Creative and Performing Arts Faculty Report

Welcome back to all students and staff. We have all come back to school ready to learn and enjoy practical work. Our 2021 HSC students have completed their HSC practical exams and major works during the Covid-19 Lockdown and were marked using the NESA Special Consideration Program ensuring that our students were not disadvantaged in this year’s HSC. Congratulations to our amazing students and staff for being so resilient and patient during this stressful time. Good luck with your future endeavours Year 12.

Our new Year 12 students have returned back to school ready to learn. Drama have started the new course studying ‘Stolen’ and have performed scenes from the play as a part of Assessment Task 1, these performances were a pleasure to watch, all students should be proud of their hard work and performance ability.

Music students have worked hard towards Elective 1 performances, navigating through the tough Covid-19 restrictions hasn’t stopped these talented students from achieving outstanding Performances and Viva Voces. Keep up the hard work Year 12.

Year 12 Visual Arts have just completed their first assessment task investigating artists and material practice in their visual diary. It is the beginning of the journey towards completing the Body of Work.

Sadly, we say a tearful goodbye to Mrs Young. Mrs Young is a founding member of our Lake Munmorah High school teaching staff, she was a bright eyed, go getter with our original Year 7 cohort in demountable buildings at Swansea High School. Mrs Young has always been proud to tell students that she removed the plastic covers off the stools that the students are still sitting on today. Mrs Young is to be proud of all her achievements at Lake Munmorah High School and she takes a wealth of knowledge to her new school, they are extremely lucky to be gaining an amazing teacher that all our Visual Arts students will miss. We welcome Mrs Hillier into the role of Visual Arts teacher for 2022.

Next year we farewell Mrs Attkins and welcome back Ms Dyball, a huge thank you to Mrs Attkins for stepping into this role during the remote learning period and has made great connections with our students, we wish her the best. Ms Dyball will be launching SHINE Dance in 2022. The CAPA staff are excited to welcome Ms Dyball back to the classroom and are looking forward to seeing Dance at the forefront of our school.

SHINE applications for 2022 are open for Years 7 - 9 for Performing Arts (Music & Dance) and also Creative Arts (Visual Arts). Please make our school SHINE! In 2021 our SHINE Performing Arts students started to make valuable connections in our local community and partner primary schools. In 2022 SHINE will have amazing opportunities to extend Creative Arts education in our school and highlight our amazing talent within our community. Please do not miss your opportunity to SHINE in 2022.

Week 10 will see the opening of our ‘About Face’ portrait exhibition and competition. Our Stage 5 students have been working so hard towards this exhibition, Covid-19 isn’t going to stop this display of excellence. In weeks 10 and 11 teachers will have the opportunity to take their classes to the hall to see these wonderful works. All students will have the opportunity to vote for the ‘People’s Choice’ award whilst viewing. Keep your eyes posted for photos to come.

All of team CAPA is looking forward to 2022, filled with lots of exciting opportunities for all our CAPA students. Enjoy a safe and happy holiday and we will see you back next term ready to learn.

Mrs Harris

Rel Head Teacher CAPA

PDHPE - Faculty Report

PDHPE have enjoyed getting outside and returning to the practical component of the course. We missed our practical lessons during remote learning and have enjoyed participating in a range of Summer Sport and Team Games such as Oz Tag, Volleyball, Basketball, Cricket and Fitness. In the theory component of the course, we have been working hard to complete our units. Year 7 have been focusing on Healthy Relationships, including respecting others and seeking help. Year 8 have been learning about Summertime Safety, including how to stay safe in unfamiliar places such as around waterways likes beaches and lakes and basic First Aid. Year 9 have been focusing on Safe Celebrations, including strategies to minimise risk and how to stay safe in a variety of situations. Year 10 have been learning about preparing for their futures, including learning important skills such as obtaining employment, applying for a Medicare card, and recognising support networks.

In our Senior PDHPE subjects our CAFS students have been working hard to complete their Independent Research Projects. This is a big task that involves students developing important research skills that will assist with future study. Our PDHPE students have been working very hard, completing their first major core, and doing an amazing job with their first HSC assessment task. Great work! SLR have enjoyed getting back to the practical component of the course after missing out on this during remote learning.

