News

Coronavirus - Department of Education statement

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 20:20:05 AEDT

The department is working with the Ministry of Health to monitor and respond to the unfolding international novel coronavirus situation.

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to novel coronavirus.

Are you #Ready2020?

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 15:41:45 AEDT

Hints, tips and resources to make a great start to the new school year – whether it’s your first day of high school or you’ve been here a while.

We work hard to make sure every student is known, valued and cared for – even before they walk into the classroom on Day 1, Term 1.

We’ve got great advice and resources for high school, no matter what year you’re heading into...

For families of students starting Year 7:

download our Getting ready for high school booklet
read our top tips for a smooth transition.

For families of returning students:

visit the back to school checklist to make a hassle-free start to the year
download the 2020 calendar to stay organised all year
check out our hints for setting up a study space.

Video – #Ready2020: First day at high school

Duration – 1:00

NSW schools respond to bushfires

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:02:32 AEDT

Many schools are responding to the catastrophic fire rating that is affecting communities across the state this week.

We are continuously updating the School safety page with a list of government and non-government schools, as well as TAFE NSW campuses that are currently non-operational.

While some schools are temporarily non-operational due to localised fires, many others in high-risk areas are non-operational as a precautionary measure.

Schools in some areas are being used as emergency evacuation centres at the direction of the Rural Fire Service.

For schools that are currently operational, school pickups and dropoffs will continue as usual. If your school is currently non-operational, it will likely remain so tomorrow.

Large scale distressing events affect our school communities in many ways. Headspace’s mental health support resource (PDF 100.52KB) is available to help students, teachers and school staff respond to the bushfires.

Visit the School safety page for updates. The department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts will also provide updates during this period.

Grab a ticket to Schools Spectacular 2019

Wed, 23 Oct 2019 17:21:58 AEDT

Will you be joining us at Schools Spectacular 2019? Tickets are on sale now. Experience our live show featuring a cast of thousands of public school students from across metropolitan, rural and remote regions of NSW.

Students from different ages, cultures and backgrounds will share the spotlight as they dance, play and sing for you. Choose from one of our four massive performances at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday 22 November and Saturday 23 November.

This year's events will feature:

more than 380 schools
5,500 performers
a 3000-strong choir
2,300 dancers
an 80-piece symphony orchestra
a world-class stage band.

Group bookings

Need to make a group booking for over 10 people? Complete the Schools Preview Order Form 2019 (PDF 110KB) to attend the discounted 11am Friday matinee. The Friday matinee is discounted for school students and accompanying teachers.

If you’d like to grab a spot at one of the other three remaining shows complete the Group Booking Form 2019 (PDF 110KB).

Tickets for you and your family and friends

Save you and your family a spot online or by phone on 132 849.

Video – Schools Spectacular 2019

Duration: 0:26

Book yourself in for Reading Hour

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 12:13:00 AEST

This Australian Reading Hour, encourage your child to discover or rekindle their love of a good book. Take the time to learn, escape and relax on Thursday 19 September and read for one hour.

Reading has been shown to reduce stress by 68% more than listening to music, going for a walk, or having a cup of tea.

Take the Book Swap Challenge

We all have favourite books that we come back to again and again.

To help celebrate Reading Hour take our Book Swap Challenge. We want students, teachers, staff and parents to try reading something new on the day. To get involved, simply pair up with someone and swap your favourite books.

Take a photo and tag it with #ReadingHour so we can see how you got involved.

Video – Ben Law asks students about their favourite author

Duration: 1:18

Author and #ReadingHour ambassador Benjamin Law talks with some of our students about their favourite books.

How to be smart and safe on social media

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 11:28:23 AEST

Use our new Digital Citizenship toolkit to empower your child to understand how their online behaviour affects themselves and others.

You and your child can find information on:

how to ‘be positive’ by understanding online behaviour and its effect
'be smart’ by thinking critically and being digitally aware
'be safe’ by protecting your security, privacy and wellbeing.

A toolkit to empower you and your child

You can find articles and videos to equip and empower your child to minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities in our digital future.

We’ve partnered with leading researchers to produce a curated toolkit – aligned to the curriculum – which teachers and you can share with the young people in your lives.

Guide your child through important concepts such as:

managing privacy settings in social media
collaborating online
avoiding scams and hoaxes
understanding the law when it comes to online speech
Internet banking, shopping online and much more.

Keep your child safe and happy online

Visit and bookmark the Digital Citizenship website. We’ll continue to add articles and resources to ensure the best possible tools are available to help you guide your child to be positive, smart and safe online.

What’s next after high school?

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 11:26:45 AEST

Is your child in Year 9 to 12 curious about their career choices? Now they can use LifeLauncher, a free online tool to explore and simplify their career choices.

Your child can explore courses and careers in-depth, at their own pace, anytime, anywhere and on any device. The tool includes 4,000 careers and 1,500 course options, all in one place.

How does it work?

Encourage your child to jump online and complete the 5-minute personality and subject quizzes to be matched to a range of career options that suit their passions and strengths.

If they take both quizzes, they’ll get more refined suggestions. They can even create free online pinboards to shortlist the courses and jobs that interest them.

When your child creates an account, they can save their searches and build a real understanding of the opportunities and pathways open to them.

What can your child learn about their career options?

Your child can explore the weekly salary of the career options they’re interested in. They’ll also find the employment and growth rates of those careers and the number of workers currently in those fields in Australia.

Each career option shows them the education they need as well as other related careers. They can follow links to other sites to find out more about a course to help them find the best provider for them.

Launch into the future today

Use this tool to chat with your child about their post-school options in a meaningful way.

Inspire your child to find their career match today at LifeLauncher.nsw.gov.au.

Australian Education Awards

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 13:02:46 AEST

We are very proud to announce that our very own Lisa Scobie was awarded the Education Rising Star of the year at the awards held on Friday night. Lisa is an amazing part of our school and has been a huge part of Stage 4 and Hubs.

We were also privileged to have been Finalists in two other categories; Best Strategic Plan and Best Professional Learning Program. Congratulations team.

Education Week – Every student, every voice

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 12:55:13 AEST

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

Introducing Kuta-Kaya

Thu, 04 Jul 2019 10:06:02 AEST

We have exciting faculty news that we would like to share!

To move away from disability-based labelling, Special Education are changing our faculty name, and each of the class names. We have quietly been working on this for a while, consulting with Sonia Sharp from the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG), Toni Atkinson, staff, and of course students. We are so excited to be putting this into place, and even more so because the names we have chosen come from the local Wonnarua language!

