What's On?
- Tuesday 8 March: Year 7 Meet & Greet Afternoon, 2.45pm-4.30pm
- Monday 14 March: Maths Day
- Monday 21 March: Harmony Day
- Tuesday 29 March: Year 7 & 11 Parent Teacher Interviews, 3pm-6pm
- Tuesday 05 April: HSHS Open Evening, 4.30pm-5.30pm
- Thursday 7 April: Cross Country
- Friday 8 April: Formal Assembly & Last Day of Term 1
principal's message
The 2022 school year is certainly off to a flying start and we are so excited to be getting back to relative normality here at Hunter Sports High for the year ahead. We welcome all our new students and families and look forward to getting to know you all throughout your time at Hunter Sports High. With a lot of COVID restrictions lifting recently we are excited to be able to welcome our school community back on site for face-to-face events and our students are happily getting back into school sport, representative trials and excursions. To all our parents, carers and students, a big thank you for your support and patience through the difficult times and constant change over the last few months (and years).
Our new Year 7 students are settling in well and from all accounts they had a great time at the Great Aussie Bush Camp last week. Year 7 Camp is a great tradition at Hunter Sports High that enables our new students to get to know their teachers, challenge themselves and form valuable friendships that will potentially last a lifetime. Their Year Advisor Mr Horne has done a wonderful job in welcoming our newest students and helping them adjust to high school life. He shares a wonderful account of his camp adventures further in the newsletter and looks forward to meeting many Year 7 parents at next week's Meet & Greet Afternoon (see below). Year 7 & 11 interim reports will also be distributed to parents by the end of Term 1- these are just a check in to update you on how your child has settled into high school or senior courses.
Each new year brings about a number of staff changes, and this year we welcome four new permanent staff: Joanne Smith (Innovation), Alex Bryant (HSIE), James Huff (Science) and Felicity Hammond (English). We also sadly said goodbye last week to our much-loved Deputy Principal Mr Scott O'Hara who has been with us at Hunter Sports High for the past six years. Scott has been appointed as Principal of the brand new Jerrabomberra High School set to open in January 2023 and commenced his role there this week. A big congratulations to Scott on his appointment and farewell from all at Hunter Sports High. He will be greatly missed by students and staff and we wish him all the best in his new role. Ms Lisa Scobie is now relieving as Deputy Principal for Years 7 & 10.
Due to staff changes there have been some slight modifications to our timetable structure. All students effected by these changes have been issued new timetables. We've included a copy of the 2022 Bell Times below for your reference.
For those new to Hunter Sports High, our school newsletters are published twice per term at the end of Week 5 and Week 10. You can find past copies of newsletters and most information you'll need about the school on our website at huntersports.com.au and we share a lot of interesting news about student learning and achievements on our official Facebook page. You can also access excursion notes, make payments and log into the parent portal via the school website but if you can't find what you're looking for and need help, please contact the school office and our administration staff will be able to help you.
This issue of our newsletter is full of news and important information regarding school policies and procedures, some of the great learning happening in our classrooms, in the sporting arena, and an update on some exciting opportunities available to students this year.
Finally, but most importantly, we will be focusing strongly on student attendance again this year, reminding students and parents that 'Every Day Counts'. A day here or there doesn’t seem like much but absences do add up. Students who have an attendance rate below 90% are deemed educationally at risk. We all need to work together to support student attendance. Could you please ensure if your child is sick that you notify the school of their absence. If there are any concerns in regards to your student's attendance please contact the school and we will work together to try and resolve any issues.
Ms Rachel Byrne - Principal
2022 Bell Times
rain, rapid antigen tests and random activities
Two and a half days on camp with a great year group
It was a muggy 23 degrees last Monday morning when Year 7 gathered in the amphitheatre with their suitcases and spare face masks. However, the humidity wasn’t the only thing that you could feel in the air. There was a palpable if not outright tangible sense of excitement that hovered above, around, and beside each and every one of these brave, noble and courageous would-be campers (or glampers – considering that they were to be residing in air-conditioned cabins). With a short, brief and to-the-point 30-minute long, excruciating explanation of the rules and a last-minute roll call, the adventurers were on their way. From all reports, their behaviour on the bus had been excellent – the students had respected the rules and had been able to subdue the noise to an agreeable level. Although it still does remain a mystery to all teachers on the bus how several lolly papers were found in-between and under seats despite all of Year 7 ferociously agreeing to not eat on the bus, but alas, some things are best left to remain a secret of the universe.
