Brisbane Water Secondary College Woy Woy Senior Campus · Brisbane Water Secondary College Woy Woy Senior Campus Edward Street, Woy Woy NSW 2256 NSW Phone (02) 4341 1600 Fax (02)

Brisbane Water Secondary College Woy Woy Senior Campus

Edward Street, Woy Woy NSW 2256 NSW Phone (02) 4341 1600 Fax (02) 4344 3263 Web www.brisbanewatercollege.com.au Email [email protected]

Exceptional Learning Opportunities For All

May 2011

INSIDE PB CHALLENGE ANZAC DAY 2011 EUROPE TRIP BWSC MUNA WIN SCIENCE CHALLENGE SYDNEY ROYAL EASTER SHOW BWSC LEARNING CONFERENCE

OUR “ROYAL” WEDDING MUSICAL NOTES TERRIGAL FIELD TRIP PLAN-IT YOUTH VIETNAM BUS CYBER SAFETY SPORTS ROUNDUP SEMINAR BY DR JOHN IRVINE

Our values : Respect, Commitment, Relationships

Next P & C Meeting is the

Special AGM Wednesday 18th May, 7 PM

Staff Common Room, Umina Campus

School Magazine Art

Competition—Design the front

cover of Deep Water 2011

Madison Guttridge was awarded NSW State Champion

Parader at the 2011 Sydney Royal Easter Show. Madison

competed against entries from all over NSW,

VARIETY NIGHT June 1st & 2nd!

“Take a look at yourself and make the change”

“PERSONAL BEST” CHALLENGE

ROTARY RECOGNITION Pamela McAlister, Stephen Harris and Kirrily Harvey were in-

vited to join the members of Woy Woy Rotary at their Vocational

Service Awards evening on 19th April. The trio were each pre-

sented with an award in recognition of their guidance and encour-

agement of students to achieve their goals and make the most of

their unique talents and

aspirations.

Rotary acknowledges the importance of the school's main purpose for everyone to work together caringly

and supportively to identify and develop the abilities of each student within the school community as an

important vocational initiative.

Principal’s Message

PB Challenge is officially launched!

It comprises three components:

Reflection

Milestones

PB 20

Welcome to our May Newsletter. There is much to

talk about and celebrate this month.

We welcomed our teachers and students back from

their Europe trip. From all reports it was a wonderful experience for our students. A special thank you to Mr

Macey on his organization of this tour.

Congratulations go to Madison Guttridge on being awarded the NSW State Champion Parader at the 2011

Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Congratulations also to our Year 11 team comprising Emily Nelson, Callum O‘Donnell and Bianca

Torossian on winning the Central Coast MUNA Competition under the careful guidance of Mrs McGuiness.

The College also played a leading role in our community on ANZAC Day with our female Captain, Maani

McMillan-Truu and Vice Captain, Ashley Knight presenting the key note speech at the Woy Woy ANZAC

Service and Bianca Torrosian presenting the key note speech at the Empire Bay ANZAC Service. Our stu-

dents also attended very moving services in Europe and we held a beautiful ANZAC ceremony at the campus.

All of these events and more are outlined in further detail in this Newsletter.

In our previous Newsletter, I discussed the 2011 Year PB Challenge. We launched the program formally yes-

terday and are very enthusiastic about it‘s opportunities to really improve this year‘s HSC results.

Best wishes

Pamela McAlister

ANZAC DAY

Lest We Forget

Representatives of BWSC attending

commemoration service at Villers-

Brettonneux

Photographs from the solemn and moving ceremony

held at BWSC senior campus on 4th May

Thiepval Memorial in France

Laying wreaths, Villers-Bretonneux

Somme Battlefield—Pozieres Memorial

Wonders of the World

EUROPE TRIP

The Parthenon, on the Acropolis The Agora Museum, Athens

The town

of Delphi

The Sanctuary of Delphi

The Colosseum, Rome

Group photo on the Spanish Steps

Trevi Fountain

Gondola ride

in Venice

EUROPE TRIP

Once in a Lifetime

Arc de Triomphe

Notre Dame Cathedral

The Eiffel Tower

THE TIME OF OUR LIVES George Margin On Saturday the 9th of April 36 students and 8 teachers set out for what was to be the adventure of a lifetime.

