Newsletter Term 1 Week 9
From the Senior Executive
Celebrating a Productive Term 1 2023.
As we go into the last week of term the College will host a number of events to celebrate and
acknowledge the commitment and success of our students. On Tuesday we are looking forward to badging our current SRC and celebrating their leadership in a full formal assembly. Over today and next week we will also be holding year assemblies which will showcase cohort achievements, performances and awards. Having just come from our Year 7 assembly I want to acknowledge our newest cohort for their attention and kindness to each other. The minifilm compiled by the Year advisors already is a testament to this groups willingness to get involved in the full range of College life. This week also celebrated our Mock trial wins, SRC leaders attending a Statewide leadership forum, our Year 7 Gala Day and Year 8 studying geography in the field at Manly dam.
Student safety
We have received a number of emails and calls of concern about student safety walking home and
from students catching the 379 bus on Murrievale Road. Transport NSW contracts buses to ensure a safe journey home for our students. We are a large college with a significant number of students requiring bus travel home. We have strong processes in place that ensure supervision and safe entry to the buses from school. The 712 from school uses the same route as the 379 bus. This is a safer option for your child as it does not require them to navigate narrow and busy streets. The college expectation is that students who require bus transport, catch the provided services from school. Please note the following from our bus provider.
As you may appreciate, having over 100 students trying to board from one public bus stop
unsupervised is a safety issue. Our buses all have safe legal carrying limits, and when a bus is
nearing full capacity, our staff must request passengers to stop boarding, for their own safety.
To ensure we maintain the good reputation of our school and the goodwill of our community I would request that you encourage your students to follow this expectation.
Holidays
As we finish our first term of 2023 I have been reflecting on the importance for all of us to find
spaces of silence and calm in the whirl of our busy lives. The upcoming holidays encompass three
very significant religious holidays, Passover (Pesach), Ramadan and Easter. All these events focus on reflection and preparation. As we move into this holiday period I wish our families, peace and space to reflect and enjoy the richness of time together.
Enjoy and school resumes on Wednesday 26 April
IEF News
Last Friday Rose Bay Secondary College celebrated Harmony Day. The IEF and the SRC Environment Team launched the Op for Inclusion charity Shop, it was great success and raised $250 for Wires animal rescue which saves animals that are at risk due to the destruction of the environment because of urbanisation. The best part is that we are shining a light on, and trying to do something about, the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tonnes end up in landfill. To put things in perspective, this means that the equivalent of a rubbish truck full of clothes ends up on landfill sites every second.
Year 8 Geography Excursion
This term, Year 8 Geography students are studying our important 'Water in the World' Topic. As part of their mandatory fieldwork in Geography, students attended the Manly Dam Catchment Area on Wednesday and Thursday of Week 10. The excursion focused on the key inquiry question: 'How do natural and human processes influence the distribution, availability and quality of water as a resource?' Students, who worked well in their groups, undertook various tests of the water which focused on the pH, turbidity, pollutants and species.
Year 11 Geography Excursion
On Wednesday 22 March, students in Year 11 Geography travelled to Cronulla to complete fieldwork as part of their Biophysical Interactions topic. Students explored built and natural environments and contemplated the wide range of coastal management strategies employed in the area. Students also conducted a range of fieldwork activities including dune transects, field sketching, and climatic measurements. All students behaved outstandingly on the day and are to be congratulated on their efforts - Mr Weavers
Sport News
On Monday 27 March, the Open Boys Cricket Team ventured to the Sutherland Shire to take on Jannali High School in a rain-reduced match in Round 2 of the Davidson Shield.
Under grey and gloomy skies, the Jannali captain won the toss and elected to bat first. After a rather ponderous start to the Jannali innings, Ethan F (Year 10) was introduced to the bowling attack and quickly scythed through the opposition's top order, claiming 4/5 from his 4 over spell. Notably, all four of his victims were bowled, highlighting his excellent control of 'line and length'. The remainder of our bowlers were disciplined and accurate throughout as we managed to restrict Jannali to 9/108 from their allotted 30 overs. Other wickets were shared between Joseph J (1/18), Thomas L (1/9), Erynn M (1/13), and Jamie P (1/12).
Our reply got off to a shaky start as we quickly lost two wickets, before an excellent partnership between Edward S (Year 8) and skipper Jamie P (Year 11) got our innings back on track. Unfortunately, Jamie lost his wicket in the last over before drinks which saw RBSC reach the halfway mark of the innings at 3/54, needing 55 off the last 15 overs to win. A couple of quick wickets upon resumption heaped the pressure on our young tail order, and we eventually were bowled out for 97 in the 28th over. Edward top scored with a fine 45; an outstanding innings from our young opener who showed maturity and application beyond his years.
Congratulations to all members of the team who represented the College admirably and played in the right spirit throughout the day - a point noted by the opposition coach. Thanks also to our departing Year 11 players, particularly Jamie and Thomas, who have represented the College with distinction since Year 8.
Volleyball
Good luck to the teams competing in the NSW Schools Cup Competitions on Friday (wk 10) and Monday (wk 11). We have some strong teams competing and the students are eager to play and perform well.
Netball and Football
Open Girls FootballCompeted in the Eastern Suburbs zone trials at the start of term seeing a win, a draw, and a loss during the round-robin competition to select a team who would go on to compete at a regional level. Congratulations to Nikita year 9 and Carmen year 10 who displayed outstanding performances on the day and were selected to represent RBSC in the team.
