australia's number one Indigenous entertainer. He kept Albion Park students entertained performing a blend of pop culture, dance, comedy and hip hop in a high energy, feel good show. A highlight was his talent at playing the didgeridoo and sharing his stories. His ability to share the naivety of a small town Aboriginal boy, still coming to grips with the big city lights, makes him inviting and engaging as a performer.

Kaylee Thorn-Clarke, Livinia Jay, Summa Burk and Chelsea Smith with Sean after the show.

Year 7 2017 Information Night

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:00 AEST

For all year 7 students beginning at APHS in 2017 we invite you and your family to an information night on Tuesday 6th September from 4pm in the Gym.

The session will run for an hour and covers useful information regarding expectations, uniform, daily activities and the numerous opportunities available to the students here at APHS.

Information packages will be handed out on the night or can be picked up from the front office after 9am Wednesday 7th September.

We look forward to seeing you then.

25th Anniversary of Albion Park High

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:57 AEST

Albion Park High School

Celebrating 25 years

Thursday 22^nd September 2016

9am in the school gymnasium

Performances from the Vocal Ensemble and Dance Company

Please RSVP to Melanie.harris@det.nsw.edu.au by 16^th of September 2016 if you are able to attend

If you would like to share a photo of your time at Albion Park High please upload to email and it will be used in a PowerPoint at the assembly.

Abigail Helps the Homeless

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:59 AEST

Through participation in the Max Potential Program run at APHS, Abigail Bowes hopes to make over 100 Homeless Hygiene Hampers. The hampers will be distributed by Wollongong Homeless Hub to local homeless people and will be gender and age specific. "Homelessness is a growing concern in our local area, and together we can make a difference to help improve the lives of those in need," said Abigail.

Max Potential is a twenty two week leadership development program run through Clubs NSW (Dapto Leagues Club) and students participate voluntarily. Abigail, working with a community coach, decided to focus on homelessness after being shocked by some of the statistics related to being homeless.

In the Illawarra, over the past 6 years, homelessness had increased by 86.4%.
Only 10% of homeless people are on the streets; 90% live in refuges and shelters, often as a result of domestic violence.
40% of homeless people are under the age of 25.

Abigail approached local businesses and appealed to the community to donate goods for her hampers. "I have been overwhelmed by the amount of community support. I have only lived in Albion Park for two years and the encouragement I've received have been fantastic."

Abigail's project culminates August 1st, at the start of Homeless Person's Week, with a Max Potential Display at Dapto Leagues Club. However, anyone wishing to donate new products for the homeless can do so through Wollongong Homeless Hub (24 Kenny St Wollongong).

Abigail says she has really enjoyed the experience of being active in her community and hopes to continue working to help others into the future. "I want to make a difference at my school and in the community."

SHINE program - Term 2 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:50 AEST

On Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 June, thirteen girls from Year 8 graduated from the SHINE program for Term 2.
SHINE is a self-esteem program for girls highlighting:

Worth
Strength and
Purpose

It is always a very successful program which develops understanding about each girl's worth and how to realise her potential through goals and dreams.

It was held at Dapto Ribbonwood Centre over two full days with a graduation luncheon held at noon on the last day at Murphy's Bar and Grill, Unanderra.

It has been beneficial to all the girls. Feedback was positive, as always, and comments from the girls include;
"It has been inspiring and educational at the same time"
"SHINE has been enjoyable and it makes you feel good about yourself."
"The program has been very useful and opened my eyes more about who I am."

A special thank you to:

Mrs Sam Wheatley who represented the P & C Association of Albion Park High School at the Graduation Luncheon.
The P & C for their continual support of this program.
The Oak Flats Lioness Club who generously provide funding for the course.
Mrs Ursula Cable – Year 8 Advisor, who attended and supported the girls at the graduation luncheon
All the SHINE ladies for their ongoing commitment to the program

Outdoor Feature Wall Creation

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:40 AEST

The ED Unit classes have been working with a local graffiti artist to design and create our outdoor feature wall.

The students worked through a range of concepts including, cartoons characters, meaningful words and classroom symbols. The students soon realised they could combine all three concepts to make an eclectic street art design. As a group we undertook a number of lessons to learn the skills and techniques necessary to complete the final art work.

Initially many students felt out of their comfort zone and hesitated to take part in these lessons. With time and encouragement all students developed a skill set that enabled them to take part in the final project. This project was a massive learning curve for all of our students, as they learnt important life skills such as, problem solving, time management, resilience and how to work as team. They now feel they have added a personal touch to our learning environment and enhanced their sense of belonging in our unit.

Subject Selection Information

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:49 AEST

When: Wednesday 20th July 2016
Time: Senior evening 3.30pm and Junior evening 5.00pm
Venue: School gym.

Other information: On arrival, students are asked to collect their subject selection information packages. These packages will include
1. Subject Selection Booklets
2. Information on how to complete online subject selections

Parents/Carers and students will be provided with information from school executive staff as well has having faculty representatives available. With important decisions to be made about studies for 2017, this is a fantastic opportunity for students to seek as much information as possible about future patterns of study.

It is anticipated the presentations will take approximately 30 minutes followed by opportunity for questions and discussion with the representatives present.

National Reconciliation Week - 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:38 AEST

Each year National Reconciliation Week (NRW) celebrates and builds on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians.

Significant milestones in the reconciliation journey are:

May 27 - The 1967 referendum saw over 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise them in the national census.

June 3 - Commemorates the High Court of Australia's landmark Mabo decision in 1992, which legally recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a special relationship to the land - a relationship that existed prior to colonisation and still exists today. This recognition paved the way for land rights or Native Title.

‘Our Future' reinforces that reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, in the knowledge that we believe in fairness for everyone, that our diversity makes us richer, and that together, we are stronger.

Shataya Parsons, Maddison Coric, Jarvis Polley and Logan Guimare attended the Shellharbour Council Community Flag Walk to commemorate and celebrate reconciliation in Australia.

Sharing Stories

Shataya Parsons, Ashley Van Vliet Williams, Deekyn Hockey and Jarvis Polley had front row seats at the ‘Sharing Stories' performance performed by local Illawarra school students as part of Reconciliation week. They students shared their stories through singing, storytelling, art, dance and plays. The show was hosted by Kevin Kropinyeri from the Aboriginal Comedy Allstars. The students particularly enjoyed watching Shakiah-Lee Preo dance with the Illawarra Flametrees dance group. Another highlight for them was the dream time story of why the Waratah flower is red.

Parent Teacher Night - 25th May 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:41 AEST

Booking Code: edval.com.au/book

The Parent Teacher Night for Years 11 and 12 will be held on Wednesday 25 May, 2016.

Families will receive either an email or letter that contains their unique booking code and an outline of the process.

From Monday 9 May to Thursday 19 May the website will be open for parents to nominate which teachers they would like to see. On Friday 20 May scheduling will occur based on staff availability and parent requests. You will not be able to book on this day.

From Saturday 21 May to 3pm Wednesday 25 May parents can go online and make available changes and print their schedule. Any changes after that will need to be made by calling the school on the Wednesday. As always, if you are having any difficulty please call the school for assistance.

Teachers will have prepared feedback for parents based on the bookings they receive.

To assist you to prepare for these interviews you might like to consider the following:

Before the interview:

Review your child's school work.
Talk to your child about school and how they think they are doing, how the teacher may help them to meet their goals.
Some questions you may ask : What is your teacher going to say about your work? What will the teacher say about you? What do you think you do really well? What do you need to focus on? Do you want me to ask the teacher any specific questions?
Prepare a list of specific questions to ask the teacher. The following suggestions may be useful: How well does my child listen to and/or follow instructions? Do you have any concerns about my child's skills level? How well does my child stay on task? How well does my child organise notes, work, stories, etc.? How well does my child complete assignments? Does my child read with comprehension? How well does my child read and understand words? Does my child actively participate in your class? Does my child hand in assignments on time, complete them at an acceptable level? What work areas does my child like best? What areas are more difficult for my child? What are my child 's learning strengths? Are there things we can do at home to help my child? Do you have suggestions for me to discuss with my child? Does my child seem to enjoy coming to your class?.

For the interview:

Be punctual.
Ask for suggestions on how you can help improve your child 's skills.
Interviews are confidential. Share personal information that might be affecting your child 's progress or behaviour at school e.g. family illness. This information can help the teacher understand your child better.
Clarify anything that you don 't understand.

After the interview:

Discuss the interview with your child.
Celebrate his/her strengths.
Discuss areas where improvement is needed.
Make positive comments about the interview process.
Negotiate a plan with your child that encourages them to take responsibility for their own learning.
Help to create a study time, review homework and encourage reading.
Follow up with your child 's teacher.
Read school paperwork brought home.
Stay informed.

Your active involvement and interest in their school sends your child positive messages.

As always, the school values feedback from parents and the community.

Please let us know how the process goes and don't hesitate to contact the school for further information.

Mrs Cole

Head Teacher Administration

High Tea at Warrigal Care Centre to celebrate Mothers’ Day

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:29 AEST

This week also Mrs Patrice Joynson took a number of students out to the Warrigal Care Centre to visit the elderly to celebrate Mothers' Day, with her she took an excited group of students who helped serve a ‘high tea'.
Acccompanying Mrs Joynson was Natara and Tahlee Parsons, Unica Roberts and Courtney Brown who assisted with the set-up of the room, served food and drinks and helped with clean up duties. The girls worked with eighty fine china cup and saucer sets (which is no mean feat).

Our students were confident, friendly and helpful to the elderly and the staff and represented Albion Park High proudly.

Warrigal Care were so impressed with our students that they have asked them to return on Fathers' Day as well as Melbourne Cup functions. Mrs Joynson was high in her praise and pride of the girls and is looking forward to the next event!

Reading Earns Free Movie Tickets

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:45 AEST

Congratulations to Shanaya Mullholland (7B), Arabella Couley (7I), Lilly Jackson (7A) and Piper Wesley (7L) who were the lucky Term 1 winners of free movie tickets to Greater Union Cinemas.
Regular reading of fifteen minutes each night is expected English homework for junior students at Albion Park High School. Students in Years 7 and 8 have been given reading logs. They are expected to fill them in, recording their regular reading. Parents are asked to encourage and monitor this homework, by signing the reading log.

More movie tickets will be on offer this term, so remember to read regularly and record it in your reading log. See Mrs Hoole in the Library if you are stuck for a book to read. It is her mission to match readers with a good book.

ANZAC Ceremony at APHS

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:07 AEST

I wish to thank all of the students who represented Albion Park High School at the various ANZAC ceremonies last week. I also wish to thank Daniel Jones-Morley on the recent leadership he showed in the organisation of the school ANZAC Ceremony on Wednesday 27 April. Daniel along with HSIE teacher Lynda Legradi and classmates worked as part of a team to ensure that Albion Park High School had a magnificent, moving and significant event to commemorate the 101st ANZAC service.

It has been an important focus and goal of the school in the last few years to ensure quality 21st century learning which encompasses growth in student leadership, problem solving, teamwork and communication. The participation in this important school event involves all of these. Well done!
Along with these I wish to express my thanks to teachers, Rebecca Keen, Tyne MacIver and the wonderful music students. From the sound deck to the choir, the guitarist to the piper and bugler – the music was magnificent.

Suzi Clapham
Principal

APHS Sports Committee 20-year anniversary celebration - August 27th 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:09 AEST

The Sports Committee are having a 20-yr anniversary celebration on Saturday, August 27th at the Albion Park RSL.

Please pass on this information to anyone you may know.

Contact the school or email Toddy at Michael.todd@det.nsw.edu.au for more information.

See pdf here (pdf 247 KB) for list of names.

Women in Defence High Tea Forum Dare to lead: Respect and Empowerment in Today’s Army Defence Force

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:57 AEST

Lauren Hughes and Sophie Nicholson recently attended the Women in Defence High Tea forum at the Novotel North Beach.

Dare to lead aims to inspire young female students to become leaders in their career and/or community.

Three guest speakers from various sections of the ADF addressed the group and shared their insights and leadership experience with the students.

This was then followed by a panel discussion with questions from the audience. Afterward we listened to some inspirational stories and enjoyed a splendid high tea.

Southern Stars Performing Company

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:55 AEST

The successful students to gain spots in this year's Southern Stars Performing Company are:

Dance – Emelia Tripp, Bella Bartlett, Jessie Ingram and Josie Barkeit.

Drama – Sophie Daniels and Georgie Davey.

Vocals – Latai Kinikini (Featured Artist) Sophie Elbourn (Backing Vocalist) Jameisha Regal-Baker (Reserve Core Choir).

Well done girls and in 2017 we aim to have some boys as well!