After arriving in Athens on day 2, we started exploring the city. The next day we made our way up to the Acropolis

where we quickly became good friends with the students of Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College. That afternoon we travelled by an overnight ferry to Crete, where we visited places such as ‗The Palace of Knossos‘, ‗Festos‘ and ‗Matala

Bay‘. After spending two days in Crete we caught another plane back to Athens so that we could make journey by coach

to Delphi,, site of the legendary oracle. After this came another overnight ferry to Italy.

The next morning we travelled by coach to Sorrento, an amazing city along the coast of Italy. It was during this time we

explored the ancient ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii, and climbed Mt Vesuvius. We then made our way to Rome. After visiting the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain and the many other amazing sites that Rome provides we

made our way to Venice for gondola rides and lots of shopping.

Our next destination was France and Belgium. It was over the next two and a half days that we explored the memorials,

cemeteries and battlefields that lined the Western Front. For me, the ANZAC day experienced in Belgium in 2011 will

be a day that I remember for the rest of my life. It was here that Brad, the school captain from TLSC, Mr Macey and myself had the opportunity to lay a wreath at the dawn service in Villers-Bretonneux, the battlefield of Fromelles and

at the Menin Gate in Belgium.

Our next stop was Paris, where we visited the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, Avenue des

Champs- Elysees and Euro Disneyland. After 21 fantastic days of touring it was back to Paris airport where we caught

a plane to Dubai, then back to Australia.

This trip was an amazing experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. We saw so many places, made so many

new friends, took so many photos and brought back so many memories. It is after experiencing this 23 day trip, that I encourage anyone who is thinking about going on the next trip to do so.

FIRST PLACE AT MUNA

Developing Citizenship

Thursday 5 May saw three of our Year

11 students, Bianca Torossian, Emily

Nelson and Callum O'Donnell, take

part in the 2011 Central Coast Model

United Nations Assembly

(MUNA) at Niagara Park Community

Centre.

They spent many hours, both in and outside of school,

researching Motions to be debated by 20 other Central

Coast schools on topics ranging from 'the continual

loss of arable land, forests and other habitats across

the planet' to 'the increasingly common use of the Internet for the purposes which are inappropri-

ate, illegal or criminal'.

Our MUNA team (representing Australia) spoke well and were commended for their teamwork,

all of which saw them take out first place for 2011 and thereby giving them the opportunity to

take part in the National MUNA competition in Canberra later this year.

The team would like to take this op-

portunity to thank the organisers of Cen-

tral Coast MUNA for the wonderful day on

Thursday. We at Brisbane Water Secon-

dary College see it as an important forum

for our students to actively meet and dis-

cuss world issues affecting our society and

those from other cultures. We would also

like to thank Umina Rotary for their on-

going support of our College in this event,

the relationship we have with the local

Rotary is appreciated. Jane-Louise McGuinness

Bianca Torossian, Emily Nelson and

Callum O’Donnell

20 schools attended the Model United Nations

Assembly at Niagara Park Hall,

Knowing the Science

SCIENCE CHALLENGE WINNERS

First Place in University of Newcastle

Science and Engineering Challenge. By Mrs Hazell

On May 2nd 16 year 10 Students travelled to the Central Coast Youth

Club to undertake the University of Newcastle‘s Science and Engineer-ing Challenge; sponsorship of the challenge was by Energy

Australia.

Participating students were Connor Austine, Nick Carter, Josh Cocks,

Luke Coleman, Liam Flanagan, Mitchell Gatavicius, Sean Fowler, Lawrence Fox, Jared Little, Amber Gross, Luke McCrohon, Jonathon

Milanovic, Jason Mumford, Michael Ryan, Thomas Wilson and

Mitchell Wolfe. They achieved 4 individual firsts and a second place.

Competing schools included St Edwards, Central Coast Grammar School,

Kincumber High School, Central Coast Adventist School, Wyong High School, Green Point Christian School and Erina High School.

Four students‘ last minute cancellations left our teams short and resulted

in some rapid team rearrangements. Michael Ryan was consequently trying to ―Crack an encryption code‖ single-handedly, an activity which

really required a minimum of two and was enhanced by more

participants. Students were experimenting with encryption codes that are used in

protecting data that is transferred electronically. The teams were given a

code to crack at the end of the period and points awarded on speed.