And so, this rag-tag group of rapscallions found themselves at Tea Gardens and for the next two and a half days they would be pushed to their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual limits (safely and under watchful supervision, of course). This resulted in the undertaking of several extreme and adrenaline inducing activities – SEA KAYAKING, DUAL FLYING FOX, HIGH-ROPES, ARCHERY, PIONEERING, GIANT SWING, RAFT-BUILDING and perhaps the deadliest of all – RUNNING AROUND AN OBSTACLE COURSE WHILST HAVING MUD AND WATER THROWN AT YOU!
This group was consistently engaging themselves and participating to the best of their ability. However, what was even more impressive was the consistent positive feedback that they were receiving. A few memorable quotes from both HSHS staff and GABC Instructors read along the lines of:
- “These are some of the best groups of students that I have had!”
- “They are a great bunch of kids!”
- “They must have a great Year Advisor!”
As with all camps that feature almost 150 students, the excursion wasn’t without its hiccups. However, the students used these moments as learning experiences and returned to school on Wednesday afternoon undoubtedly stronger and more resourceful than they had been when first taking those historical steps towards making life-defining memories and friendships.
You should all be very proud of yourselves, and you have all earned a very big rest. Well done Year 7 – I am very proud of you.
Submitted anonymously (possibly by their Year Advisor)
HSHS COMPETITORS ONLY SWIMMING CARNIVAL
On Friday 11th February, we held our competitors only swimming carnival at Charlestown Pool. It was a wonderful turnout and we had lots of competitive swimmers eager to race. Wonderful sportsmanship and lots of smiling faces!
2022 AGE CHAMpions:
- Jasper Graham (12 Years Boys)
- Mackenzie Preston-Poole (12 Years Girls)
- Julianne Fox (13 Years Girls)
- Zack Price (14 Years Boys)
- Lily McCraw (14 Years Girls)
- Jin McKay (15 Years Boys)
- Brielle Gyler Dial (15 Years Girls)
- Cody Carruthers (17 Years Boys)
- Annabelle Keene: (17 Years Girls)
Records were broken:
- Cooper Price (16yrs 100m Breaststroke)
- Annabelle Keene (16yrs 100m Breaststroke)
Twenty-four HSHS swimmers went on to represent the school at the Zone Swimming Carnival at Swansea Pool on Tuesday 15th February with some fantastic results! Congratulations to Lily McCraw who was named 14 years Eastlakes girl's champion. We are yet to find out who has made the Eastlakes swim team for the Hunter Carnival at Lambton Pool on the 15th March.
2022 Enrichment classes
2022 marks an exciting next stage for the HSHS Enrichment class program. As a school we have been offering an ‘Enrichment’ stream for students who are academically talented and motivated to learn for the past 8 years and for the first time this year we have been able to establish 2 classes in both Years 7 and 8. The stream provides a range of challenging enrichment activities and opportunities for each student to attain their personal best. Learning and assessment in the enrichment classes is differentiated through especially designed programs in Mathematics, English, Science, HSIE and PD/H/PE to ensure students are challenged and extended.
In addition to this, students also participate in the Enrichment class presentations each year. The purpose of the presentations is for students to reflect on their learning, strengths, weaknesses, to make connections between the different areas of their learning as well as refining their presentation skills. Students present their work to a panel consisting of Teacher, Parent representative and Year 9/10 Enrichment class students and receive feedback on their work and presentation skills. Students in Years 9 and 10 will present a reflection on their Semester 1 reports and their 2022 Learning goals in weeks 2/3 of Term 3 and Year 7 and 8 students will present their personal ‘Google site’ containing quality work samples from the core subjects in weeks 7/8 of Term 3. More details about these presentations will be given to students in Term 2 and parents will be given the opportunity to volunteer as panel members for the presentations in Term 3.
