Category: Updates from Rose Bay Secondary College

This year Ed Week will be held from 26 to 30 July 2021 celebrating the theme Lifelong learners. 

NSW public schools will celebrate Education Week from 26 to 30 July 2021 with the theme Lifelong learners.

Education Week is an annual celebration of NSW public education and it’s your chance to celebrate the achievements of your school, students and learning community.

This year’s theme is ‘Lifelong learners’ and celebrates education as a lifelong journey from before a child enters an early childhood setting, progressing to primary and secondary school, and continuing their learning journey into adulthood; learning a trade, entering tertiary education, or the workforce.

Continuous learning is critical for success throughout life and everyone can be a lifelong learner.

This year’s celebrations will kick-off with a virtual live stream launch from 10am on Monday 26 July, with more events to follow.

Schools can enter the Ed Week video competition by creating a mini documentary that showcases the theme of Lifelong learners.

Tell us about a unique or interesting story from your school community for the chance to win filmmaking gear for your school. Visit the Ed Week video competition webpage for details on how to enter.

Visit the Education Week website for ideas and resources to plan a celebration in your local school community and share your Ed Week celebrations and activities on social media using #EdWeek21. 

Good morning to all community members of Rose Bay Secondary College.

Term 2 starts today for all students and we look forward to welcoming them all back on campus. We hope all our families had a restful and healthy break.

We welcome two new permanent staff members to RBSC this term, MS Sai Hemvititum in the TAS faculty and Mr Siva Pathmanathan in the Mathematics faculty. I can tell already that they both have a passion for teaching and great expertise in their subject areas. We also welcome in a temporary capacity, Ms Elisha McINtyre, replacing Mr Mike Bailey in History and Ms Nikki McWhirter and Mr Patrick Renford in the PDHPE faculty.

A reminder please of the high expectations for uniform compliance at RBSC as we head into the cooler months. With ventilation so necessary, we recommend all students bring a warm jumper with them every day but ensure they have the correct uniform underneath. Please contact the front office if you need assistance with purchasing uniform items.

I would also like to stress the importance of compliance with our mobile phone policy. This includes the use of any kind of earphone. After one warning a student’s phone will be confiscated for collection by the student. On the next occasion it will be confiscated for collection by a parent and then a formal caution followed by a suspension for any further infringements. All mobile phones and ear phones should be placed in a student’s bag once the bell rings for class and should not come back out again until break 1, 2 or the end of the day. We recommend parents have passwords to all social media accounts on a student’s phone and that they are monitored regularly.

I want to give you an overview of how we are continuing to ensure our school remains COVID-safe through our updated Term 2 settings.

Some of the layered COVID-smart measures you’ve come to know in recent months will continue this term. These ‘baseline measures’ are aligned to the NSW Government’s general community settings and include:

• rapid antigen testing for symptomatic students and staff
• vaccinations – including booster shots (from 3 months after your child’s primary COVID-19 dose) are encouraged for all eligible students and their families. Staff and volunteers on school grounds are to follow vaccination guidelines
• ventilation
• good hygiene practices
• enhanced cleaning.

Continuing these baseline measures allow us to prioritise student and staff wellbeing while giving our learners a consistent and productive learning environment this term.

What’s new in Term 2?

As we head into the cooler months, our COVID-smart measures have been updated in consultation with NSW Health, to provide additional protection to our school community.

• Change to close contact isolation requirements. On 20 April the NSW Premier announced that from 6pm 22 April 2022, close contacts (including household contacts) could leave home isolation with certain restrictions. The announcement means that from Week 1 of Term 2, students and staff who are identified as close contacts will be able to attend school with the following risk mitigations in place:
  • You must notify the school if you/your child have been identified as a close contact and are intending to return to school.
  • You/your child should conduct a daily rapid antigen test (RAT) and receive a negative result each morning before attending school for 5 subsequent school days as part of your personal responsibility to minimise the risk of transmission.
  • Staff members and high school students must wear a mask indoors at all times except when eating or exercising. Primary school students are recommended to wear a mask indoors at all times (except when eating or exercising).
  • No student or staff member identified as a close contact will be permitted to participate in overnight excursions, including school camps.
  • Students and staff in SSPs or support classes or utilise assisted transport who are identified as close contacts must not attend school during this time.
  • Visitors in contact with students including volunteers, allied health partners and staff providing professional learning who are close contacts should conduct a daily RAT and return a negative result before attending a school or ECE site. They must also wear a mask indoors at all times (except when eating or exercising) if they are 12 years old or over. If attending a school site and interacting with students for an extended period of time, the visitor should advise the school that they are a close contact.
  • In line with these changes, students with health conditions should speak with their treating medical practitioner or specialist to review their health support plan or COVID-19 action plan and speak with the school around any local considerations.
• Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs). The department will continue to supply RAT kits to students and staff to support symptomatic testing and testing for close contacts returning to school (as mentioned above). Within the first three weeks of term we will provide [DELETE AS REQUIRED: 1 multipack of rapid antigen tests per student and staff member OR 2 multipacks of rapid antigen tests in each per student and staff in schools for specific purposes (SSPs) or support classes]. Once these department-supplied RATs are exhausted, please continue to access PCR tests and store-purchased RATs which are now readily available in the community or let the school know that you need more and we will try and assist. [Include details on how RATs will be distributed at your school].