We wish to congratulate our 2021 Year 12 students on their efforts in our PDHPE subjects this year – CAFS, PDHPE and SLR. We are so proud of you and wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

English - Faculty Report

Year 7

This term year 7 have been reading ‘Honey Spot’, a play that details the experiences of two teenagers navigating their first year at high school together. This play was written by Australian author Jack Davis and explores Aboriginal perspectives and the themes of friendship, culture, racism, and acceptance. Year 7 have participated in several analytical and creative activities, producing some very insightful work. During this past week, Year 7 have been participating in research tasks focussing on the history of theatre and the diversity of theatre styles. As the term progresses, Year 7 will continue to develop their understanding of theatre and work towards developing a play script of their own.

Here are some of our talented students in 7H, working on their research task. From left to right; Sopan P, Hayden R, Sianna G, Lara B, and Casey B.

Year 8

In Year 8 English, we have been reading, writing and learning about obstacles, adversity and resilience as part of our Overcoming Obstacles unit of work. We have read a range of texts and completed a film study on The Blind Side.

Students have learnt about racism and different social issues that affect our society and others. We studied racism in Australian sport with the documentary The Final Quarter about Adam Goodes and his experiences with racism in the spotlight toward the end of his AFL career.

It has been wonderful to see students engage with course concepts and show their respect for different cultures and experiences.

Year 9

Although the transition from online to face to face learning has been demanding, the majority of Year 9 English students endeavoured to do their personal best. In Term 4, Year 9 English have been studying Visual Literacies, with a focus on picture books and visual texts. Students have been exploring how images are used by authors or artists to create and communicate meaning. Throughout their study, the English cohort have been engaging in the wide reading of visual texts, and are developing a perceptive understanding of the values, contexts and language techniques of visual styles.

Although students are delving into all forms of visual literacies, including street art, paintings and graffiti, the focus text for this term is The Rabbits, by John Marsden and Shaun Tan. The deep resonances and sophisticated style of The Rabbits is an analogy for Australia’s past, and is an important contextual analysis for Stage 5 English.

As Year 9 are preparing for their final year of junior high school, English students have begun to engage with educational activities designed to prepare them for the expectations of senior study. By utilising the NESA English glossary and practising past HSC exam questions, learners are becoming familiar with the metalanguage and depth of understanding required for the HSC.

Year 10

Year 10 started off this semester with a close study of the Shakespearean play Macbeth and went into Term 4 and began studying the unit of Media and Marketing. Despite the difficult circumstances of online learning Year 10 resumed face to face learning like champions and their efforts are to be commended. Year 10 have been looking at how advertising companies use various techniques to persuade us to buy their product. By the end of the unit Year 10 will be able to critically think about the advertisements they see and understand what and how they have used advertising techniques to appeal to audiences. We wish them the best of luck as they move to senior school next year.

Year 12 (2022) English Studies

This term, Studies have commenced their HSC studies with the Common Module Texts and Human Experiences. We are studying the film Billy Elliot which is about a young boy and his coming of age as he challenges gender stereotypes.

We are working on our first assessment task for the HSC which is a multi-modal task on our prescribed text and another of their choosing.

It has been interesting and a pleasure to hear different stories from students and their own experiences. We look forward to the year ahead and watching you engage further with the HSC course.

Year 12 (2022) English Standard

Handle with care. We are now studying the HSC!

Students have been studying the film Billy Elliot in the Common Module: Texts and the Human Experience. We have been working hard on our essay writing skills and have a fun and creative Multimodal Task coming up in Week 10. Ms Welsh and Mrs Wirz have been so proud of their students getting into a regular study routine and even attempting past HSC papers. Keep up the motivation!

Year 12 (2022) Advanced English

The Year 12 course has started and is off to a flying start with the Advanced class looking at the Texts and Human Experience Common Module. This term we are focusing the study of the non-fiction memoir I am Malala. Students are having a great time analysing and learning about the complex cultural, political, and social context of this text and its representation of a unique voice. Next year we will be starting a comparative study of Tempest by William Shakespeare and Hag Seed by Margaret Atwood.

Year 12 (2021) English Standard

It was lovely to encourage and support our Year 12 2021 cohort one last time as they entered the hall to sit their English exams. On behalf of the English faculty, I would like to wish our Year 12 cohort all the best for the future. They have shown so much resilience and maturity during what has been a very difficult year. We will certainly miss them all!