This year the Enrichment program will also include an excursion to Luna Park in Week 9 of Term 3 where students will enjoy a day of fun and problem solving with Maths Association of NSW challenges and the Enrichment Class Challenge Day held at HSHS in week 9 of Term 4. On both days’ we will be group students together from various classes and year groups to promote the development of connections between students and establish some peer mentoring opportunities.
For any questions or further information regarding the Enrichment program please contact Wendy Beckett.
Congratulations to all our 2021 Sports Award winners and also to those students who did not receive an award. It is the combined efforts of everyone who continue to make Hunter Sports High the outstanding school that it is.
The Sports Academies wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas & New Year period and we look forward to doing it all bigger and better in 2022!
Academies for High Potential & Gifted students
Last year HSHS introduced five academies to support the development of students considered to be High Potential or ‘Gifted’ in the Physical, Intellectual, Creative and Social Emotional Domains, although the program was disrupted heavily due to covid we are looking forward to building on it this year. Students in Years 8 -12 have been nominated for the Academies by the staff at Hunter Sports High School based on their demonstrated performance and we look forward to including some Year 7 students from Semester 2.
Each Academy has been aligned to a selected mentor who will support the achievement of the students long and short-term goals and consists of between 5 and 15 students from a range of year groups. The Academies will meet during the 35min mentor time on a Tuesday in weeks 3, 9 and 10 of each term. During this time students will participate in targeted sessions with their mentors and may be provided with a range of co – curricular and external activities through the year. The Academy mentors for 2022 are:
- James Pascoe: ‘Elite Sports’ Academy for elite Athletes, all years, and sports.
- Mel Smith: ‘Creative’ Academy for students gifted in the creative domain, all years.
- Nicola Crossland: ‘LEAP' Leadership Academy for students gifted in the leadership domain.
- Wendy Beckett: Senior High Achievers Academy, for intellectually gifted students in Years 10, 11 and 12.
- Tim Mallon and Scott Westcott: Junior High Achievers Academy, for intellectually gifted students in Years 7-10.
We look forward to sharing some of the activities from each Academy throughout the year.
Wendy Beckett
student support officers
Keira and Sarah are the Student Support Officers at Hunter Sports High School. They can be found in the Youth Room (UR1028). The Youth Room operates via an informal referral system. The open -door policy means students can self-refer or staff can refer if a student has asked to speak with a SSO. Parents can also refer their child if the young person has given consent. Feel free to contact our Student Support Officers via the school office or on the details below.
- Sarah Berry: sarah.berry17@det.nsw.edu.au (Mon/Tues/Wed)
- Keira Taggart: keira.taggart@det.nsw.edu.au (Wed/ Thurs/Friday)
A message from the maths department
Welcome to another year of learning and striving for success. The Mathematics staff would like to remind students of some simple expectations in order to be successful in Mathematics in 2022.
Equipment required for every Maths lesson:
- Laptop (with a charger or enough charge for entire day)
- Calculator (This is compulsory. Casio fx82 is recommended by NSW Board of Studies and can be purchased at the school office)
- Pen
- Exercise book (A4)
Get to know our online Platforms:
- MS Teams: All students will be part of a MS Team for their class. This is a portal for information, announcements, communication with teacher and access to MS Class Notebook.
- MS OneNote (Class Notebook): Students will have access to MS Class Notebook which includes all the lesson activities and resources as well as a checklist of tasks. This can be accessed online through MS Teams or downloaded externally as a desktop app (recommended).
- Education Perfect (Years 7-10): This website www.educationperfect.com is an excellent portal that supplements the work students study in class. Every student will have a unique login and password. EP is used for interactive lessons as well as pre-testing and post-testing. Students are welcome to see their class teacher or Sean Love (Head Teacher Maths) for login assistance.