Faculty name: Kuta-kaya Meaning: Think strong, able, powerful.

Class names and their Wonnarua meanings:

Pintu (IM) – Kangaroo

Kirawa (MC28) – Lizard

Kawul (MC 52) – Eagle

Wuwing (IO) – Magpie

We asked what does our new faculty and class names means to some students and staff:

"I like the new name because it makes me feel more included in the whole school" - name withheld

"It's good, it's different. I like that our name are Aboriginal words and it makes me feel proud" - Koori

"I really like the new name for the faculty because it means being strong" - Darcy

"Kuta-kaya is a better name because you don't have the label of being different" - Shania

"I like it because it is Aboriginal names, and I like the classroom names because they are animals" - Tara

"Kuta-kaya is the perfect name for our whole faculty because they are the Wonnarua words for: 'Think strong, able, powerful', and that's how I see every one of our students." - Miss Newman

Year 8 QUEST create their own E-Book

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 14:14:43 AEST

Year 8 Quest students worked this term on an Indigenous E-Book that contains many texts created by the students from Gold, Silver and Blue Hub. Students had to think critically about Indigenous contact experiences, demonstrating empathy for the Indigenous peoples and what they must have experienced in the past. Using this knowledge, they then applied their creative skills to develop a text for the digital book. Students could complete a poem, a narrative or an illustration and many of the students are proud of their work and how they have represented both past experiences and the necessity of moving into the future.

Read our stories here

Creative and Active Kids vouchers now available

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:28:40 AEST

Creative kids can now put a $100 voucher towards extra-curricular creative activities outside of school.

Together with Active Kids, this program aims to encourage more NSW children to participate in a range of extra-curricular activities such as coding, languages, circus, performing arts and visual arts.

Parents can apply for one $100 voucher for each child enrolled in school on the Creative Kids website and use it towards the cost of registration, participation or tuition. You just redeem the voucher with a registered provider in your area when making your payment.

This is a great opportunity for your child to become involved in a range of activities that will build on their education, growth and development.

Service NSW is working with industry bodies to deliver the program.

For more information, contact Service NSW on 137 788 or creativekids@service.nsw.gov.au.

The Game Changer Challenge is back

Fri, 31 May 2019 11:42:43 AEST

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.

Your NAPLAN questions answered

Thu, 09 May 2019 15:58:31 AEST

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests assess the foundational skills in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.

This year NAPLAN takes place between 14 and 16 May for paper tests and between 14 and 24 May for schools participating in NAPLAN Online.

NAPLAN data is used to help monitor student progress over time against a national measure and to identify areas of strength and improvement. It is used in combination with other school assessments to guide and support student learning.

Watch students ask an expert the tough questions about NAPLAN.

NAPLAN 2019

Thu, 02 May 2019 11:10:23 AEST

NAPLAN 2019 will see students for the first time take the tests on line. Tests will be taken by all Year 7 and 9 students during the period of Tuesday 14th - Friday 24th May.

Tests will be staggered across this period, with a total of 4 tests being taken, in Writing, Reading, Language and Numeracy. Tests will be either 45 minutes or 65 minutes.

Please refer to the Parent and Carers guide for full details on NAPLAN testing.

Apply now for My Community Project funding

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 15:12:57 AEST

Do you have a great idea to improve your area?

My Community Project is a new NSW Government funding program that is all about local ideas, local projects and local decisions.

You can apply now for grants from $20,000 - $200,000 for projects that will make a difference to your community. Projects could include new playground equipment, sports facilities, paths or ramps to improve access, public art or a community service.

The local community can vote for their favourite projects in July and successful projects will be announced in September.

Project applications close 15 May 2019.

Apply for My Community Project funding

Bring back memories, not measles

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 14:26:05 AEST

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.

Lessons in Learning

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 09:52:25 AEDT

Extract from Good Weekend, November 3 2018

Abby is in the last term of a forensic science degree at Western Sydney University. In February, she applied for a place on a graduate program with the federal police: she's just found out that she's been offered one of only two places, starting in February. "I'm so excited," she says, grinning. "I want to work in forensics ultimately, but I wouldn't have to choose straight away. You do a rotation for a year through the different departments."

Before she went to university, Abby spent a week as an intern at Waratah Police Station near her family home in Maitland in NSW's Hunter Valley. "I was shown the fingerprint department, did some target practice, visited the morgue - I didn't see cadavers that time, but we do at uni - and volunteered in a homeless shelter. It was so cool."

Abby, you notice, is manifesting that almost elemental surge of confidence that comes with being good at, well, life. But it wasn't always this way. Six years ago, as a year 8 student at a local high school, she was struggling - badly. Despite wanting to learn, she couldn't grasp the subjects - even the ones she used to like, like science - the way they were being taught. "I didn't understand what the teachers were saying and gave up trying," she says. "I didn't ask questions because I'd stopped finding any of it interesting. I just lived for the weekends.

"In maths, I kept getting moved down streams as my marks went from bad to worse. The way the teachers

viewed me - as someone who wasn't at all academic was the way I started to see myself and soon I was, like, 'Yeah, they're right: you're really bad at this. '"

By year 9, Abby was only going to school two days a week - to film, drama and English lessons. The _rest of the time she was at home, crocheting and watching documentaries on iView. "I became quite reclusive," she says, "and I'm a pretty big extrovert normally. When I told Mum I was done with school, she didn't freak out. She was, like, 'Well, staying home isn't an option: we've got to figure something out. ' "

Full article: Lessons in Learning by Sharon Bradley

7 360 Conferences Term 1

Wed, 13 Mar 2019 09:29:37 AEDT

Kurri Kurri High School considers the relationship between students’ families and the school to be of paramount importance. Throughout the year, the school will invite students and their families to conferences to discuss what students are learning and how they are learning it.

At Kurri Kurri High School, 360 Conferencing has replaced traditional parent/teacher interviews for Years 7 and 8. 360 Conferences are attended by the student, parent/guardian and a supporting teacher. The teacher will facilitate the meeting, but the students are in charge of the conference and will lead the discussions based on a portfolio of their work.

The following link will take you to our Parent Handbook to help you get the most out of the 360 Conferencing experience.

Annual Business Breakfast

Thu, 07 Mar 2019 13:32:59 AEDT

Think Global, Act Local

We would like to thank our guests from the local business and broader community who joined us for breakfast this morning. They were treated to an amazing buffet created by our Year 10 & 12 hospitality students, with special thanks to Kurri Bread Basket and Coles for their support.

The morning was hosted by our School Ambassadors who did a fabulous job and well done to our Year 9 students who stood up to speak about REAL Projects.