Debating

Unfortunately with the setbacks due to Covid, our normal debating competition was cancelled. However, a replacement opportunity to participate in debating called The World’s Biggest Debate took place in Week 7 of Term 4. 1 student from each team was allowed to enter. Charlotte Taylor in Year 10 represented LMHS. She debated affirmative on the topic: Gambling on sports should be banned in Australia.

The competition ran via zoom over a number of days, with over 50 entrants from NSW schools. Charlotte received a time slot where she logged in to listen to the previous speaker and wrote rebuttals based on their points before delivering her arguments.

While Charlotte didn’t progress to the next round, she spoke confidently and received brilliant feedback on her speaking and construction of arguments. She should be incredibly proud of herself for her participation in this event.

Transition Spelling Bee

During Term 4, the English faculty was lucky enough to host a Spelling Bee as part of the Year 6 Transition Assembly. We were very impressed by the confidence and enthusiasm the future LMHS cohort showed, and are excited to have had the opportunity to introduce our 2022 students to the fun and friendly competition that can be obtained from literacy games. All teams and participants put in their personal best, with Mannering Park coming out with a narrow victory against Gwandalan. A big thank you to Miss Jackson and Miss Kaye for hosting, and to our partner primary schools for your outstanding effort.

RISE Class

Despite being rudely interrupted by yet another period of remote learning and the disruption that ensued, Lake Munmorah High School’s first ever RISE class returned to school this term and got straight back to work.

We were able to revise the content presented online in English, Mathematics, Science and HSIE (Geography) and with hard work and commitment moved on to:

We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to teach, assist and support the RISE class. There’s been lessons learnt at every turn. Each student has worked very hard to broaden their knowledge and improve upon their literacy and numeracy skills. We are very proud of the social and academic growth each student has demonstrated throughout the year and look forward to seeing their success in 2022.

Kylie Bridge and Sarah Jeffcoat (7D/RISE)

Sport Report

Sport has returned to LMHS and the students have enjoyed getting back to some of their favourite sports. Friday Sport has looked a bit different, with students remaining in their year groups but they have had the chance to enjoy Oz Tag, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer, Cricket, Fitness and Yoga. We have loved getting back outside and enjoying team games with our peers again.

Students please keep an eye on your Canvas inbox and daily notices early next term for Term 1’s sport choices.

2022 Carnivals: Some dates for your diary

Please check the Hunter School Sport website and listen to notices for further information about other Hunter Representative Sports https://app.education.nsw.gov.au/sport/hunter

Congratulations to Phoebe W, Blake D and Zeb D who were recognised by Hunter School Sport for their selection to compete at CHS Cross Country and Jessica D for Gymnastics. Unfortunately due to COVID these events were not able to proceed as planned, however this is still a fantastic achievement. Great work!

Congrats Brooklyn!

A HUGE congratulations to Brooklyn Lindeboom who was successful in gaining selection in the inaugural Girls U16s CHS Northern Rugby League team. The Northern region covers high schools between Lake Munmorah all the way up to Tweed Heads and had over 80 girls trial for selection in the team. Brooklyn is apart of the Girls Rugby League TSP program and is in her first year of Rugby League. Unfortunately due to COVID, the state championships were cancelled however we are incredibly proud of her achievement.

Aboriginal Education

The Aboriginal Education team has been working hard this term to ensure a smooth transition back to face to face learning for our students. This term’s focus was on wellbeing, engagement and ensuring students had the opportunity to engage in cultural programs. The Aboriginal Education team continually ‘checks-in’ with all of our students to ensure they are equipped for learning, attending school regularly and can access support for their class work and assessment tasks if the need arises. We also had Ms Molyneaux and Mr Goolagong going into classrooms to assist and provide ongoing support for a number of students.

This term, students have also had the opportunity to participate in the Dhinewan Mentoring program, Literacy groups (years 9 & 10), Girls weaving group, NRL S2W program, NSW AECG SHOW Zoom and we have our upcoming NAIDOC celebrations and Leadership workshop. A handful of students were also lucky enough to participate in a workshop with an Australian Federal Police officer. The workshop outlined the opportunities and pathways available for our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander students who are interested in joining the NSW or Australian Federal Police Force.

LMHS staff had the opportunity to participate in a range of PL workshops. Karen Rubie and Sue Stewart (Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Advisors) ran an Aboriginal Histories & Cultures PL workshop for all staff. We had a combined total of 10 staff who attended the Connecting to Country workshops in 2021. We also look forward to upcoming PL in 2022, which includes Turning Policy into Action, Personal Learning Pathways (PLP) and embedding the 8-ways pedagogy.

