The Black Swan

General School News

Library News

G'day everyone,

Term 3 has seen some major upgrades being implemented in the Library. Our objective, given that online learning is so prevalent in our current and future landscape, is to set ourselves up for the best possible remote education and communications experiences. With this in mind, we have installed a state-of-the-art display, microphone and camera and speaker system in the lower floor of the Library.

We are also opening a new space in the Library which we are calling "The Library Studio." This space will be equipped with a display, microphone, camera and a new sound mixing desk which will allow our patrons to create and upload high quality podcasts and vodcasts.

 

For our seniors, we have installed a display and PC setup which can be used by smaller focused classes and groups to workshop projects and explore curriculum content

 

All of these things and more will be rolled over the coming months to ensure that the Library is ready to tackle any learning experiences that are thrown our way.

 

Unfortunately, we are all going to have to wait to explore these great new assets as the Library will be closed to host the HSC exams for the first half of Term 4. 

 

I join all of the staff at Lake Illawarra High School in wishing our Year 12 students the very best of luck.

 

All the best everyone and, as always, we look forward to seeing you all soon enough.

 

Cheers,

Mr Nairn

Teacher Librarian

Positive Behaviour For Learning

As a PBL (Positive Behaviour Learning) school, LIHS rewards students who are respectful, responsible and resilient in every setting. PBL promotes positive behaviour in learning.

 

Our School Values

We show RESPECT by being tolerant and accepting of everyone, being polite and considerate of others, using appropriate language and wearing school uniform.

 

We show RESPONSIBILITY by being at the right place, right time, staying on task in class, being prepared, following procedures and instructions including putting rubbish in the bin and caring for our surroundings.

 

We show RESILIENCE when we try our best, attempt new things, reflect on learning and keep trying in the face of adversity.

 

Merit System & VIVO Online Rewards

VIVO Miles is a point-based system where students are rewarded on a FAST and FREQUENT basis for positive behaviours.

 

How Do I Earn VIVO Points?

  • Following the school values.
  • Representing the school (Debating, Science Fair, Tournament of Minds, Peer Support, SRC, Southern Stars, etc).
  • Representing the school in sport.
  • Placing in the top 5 results in any test, assignment, or assessment task.
  • Exceptional achievement: Monitoring with 6+ above averages, 100% attendance in a term, end of year Presentation Awards, Principal Awards, ROSE Awards, Year Advisor Awards, 1st or 2nd place in a subject, Scholarships, State Representatives, Australian Representatives.

The VIVO shop has many varied items on offer, including:

  • Event Cinema gift cards
  • School and stationary products
  • EB Games gift cards
  • Donations to various charities
  • iPads
  • Food treats
  • Pop! Vinyls

Students can check how many VIVO points they have by logging on to their account through the VIVIO Miles website.

 

Top 3 VIVO Recipients

LIHS Staff would like to congratulate the following students from Year 7-12 for their achievements so far this term:

  • Year 7
    • Chae Conte
    • Tori Henderson
    • Jaimee-Lee Anderson
  • Year 8
    • Ja'Lanah Arif
    • Matilda Ciufici
    • Joel Lima
  • Year 9
    • Jack Furner
    • Jovilyan Poko
    • Brodie Winn
  • Year 10
    • Jayson Scourse
    • Molly Yates
    • Johnathon Loustos
  • Year 11
    • Jake Davis
    • Justin Dingle
    • Kasey Yates
  • Year 12
    • Brianna Kerr
    • Brody Mitchell
    • Claudia Balatti

PBL Focus

 

Focus Values: RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY and RESILIENCE

Current Value: RESPECT

 

We are encouraging students to show respect to their peers, teachers, and the entire school environment by;

  • Speaking in a positive and kind way.
  • Using manners such as "please" and "thank you."
  • Putting rubbish in the bin.
  • Looking after shared spaces such as toilet blocks and classrooms.
  • Using borrowed equipment such as sports equipment or science eqipment during experiments in a safe and mature manner.

PBL: Following Procedures, Safety Guidelines And Instructions

 

Students at LIHS have a RESPONSIBILITY to follow procedures, safety guidelines, and instructions.

It is a student's responsibility to be compliant in regards to school procedures, safety guidelines and instructions.