A special thank you to Pip Cleaves, Education Consultant and our Coach in Residence, who spoke about the importance of why we are changing the face of classroom learning and the importance of working with the community to gain relevance and authenticity.

What a great morning, congratulations to all involved.

Follow your heart, not the herd

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:34:29 AEDT

We spoke with a group of Kindergarten students to find out what they had to say about going against the herd. They had some wise words for us on how we can care, respect and support each other in our schools.

Let’s start the year off right and prevent student bullying happening in our playgrounds, classrooms and online. If a group of 5-year-olds know the difference between right and wrong, shouldn’t everyone?

Video – Wise at 5

Duration – 1:08

VET Students looking sharp

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 13:56:34 AEDT

This year, our Year 11 and 12 Vocational Education and Training (VET) Hospitality students are looking every bit the professional chef in their new chefs uniforms.

KKHS is pleased to have been able to create a loan system for the new uniforms. Students sign out and care for the uniforms for the duration of the course. And just like qualified chefs, they have the chequered pants, white jacket and hat. We think they look great and it helps them to really feel like they are part of Hospitality industry.

Throughout the year, students will cater for various school events. The first two being this term with the Annual Business Breakfast followed by the Nostalgia Retro High Tea, each event will be for around 100 guests.

Back to school

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 15:22:20 AEDT

The first day of high school and the return to school in the new year are busy times for your child – and for the entire family. To help you and your child get organised and enjoy the experience we've compiled some useful tips for each year group.

We want every student to be known, valued and cared for in our schools.

2018 Semester 2 Academic Reports

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 17:44:20 AEDT

2018 Semester 2 Academic Reports

All Semester 2 Academic Reports have been published online in our Student & Parent Portal. It is important that students reflect on their performance and discuss areas for improvement with their Parents/Carers, Class Teachers, Head Teachers or Year Advisors. Parents requiring a printed report should submit a request using the form available on here.

2019 school budget allocations

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 12:01:00 AEDT

Like all NSW public schools, this week we will receive a School Budget Allocation Report with our funding for 2019. The report will help us manage our total budget delivered through the Resource Allocation Model (RAM).

The RAM supports schools through needs-based funding to ensure a fair, efficient and transparent allocation of funds. Our school has the flexibility to make local decisions based on the specific needs of our students.

We will use our 2019 funding to support students and improve educational outcomes. The school executive will continue to work with the school community as we implement the school plan using this needs-based funding.

Learn more about the 2019 RAM funding.

Immunisation Update

Wed, 19 Sep 2018 12:10:08 AEST

NSW SCHOOL VACCINATION PROGRAM 2018

School vaccination clinics continue into terms 3 & 4

Tuesday 16^th October 2018

WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS MISSED A VACCINE

If your child has missed any vaccinations they will be offered any missed doses at the next clinic at their school.

WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS NOT RECEIVED ALL HPV VACCINES BEFORE THE END OF 2018?

Any year 7 student with missed doses of HPV vaccine can be caught up in 2019.

ADDITIONALLY:

· Any 2018 year 8 student who commenced HPV vaccination while in year 7 and are yet to finish the course of HPV (and who has not received any from their local doctor) can still receive this at the next clinic at their school.

· Any year 10 or 11 student who returned a signed consent card for Meningococcal ACWY vaccine and has not receive this in 2018 (and who has not received it from their local doctor) can still receive this at the next clinic at their school.

Please note:

· As of July 2017 any student who has missed school program vaccines or any childhood vaccines can now receive these vaccines from their local doctor. For more information please refer to www.immunise.health.gov.au and click on “National immunisation program – expansion”.

Don’t forget a Record of Vaccination is given to each student for each vaccination. Parents/guardians should ensure that this record is kept for future reference and should not assume that their child has been vaccinated if they do not receive this Record of Vaccination.

Any questions, visit the NSW Ministry of Health website at:

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/schoolvaccination.aspx

We won!

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 11:18:09 AEST

After the excitement of being nominated in two categories of the National Education Awards, we are proud to announce that we have won the category for Innovation in Learning Environment Design. The award recognises the way in which we have designed and match our spaces within the school to facilitate effective learning. The creation of our HUBS and the spaces in which they work are examples of these areas and the future focused learning we are doing in our school. Well done to all the teachers and staff that make this award possible.

We are also proud to have been Finalists in Category for Innovation in Curriculum Design.

Year 9-12 Parent Teacher Interviews 15/8/18

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

Year 9-12 Parent-Teacher Interviews
Wednesday 15/8/18 3.15-6.30pm
School Gymnasium

Year 9-12 Term 3 Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday 15/8/18 3.15-6.30pm. Due to the large volumes of interviews required, times are limited to 7 minutes so all parents can be accommodated. Should you require additional time to discuss your child's progress in more detail, we ask you to arrange a separate interview with the teacher(s) concerned at a mutually convenient time. We encourage all parents to attend the session as the interviews provide an excellent opportunity to discuss student progress. Students are very welcome to attend the interviews with parents.

To arrange an interview with your child's teachers please book online using the Student & Parent Portal

Instructions for bookings are shown below.

1. Log in to the Parent Portal.
2. When the booking window is open, you will see a yellow banner at the top of the page saying, "Parent Teacher interview bookings are now open". Click the session to make an appointment for your child/children
3. Choose Year 9-12 Parent-Teacher Interviews Term 3, 2018
PLEASE NOTE: There is a 10-MINUTE inactivity session timeout whilst selecting the bookings for your children. This means that if you leave your computer for more than 10 minutes, any reserved bookings will be not saved.
4. Click on the SELECT TIMESLOT button that is next to the teacher you'd like to meet with
5. Select a timeslot from the available list for that teacher. The selected booking timeslot will now be RESERVED for you until you finalise the process.
6. Complete steps 4 and 5 until you have selected an appropriate interview time for all the teachers you would like to see.
7. If there are no suitable timeslots available, click on the SELECT TIMESLOTS button and then click on the blue REQUEST INTERVIEW WITH TEACHER button
8. If there are several teachers you don't feel the need to see, click on the SELECT TIMESLOTS button and click on the red CLICK IF INTERVIEW NOT REQUIRED button
9. Once you have made a selection for all the classes shown, you must click on the CONFIRM APPOINTMENTS button
10. The reserved bookings you selected will now be confirmed.

Bookings will open at 5pm 3/8/18 and close 5pm 14/8/18

If you have any problems booking an interview please contact Peta Smith on 4937 1877.