The EcoHabitat activity- sustainable model house building; was a full day activity, the other teams were allocated a

morning and afternoon activity. Despite being placed last at the lunch time update, BWSC was able to come from behind and win the day.

The finale was the testing of the bridge building activity that uses a standard test rig to deliver a dynamic load.

Construction materials was supplied and limited to those materials. The lightest bridge to hold the load won

Construction is one activity that requires thinking about forces and this task incorporated dynamic

loading thus added another dimension to an already complex problem.

If our team of Liam Flannagan and Josh Cocks, had built the lightest bridge that could take the dynamic load – a

weighted trolley - then they would win not only this activity, but BWSC would be the overall winners. Suspense was

high- the bridge sagged but did not break and in our opinion did not go past the point of disqualification. All we needed now was for the three judges to agree with us. The first flag was raised, all clear, the second flag was not

raised- a problem; our fate was dependent on the final judge. The flag was raised- first place, we had done it!

Congratulations to all the students on their team effort. The next level of the challenge occurs in August when we take

on the other regional winners.

Science Students Water Testing Local Creek Peter Hayes, Russell Maclean, Braedy Richards, Caley Unsworth, Kiara

Wilcox and Robert Wilcox took the school bus to Kahibah Ck, Umina to test the health

of the water on 18th March 2011. They carried out the tests at two different points and

found the creek to be generally in good health.

Although it was not flowing very fast and the turbidity (cloudiness) was high no other

problems were detected. Small fish and nymphs were found which would not normally survive in polluted water. Oxygen and pH (acid content) were found to be at normal

levels. Salinity (salt content), ammonia and

phosphate levels were found to be zero. All good signs! This activity is part of the Year 11, Senior Science course in the topic ―Water for Living‖.

Historic Win for BWSC Agriculture

SYDNEY ROYAL SUCCESS Brisbane Water Secondary College excels at Sydney Royal Easter Show Thirty six schools put forward their best student representing the highest

performing cattle paraders in NSW to compete in this most prestigious school parading competition.

Madison was nominated to represent Brisbane Water Secondary Col-lege. Her talent and dedication in training and parading show cattle

throughout her years at school was recognised in winning this highly

esteemed award.

Students and staff have worked diligently for months to prepare the cattle to compete at this year‘s Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Five cattle were presented for show by BWSC with all achieving a

ribbon in their class.

The classes entered were:-

* Heavy Weight Steer/Heifer Open 2nd led by Lauren Lees and 5th led by Luke Egan bred by Mr Les Alcorn, Quirindi

* Heavy Weight School Steer/Heifer 5th led by Madison

Guttridge, bred by BWSC * Trade Steer/Heifer 4th led by Taylah Mills bred by Mr Col

McGilchrist, Quirindi

* Middle weight School Steer/ Heifer Highly Commended, led by Alannah Norris bred by Mr Richard Cole, Condobolin

Breeders came to watch their cattle compete and were proud of the professional standard displayed by the students at all times. Without their continued support and commendable dedication of staff and students this invaluable program

would not be possible.

In quoting the Acting Director-General of Education and Communities, Pam Christie has praised the skills, character

and values that students are demonstrating in competition.

―The determination and dedication displayed is remarkable,‖ Ms

Christie said.

―Competing at the Sydney Royal is an achievement in itself. ―It is widely regarded as a pinnacle in many fields of endeavour, and in

competition students are up against the best of the best.

―Whether or not they are ranked with a ribbon, they should leave the competition with a strong sense of achievement.

―Behind every student‘s entry at the Sydney Royal is a commitment to

countless hours of hard work preparing and perfecting the qualities that are to be judged.

―Students should be proud of their efforts and the way they have dis-

played skills and values that are encouraged by public schools and TAFE.

―Striving to attain excellence is an important attribute for life and will

continue to serve them well in life, work and study. ―They are a credit to themselves, their teachers, their families and the

partners and supporters from the community who so generously back

the efforts of many student campaigns.‖

Report by Mrs Robson

Brisbane Water Secondary College Year 12 student, Madison Guttridge shows the style

that won her the State Champion Schools

Parader in the cattle ring of the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Madison with the ribbons, medallion and

plaque she won at Sydney Royal.

