Menai High School

Mr Bernard Ellevsen

Update re COVID - 19 and School Operations

I would like to thank our school community for their support, patience and many thoughtful messages during this time as we continue to move into the next phase of our remote, online learning environment required by the COVID – 19 situation.

Thank you also to our incredible team of teachers and support staff who are working tirelessly to ensure we deliver on our extremely important goal of ensuring continuity of learning for every student during the uncertain times ahead.

Please review the important information below, which we trust will be of assistance to your child and your family:

School Operations

• Whilst our school remains open and no student will be turned away, we reiterate Premier Berejiklian’s request for parents to keep their children at home wherever possible.
• By the end of this week many staff will be teaching and working remotely from home. Teachers will be onsite every day to provide supervision of students who are at school.
• The office will be attended and phones will be answered.
• The school canteen is non-operational. Students attending school will need to bring food.

Continuity of Student Learning

• Structure and continuity of learning is of utmost importance for our students at this time.
• I strongly request that students quickly develop a routine of following their usual daily timetable as they complete their studies at home or under minimal supervision at school.
• Teachers have been directed to follow their regular teaching timetable and to be available at those designated times to connect with students online, to set and mark work, to give feedback and guidance to students and to contact families of students who are not engaging with their studies.
• All teachers are establishing online learning for their students, the vast majority will be using Google Classrooms for all their classes.
• All directions for student work and Google Classroom codes will be posted on the Sentral Student Portal. Please access the portal to be sure of what work students are required to complete each week.
• Students are required to connect with their teachers during their regular subject lesson times. Students can also reach out to their teachers at other times, teachers will respond when they are able.

Student Wellbeing, Careers and Student Learning Support

• Our school consellors, careers adviser and student learning support officers are working remotely and are still available to have phone consultations with students as required. Please contact the school to make an appointment if needed.

Assessment Advice

• The NESA Board met yesterday to discuss the way forward regarding the HSC and school assessment procedures.
• We are still awaiting confirmation from NESA on the outcomes of this meeting
• At this point NESA requests that schools adjust assessment schedules and tasks as required to best meet the needs of students
• Some assessment tasks will need to be cancelled, postponed or altered.
• Teachers will consult with the Principal and inform students of any variation to our current assessment schedules
• We will work hard to ensure no student is disadvantaged due to the disruption caused by the COVID – 19 situation.
• Students can submit illness/misadventure appeals as per normal processes for internal school assessments if necessary.
• We will provide updated information as it comes to hand.

Please feel free to contact the school at any time if you have any questions. We look forward to continuing working closely with our community for the benefit of our students in the days and weeks ahead.

I urge our community to continue to make sensible decisions and to observe the social distancing protocols requested by our Government in order to prevent the spread of this virus as much as possible.

These are very difficult times; my thoughts are with all our families right now, I know many of you will be facing hard times ahead. I urge you to reach out to our school and let me know if we can be of assistance in any way.

New School Updates app

The Department of Education’s first every app – the ‘School Updates’ app for parents – was launched last week by the Minister for Education and is now available for download.  Users can download the app and sign up to receive an alert if the school they have pre-selected is non-operational (and another when the school is operational again).

The development of the new app comes in the wake of the 2019-2020 bushfire crisis and, more recently, flood impacts.  The app complements existing efforts by schools and the Department of Education to ensure families are provided with timely, accurate information in a crisis.

At this stage the app provides only basic information about public schools, but there is potential for the functionality to be expanded over time.  The app is available for both iOS and Android users at https://apps.apple.com/au/app/nsw-school-updates/id1494658146

Mrs R Allen – Years 7 and 9

Academic Effort Awards

Congratulations to the following students in Years 7 and 9 who received Academic Effort awards at the Formal assembly on Friday 6^th March, 2020.

Mrs E Sayed-Rich – Years 8 and 12

Academic Effort Awards

Congratulations to the following students in Years 8 and 12 who received Academic Effort awards at the Formal assembly on Friday 6^th March, 2020.

 

 

 

Mr L Meagher - Years 10 and 11

Academic Effort Awards

Congratulations to the following students in Years 10 and 11 who received Academic Effort awards at the Formal assembly on Friday 6^th March, 2020.

 

 

 

 

Student Good News

LOTE Faculty – Mrs Ferraro

• 7A and 7I Japanese classes – ‘the students in these classes have demonstrated a high level of commitment to their language studies this year with many students already able to write at least 25-30 characters in the Japanese alphabet.  Homework is always completed by most students and extra revision work done on a weekly basis.  A fantastic start to the year.’  Yoku dekimashita (well done).

Creative and Performing Arts Faculty - Ms J Almond

• Open Night Performers from Year 12, Year 11 Elective Music singers, Stage Band, String Ensemble, Concert Band, musical performances, Dance Ensembles and Drama Elective students – all CAPA staff
• Mali Willoughby (Year 9) on being accepted into the Indigenous Dance Workshop with Bangarra Dance Theatre – Mrs Millington
• Amber Soo (Year 9) on gaining a Callback Audition for the Arts Unit Drama Ensemble – Mr Riorden
• Katrina Winter and Jake Park (Year 12) for their great performances at the Academic Effort Assembly – Ms Masi
• Renee Lao (Year 11), Solo vocal camp – CAPA Teachers
• Tim Roberts, Grace Nesbitt (Year 10), Renee Lao and Atarah Johnson (Year 12), Arts Unit Ensembles – CAPA Teachers
• Caitlin Giovenco and Jayne Favelle (Year 7), Stage 4 Dance Scholarship recipients – CAPA Teachers
• Sophie McGloin and Charlotte Morrison, Stage 4 Music Scholarship recipients – CAPA Teachers

Technology Wizards Team - Mrs L Blanche

Open Night Helpers – Jude Mendez, Christian Burrell, Michael Burrell and Nathan Maddock.