These include;

  • It is a student's responsibility to be on time for class and arrive before the second bell in addition to lining up quietly, in two lines outside the door.
  • If a student is late, they must sign in. Years 7-10 sign in with your Deputy upstairs and Years 11-12 sign in downstairs with the office staff.
  • If you have permission from a parent or guardian to leave school early, you must also sign out at the office.
  • All students are to WALK their bikes, skateboards and scooters to the bike compound at the beginning of the day.
  • There is no student access to the staff carpark at any time.
  • Phones are not to be seen or used during class time and between periods. They are permitted during recess and lunch times.

Why Is compliance important?

  • So that others in the classroom aren't distracted.
  • So that your peers can learn.
  • So that YOU can learn.
  • Creates a less stressful environment for everyone.
  • It is your responsibility as a student at LIHS.
  • Prepares you for the workplace.

PBL 

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is an educational process that brings together the whole-school community to contribute towards developing a positive, safe and supportive learning culture. The PBL framework assists schools to improve social, emotional, behavioural and academic outcomes for students at our school. Part of our PBL structure at LIHS is a set of values that we instil in students. Resilience is our new value, and to celebrate the new value we created a promotion competition. Students were required to create a promotion in a mode of their choice. Check out some of our winning and highly commended entries: 

  • Jackson Wortley 1st Place
  • Nureliya Dekker Highly Commended
  • Cilla Wilson Highly commended
  • Shianne Shaw & Lilli Anger Highly Commended

100% Attendance Draw

 

A huge congratulations to Trinity Chandler (Year 7) and Cooper May (Year 10) who were the lucky winners of a McDonald's voucher in Week 10 to celebrate their 100% attendance. We thank McDonald's for their ongoing support of Lake Illawarra High School!

 

Kind regards,

Sarah Nicholson

HSIE Teacher

R U OK? Day is Thursday the 10th of September 2020. It’s our national day of action when we remind Australians that every day is the day to ask, “Are you OK?” if someone in your world is struggling with life’s ups and downs.

 

RUOK are a national charity and they aim to inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling with life. Their vision is a world where everyone is connected and is protected from suicide.

 

Each year we like to honour the occasion at Lake Illawarra High School and take the opportunity to create awareness amongst our students and staff, as well as raise some funds for youth mental health, by hosting our Crazy Sock Day! The students and staff were encouraged to wear their most crazy, wild, colourful and whacky socks to create awareness and remind each other that it is important to connect and ask one another R U OK? We held a competition and awarded two students with prizes for the best display of crazy socks on the day. Congratulations goes to Nikita Stone (Yr 8) and Marnie Boylan (Yr 7) who proudly wore some very crazy socks.

 

Students were also provided with a powerful lesson on how to have a meaningful conversation. Specifically, what to say when your friend is not OK and where to seek help and guidance. At lunchtime, wristbands and crazy socks were for sale and the SRC organised an activity where students could post their suggestions on how to start the conversation.

 

It was a successful awareness campaign and our students and staff should be proud of their efforts. It was great to see the whole school community embrace the campaign. Many conversations were had and many connections were made. Overall, a fun day for all.

Thank you,

Mrs. Norman and Mrs. O’Malley

Tyson Dean in Year 9 designed his own experiment for demonstrating sound waves with a speaker and laser. 

Kinchela Boys Home Virtual Excursion

In Week 7, Year 11 and 12 Aboriginal Studies students, as well as selected Year 10 students, participated in a virtual excursion through Zoom with Uncles from the Kinchela Boys Home. These boys were taken away from their families and forced into the home at young ages. 

From 1924 to 1970 between 400 and 600 young boys (and a small number of girls in its first year of operation) were incarcerated at the Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home (Kinchela Boys Home) on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Kinchela Boys Home is one of the most notorious institutions associated with the Stolen Generations. Conditions within the institution were harsh and hostile. 

As a part of the Year 11 and Year 12 Aboriginal Studies syllabus, the classes look at the impact of invasion and the ongoing effects on Aboriginal people today. We were privileged enough to have The Uncles tell us their personal histories and experiences as a part of the Stolen Generation. The classes first watched an animation to introduce us to the Boys Home, experiences of the boys, and how it made them feel. From this, students reflected and created questions to ask The Uncles about their time at Kinchela and what has happened after. It has given students a greater understanding and background of what Aboriginal people have had to go through. 