Learning To Think, Thinking To Learn

BWSC LEARNING CONFERENCE Brisbane Water Secondary College Learning Conference 2011

At the end of last term our College held its annual learning con-

ference over 2 days. The first day being held off campus at the

Avoca Beach Surf Life Saving Club and the following day held

here at the Senior Campus.

The initial day was headlined by key-note speaker Michael

McQueen who has published books as well as airing his thoughts

in the media aimed at understanding adolescent minds. The first

of three deliveries was entitled ‗Decoding the adolescent mind‘, followed by his perspectives on educating

21st Century students and finally an afternoon workshop relating what was discussed earlier in the day and

turning it into concrete action strategies that all teachers can use.

The second day saw staff attend the Senior Campus to participate in a number of workshops that they had

pre-elected to attend, learn new skills and develop insights in, in order to be better teachers. These work-

shops included curriculum differentiation, ‗Sentral‘- a new welfare and combined administration program,

ongoing Moodle experience, aboriginal education and higher-order thinking, amongst other courses.

Campus administration staff attended workshops in relation to the LMBR software program which aims to

tie together many facets of accounting in relation to school management.

Both days were seen as highly successful and undoubtedly added

value to teacher professional development, student understanding

and ultimately, better educated students across the College from

the Woy Woy Peninsula.

Thanks goes to all staff that helped organise the event and espe-

cially our TEPA teachers Matt Laffan and John Maxwell for their

expertise with multi-media delivery.

Brett Giles

College Head Teacher

Teaching and Learning Engaged staff taking notes.

Michael McQueen addresses staff

at ABSLSC.

MAGAZINE FRONT COVER

COMPETITION Be published on the front cover of our NEW school magazine

Art

Photography

Use the title ―Deep Water‖ - think ―Griffin‖

The winner will receive a $100 voucher

Entries to Mrs Gerakios or Mrs Morgan by end of Week 8

please. Example of cover art, 2002

College Life

OUR “ROYAL” EVENT

The Royal Event—Just For Fun! It seems a pity that with all our commitments and busy lives none of us were able to attend the official Royal Event of the Year. However, we did manage to hold our own

special event under the careful and watchful eye of our very own events manager, Ms

Smith and Ms Brampton, and Ladies in Waiting.

Of course no Royal Wedding would be complete without the enthusias-

tic Bride and Groom and various "royal " family members and associates strutting their stuff.

And so it was with great pomp and ceremony that Paul Wilson stood in for the officiator and declared Kate (Lauren) and William (Shah) "mawwied" in true Monty Python/

Princess Bride style! The vows were made in the presence of such dignified company

including Best Man (Scott), Bridesmaids (Charity and Skye), Lady in Waiting (Melissa), Elton John (Zoe), Camilla (Sasha) and Prince Charles (Lincoln), Princess

Anne (Ms Southon) and her favourite mount. There was also the ever 'present' Queen

Mother, who had made special arrangements with 'you know who' to be there, (Ms Nuku), the Beckhams, (well, Posh anyway - Ms Brampton), Mrs Middleton (Ashleigh),

Lady McAlister and the Duke ( Jack) and of course Her Majesty The Queen

(Mrs White). We felt very privileged.

High tea complemented this auspicious event

with cucumber sandwiches and other royal deli-cacies, followed by family photos in the glorious

gardens (veggie patch). Thankfully, the day went smoothly with all hands on deck, (livery, secu-

rity, and Crown control officers,).

PS: No children were hung over the balcony at

this time.

Family photos in the

Royal Gardens

High Tea in the Reception

Rooms

The elegantly attired

Bride and Groom

Distinguished guests

and celebrities

PLAN-IT YOUTH Nine Year 10 students went ―walkabout‖ in

April, on a Plan-It Youth visit to Australian

Walkabout Wildlife Park.

―The highlight of the ranger-led tour was the

hands-on learning about local Aboriginal

culture,‖ said Mr Harwood. This provided an

insight into Darkinjung life.

The park, at Calga, is home to a variety of

native animals roaming freely in their natural

habitat.

Mentors are trained volunteers who give freely

of their time and expertise, to help young

people who are unsure about their future job

opportunities.

Call Plan-It Youth on 4348 9140 for more

information.

