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This week we enjoyed our first formal opportunity to engage with our 2024 Year 7 students and their families. Our Information Night on Tuesday was well attended by most of the Year 6 students in our friendly cluster of primary schools: Richardson, Calwell and Theodore, and also a surprisingly pleasant number of students from outside of our region. Staff and many current students were on hand to show off the great things that happen in our school, leading to a lot of excited Year 6 students.
I enjoyed visiting a number of classrooms this week and seeing some great teaching and learning. Ms Price's Year 7 English class were busy looking at how differing perspectives can influence our interpretation of texts. The students demonstrated their collaborative learning skills and enthusiastically engaged in a group assignment.
My time in Ms Walsh's Photography class was highlighted by the students working on 'Staple City' a practical activity working with directional light. The level of skill and creativity of the students was extremely impressive.
Next week we look forward to our assembly on Wednesday where we will recognise Reconciliation Day.
Have a lovely weekend.
Steve
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Monday 29 May
- Public Holiday - Reconciliation Day
Tuesday 30 May
Wednesday 31 May
Thursday 1 May
- Homework Club, Break 2 & After School
Friday 2 May
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INFORMATION NIGHT
On Tuesday 23 May we welcomed the community to have a look around our school, meet our teachers and chat to some current students. The school looked fantastic and our students enthusiastically showed off the wonderful things we have to offer.
We had some drama bananas acting the part, dancers busting some moves, budding scientists, rock climbers, origami designers and much more.
It was wonderful to see so many prospective students and their families and we look forward to them joining our high school community next year.
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GRASSLAND EARLESS DRAGON EXCURSION
The Grassland Earless Dragon Rehabilitation Program is aimed at restoring the natural population of these dragons and researching them for scientific purposes. It is located at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and volunteering here was quite the visit.
We got off the bus and were greeted by some volunteers for the Parks and Wildlife services. We were led down a dirt trail and eventually had to be ferried to the habitat in 4x4 vehicles as the trail was too rough for the bus. The scenery was just breathtaking and throughout the day we were surrounded by lush forest and tall mountains. Even the workers thought that the view couldn’t be beaten.
The habitats were a PhD project for Jess, the lady running the breeding program. They were set up quite well to guard the dragons from birds, and of course snakes. When we reached the habitats, we were told all about the project and the habitat. We were led into the cage and saw these huge circular habitats with walls about a metre high, giving the impression of just how small the dragons really were.
We were able to go into the enclosures that didn’t have dragons in them; they were so small that you were likely to step on them without noticing. We all helped do certain jobs that needed to be done whilst the dragons were out of the habitats. Everyone mixed and matched and most people got a taste of everything. We were able to help clean out the ponds and fix up the shoreline so that the dragons would be able to drink safe water and not get stuck on the banks. We also were able to help weed out the enclosures of anything that wasn’t native and part of the dragon’s natural habitat.
But the best job by far was helping to weigh the dragons. They were tiny little things with the biggest of them, Mr T, weighing around 7.6 grams and being similar to the size of your finger. We were able to help make notes on the dragon’s weight and were even able to hold them. The dragons had recently bred and there were five babies being weighed too. They were even smaller than the adults and weighed about half a gram.
The only job left was to lay out roof tiles in the dragons’ habitats in hopes that the sun would warm them up and provide a basking spot for the tiny dragons. We then had the privilege of watching the dragons feed and being released into their habitats. It was wonderful to see them running through the grass and vanishing into their burrows.
We stepped back after a job well done and took the bus back to school.
I think that it was an incredible opportunity and I feel privileged to be a part of something so great. Knowing that we played a part in bringing back these tiny creatures to the wild gives me a huge amount of hope for the future.
Isaak, Year 10
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POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING
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Our Positive Behaviour for Learning @ Calwell journey continues after our PBL meeting in Weeks 3 and 4, following discussions and collaborating with our team of experienced, knowledgeable and eager staff around how we can create a positive environment and promote positive behaviours in our school.