HUBs to HSC Pathway Sessions

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:18 AEST

New Technology Partners

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 14:22:05 AEST

Kurri Kurri High School has recently established partnerships with two new Technology Vendors. In addition to our partnership with Learning with Technologies, we now have relationships with both JB HiFi and Harvey Norman for the provision of student BYOD technology including laptops and Chromebooks. For more information see the BYOD 2018 section of our website.

Mr J Rennex | Head Teacher Technology & BYOD

2019 Sponsorship announcement

Wed, 25 Jul 2018 13:45:26 AEST

Sponsors for 2019 include Musos Corner, The Music Bus, The NSW Teachers Federation and Teachers Mutual Bank

Students nominations now open

Wed, 25 Jul 2018 12:26:55 AEST

Student nominations are now open for 2018 HSC Music students from the Hunter and Central Coast region. To nominate students, staff need to follow the link below to nominate band 6 calibre student performances

https://goo.gl/forms/tF0AZLD0RRFLfE5j1

Ideas collide to solve real world problems

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:18 AEST

Article by Emma Rutledge, Year 9

On Thursday the Fifth of July, ten students from 9 English 1 made the courageous act of visiting the University of Newcastle on King Street with Miss Golding to attend the Ideas Collider Excursion. Our group of six girls and four boys attended the exciting expedition to experience a new and unfamiliar learning environment that was out of all of our comfort zones. The event made us collectively become more open minded to situations that we may have never thought of participating in. Our school (Kurri Kurri High School) was one of the five participating schools; West Wallsend, Newcastle, Kotara and Merewether High School. We left our school at 9 am and upon arrival, we entered the New Space Building and were spoken to by the coordinator, she explained what was happening and informed us of the itinerary. After her speech we were divided into ten groups of five students (each one from a different school) not knowing any of the other children. We were given one hour to solve the real-life problem of artificial intelligence going ‘evil.' We then had to introduce ourselves and present our issue solving product to two judges; a PhD student and an entrepreneur who decided on the most sophisticated concepts. All of us walked away very happy and content, feeling successful and pleased with our efforts to cohesively work with a group of strangers. Fortunately, there were three prizes for first to third places and three articulate students (Riley Jones, Ellen Chenery and Taylah Aspinall) from our class were in the three winning groups. Overall, the event was very eye opening to new opportunities and careers paths such as entrepreneurship that we could potentially take up after leaving school. We all had a fantastic time and would certainly go again to solve more future focused, real world problems.

Academic Reports are ready

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:15 AEST

All Semester One Academic Reports have been published online in our Student & Parent Portal. It is important that students reflect on their performance and discuss areas for improvement with their Parents/Carers, Class Teachers, Head Teachers or Year Advisors. Parents requiring a printed report should submit a request using the form available on here.

2018 Academic Reports

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:14 AEST

In 2017, our school made some significant changes to the Academic Reports distributed to students and parents each semester. For the first time this year we have made our Academic Reports available for students and parents in electronic PDF using our secure online Student & Parent Portal.

In response to our ‘future focused' approach to learning, we are shifting the way that reports will be distributed in 2018. Parents and students will have access at anytime to all current and past school reports through the Student & Parent Portal. If you require a paper copy of student reports please submit a request using the link below.

For assistance with the Student & Parent Portal please contact Admin Office on 49371877 or email jeremy.rennex@det.nsw.edu.au

We hope our Academic Reports continue to provide you with detailed evidence of your child's academic progress and we thank you in anticipation of your support.

Tracey Breese | Principal

Reports Printing Request

Best Start Year 7 Trials

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:16 AEST

Best Start Year 7

Students start secondary school with different skills and abilities in literacy and numeracy. It is important that Year 7 teachers have access to information about their new students, to plan their teaching accordingly.

What is Best Start Year 7?

Best Start Year 7 is a new literacy and numeracy assessment package for schools to use in the first five weeks of Year 7. It is designed to:

provide teachers with consistent and up-to-date information about new students' skills and abilities in literacy and numeracy
identify students at risk of falling behind
help inform targeted teaching and intervention strategies.

The assessment package will include links to syllabus, the learning progressions and support material.

Current Year 7 students will participate in a trial of the Best Start Year 7 online assessment questions in Week 10, April 3 - April 6. The primary purpose of this trial is to test the reliability of the questions not to assess students. Accordingly, no individual student reports will be provided, however, the school will be provided with some preliminary information and links to syllabus outcomes and learning progressions.

Kurri Kurri High School Year 7 students will be taking part in this trial in order to have input into the Best Start Year 7 assessment package which addresses one of the key elements of the department's Literacy and Numeracy Strategy 2017-2020.

Students will be asked to bring headphones or earbuds that plug into a computer to enable them to hear audio recordings of the numeracy questions. Earbuds for phone or a portable device are suitable.

ANZAC Appreciation Project

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:16 AEST

We are seeking donations for KKHS's 2018 ANZAC Appreciation Project

We are trying something different this year to commemorate ANZAC Day. Year 9 History classes, who have been studying a topic on Australians at War, will be coordinating the collection, assembly and dispatch of care packages to be sent to our deployed troops as a sign of our gratitude for their service to Australia and Australians.

We are asking that parents, carers, students and community members send in some items in accordance with the guidelines below so that our Year 9 students can package up the boxes and send them off to our troops for delivery in time for ANZAC Day. It would be great if all donations could be dropped off at the front office or the HSIE Staffroom by Friday 6th April 2018.

What can be included in Care Packages?

Toiletries: Non-aerosol deodorant, non-aerosol shaving cream, small bottle of talcum powder, disposable razors, shower gel, lip balm.

Food: Instant noodles, biscuits, lollies, small tinned consumables, small tins or sachets of tuna and salmon, non-perishable foods, Tim-tams.

Other ideas: Magazines, puzzle books, DVDs, socks, letters of support, self-addressed envelopes – this way soldiers can thank you for the donation.

What NOT to include: Alcoholic beverages, clothing, pork products, cigarettes.

Year 9-12 Parent-Teacher Interviews 28/3/18

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

Year 9-12 Parent-Teacher Interviews
Wednesday 28/3/18 3.15-7.00pm
School Gymnasium

Year 9-12 Term 1 Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday 28/3/18 3.15-7.00pm. Due to the large volumes of interviews required, times are limited to 7 minutes so all parents can be accommodated. Should you require additional time to discuss your child's progress in more detail, we ask you to arrange a separate interview with the teacher(s) concerned at a mutually convenient time. We encourage all parents to attend the session as the interviews provide an excellent opportunity to discuss student progress. Students are very welcome to attend the interviews with parents.

