Newsletter Term 1 Week 7
From the Senior Executive
RBSC and Regional Swimming Carnivals
It was a busy week for swimming last week, with a very successful swimming carnival held last Wednesday at Botany Aquatic Centre and the Regional carnival held at Sydney Olympic Pool in Homebush, last Thursday. A full report and photo gallery will be presented in next week’s eNews. Well done to all participants, placegetters, teachers and the precision of organisation by Mr John Flack.
Eastside Debating
The Eastside Debating season is underway, with Round 2 taking place on Friday evening against SCEGGS Darlinghurst. It was a very successful evening with all junior teams winning their debates.
Year 7 and 8 both debated on the topic, “That the government should provide a lawyer to all plaintiffs and respondents in civil lawsuits”. Ryker, Danny, Chris, and Khalil debated in the negative for the Year 7 team and the Year 8 team, consisting of Maya, Selin, Zac and Leo were affirmative. Year 9 debated on the negative side of the motion “that we should abolish purely aesthetic requirements for housing constructions”. Well done to the Year 9 team members Phoebe, Taj, Raf and Tom and to all our debaters.
NAPLAN
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing will commence on Wednesday, March 13. Students in Year 7 and 9 will participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
Students must ensure they have downloaded the locked-down browser, have a fully charged laptop and bring their own headphones (these can be wireless).
The testing schedule is detailed below:
Wednesday, March 13
Periods 1 and 2: Year 7 Writing
Periods 3 and 4: Year 9 Writing
Thursday, March 14
Periods 1 and 2: Year 7 Reading
Periods 3 and 4: Year 9 Reading
Friday, March 15
Periods 1 and 2: Year 7 Conventions of Language
Periods 3 and 4: Year 9 Conventions of Language
Monday, March 18
Periods 1 and 2: Year 7 Numeracy
Periods 3 and 4: Year 9 Numeracy
Communications and inquiries
Rose Bay Secondary College values parent communication and recognises the importance of having an effective system in place to assist this process. The table below aims to assist parents to be able to identify who to talk to at Rose Bay Secondary College when they feel that they need assistance with a matter. In each instance if a parent does not have the teacher’s direct email they can address the enquiry to the email below stating their child’s name and class in the subject heading.
rosebay-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
For further information, please head to our webpage which includes further information about communications with the College and a helpful FAQ sheet.
Please note that there is a considerable amount of time and effort ensuring that every child is placed into the class where they can achieve their personal best. We do not move students from one class to another unless there are extreme extenuating circumstances.
Why writing by hand is better for memory and learning
The Scientific American journal has published an interesting article on the benefits of taking notes by hand. The article does not discount the benefit of using technology in classrooms, but research findings point to learning being optimised through the act of handwriting and drawing pictures. As your child prepares for upcoming tests and assessments, making study notes by hand may be a more optimal approach to consolidating their understanding.
Sophia Vinci-Booher, an assistant professor of educational neuroscience at Vanderbilt University stated that, “You can see that in tasks that really lock the motor and sensory systems together, such as in handwriting, there’s this really clear tie between this motor action being accomplished and the visual and conceptual recognition being created,” she says. “As you’re drawing a letter or writing a word, you’re taking this perceptual understanding of something and using your motor system to create it.” That creation is then fed back into the visual system, where it’s processed again—strengthening the connection between an action and the images or words associated with it. It’s similar to imagining something and then creating it: when you materialize something from your imagination (by writing it, drawing it or building it), this reinforces the imagined concept and helps it stick in your memory”.
You can read the article in full here.
Sports News
Max (Yr 12 Graduate - 2023) sends his regards to all his teachers, and wanted to share with you all that he came 5th in the U20 NSW Athletics Championships for Shot Put. This achievement has qualified him for the Australian Athletics Championships in Adelaide in April 2024, representing NSW. This is a great achievement and RBSC is excited to follow his progress and hear his result.