Albion Park High School student Jackson Stolk wins award

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:02 AEST

ENGAGING AWARD: Ivan Spyrdz from Cricket NSW, Jackson Stolk, Kiama MP Gareth Ward and NSW Minister responsible for Youth Affairs John Ajaka at the awards presentation.
Jackson Stolk meant it in a good way when he told his fellow Albion Park High School students to go and get on their bikes.
The Year 9 student organised a bike ride along Lake Illawarra to encourage students who don't usually ride bikes to gain confidence riding next to the road.
The teenager's efforts were recognised recently when he was presented with the Youth Frontiers – Engaging in Sport Award.
Kiama MP Gareth Ward and the Minister responsible for Youth Affairs John Ajaka, presented the award to Jackson at a ceremony at New South Wales Parliament House.
Mr Ward congratulated Jackson on the award.
‘'He planned and tested bike routes and organised a bike ride for 30 high school students where they learnt about bike safety and explored bike routes in their local area,'' Mr Ward said.
He said Youth Frontiers was a mentoring program that helps young people in Years 8 and 9 develop key life skills.
‘'Each student is paired with a mentor who volunteers to spend about an hour per week with them over six months during school,'' Mr Ward said.
‘'The participants then put the skills learnt into practice by working on a community project. The program challenges young people to do something about the issues affecting their local community.
‘'With the support of their mentor, the students have not only come up with creative solutions to local issues but developed key life skills.''
More than 1000 students and 1000 mentors participated in the program across all 93 State electorates. The six Youth Frontiers award categories include Empowering Young Women, won by Dapto High School student Zara Brown.
The awards were supported by SBS, Reach Out Australia, the Black Dog Institute, Cricket NSW, Telstra, Legacy NSW and Taronga Zoo.

Information at http://youth.nsw.gov.au/youth-frontiers

Source: http://www.advertiserlaketimes.com.au/story/3764968/bike-ride-wins-award/

Chess Champs

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:19 AEST

During week 8, four students from Albion Park competed in the Secondary Schools Country Chess Competition. The first round competition was against Oak Flats.
All four matches were friendly and engaging, with both teams consisting of a mixture of girls and boys.

Congratulations to the Albion Park players: Bryce Van den Berg (Yr 9), Joshua Baldwin (Yr 7), Myles Andreini, (Yr 7) and Lara Cobb (Yr 7) , who all won their games. Laura Galloway and Lily Jackson, also from Year 7, competed in social games on the day.

These competition matches support the friendly games played each Tuesday during the long break in the
Library seminar rooms. If you are interested in playing, or learning to play chess, please join us.

APHS wins the 2016 Dragon Boat Challenge on Lake Illawarra

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:09 AEST

Congratulations to the staff (Mr Todd) and students who participated in and won the Dragon Boat Challenge on Saturday 5th March 2016. The event was held on Lake Illawarra.

The team worked and had a great day. They were very excited to win the Schools section of the event.

The event was held as part of the Shellharbour Festival of Sport, which is held annually.

We only had 16 paddlers in the final compared to the other crews who all had 20!

Only 4 of the crew were part of the Chinese New Year crew, it was awesome!!

Crew members from Yrs 9-12.

Relay for Life 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:46 AEST

I would like to extend a huge congratulations and well done to Year 12 students Cristina Broncano and Shayla Lomans for the initiative they took in organising this year's Albion Park High School – Relay for Life team.
The girls have worked very hard over the last three weeks to register the team and organise fundraising for the Cancer Council, which culminated in the annual event at Albion Park Showground. In the short time they had to get organised they still managed to raise $435, all of which will go to Cancer research and support.
Amazing work girls. You should be proud of yourselves. Well done to the entourage of year 12 students who attended on the day as part of the school team, not to mention the many other students from our school who were also in attendance as part of teams they had entered with their family or their local sporting club. There was a great atmosphere down at the showground and it was so great to see our students giving up their weekend in order to put the needs of others ahead of their own. Bravo. I'm sure there would have been some sore and tired legs the next day.

The following students were involved in Relay for Life. We had a forty five minute set which was made up of three whole group numbers as well as solo's from Latai Kinikini (Year 8), Jameisha Regal-Baker (Year 11) and Ryan Bonacina (Year 12).
The students who were part of the Vocal Ensemble that day were: Jake Walker (Year7), Isabelle Quick (Year8), Latai Kinikini, Daniella Walker, Daniel Munro, Jack Mangoulias, Aleiya Jolliffe, Sophie Elbourn (Year 10), Jameisha Regal-Baker (Year 11), Ryan Bonacina (Year 12) and Keeley Horton
The group has received nothing but praise for their amazing sound and for how professionally they conducted themselves.

Swimming Carnival Report 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:50 AEST

Thursday the 11th of February marked our annual School Swimming Carnival, and what a great day it was. The sun   was   shining,   the birds were chirping and Mrs Keen was DJ-ing!
The day began with an announcement from Year 12 – they needed sponsors for their 100 lap
challenge!
The students vowed to swim 100 laps as a team, on flotation devices throughout the
day.   Some   lucky   (or   not   so   lucky)   teachers participated in the sponge throwing event, also
run by year 12.
These events were a bid to raise money for a school defibrillator , a fitting cause for the day. Year 12 raised a total of $495 – an awesome effort!!
By now, our competitive events were up and running   when   news   came   through   that   Amy Lucas had broken the record for the Girls 17+ butterfly   event,   swimming   a   time   of   30.44 seconds. This record has been held for 16 years with the previous time being 31.79 seconds. Well
done Amy!!
This carnival is the first of the year to contribute to our House Cup.
Congratulations go to Munda who won again   with a total of 871 points!
Congratulations Munda!

On Wednesday 17 February the Albion Park High School Swim Team travelled to Dapto Olympic Pool to compete in the Southern Illawarra Zone Swimming Carnival.
With around twenty competitors taking part in the day they showed exemplary behaviour, represented the school in a professional manner and also displayed great sportsmanship to all involved.
All students competed to the best of their abilities, with plenty of swimming talent on show across a range of the events. We have had a number of students now qualify for the South Coast Carnival.
Students that have qualified for the next carnival include:
¿ Tamzin Bowes ( 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle)
¿ Sarah Lucas (100 Breaststroke)
¿ Amber Robinson (200 IM, 50 Freestyle,100 Backstoke, 100 freestyle, 100 Breastsroke and 100 Butterfly)
¿ Amy Lucas (200IM, 50 Freestyle,100 Backstoke, 100 Freestyle, 100 Breastsroke and 100 Butterfly)
¿ Jake Hollingsworth (50 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke and 100 Freestyle)
¿ Aiden Sheil (100 Butterfly)
¿ Brendan Quirk (100 Breastroke)

We also had two relay teams qualify for the next level with some great performances, one being our 15 years girls 4 x 50 relay and also our 16 years boys 4 x 50 relay, special mention also has to go out to all the student's that waited around for relays, with many students swimming up an age group to allowing the school to be represented in as many relays as possible, this showed great school spirit.
Along with competitors on the day we also had numerous members from the school's Sports Committee in attendance volunteering in a number of roles throughout the day and by all accounts they did a fantastic job.
The South Coast Carnival will be held on the 9 March, again at Dapto Olympic Pool. We would like to wish all students competing the best of luck in all their events, and hope to see a number students move through to the state carnival to be held later in the year.

National Apology Day Activities

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:38 AEST

National Apology Day Activities were coordinated by the Illawarra Women's Group at Windang on Thursday 25^th February. Tahlee Parson, Jessie Ingram and Courtney Walsh attended and enjoyed the opportunity to meet with other school groups, elders and community leaders. They learnt how to weave with natural materials while listening to women's stories.

The Illawarra Koori Men's Support Group also hosted National Apology Day activities to commemorate our stolen generations. Deekyn Hockey, Andrew Carter and Anthony Pietrobelli participated in a smoking ceremony and assisted with tree planting.

Kevin Rudd in 2008 made an Apology to the Indigenous peoples of this land. He reflected in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations.

"We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country. For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind. We say sorry." Excerpt from The Apology. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Wednesday, February 13, 2008.

Chinese New Year Dragonboating

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:20 AEST

The Year of the Monkey has seen another boatload of APHS students contest the Chinese New Year Dragonboating Regatta in Darling Harbour – the final event of the 2-week long Chinese New Year Festival up in Sydney.

Twenty Year 11 students have been training during sport time to prepare for this meet and we were pitted up against numerous private schools across NSW and Canberra. Over 3,000 paddlers were competing on the day, which was not exactly what our students thought they were in for!

Despite some nerves and a slightly inexperienced crew compared to our rivals, the APHS team had loads of fun, even if we didn't exactly finish amongst the place-getters.

Huge thanks to the parents' who transported their offspring up to Sydney, plus the ‘ring-ins' who filled our boat for the second race.

I hope you all enjoyed the experience!

Latest Media Release - Emergency services issue warning after fatal snake bite

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:34 AEST

You may be aware of the tragic death of a 6yo girl in northern NSW this week due to a snake bite. It is such a tragedy for the family (friends and community) and an unfortunate reminder that we live in a country where we have some of the most deadly snakes.

Emergency Services have released a warning after this fatal incident (link can be found here )

More Information
First Aid - Spider Bite information sheet ( here (pdf 94 KB)
First Aid - Snake Bite information sheet ( here (pdf 87 KB)
Snakes - Risk management guidance (Work Health and Safety Directorate ) ( here (pdf 415 KB)

Photo Day - Monday 15 February, 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:44 AEST

School Photos will be held on Monday 15th February.

APHS 2016 EXPO

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:07 AEST

Albion Park High School would like to invite all our parents and community members to the EXPO on March 2 from 4-6pm.

This is an opportunity for our students to show off some of the amazing opportunities for learning that they participate in on a daily basis.

There will be some fundraising stalls as well as tea and coffee being provided by our fantastic hospitality students.

Come along and Leap Into Learning at your local public school.

FIT I a.m Breakfast Club

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:26 AEST

Did you hear about FIT I A.M Fitness and Breakfast Club??

DETAILS:

This great Sports Committee initiative is run every Tuesday and Friday mornings at 7:30am in the school gym. It starts Week 3, Term 2 and runs for the entire year. Students engage in ½ an hour of physical activity and then are provided with breakfast all before the bell goes for roll call. Students receive a membership card which works on a loyalty system, where a stamp is given for participation for students to earn prizes.

So grab some friends and come along to FIT I A.M!!

Family Movie Night! Help our school buy a defibrillator!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:25 AEST

Year 12 will be hosting a family movie night on Friday 19 February (week 4) in the school Gymnasium at Albion Park High School.

All proceeds of the night will be going towards the purchase of a much need defibrillator. A defibrillator is a potentially life-saving, emergency device that costs around $4000.

Tickets can be purchased in advance from the front office for $2 or on the night for $2.50. Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult, so bring your parents and siblings (only family members of Albion Park High School students allowed).

So come, watch a movie on the big screen and support this fantastic cause!

If you need more information, see your school captain-Katelyn Todd.

Mr Farrugia

Year 12 Advisor

Just a few reminders ...

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:39 AEST

• OPAL CARDS for buses have arrived and many are still sitting in the front office. There will be a deadline before which students are allowed onto a bus without them so if your child hasn't picked theirs up, please do so this week. (Please note: To report a lost, stolen or damaged School Opal card customers should phone 131500 or visit transportnsw.info/school-student).

• If your details of residence, phone or living arrangements have changed in any way over the holiday break please let the front office know immediately. This is essential in case of emergency that we are able to contact parents appropriately.

• If your child was not present at the end of the year they may not have received their school report. Those remaining will be given out this week so please ask your child for their report.

Youth Frontiers Program 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:03 AEST

The Youth Frontiers program was introduced to Albion Park High School and involved collaboration with Workplace Learning Illawarra.

Youth Frontiers is a youth mentoring program funded by the NSW Department of Education & Communities. It is aimed at students in years 8 or 9, who have the capacity to benefit from youth mentoring that focuses on leadership and civic engagement.

The program aims to increase young peoples' involvement with the community. It is a minimum 6 month commitment with students meeting with mentors for 1-2 hours a week for a minimum of 30 hours. The goal of the program is for students to develop a Community project around the themes of Community Harmony, Youth Mental Health, Sporting Engagement, Environment and Conservation, Empowering Young Women, Centenary of Anzac, and there is a General Category for students who wish to develop their own idea.

Eight students from Year 9 (Joshua Bowden, Corey Debnam, Kory Griffiths, Riley MacQueen, Ethan Smith, Jackson Stolk, Taj Bartlett, Kade Lucas) were selected to participate in the 2015 program. Following an initial introduction to the program the mentees were matched with local mentors based on shared interests. They then spent time with their mentor to define goals and to plan their community service project.

One to one sessions were scheduled once a week at an arranged time to suit both the mentee and mentor. This was negotiated around the school timetable and took place within the school environment.

The projects developed by our students included the delivery of sport coaching sessions at the local primary school, the creation of an Anzac memorial garden and a bike ride in the local area to promote the outdoors and a healthy lifestyle. The students had to overcome a number of barriers and utilised teamwork, communication, leadership and decision making skills to achieve their goals.

The mentoring program took place in Terms 2 and 3 and culminated in showcases at the end of Term 4 where mentees presented the results of their community projects and shared what they had achieved. At this time the efforts of all of our students were recognised and all eight students should be congratulated for their creativity, flexibility and persistence.