Students from BWSC visited Australian Walkabout

Wildlife Park as part of the Plan-It Youth mentoring

scheme

Walkabout Park Visit

MUSICAL NOTES

Rhythm and News

YEAR 12 HSC DAY

Our year 12 Music students participated in a Central

Coast HSC study day. A big thank you and congratulations

to Tony Humphries performing his djembe duet with drum

teacher Rendra of 'The Rhythm Hut' the audienced loved your

energy. Also, a big thankyou to Tiana Melides (vocalists) with

accompaniment from Priya Garbyal (on piano) performing

'Hometown Glory' which also received fantastic reviews. Our

students were an impressive standout in their aural and

performance discussion and mature approach to the study day.

A massive congratulations to James Williams who auditioned to be a key solo instrumental performer (on

guitar using one of his HSC own composition performances). He has been accepted into the second round

of live auditions—this is a marvellous achievement in itself!

YOUTH IN PERFORMING ARTS CONCERT SERIES

Congratulations to our music students on their successful acceptance into this years Youth in Performing

Arts Performances at Laycock Street Theatre. Joshua Keane is singing 'If I Can't Love Her' from the

musical Beauty and the Beast which will be the grand finale closing act. Tiana Melides will be singing

'Hometown' (composition by Adele) with Priya accompanying on piano which is a wonderful performance

and one of Tiana's HSC pieces. Also, our talented card magician Tom Hogson (yr 11) will be impressing the

crowds in the foyer on all nights with his mystifying card tricks.

The acclaimed season of live variety performances present an ensemble cast of young musicians, singers,

dancers and actors showcasing the Central Coast‘s own handpicked talent. Witness stars in the making,

catch them before they‘re famous, and experience the breadth of our region‘s dazzling arts and

entertainment line-up. This is the very best of the time-honored variety entertainment format, enjoy old

favorites, sample new delights and go home with the music in your ears, the beat still thumping in your chest

and the knowledge that the Central Coast is home to Australia‘s stars of tomorrow.

Contact Laycock Street Theatre for tickets

Box Office

02 4323 3233

Different acts are on different nights so look at

the website to book the right

night. www.laycockstreettheatre.com

Performance Nights 31 May, 8pm. 1, 2, 3, 4

June 8pm

Pricing Adult $19, Concession $15,

Child $12

Priya on piano and Tiana on vocals

Tony Humphroies on Djembe

Learning Through Experience

FIELD TRIP

On March 7 and 10 students from Year 10 travelled to Terrigal Beach to conduct an array of fieldwork

activities as part of the requirements of School Certificate Geography.

Each day, students travelled between three sites around Terrigal Beach and Terrigal Lagoon. They were

principally investigating the effects of coastal erosion on the human and physical environment. This was

directly connected to the topic ‗Coastal Management‘ which they are studying at school.

After some quick demonstrations by teachers and the staff from Rumbalara Environmental Education,

students were actively conducting beach profile surveys, determining the density of native beach

vegetation, measuring sand particles, performing water quality tests and finding their ‗bearings‘ (excuse

the pun!) at the top of the Skillion.

It was an enjoyable two days for all and students appreciated exploring and learning about the world

beyond the classroom. Many thanks to all Geography HSIE staff and the accompanying staff members. Mr. Waters, Geography Coordinator

Learning From Experience

VIETNAM BUS VIETNAM WAR STUDY DAYS On 7th and 10th of March in Term 1, Year 10

participated in one of two Vietnam War Study Days as a

component of their History course. A major focus of

both History days was a visit by the Nambus, which is

stationed at Ettalong but tours around the state for

educational visits to schools. The Nambus was crewed

by veterans of the Vietnam War, who answered

students‘ questions about the many artefacts and

memorabilia on board the bus and also talked to the

students at length about their experiences in the war. The veterans who attended the two days

complimented our Year 10 students on their attentiveness and good behaviour.

The College also received television coverage as a result of this year‘s Nambus visit, as Deborah

O‘Neill, the federal Member for Robertson, visited the Senior Campus with an NBN news crew to

announce a government grant to the Nambus. The story appeared on NBN news, with Year 10‘s

Lauren McDonald being interviewed and speaking well on behalf of her fellow students. If you

missed the news item and want to see if you were on TV too, go to www.nbntv.com.au and search

for ―Nambus‖ and you can watch it online.