To arrange an interview with your child's teachers please book online using the Student & Parent Portal

Instructions for bookings are shown below.

1. Log in to the Parent Portal.
2. When the booking window is open, you will see a yellow banner at the top of the page saying, "Parent Teacher interview bookings are now open". Click the session to make an appointment for your child/children
3. Choose Year 9-12 Parent-Teacher Interviews Term 1, 2018
PLEASE NOTE: There is a 10-MINUTE inactivity session timeout whilst selecting the bookings for your children. This means that if you leave your computer for more than 10 minutes, any reserved bookings will be not saved.
4. Click on the SELECT TIMESLOT button that is next to the teacher you'd like to meet with
5. Select a timeslot from the available list for that teacher. The selected booking timeslot will now be RESERVED for you until you finalise the process.
6. Complete steps 4 and 5 until you have selected an appropriate interview time for all the teachers you would like to see.
7. If there are no suitable timeslots available, click on the SELECT TIMESLOTS button and then click on the blue REQUEST INTERVIEW WITH TEACHER button
8. If there are several teachers you don't feel the need to see, click on the SELECT TIMESLOTS button and click on the red CLICK IF INTERVIEW NOT REQUIRED button
9. Once you have made a selection for all the classes shown, you must click on the CONFIRM APPOINTMENTS button
10. The reserved bookings you selected will now be confirmed.

Bookings will open on 22/3/18 and close 28/3/18

If you have any problems booking a conference please contact Peta Smith on 4937 1877.

Additional Support for Year 12 English

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:15 AEST

Teach Outreach - tutoring and mentoring program

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:22 AEST

7-360 Conferences Term 1 2018

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:14 AEST

7-360 Conferences for Term 1 2018 will be held on Thursday 8th March 3.00-6.30pm in HUB Learning Spaces (Common Room, Room 5 and Room 40). 7-360 conferences replace the traditional parent/teacher interview, allowing students to the lead the conference and explain their progress in both academic and personal growth areas of learning. Bookings for conferences can be made through the Parent Portal. Please refer to the Portal registration letter that was sent earlier this term for sign up instructions. If you have any problems booking a conference please contact Peta Smith on 4937 1877.

P&C Scholarships are now open

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:20 AEST

Did you graduate from Year 12 in 2017?

Are you doing any form of further study? Maybe TAFE, maybe University?

The Kurri Kurri HS P&C Association are offering two $1000 scholarships to Year 12 students who completed their HSC in 2017, to assist them with further education and training when they leave school.

Scholarship Criteria

School citizenship and/or contribution to local community.
Satisfactory academic achievement.
Enrolment in some level of post-school education/training.
Evidence that the scholarship will make a difference to the student's ability to complete their post-schoolP&C Scholarship 2018 (pdf 43 KB) qualification.

Process

Interested Year 12 students need to submit a scholarship application. You can download an application form from the KKHS website or they are available to collect from the front office. Complete and return your application to the front office before 3^rd April 2018.
Your HSC results will be attached to your application and the P&C will make shortlist and may invite applicants to an interview or telephone interview.
When enrolment in further education/training is confirmed for 2018, a $1,000 payment will be made to each successful applicant.

The successful candidates will be invited to receive their payment of $1,000 and a certificate, at a full school assembly in Term 2, 2018.

P&C Scholarship form 2018 (pdf 43 KB)

Our Learning Centre is Open for Learning

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:20 AEST

We are fortunate enough to have a wonderful facility supporting our students.
The Learning Centre is open every morning at 8.00am, we close Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur at 4.30pm and Fri 3.30pm.
All students are welcome.
You will have access to computers/ printers and staff that can help with homework and assignments.
Quiet, friendly and safe space.

Ms Flanagan is available as Stage 6 LaST for Yr. 11+ 12 on Mon, Wed and Thurs to assist with organisation skills, assignments and coursework

Mrs Field I Learning Centre

FACS Scholarships are now open

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:17 AEST

Family and Community Services Scholarships
2018 – Information for applicants
FACS is offering scholarships to help students enrolled in education or training to complete their studies. Successful applicants will receive $1,000 to help with school expenses.

How much is the scholarship?
Each scholarship for the 2018 academic year is $1,000 (GST exempt). You can apply again each year for up to seven years to help you complete your studies.

Who can apply for a scholarship?
You are eligible to apply if you are:

living in social housing (which includes public, community or Aboriginal housing), on the NSW Housing Register, receiving FACS private rental assistance, living in crisis/supported accommodation, or living in out-of- home care
studying in Year 10, 11 or 12 at a NSW high school or TAFE, completing a school based apprenticeship or traineeship, or studying a VET subject at school in 2018
an Australian citizen or permanent resident
not earning an income higher than the NSW social housing eligibility limits (if earning an income).

If you have previously been awarded a FACS Scholarship, you can still apply for the 2018 academic year. You will receive an email providing the details of how to apply again in 2018.

When can I apply for a scholarship?
Applications open at 9am on 22 January 2018 and close at 5pm on Friday
23 February 2018. We cannot accept late applications.

For more details FACS Scholarships (pdf 254 KB)

Getting the foundation for the best education

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:17 AEST

Three of our year 9 students have a lot to look forward to for the remainder of their school years. With thanks to Mrs Knox, their year advisor and other supporting teachers, Josie Madden, Sophia Bacon and sister, Lucy Bacon are each the recipient of a Harding Miller Education Foundation scholarship. The scholarships are valued at approximately $20,000 each and provides practical support to lift the educational and career aspirations of high potential girls who are facing economic hardship.

Sitting down with the girls to discover what this means to them, you will meet three young ladies with big picture views about what the scholarship will bring to their lives. All agree that this opportunity will set them up for the future and provides them with the resources to excel, from getting new laptops and technical support through to having a personal study coach and access to tutoring. The scholarship also ensures that each of the girls has all the practical resources they require for school, including uniforms, excursion and stationary expenses all being supported.

While the girls recognise that they have been given the best chance to get where they want to go with their schooling, they can also see how the scholarship helps on the broader scale. They come from large families, with other high achieving siblings, and can see how it will not be just them who benefits from the scholarship but how the financial burden is eased for families which makes life easier in so many ways.

For further information on the Harding Miller Education Foundation Scholarship call 02 9556 7537.

Lights, camera, action

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:19 AEST

During Term 3, Port Stephens, Maitland & Cessnock Councils asked year 7 & 8 students from across the Hunter Region to help them shift the way we think about waste and encourage people to reduce their waste.