The students involved would like to acknowledge the assistance given to them by their mentors, who volunteered their time so that the program could run and also the significant contribution of Shelly Mainon, Sharon Justice and Fiona Crane from Workplace Learning Illawarra who coordinated the program. We were also lucky to have a number of donations from the local community that allowed the Anzac memorial garden to be planted.

Following the submission of all 2015 projects, Jackson Stolk's project has been selected as a State Finalist and he will attend an awards ceremony on Wednesday 17 February at NSW Parliament House. We wish Jackson luck at this presentation!

A special note for Year 12

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:58 AEST

From Trish Hammond (Deputy Principal - Relieving)

Welcome back to year 12!!!

I hope you had a restful break and are ready to engage in your final year of schooling at Albion Park High School.

I want to start the year with an encouragement for you to be successful learners.

Successful criteria for learning is through engagement and ownership in your education; it supports you to learn to be self-regulating – that is, to self-monitor your way to success. Our School motto of Respect Responsibility and Commitment - how does this relate to you? What does it mean to you? Are you a positive role model? The younger students look up to you...so what type of person do you want to reflect????

The end point of your schooling should be an accumulation of personal growth, success and realisation of what you want for yourself ... Are you giving yourself the best chance of success? At times, barriers may seem insurmountable, and yet, across the world others are using all support systems available to overcome "the tipping point." The benefits of attending school every day is a critical part of achieving success:

Students who attended school regularly were more likely to be informed and pass assessments.
Provide Opportunity: Being in school every day gives you a chance to learn more about opportunities for successful academic achievements.
Being part of the school community can help you to maintain friendships and relationships and develop a broader world view.
Employers look for high attendance with skills of punctuality, self-discipline and organisation- they won't employ someone who has "sickies" or is unreliable!

Make the best of the next three terms, and if you think you haven't put your best foot forward, it's not too late...get the right advice, support and guidance so you can reach your full potential, so that when you graduate from Albion Park High School you can be proud of your efforts and achievements and have no regrets.

The best motivation comes from within, and a sense of fulfilment and achievement comes from looking in the mirror and being able to say "I have done the best I could do". Be self-motivated to say I want better for myself... It's all about you… your dreams, your goals, your visions, your life. How will you shape them? How will you nurture them? How will you prove your worth? It's all in your hands at this point in time, and I hope that in looking back you won't regret anything.

I am looking forward to working with you during term 1 to ensure you settle into a productive term with successful learning as your goal!

A great start to High School for Year 7 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:58 AEST

Year 7 have experienced a fantastic start to their high school career!

Students participated in the inaugural APHS Amazing Race, which saw them race around the school competing in an assortment of different activities. Students had to construct Lego vehicles, challenge Year 11 in hand ball, solve scientific and mathematical puzzles, unleash their inner artist to play the glockenspiel, partake in Drama improvisation and many other exciting tasks.

This activity gave students the opportunity to work alongside their Year 11 peers, navigate the school grounds, meet teachers and make new friends with their team members. Year 7 displayed wonderful school spirit and amazing sportsmanship. Well done!

Swimming Carnival - 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:49 AEST

B.Y.O.D Requirements

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:13 AEST

Please find specifications for B.Y.O.D here (pdf 997 KB)

A copy of the loan request can be found here (pdf 231 KB)

See the e-learning tab for more information.

Activity Days 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:59 AEST

Various activities took place over the last 2 days at APHS.

Students could choose a variety of options including: Jamberoo, fishing, Colouricious, relaxation, Pixar, Hogwarts, leisure, Star Wars, cycling, origami, shopping, table tennis, swimming, car washing, martial arts, strolling and many more.

Thanks to Ms Poole, Ms Nelson and Mrs Keen for their hard work overseeing the organisation and to all staff who spent time organising their activities.

School Spectacular - 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:48 AEST

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and sincerely thank the students, staff and school communities that participated in the 32nd Schools Spectacular - This is our World. This year, over 3,600 of the most talented singers, dancers, instrumentalists and actors from 491 NSW public schools took part in the show's final performances at the Qantas Credit Union Arena.

The show will be broadcast on:

· Saturday 5 December, from 7.00 pm – 10.00 pm, on the Nine Network; and

· Saturday 12 December, from 12.30 pm – 3.30 pm, on GEM.

The entire show will also be available to view via catch-up TV at Jump-in from Sunday 13 December 2015. Jump-in is a free, downloadable app. For details please see www.jump-in.com.au

We are very proud of Jessie Ingram from Year 8 who was a featured dancer during the event.

Bridge to Asia Day 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:15 AEST

On Friday 27th November we welcomed the year 5 students from Mt Terry and Albion Park primary schools for an adventure through Asia. Many of the staff were dressed in regional costumes, from Japan, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, India and our intrepid PDHPE department who were Nepalese trekkers from the Himalayas! The students arrived excited and ready to explore our region with our year 7 guides. The primary school students were issued their passports and escorted through ‘customs' and onto various lessons around the school. The aim of the day is to share some of the cultural diversity of our region and to have a little fun along the way.

Students travelled to Indonesia to make masks, Japan for calligraphy, games and language, Korea to learn some Tae-Kwon-Do and Pakistan to learn about Malala Yousafzai. Each group of primary school students was guided through the activity by current year 7 and 10 Japanese students in addition to the support of our amazing staff. After a whirlwind tour of three stopovers the primary school students had gained some new experiences and learnt a little more about our geographical region. A brief customs check, a final stamp in the passport and we waved them off to return home to Australia with a little more knowledge and a lot of fun.

Thank you to all staff and students who were involved and to Ms Hutchins who organized the day.

Victor Chang Award - 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:54 AEST

On Friday 6 November Claire Phillips from the Science faculty had the great pleasure of accompanying Hallam Patrikka to the Victor Change Awards at Figtree High School. This award program is sponsored by the Victor Change Cardiac Research Institute and is awarded to students in recognition of outstanding efforts in Science. The Science Faculty of Albion Park High School nominated Hallam due to his excellent efforts to achieve the highest mark in both Preliminary Chemistry and Biology.

The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Professor Jamie Vandenberg from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute who spoke to the students about the joys of pursuing a career in scientific research. Professor Vandenberg touched on the fact that a large number of future careers will rely on the logical thought processes taught in scientific disciplines, and that they are already ahead of many in their cohort.
He mentioned the opportunities both within Australia and around the world for the growth of STEM-based careers and interpreting the research outputs into tangible products. Professor Vandenberg also spoke to the students about the importance of mentors. Initially these will be their parents and teachers, but to reach out and look for connections through universities and businesses to find the people who will both inspire and challenge them to reach their full abilities.

In addition to this prestigious award, Hallam has been invited to tour the Victor Change Institute in early December. This is an amazing opportunity for a student who has worked consistently throughout his schooling career. The Science faculty are very proud of the hard work that our students are doing and hope for many more such achievements.

Stage 5 Food Technology News

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:56 AEST

Year 9

In a recent assessment, Year 9 Food Technology students designed and produced individual Novelty Cakes to celebrate a 5 year old's birthday.

A huge effort was made by all students to decorate and present their cakes and party theme. Themes included; Minney Mouse, Frozen, beach, rainbows, butterflies and Cookie Monster cakes, just to name a few.

A wonderful effort was made by all and I was very proud of their commitment and determination to succeed in the task.

Year 10

In Term 4, Year 10 Food Technology students have been learning about the Food Service and Catering industry. They applied their knowledge and skills to prepare and present an afternoon tea for invited guests.

Thank you to all parents, family members and staff who were able to attend the afternoon tea and provide students with valuable feedback.

Student leaders for 2016

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:57 AEST

It is with enormous pleasure that I present to our community our new captains, vice-captains and prefects for 2016. The voting went ahead smoothly and was amazingly close. These students are fine young people who have deserved their positions. I look forward very much to working with them all next year.

CAPTAINS

Katelyn Todd
Jack Twist

VICE CAPTAINS

Georgia Moore
Will Worthy

PREFECTS

Nick Davies
Michael Fielder
Melissa Gibbons
Brittany Jolliffe
Aaron Schloeffel

Try A Trade

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:52 AEST

Students from Albion Park High School have been busy building a toolbox, learning about motor vehicles and constructing brick walls with our Try a Trade initiative across TAFE Illawarra Shellharbour and Wollongong.

The one semester customised commercial program is an extension of the Career Pathway Taster and gives selected students from local high schools an opportunity to gain essential practical skills in a cross-section of trade areas.

Deborah White, TVET coordinator, says the program is an innovative way to engage future students with the range of career pathways on offer at TAFE Illawarra.

"The idea behind the Try a Trade initiative is to give students an enjoyable experience that might connect them with a study area of interest. The students will be continuing their learning with plumbing basics at TAFE Illawarra Wollongong in a couple of weeks and will also gain a White Card and First Aid Certificate.
At the end of the program the students will walk away with practical experience, a sense of their future career possibilities and certificates in specific areas."

Activity Week in Week 11

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:00 AEST

This year as you will be aware we are running the inaugural "Activity Week" and all students have now chosen what they intend doing. This involves running two days (Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th December) of a wide range of activities; these activities are designed and run by staff who chose them because of their exciting and relationship-building factor. This is a wonderful opportunity to have fun, be involved, spend time with friends, get to know other people, be active, get your Christmas shopping done and make great relationships with new staff.

We are very positive about the social outcomes of these two days and excited about what the prospects for even more exciting events in the future. I want to remind parents that this is not a time to have off school – there is an activity for everyone and not all of the activities cost money. Please work with us to get into the Christmas spirit of joy and good-will and set high expectations of attendance for your child. Thanks very much to Mrs Rebecca Keen, Ms Kelly Poole and Mrs Emma Nelson, who are working hard on the organisational aspects of the days.

Suzi Clapham

Principal

Fit I a.m Fitness and Breakfast Club

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:26 AEST

Fit I a.m Fitness and Breakfast Club has recently received substantial sponsorships and donations from various local community organisations, including a generous donation from the Albion Park Crows Junior AFL Club. The funding will allow for new fitness equipment, club jerseys and cover ongoing running costs next year.
Fit I a.m has resumed for Term 4 and runs every Tuesday and Friday morning at 7.30am. FIT I a.m provides all students and teachers with the opportunity to begin their school day participating in a range of physical activities as well as enjoying a nutritious breakfast.

The Australian Mathematics Competition

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:51 AEST

The 38th annual Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) took place in August in primary and secondary schools all over Australia. Hundreds of thousands of students from Year 3 to Year 12 compete on the same day, making it possibly one of the largest single events on the Australian education calendar.
Students of all levels of ability, from all types of schools in vastly different locations around the country, sat a 75-minute secondary paper, which contained quirky questions with an emphasis on fun and problem solving.
The AMC is also the first and believed to be one of the largest competitions of its kind in the world, with more than 1100 prizes and 60 medals awarded annually. Since it began in 1978, it has become a truly international event, attracting approximately 14 million entries. This year, there are entries from more than 40 countries across South East Asia, the Pacific, Europe, and Africa. There is an increase in entries from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.
‘Many of Australia's leading mathematicians under the age of about 40 were identified through the AMC and are products of the Olympiad programs. They are serving their country in science in areas such as climate change and defence', he added.
Students who are outstanding both within their state or country and overall in the Competition are awarded medals at annual ceremonies.
The Trust is under the Trusteeship of the University of Canberra. Support for the AMC also comes from the Canberra Mathematical Association.

The Albion Park High Mathematics Faculty wishes to congratulate the following courageous students who participated in this year's competition. They placed themselves far out of their comfort zone and for this reason alone, they should be celebrated.
Year 7:
Emily Sherwood, Paris Butler, Erin Pasfield, Bailey Oldfield, Kaylee Thorn-Clarke, Claire Williams, Latai Kinikini, Lorena Ramirez, William Wheatley, Kathryn Lynn, Summa Burk, Ashley Van Vliet Williams, Skye Yeaman, Benjamin Hansen-Arthur, Jack Mangoulias, Kaitlyn Whitchurch, Taneisha Griffiths, Isabelle Harding, Clayten McGlynn, Jacinta Tanti.
Year 8:
Josephine Barkeit, Daniel Munro.
Well done everyone and thank you for your commitment to excellence.
Mr F Gonzalez
Maths Head Teacher

Debate Roundup

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:23 AEST

The final debate for our junior debating team saw them compete against Moss Vale High School early this term. The team, comprising Aleiya Jolliffe, Aliya Picker, Chloe Flynn and Chloe Clifford were victorious in their argument that "we should ban the Naplan test". On such a contentious topic, the team put forward key arguments based heavily around statistics and facts about educational standards. They dominated the debate and each spoke to a time above the 4 minute mark.
This was a wonderful way to conclude the debating competition this year and our team have performed very well to achieve a pleasing 2 out of 3 wins. As always, they conducted themselves confidently and with good manners. A fabulous effort.
Mrs Cable

Year 12 - Class of 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:59 AEST

The end of Term 3 saw a wonderful graduation ceremony for our Year 12s. This emotional experience took place in the school gym and the students looked splendid in their graduation gowns. It was wonderful to see the way these students approached the ceremony as they prepared to leave Albion Park High School.

