Category: Updates from Rose Bay Secondary College

With school holidays just around the corner, it’s time to visit your doctor to check that you and your family are fully protected against measles, before you travel overseas.

Measles is a serious, highly contagious, viral illness that is easily spread through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes or breathes. If you and your family are not fully vaccinated, or have never been vaccinated, you are at risk of contracting measles.

Not sure if you’re fully protected?

In Australia, the measles vaccine (MMR) consists of 2 doses. If you’re not sure whether you’ve had 2 doses of the measles vaccine, visit your doctor. It’s safe to receive another dose.

Children born in Australia

• If your children were born in Australia, they may have received the measles vaccine at 12 months old and the second dose at 18 months, in accordance with the National Immunisation Program.
• If you have a baby under 12 months old, consult your doctor about getting their measles vaccination.

Adults born in Australia

• Born before 1966 – you were most likely exposed to measles as a child and are generally considered to be immune. If in doubt, ask your GP.
• Born between 1966 and 1994 – you may not have received 2 doses. Talk to your doctor about the free vaccine if you’re unsure.
• Born after 1994 – the National Immunisation Program offers 2 doses, and you can check your vaccination status using the Australian Immunisation Register.

For more information about the measles vaccination, visit NSW Health or consult your local doctor.

Karmichael Hunt and Will Miller from the NSW Waratahs visited RBSC on Friday 8^th March for a coaching session with the Under 15 rugby union team. The boys enjoyed the tuition from these professional rugby players and the twenty boys that attended this skills session took a lot out of it. It is envisaged that the boys will now train together and play some practice games against some of the private of the schools in the area. Next year the Under 16 squad will be able to compete in the coveted Waratah Shield.

On Wednesday November 3, Sian was recognised for her exemplary work at Rose Bay Secondary College in 2018 at the University of Sydney Year 10 Academic Excellence Awards.

Last week Rose Bay Secondary College was fortunate to receive a visit from NSW Minister for Education, Mr Robert Stokes, as well as our local member, Mrs Gabrielle Upton. Upon the minister’s arrival, he was greeted by the principal and school captains Ashley Fyfe and myself at our new upgraded front entrance, a government funded project. It was a fantastic opportunity for myself as I’m currently undertaking legal studies so I was able to ask questions and clarify my inquiries with the Minister. Ms Bernadette Hayes, a P&C representative and chair of the P&C building subcommittee was also present and gave her perspective as a parent to Ms Upton and Mr Stokes.​ Mr Stokes kindly gave us three books as a donation to the library. 

The Hardy Street Harvest team, AKA IEF3, have been busy launching their new line of indoor plants under the chic name of Blanc de Blanc.

After attending the Alexandria Park Community School NAIDOC celebrations at the end of last term, Ms Jansen and Ms Wilson worked together with our ATSI students to plan some of our own NAIODOC Week Celebrations.

Congratulations to the RBSC MEP Jazz Ensemble who performed at the Sydney Eisteddfod and received an amazing 96% and Second Place.

We are celebrating our students and their powerful voices this Education Week Monday 5 August to Friday 9 August. Every year Education Week celebrates the achievements of public schools, our students and the value of public education.

This year, the theme is Every student, every voice. 

Join us for #EdWeek19 as we celebrate our students and their power to shape the world.

Video – #EdWeek19 –  Every student, every voice

Duration: 0:34

It’s not too late to become a Game Changer with applications for the Education Week challenge due by 7 June.

The Game Changer Challenge brings 16 teams from public schools across NSW  – eight from primary and eight from secondary – to Sydney during Education Week in August for a three-day, intensive design-thinking workshop.

The Game Changer workshops, which start on Tuesday 6 August, includes teacher training in the use of design thinking as a teaching methodology and its application for school planning.

It also includes a team competition where schools will work under the guidance of experts from industry and academia to develop a solution to this year’s critical question: How might we humanise technology?

Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott has encouraged students and teachers to get behind the event as it highlights the critical thinking students will need to develop to succeed in the future.

“The Game Changer Challenge is an exciting initiative that helps educate and inform our students and teachers on how to integrate the problem-solving methodology of design thinking into the classroom,” Mr Scott says.

“It embraces the 21^st century skills our students will need to thrive in a globalised world such as collaboration, creative thinking and communication.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students at all levels to be involved in discussing and addressing a real-world issue that will affect their future lives. I encourage every school to get involved.”

The challenge is designed to make strong learning and teaching connections to the NSW syllabus specifically in the area of developing general capabilities such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication and problem-solving.

The challenge also provides teachers with an opportunity to gain exposure to the design thinking process and includes teacher resources to introduce this creative problem-solving methodology into the classroom.

Finalists will be selected based on a 60-second video that showcases your team’s vision around the question of humanising technology.

For more information email edweek@det.nsw.edu.au or visit the Game Changer Challenge page.