Newsletter Term 1 Week 8

From the Senior Executive

It was another busy week at Rose Bay Secondary College with our students showing themselves at their very best.

 We had over 450 prospective students, parents and carers attend our Open Night on Tuesday.  Our highly efficient SRC and school tour guides led the groups throughout the school to see our classrooms and facilities. Some stations, such as Mathematics, demonstrated what a working classroom looks like with student volunteers completing class work and solving puzzles. Science put on a great show with chemistry and physics experiments. We had debaters debating, musicians playing, and an executive Q and A forum at the end for the young students and their families to ask us questions about our school.

 A huge thanks goes to Zach Villa and Maya Haggstrom for the student leadership, Ms Alonzo for her vision and organisation, and all the staff and students who made the afternoon special.

And a big shout out to Ms Bright who had the fantastic idea of giving red handballs with our logo to all the prospective students who attended.

I want to congratulate Mr Te Rata for leading Year 10 in the second round of The World’s Greatest Shave. The Year 10 cohort raised over $3125 to give to cancer research and many students took the plunge and completely shaved off their hair! Including Mr Te Rata! Ms Buckley took the easy road and only coloured her hair with hairspray. It was an incredible effort for a great cause and Year 10 should be very proud of themselves.

P& C Appreciation.

The last AGM of the P&C  some significant office bearers stepped down. The college would like to acknowledge and express our deep appreciation of the commitment and service shown by Kara Mikler (President), Claire Edwards Vice President, Grounds committee) and Julie Chiert (Secretary). They have worked tirelessly to support the Principal and college in providing a richer enrichment through beatification and grounds development, cocurricular offerings and advocating for the College as the public high school in the eastern suburbs. Our refurbished library, basketball courts cover, seating, electronic boards and new furniture are only some of the tangible expressions of their service. Thank you so much and we appreciate you continuing to support us by continuing in other roles to support the new leadership.

From the Year 7 Advisors

As we walk around the College, we can see how busy Year 7 have been! Between bird boxes, omelets, French excursions, English speeches, factorisation and multiples - Year 7 have been developing their skillset across all subjects at school. It is so pleasing to see Year 7 involved so actively in the classroom and we are very proud of their commitment to achieving their best. We are very pleased to witness the high level of respect Year 7 are displaying towards their peers and their teachers in the classroom. Rose Bay is a fantastic place to learn, and we are so proud to see Year 7 taking responsiblity for the creation of a welcoming and inclusive learning space for their peers in the classroom. 
Additionally, we would also like to commend Year 7 for their attendance at the Homework Centre each Monday and Friday afternoon. While not compulsory, the Homework Centre provides a safe and calm space, where students have access to paid tutors and their teachers in the afternoon. This truly is one of the most fantastic academic support services we offer at Rose Bay, and both Miss Bowd and Mrs Flack are so pleased by the number of Year 7 students who are making the most of this opportunity every Monday and Wednesday. 

We are also very much looking forward to Year 7 Gala Day next Wednesday. This is a fantastic opportunity for Year 7 to have fun whilst competing against other schools in the Eastern Suburbs Zone. Students will represent the school in either T-ball, Soccer, Netball or Touch Football. The students have been working hard during sport time to get ready for the big day. The focus of the day is to participate to the best of their ability, have fun, meet new people and develop their sports skills.
Word from the Playground.

This week Year 7 were asked "What are you looking forward to and why?"

Taj Haskas - "The sports like basketball because I have been doing it since I was little". Emma McIntosh - "Year 7 Camp because it is somewhere new". Hugh Grazier - "Playing on the basketball courts with my friends". Max Coates - "Year 7 Camp and Gala Day because it will be cool to hang with my friends". 

Year 8 GREAT AUSSIE BUSH CAMP

We arrived at the Great Aussie Bush Camp after an early morning bus ride, where we were seated on logs around a fireplace. The instructors welcomed us, introducing themselves and how the Great Aussie Bush Camp works and the cabins we were in. Finally, the year organized themselves into their allocated cabins and lined up outside, awaiting their much needed lunch. Once we had finished eating and our plates were stored away, we sorted into our camp groups and left for our first activities. Eventually, 5:00 pm struck and we all formed a line outside the cafeteria, awaiting our dinner. Throughout the next hour, we enjoyed much needed showers, dessert, and relaxation. However, we still had our night activities to complete which consisted of a disco and fun games outside. Then, at 10:00 pm we arrived back in our cabins, exhausted and excited to rest. 