- Edrolo (Years 11-12): This website www.edrolo.com is an interactive portal that supplements the work students’ study in the HSC courses. Every student will have a unique login and password. Edrolo is used for lesson reviews, HSC practice questions as well a compulsory Progress Check at the end of each topic that all students must submit.
English Write Now
Welcome to 2022, a year that we all hope brings a bit more stability to our everyday lives. The English faculty is excited for what the year has in store, and we have all thoroughly enjoyed meeting and getting to know our new classes.
This term, our Year 7 students are settling into their first experience of secondary studies with a unit of work entitled You and I - where we delve into the lives of those who changed the world around us. A non-fiction based study, they are moving towards reflecting on their lives and the significant events that have shaped who they are. We hope to share some of these compositions in the next edition of English Write Now.
Another class who has immediately impressed are Mr. Horne’s Year 11 Advanced class. They have immersed themselves into the world of 'Reading to Write' and formed a wonderfully cohesive group with the perfect mixture of collaboration, focus, and willingness to share - a recipe that will undoubtedly lead not only to success in the HSC but also to memories and lessons that will last forever.
Alongside our new classes, we have also had the pleasure of welcoming three new staff members to Hunter Sports High School’s English faculty.
Mr Cousin, while not technically a new staff member, is very quickly settling into the new school he returns to. Having been working at other schools in the Newcastle region for the past four years, Mr Cousin returns to our faculty and indeed to a whole new school environment! He brings with him a wealth of experience, particularly in senior courses and is working above and beyond to support his HSC class as they head toward the finish line in October.
Miss Hammond is joining our team as a graduate teacher, who worked at Callaghan College in 2021 before being placed into her permanent position with us this year. Miss Hammond is already making a huge impact on not only her students but also our faculty with her extensive knowledge of junior programming and willingness to share her innovative ideas and resources.
Finally, Ms Hamilton joins the English team and Hunter Sports High School as our first Teacher Librarian since the new school opening. Ms Hamilton, who holds a Master of Education Teacher Librarianship, has a very impressive repertoire of skills she brings to our school and has already re-ignited the Innovation Centre where she is based. You will find Ms Hamilton in “The I.C” should you need any assistance or help with your studies, or even just to have a chat about anything literary.
We welcome you all into our English faculty! Your English staff for 2022 are:
- Ms. Nicola Crossland (Head Teacher Relieving)
- Ms Amanda Lewis (2IC)
- Mr Mark Cousin
- Mr Shane Doyle
- Ms Felicity Hammond
- Mr Lewis Horne
- Mrs Natasha Knight
- Mr Timothy Mallon
Currently Reading: With MS HAMMOND
- What are you currently reading? I’m physical-book reading Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (about 1/5th of the way through) and audiobook listening to The Anthropocene Reviewed, written and narrated by John Green (9/10ths done)
- What made you read these books? I’m reading Priory as it is a new release in my favourite genre - high fantasy. It is highly reviewed and my best friend loved it. I’m listening to Anthropocene as John Green is a comfort author of mine - I’ve been reading his fiction for over 10 years now and I’m loving this non-fiction/discussive essay blended style that is reflective of his YouTube work.
- Who would you recommend these books to? I would recommend Priory to long-time fans in high fantasy, particularly if you like dragons and a medieval world - 15 yrs and over in terms of general language choice and length (nearly 1000 pages!) I recommend Anthropocene to anyone who is interested in exploring their own perspectives and connections to the world we live in or anyone who likes tender and earnest exploration of life - 14yrs and older.
cookie archeologists dig history class
The start to the year has seen some staffing changes in the HSIE faculty. Mr Palmieri has taken up the opportunity to relieve as Head Teacher Wellbeing at Cessnock High School. Miss Higgins was permanently appointed to Wyong High School. The faculty has welcomed Miss Bryant and Miss Doherty. Miss Bryant has been permanently appointed to the faculty after graduating from the University of Newcastle in 2021 and working at Merewether High School. Miss Doherty also completed her internship with us in 2021. The students at Hunter Sports High School are extremely lucky to have two enthusiastic and dedicated teachers join the faculty.