• Masks. The latest NSW Health advice recommends wearing a mask for people who have recovered from COVID-19 and recently completed their 7-day isolation period for an additional 3 days (from days 8 to 10 after receiving a positive COVID-19 result). [DELETE AS REQUIRED: Staff in SSPs and support classes are also required to wear masks to provide additional protection for our students]. Additionally, as outlined in the above section on close contacts, mask wearing is mandatory for staff and high school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 days and recommended for primary school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 days. Where students or staff are unable to wear a mask, they should be supported to learn or work remotely.

• Responding to our local situation. We will continue to liaise with NSW Health and the department’s Health and Safety case management team to ensure our COVID-smart settings keep-up with the latest developments. If local conditions require it, this may mean temporarily reintroducing some additional COVID-smart settings including:
  • mask wearing for all staff and students in Year 7 and above
  • directing cohorts to learn from home for short periods of time
  • postponing or limiting non-essential activities like excursions, indoor assemblies and visitors to the school.

We will make sure to update you at the earliest opportunity if any of these additional measures are required in Term 2.

• Ventilation. The NSW Department of Education is reviewing environmental differences across NSW as part of their winter ventilation planning, ensuring that local climatic conditions at each school are considered. The department will provide local guidance to schools, including advice on maximising natural ventilation while balancing thermal comfort and the use of indoor and outdoor learning areas for school activities to support schools to adapt to local climate conditions through the winter months.
• Reducing the risk of illness this winter. Finally, it’s important to note NSW Health’s advice to reduce our risk of not only COVID-19, but also other illnesses that may affect our school this winter like the flu. We can all protect our loved ones and our community by:
  • taking a RAT before visiting vulnerable loved ones or going to large gatherings and events.
  • staying home if unwell
  • keeping up to date with our vaccinations – including the flu vaccine, which is available from your local GP, pharmacy or Aboriginal Medical Service now. Flu vaccines are free for all children aged 6 months to under 5 years, or for a small charge for those aged 5 years and older
  • getting tested immediately for COVID-19 if you become symptomatic and isolating until you receive a negative result
  • practicing good hand hygiene by washing regularly with soap and water

We wish you all a healthy and productive term 2 and thank all our community members for working together to promote a safe, welcoming and high expectations educational setting.

Kind regards,

Melinda Bright

Principal

Rose Bay Secondary College

Every child in NSW deserves the opportunity to develop the necessary mathematics and numeracy skills to succeed in life, increasing their post-school pathways and life options while building the foundations for future dreams.

From 2022, all NSW secondary schools will have access to the new Numeracy course in Stage 6.  This course is proven to lift student engagement in mathematics and numeracy and contribute to their HSC.

The new course is being rolled out following evaluation of the pilot that was led by the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE).  The evaluation found an increase in participation and engagement with students of Stage 6 mathematics including Students enrolled in Vocational Education and Training courses, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students and Students in rural and remote areas.

To support and drive awareness of the importance of mathematics in everyday life – a group of well-respected ambassadors and content creators will continue to share with students how they use mathematics in their daily life. 

Some of our ambassadors have already shared their stories with us:

• Sports brains with professional athlete, Steve Solomon, and mathematics teacher, Eddie Woo
• Creative brains with former Harper’s BAZAAR editor-in-chief, Kellie Hush, and mathematics teacher Eddie Woo 
• Chef brains with former Masterchef contestant, Alice Zaslavsky, and mathematics teacher Eddie Woo.

For more examples and ideas for you and your child to explore mathematics in a fun and engaging way, check out the Everyday Maths Hub.

The Everyday Maths Hub was designed specifically to support students and their families to bring mathematics into the everyday, developing and supporting positive attitudes towards mathematics and numeracy.

As we know from evidenced-based research, when teachers and schools work together with parents and carers, our students’ attitudes, engagement and success are enhanced.  We can work together to achieve great results across mathematics and numeracy. For ideas on how to engage your child visit Everyday Maths Hub.

High school is full of excitement, new experiences, and, of course, the occasional challenge too. Getting the most out of it requires preparation and a clear sense of what lies ahead.

The release of the HSC timetable marks the beginning of the final leg of the Year 12 school journey.

As of 29 April, 76,000 NSW school students received their personalised timetable for the 2021 written HSC exams.

HSC written exams will start on Tuesday 12 October with a compulsory English paper and finish with the examination of Food Technology on Thursday 4 November.

Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the release of the HSC timetables were the final leg of the school journey for Year 12 students.

“The HSC is a logistical behemoth, it includes scheduling 18 days of HSC exams involving around 76,000 students, 129 exams and more than 775 exam centres,” Ms Mitchell said.