A driving theme present in discussions was consistency and predictability. Making sure that structures are in place to support staff in delivering to students clear, consistent and predictable outcomes for positive and negative behaviours is the core foundation that we are working with for our Positive Behaviour for Learning approach.
To support our staff in enacting this process of ensuring clear, consistent messaging across all areas of the school, we have begun with refining our expectations for All Settings that has been approved by students from our Calwell COMPASS group, student representatives from all year groups. For transparency we have a brand new roadmap of when teachers will explicitly teach and unpack with students throughout the term in their classes.
Acting on our theme of consistency, lesson prompts have been and will be made to aid staff in being on the same page and reinforcing this with our students for all of their respective classrooms and contexts. Keep up with our Positive Behaviour for Learning @ Calwell journey by following our social media and subscribing to our newsletter!
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MATHS TERM 2
In Year 7, students have been working through their Number unit, specifically focusing on the more complex ways in which numbers are used. They have currently been working with Index Notation and showing how we can represent much larger numbers in a simpler format. They have been investigating some unique properties of special numbers such as perfect squares and square roots and how they are used in the real world. Next they will be moving into the use of decimal numbers and percentages and how we convert between these different forms of numbers.
In Year 8, students have started their final unit of the semester on Data and Statistics. As part of this unit students are beginning to understand how data is used to inform and plan for decisions made in our lives and how it can be used to predict certain outcomes through displays and measures. They are also beginning to use the language of Statistics when analysing data, learning many new words such as ‘numerical’, ‘categorical’, ‘discrete’ and ‘continuous’ data. They are beginning to use measures of centre such as mean, mode and median and the effects of extreme values on these.
In Year 9, students have been completing their Index Laws and Scientific Notation unit. They are beginning to understand how Scientific Notation is used to measure the world around us from the atomic level to the astronomical. They are also discovering the complex area of Algebra and it’s many rules and how the language of mathematics can help explain the world we live in on a universal scale.
In Year 10, students are about to go into the testing phase of their Non-Linear Equations unit. This is teaching students how to manipulate algebraic equations before they are used to construct curves on a Cartesian Plane. These skills are only a small portion of a much wider field of mathematics that is used extensively in engineering, computer graphics and modelling, biomechanics and the effects of gravity on projectiles, to name a few.
Australian Mathematics Competition
Once again we are giving the opportunity for all students to enter the Australian Mathematics Competition which is being held here at school in early August. Please keep an eye out for information on how to register and enter the competition. Each year thousands of dollars are awarded to winners across the globe who excel in this competition. If your child is interested in testing their knowledge against other students, please contact Mr Damien Plenty or talk to your Maths teacher for more information. Entries will close early Term 3.
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TEAM TEACH - MATHS YEAR 9
The students did a fun activity with scientific notations this week.
Try this Fun Activity - Maths Magic for you.
Think of a number.
Double it.
Now, add 6.
Divide by half.
Then subtract the number with your original number.
Your answer is 3!
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JAPANESE
In Japanese, Year 7 students have shown both their speaking and computer skills by creating videos in which they use their own voices. Speaking in Japanese, they video themselves acting out lines of the script from the celebrated movie Ponyo. If your child is in Year 7, ask to see the video of their Japanese voice talent.
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HUMAN MOVEMENT
We would like to inform parents that the students in our Human Movement class have independently selected their unit topic, showcasing their initiative and engagement in their learning. They have chosen to focus on performance supplements and have diligently researched the subject to create an informative infographic.
This project has allowed them to explore the potential impact of various nutritional aids on athletic performance, considering both the benefits and risks involved. Concurrently, the students have also continued their weights program, emphasizing their commitment to physical fitness alongside their study of performance-enhancing substances. We commend their proactive approach to learning and their dedication to understanding human movement in a comprehensive and practical manner.