Year 7 news
Year 7 Fast Track is BACK!
Starting Week 2, Term 2 2024 at 8:00am-8:50am in B502
Fast Track Literacy and Numeracy classes are open to all students who wish to receive some extra help with literacy and numeracy skills and content. Fast Track is a foundation class that is highly structured and aligns with the current content being taught in Year 7 English and Maths classes. It is highly structured and aims to build the foundations of the skills and content being taught in classes currently. The Literacy class and Numeracy class will run at the same time. If you would prefer your child have both literacy and numeracy support then they can alternate between the classes every 2 weeks. Every 2 weeks equals a new learning cycle. This class is FREE and open to all Year 7 students. Please email: tamarin.wood@det.nsw.edu.au if you would like your child to be enrolled in the program.
RBSC Year 7 Social
Come along and meet other Year 7 parents, P&C members, and teachers. Note that this is an adults-only event as Rose Bay Secondary College does not endorse activities where students and alcohol are both present.
$20 entry (includes light refreshments plus 1 wine, beer or soft drink on arrival). A full bistro and bar also available separately.
Link to register here
Big Science Competition
The Big Science Competition, an esteemed international event conducted in schools, offers students a platform to demonstrate their scientific knowledge and critical thinking abilities through a 50-minute online multiple-choice format. It caters to students in Years 7 to 10, allowing them to gauge their performance against state or national standards.
The competition is run by Australian Science Innovations and is scheduled from Monday, May 6th to Friday, May 17th, this year's date for RBSC awaits confirmation.
Registration entails a fee of $7.70 per student. Interested participants can secure their spots by emailing their name and school year from their educational accounts to boaz.magal@det.nsw.edu.au
Please put Big Science 2024 in the subject line
Careers News
HSC and Careers Expo celebrates its 16th year in 2024!
2024 EXPO TIMES
Thursday 30 May, Friday 31 May and Saturday 1 June
9am-3pm
LOCATED AT
The Winx Stand, Royal Randwick Racecourse, Alison Rd, Randwick
RBSC P&C
P&C AGM & General Meeting Tuesday 19 March 2024
The next P&C meeting is Tuesday, 19 March at 7pm in B Block Staff Common Room. Entry will be via the gates in front of the hall. All parents, carers and school community members are welcome. We especially look forward to welcoming those new to the school.
Membership of the P&C and voting rights is by gold coin donation which can be paid online or in person at the meeting. Please note, the P&C voluntary contribution paid with school fees is separate from the gold coin donation for P&C voting rights. In order to vote the P&C Federation requires you to be a financial member, this is achieved with a gold coin donation. The P&C voluntary contribution allows RBSC P&C to provide funding to many school programs and projects.
If paying by bank transfer, the bank details for a gold coin donation are:Name: RBSC P&C BSB: 062238Account: 10113005Payments should note ‘P&C 2024 + name’ so membership can be verified.Please also send an email address with bank receipt to rbscpandc@gmail.com. Please feel free to email us at: rbscpandc@gmail.comThe agenda and meeting documents are available 14 days prior on the P&C Public Drive.
Why Choose Public Education?
For 175 years, NSW public schools have been at the heart of education, preparing today’s children to succeed and build better communities for tomorrow
NSW public schools offer high-quality, well-rounded education that provides a strong foundation for lifelong learning and success.
So for the best education money can't buy, choose Rose Bay Secondary College.
RAISING BODY KIND TEENS - FOR PARENTS (ZOOM)
Join the experts at Butterfly for this practical webinar on supporting positive body image in teenagers. Includes strategies on:
Managing social media | Reducing appearance talk and body comparisons | Increasing body appreciation | Supporting Body Kind eating and movement | Responding to negative self-talk and appearance bullying | What to do if concerned.
WHEN: Wednesday, 20 March 7 - 8.30pm (AEDT)
COST: $15
VIA ZOOM: Time-limited recording available
REGISTER: here