Day two began at 6:30 am, the sun brightly shining through our windows as we awoke from our slumber. We all walked outside, leaving our cabins, where the instructors gave us an insight on our daily activities before we ate. Breakfast that morning consisted of eggs, toast, pancakes, beans and apple or orange juice. Afterwards, we started our exciting and busy day ahead. The activities included: archery, canoeing, flying fox, the giant swing and power fan, rock climbing, survivor challenge, and high ropes. Thankfully, in between activities we were treated to snow cones, muesli bars, and fruit. Lunch and Dinner that day were: Sandwiches and Chicken Mac and Cheese. Once the sun had set that evening, and everyone had finished their nightly routine, we ventured into the bush and gathered around a bonfire. We were going to play ‘Commando’. It was a teacher vs student game, and the goal was to find the five bricks scattered across the forest. The students formed teams, running from the teachers in search of the bricks. If you were caught you would be sent back to the start, and would need a token to continue. In the end, four bricks were found. No one knows who won. When everyone had returned and the game was over, we all returned to our cabins.

No one could avoid the 6am wake up the next morning where we packed and tidied our rooms, in preparation for our leave. We ate breakfast, proceeded with our last two activities, and then rounded back up for Lunch. Sausage sizzle and soft drinks! Sadly, it was time to leave and we all boarded our buses. Overall, camp was a refreshing experience and a great break from the usual routine. We thoroughly enjoyed camp and are extremely grateful for the effort made by the teachers and camp instructors, that made Great Aussie Bush Camp 2023 a reality and exciting experience!

IEF News

The IEF finished their wonderful camp experience with rock climbing and left the Great Aussie Bush Camp on a coach, homeward bound with hundreds of good memories.

And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Sasha from everyone in the IEF

IEF H went on Community Access to visit the Australian Museum last week.

Everyone tapped on and off the bus to get to the Museum. IEFH saw an exhibition of First Nation communities’ artworks, technologies, and cultural material from across Australia. From here, students went into the ‘Surviving Australia’ exhibition. They were introduced to taxidermy animals from all around Australia. Specimens included spiders, snakes and crocodiles and students saw how the animals had adapted to the environment, including how an extinct group of kangaroos walked instead of hopped!  Different backyard displays showed animals and insects that can be found in parks and green spaces. Students explored the climate change exhibition. Hungry and thirsty, all visited the Billabong Waterhole Café, headed to the Museum shop, and went back to school.  

National Schools Constitutional Convention

On Tuesday November 29, 2022, 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, he 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.

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 from the 21st March -23 March 2023.. The convention topic this year is Constitutional Reform where students will examine Section 128 of the constitution and discuss if the requirements for alteration are still appropriate. Congratulations Isaac.
Below is the itinerary of the 3 day Convention.

Big Science Competition

The Big Science Competition is a 50-minute, multiple choice competition testing science knowledge, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Questions are set in real-life, contemporary contexts, making them relatable (and interesting)! 

Competition questions are aligned with the Australian Curriculum – Science, and provide a way to track their performance against state or national averages. 

This year, students who participate can win one of four great prizes, including an Apple iPad!  

We welcome all students in Years 7 - 10 to and explore taking part by completing the following form by – Wednesday 5 April. 

Cost: $7 

Registration: here

For more information see Mr Magal in Science 

Music Enemble Program

MEP will be holding a fundraising sausage sizzle and cake stall outside the school hall on Saturday to coincide with the election. There will also be MEP bands busking. We need cakes, biscuits and slices to sell on the day so come by the stall from 8am and drop off your donations while you vote and get your democracy sausage! 

Fortnightly Star Awards

Students receive Star Awards for their positive behaviour, academic achievements, community involement, and contributions across a range of other areas that form part of each day at Rose Bay Secondary College. As a school community, we are committed to recognising the great number of Rose Bay students that achieve excellence on a daily basis. We would like to congratulate the following students on receiving a significant number of star awards this fortnight:

Transitioning to upgraded School Bytes finance system 21 march 2023

Eastern Suburbs High Schools Community Consultation

Careers

What is UCAT?

UCAT stands for University Clinical Aptitude Test. To enter most medical and dental schools in Australia, you will need to succeed in the UCAT. The UCAT is a two hour computer based test consisting of multiple -choice  questions and is divided into five separately timed subtests: Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitive Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Situational Judgement.

