Edition 3 Term 2, Week 10

P&C Funding - Fitness Centre Equipment

The P&C has actively contributed to several projects around the school.  As I mentioned earlier in the newsletter our refurbished weight training room is fully operational. We cannot thank the P&C enough for their contribution towards necessary equipment for the room. The P&C is also funding some landscaping in the bus bay area and outdoor lighting for the amphitheatre. The amphitheatre is a great venue that hosts a number of school and community events.

Voluntary Contributions P&C Raffle

Congratulations to the following students who are this term recipients of the draw from parents who have contributed to the voluntary P&C fund. We really appreciate the contributions of parents. The fund enables the P&C to support valuable projects around the school.

Year 7 - Charlie Dellar

Year 7 - Kaesha Campbell

Year 10 - George Peachey

Year 8 - Coen Butcher 

Year 11 - Oisin Carrigan

Year 10 - Kiralee Butt

Absent: Charlie Dellar

General Enrolments Now Open

Applications for General Enrolments are now open.

To apply, visit the school website.

WINNERS! SIX YEARS IN A ROW

Congratulations to our Country Week team who have taken out FIRST PLACE in the Tier 1 division at the School Sport WA 2023 Country Week competition.

This is the sixth year in a row Bunbury Senior High School have taken home the trophy! 

What an amazing result! 

A huge thanks and well done to our staff and students who represented Bunbury Senior High School and organised this year's competition.

Edith Cowan University

Planning Day 

Early this year, Bunbury SHS signed an MOU with Edith Cowan University. The partnership has already bought many advantages to our students. 

This term our Leadership Team spent an afternoon planning with ECU team for other opportunities to;

• Map relevant projects that give BSHS students the opportunity to work on research projects supervised by ECU academics as part of a team.
• Mutually engage in long term activities aligned to the curriculum where students spend time on ECU South West’s Bunbury Campus to foster interests in careers.
• Create custom content blocks of content for students (micro-credentials) that align to a unit of study at ECU.
• Facilitate BSHS student involvement in spanned delivery e.g. some first-year units at ECU align strongly with ATAR level content and learning outcomes.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of our leadership team in looking for opportunities to create real, relevant, experiences for students. When you put this alongside some of the other partnership opportunities; Community Art Projects, First Lego League, Theatre experiences and the list goes on. A Bunbury Senior High School education is a real-world experience.

Mike Sinagra

School Psychologist (Lauren Dragon)

If you are concerned about your child over the holiday period, we encourage you to seek further advice and assistance. There are a range of external services available for young people and families while schools are closed.  For some examples, please see the below links which includes services that provide assessment, intervention, phone and web based support. Your family GP may also be able to provide information/referrals to other services.

Headspace:

Students:

Tips for a healthy headspace | headspace

How to help a friend going through a tough time

Parents/families:

Self-care for family and friends

Mental Health Commission:

Helplines 

Department of Education:

Emergency and consultation contacts for parent/carer/student support (attached; from the School response and planning guidelines for students with suicidal behaviour and NSSI)

Support for children and young people

We wish all of our students and families an enjoyable break.

SPECIAL REPORT: Social Media Influencers

Social media influencers have become powerful individuals who often shape the opinions and beliefs of others due to strong connections with their audiences. In today's fast-paced digital world, attention has become a valuable commodity.

However, the impact of social media influencers on youth mental health is a growing concern, most recently, the controversial actions and statements of Andrew Tate. His rise to fame has made him a polarising figure, amassing a significant following of mostly young males. Educators and families have raised urgent concerns about the damaging nature of Tate’s content, worried that his messages may radicalise students and create a generation of young men with regressive and harmful beliefs.

Young people often compare themselves to the idealised lives presented by influencers, leading to feelings of inadequacy, low self-worth and dissatisfaction. Social media algorithms may also expose them to inappropriate or harmful content such as explicit material, promotion of harmful behaviours, or distorted perceptions of body image or mental health.

It is important to guide a young person’s social media use and promote open communication. Be curious to comprehend why they might be drawn to radical influencers, like Andrew Tate, and actively seek understanding as part of the solution. While not all influencers have a negative impact, parents play a vital role in ensuring a balanced approach to social media. By actively modelling kindness, respect and positive values, parents can help tackle the sway of radical influencers and be part of the solution to countering unhealthy masculinity.

This Special Report provides guidance on how to respond to misinformation and disinformation, instead encouraging critical thinking and emphasising the value of real-life connections. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please consider seeking medical or professional help.