These Year 12 students are currently preparing to sit for their HSC examinations.
These commence in Week 2 and I know the entire Albion Park community wishes them all the best in this regard. The HSC is an internationally recognised qualification and the exams are the final component of the credential.

Albion Park High School Footy Teams Kicking Goals

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:02 AEST

Albion Park High School has always had a strong tradition in rugby league and we have had another successful year with a number of our teams.

Under 14's Buckley Shield Report

Our Under 14's boys CHS Buckley Shield team were regional champions and reached the final 16 in NSW. Not many teams in the school's history have reached this stage in rugby league and it is a credit to the boys, Mr Georgiou and the parents who positively support their children.

First game was against Lake, Round 2 a 18-16 win. We were up 18-0 at half-time then rested a few players for games later in the day. We had three tries in the second half and threw everyone back on. We held on for the win, more comfortable than the score suggested as their third try was very late in the game. The standouts of the game were Jack Walsh and Jack Veenstra. Round 3 was a forfeit from Warilla. In Round 4 we played Bomaderry without 4 players due to rep commitments. Another 18-16 win, this time we scored two late tries after trailing 16-6 to steal the win. Two tries to Jack Walsh and one to Jack Noveski. Noveski scored the try to level it up, with Jack Walsh hitting the conversion with a minute and a half to play to get us home. We had to make the kick to get us through as Bomaderry had scored first. Other notable efforts in that game came from Tahj Amone and Logan Stubbs. That win took us through to the last 16, where we played Punchbowl. We went down 12-8. Two tries a piece, but they hit their conversions and we didn't. A tough game, we dropped ball at key times which probably killed us. Standout performers were Jack Oldfield, Lachlan Davies and Jamie Tanti.

Mr Georgiou

Under 15's Country Cup Report

Our Under 15's team have enjoyed plenty of success over the last few years in the school arena and this year has been no different. We won the Southern Illawarra section of the Country Cup then went on to win the South Coast section of this same tournament. This meant we progressed through to the Southern NSW Finals of the Country Cup, which is played down in Cootamundra. This is the second time we have travelled to this tournament so most of the boys knew we were in for a cold morning and some tough footy.

We played St Francis, Leeton in our first game. We started slowly with a bit of dropped ball and St Francis took advantage of this and raced out to an early lead and got the win. They went on to win the tournament.

In our second game we played Picton High. We usually have the wood on Picton through our annual Park Vs Picton trial, but Picton came out more enthusiastic and were in front for most of the game. We came back at Picton but it was a little too late and they ended up defeating us.

In our final game we played Red Bend College who took out the tournament when we played them 2 years ago. We were playing for pride and to the boys' credit, they came out firing and played their best football to defeat Red Bend, who are an all-boys college at Forbes, who focus on rugby league.

A big thanks goes out to all the parents who took time off work and help to transport and stay with the players. Thanks to Mr Georgiou for assisting as well. Without your help these trips just don't work and I know the boys and I are extremely grateful for your support. Also a massive thank you goes out to Mr Franke who sponsored the boys' playing shorts and socks. Your support is much appreciated.

Mr Blake

CAPA Night

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:18 AEST

I would like to congratulate Ms MacIver "Ms Mac" and her students for holding a terrific CAPA (Creative & Performing Arts) event last Wednesday evening. The performances were wonderful, and the lighting, sound and set-up very professional, thanks to her trusty ‘entertainment crew'. Not only did the evening showcase the talent of the students, some of the talent was extraordinarily good; it also provided an opportunity for our students no matter what age, to grow and develop in a safe and caring environment. When parents were surveyed throughout 2015 the resounding comment was that they wanted their children to be happy and to be able to develop to their full potential as people; as educators we know that this can only happen when our students feel safe and able to make errors but feel supported and nurtured. This is exactly what I witnessed in this event, students having a go, doing their best, being supported by their friends and class mates with a teacher who is respected and trusted. I hope that this event grows to become bigger every year so that we can celebrate the performances of more of our talented students. Well done!

Ski Trip 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:51 AEST

B street smart Crossroads excursion

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:13 AEST

We had a group of sixty seven, Year 11 students who attended the ‘b street smart' excursion at the Acer Arena in Homebush, Sydney earlier this term, along with 5000 other high school students.

Crossroads is a compulsory 25 hour course in NSW DET schools which helps to transition students from Years 11 to 12 by giving them vital life skills.

We have attended this road safety course last year and felt that it had a great impact on the students who attended, so we decided to make the trip up again in 2015.

We caught the bus up to Homebush and started the day off with a very confronting crash scene scenario which involved multiple people and various emergency services.

We then had some guest speakers from the Brain Injury unit speaking about their life experiences suffering from a brain injury after being involved in an accident. Morgan Evans, the ‘b street smart' ambassador, then spoke about his experiences and performed for the crowd.

Next was lunch and an opportunity to visit some interactive displays. Heaps of different displays to view from Wheelchair Sports NSW to NSW Fire and Rescue to Organ Donation.

After lunch we finished off with a guest speaker who suffered a spinal injury from a car accident and then had some visual demonstrations on stopping distances and being aware on the road.

All the Year 11 who attended were well-behaved and I feel they all took away something that they can use when they get behind the wheel.

Thanks to Mr Farrugia, Mrs Pack, Miss Elm and also Miss de Jager who either helped organise or supervised on the day.

Mr Blake

Shine - Term 3 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:50 AEST

On Monday 7 September, eleven girls from Years 8 and 9 graduated from SHINE for Term 3. SHINE is a self-esteem program for girls highlighting their worth, strength and purpose.

The girls attend the course one period a week on a Monday for the whole term with the last week being a graduation lunch held at Murphy's Bar and Grill.Thank you to Mrs Pack (Year 8 Advisor) for also attending the luncheon. Congratulations to all girls who attended SHINE.

Feedback is always positive from the girls doing the course.

A big thank you to the P & C Association of Albion Park High School for their ongoing support of this very worthwhile program.

Mrs Osadczuk

Southern Stars - Beyond the Frame Overview - 2105

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:53 AEST

This year we had such an amazing variety in the students representing Albion Park High School at Southern Stars. Here is an overview.

Southern Stars Performing Company

Josie Barkeit and Jessie Ingram are two fantastic dancers who auditioned and were successful in becoming part of the Southern Stars Performing Company. They make up part of an elite group of dancers who feature in this year's show. They performed brilliantly and their school and community are very proud of you.

Fabulous Vocal Ensemble

The Fabulous Vocal Ensemble was under the expert guidance of Miss Boyd. This group rehearse after school each week and have been working very hard in preparation for this year's show. They are part of over 400 students who make up the Mass Choir and feature in 23 songs throughout the production. We are very excited to have APHS represented in the Mass Choir this year.

Sound Team

Jack Twist has been Mrs Keen's go to guy for anything sound and technical for a number of years. This year he has been given the opportunity to work closely with the sound team and in particular is charged with making sure all the Featured Vocalists are mic-ed up and ready to go. The technology Jack is working with and the sheer size of the production gives him a very unique experience, one he can't get from a classroom or school production. We are proud of you Jack, learn lots and bring us back lots of new tricks and ideas we can use at school.

The Illawarra Flame Trees

Shakiah-Lee Preo is part of an indigenous dance group called the Illawarra Flame Trees. The group is made up of students from across the region and in featured as part of the moving choir item. Southern Stars Performing Company. Well done Shakiah was amazing and we are all very proud of you.

Core Choir

Sophie Elbourn and Latai Kinikini auditioned and were successful in being selected for this year's Core Choir, a group of 23 students who are part of the Mass Choir but are required to sing more complex parts often in 3 part harmony. The girls have worked very hard, giving up weekends and holiday time to attend rehearsals. They have represented their school proudly and it is very exciting to see such talent coming from our school. We enjoyed seeing you sing up a storm.

Southern Stars Orchestra

Chloe Flynn was selected out of many student musicians across the region to be part of the Southern Stars orchestra. She is pictured here in the pit where she plays the 8 numbers which she has been allocated to play in the show. Congratulations Chloe, Albion Park High is very proud of you and excited about seeing you shine in Southern Stars - Beyond the Frame.

Southern Stars Dance Team

The Fabulous Southern Stars Dance Team was under the expert guidance of Mrs McKinnirey and Mrs Woods. This group during sport time and have been working very hard in preparation for this year's show. This year they are involved in a number of dances and get to share the arena floor with some of the region's best dancers. It was amazing to have so many talented young people in this year's production.

Drama Company

Jameisha Regal-Baker and Amber Gehrmann auditioned and were successful in being selected for this year's Drama Company, a group of students who were featured throughout this year's show, but who will be remembered for the very moving 100 Year Anzac Tribute. The girls have worked very hard, giving up weekends and holiday time to attend rehearsals. They have represented their school proudly and it was very exciting to see such talent coming from our school.

M@ster of ChefsCook Off

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:35 AEST

Congratulations to the year 10 students who were successful at being selected in the 2015 M@ster of Chefs Cook Off.

Throughout the M@ster of Chef Unit, Year 10 Food Technology students learnt about food styling and photography techniques and applied these techniques in a range of practical experiences. The best of the best students, throughout the unit were then selected to participate in the final cook off.

Well done to all the students who competed, you all showed great commitment to the competition and prepared and presented your food with great style.

Congratulations to this years winner: Aleesha Windsor who worked with creativity and diligence to create a high tea with an 'Alice in Wonderland' theme.

Year 7 in 2016 - Information Session

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:02 AEST

Year 7 2016 Information Session

When: Monday 7 September

Time: 4-5pm

Where: In the library

Come along to meet the staff, collect your information packs and find out all
there is to know about starting at APHS in 2016.

A Cheesy Grin for Some Lucky Students

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:57 AEST

Albion Park High School was one of several NSW schools making their own camembert cheese through an innovative Dairy Australia program, Cows Create Careers – Camembert in the Classroom.

The program is designed to encourage secondary school teachers and students to learn about the Australian dairy industry while introducing students to dairy manufacturing careers and pathways.

Students made their own camembert cheese in the classroom and completed tasks from the information pack, including a multimedia advertisement addressing ‘Why Dairy is an Important Part of Our Diet'.

Upon completion of the program, Russell Smith, along with accredited judges, will judge and award the region's winning cheese at a ‘Big Day Out' awards presentation on 8 September 2015. Good luck Albion Park Year 10 Food Technology Cheese Makers.

Patrice Joynson, Heather Woolley

Home Economics – Food Technology

Inbound Japan Visit

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:31 AEST

Albion Park High School recently hosted another successful visit from our sister school in Saitama, Japan. Ten students and two teachers from Omiya Kita High School spent eight nights with host families and enjoyed a full program of activities. This is the fifth time that staff and students from Omiya Kita have visited our school.

Having travelled from their rather hot and humid summer, the group found the cool weather at Albion Park a little difficult to adjust to but did not let it dampen their spirits. The school program included sports activities, class integration, cultural presentations to all Year 7 Japanese classes and an Australian Geography lesson.

A full day excursion was to Symbio Wildlife Park where Japanese students were able to see various animals and even pat a koala. This seemed to be a highlight for many.

Japanese students also participated in the Education Week festivities with Year 4 students from local primary schools. This involved Year 4 students experiencing the Japanese language and culture through calligraphy, origami, games and dressing up in traditional Japanese clothing, Kimono.

On the middle weekend, the majority of the group spent the weekend with their host families visiting Sydney, going to the beach, visiting the zoo, shopping and many other local attractions. The group were farewelled Thursday morning with many tears from both Japanese and Australian students.

We would like to thank our host families who so generously welcomed these students into their homes and to experience life as a member of their family for the week. Without your support and assistance, programs like this would not be possible.

In September 2016, ten students and five teachers from Albion Park High School will be heading to Japan for a reciprocal visit. This program will involve our students being hosted by students from Omiya Kita High School for one week. Our group will then tour Japan where we will visit places such as Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Tokyo. All students and teachers are extremely excited and counting down the days!

Bedtime Stories for Young Brains

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:15 AEST

By PERRI KLASS, M.D.

AUGUST 17, 2015

A little more than a year ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement saying that all pediatric primary care should include literacy promotion, starting at birth.

That means pediatricians taking care of infants and toddlers should routinely be advising parents about how important it is to read to even very young children. The policy statement, which I wrote with Dr. Pamela C. High, included a review of the extensive research on the links between growing up with books and reading aloud, and later language development and school success.

But while we know that reading to a young child is associated with good outcomes, there is only limited understanding of what the mechanism might be. Two new studies examine the unexpectedly complex interactions that happen when you put a small child on your lap and open a picture book.

Read full article HERE

Carrington Falls Walk

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:18 AEST

Albion Park High School ED Unit explored the Carrington Falls area on Friday 24 July. We were fortunate enough to get a clear sunny day, albeit with some mud on the ground, but not enough to stop our crew.

We were suitably impressed with the height of the waterfall and the expansive valley that flowed beyond. There were numerous walking trails that lead to more impressive views over the Kangaroo River and beyond.

Uniform Shop - 20% off Sale!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:53 AEST

The Uniform Shop is having a 20% off sale in the last 2 weeks of this term.

See the image below and click here (pdf 549 KB) for more details.