8G was up for the challenge and the project put a new spin on tackling English as a subject! The brief asked the class to provide a script and storyboard for a short film of no more than 60 seconds. The film needed to persuade people living in Cessnock, Maitland and Port Stephen's regions to reduce the amount of waste they throw away each day. They needed to create something that will be noticed, remembered and ultimately a message that will persuade people to change their behaviour.

Knowing the competition would be tough, 8G was blown away by news late in the term that their entry was going to be professionally filmed. They had made it to stage 2 of the competition and their film was going to be hosted on the Waste Ops website. A special thanks goes out to Pokolbin Village Store who allowed us to literally take over the store for the day of filming.

Once finished, the community was then asked to vote for their favourite video, and guess what? WE WON!!!!!!! Not only will the film be shown at a Red Carpet Gala Event at a date to be advised, but 8G won $1000 to go towards a school project of the schools choice.

The entire experience has been challenging, diverse, creative and exciting. Well done to 8G on how well you have worked together to achieve this. I am proud to be your teacher.
Click here to see the winning advertisement: Waste Ops KKHS Entry

New security cameras keep a watchful eye on our school

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:19 AEST

In response to a number of recent security breaches at the school, we have commissioned and installed a new Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) system. This system will ensure that the safety and security of students, staff and property is improved. Cameras are located across the school, covering areas including the playground, library and A Block. The system will record continuously to maximise security. Please be assured that all data captured by the system is stored in a secure location and Department of Education Policies regarding privacy will be strictly followed at all times.

Tracey Breese | Principal

Year 7 BYOD 2018

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

Our incoming Year 7 students will again have the opportunity to participate in our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program in 2018. For more details see BYOD 2018

Winning Essay is a Win, Win

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

Darcie Cliff was the successful entrant in the CFMEU Northern Mining & NSW Energy District Union School Grants Programs. Darcie won with her essay written in response to the competition question, "What have unions ever done for us?".

Darcie received an individual prize of an iPad and cover. The school was awarded a grant cheque for $3080. CFMEU District Vice President Mark McGrath visited KKHS to present the prizes. The grant money will be utilised to purchase some Chromebook computers for use by senior students who do not have access to their own technology devices.

The generosity of the CFMEU Northern Mining & NSW Energy District Union in providing such grants is a wonderful initiative which in turn benefits so many and helps to improve the educational prospects for students in local secondary schools.

8G are making news again!

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:15 AEST

School life has been busy for 8G this week. They have managed to get themselves in the lime light - and in front of the camera's - again!

Following on from the presentation at State and Hunter Numeracy conferences this week Mr Hope, Ms Brady and Mrs Gavenlock along with 8G students; Ethan, Elianah, Lucy, Emma, Lucy, Riley, Josh, Sophia and Delani were filmed and interviewed about their whole school Numeracy and problem solving thinkboard by State Office. Mrs O'Neill and Mrs O'Halloran were also interviewed about their roles in the project!

Opportunities such as this, showcasing the type of learning going on at KKHS are invaluable. There will be a more detailed story in this terms newsletter about the Numeracy Project, so keep an eye out.

VOTE NOW! Year 8 Enter Film Comp Tackling Waste Issues

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:22 AEST

We are very proud of 8G and their selection as a finalist in the Cessnock City Council Waste Ops initiative.

Having created a story board as the first part of the comp, the class then met a professional film crew who brought their message to life. Special thanks goes out to Pokolbin Village Store who allowed the students to come on site and use the store for their film set.

Read the story in the Cessnock Advertiser and see the finished film by following the link and vote now CLICK TO VOTE

Term 4 7-360 Interviews

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:22 AEST

Term 4 7-360 Interviews will be held on Thursday 2nd November 3.30-6.00pm. Bookings are now available through the Sentral Parent Portal. Bookings will close at 9am on 31st October. If you have any difficulties, please contact Peta Smith on 4937 1877.

Students are Stars of a Mathematical Show

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:22 AEST

On Friday, September 8, Mrs Gavenlock and Mr Hope presented a Numeracy Project developed by KKHS staff to the participants at the Hunter Gatherer's Numeracy Conference.

As part of the showcase, some willing students came and participated in some live problem solving, in front of the whole conference, using the the 'Thinkboard' that has been created by Ms Brady for the project. The students did a great job and were the stars of the show!

Students involved were:

Joshua, Sophia, Lucy, Sarah, Emma, Delani, Ethan, Elijah, Eliyanah, Riley and Hudson

They also had a fun time... as you can see in the photos.

NAPLAN Online Timetable

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:19 AEST

The NAPLAN Online Readiness tests will be held next week (11-15 September).

The Test Timetable is available for download below and has also been posted in the Student & Parent Portal for your convenience.

NAPLAN Online Timetable (pdf 130 KB)

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the school on 49371877 or email jeremy.rennex@det.nsw.edu.au

Mr J Rennex HT T&L (Technology & BYOD)

Leadership Recognition Morning Tea

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:18 AEST

Today we welcomed parents and carers to a special morning tea to recognise our Student Leadership Teams for 2017. The School Captains, Prefects and SRC, the JAECG and our Sporting House Captains all do great work around the school and in the community, sometimes up front but just as often behind the scenes. Regardless, they lead with heart and we thank them for their contribution to KKHS.

Tell Them from Me Survey

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:22 AEST

Dear Parents and Carers

This term, our school is taking part in the Tell Them From Me student survey. The survey will provide us with valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. Schools in Australia and around the world have used the Tell Them From Me survey to help them improve. The survey is completed on-line and is run by an independent research company, The Learning Bar, which specialises in school-based surveys.

Staff in schools will not be able to identify individual students from their responses. To ensure confidentiality, participating students will receive a unique username and password. Where fewer than five students respond to a question, the results will be suppressed. The survey typically takes 30 minutes or less to complete and will be administered by the school during normal school hours. Once the surveys are completed by students, reports are prepared and in most cases are available to schools within three business days.

This survey will help our school better understand how to improve student wellbeing and engagement. It will help the school identify what works to improve student outcomes.

Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary. Your child will not take part if either you or your child do not wish. If, during the survey, your child is uncomfortable, he/she can choose to stop the survey at any time. The majority of questions in the survey can be skipped.

If you do not want your child to take part in the survey, please complete the attached form and return it to your child's school by Monday 4^th September. Parent Consent Form (docx 184 KB)

More information about the survey and the research is available in English on the CESE website: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents

NAPLAN Online School Readiness Test Term 3 Week 9

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:19 AEST

NAPLAN is moving online. This means moving NAPLAN from the current paper-based tests to computer-based assessments. The transition to NAPLAN online will commence from 2018. NAPLAN Online will provide better assessment, more precise results and faster turnaround of information.