The open girl's team then went on the play Heathcote High School in the Sydney East Regional knockout competition on a blisteringly hot day down at Kareela sporting complex. Even though we didn't get the win, our girls played exceptionally well and it has been an absolute pleasure coaching them throughout various competitions this term. They represented RBSC with the utmost skill, tenacity, and integrity and I would like to congratulate all involved.
Under 15's Girls FootballCompeted in the Bill Turner Cup Trophy last Friday and unfortunately came away with a 4-2 loss against the International Sydney Grammar School. They represented RBSC with great positivity, respect, and determination and I would like to congratulate all involved.
Good luck to the Open Girls Netball and Boys Football teams who play on Monday and Tuesday of wk 11. Both teams are full of energy and can not wait to play their opponents.
Cross Country
This a reminder that the RBSC Cross Country Carnival is on Thursday 6th April at Queens Park. We understand that some students may not participate due to the Jewish Holiday. If your child is not attending the carnival due to this reason and they are wanting to participate in the Eastern Suburbs Zone Cross Country, can you please email the school with this information by COB Tuesday 4th April. Basic information about the Cross Country -
9 am – Roll call in Gym for yrs 7, 8, 9. Roll Call in Hall for yrs 10, 11, 12.
9.20 – Students move to buses and are then transported to Queens Park.
10 am Course Walkthrough
10.30 am 17+ Boys 6km
10.30 am 17+ Girls 4km
10.55 am 16 Boys and Girls 4km
11.20 am 15 Boys and Girls 4km
12 pm Lunch Break – everyone (Students and Teachers)
12.45 pm 14 Boys and Girls 4km
1.10 pm 13 Boys and Girls 3km
1.40 pm 12 Boys and Girls 3km
2-2.15 pm Final Roll Call
2.30 pm Board buses for transport back to school for school buses. There will be no stopping at Bondi Junction.
Future Carnivals
This is also a reminder for the following Carnivals for Terms 2 and 3.RBSC Athletics Carnival - May 4th at ES Marks, KensingtonEastern Suburbs Zone Cross Country - Thursday 8th June at Sir Joseph Banks Park, BotanyEastern Suburbs Zone Athletics - Friday 21st July Hensley Athletics Track, East Gardens.
SRC News
- On Monday 27 March, 25 of our SRC students from Years 8 to 12 attended the State Youth Leadership Conference in the International Convention Centre at Darling Harbour with 2,200 students from across NSW. Speakers included many young Australians and the contributions they had made, how they achieved their goals, what leadership is, and a Q&A session with a panel discussing issues of interest to young leaders.
- The Rose Bay Mock Trial team managed to get a win in the first round of the 2023 competition on Thursday 30 March against Riverside Girls High School. Our team was assigned to act as the defence in a criminal case where an environmentalist, Elijah (Yr 10), was charged with obstructing a railway on the Southern Highlands by allegedly using a chainsaw to cut down a tree. Our barristers, Tommy (Yr 10) and Edward (Yr 11), supported by their solicitor, Tarquin (Yr 11), successfully sowed sufficient doubt into the mind of the magistrate for her to find the defendant not guilty. Emma (Yr 10) and Doug (Yr 9) rounded out the team, with Gus (Yr 9) helping out with the technical assistance. While they won the case, the team also won the mock trial on points with 265 points to Riverside Girls' 259.Special mention should go to Edward (Yr 11), whose closing argument effectively listed all the reasons why he believed there was doubt about whether the defendant was guilty. These included that the prosecution witnesses were old and had stereotyped the defendant for having colourful hair and tattoos, that no one had seen a chainsaw, that no one had seen the defendant commit the act, and that the tree could have fallen for other reasons.
This week, the SRC have been working on the Cross Country, and are looking forward to our badging next week! We also are beginning to plan an event for the school’s 20th anniversary. The volleyball team are participating in a tournament against other schools across Sydney on Friday, so good luck to them! Remember to dispose of your rubbish in a bin and enjoy your final week of term!
Your captains.
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
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
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
Guest visit and generous book donation to The Judge Bob Bellear Memorial Library:
Teacher Librarian, Margaret McLelland, welcomed special guest, Robin Hutcheon, to the school on Thursday. Mr Hutcheon is a writer and has enjoyed a long career as a journalist. Starting out as a cadet at The Sydney Morning Herald he went on to write for the China Mail and South China Morning Post (whilst living in China and Hong Kong) where he later became Editor-in-Chief.
Mr Hutcheon is a lifelong admirer of Shakespeare and came to the school to formally donate his personal copy of The Norton Facsimile “The First Folio of Shakespeare” to the Judge Bob Bellear Memorial Library for RBSC students to enjoy for generations to come. Mr Hutcheon shared some of his vast Shakespearean knowledge with some of the school's English and Drama students during his visit.
This week we will be arranging a special Shakespeare display with the Norton facsimile as the centrepiece.
Our school values the importance of reading as a key component of literacy. We are encouraging all Students in Years 7 to 9 to be registered for the NSW Premiere's Reading Challenge 2023. The site is included on the student portal page for easy entry into registration and for information about PRC book lists. The rules are simple but different this year with students being able to include ten books of their own choice and up to five books from a series. These can be entered on the digital reading log located on the left side of the PRC homepage. All students are encouraged to come to us if they need assistance with getting started. The PRC finishes at the end of the first week of August. Good luck!
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.
Thank you to the P&C for contributing funds allowing this valuable program to operate.
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.