Whilst there have been some ‘new normals’ for students and teachers such as mask-wearing and cohorting, it has been extremely pleasing to see students return to regular classes and learning. Students in Year 8 have been learning about the process of archaeology through participating in an ‘archaeological dig’ with choc-chip cookies. Students had to carefully excavate choc-chips from the cookies, giving an insight in the slow and challenging work of archaeologists. Students in Mrs Slaney’s Year 10 Aboriginal Studies class have also had the opportunity to have Mr Skuthorpe discuss cultural awareness issues and his personal experiences relating to the Stolen Generations. With the relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions there are plans in place to have guest speakers and interactive sessions throughout the year.
The HSIE faculty hopes that all students have had a positive start to the year, whether it be their first year of high school, first year at Hunter Sports High School, beginning Stage 6 studies or continuing with studies.
Gem ACADEMY
The GEM Academy have had a busy start to 2022. With so many great things going on, our Opal Class has written about just a few of them...
Friday Frenzy
Each Friday the GEM Academy have been focusing on various topics while they haven't been able to go out on Leaving to Learn. We have started each Friday with Breakfast Club, and then we have done Kahoots each week. Throughout the Winter Olympics we researched various sports. We have looked at volcanoes and coral reefs, and did a fun and safe volcano experiment with the great Mrs TJ. We also explored different cultures and dressed up.
Coffee Shop
The GEM Academy have been running a program called “Coffee Shop” that happens on a Thursday afternoon, where the Opal Class, along with a few extra students from other classes in the GEM Academy, make food and serve it to teachers and staff members. The Diamond Class run Coffee Shop on Thursday Week A, while the GEM Academy run Coffee Shop on Thursday Week B. Two students get selected to come up with the menu for the week, help with the food preparation and assist with Coffee Shop to make sure that it goes well for everyone.
$20 Boss
$20 Dollar Boss is a new program that GEM Academy has been doing every Thursday. It is a good test for entrepreneurship as Carly Tjakuapi (aka Miss TJ) talked about her own past company in laundering and doing up holiday homes. We have been put into teams to make up our own ideas for things to make and sell around school later in the year. We are looking forward to making up ideas for the items then selling them and we are hoping to make a profit.
Integration into Mainstream Classes
We have had some students integrating into mainstream classes this year. We have students attending mainstream maths lessons, Big Picture, PE, music and hopefully cooking. Our students have enjoyed accessing these classes away from the GEM Academy.
Leaving to Learn
The GEM Academy hasn't been out for Leaving to Learn in a long time because of Covid. We are excited to start up our excursions again soon. Every Friday we will be visiting places in our local area. Some of these places include Speers Point Park, Civic Park, The Entrance and Blackbutt Reserve. We are looking forward to taking the new ROSA bus.
anniversary of the apology assembly
The 13th of February is a significant day on the national calendar and in Australian history, not just for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people but for all Australians, as we continue our path toward strengthening the reconciliation process in our country.
On February 13th 2008, the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, made his historic speech and apologised to the Stolen Generations. There were many emotions experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, especially the members and families of the Stolen Generations who were affected first hand by these traumatic events.
One of the emotions experienced on the day would no doubt have been that of relief, as the injustices of the past had finally been recognised and made public, giving a tremendous amount of satisfaction to our people, meaning that the healing process could finally begin as it was no longer a secret, their secret, the Government’s secret or Australia’s secret.
Hunter Sports High School annually commemorates this date by holding a whole school assembly. This year the assembly was pre-recorded and delivered by student leaders Joey Summers and Jordan Oldfield of Year 12 and Taimana Elers, Jarred Williams, Jillarnie Ahoy and Tyra Jarrett of Year 11.
The online assembly included information around the Stolen Generations and the 2008 Apology, a Q & A between students and the leaders, Deputy Principals address by Mr. Nick Davies and special guest speaker Uncle Ray 'Bud' Kelly Junior, who provided his personal insight and perspectives of the Stolen Generations, The Apology and the inter-generational trauma that he has been through.