Southern Stars - “Beyond the Frame”

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:54 AEST

Not long now before the big Southern Stars event "Beyond the Frame"; have you purchased your tickets yet? Click here to buy now!

I wish to thank all of our fabulous staff who took extra periods to teach Year 4 last week in Education Week. All the reports have been extremely positive and we are thrilled that out little people enjoyed being at Albion Park High.

Education Week

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:24 AEST

On Tuesday 4 August Albion Park High School celebrated Education Week in the best way possible. One hundred and eighty five Year 4 students from our Community of Schools joined us for a day celebrating public education and having a lot of fun. The primary school students got involved in a variety of classes including Japanese, Science, Music, Library, Dance, Art, Maths, English, TAS, PDHPE and even a session on Positive Behaviours.

This is the third year we have combined our Education Week celebrations with the primary schools and many of our current Year 7s, who attended the first one, remember the day fondly. In addition to the primary schools we schedule the day to coincide with the visit from Omiya Kita, our Japanese exchange school, in order to expand the horizons of all the students involved.

Our Japanese exchange students set up two rooms this year to double the fun and exchange ideas on writing, games and the daily life of a student. The Year 9 guides did an excellent job of getting involved with the Year 4s and encouraging them to take part in the activities along the way. This was also a learning experience for them in preparation for leadership roles that will become open to them in the next few years.

The Year 4 students left at the end of the day with massive smiles and a wish that they could have stayed longer. A massive thank you goes to all the staff involved, especially as they volunteer their time for these special days. But the smiles on the faces of all our students and prospective students make the hard work worthwhile.

Claire Phillips

COS co-ordinator

Albion Park High School Student Boxing Around the Globe

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:02 AEST

We currently have one of our Year 11 students over in the US competing in the World Ringside Championships. Sam Goodman, of Year 11, is over in Kansas City for 3 weeks competing in the 56kg division in the 16-18 years age group. This has been funded by the PCYC Academy.

Sam has had plenty of success already in his young boxing career. Some of his achievement include:

Winning State titles in the 16-18 years 56kg division
Finishing 2nd in the Australian title in the 16-18 years 56kg division
Currently holding the Golden Gloves title- which is the biggest open tournament for 16-18 year olds
Currently holding the Southeast Qld title in the 16-18 years 56kg division

Sam was also competing for a spot in the upcoming Commonwealth Games team in the 16-18 years 56kg division. Despite beating some of his rivals, Sam was not selected for this team after a controversial decision, but Sam has vowed to keep persisting with his rigorous training regime in the hope he can make the team at his next attempt.

We wish Sam all the best of luck. I'm sure he will do his school and family proud.

Regional Athletics Report

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:46 AEST

Mother Nature has not been kind to us this year and our sports carnivals have suffered! Zone Athletics was no exception, wet weather meant that the carnival was rescheduled twice, and ultimately, cancelled entirely! In turn, we needed to submit distances and times to the zone convener, knowing that only the best three would go through to regional.

Twenty nine of our students made it through for a number of events and represented Albion Park High School at the AIS athletics track on Friday 31 July. We had an extremely successful day with 13 students making it through to represent the South Coast at the NSW CHS Carnival in September this year.

A stand-out performance was from Nicholas Horton, who broke the 15 years High Jump record, jumping a huge 1.90m (only 3 cm below his own height!) and beating the old record of 1.87m. He then went on to break the 15 years 200m Hurdles record by 0.21 of a second, running in 27.80 seconds. Nicholas accumulated the most amount of points for his age group and was crowned age champion.

A special mention to Karlie Gentles who offered to run in the 15 years girls relay team after already competing in the 13 years relay. Karlie knew that she would only be participating in the event to ensure our 15 years girls had a run, understanding that they would be disqualified, as each competitor is only allowed to race once. Some of our 15 years girls had travelled all the way to Canberra just for the relay, and were grateful for Karlie's great sportsmanship to ensure they got on the track. Well done Karlie! Bravo to all of our representatives! We are very proud of your achievements!

Congratulations to the following students who have made it through to the state athletics carnival in their respective events:

Enriching and Extending Through Year 8 Personal Interest Projects

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:25 AEST

Personal Interest Projects (PIPs) are undertaken with the aim of developing students' skills in independent learning, research, higher order thinking and time management skills.

This annual project allows students the freedom to research, learn and create projects on a topic of personal interest to them.

This year's topics included a vortex cannon, a working model of an Archimedes screw, research into human anatomy, watercolour and acrylic art and a guinea pig retreat, just to name a few.

The PIPs were demonstrated, (and eaten in the case of some cake designs and decorations) during week 4 when parents and family were invited into the school to celebrate Year 8's achievements.

View the gallery below for more images.

Download a copy of the pdf newsletter here (pdf 482 KB)

Congratulations YEAR 7 on your Personal Interest Projects

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:21 AEST

Erupting volcanoes, environmentally friendly birdbaths, projects on pollution and interactive web pages, this years Year 7 Personal Interest Projects (PIPs) were fantastic. Students in Year 7 were encouraged to select an area of study that interests them, formulate an action plan and work towards it , producing a finished product for display. The project develops a wide range of skills including: research, higher order thinking, independent learning, communication and time management skills.

The quality of work and variety of topics chosen this year were very impressive. Students created displays and actual examples of a surfing hand planes, bounce shoes, soccer goals, a zombie bride, a funky students organisation board and Adlof Hitler, just to mention a few.

The PIPs were on display in the Library during Week 3 of term and students from Year 7 were asked to vote for the PIP they found most interesting or impressive.

Students who received over 10 votes included:

Tajh Amone (surfing hand plane)
Jack Mangoulias (mini movie and storyboard)
Jade Turk (handmade remote control car)
Corey Herdegen (Bounce shoes)
Nicole Blasevska (History of Music display)
Summa Burk (DVD birdbath) and
Aleiya Jolliffe (Zombie Bride)

However, deserving of special congratulations are Ethan Waite (Soccer goals), Lorena Ramires (Chocolate cookies) and Latai Kinikini (Ukulele) who earned the most votes from their peers.

View the gallery below for more images.

Download a copy of the pdf here (pdf 589 KB).

Whooping Cough Alert

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:56 AEST

For the full copy of the letter click here (pdf 84 KB)

We warmly welcome our Japanese visitors from Omiya Kita High

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:55 AEST

Principal's Message

I would like to warmly welcome our Japanese visitors from Omiya Kita High. This is the fourth visit from our sister school and we have already shared many fun and exciting activities together.

Mr Paul Ryan welcomed them all on last week's assembly with an impressive ability to relate that welcome in Japanese. We exchanged gifts and all of the ten exchange students introduced themselves to us. This is a fantastic program which helps our students connect on a global level; as the students share interests, stories and information our students learn and grow as they reach outside themselves to understand others.

We will be going to Japan later next year with five teachers and ten lucky student travellers who will experience the wonders first hand of overseas travel.

Sincere thanks to the staff who have helped support this visit, especially Japanese teacher Ms Michelle Hutchins and Head Teacher Welfare Ms Kelly Poole, both of whom are also overseeing the Japanese excursion.

Southern Stars is in full force now with only a few weeks to the big show. Because of our outstanding quality venue at Albion Park we are used on many weekends as the place to rehearse, it is exciting to see the hundreds of students involved practising on the weekends at Albion Park High School, and after hearing many of the songs last Sunday I can assure you it will be a show not to be missed!

All the best to our twenty five dancers who are currently practising hard every sport afternoon to ensure that their segment will be brilliant as well as our participants in the choir, ably led by Ms Rebecca Keen. Thanks to Mrs Nicole Woods who teaches the dance students while she is also just weeks away from having her first baby – a huge effort on Ms Woods' part!

Suzi Clapham

Principal

Congratulations to Malita Moran, Winner of the Friends Photographic Prize 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:21 AEST

Congratulations to Malita Moran, Winner of the Wollongong Art Gallery – Friends Photographic Prize 2015 in the Student Category

Term 2 saw the Year 12 Photography class capturing the traditional area of Portraiture. It also coincided with the Wollongong Art Gallery's Friends Photographic Portrait Competition, opened to the general public in areas of Professional, Amateur and Student categories. The opportunity was offered to the entire class and one student, Malita Moran, decided to enter in the student section.

Malita's entry, My Brother, is hanging on one of the walls of the BlueScope Gallery alongside twenty-five other portraits. All entries are various interpretations of their diverse subjects, capturing the essence of their personalities. My Brother, a striking black and white digital portrait of Bryson, showed a cheeky and mischievous grin, full of stories to share or a joke to tell.

The room fell silent as the President of the Friends of the Gallery took the microphone. The room, an eclectic mix of people of various ages, eagerly awaited the announcement. The Student Category was up first, with Malita's name barely pronounced and a huge gasp from an Albion Park High School Senior in disbelief.

Malita took out First Place, winning both a camera and monetary prize, along with accolades from an appreciative audience.

The best part, according to the Photographer herself, was the smile she could not wipe off her face from seeing a Winner plaque placed under her portrait. Again, I recommend you see it for yourself; the exhibition closes September 20, 2015.

Kate Boyd

Photography/Art Teacher

Drama News

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:24 AEST

This year's Work in Progress Days were held in the school's Performing Arts Theatre on Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 May. The days provided the opportunity for Regional Drama classes to come together to perform their theatre pieces in front of their peers to encourage, learn and support each other in a relaxed atmosphere.

Across the two days we had nine visiting schools, totalling over 230 very keen and talented young students, eager to perform their pieces. Some students performed scenes from texts studied in class, others performed group devised works where they research a topic, form an opinion and then present different viewpoints of the topic in theatrical ways.

Pre-service Drama teachers who are studying at Wollongong University kindly adjudicated, looking for the ‘potential' in the pieces they see. They provide feedback for improvement on those who will advance to the next round, The South Coast Drama Festival, at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, in Wollongong.

All Albion Park High School's Drama students embraced the opportunity to perform. This is a credit to them all. They were committed to work collectively and rehearsed tirelessly, often in their own time.

We had three Acts proceed into the South Coast Drama Festival which took place last Tuesday night. I had the privilege of escorting our students who worked tirelessly rehearsing their group devised pieces for this year's competition. The Acts were varied. Bibbitty Bobbity Boobs was a satirical piece devised by Jayde Axam, Sophie Smith and Coutney Dacombe-Baxter (Yr. 10), that centred on the complexities of becoming a woman. The Island was a creative movement dramatic piece that explores the treatment of asylum seekers and the effects of this treatment on their mental health and well-being. Year 11's piece, Cocteau, explored the madness of this brilliant artist, playwright, poet and filmmaker. The students who explored his work and together with Mr Ryan, created this piece were: Kaylee Cohen, Stephanie Coomb, Melissa Gibbons, Keeley-Sierra Horton, Brodie Markovski, Hailey McPaul, Zarina Ross-Kelloway, Aaron Schloeffel, Chelsea Shaw, Joshua Thompson, Emma Turnbull, Jack Twist and Elisa Wiik.

We spotted many fellow Albion Park High School students and families in the audience this year, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for supporting Drama. We are sure you enjoyed the show.

Lastly, to the students involved across the Work in Progress days, the Drama Festival and the students who came along to support their peers, Mr Ryan and I are very proud of you. You proved to be incredible hosts with immaculate manners. You showed initiative and made the days run smoothly. Your dedication to perfect your performances is commendable and your enthusiasm is infectious. You are all a joy to work with and we sincerely thank you.

Dramatically Yours

Mrs Roth and Mr Ryan

Staff and Students Serve it up in City Serve Project

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:56 AEST

Staff and students from Albion Park High School joined members from local churches, businesses and community of Albion Park to do much needed work in and around the Car Park and Skate Park between the Library, Museum and Swimming Pool in central Albion Park on Saturday the 20th June.

City Serve is a project based setup in conjunction with Shellharbour Council where local community members can join together and give much needed facelifts to beautify areas within our communities that our local council is struggling to finance and complete.

The work done included: landscaping, painting, trimming of bushes, rebuilding retaining walls, concreting, weeding, filling garden beds with mulch, and planting various native plants and shrubs.

The weather was beautiful – not too hot and not too cold for well over a 100 people who volunteered their services and worked with local Shellharbour Council staff. Shellharbour Council provided the mulch, plants, concrete, paint, tools and equipment.

Local small businesses provided food for a barbeque to feed the hungry workers and keep up their energy levels. I must say that as I now walk through this area on the way to sport each week the surroundings are absolutely beautiful.

Four of our Year 9 students and one of our Year 7 students were involved and they were: Jackson Stolk, Anthony Peitrobelli, Corey Debnam, Amaru Ross-Kelloway and Dylan Debnam. Thanks boys for a great effort and volunteering your time. You can certainly be very proud of your efforts.

Ken Morgan

Industrial Arts Teacher

Our Canteen needs you!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:40 AEST

Albion Park teen's artwork to appear on AIME Apparel T-shirts

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:05 AEST

Straight from the Illawarra Mercury.

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/3181888/teens-art-features-on-t-shirts-for-new-label/

An Albion Park teenager is proud to have helped launch a new national clothing label and can't wait to see people wearing her design.