Key dates for UCAT

Registration and Booking opens 1st March 2023 and closes 17th May 2023.

Testing begins 3 July 2023.

For all information and to register please visit  www.ucat.edu.au

Library News

Harmony Week and Open Night at The Bob Bellear Memorial Library: 

This week’s Harmony Day coincided with Rose Bay Secondary College’s Open Night. RBSC’s Anti-Racism Contact Officer and leads from the PRIDE Alliance met at the library and decorated the space. They discussed RBSC’s core values of inclusiveness and respect for diversity of race, culture and gender identities with the evening’s visiting groups.  

The library celebrated Harmony Week and the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination with a display of books and magazines highlighting these topics. 

V-Fest

The V-Fest poster Design Competition is now open and entries need to be given to Miss Cave (B Block staffroom) by Monday 27^th March. 

Change of Details

A reminder to all parents/carers to please update any change in details for students ie address, email, phone numbers. This ensures all correspondance from the school is going to the correct place and important information is not missed.

Uniform Shop

Please be aware that the new Senior polo shirt and new sports shorts will not be in stock until July / Term 3. Please note that the Uniform Shop is no longer accepting cash.

Homework Centre

The Homework Centre provides a quiet, secure environment where students can get help, support and guidance from specialist tutors with their research, homework and assignments after school. It takes place in the library. The tutors, all ex- RBSC students give current students the opportunity to ask questions and get assistance with all subjects. The Homework Centre runs on:

 Monday 3.30pm-5pm  

 Wednesday 3.30pm-5pm  

Every student is a member of the Homework Centre Teams page.  Information and notices regarding the Homework Centre will be posted on Teams.  We have two tutors each afternoon and four different tutors altogether. Please check the Homework TEAMS to see which days the tutors come so that you can receive the specialist help that you need. 

 If you have any questions, please contact either Ms. Sara Debono or Ms. Henrietta Hawke.  

Department of Education: Parent webinars and resources

The NSW Department of Education has a collection of webinars and resources from the eSafety Commissioner and their trusted partners to aid families in setting up good digital habits.

These webinars are aimed at supporting young people to have safe, positive experiences online as well as providing resources for young people living with a disability. To access these valuable resources please follow this link.

P&C News

RBSC P&C warmly welcomes all parents/carers and other members of our school community!
Join us at P&C meetings - hear about P&C and RBSC initiatives, get the latest updates from the RBSC staff executive, and have a say in how the P&C supports the College and spends P&C funds.

P&C meetings on-site at RBSC 7pm on 3rd & 8th Tuesday every term

All P&C meeting information can be found on the P&C G-drive
Thank you to all those parents/carers (past, present and future!) that generously give
their time and talent to assist P&C in supporting students and RBSC.
RBSC P&C run programs/subcommittees need you in 2023!
• P&C executive committee
• Music Ensemble Program (MEP) – extracurricular music program
• Sports - extracurricular netball, basketball & touch football
• Debating – extracurricular debating program
• Building and Grounds – improving RBSC physical environment
• Social – social events for parents/carers
• Alumni – bringing former RBSC students together
If you have a teen participating in these programs, please consider volunteering your
time and/or expertise to help out.
MUSIC ENSEMBLE PROGRAM, SPORT & DEBATING will not be able to
continue to operate in future without NEW parent/carers involvement.

How can I help?

Positions include Chair, Secretary & Treasurer but there is no limit to the number of people that can help. Debating support is required for the teacher co-ordinator.

There are lots of other opportunities to support RBSC P&C

P&C representation is requested for RBSC subcommittees including uniform, canteen and finance. P&C representatives are also required to assist with RBSC staff recruitment as part of the merit selection panel process.

How do I get involved with P&C?

If you would like to participate there are lots of opportunities. Please come along to a P&C meeting, you don't have to be a member to get started! Membership is open to parents, guardians and citizens from the College community by gold coin donation (please note that paying P&C voluntary levies via school fees is not the same as P&C membership).

To receive P&C news/information directly use the QR code to register your details. Please note RBSC does not give us your contact details due to privacy legislation
Contact RBSC P&C to express your interest in supporting RBSC to ensure we continue
to have robust parent/carer representation now and in the future: rbscpandc@gmail.com