School Events
Aladdin Junior - The Musical
Working in the production of Aladdin has been a great honour and responsibility which helped improve our work ethic and capability to work in stressful conditions and on large projects. We largely thank Ms Kavanagh, Ms Lloyd and Dr Fienberg for allowing us to participate in this event and they deserve a round of applause for the great effort they put towards us and the show. The whole event was one of the best things to happen in all of our time spent at Evans. The journey to learn all the lines and lyrics to get to this point has been eventful but we pulled through with a wonderful performance.
- Charlie Tindall Mitchell (Sultan) and El Embury (Razoul)
It Takes A School
This term the Wellbeing Team ran an Anti-Bullying initiative with ‘It Takes a School’ as our theme. This was held in Week 8 on Monday 2 December where students participated in a lesson directly relating to bullying and strategies on how to seek support and report. Each student wrote a message or a word on a template which then created our own mural for students to read as well as take photos with their friends in support of anti-bullying in our school. This was a great day and created a sense of belonging across our school community. Thanks to the Wellbeing Team, as well as all staff and students for getting involved and making it such a success!
Evans High School Green Team
FH and Westlink M7 roll their sleeves up with Evans High School
Members of the M4 Smart Motorway project team, and volunteers from Westlink M7, got their hands dirty on the 7th November, revegetating the temporary access track off Pikes Lane at Eastern Creek with teachers, Mr Agcanas and Mrs Griffiths, and around 16 Green Team students.The floodplain surrounded on three sides by the M4, M7 and Great Western Highway, has unloved fragments of Cumberland Plain woodland. The land is ear marked for ‘passive recreation’ use in future.
Students started the day with a presentation on the threatened woodland prepared by Community Relations Manager Brendan Elliott and Environment Coordinator Sasha Clarke-Rowlands. This provided context for the manual labour that followed. Most effort focused on the mid-section of the track, where native trees, shrubs and grasses costing nearly $2,000 will help re-establish the green corridor that once existed there.
Evans High School were lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to work on this project, to improve the local area, so a big thank you Fulton Hogan and M7. The Green Team have made small improvements to the school gardens and in a few other spots but helping restore some woodland was a bit special. The trees that were planted on the day will still be there after our students are old enough to have kids and grand kids of their own.
Operators of the M7 Motorway, Westlink M7, kindly agreed to match Fulton Hogan’s project funding of the revegetation partnership. Trees planted were White Sally Wattle, Broad Leaved Apple, Swamp Oak and Paperbark. Shrubs included Native Indigo, White Dogwood and Berry Saltbush. Grasses planted were Tall Sedge, Shorthair Plume Grass, Common Rush, Spiny-headed Mat Rush and Kangaroo Grass.
A few facts and stats:
In 1877, Cumberland Plain Woodland covered 107,000 hectares or around 30 per cent of the Sydney basin
Today less than six per cent remains across the western suburbs of Sydney, totalling only 6,400 hectares
The remaining fragments occur in areas with intense pressure from urban development – including Eastern Creek.
Ernst and Young Planting 15/11/19
A large group of workers from the company Ernst and Young collaborated with Evans Green Team and staff to weed and mulch a large area of garden beds at the front of the school. The huge job was done throughout the day as part of the Green Teams initiative in maintaining a native ecosystem to sustain the local wildlife that can often be seen around the school grounds. Thank you for the efforts of all those involved.
Thank you to all students who have worked on the Green Team this year is a range of activities including cans and bottle recycling which seen a significant decrease in landfill waste, gardening and maintenance of the school’s native gardens and vegetable garden and restoring the Cumberland Plain Woodland at Pikes lane. All projects require ongoing maintenance and time which is shared among the many who lend a hand throughout the year.
Aboriginal Education Team
Aboriginal Education Team have worked hard this year to deliver a variety of authentic programs and experiences for all Staff and Students to engage in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture.
Culture Leadership Scholarship Program
The Culture, Leadership, Scholarship Program was delivered in partnership with Macquarie University- Walanga Muru. Aboriginal and Torres Strait students in Years 7-12 participated in 1 or more of the 5 sessions delivered throughout the year.
Session 1 covered the topic Identity: Standing Strong
Session 2 was on Learning through the Dreaming, which seen students listen to a Dreamtime stories and discuss the principles being passed on from Elders.
Session 3 taught students how to set achievable goals and strive towards success in life.
Session 4 covered the 4R’s Aboriginal Values: Respect, Reciprocity, Resilience and Relationships.
Session 5 and 6 were delivered together and covered Learning how to study, What is your best method of study and discussed University life through the eyes of current university students who delivered the CLS to our students.
PCYC White Ribbon Day Lunch
Students who are in the Carriage Works- Solid Ground Program were invited to perform at the PCYC White Ribbon Day Lunch to a large group of community members, elders and community organisations. They also listened to a variety of other performances and heard stories of survival and triumph over Domestic Violence. The lunch was a collaborative effort for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and families to get together to demonstrate strength and support to reduce Domestic Violence.
Staff Development Day Term 2
All High School and IEC teaching staff visited Muru Mittigar’s Professional Learning on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture and participated in a range of activities which could be used to enrich their teaching and learning practices of our students.
Curriculum Planning
All Evans and IEC teaching staff then collaboratively mapped Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives which are taught across every curriculum area. This is to help plan additional activities which can be implemented as a cross curricula delivery in 2020. Evans High School Aboriginal Education Team are aiming to ensure authentic engagement with community members.
Muru Mittigar
In Term 3, Muru Mittigar consultants delivered a program to staff in faculties as a continuation of the curriculum mapping of Aboriginal Education at Evans High School and development of resources in faculty areas.
Carriage Works- Solid Ground Program
A large group of students have worked with Debbie Higgison and Emma Donovan from the Solid Ground Program throughout the year to connect with the Aboriginal culture through music and dance on a weekly basis with Mr Feinberg and Mr Chapman. Thank you to all the staff and students involved in this program. The dedication and enthusiasm for the program was demonstrated in a variety of performances throughout the year including NAIDOC celebrations, assemblies, MADDFEST and Presentation night. The high quality and emotional delivery of the performances repeatedly being praised by staff and community members in the audience.
Solid Ground Camp
Coda Ridley in Year 10 was selected to attend the all inclusive Solid Ground Camp in November, which allowed her to participate in 2 workshops over a 2 day period. The workshop run on the first day was in collaboration with the Australian Film Television and Radio School, to develop skills and career pathway options in this entertainment industry. The workshop offered on the second day was coordinated by the National Art School. Coda demonstrated a talent and enthusiasm in this area, which led to organiser, Debbie Higgisons from Solid Ground praising her efforts and seeking further engagement in other programs next year.
PLP’s and Norta Norta Tutoring
Personalised Learning Pathways have been utilised and evaluated throughout the year with all students referring to their goals with Norta Norta tutors and conversations with Ms Griffiths when opportunities arise to achieve their pathway.
Thank you to the Aboriginal Education Team for all their work throughout the Year managing the variety of projects listed. We are looking forward to continuing and improving our programs in 2020 with Ms Pagett returning to the role as coordinator replacing Ms Griffiths who was temporarily relieving the position.
Year 8 Day Out
Last Friday Ms Milloy, Mr Harrison and Mr Murphy took a group for Year 8 students to Raging Waters for the end of year celebration excursion. Students displayed fantastic behaviour as they spent the day zooming down the slides and building new relationships within their year group! Well done for a fantastic 2019 Year 8!