Rideika Wright, 16, took part in the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience and was invited along with 21 others to participate in a paid internship, with her artwork featured on AIME Apparel T-shirts.

The square graphic features a lizard to represent the year 10 student, as well as showing four "communities" in each corner to depict the different places she has lived - Walgett, Newcastle, Batemans Bay and Wollongong.

"All of the communities are connected, which is really important to me because I don't want to lose my family," she said. "I feel proud of who I am and where I came from."

The teenager said she was now excelling in her schoolwork and encouraged others to be part of the initiative.

"It makes you realise you can achieve whatever you set your mind to," Rideika said.

"Some people are in rough spots right now and getting in trouble with school, and alcohol and drugs. The mentoring experience puts you on the right track.

"[The program taught] us what we need to do to succeed and they believed in us. They helped to boost our confidence ... and our schooling, so if we were struggling, they check up on us.

"Somehow they knew my mum had passed not long ago and they were there to support me."

Money raised from the new clothing range will go back into the organisation, with a goal of helping 10,000 kids nationally by 2018.AIME was founded nine years ago and has since changed the lives of thousands of Indigenous students around Australia.

For more information on the program or the apparel, visit aimementoring.com.

Woolworths Earn & Learn

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:57 AEST

This year we will be participating in the Woolworths Earn & Learn program. Through this program we will be able to get new educational resources for our school – and all we need you to do is shop for your groceries at Woolworths!

From Wednesday 15th July to Tuesday 8th September, we are collecting Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers. You will get one Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker for every $10 spent (excluding liquor, tobacco and gift cards). Place the Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker onto a Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker Sheet and when it's complete, the Sticker Sheet can be dropped into the Collection Box here at the school foyer or at Albion Park Woolworths.

If you just have stickers please give to Mel in the office.

At the end of the promotion, we'll be able to get some great new equipment!

Thanks for your support.

Parent Teacher Night for Years 8, 9 and 10 (and Year 7 again)

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:41 AEST

The Parent Teacher Night for Years 8, 9 and 10 and Year 7 again will be held on Tuesday July 21st, 2015. Families will receive either an email or letter that contains their unique booking code and an outline of the process.

Parents of Years 8, 9 and 10

From June 22nd 8:00am (week 10, term 2) to Tuesday 14th July 7:00am (week 1, term 3) the website will be open for parents to nominate which teachers they would like to see.
Tuesday 14th July 7:00am to Wednesday 15th July 3:30pm scheduling will occur based on staff availability and parent requests.
From Wednesday 15th 3:30pm to Tuesday 21st July 11:35am parents can go online and make available changes and print their schedule. Any changes after that will need to be made by calling the school by 2:30pm. As always, if you are having any difficulty please call the school for assistance.

Parents of Year 7

Once scheduling has occurred, parents of Year 7 are invited to book any available times remaining.

Please note that Ms Wray-Davis (current teacher) will be speaking to parents of students in Mr Wayne McBride's classes.

Mrs Fisher is our relieving Careers Adviser and will be available to talk to parents on the evening.

Teachers will have prepared feedback for parents based on the bookings they receive.

To assist you to prepare for these interviews you might like to consider the following:

Before the interview:

Review your child's school work.

Talk to your child about school and how they think they are doing, how the teacher can help them meet their goals. Some questions you may ask – What is your teacher going to say about your work? What will the teacher say about you? What do you think you do really well? What do you need to focus on? Do you want me to ask the teacher any specific questions?
Prepare a list of specific questions to ask the teacher. The following suggestions may be useful - How well does my child listen to and/or follow instructions? Do you have any concerns about my child's skills level? How well does my child stay on task? How well does my child organise notes, work, stories, etc.? How well does my child complete assignments? Does my child read with comprehension? How well does my child read and understand words? Does my child actively participate in your class? Does my child hand in assignments on time, complete and at an acceptable level? What work areas does my child like best? What areas are more difficult for my child? What are my child's learning strengths? Are there things we can do at home to help my child? Do you have suggestions for me to discuss with my child? Does my child seem to enjoy coming to your class?

For the interview:

Be punctual.
Ask for suggestions on how you can help improve your child's skills.
Interviews are confidential. Share personal information that might be affecting your child's progress or behaviour at school e.g. family illness. This information can help the teacher understand your child better.
Clarify anything that you don't understand.

After the interview:

Discuss the interview with your child.
Celebrate his/her strengths.
Discuss areas where improvement is needed.
Make positive comments about the interview process.
Negotiate a plan with your child that encourages them to take responsibility for their own learning.
Help to create a study time, review homework and encourage reading.
Follow up with your child's teacher.
Read school paperwork brought home. Stay informed.
Be active at the school. Go to parent meetings, help on activities, support school events. Your active involvement and interest in their school sends your child positive messages.

As always, the school values feedback from parents and the community. Please let us know how the process goes and don't hesitate to contact the school for further information.

Mrs Cole

Head Teacher Administration

Successful Athletics Carnival

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:49 AEST

Our school Athletics Carnival was held on Friday the 5th of June, 2015. Previously postponed due to wet weather, we awoke to more rain in the early hours of the morning!! Many other local carnivals were announcing cancellations and we were feeling the pressure to make a decision. After much deliberation and a thorough investigation of the grounds and the rain radar, we decided to go ahead with it (Bianca Dye from i98 even labelled our kids as tough), and aren't we glad we did!

Although it was a little brisk during the morning, it turned out to be a beautiful day for a carnival! We even saw some sunshine after lunch!

There was something for everybody with our serious athletes participating in the competitive events and novelty events to suit all. All participants won points for their house groups and had a really enjoyable day.

Thank you to Ms Lisa De Jager and her fabulous team along with Mrs Keen and her wonderful protégée Jack Twist! A big thank you to the hospitality students who provided tea and coffee throughout the day and the year 11 and 12 Sports Coaching students who offered their assistance on the day, you guys rock!

We are sad that our carnivals are over for the year, however, we are looking forward to bigger and better carnivals in 2016 ……… hopefully we will have better luck with the weather!

Age Champions

Congratulations to the following students for taking out their respective age champion awards:

Boys 12 - Zachary Elbourne (70 points)

Girls 12 - Jacinta Tanti & Maddison Wesley (44 points)

Boys 13 - James Lavis (34 points)

Girls 13 - Karissa High (66 points)

Boys 14 - Jack Veenstra (56 points)

Girls 14 - Amber Robinson (40 points)

Boys 15 - Mitchell Johnston (66 points)

Girls 15 - Courtney Brown (64points)

Boys 16 - Nicholas High (52 points)

Girls 16 - Breanna Payne (54 points)

Boys 17 - Zac Barry (40 points)

Girls 17 - Rideika Wright (64 points)

Record breakers

A huge congratulations to the following students who broke records on the day….. some more than 20 years old!

House Cup

Well done to Guruwin who took out the House Cup with a total of 1119 points! Their effort and enthusiasm is inspirational!! What a great effort from the entire team!

Buru 838

Guruwin 1119

Gugara 999

Munda 956

Did you know that Mr Fogliada still holds the record for the 12 years 400 metres run in 2001?

South Coast Dance Festival 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:52 AEST

This year Albion Park High School participated in the South Coast Dance Festival Performance for the second year in a row. The group of 10 students from year 7 – 10 have been working hard on their performance for the past term and a half and represented our school beautifully with a contemporary dance item.

The students performed in two evening performances and were invited to attend an exclusive closed performance where they were provided the opportunity to watch other items involved in the show.

The students should be congratulated on the time and effort they put into rehearsing and performing their item. These students give up their own time outside of school to rehearse and perform and their hard work definitely paid off!

Many of these students are also part of our Southern Stars Dance group who are about to commence their rehearsals for the show in August next term. So if you see them around congratulate and wish them good luck for their future dance performances.

Debating Report Premier’s Debating Challenge

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:23 AEST

After a successful Round 1 debate against Kanahooka High School in Week 5 Albion Park High School's Senior Debating Team attended Dapto High School to compete in Rounds 2 and 3 of the Premier's Debating Challenge on Tuesday 16 June.

Emily Clifford opened the first debate against Dapto High School in a confident manner and quickly defined the topic and established the team model for the banning of contact sports for under 18's. She presented a series of strong affirmative arguments to support this model and established a solid base for the team's case.

Chloe Clifford as second speaker strengthened the team line by arguing that contact sports cause injury, promote violence and come at a great financial cost to the community.

Our case was reinforced by third speaker Sophie Elbourne whose rebuttal was robust and who brought home a powerful winning argument. Harry Nicholson performed admirably as a last minute replacement as team advisor, consulting, guiding and providing brainpower to the team.

Round 3 of the competition found us up against Lake Illawarra High School debating the topic That Voting Should Be Compulsory. As the negative team we argued that compulsory voting ensures a fair outcome, safeguards citizens' rights and promotes democracy. Once again the team worked together to construct a logical, convincing case against the premise, but were defeated in what was a very tight competition.

Emily, Chloe, Sophie and Harry were impressive representatives of Albion Park High School demonstrating talent, poise and self-confidence. Congratulations on a fantastic effort.

Mrs Grant

Team Members:

Speaker 1: Emily Clifford

Speaker 2: Chloe Clifford

Speaker 3: Sophie Elbourn

Team Advisor: Harry Nicholson

Absent: Chloe Flynn

Congratulations to Year 11 Drama

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:21 AEST

Year 11 drama, with the talented guidance of Mr Paul Ryan, performed an extraordinarily complex piece for their parents and friends on Wednesday night: Cocteau.

The talents of this group were showcased and I have no doubt that that they will certainly do very well in their HSC. The devotion to their acting and their commitment to the piece was astounding. Thanks also to the sound and lighting crew. Well done!

Chess Competition

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:19 AEST

Congratulations to the students who represented Albion Park High School in the NSW Junior Chess League competition. Kyle Mounfield (Yr 10) Bryce Vandenberg (Yr 8), Daniella Walker (Yr 8), Ben Bacon (Yr 7) Gabriel McBride Vasquez (Yr 7), Kate Lynn (Yr 7) and Ayden Goldberg (Yr 7) played Nowra Anglican College and although they played well (and learnt a few tricks along the way), they were defeated on the day. This competition provided students with valuable playing experience and they were excellent ambassadors for our school.

Any students interested in learning how to play chess or in playing friendly games can go to the Library during the long break on Tuesdays.

Games of chess with the rules can be borrowed for practice during this time.

Zone Cross Country Report

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:04 AEST

On Monday the 18 May, 55 students from Albion Park High School competed at the Zone Cross Country Carnival at West Dapto Integral Energy Cross Country Course.

The carnival had been previously washed out, however, we had a beautiful sunny day for the rescheduled event. Our students had to run a little bit further than our school course with our 12-13 years boys and girls running 3000m, 14-15 years boys and 14-18 years girls running 4000m and our 16-18 years boys running 6000m.

We saw some great results on the day we had 23 students representing Albion Park High School at the regional carnival on Friday the 29 May at the Willandra Cross Country Course, Cambewarra.

Congratulations to Karlie Gentles, Taliah Moxham, Sinead Austwick and Zac Barry who were all their respective age champions.

Good luck to all of our students attending on Friday, watch out for ‘heartbreak hill'!

Albion Park Rugby League Success

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:04 AEST

Albion Park High School and students from Albion Park High School have been experiencing plenty of success on the footy field this year.

Our highly successful Under 15's team have had a dream run in the Country Cup competition in 2015. Previously, this team has been South Coast All School Champions and South Coast Country Cup Champions and this year hopefully they will go one better. Our Under 15's team won the Southern Illawarra Zone Country Cup, then went on to win the South Coast section of this competition earlier in Term 2. This means they have now progressed to the Southern NSW Finals, which will be held in Cootamundra during Week 2 of Term 3.

The boys have made this stage before and will be hoping to go one better and make the Grand Final for this competition, which means they could be the best team in Country NSW. The team consists of: Dallas Harrison, Liam Pearson, Tristan Brazulaitis, Mitchell Johnston, Jarryd Hodgekiss, Dylan Lucas, Damon Polley, Cole Thompson, Riley Renehan, Declyn Brazulaitis, Liam Jordan, Jack Jordan, Jake Brisbane, Jack Walsh, Kade Lucas, Shaun Tauariki, Scott Franke, Kyle Mounfield, Mitchell Potts and Connor Ruse-Kent.

The Under 15's have also had plenty of success in the school representative arena, with numerous players selected for the Zone, Regional and Greater Regional teams this year. The following boys were selected for the South Coast Under 15's team this year: Dallas Harrison, Dylan Lucas, Jack Walsh, Jake Brisbane and Cole Thompson. Unfortunately, Jack Walsh had to pull out due to injury and Mitchell Johnston was drafted into the squad. All the boys played well against Riverina in Canberra and all the boys were selected to attend the NSW CHS State Trials in Toronto during Week 5 of this term. The boys came up against some larger opposition, including many players from the greater Sydney region, but held their own and all put in solid performances. Unfortunately, we did not have any players selected for the State Under 15's team this year, but it was the highest number of students we have had representing Albion Park High School at a State rugby league carnival. What a fantastic achievement.