Click on this link to view the Special Report https://bunburyshs.wa.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-social-media-influencers-au

The theme for the school’s Gifted and Talented program in 2023 is “Challenge, Innovation and Change”. This has manifested itself in a myriad of ways and we could not be prouder of our students and their team of dedicated teachers.

They’ve created ‘Earthquake-proof’ buildings and tested them in an earthquake simulator, promoted an imaginary band, traced the last movements of Otzi the Iceman, made films about chemical reactions, perfected lemon batteries, attended a Broadway musical and completed first-year university units.

In addition they were exposed to a myriad of ideas interacting with a digital game designer who wrote the interactive Star Wars adventure at Disney World, aced the ASX sharemarket game, and set about solving authentic industry problems at the Innovation Academy.

It’s hard to believe we’re only half-way through the year!

We can’t wait to share the fruits of students’ labour at a Showcase event in the library at the end of the year. For now, though, please enjoy a brief edited highlights of their learning journey.

Xan Ashbury – GAT Coordinator

Camp

The 20 newcomers to our program spent a memorable two days at Jarrahfall Bush Camp, Dwellingup, in Term 1. The group got to know their peers and honed their collaborative skills through participating in team games and a raft building challenge. The following day they donned hard-hats and harnesses to scale the climbing wall and learnt to abseil. The resilience shown by students, and the support they extended to each other, was magnificent.

Planning is well under way for the Year 8/9 GAT camp to Albany in August, as well as a Year 10 GAT camp to Perth in October.

Social event

On Friday 16 June, Year 7-10 GAT students will gather in our library after school to enjoy an evening playing boardgames together. We believe it is important to build a sense of belonging in the program and provide students with an opportunity to practise their social skills and form connections with their gifted peers in other year groups. We were delighted with the uptake for this event and have plans for a quiz night and other social events next term.

BOP Industries

We welcomed back the team from BOP Industries, a specialist training group working to inspire and upskill our young innovators in Week 10. Sixty students from Year 7-10 GAT participated in the exciting two-day Designed Spaces program. Students were provided with a list of spaces around the school and community to redesign, before participating in a series of master classes on technology, sustainability, and user centred design. Students then collaborated to implement their ideas into a final concept plan and pitch for their chance to win in a share of prizes, and may be even see their ideas come to life.

Rising Scholar Program

Two of our Year 10 GAT students, Jesse Nunn and Talita Botha, were accepted into Curtin University’s Rising Scholar Program and have each completed first-year university units this semester. The pair have thrived on this challenge are continuing in the program next semester. Under the scheme, the tuition, delivered online, is free and the units can be counted towards an undergraduate degree. We will continue to facilitate these types of opportunities and look forward to more students becoming involved. 

Work experience

Two of our GAT students, Rufus and Vee Nixon, spent the day shadowing professional theatre company Theatre 180 as they brought their production of AB Facey’s A Fortunate Life to BREC.  

Guest speakers

In May, we welcomed three authors into the school to work, to coincide with their appearance at the Margaret River Readers Writers Festival. Students had the opportunity to attend an interactive Noongar and culture language session Jayden Boundry, a traditional Noongar dancer, author, teacher and didgeridoo player.

The Year 7 and 9 GAT students attended a workshop with Victorian novelist Mark Smith. He discussed how his lived experience as a surfer and environmental activist had shaped his latest novel, ‘If Not Us’. The Year 9 GAT students have just finished outstanding essays on the novel and greatly benefited from meeting and working with the author.

The Year 7 and 9 GAT students also received an insider’s perspective on the digital game industry. Software manager, author and narrative game designer Esther Krogdahl conducted the workshops with the students, covering topics such as quests, cut scenes and world building. Esther told students about one of her career highlights, writing the narratives and missions for Galaxy’s Edge, the interactive Star Wars adventure at Disney World. She also provided students with tips about breaking into the industry. The Year 9 GAT students are now commencing a project to create their own narratives for a digital game and we will have a follow-up session with Esther to get expert feedback on their ideas.

English

In English, Year 7 GAT students took on the role of journalist and editor and created their own magazine. More recently, they analysed a range of picture books with a focus on the works of Shaun Tan. Students even got to see the recent theatre adaptation of Tan’s Cicada which featured BREC's immersive bug museum display. Next term, students will write their own drama script based on a picture book, then work in small groups to stage one of the short plays.

Year 8

Our talented Year 8 GAT students wrote and performed slam poetry, and are in the process of editing short films, which will be entered in the school’s category of the Cinefest Film Festival.