Girls Softball Team – Mrs N Ryan

Our team played against Jannali High School on Thursday 12^th March, 2020 and won 16 runs to 2.  The team has now qualified to play in the Sydney East Gala Day on Wednesday 25^th March, 2020 at the Captain Cook Playing Fields in Woolooware.

The girls had an excellent first game with a number of new players joining the team.  Some of the highlights from the game were Racquel Roberts stepping up to pitch, Jenna Tsakirakis making a fantastic catch out at left field that quickly turned into a double play with Lily Thompson on third base, followed by Heather Oberg hitting a grand slam that contributed to the implementation of a mercy ruling.  Congratulations to Heather Oberg, Bella Smith, Gabby Bulmer, Trinity Gueit, Cara Roberts, Georgia Farrell, Lily Thompson, Racquel Roberts, Jenna Tsakirakis, Amber Soo, Brieanna Yardley, Sophie Morrison and Ziante Peters.

A big thank you to all of the parents that came to support the team, to Mrs Oberg for scoring and Miss Perkins for her assistance. – Mrs Ryan

    

Year 7 Camp – Mrs H Barrie/Mr L Ensor

Year 7 camp offered fabulous chances for our new Menai High School students to extend themselves and realise their innate resilience and courage.  We loved the camp leaders who taught us new skills, from overcoming the obstacles of Mud World to surviving the Survivor Challenge through teamwork, Menai High students reigned supreme!

The staff from Morisset Outdoor Education Facility reported how well behaved and well-mannered our students were which made each teacher beam with pride!

Well done to each and every one of our Year 7’s for giving every activity a go and making the most of the opportunities that camp offered us all to get to know each other!

Some photos of the camp will be published at a later date.

Miss B Stone

Head Teacher, Welfare

 

 

 

Students and parents will be using Sentral as the main form of communication as we move to online learning for the remainder of the term.

Most parents are registered with the Sentral parent portal already, but if you are not, the most efficient method of gaining access is to email me at leonie.ferraro@det.nsw.edu.au

Similarly if you have forgotten your password or require the access key, emailing me is the most efficient method of dealing with your enquiry.

If you would like to message the teachers of your children, below are some useful instructions:

Once you have logged in, click on the MESSAGES button which is blue and at the top of your screen.

Then click on NEW MESSAGE on the far top right of the screen and fill in the information in the pop up box.

Google Classroom:  The individual teachers of each subject have the google classroom keys which are only accessible by students.  Parents cannot be members of the Google classroom.  Parents will be able to see via Sentral Homework or Sentral messages that work has been set in the google classroom for students to complete.

Mrs L Ferraro

Head Teacher, Administration

 

All students should have received codes for google classrooms for their Science subjects. Please check Sentral messages if you have not yet received this. Our staff have been working around the clock to shift all our learning online and the result is impressive. Please encourage students to follow their school timetable where possible and teachers will be in close communication through various online means till the end of term.

Stockholm Junior Water Prize

In the midst of all the uncertainty, and while the International Science and Engineering Fair for 2020 has had to be cancelled, Phoebe Pang (Class of 2019) who was due to represent Australia there has received some further good news. Phoebe’s Science Extension research has gained her a place as a finalist in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

Phoebe submitted a short video on her research to the competition that can be viewed at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aoM8WXFfnCfxJljmzBtlhb-6d_2RqWCn/view?usp=sharing

We congratulate Phoebe on her achievements and wish her all the best in her online interview with the judges on Thursday.

Ms A Hanna

Head Teacher, Science

 

 

 

 

Careers News

Year 10 Work Experience Program – 23^rd November-4^th December, 2020

Work Experience gives students the opportunity to test their career choice and gain some experience in the world of work.  From the evaluation of previous programs, it has been found that the greatest benefits went to those students who arranged their own Work Experience placements.  For this reason, it is strongly encouraged that students are not “employed” by their parents or in their usual part-time jobs. However, if after attempting to find his/her own Work Experience placement, a student is having difficulty, the Careers Adviser can often assist with a contact. 

It is best to start the search for a quality position now in Term 1 and over the holidays and have the position ‘pencilled-in’ to be confirmed by the end of TERM 3.

Please read the information contained in “A Parents and Careers Guide to Workplace Learning”, particularly noting section 3 “Keeping Students Safe”.

Discuss with your son/daughter his/her preferences for Work Experience and encourage him/her to consider a number of different jobs, as not everyone can find a placement in his/her first preference. Careers lessons, year meetings and seminars will prepare students for the program.

Students may work for the two weeks in one position or have two different positions over the two weeks.

When a position is acquired, students must download the STUDENT PLACEMENT RECORD and complete page 1 themselves. The employer completes pages 2 & 3 and as the parent/caregiver, you will need to complete page 4 please after the employer signs it. The “Employers Guide to Work Experience” together with the Insurance Certificate is given to the employer with the Student Placement Record. The Department of Education and Training has arranged insurance cover.

I will send an email to all Year 10 soon with all the forms and guides attached to download.

If your son or daughter is ill or has had an accident during the period of Work Experience which will prevent him or her attending, both the school and the employer must be notified on the morning of the absence.  A note explaining the absence must be supplied on the student’s return to school.

Finally, if you have any questions concerning the Program, or you can assist in the placement of the students, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for your assistance and co-operation.

Mrs L Latimore

Careers Adviser