Additionally, a huge congratulations to our Deadly award winners who have demonstrated the LMHS core values of respect, responsibility and personal best. We look forward to another busy year next year as we look to strengthen the connections within our community and expand on the opportunities presented to our staff and students. We encourage parents, carers, families and our community to be involved in collaborative decision-making for the benefit of our students’ ongoing growth and achievement. To get involved, you can attend one of the upcoming P&C meetings, Muru Bulbi AECG meetings or contact Mr Quigg on (02) 4358 1411.

Lastly, thank you for all of the hard work that our students, parents, carers and community have all put in during this challenging year. We hope you all have a relaxed and refreshing break and look forward to seeing you all in 2022!

The Aboriginal Education Team

Girls’ Weaving Group

During the lockdown period, Miss Kaye and Miss Molyneux were very fortunate to learn about traditional Awabakal weaving through the wonderful facilitators from Speaking in Colour.

To share this knowledge, the girls' Weaving Group was initiated. In these sessions, students have been learning about the purpose and processes of traditional weaving, while practising contemporary weaving styles to create small keepsakes they can take home. These sessions have provided a wonderful opportunity to develop connections, share stories and build friendships. Students have been learning how to use their inspiration gained from traditional weaving, to create contemporary items in a culturally appropriate way.

Stage 5 Aboriginal Literacy Group

Returning to school from online learning, we were keen to get back into the Literacy and Numeracy room and engage intensively in our studies. The Aboriginal Literacy Group acknowledges the importance of data analysis and highlighting our areas of growth and improvement. In correlation to pre-tests that were undertaken at the beginning of 2021, our biggest strengths are in spelling and writing, with students demonstrating developments in both analytical and creative writing. Students have also made advancements in reading and comprehension, with some Year 10 attendees meeting for ‘book club’ once a fortnight to read and discuss a novel. Our areas for improvement are Grammar and Punctuation, with activities and explicit teaching of these sections being embedded in our twice weekly lessons.

Currently, most Stage 5 Aboriginal Literacy students have expressed a desire to obtain their HSC, therefore, we have placed additional focus on preparing them for the demands and expectations of senior study. Aboriginal Literacy students have been reading, analysing, and engaging with past HSC exam questions, and are learning how to break down, plan and write quality responses.

I would like to congratulate all Aboriginal Literacy students for the conscientious effort they have put forward this year. I am extremely proud of their achievements, and I encourage them to continue to apply themselves to their personal best in 2022.

Wellbeing

It has been great to be back at school and able to support students face to face as well as run small group programs in our Wellbeing Hub!

Students have adjusted well to the ‘new normal’ and demonstrated the school values of respect, responsibility and personal best whilst getting used to the changes in their day to day routine such as alternate break times, allocated playground areas, mask wearing and checking in and out of the Hub.

Since returning to school we have been able to run a number of Wellbeing activities onsite including:

-Orientation Day for our 2022 Yr. 7 cohort;

-Immunisations for our Yr. 7 students as well as any Yr. 8 and 10 students that missed out earlier in the year;

-‘Future Proofing’ for the new Yr. 8 students that opted to be included as well as the existing Yr. 9 students;

-School Liaison Police and Health Talks for all Yr. 8 students;

-Lifeline ‘Mind Your Sports Mates’ and ‘Love Bites’ presentations for all Yr. 10 students and;

-Induction of our new Senior Leaders

I hope all students and families have a chance to relax and unwind during the holidays and look forward to seeing you back at school in 2022.

Ms Ironside

Head Teacher Wellbeing

Year Advisor Reports

Year 7 - Miss Samantha Kaye

Year 7 have hit the ground running this term! Quickly re-adjusting to school life, and proudly demonstrating the Lake Munmorah High School values of respect, responsibility and personal best. The cohort have taken the changes to breaks, mask wearing and playground allocations in their stride, and I am immensely proud of the resilience they have shown during their return to face learning.

In English, students have been engaging in drama, where they explored a variety of dramatic texts and drama techniques. They have been engrossed in their studies, designing Greek theatre masks, and drafting their own theatrical compositions. The reading text for this term is Honey Spot, a play that tells a moving story about the power of friendship, and its ability to overcome racial differences and prejudices.

