Loading

Hunter Sports High News Term 1 - Week 5 - 2023

What's On?

  • Tuesday 28 February: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family Information Session
  • Friday 3 March: Year 7 Immunisations
  • Thursday 16 March: Year 7 and 9 Naplan Writing
  • Friday 17 March: Year 7 and 9 Naplan Reading
  • Thursday 23 March: Year 7 and 9 Naplan Numeracy
  • Friday 24 March: Year 7 and 9 Naplan Language
  • Tuesday 28 March: Year 7,11 & 12 Parent Teacher Interviews
  • Thursday 30 March: Cross Country

principal's message

Welcome back to another school year. The 2023 school year is certainly off to a flying start. We welcome all our new students and families and look forward to getting to know you all throughout your time at Hunter Sports High.

We are excited to announce this year Hunter Sports High School along with several other Sports High Schools in New South Wales official became an Australian Olympic Pathway School. This is a great honour for our school. Further information can be found below.

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 Ms Smith has done a wonderful job in welcoming our newest students and helping them adjust to high school life.

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 new opportunities for students this year in our new Learning Academies.

We are all exited at Hunter Sports High School to see what the 2023 school year has in store.

Ms Rachel Byrne - Principal

ENGLISH WRITE NOW

The English faculty of Hunter Sports High School welcomes all new and returning students and families back to the world of English for 2023. We hope that everyone enjoyed the break and returns well-rested and ready for a year of success and personal best.

We have welcomed our new Year 7 English students into our classrooms, and have so far been very impressed with the calibre of students in this cohort. Our first unit of work sees us completing the “You and I” program, and exploring non-fiction texts that represent key figures in our world and local community. Year 8 starts the year exploring and explaining the conventions of the horror genre, studying a wide range of texts such as Thriller, A Monster Calls, and Coraline to discover the answer to the age-old question - why do we love to be scared? This term, Year 9 are preparing to complete NAPLAN which is taking place in Week 8 and 9. Students in Year 9 will be learning strategies that allow them the best chance of success in these tests and once again, we remind everyone that the best homework students can do is read. Year 10 begins the year with an Auteur study, where we delve into the world of film and deepen our understanding of how directors can tell stories and represent ideas in distinct and unique ways.

Mr Whitington’s class celebrating Valentine’s Day by “speed-dating” a book, thanks to our wonderful Librarian Ms Smith.

The English faculty in 2023 welcomes two new staff members, Chris Whitington and Sonya Hewitt. Chris comes to us from Kariong High School and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role. Having worked in the media for many years before teaching, Chris is excited to become involved in the various pathways of English we offer to our students. We feel very privileged to have a quality educator like Chris joining our faculty. Sonya joins our school from Merewether High School and is a highly experienced Languages teacher. Sonya has been busily getting to know her Year 7 classes and Stage 5 Elective group. Welcome Sonya!

Chris Whitington and Sonya Hewitt

The English Faculty of Hunter Sports High School

  • Nicola Crossland (Head Teacher)
  • Amanda Lewis
  • Shane Doyle
  • Chris Whitington
  • Felicity Hammond
  • Lewis Horne (Year 8 Advisor)
  • Mark Cousin
  • Jo Smith (Teacher Librarian)
  • Sonya Hewitt (Languages)

Minimbah

It’s been a busy start to the year for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and in particular our MInimbah Dance Group, who have showcased their skills in a number of significant performances already this year.

The group were invited to perform at an international Engineering conference hosted by the University of Newcastle, where they received overwhelmingly positive feedback.

The Minimbah Dance Group performing at the University of Newcastle

The second performance of the year saw the group being invited to attend the commemorative ceremony for the 15th Anniversary of the National Apology to The Stolen Generations, hosted by Link-Up NSW. It was a huge honour for the students and staff to be recognised by a group as important as Link-Up NSW, who are responsible for re-connecting those people who have been, and continue to be, impacted by The Stolen Generations. To be selected to perform on such a significant milestone and for such a key organisation, was monumental for not only the students, but for the whole Minimbah family.

The Minimbah Dance Group performing for Link-Up NSW

Since these shows the group has received numerous enquiries for future performances, highlighting their dedication and commitment to always showcasing their culture with pride and respect.

Service Australia visited our school on Tuesday 14th February and provided valuable financial information to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from Year 9 through to 12. Students were provided with important information about the various supports that may be available to them, such as AbStudy.

The Aurora Foundation attended Hunter Sports High School on Wednesday 15th February to connect with our Year 8 students, and begin the process of forming important relationships that will support our students throughout their schooling. The RISE program offers a range of opportunities from informal mentoring and support, tuition and academic guidance, to camps and social events designed to build and maintain confidence within our young people.

If there are any questions or enquiries about any of the information provided to your child this year, please contact the school and ask to speak with a representative from the Minimbah faculty.

We are so proud of the achievements of our Minimbah students and look forward to a year full of culture and further success.

Gem Academy

Jet

The Jet class welcome 4 year 7 students who have settled into high school smoothly. The students have been keen to get started on their Personal Interest Projects and have been especially enjoying their Food Tech lessons with Ms Carolan. We have also been lucky to have Caitlyn Johnson spend some time with our classes.

Ruby

The Ruby class has started the 2023 school year with a bang. We’ve welcomed 2 Year 7 students, who have been such a great addition to our classroom. Last week saw the continuation of the recycling program across the school. The Ruby class is responsible for collecting paper and card from classrooms and offices throughout the school. The Ruby students work with the school community to reduce litter and encourage recycling. Mrs Cottrill and Mrs Slee are excited to see where 2023 takes the Ruby class.

Emerald

The Emerald students have had a great start, settling into the new year with positivity and energy, Miss Smith is very proud of their excellent start. We have welcomed Mr Dowler to our classroom where he is taking the lead in PIP, HSIE and Maths. The Emeralds have taken the reins running the staff Honesty Fridge under the expert guidance of Mrs Wilkes, making delicious slices and treats as well as making excellent progress with their furniture restoration program. We are looking forward to our next Leaving to Learn excursion after a successful adventure to Spring Loaded and Swansea to learn about etiquette in the eye of the public.

Diamond

Great start to the year with students increasing their skills in employment with 2 students attending work experience and one starting the Nourish program through the PCYC. The students are also branching out into new electives and have a plan to beautify the garden area and increase our ability to grow food for the coffee shop program.

OPAL

Our senior students have had a great start to the year and have been especially enjoying learning some mindfulness tips and tricks from Mrs Mogg.

$20 Boss

Following the success of last year's $20 boss program, The GEM academy has started brainstorming ideas for our 2023 end-of-year market stall, where we will sell our handcrafted products to school staff and other students. We've begun planning and researching and are almost ready to design and implement our concept.

Swimming Carnival

The GEM students had a fantastic day at this year's whole school swimming carnival. All students got into the house spirit, dressed in their team colours and came along ready to cheer on their team. Special mention must go to Nelson Wong who competed in most events and who got a second place in the 50m Backstroke event. Nelson had a lot of the school cheering him on while he raced.

New year 7 students

The GEM academy has had a busy start to the year, welcoming some new Year 7 students and new staff as well as 6 Year 7 students have settled in well after a successful transition program last year left them feeling ready to go in 2023. We had 3 Year 7 students attend the Year 7 camp and they were all very eager to get out on our first Leaving to Learn excursion last week as well. This year we have also welcomed Mr Steven Dowler to our GEM Academy staff. Mr Dowler is teaching across all classes and has already become a favourite among our students.

Coffee Shop

Coffee Shop is back again this year, with the Diamond and Opal classes running this work program on a Thursday during class time. This program has been running for over 30 years now and continues to keep the staff at the school very happy as they can purchase a homemade meal and dessert each week, prepared by our amazing SLSO’s and served by our GEM students.

Gem Academy Day Out

Mathematics

Student v parent challenge ! Put your brain to the test and solve this riddle…

If seven people meet each other and each shakes hands only once with each of the others, how many handshakes will there have been?

Welcome to another year of learning and striving for success. Last year proved to be extremely successful in terms of student numeracy growth and success. We are setting the bar even higher this year and would like to remind students of some simple expectations in order to be successful at Mathematics in 2023.

Equipment required for every Maths lesson:

  • Laptop. (With charger or enough charge for entire day)
  • Calculator (This is compulsory. Casio fx82 is recommended by NSW BOS and can be purchased at the office)
  • Pen
  • Exercise book (A4)

Get to know our online Platforms:

MS Teams: Most 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 interactive 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 (HT 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.

This term in the Mathematics department: Term 1 Assessment tasks

All students studying Mathematics in years 7-10 have assessment tasks coming up in week 9. Students have been issued task notifications and should be revising work in order to strive for their personal best. All upcoming assessment dates can be found in the HSHS Assessment handbook.

LEAPS AND BOUNDS

The LEAP team are proud to announce that this year Hunter Sports High School will be raising funds for Hunter Homeless Connect. This organisation provides important services for people needing a helping hand, and they have already expressed their gratitude and appreciation that the students of our school voted to support them throughout 2023.

On Tuesday 14th February, the LEAP team organised a Valentine’s Day fundraiser and ran a rose delivery service. This was a great success and the support and generosity of our students and staff meant that our roses completely sold out. Thank you to everyone who ordered a rose.

Our Year 9 Junior School Captains will be elected in Week 6. Any Year 9 student who is interested in nominating themselves for these positions will need to see Ms Crossland in the English staffhouse as soon as possible.

The LEAP team are inviting any students interested in contributing to the student voice of Hunter Sports High School to listen out at roll call and check the Sentral notices for our next meeting - everyone interested in making a difference is welcome!

Charlie and Taimana with roses

HSHS Academies for HIGH potential/ gifted students

This year HSHS will again run our HPG Academies to support the development of students considered to be ‘High Potential’ or ‘Gifted’ in the Physical, Intellectual, Creative and Social Emotional Domains. 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 twice per 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 throughout the year. The Academy mentors for 2023 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 students completing an accelerated HSC course.
  • Brooke Summers 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.

Wellbeing

NSW SCHOOL VACCINATION PROGRAM

Lost Property

community notices