As a part of this transition all schools are required to participate in a NAPLAN Online School Readiness Test. The School Readiness Test is a ‘practice run' for schools to assess their technology ahead of NAPLAN Online. The readiness test is not an assessment of student ability and test results will not be reported. The readiness test allows schools to:

• become familiar with the NAPLAN Online test format and processes

• check whether they have the technical capacity, rooms and devices to administer NAPLAN Online

• provide students in NAPLAN years 7 and 9 with the opportunity to experience the online test question types and format by completing a practice NAPLAN online test

All year 7 & 9 students will participate in the NAPLAN Online Readiness Test in week 9 of this term (11-15 September). Each year group will participate in a writing test and a combined literacy/numeracy test during the testing week. School-owned desktop and laptop computers will be used for the test. The test will not be run on BYOD machines in 2017. All students will need access to headphones for the test. Students are strongly encouraged to bring their own headphones if possible. A limited number of headphones will be available for student loan during the testing period.

Further details and the testing schedule will be provided for students during week 8 (4-8 September).

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the school on 49371877 or email jeremy.rennex@det.nsw.edu.au

Mr J Rennex HT T&L (Technology & BYOD)

NAPLAN Online FAQ (pdf 1212 KB)

Year 7, 2018 Parent Information Session

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

If we are welcoming your child to Kurri Kurri High School in 2018, be sure to come along to our Parent and Carer Information Session. RSVP: heather.sutherland3@det.nsw.edu.au

Parent-Teacher Conferences 2/8/17

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:21 AEST

Year 8-12 Parent-Teacher Interviews
Wednesday 2nd August 2017 3.00-6.00pm
School Gymnasium

Year 8-12 Semester 1 Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday 2nd August 2017 3.00-6.00pm. Due to the large volumes of interviews required, times are limited to 5 minutes so all parents can be accommodated. Should you require additional time to discuss your child's progress in more detail, we ask you to arrange a separate interview with the teacher(s) concerned at a mutually convenient time. We encourage all parents to attend the session as the interviews provide an excellent opportunity to discuss student progress. Students are very welcome to attend the interviews with parents

To arrange an interview with your child's teachers please book online using the Student & Parent Portal at www.web1.kurrikurri-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/portal. Instructions are shown below.

1. Log in to the Parent Portal.
2. When the booking window is open, you will see a yellow banner at the top of the page saying, "Parent Teacher interview bookings are now open". Click the session to make an appointment for your child/children
3. Choose the session Yrs 8-12 Parent Teacher Interviews Term 3 2017
PLEASE NOTE: There is a 10-MINUTE inactivity session timeout whilst selecting the bookings for your children. This means that if you leave your computer for more than 10 minutes, any reserved bookings will be not saved.
4. Click on the SELECT TIMESLOT button that is next to the teacher you'd like to meet with
5. Select a timeslot from the available list for that teacher. The selected booking timeslot will now be RESERVED for you until you finalise the process.
6. Complete steps 4 and 5 until you have selected an appropriate interview time for all the teachers you would like to see.
7. If there are no suitable timeslots available, click on the SELECT TIMESLOTS button and then click on the blue REQUEST INTERVIEW WITH TEACHER button
8. If there are several teachers you don't feel the need to see, click on the SELECT TIMESLOTS button and click on the red CLICK IF INTERVIEW NOT REQUIRED button
9. Once you have made a selection for all the classes shown, you must click on the CONFIRM APPOINTMENTS button
10. The reserved bookings you selected will now be confirmed.

Bookings will open on Wednesday 26th July and will close 9am on Wednesday 2nd August.

For the first time this year we are also making Academic Reports available for students and parents in electronic PDF using the Student & Parent Portal. To access Academic Reports in the Parent Portal:-

1. Log in to the Parent Portal
2. Click on the student for whom you want the report
3. From the menu on the left-hand side of the page, select the REPORTING tab
4. Choose PUBLISHED REPORTS
5. Click on the report that you want to view
6. Using your browser options, you have the option to print the report or download it to view or print later.

2017 Semester 1 Reports will be available in the Portal prior to the Parent Teacher Conference and hard copies will be distributed at the conference afternoon. 2016 Reports are also available for all students.

If you have do not have access to the internet please contact Peta Smith on 4937 1877 and interview bookings will be organised for you. For issues with access to the Student & Parent Portal please contact Jeremy Rennex HT T&L (Technology & BYOD) on 49371877 or via jeremy.rennex@det.nsw.edu.au

We thank you in anticipation of your support and look forward to seeing you at our Parent Teacher Interview afternoon.

Upgrade to the school Administration area

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:22 AEST

During the holidays, the long awaited work to re-vamp the front of our school has commenced.

This means that access to the school is from gates closer to the main vehicle entry.

The school administration office has a temporary home in what is known as the Connected Classroom. Signage will provide direction to the office, down past the drama and music rooms and is located in the next building along (second door).

Please assist us with helping to accommodate these changes and avoid the construction area.

Academic Reports update

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:15 AEST

In 2017 our school has made some significant changes to the Academic Reports distributed to students and parents each semester. These changes have been designed to make the reports more informative and appealing for students, parents and potential employers. Our new reports contain more information about attendance, student progress in relation to their peer group and assessment of social development and commitment to learning. For the first time this year we are also making our Academic Reports available for students and parents in electronic PDF using our secure online Student & Parent Portal.

As a result of these changes our reporting timelines for semester one have changed. Reports for students in Years 8-10 will be distributed at our Parent/Teacher Conference evening being held on Wednesday 2nd August from 3.00 - 6.00pm. Students who are unable to attend the Parent-Teacher Conference will be able to collect their reports from their Year Advisor during the week following the conference.

We hope our new reports provide you with detailed evidence of your child's academic progress and we thank you in anticipation of your support.

Mr J Rennex
HT T&L (Technology & BYOD)

Term 2 7-360 Interviews

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:22 AEST

For Parents and Carers of students in Year 7.

Book your appointment through the Parent Portal on Sentral at Parent Portal
If you have any difficulties, please contact Peta Smith on 4937 1877. Looking forward to seeing you all again!

Great Goal Ball results

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:17 AEST

Last week Miss Da Silva took 4 boys down to Sydney for the NSW All Schools Goalball Championships. The team was Tyson O'Neill, Ashtyn Bean, Dominic White and Jack Cunningham. The boys did an awesome job and placed 4th overall.