HSIE students have been studying contour maps, and have engaged in kinesthetic learning by creating their own topography mountains.

In the Art classroom, students have been studying Cubism, and have had fun painting Picasso style abstract faces.

While partaking in school activities, the Year 7 cohort have seen a fair representation of nominations for the Student AECG, and have actively contributed to transition wellbeing workshops and programs. The cohort have also been passionate members of the Aboriginal Weaving Group, and have contributed to the school community through their participation as office monitors, and roles within the School Leadership Team.

Moving forward, I would like to congratulate Year 7 for a triumphant first year of high school. Despite the obstacles and somewhat arbitrary changes during the remote learning phase, 2021 was a success, and I commend each and every student for their strength and resilience during this time.

I hope you all enjoy a well deserved break, and I look forward to celebrating your educational accomplishments with you again next year.

Year 8 - Miss Emily Davis

Year 8 have adapted extremely well to the various restrictions currently in place this term (thanks covid) and have demonstrated our key values or respect, responsibility and personal best. As a cohort we have been lucky enough to have participated in a variety of wellbeing programs that are designed to provide students with vital information about a number of different topics.

This term Year 8 were involved in both the School Police Liaison Officer and Health talks. Students were presented with 3 different presentations centered around physical violence and the law, mental health and sexual health. All students were incredibly well behaved with all 3 presenters commenting on how polite and respetful our students were!

There are a number of other wellbeing programs that have had to be postponed due to the current restrictions, however if everything goes to plan we should be able to attend these early next year!

I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday and I look forward to seeing everyone Term 1 next year for the start of Year 9!!

Miss Davis

Year 9 - Mrs Sarah Patterson

Year 9 Students, Parents and Caregivers,

I would like to recognise all that you’ve overcome during this challenging Term and applaud your focus, determination, and strong sense of community. Year 9 students truly are the most resilient and supportive students, and I am proud to see your adjustment back to in class learning. I congratulate those of you who completed your online learning studies this term and applaud those students who balanced the combination of life responsibilities with online learning. Moving forward, I encourage you to look towards the new year with a positive outlook and opportunities for future adventures.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas break and look forward to connecting with you all in the new school year.

Mrs Patterson

Year 10 - Mr Malcolm Van Drempt

This term has been an exciting one for our students. The return to school, along with subject selections and, for many, entering the work force.

With subject selections now closed, students are now able to prepare for next year. Moving into Preliminary courses (Year 11) our students now move from generalised education into constructing their own paths into the careers and future they wish to build for themselves. If you have any questions about subject selection for next year, please contact Miss Rudd. Other students are now preparing to begin their apprenticeships.

It has been a little tricky attending year group activities this term. Even though we have returned to school, many organisations are still navigating the difficulties Covid has brought into our society. However, on a positive note, students have recently been able to attend the “Love Bites” program and the “Mind Your Sports Mates” (MYSM) programs. Love Bites is designed to assist and support students in developing positive relationships and navigating sex and relationships. MYSM focuses on understanding Mental Health and equipping students in how to support friends and family with mental illnesses and/or problems. Unfortunately, facilitators and presenters were unable to attend the school in person, but with programs like Zoom, we were still able to run the courses online successfully.

There are a number of other programs postponed due to the current health orders, however we are working hard to see if we are able to attend these early next year. Fingers crossed.

I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Kind Regards,

Mr Van Drempt

Year 11 - Mr Alex Maiden

It was great to see Year 11 return to face-to-face learning this term. The return was well timed for the students who have just started their HSC studies. Year 11 have transitioned well back into the classroom and their teachers have been very excited to deliver the HSC content in person.

Upon their arrival back to school the students received their 2022 Senior Jerseys. The jerseys look great, and the students should enjoy wearing them for the next 12 months as Lake Munmorah High School seniors. A second order has been submitted and those jerseys should be delivered in time for our return to school at the end of January. Below is a photo of some of our fantastic Year 11 students showing off their new senior jerseys.

Our 2022 school leaders were sworn in earlier this term, and I would like to congratulate Alexis, Jade, Mikaelah, Kaylee, Phoebe, Stevie, Shakayla, Felicity and Isabelle. These students will do a fantastic job and the students of LMHS are very lucky to have them as their student leaders.

I would like to wish all of Year 11 and their families a Merry Christmas and I hope you all enjoy a well-earned break.

Mr Maiden