Congratulations to all involved, especially our student leaders, in making the online 14th Anniversary of the Apology 'Sorry Day' a huge success.
Sports academy News
A GOOD START
I’d like to extend a warm welcome to 2022 to all of our existing and new Sport Academy families. It’s been great to see the start to the new year made by each of our Sport Academy Programs. Students and staff started the year by developing Individual Development Plans to identify goals for the year and identify individual areas to work on throughout Sport Academy sessions. The application shown by students across the first few weeks of the year has been outstanding and will set our squads up for a successful 2022 at both an individual and team level.
SUN SAFETY
February and March tend to throw up some extremely hot training days for our Academy Programs. Sunscreen is provided at each session and students are reminded to be vigilant in using it. Students should also bring a hat and a water bottle to their training sessions.
SPORT ACADEMY FEES
2022 Sport Academy Fees are now overdue. Families who have not met the due date will be mailed a reminder invoice. It is imperative to the execution of all Sport Academies that these fees are paid on time. Students will be removed from Sport Academy programs if fees remain outstanding moving forward. Feel free to contact the front office if you need to discuss 2022 Sport Academy fees further.
NEW SPORT ACADEMY TRAINING UNIFORMS
We have been informed by Lowes at Charlestown Square that the new training uniforms will be arriving in store in the next week or two. There have been some delays due to COVID that have been outside of Lowes control in receiving the training uniforms from the supplier. When the stock arrives at Lowes, families who have paid their Sport Academy fees will receive a voucher from the front office containing the uniform order they are to receive. Once you receive this voucher please take it to Lowes at Charlestown Square to collect your new training uniform.
HUNTER REGION REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS
Trials for Hunter Region school representative teams will come thick and fast during Term 1 and Term 2. Students should approach their Sport Academy Coordinator to find out more specific details of their sport's upcoming trial days. Please note that unless stated differently the trials are for Open Age representative teams meaning the bulk of students successful in making these teams are from Year 10, 11 & 12 usually and these are the year groups that Hunter Sports High gets asked to nominate trialists from. The following Hunter trials will be occurring between now and the end of Term 1:
- Basketball: Monday 7th March
- Diving: Monday 7th March
- Girls Football: Thursday 10th March
- AFL: Monday 14th March
- Boys Rugby League: Wednesday 16th March
- Boys Football: Wednesday 23rd March
- Netball: Friday 25th March
- Golf: Monday 28th March
- Hockey: Monday 4th April
- Touch Football: Wednesday 6th April
- Squash: Thursday 7th April
2022 sports academy captains announced
Congratulations to the following students who were announced this week as captains of their respective Sport Academies for 2022:
- AFL: Joe Harrison
- Athletics: Hannah Jarvis
- Baseball: Lachlan Jones
- Basketball (Junior): Isabel Morgan
- Basketball (Senior Boys): Joey Summers
- Basketball (Senior Girls): Lara Kitchen
- Cricket (Junior): Keanu Botha
- Cricket (Senior): Daniel Williams
- Junior Football: Lawson Weeks
- Senior Football: Sam Esquilant
- Girls Football: Chloe Walandouw
- Hockey: Ozzie Cameron
- Netball (Junior): Aisha Fox
- Netball (Senior): Jillarnie Ahoy
- Junior Rugby League: Will Manning
- Senior Rugby League: Taimana Elers
- Rugby League (Girls): Jess Whitehead
- Rugby Union (Girls): Charlie Norton
- Rugby Union (Boys): Connor Martel
- Swimming: Cody Carruthers
- Tennis: Lucas Fox
- Touch Football: Summa Bermingham
university of newcastle library
For only $22 per year high school students have access to UoN library resources. Please let your students know - they don't always check their emails!
"The University of Newcastle Libraries offer local secondary school students the opportunity to get a head start on tertiary studies by joining the University Library. School students can borrow from the University collections and use online resources while on campus. The UON Library gives students access to over one million books"
https://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/highschoolstudents/home
the world of wellbeing
HUNTER SPORTS WAY
The Hunter Sports Way was introduced in 2020 as an extension of our PBL values (respect, responsibility and success) and focuses on improving the futures of every Hunter Sports High School students.