“The HSC is the culmination of years of schooling and receiving your timetable makes it all the more real for students.

“Students are already working hard in their final year, and I wish them all the best during an exciting time.”

NESA CEO Paul Martin said planning for the HSC exams was a necessarily rigorous process, especially after last year showed just how quickly things could change.

“The timetable is designed to provide a schedule which is as fair and equitable as possible to ensure all students get the opportunity to do their best in their written exams,” said Mr Martin.

“Last year showed that plans can change in an instant and we always want to make sure students, schools and exam supervisors feel prepared for anything, so they can focus on exams.”

To develop the timetable NESA follows rigorous procedures to:

• provide sufficient breaks between exams for popular courses
• provide sufficient breaks between exams for frequently combined courses
• enable all exams to be marked and students to receive their results from 6:00am on Friday 10 December
• minimise the number of students with two exams scheduled at the same time.

All 2021 HSC students can access their timetable on Students Online.

The full 2021 HSC written exam timetable is available on the NESA website.

Every year of school presents its own opportunities and challenges, whether you’re just entering kindergarten or preparing for the HSC. We know that, at every stage, it’s important for students and parents to feel supported, enthusiastic, and prepared.

Public schools are making sure the sacrifice of war veterans and serving defence personnel is not forgotten.

Across NSW students and public schools last week played a key role in keeping the ANZAC spirit alive.

In the lead-up to the national day of remembrance, students were making artworks, studying literature, writing poems and learning the story of Australia’s military history.

School-based ceremonies also offered children of defence personnel the opportunity to mark their parents’ service.

This included the 28 public primary schools and 10 public secondary schools in NSW that are part of the Defence School Mentor program, which supports the families of current personnel.

The school choir at South Coogee Public School, with defence families from the Randwick and Victoria barracks, continued a 15-year tradition by singing at the Coogee Beach Dawn Service.

At Wattle Grove Public School in Sydney’s west, students created an interactive garden.

The metal poppies are connected to an audio file which is listened to via an old fashion tin can similar to war time.

The audio files include interviews with members of the school’s defence force community talking about their experience in the army and the ANZAC spirit.

At La Perouse Public School in Sydney, the students marked ANZAC Day by unveiling a plaque in the memory of local Aboriginal veteran Uncle Vic Simons, who died earlier this year.

As schools prepare for the start of Term 1, 2022, parents and carers of students aged 12 years and above are reminded to book their children’s Pfizer or Moderna vaccination as soon as possible. Bookings are available through the Vaccine Clinic Finder. 

NSW Health advice indicates that vaccinations offer excellent protection against COVID-19 in children. Even though COVID-19 in children is often milder than in adults, there’s strong evidence to support vaccinating children.

Vaccines give the immune system a helping hand to protect against serious illness and possible long-term effects from COVID-19. Vaccinations also help to protect friends, family and our school community by reducing the spread of the virus. 

Visit the NSW Government website for more information or talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about the COVID-19 vaccination for your child to help you make an informed decision.

All staff are also advised that booster vaccinations will be included in an updated Public Health Order as announced by the NSW Government on Friday 7 January 2022. Further information be provided by the department as it becomes available.

If you require a free telephone interpreter, call 131 450, say the language you need in English and ask the interpreter to connect you to the COVID-19 vaccine helpline.

Make Every Day Count is a film competition open to all students from Kindergarten to Year 12. Entries close 28 May, 2021.

Make Every Day Count

The NSW Department of Education is holding a state-wide film competition for all students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Schools can participate in the festival as a class entry or submit films created by individual students or groups of students. Schools can submit multiple films.

All films submitted must have the approval of the school principal.

The theme is “make every day count”. Schools and students should explore all the possible reasons why attendance is important and what reasons may cause poor attendance.

Why school attendance?

The overall picture of school attendance in Australia is generally good. Year 1-10 students attend, on average, 92% of ‘available school days’ in Australia.

However, there are areas of concerns, where 25% of Australian school students attend less than 90% of school days. This adds up to 20 or more days absent in a school year.

At this rate, after 13 years of school, it’s equates to more than 260 school days lost or more than 5 terms.

According to the report Attendance matters (PDF), absenteeism can increase social isolation, including alienation and lack of engagement with the school community and peers, leading to emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Schools and students are encouraged to create films that address the issue of attendance in schools and how this can impact the student – socially, academically and personally.

Competition details

Entries close 5pm on 28 May 2021.

All films should be

• 3 minutes or less
• .mp4 format, 1040×1920 screen size and 25fps
• enter through the online submission form.

Budding filmmakers and teachers should read the Information booklet (PDF). Students and their parents and carers will need to sign the consent form enclosed.

The film competition is organised by Film By, established by teachers to recognise and showcase the stories and creativity of students told through digital film media.

The Rose Bay Secondary College Year 11 and 12 debating team reached the grand final of the Premier’s Debating Challenge last Friday. After an exciting series of knockout debates beginning in term one, 145 teams were reduced to two!