Edition 2 Term 1, Week 5
Bonjour à tous, and Wanju
The opening of the borders has allowed some to welcome back family and others may now have the opportunity to travel to see loved ones. The Omicron peak is still to come but there is a small glimmer that once over that hump, some resemblance of life as we know will return.
There is a Chinese saying, “May you live in interesting times”, people often misinterpret this as a wish for your life but the reality is that it is a curse. As we have found out. With interesting times comes confusion, disruption and uncertainty. We are working hard to make school life as clear as possible with plans and contingencies to limit the disruption and minimise the uncertainty for our whole school community.
There are COVID cases in our community and in our school. So far we have had three students who have tested positive and 15 students who have become close contacts. This is 1.8% of our total school population. Our school is open and we are operating with conditions to minimise the spread of COVID. The measure that I spoke about in our last issue still applies. Even in the uncertainty of what will happen next the following remain good strategies; wear a mask and practice good hand hygiene
Please be advised that
- Bunbury Senior High School remains open for face-to-face learning. CONNECT is our method of communication and teachers have placed resources and learning intentions for students in isolation.
- If your child is not contacted directly by WA Health or Bunbury Senior High School your child is not required to quarantine and should attend school
- If staff are not contacted directly by WA Health or the School they are not required to quarantine and should attend school.
- Please continue to monitor your child/yourself for symptoms and get tested and isolate until you receive a negative result.
- If you or your child develops symptoms or returns a positive test please contact the school at toni.hotchin@education.wa.edu.au
Unfortunately, our hugely popular Year 8 Market Day event, organised by Year 8 HASS students has had to be cancelled, for now. The preparation of food by students and the handling of cash is an increased risk that was too difficult to manage without detracting from the experience.
Working together we will get through the next month. I look forward to your support.
En Avant
Mike Sinagra
Year 7 Activity Day
Our Year 7s started off the school year with a fun day in the sun!
During the first week of school, the Year 7 cohort participated in team-building games including, tug of war, sack races, tunnel ball, basketball and others. After a sausage sizzle for lunch, the Year 7s finished off their afternoon with some water-based games to cool off after a day of sports activities.
A big shout out to our student house leaders, Year 12 Prefects and staff for assisting on a very hot summer's day.
NAPLAN YEAR 7 & 9
NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit in May (Term 2 week 3 & 4). It is the only national assessment all Australian students do. As students progress through their school years, it’s important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy.
NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.
Please read further information on the link below.
SunSmart Interschoool Tennis
Last Friday, two teams of BSHS students competed in the annual SunSmart Interschool Tennis Classic Tournament held at the Bunbury Tennis club. From the seven schools that competed, BSHS won in both the girls and boys competitions, playing some great tennis!
Well done team!
Year 8 BEST students girls team
Back row - Ngaire Parish, Elise Andrews, Charlotte Kampen, Madi King
Year 7-9 BEST students boys team
Front row - Noah Piavanini, Izaac Slater, Eamon Ramsay, Jaxon Wiperi
Career Practioner
A new initiative from the Department of Education has been to appoint Career Practitioners to a number of schools across the state. I have been lucky enough to have won the position at Bunbury Senior High School.
I have experience teaching in schools across the South West and Pilbara regions with a background in HASS (Politics & Law and Modern History), although for many years I have been working as a Vocational Education and Training Coordinator assisting students to develop their skills and access the training required to move into their chosen career.
As the Career Practitioner at BSHS, I will be working closely with our students, staff, parents and the community. I am excited to be working with the whole school community to provide our students with the tools they need to investigate, understand and develop their own career pathways. I look forward to getting to know each of the students and showing them the many different pathways they can take to achieve their career goals now and into the future.
Peta King
Career Practioner
Download the Schoolzine App
We understand that now more than ever, it’s essential for our school to have effective and efficient communication channels available to our school community - accessible anywhere, anytime.
Our new communication platform "Schoolzine" offers that and more! We encourage you to download the SZapp so that you have access to the latest news and events as well as important links in one convenient app.
Get access to the school newsletter, website, PTO, subject selection online, attendance and much more.
Please follow the instructions below to install.
Cafeteria Online Ordering
Our Cafeteria has recently moved to a new online ordering system called Spriggy Schools. The app is user friendly and can be downloaded onto your phone.
For more information about Spriggy Schools and to download the app, head to their website:https://www.spriggyschools.com.au/
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
We want to get to know our students and school community better and hear all about your life out of school.
If you have been kicking goals out in the community - whether you've had sporting success, are volunteering somewhere fun, or have an interesting or unusual hobby we want to know about it.
Please fill in the online form using the link below and you might be featured on our Facebook page or in our newsletter in the near future.
You will also win points for your House which goes towards the overall score and end of year tally for the champion house.
SPECIAL REPORT: Understanding Adolescence
Adolescence is the transitional stage of development that is usually associated with the teenage years. In 2018, the Australian Curriculum Assessment Authority, redefined adolescence as affecting young people aged between 10-24 years. During this time, they experience rapid physical, cognitive and psychosocial growth which affects how teenagers feel, think, make decisions and interact with the world around them.
During adolescence, a child's brain can be considered as being “under-construction”. The rate at which this progresses will vary depending on the individual and also their gender. As a result, some parents may view adolescence as stressful or difficult. However, it does not need to be. Setting boundaries, implementing consistent monitoring and maintaining a strong and loving connection will help families adjust during this time.
It is also an important time to keep the communication lines open through clear and age appropriate conversations. Speak openly about changes that they are experiencing and be conscious of their mental health as many of the conditions people confront in adulthood, can begin to manifest in adolescence.
In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers can learn how to guide and best support their young person as they transition through adolescence. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to this month's edition https://bunburyshs.wa.schooltv.me/newsletter/understanding-adolescence
P&C Association Raffle
During this term, our P&C received a generous donation of two noise-cancelling headphones from our uniform wholesaler Action Sportswear.
The headphones feature a built-in mic, hands-free calls, lithium battery, voice prompt, noise-cancelling and many more features.
The headsets will be given away as prizes in a raffle. The winners will be drawn from families who have paid their voluntary P&C contributions and charges. Get your voluntary P&C contributions in to be part of the draw. The draw will be done at the end of Term 1. Be quick!
I hope the school term has started well for you.
I have been getting to know new students and helping out around the school.
I am a support and "encourager" to students, staff and parents/carers and hopefully you will see me around at various school events.
I have put Breakfast Club on hold while there are Covid restrictions for students gathering together. Once restrictions have eased I will let students know via Daily Notices when it is restarting. We do have fruit available for students if they want something to eat at break times.
Please feel free to contact me if I can help you or your child.
Deon Throne
BSHS YouthCARE Chaplain
| Labour Day | Monday 7 March |
| Yr 11 Biology excursion | 8 March |
| OLNA Literacy and Numeracy | 8-11 March |
| Have Sum Fun Senior School | 11 March |
| Youth Literature Day Yr 9/10 | 15 March |
| Young Writers Day Yr 7/8 | 18 March |
| BEST & VASP Enrolments Open | 21 March |
| Interschool Swimming Carnival | 22 March |
| Between the Lines Literature Festival | 23 March |