Students have received explicit instruction on the ‘Game Plan for Success’ by:
- using respectful language
- being in class, on time, ready to learn
- showing learning pride and
- keeping hands off
It is expected that all students will adhere to these expectations. Students may be awarded ‘star awards’ for demonstrating positive behaviour and will go into the draw to receive canteen vouchers each week and retail vouchers at year meetings (held three times each term).
Wellbeing support to develop coping skills
Learning and developing positive coping skills in their teenage years will build resilience and wellbeing in your child and help set them up with an important skill for life. ‘Coping’ describes any behaviour that is designed to manage the stresses and overwhelming feelings that come with tough situations. By learning and developing positive coping skills in their teenage years, your child will build resilience and wellbeing and be set up with an important skill for life. It’s also important to understand the difference between positive and negative coping skills, and how these strategies can have very different long-term results. Positive coping skills will help if:
- Your child doesn’t cope well with stress
- Your child often feels overwhelmed
- Your child’s health and wellbeing are negatively impacted by stressful events and difficult emotions
Why is it important to build coping skills? Being young isn’t easy. The teenage years are accompanied by a number of stressors and significant life stages. Throw into the mix the hormonal changes that accompany puberty and an increasing need to fit in with their peers, and it’s no wonder that young people often find their adolescent years stressful and overwhelming. To tackle the difficulties that come with being a young person, it’s crucial to encourage young people to develop positive coping strategies.
What is positive coping? Positive coping strategies increase long-term resilience and wellbeing. In contrast, negative coping strategies usually only produce a helpful distraction in the short term. For example, using drugs and alcohol may provide temporary relief from difficult emotions, but reliance on this strategy can lead to substance dependency and abuse. This is why a focus on positive coping skills is crucial in maintaining long-term wellbeing or resilience.
If your child needs support to cope with any of the challenges they face, please do not hesitate to contact the school.
community notices
lake mac women's sport festival: 11-13 march
Join in for Lake Macquarie City Council’s Women’s Sport Festival - three days of celebrating women in sport, with an exciting program featuring guest speakers, workshops, sport games and clinics from Friday 11 March to Sunday 13 March.
Festivities will kick off at the Friday Inspirational Women’s Sport Breakfast, with beach volleyball Gold-medallist Kerri Pottharst and Australian netball representative, Sam Poolman taking to the stage to share the lessons learned in their sporting careers. Guided by NBN News Senior Sport Reporter Kate Haberfield, Kerri and Sam will offer insights into the world of high-performance sport, empowering you to seize opportunities and realise your potential.
The two-day Women’s Sport Symposium on Friday and Saturday will be jam-packed with motivation, featuring World champion cliff-diver and Nords Wharf local Rhiannan Iffland, Olympic gold medallist Kerri Pottharst, two-time Paralympian Katie Kelly OAM, former Australian Road Racing Cyclist Champion Oenone Wood and Australian netball representative, Sam Poolman.
The festival will close-out with a Sports Open Day – the perfect chance for kids and adults to try their hand at a range of sports with no cost or commitment. Start the day off right with yoga, get hands-on with GeckoSports Kids Fitness, learn self-defence and taekwondo, shake it out in Zumba, master your skills with Northern NSW football clinics and catch a netball masterclass with Sam Poolman – an exciting opportunity for the netball lovers! If the sports wear you out, call half-time and enjoy some live music, food and entertainment with headlining act, The Little Quirks.
Tickets range from $12 to $45 per person, with FREE Sports Open Day entry for kids 16 and under. To book your tickets visit lakemac.com.au/WomenSportFestival
OUR NEXT NEWSLETTER WILL BE PUBLISHED IN WEEK 10. KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL THE LATEST NEWS & BACK TO SCHOOL INFORMATION FROM HUNTER SPORTS HIGH ON OUR SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE.