Newsletter Week 8, Term 4
Year 12 Senior Geography
On the 30th November the Year 12 Senior Geography class went on an excursion to Barangaroo as part of their Urban Places topic.
Barangaroo supports Stage 6 Geography and focuses on the urban dynamics of renewal and consolidation in Barangaroo Sydney. Barangaroo is undergoing rapid change as a result of urban consolidation and renewal. Students investigated the urban dynamics and assessed the sustainability and liveability of Barangaroo, using ‘best practice’ planning principles, in order to answer their fieldwork question. Explain how and why urban consolidation and urban renewal have occurred in Barangaroo, and Millers Point and what are the social, economic and environmental outcomes for both locations? Students also visited the adjacent suburb of Millers Point to observe the impacts of urban renewal through Gentrification.
Very Important V-Fest Update
There is now a NEW YouTube link for V-Fest 2022. Please schedule this into your computer/TV. The screening is Premiering at 6:40pm on Monday 5 December.
If you would like to experience V-Fest LIVE at the Chauvel Cinema, Paddington, there are still a few tickets available. Don't forget, the registration desk opens at 5:45pm.
NSW Schools Constitutional Convention
On Tuesday 29 November, Isaac had the privilege of attending the NSW Schools Constitutional Convention and NSW Parliament House, alongside 70 other delegates from schools across NSW.
At the convention, they received an incredibly insightful talk in the Legislative Assembly chamber from Professor Anne Twomey, a Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Sydney, who discussed the origins of Australia's constitution, how it has allowed Australia to grow from a British Colony into our current system of government, and how it allows ministers to be appointed and dismissed, which was the focus of the convention. They then split into smaller groups to discuss two questions surrounding whether or not the role, responsibilities, remoral, and limits of power of ministers and the Prime Minister should be included within the constitution. The discussion here was robust and valuable, as we were encouraged to look at deeper parts of the issue, including the role of the Governor General in these matters, and as a result all learnt a lot and were able to broaden and better understand our views on the matter. At the conclusion of the group session, Isaac was fortunate enough to be elected as one of 30 delegates to represent NSW at the National Schools Constitutional Convention, which will be held in Canberra across three days in March 2023.
This event was truly eye-opening, and really deepened his understanding of the constitution, and also gave him the opportunity to meet some incredible like minded young people and to hear their perspectives and understand other viewpoints on how the government should operate on a range of fronts. Isaac is looking forward to representing Rose Bay and NSW in Canberra at the National Convention in March!
Well done Isaac.
News from the MEP
The MEP ensembles concert is this coming Tuesday 6 December and Rose Bay Rocks is this Thursday 8 December. Both concerts will be held in the school hall and start at 6.30pm.
There will be pizza ($5.50 per slice) available to purchase from 6pm as well as soft drinks and the return of the MEP cake stall so make sure you arrive hungry! The concerts are a chance for MEP to raise some much-needed funds and we are seeking donations of cakes, biscuits and other sweet treats that we can sell on the night. To keep it Covid safe, ideally these should be in individual serves so things like cupcakes, brownies, cookies, and old-fashioned slices would be perfect. We will be setting up from around 4pm if you’d like to drop your goodies off before the concert, or you can just bring them along with you.
We are also planning to hold fundraising raffles each night so if you have anything you are able to donate as prizes (movie or theatre tickets, gift vouchers, goods or services etc.) could you please get in touch via email.
Bondi Suite
Congratulations to the MEP concert and stage bands who performed the premiere of the Bondi Suite by Evan Lohning at Bondi Pavilion last Saturday. The band played admirably and the work was very well received with the Waverley mayor Paula Masselos having some very complimentary things to say about the school and music program. Thank you very much to Anna McFarlane for all her work in securing the grant that made the commissioning of the work possible and liaising with the council throughout the process.
Schools Spectacular
Congratulations to Elliot in year 12 who was selected to be part of the Schools Spectacular stage band and performed before crowds of thousands at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday and Saturday last week.
IEF Garden Winners
On Saturday, the IEF students gratefully accepted the Waverley Garden Award winning prize presented by Costa Georgiadis and the Waverley Major Paula Masselos. They worked hard, and it paid off and they feel like super stars.
Ysafe
Library News and Reviews
You will have read that V-Fest is screening at the Chauval Cinema on Monday night. How wonderful that 8 out of 22 finalists are our RBSC students. What a great achievement that is! It got me thinking about our resources to see how best we could support our budding filmmakers. Besides the numerous digital resources that we have there are four books that caught my eye.
The “History of Cinema for Beginners” by Jurek Kupsc is self-explanatory and is a great starting point for anyone with an interest in the topic. Then there is “130 Projects to get you into Film Making” by Elliot Grove, which is a complete introductory course to film- making skills and techniques. It is presented in an easy to navigate way and full of diagrams, tables and pictures. It includes information on writing, producing and directing. The next book I wanted to flag was “Making Short Films” by Clifford Thurlow. Once again it is a book that outlines the whole film making process in a structured way including information on digital technology. Last but not least is the book, “Beginners Guide to Animation” by Mary Murphy, another fun and easy to read book with full explanations on the art of animation, claymation (3DM animation) and includes a section on necessary equipment.
So, if you want to have fun and learn about the topic and stay busy, the holidays may just be the time to pursue it. Use the digital library or come and browse our shelves and see what interests you.
A recent acquisition of the Library is a subscription to Wheelers (NZ) which enables our students to have a further large collection of -books, audio books and the Wellness Collection. This can be accessed via:
1. Online
2. the blue Bookmark "Wheelers" at the bottom of the Student Portal page and/or
3. The blue tile "Wheelers" on the 'My School Library" site on the Student Portal page.
The app is on the top right of the page which means that books can be read in class, in the playground and at home. Listening to the book being read will stimulate the imagination and creativity leading to great writing. However, actually reading an e-book has the added advantage of strengthening memory which ensures accurate spelling. This wonderful e-collection will expand the book choices for Year 7 2023 as they embark on the Reading Renaissance program. We have strong expectations for significant improvements in reading ability for these students. Our thanks to the Literacy Committee, the Senior Executive and the parent body who have all provided constant, valuable support for these initiatives. Please contact us on extension 322 if you need more information.
Reminder Homework Club is run every Monday and Wednesday from 3:30 – 5:00 pm. Assistance is given to any and all students with research, homework, assignments, and any studying issues they may have. No bookings are required.