As well as the Nambus visit, Year 10 participated in two ‗edutainment‘ sessions that helped even

more to bring history to life. One of these sessions was ―Vietnam – Loss of Innocence‖ by Starr

Productions, a drama performance based on true Australian stories of the war that was in turns

funny and very moving. The other session was listening to a live performance of protest songs and

other music from the Vietnam War era, performed by our multi-talented Deputy Principal Mr

Macey and his band of similarly talented student musicians.

I would like to thank the students of Year 10 for their participation and for the respect they showed

the Vietnam veterans during their visits on both days. I would also like to thank all the staff who

contributed to making these study days a success. I especially want to thank Mr Macey and the

students who have performed the Vietnam songs with him not just this year but over the last three

years, with this year‘s band including Josh Keane, Daniel Scarratt, James Williams and Blaize

Matthews.

Mr Wright

Year 10 History

Co-Ordinator

CYBER SAFETY

Meeting Challenges

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Yr 10 Boys Touch (Back Row L-R) Sam Court, Coen Hardy,

Billy Davis, Brandon Edwards, Reece Horsnell, Ryan Kirwan

(Front Row L-R) Jarryd Hayne, Kye Margetson, Liam Hines,

Mitchel Richter

Open Boys Netball (Back Row L-R) Matt Dimaio,

Tyrell Jacob, Corey

Flemming, Shaun Swinfield, Damien Flemming, (Middle Row L-

R) Jay Kissick, Ra Baker, John Jenkins, Jo Dawes (Front Row L-

R) Nathan Richter, Adam Holmes

Scoreboard Round 3 CHS Boys Football Knockout Final Score 6 – 7 in Penalty Shoot out Goro-

kan def. BWSC (1 – 1 at Fulltime)

Round 2 CHS Boys Volleyball Knockout. Score BWSC 3 sets def Gosford 0

Round 3 CHS Boys Volleyball Knockout. Score BWSC 3 sets def Terrigal 2 sets

Round 2 CHS Girls Volleyball Knockout. Score BWSC 3 sets def Wyong 1 set

Round 3 CHS Girls Volleyball Knockout. Score BWSC 3 sets def Narara Valley 0

Round 2 St Marys Cup Rugby League Elite Schools Cup. Score: Bass Hill High 34

def BWSC 20

Round 2 CHS Open Boys Touch Knockout Score: BWSC 10 def Gorokan 4 Mitch Cathie in full flight defending his goal

SKILLS FOR LIFE

Keys to success

... helping parents teach their Learner driver

As a parent you may be a good driver; but being able to teach your Learner is not an easy task.

A recent national survey of more than 1,250 parents of Learner drivers found that almost half (45.5%)

were nervous or apprehensive when they began teaching their teen how to drive.

keys2drive is a federally funded program that has been developed by the Australian Automobile Associa-

tion which aims to take the drama out of learning to drive. It helps parents to prepare for their role as a

supervising driver and to ensure that any time spent in the car with their Learner is successful and effec-

tive.

keys2drive is a free lesson (involving theory and on-road) delivered by an accredited professional driving

instructor to any Learner who is accompanied by their supervising driver – most often a parent.

This program, the single largest Learner driver safety program undertaken in Australia, represents a

unique and valuable experience for parents and their Learner drivers.

To register for a free lesson or to learn more, visit www.keys2drive.com.au

The Australian Automobile Association constituent members are the

motoring clubs in each State and Territory

HE TEEN Driver Awareness Driver Awareness, The Future is in your Hands.

Central Coast Motor Group will be hosting a Driver Awareness Event at our dealership, and invite all

parents and students of years 10, 11 and 12 to attend. The evening will cover life saving issues such as;

• The importance of vehicle maintenance and safety

• How alcohol and drugs can affect drivers

• Identifying distractions

• How to avoid passing on bad habits to learners

• Pointers to teach learners correctly

Join us as we explore some of the issues we are faced with today. Please feel free to share this event with

family or friends.

Wednesday 25th May 2011 7pm 373 Mann Street Gosford RSVP to Amy York

[email protected] or (02) 4320 0900

College and Community

SPECIAL EVENT