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P&C NEWS
Hello Parents, Carers and Friends
National Volunteer Week recently drew to a close, but of course volunteering in the community continues all year round. Members of school P&Cs play a big part in this, and some survey information from the ACT Council of P&C Associations gives us an idea of the top reasons why parents and family members say 'I love volunteering':-
- We're making the school a better place
- The kids’ smiles make it worth it!
- Satisfying doing something worthwhile
- Meeting people & making new friends
- Feeling part of the community
- Understanding more about the school
- Being informed
- Getting to know the staff
- I learnt new skills
- It sets a good example for my kids
With the P&C at Calwell High, there are always plenty of volunteering opportunities, so please get in touch with us on the email below and we can explore what might suit you best.
Cheers, Geoff Puleston, Calwell High School P&C President
calwellhighpandc@gmail.com
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Come one, come all to the fantastic opportunity that is Homework Club!
At Calwell High School we aim to make sure students are supported with opportunities to catch up on classwork and assessment tasks, as well as provide a space for students to seek assistance from our fantastic teachers.
One of these opportunities is our Homework Club, hosted in our school library on Tuesdays and Thursdays during Break 2 as well as Thursday afternoons from 3.00pm onwards from Week 5–10. Students have the option to come to the library to get additional tutoring and assistance from their teachers, who volunteer their time to provide students with additional support with their learning.
Sometimes, a student may not even need help from any staff, but would rather work in a dedicated space for learning. Just having a space to work productively without distractions can make a huge difference in a child’s learning.
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STUDENT PATHWAYS AND CAREERS NEWS
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CAREERS WEEK
Calwell High School has celebrated Careers Week this year in many ways across our school community. We have held parent/carer workshops, the Careers Expo, conducted Mock interviews with a 1300 Apprentice Recruitment Agency, attended an excursion to the University of Canberra C4 Yourself Day and had many informal career conversations at school to start/continue the journey our young people are on to find meaningful careers!
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We had over 35 exhibitors at our Careers Expo last week who represented the industry, training and education sectors. All Years 8, 9 & 10 students attended and we also had a number of parents and carers join us as well! We had so many positive comments from the exhibitors on the enthusiastic and responsible manner of our students. I am sure due to its success, it will become an annual event.
We still have many career excursions, taster days and training opportunities this term, so keep an eye out for notices in this newsletter and on our school Student Pathways Google Classroom page link: https://classroom.google.com/c/NTQyMTc0MjEzNTg5?cjc=mvn4pkb
We are also seeking students to apply for two Calwell HS P&C sponsored Entrepreneurial Scholarships to participate in an entrepreneurial small business course aimed at teenagers - each scholarship is worth $250 each. Application form link: https://forms.gle/jhX4dzTzGn2i1eGR9 see Jennie or Andrew for more information.
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2023 CALWELL HIGH SCHOOL CAREERS WEEK SCHOLARSHIP MAKER2MARKET PROGRAM
The Calwell HS P&C is generously sponsoring two Calwell High School Students to participate in an entrepreneurial small business course aimed at teenagers. Each scholarship is worth $250.
Two students will be chosen based on an application form available from Jennie or Andrew in Careers. Students will be selected on their keen interest in participating in the intensive three-day business taster program for creative teens that sees them create a small-business, logo, hand-made products and test their products at a real-world market. The program will take place in either July or September holidays.
Applications close Monday 5 June
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ACT CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE COMMISSIONER RIGHTS IN ACTion!
The Rights in ACTion newsletter May 2023 edition is acknowledging Reconciliation Week. In this edition, Barb Causon, the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Advocate, and her team have created a newsletter full of information for children about Reconciliation, the Uluru Statement and the Voice to Parliament.
Children and young people can send contributions in any format they like about anything they want. They can also send messages to the ACT Children and Young People Commissioner on Instagram @actkids_CYPC, call on 02 6205 2222, send an email to actkids@act.gov.au or go to Young Thinker Forum to upload files.
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