As a thank you to The Uncles, Mr Davison and The Black Swans singing group sang their original song based on The Dreaming story of the Black Swan found at Lake Illawarra. It was an honour to have The Uncles hear them sing. 

We are so thankful that The Uncles felt that they could share their stories with us and we hope to hear from them again soon.

A special thank you to Denise Willis, Mr Davison and The Black Swans singing group for all your help and support. 

Emily Robinson

HSIE Teacher

Hidden Poetry Exhibition

During the period of remote learning, junior English students were studying poetry from home. When they returned to school, we attempted to re-engage students by entering their poems in Red Room's national 'Poetry Object' competition. We are very proud of Cooper Baker for his poem 'Phone' featuring in the top 20 best poems. And Byron Arif's poem 'PS4' which was a highly commended poem and rated among the top high school poems in all of Australia. 

Students from Years 7 - 10 entered this competition, composing beautiful poems about objects or talismans which hold deep personal importance. Due to the fantastic efforts of our students, I created the 'Hidden Poetry' exhibition at our school. The exhibition featured student poems as well as artworks created by Year 7 students which transformed their poems in secretive or interactive pieces of art. 

The exhibition was intended to open with a ceremony featuring carers and family members; however, due to current COVID restrictions, I have, instead, created a virtual tour of the exhibition. 

The exhibition opened on the 2nd of September and ran until Friday the 11th of September. Students and staff were encouraged to visit the exhibition in the school library and vote for their favourite poem. These votes were important as students had the opportunity to win one of the three categories of the Hidden Poetry exhibition. The three categories included: best poem, best artwork, and people's choice. The student poem which received the most votes would win people's choice, the English faculty chose the best poem award, and the CAPA faculty chose the best artwork. 

All students who submitted poems to the Hidden Poetry exhibition received certificates. A big congratulations to Keeley-Jane Kinzett for winning the people's choice medal. To Chae Conte for winning the best artwork medal. And to Trinity Chandler for winning the best poem medal. Thank you to all students for entering your poems into the exhibition, and we hope to run the second Hidden poetry exhibition in 2021 at Lake Illawarra High School.

Well done to all students who participated in the exhibition and submitted their poems and artworks. 

Shannon McLoughlin

English Teacher

Dress as Your Hero Day!

Year 12 have been having fun dressing up each Friday.

Rhonda Willingham, (Careers Advisor) and Zac Cam

Rubber Band Cars

This term in Mandatory Technology, all Year 8 students have been busy designing and constructing a Rubber Band Powered Car with the ultimate goal of travelling the furthest. The students were given set materials, dimensions, tools and criteria to address. It has been great watching the students adapt and modify their designs in an attempt to get the car to travel further. Cars have been constructed out of Paddle-Pop sticks, cardboard or wood with varying amounts of success. A competition has been taking place during Week 10 with the winners receiving a Canteen Voucher for $20. At the time of writing, Ashton Sharrock was leading the competition, sending his car 9 metres!

Mr Glen Stephen

Breakfast Club

At Lake Illawarra High School we will now be offering a  free breakfast program, ‘School Breakfast 4 Health,’ for all students on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with thanks to Food Bank Australia. 

Mrs Nicole Norman

Science News

Heat, Light & Sound

Year 9 students have been studying energy this term, focusing on the transfer of heat, light and sound energy. Students were challenged to construct an igloo that would insulate the inside from all forms of heat transfer (convection, conduction and radiation). They came up with some great designs, some that worked really well. We love seeing this level of creativity and critical thinking skills from our students!

While studying sound waves, students were tasked with using material to demonstrate the energy that is transmitted through sound waves. Seen here is Tyson Dean’s amazing set up, demonstrating the soundwaves from a speaker. Awesome work, Tyson!

To end the term, students applied their understanding of light energy and investigated how the eye works to detect this. They dissected cow eyes to see the different structures in the eye. Pictured here are some Year 9 students, and Year 12 students also getting into some eyes as revision for their HSC. Did you know that the lenses in our eyes refract and focus light, but the images are upside down when they land on the retina? Look closely into the lens seen here!

Ag Corner

Spring has sprung and we have just welcomed some new chicks in our agriculture classes. They’ve only just hatched and are currently receiving some very special treatment up in the Science labs.

Thank you

Mrs Kerry McKinlay