Our Under 14's team have also been very successful in the school arena. They played very well in the Steelers Shield this year, but unfortunately didn't quite finish as the number 1 team. They then moved into the next few rounds of the CHS Buckley Shield, which involves most schools around NSW. After a couple of forfeits, they then played strongly in their CHS game against Bomaderry High, running out eventual winners, which has now meant they are in the top 2 schools in the South Coast region. We now move to the final 16 in the CHS Knockout, which is the highest level one of our rugby league teams has progressed to for many years in a CHS Knockout. They will most likely face the winners from Sydney South West early in Term 3, which will be a big step up in terms of quality of opposition.

There have also been several boys from the Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles Under 14's team, who go to our school, who have had a great year in the rep scene outside of school. We have 5 boys from our school who represented the South Coast Group 7 Bulls at the recent Country Championships. They were: Jack Walsh, Jay Henry, Lachlan Davies, Jack Veenstra and Zane Kember. These boys won the Southern NSW Region of the Country Champs and then went onto defeat the Northern Region winners 26-14, meaning Group 7 is the strongest region in Country NSW for 14 year olds. This is only the second ever Country Championships win for the South Coast Region. Well done to the boys and especially to Jack Walsh who was co-captain and named man of the match in the final.

Well done to all these boys in the Under 14's and Under 15's and don't forget we are training every Tuesday at lunchtime on the oval from now on as we move closer to our upcoming games. A big thank you also goes out to all the parents who have helped out and transported students to the various venues we have played at. Your support is crucial to the success of our rugby league program.

Also, good luck to our Under 13's team who are representing Albion Park High School at the South Coast All Schools this year at Figtree this week. I'm sure you will also do Albion Park High School proud.

Mr Blake

Reconciliation Walk

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:46 AEST

This week a small number of our Aboriginal students travelled with Mr Fogliada to Shellharbour to participate in the Reconciliation walk. Mr Fogliada was high in his praise of our students, their respect, their maturity and their responsibility. Well done!

Reece Mastin thanks Albion Park High for speaking out about domestic violence

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:46 AEST

From Illawarra Mercury: Pop star Reece Mastin performed for students at Albion Park High School on Friday to reward the school for its efforts in raising awareness about domestic violence, and trying to ‘‘strengthen a culture of respect''. Picture: SYLVIA LIBER

Read the article from the Illawarra Mercury here

Sorry Day 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:51 AEST

National Sorry Day is annual event that is held in Australia on the 26^th of May since 1998. It is a day for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to remember and reflect on past injustices and mistreatment experienced by Indigenous Australians. As well as reflecting and remembering, it is a chance for all Australians to come together and share the steps towards healing for the Stolen Generations and their families. There are many ways Sorry Day is commemorated around Australia, including reconciliation walks, concerts, barbecues and flag ceremonies.

Brittany Luland shared her thoughts on National Sorry Day.

"To me, National Sorry Day represents the recognition of past wrongs in Australia. It recognizes the negative impact of Australian policies, practices and attitudes on Indigenous peoples. Reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples is a very important part of Australian history as both acknowledgment and apology pay respect to the Stolen Generations for their suffering and loss.

The word "Sorry" cannot fully heal the pain and hurt of those who suffered the Stolen Generation; however, it is a starting point to heal scars as it not only acknowledges past injustices and experiences, but also educates future generations on the importance of this event. "

Athletics Carnival postponed until 5th June

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:12 AEST

We have been unlucky with the weather, and unfortunately, we have had to Postpone our Athletics Carnival scheduled for today.
It is school as normal.
The carnival will now go ahead in two weeks time, Friday the 5th of June.

‘Wrap with Love’ Program

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:57 AEST

There are millions of people in the world suffering extreme cold. In 1992 ‘Wrap with Love' began with the idea to help as many people as possible by providing warm wraps to ward off hypothermia. Wraps are now sent all around the world as well as being distributed in Australia.

Albion Park High School students will be creating wraps this winter. If you have 8 ply wool or size 8 knitting needles you can donate, please drop your donations off at the front office.

Parent Teacher Night Years 7, 11 & 12

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:41 AEST

The Parent Teacher Night for Years 7, 11, 12 and Support will be held on Wednesday 3 June, 2015. Families will receive either an email or letter that contains their unique booking code and an outline of the process.

Key dates

From Friday 15th May (week 4) to Tuesday 26 May (week 6) the website will be open for parents to nominate which teachers they would like to see.
Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 May (week 6) scheduling will occur based on staff availability and parent requests.
From noon Friday 29 May to 3pm Tuesday 2 June parents can go online and make available changes and print their schedule. Any changes after that will need to be made by calling the school on the Wednesday. As always, if you are having any difficulty please call the school for assistance.

Staff changes

Please note that Ms Wray-Davis (current teacher) will be speaking to parents of students in Mr Wayne McBride's classes.
Ms Glover (current teacher) will be speaking to parents of students in Mrs Shaw's classes.
Mrs Fisher is our relieving Careers Adviser and will be available to talk to parents on the evening.

Teachers will have prepared feedback for parents based on the bookings they receive. To assist you to prepare for these interviews you might like to consider the following:

Before the interview:

Review your child's school work.
Talk to your child about school and how they think they are doing, how the teacher can help them meet their goals. Some questions you may ask – What is your teacher going to say about your work? What will the teacher say about you? What do you think you do really well? What do you need to focus on? Do you want me to ask the teacher any specific questions?
Prepare a list of specific questions to ask the teacher. The following suggestions may be useful - How well does my child listen to and/or follow instructions? Do you have any concerns about my child's skills level? How well does my child stay on task? How well does my child organise notes, work, stories, etc.? How well does my child complete assignments? Does my child read with comprehension? How well does my child read and understand words? Does my child actively participate in your class? Does my child hand in assignments on time, complete and at an acceptable level? What work areas does my child like best? What areas are more difficult for my child? What are my child's learning strengths? Are there things we can do at home to help my child? Do you have suggestions for me to discuss with my child? Does my child seem to enjoy coming to your class?

For the interview:

Be punctual.
Ask for suggestions on how you can help improve your child's skills.
Interviews are confidential. Share personal information that might be affecting your child's progress or behaviour at school e.g. family illness. This information can help the teacher understand your child better.
Clarify anything that you don't understand.

After the interview:

Discuss the interview with your child.
Celebrate his/her strengths.
Discuss areas where improvement is needed.
Make positive comments about the interview process.
Negotiate a plan with your child that encourages them to take responsibility for their own learning.
Help to create a study time, review homework and encourage reading.
Follow up with your child's teacher.
Read school paperwork brought home. Stay informed.
Be active at the school. Go to parent meetings, help on activities, support school events.

Your active involvement and interest in their school sends your child positive messages.

As always, the school values feedback from parents and the community. Please let us know how the process goes and don't hesitate to contact the school for further information.

Mrs Cole

Head Teacher Administration

White Ribbon Night

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:56 AEST

It was with great pride that I attended the fundraising event for White Ribbon in viewing the film 'Pitch Perfect Two' last week. To see our students involved in such a worthwhile cause and see our staff turn out in droves to support White Ribbon was humbling. We established last year that one of our key school directions for the next three years is to concentrate on improving student excellence and sense of global citizenship, and one of the fundamental parts of this is to improve student leadership and communication. What a wonderful opportunity this provided our students to truly be global citizens, be leaders and be the best that they can be. I would like to thank both Kelly and Daryll Poole who drove this event to make it such a success.

Albion Park High School is a White Ribbon School. This means that we are determined to make a difference to the frightening statistics around violence towards women in our local community. The first step starts with education; knowing the facts and understanding that it is unacceptable. The second is to make a personal decision to make a stand and make a difference; to never be a perpetrator and to never be a silent onlooker.

White Ribbon Statistics

NSW Police spent 625,000 hours investigating domestic violence in 2012, accounting for 9% of Police call outs. There were 231 reported incidents of domestic violence in the Shellharbour Local Government Area in 2014. That was from 178 women in our area.

FIT I A.M

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:26 AEST

Did you hear about FIT I A.M Fitness and Breakfast Club??

DETAILS:

This great Sports Committee initiative is run every Tuesday and Friday mornings at 7:30am in the school gym. It starts Week 3, Term 2 and runs through until Week 10, Term 3. Students engage in ½ an hour of physical activity and then are provided with breakfast all before the bell goes for roll call. Students receive a membership card which works on a loyalty system, where a stamp is given for participation and rewards are given for every 6 sessions attended.

So grab some friends and come along to FIT I A.M!!

A concern that everyone needs to know about ...

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:57 AEST

You will have no doubt heard on both radio and on television the very real and disturbing stories about the growing use of the drug Ice in Australia, some of you may have seen the 60 minutes special. I read a comment by Superintendent Wayne Starling from the Illawarra Local Area Command in the local Advertiser, about the concern that local police have, that in fact statistically the Shellharbour area is showing higher levels of Ice usage than even Wollongong. This is a very frightening scourge on our local community, and in a more global sense our society. This new drug cuts across all ages, genders and socio-economic groups. It is ESSENTIAL that parents be aware of, be on the look-out and informed about, this and other dangerously addictive synthetic drugs.

I have made suggestions for places to look for up-to-date information, below.

I urge you to become aware and talk openly and frankly about the high stakes and terrifyingly fast addiction rate of these insidious drugs with your child/children and to be aware of anyone attempting to convince them to take a risk with ‘experimentation'.

https://youtu.be/yxKst8BaPbc - 4 Corners special "The Ice Age" January 2015

http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/fact-sheets/fact-sheets

http://www.adf.org.au/

http://health.vic.gov.au/ice/ice-facts.htm

State of music education 'a disaster'

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:57 AEST

Richard Gill, internationally respected music educator and artistic advisor to the Musica Viva program explains why and how Australia's music education system needs to be addressed on a national level to vastly improve this important part of the curriculum.

View the video below to find out more. (https://vimeo.com/120658148)

What young people think about domestic violence

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:56 AEST

White Ribbon Research Projects

Young people's attitudes towards domestic and dating violence

In 2014, White Ribbon Australia and Youth Action NSW asked young Australians for their views on domestic and dating violence. Over 3000 young people shared their opinion through an online survey. The survey results were analysed by researchers at the University of New South Wales and published on 24 March 2015.

Youth Survey: Press Release

Full Report: Gender, Age and the Perceived Causes, Nature and Extent of Domestic and Dating Violence in Australian Society.

Full Report: Gender, Education and the Perceived Causes, Nature and Extent of Domestic and Dating Violence in Australian Society.

The infographics below illustrate some key findings:

FLAME

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:26 AEST

WHAT IS FLAME?

FLAME is a very structured learning method which uses a writing scaffold to support students. This learning method has already been implemented at a number of high schools across the state. HSC students at those schools have made significant gains in the results for various subjects. This program, originally titled ALARM, is most important for both successful study methods and for refining quality responses to all HSC style questions.

Year 11 students will participate in 3 seminar / lecture presentations over three days from key staff members. Lecture notes and a comprehensive work book will also be provided for all participants.

The schedule for the three days is as listed below:

Monday 30/3/15 (Periods 1 and 2) - FLAME Foundations and paragraph structure
Tuesday 31/3/15 (Periods 1 and 2) - Decoding questions and using FLAME to respond to HSC style questions.
Wednesday 1/4/15 (Periods 2 and 3) - The Connotative application to FLAME.

Students will need to bring writing equipment and an open mind to allow full understanding of this process. The day will fit into normal school hours. NOTE: Lessons either side of the sessions outlines above will be as per normal timetable and require your normal learning materials and attendance.

We are looking forward to the opportunity to enhance the learning of all senior students at Albion Park High, and this is one of many extra activities and teaching and learning tools to assist students to maximise their results.

We are very excited about the possibilities inherent in this program and are looking forward to seeing all students gain from this valuable experience.

Online Payments

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:39 AEST

Starting next term it will be 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. 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). There is also a category called ‘Other' this to cover items not covered in the previous headings.
When you access ‘$ Make a payment' you must enter: the student's name, class and reference number OR the student's 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. A new payment must be made for each student.

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 any 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.

For any enquiries regarding the Online Payment process please contact the School Administration
Manager on 4257 1744.

For more information click here (pdf 490 KB).

Swimming Carnival

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:50 AEST

2015 saw us hold our first whole school swimming carnival in many years. The carnival was originally postponed due to Albion Park's unique weather cycle! A heavy downpour of rain the night before our carnival resulted in puddles of water surrounding the pool and covering the area in which our students needed to sit.
After rescheduling the carnival to Tuesday 10 February, Mother Nature was much more kind, producing a beautiful sunny day with around 90% humidity! It was hot and sticky which prompted many students and teachers alike to jump in and cool off with a few easy laps.