Year 9

A popular Band Project saw Year 9 GAT students collaborate in small groups to a portfolio of work promoting an imaginary band, including song lyrics, a photograph, a feature article and a persuasive letter. Students also wrote and recorded an interview for a podcast and presented portfolio highlights to an audience. Some students even composed and performed songs and designed merchandise.

Year 10

Recently, the Year 10 GAT students saw the Broadway musical, Come From Away at the Crown Theatre in Perth. Unfortunately, the first excursion on Wednesday 10 May did not go to plan; as we arrived at Boola Bardip, The Museum of Western Australia, we were informed the cast were ill and the show was cancelled. As part of our novel study in Term One, The Complete Maus, we had already planned to visit the Museum to enhance our understanding of the persecution of Jewish peoples in Germany during World War II and the impact on holocaust survivors, with a focus on those how immigrated to Perth. Whilst at the museum we focused on our Connections, with an emphasis on immigration, Aboriginal history and colonisation. As we now had a day in Perth, we spent a lot of time exploring the wide range of exhibits in the museum before heading to the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

On Wednesday 24 May, we travelled to Crown Theatre and this time, our production was not cancelled. ‘Come From Away tells the remarkable true story of thousands of stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland, Canada that welcomed them all.  Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.’ The experienced enhanced the students knowledge and understanding of the conventions of musicals and how theatre techniques are used to convey themes, ideas, values, attitudes and position audiences to respond in specific ways. In addition to the technical aspects of the production, students developed an understanding of the events of 9/11 that changed the world, a unit they were also exploring in HASS.

Science

All of the 7-9 GAT classes in Science sat the Big Science Competition earlier this term. Students haven’t received their certificates yet, but we know that as a group we achieved two high distinctions and three distinctions. As a school we consistently performed higher than average in what is a challenging competition.

This term, Year 7GAT have been exploring the tools and techniques used by biologists and using these to explore Boulters Heights. Year 8 GAT made films about chemical reactions last term and this term they have been perfecting lemon batteries.

Year 9 GAT have been learning about how scientific ideas change over time as new evidence becomes available and Year 10s have been collaborating with like-minded students from other schools to solve authentic industry problems at the Innovation Academy.

Humanities

Year 7

Year 7 GATs studied civics and citizenship in term 1 by linking past referendums to the upcoming one this year, creating a Minecraft courtroom and solving the crime of the missing gold pen involving a forensic analysis of evidence. This term we’ve traced the last movements of Otzi the Iceman as he made his way up the mountain 5000 years ago and used archaeological evidence to determine how long First Australians have occupied the Continent. The student are moving on to Big History project, Ancient Rome, Geography and Business and Economics.

Year 8

Students just finished creating ‘Earthquake-proof’ buildings for HaSS and tested them in an earthquake simulator. Magnitudes of survival varied from the mid 6s all the way up to 10.

They also took part in the ASX sharemarket game for schools. The kids were placed into pairs and competed against each other at the end of term 1/start of term 2. The winners came from behind in the last week to snatch victory. All groups were very keen to do well.

Year 9

Year 9 GAT students have delved into the vast expanse of human existence and development through the Big History Project. They have ventured into the realms of human innovation and have examined pivotal moments of human crisis and conflict. This term they have crafted impactful World War I propaganda posters and are currently envisioning the future and the forthcoming stages of human evolution and advancement.

Year 10

Earlier in Term 2, student have been engaging in trying to determine the health of the Australian economy though data analysis and exploring the recent Australian and Wes Australian budgets. Students have moved on to exploring Business Productivity and are currently providing HR support to a hypothetical business. Next students will take part in the National History Challenge.

Prospective Parents Open Night

We recently had over 200 families visit the school for the Prospective Parents Open Night.

Future families started with a tour of the school grounds and facilities then listened to a presentation on the school's programs, services and vision.

Upcoming Open Day

The school will once again open the school grounds for our second open day for this year. This will be open for all alumni, parents, future families and anyone who is interested in viewing the school grounds and facilities.

The Open Day will be held on Saturday 25 November 2023. 

Further information about the day will be realised soon. 

Keep an eye on our Facebook and the Alumni Facebook Page for more information.

100 YEARS ON THE CURRENT SITE

This year marks our 100 year anniversary of being located on our current site in Boulter's Heights.

Many may remember our official 100 year celebrations in 2018, but may not know that the school was not always located on the current site where it sits today.

In 1922 a site was cleared at Boulters Heights and building commenced in the same year.

On 6 February 1923, school commenced in the new buildings on our current site with an official opening of the school took place on 9 February where the Premier, Sir James Mitchell performed the ceremony.

Staff Group - 1923