There was something for everyone with competitive racers swimming new personal bests, a number of novelty events and house group competitions throughout the day.
Highlights definitely included Mr Poole's belly flop, the house group dance off with all students channelling their inner ‘Village People' for the YMCA and of course, the teachers thrashing the Year 12's in a teacher vs student relay!!
Congratulations to the following students who are our 2015 Swimming Age Champions:

Age Boys Champion (point score) Girls Champion (point score)

12 Benjamin Hansen-Arthur (40) Hailee Pickering (48)

13 Aiden Sheil (32) Sarah Lucas (46)

14 Jacob Bridgett (46) Amber Robinson (60)

15 Jake Hollingsworth (48) Destiny Matesic (26)

16 Brock Harrison (30) Amy Lucas (60)

17+ Jaad Matesic and Taylor Garner (10 points) Alysia Gardner (30)

And a big congratulations to Gugara house who took out the Swimming House Cup with a massive 1,788 points. Guruwin were in second place on 1,662 points, followed by Munda on 1,520 points. Miss Clapham made many attempts at increasing her house groups' final score through her participation in a number of events, however, someone has to come fourth and this year, Buru took it out with 1,211 points.

Thank you to everybody who made the day such a success. We are proud of all of our students who attended the carnival and we are looking forward to a bigger and better event in 2016.

Check out the images in the gallery.

Harmony Day - Thank You

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:29 AEST

Thank you to all involved in making Harmony Day 2015 an absolute success at Albion Park High School in 2015.

Have a look at some photos in the Harmony Day gallery.

For more information about Harmony Day visit: http://www.harmony.gov.au/

School Cross Country

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:48 AEST

Our school Cross Country carnival is being held on Thursday the 19 March, 2015, during sport time.
This carnival is a compulsory whole school event that takes place right here at Albion Park High School!
Parents/caregivers as spectators are welcome!

All students will complete the track marked within the school grounds and the bushland on the southern
side of the school.

Check out our facebook page for a program of events and a course map.

What to bring: A water bottle, hat, sun cream, money for a drink and your house spirit!!

Students need to wear their school sports uniform on the day, this includes black leather shoes as periods 1-4 will run as normal. Students can bring their running shoes to change into if they wish.

Gugara took out the House Cup for the Swimming Carnival…… who will snatch it back and be deemed Cross Country champions for 2015???

Pollutia and the Forest Fairies

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:44 AEST

Pollutia and the Forest Fairies is a pantomime for Years 1-5 and is making steady progress.

The students involved in this production vary in their roles. Our backstage crew have almost completed the designing, building and painting of our set and properties. In fact one Sunday was a flurry of activities and many a magic wand was fluttered – finalising the painting of our set and our newly constructed sound and lighting box.

A witch or two could be heard cackling in the Music block and the staff room was a hive of activity as the students finalised the design and layout of the tickets and program.
The students will be performing for the three local primary schools, on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 March and for our own Year 7 students on the Thursday. There is a Wednesday night performance for family and friends at 7pm.

Tickets will be available at the front office for this performance from Monday 9 March. The ticket price is $10 Adult and $5 under 15 and for Grandparents/Pensioners.

Uniform

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:53 AEST

This is a timely reminder about uniform, now that we are half way through Term 1. We began the year exceptionally well but lately there are more students who are unfortunately choosing to wear the wrong items. The biggest issues are the following:

Girls Skirts – The straight skirt is NO LONGER part of the school uniform and students must purchase the pleated skirt.
Shoes – a number of senior students are wearing black and white gym boots. These are NOT school uniform.
Sport Shorts – can only be worn on Thursdays and NO other day.

I ask that parents support us and our community by ensuring that your young people have access to the appropriate uniform. Financial help is available to those who need support.

Suzi Clapham
Principal

Bullying No Way

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:16 AEST

At our school we aim to create a safe and supportive school community for everyone. Sometimes, it can be difficult for parents or carers to know what to do when their child talks to them about bullying. You are an important part of our work to prevent bullying and to respond effectively if it happens. Stopping bullying involves everyone.

If your child talks to you about bullying:
1. Listen calmly and get the full story. Your calm response is important to allow your child to tell you all about the situation. After they've told you their story, ask questions to get more details if you need to: who, what, where, when. Although you may feel some strong emotions about your child's experience, try to keep calm to avoid more distress to your child.
2. Reassure your child that they are not to blame. Many children blame themselves and this may make them feel even worse. You could say things like, ‘That sounds really hard to deal with. No one should have to put up with that.' or ‘I'm so glad you told me. You should be able to feel safe at school; that's not fair at all'.
3. Ask your child what they want to do and what they want you to do. A critical part of your response is to avoid jumping in to solve the problem. While it is natural to want to protect your child, helping them to find their own solution is a better option. It helps them feel they have some power in the situation.
4. Visit www.bullyingnoway.gov.au to find some strategies. The website has tips and ideas for different bullying situations. One idea is to practise strategies at home to help your child feel more confident.
5. Contact the school. Your child may be reluctant for you to do this, so discuss the idea and reassure them that the school would want to know and is able to help. Make an appointment to meet with your child's teacher and, if you need to, ask to talk with the principal. Contact the school immediately if you have a concern about your child's safety.
6. Check in regularly with your child. Keep the conversation going. It can take time to resolve issues, so check in regularly with your child about their experiences and their feelings. Your ongoing support is important.

Don't forget, our school is taking part in the 2015 National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence as well as Harmony Day on Friday 20 March (Week 8). The day will consist of an assembly period 1 and involvement in a lesson targeting cyberbullying during periods 2-5. Year 7 will also have the opportunity to be the audience for our Year 9 drama class who have been working on some anti-bullying themed performances for the day.

White Ribbon Fundraiser

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:56 AEST

White Ribbon is the symbol of the ‘treating women with respect' campaign. Our school is proud to be a part of this, and has pledged to never 'be violent or silent' regarding the issue of violence against women. Last year on White Ribbon Day, 25 November, eight teachers and the school captains took the pledge to act against violence.

A welcoming and friendly school working with and for our local community
This year, Year 12 are hosting a fundraiser for the White Ribbon Foundation. On Thursday 7 May, at 7pm we invite you to join us at Greater Union Shellharbour. We will enjoy a special screening of Pitch Perfect 2, popcorn and drink; and most importantly raise awareness and money to support this very significant foundation.

Tickets for the event will be sold at the front office of Albion Park High School, and will be $20 each. Funds raised will be donated to the White Ribbon Foundation and the Year 12 Community Initiative. Please support this wonderful campaign and help us promote a non- violent society.
In line with the cinema event, there is a poster competition currently running at the school - all students are invited to submit their own creation promoting this Pitch Perfect 2 event. Entries close on Friday of Week 7. Please see Ms Poole for further details. All students who enter will be awarded extra earner vivo points!

Miss Kelly Poole.

Zone Swimming Report

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:07:04 AEST

On Tuesday 17 February, 44 students represented Albion Park High School at the Southern Illawarra Zone Swimming Carnival, held at Dapto Pool. This was our largest team entry in some years which made for some excellent school spirit and a great day for all involved.
It was another hot day which made the pool very inviting. Unfortunately, unlike our school carnival, the teachers didn't get to have a dip, but the students were definitely enjoying it!
A big thank you to all of the students who stepped up to participate in many relay teams. As the relays are held towards the end of the day, it often means that students have finished their individual races and are waiting around, in the heat, for the relays to begin. Your participation in the relays demonstrates the pride you take in being part of an Albion Park High School team. This dedication paid off for a lot of you as many of our teams made it through to the next carnival! Well done!

Special thanks to two of our year 12 Sports Coaching students, Taylah Hazelton and Gemma Still who assisted Mr Maidment with timekeeping all day. Great job, girls!

Congratulations to the students who made it through to the South Coast Regional Swimming Carnival, which was held on Thursday 5 March.

Assisting Family Households in your Community with Energy Bills

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:11 AEST

For more information:

Assisting Family Households in your Community with Energy Bills (pdf 627 KB)

House Cup Running total now available on Website

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:30 AEST

Keep updated on how your house is going here

Open day at Albion Park High School

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:40 AEST

Albion Park High School would like to invite all prospective students for 2016 and 2017 to the Open Afternoon on 3rd March 2015.

A general information session will be held in the Performing Arts space followed by tours of the school.

We look forward to seeing you there.

P&C Meetings - Change of Date

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:41 AEST

The P&C also raises funds that help finance improvements to our school and provide additional resources.

The P & C now meets on the FOURTH MONDAY of the month at 6.30 pm in the staff common room. Membership of the P & C is $2 per family. You need to be a financial member to vote on any issues.

2015 Schools Spectacular - Applications now open!!!!

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:04:56 AEST

2015 Schools Spectacular

APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!!!

Applications are now open for the 2015 Schools Spectacular.

Please see Mrs Keen in the Music staffroom if you are interested in applying.

For more information, or to apply online, visit www.schoolsspectacular.com.au/auditions

Applications for most categories close on Thursday 19 March.

Don't miss out on your opportunity to be involved in this world-renowned showcase of public education, performed live to over 20,000 people and beamed via television into the homes of 1.2 million people around Australia!

South Coast Trial Dates for 2015

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:05:52 AEST

South Coast Trials: Students need to go and see Ms Amy Greig for an entry form before the ENTRY CLOSE date if they wish to enter.

TERM 1

SPORT	ENTRY CLOSING DATE	DATE OF TRIAL
15 Years & Open Girls Tennis	Week 2: Mon 2^nd Feb	Tues 3^rd Feb
Boys Baseball	Week 2: Mon 2^nd Feb	Fri 6^th Feb
15 Years Boys Tennis	Week 2: Thurs 5^th Feb	Tuesday 10^th Feb
Open Boys Tennis	Week 2: Thurs 5^th Feb	Tues 17^th Feb
Girls Basketball	Week 3: Mon 9^th Feb	Fri 13^th Feb
15 Years Boys & Girls Touch	Week 3: Fri 13^th Feb	Thurs 19^th Feb
Golf	Week 3: Fri 13th Feb	Mon 9th March
Boys & Girls Volleyball	Week 4: Wed 18^th Feb	Wed 25^th Feb
Rugby Union	Week 4: Fri 20th Feb	Tues 3rd March
Open Boys Basketball	Week 5: Mon 23^rd Feb	Fri 27^th Feb
Coastal Boys & Girls Hockey	Week 5: Mon 23^rd Feb	Mon 2^nd March
Boys & Girls Football	Week 6: Thurs 5^th March	Tues 10^th March
Lawn Bowls (paired)	Week 6: Fri 6^th March	Thurs 19^th March
Lawn Bowls (singles)	Week 6: Fri 6^th March	Fri 20^th March
Open & 15 Years Rugby League	Week 7: Wed 11^th March	Wed 1st April
Boys & Girls Hockey (Must have attended Coastal Trials to attend)	Week 7: Fri 13^th March	Fri 20^th March
Netball	Week 9: Fri 27^th March	Wed 1^st April
Open Boys and Girls Touch	Week 10: Fri 3^rd April	Fri 24^th April (Term 2)

A pdf copy can be found here (pdf 235 KB).

Welcome to 2015 at Albion Park High School

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:55 AEST

Welcome to another great year at Albion Park High School. We look forward to working with our students and our community to ensure the best outcomes for all.

We would just like to remind anyone seeking an out of area enrolment to APHS to ensure they follow the correct process. The required forms can be found on our website under 'Our School', 'Rules and Policies' and then 'Albion Park High School Policies'.

Tour 'da Country cycles through Batemans Bay

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 23:06:52 AEST

Seventeen cyclists rode into Batemans Bay Public School on their way from Wodonga,Victoria, to Wollongong as part of the third annual Tour ‘da Country.

Organiser Dale Wright said the ride was about creating awareness to close the gap in indigenous health and reconciliation.

"There is an 11 year life expectancy gap between a non-indigenous and an indigenous person," he said.

From what started as an idea, Tour ‘da Country has turned into an annual event to promote healthy living and healthy lifestyles.

"I used to drink and smoke a fair bit and my life was going nowhere," Mr Wright said.

"I spoke to my wife about doing a ride from Wollongong to Walgett, which is my country, to promote health and it sort of developed from there."

Although there were days Mr Wright wanted to give up, the support the group gave each other was impressive.

"There have been ups and downs and there has been sunshine, heat and rain," he said.

"But you get the support that you need to get over hills.

"You get through it together."

Joining him on the journey this year were his two children, Jayden, 11, and Rideika, 16.

"Having my wife and family here makes it a lot easier," Mr Wright said.

Riding an average of 90kms a day is starting to take its toll on the 13 riders completing the whole 1000km tour.

The ride picks up community members along the way, who participate in sections.

Dale's son, Jayden, who rode from Narooma to Wollongong, said he wanted to join the ride since the inaugural event three years ago.

"I was in the support crew during the first ride," Jayden said.

"Since I saw them riding them I wanted to ride with them."

Admitting it had been hard to get up the hills, Jayden said his legs were sore.

"It has been good to meet a lot of people and learn about them," Jayden said.

Dale's daughter Rideika said the tour had so far been fun.

"I haven't found it too hard, I am a bit weak and tired but I have made it," Rideika said.

Source:

http://www.batemansbaypost.com.au/story/2719832/tour-da-country-cycles-through-batemans-bay/?cs=229#slide=1

To follow Tour 'da Country on facebook follow this link:

https://www.facebook.com/tourdacountry?fref=ts