Tyson was picked in the NSW team to attend the National Goalball Championships in Melbourne in October, and yesterday he was chosen to be in another NSW team to compete at the Pacific School Games in December.

What a fantastic effort!

P&C Scholarships helping to achieve dreams

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:21 AEST

At today's assembly we welcomed two of the class of 2016 back to the school. Maddie Jones and Haley Sim are the recipients of this years P&C Scholarship's. The scholarship's are awarded to students undertaking further study or training and are aimed at assisting our leavers to achieve their dreams. Thank you for returning Maddie and Haley and sharing your thoughts about life after Kurri Kurri High School.

P&C Meeting June 2017

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:20 AEST

FUN RUN SUCCESS

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:17 AEST

Well done Kurri Kurri High School!

When it comes to getting into the spirit of things, this years Fun Run showed just how well our student body and staff can rise to the occasion.

This year's Fun Run was held on Monday June 5 to raise funds for the Fight for Connar Foundation. A charity that see's much needed support go to local families who have a loved one battling cancer.

The event is driven by the SRC and this year, we are proud to be able to give the Fight For Connar Foundation $1642.

To see an full album of all the characters and carry on from the day, see the photo gallery here on the website.

Academic Reporting Survey

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:15 AEST

In 2017 our school has made some significant changes to the Academic Reports distributed to students and parents each semester. These changes have been designed to make the reports more informative and appealing for students, parents and potential employers. Our new reports contain more information about student progress in relation to their peer group and assessment of social development and commitment to learning. For the first time this year we are also making Academic Reports available for students and parents in electronic PDF using our secure online Student & Parent Portal.

We are seeking feedback from parents on these changes as part of a cycle of continuous improvement in assessment and reporting structures at Kurri Kurri High School. We are collecting feedback using an online form that can be accessed using the direct link shown below.

Academic Reporting Survey

Please complete the survey after you receive your child's first semester report.

We thank you in anticipation of your support. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Mr J Rennex - Head Teacher T&L (Technology & BYOD)

FUN RUN FUNDRAISER

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:17 AEST

Parent Learning Group

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:21 AEST

Thank you to the parents who attended last night's Parent Learning Group on "Technological Tools @ School" with Mr Rennex. Presentation and links from session are available below. There will be more Parent Learning Groups later this term so keep an eye on our school Facebook page for more details

PLG Tech Tools (pdf 1582 KB)

Canvas Parent App iPhone

Canvas Parent App Android

Ransomware infects PCs across the world

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:21 AEST

As you would have seen in the media over the past weekend, a major malware outbreak has spread across the world affecting many Windows computers running versions XP, 7, 8 and 10. The "WannaCrypt Ransomware" can spread via computer networks and does not rely on a user opening an email attachment or visiting an affected website, making it particularly destructive. Once activated on a PC, it will automatically encrypt every user-created file and document it finds including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe PDF and JPG format as well as dozens of other file types, rendering them inaccessible.

It is critical that all students with a Windows BYOD immediately ensure that critical security update MS17-010 has been installed on their device. The easiest way to achieve this is to open Windows Update to determine if there are any outstanding updates and to apply them. On your Windows device, complete these steps:

Click the Windows button to open the Windows menu and in the box, type Check for updates then press Enter.
The Windows Update screen will appear. If it states "Your device is up to date" with a recent last checked date, nothing needs to be done with that PC.
If the device has not been checked or updated for some time, click Check for Updates and apply any and all security updates that appear as available.
To ensure all security updates are installed completely, it is essential that the device be restarted from the shutdown menu option.

Students should install Windows security updates at home prior to bringing their device to school. For more information and help please contact Mr Jeremy Rennex (HT Technology/BYOD) via school switch or email jeremy.rennex@det.nsw.edu.au

Attention all Parents & Carers of Students in Year 11 or 12

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:16 AEST

UNE Trip for Year 12 a Success

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:22 AEST

On the 4th and 5th May the annual UNE Open Day trip took place with our Careers Adviser taking 14 charming Yr 12 students to Armidale to get a taste of University life.

Leaving Kurri on Thursday morning we collected other students from Mount View and Cessnock High School's to fill a bus for the 5hr trip up the New England Highway. After arriving in town and checking into our accommodation we visited the campus for a hearty meal before relaxing at the local cinema for a movie to end off the day.

Friday, we were up bright and early for a free breakfast at the Uni before embarking on a day of lectures, presentations and tours of the campus and what it has to offer future students. Meeting the students at the bus for a 2pm departure from campus, all the kids expressed that the trip had been really worthwhile. Some are already expressing interest in applying for early entry.

Check out the Uni website http://www.une.edu.au/

Early Entry is located at

http://www.une.edu.au/study/study-on-campus/get-early-entry

Parent Learning Group

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:21 AEST

7-360° Conference Term 1

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:14 AEST

7-360° Conferences

A friendly reminder to all Year 7 parents, the 7-360 Conferences will be held this THURSDAY 6TH APRIL from 4PM - 6.30PM.
7-360 conferences will replace the traditional parent/teacher interview, allowing students to the lead the conference and explain their progress in both academic and personal growth areas of learning. You will need to make an appointment through the Parent Portal, if you have any issue please contact Jeremy Rennex on 4937 1877.

Have your voice heard

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:18 AEST

Our school is participating in the Excellence in School Customer Service 360 Reflection Tool. It's a type of surveying tool which will help us gather feedback on how we can better deliver customer service. We want to hear from students, parents, staff, and other members of our school community. Participants will be asked to fill in a customer service survey which will be provided to them via email. Responses will always be kept anonymous and completely confidential.

If you would like to have a voice in your child's school please contact:

Heather Sutherland (Tues-Fri) 4937 1877 or email: heather.sutherland3@det.nsw.edu.au

Nostalgia High Tea

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:20 AEST

Nostalgia High Tea was a Rockin' Success

Well done to all those students and staff involved in putting on another fabulous High Tea. The High Tea kicks off the event calendar for the Nostalgia Festival and this year proved once again how much wonderful talent we have within our school.

The High Tea is catered for by our Senior Hospitality Classes, students from across the school performed, sang, danced and entertained our guests. The fashion parade is always a highlight and this year we thank Rebecca Sawyer for giving her time to get our models ready with make-up and hair. Rebecca has a salon locally and she did a great job. We also thank Number 9 Fashions who provided the outfits for the day and the girls - and guys who escorted them - looked stunning.

To see the full photo album from the day, head to the to High Tea album here on the website.

Youth Week AntiBullying BBQ

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

School Athletics Carnival Postponed

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:21 AEST

DUE TO WET WEATHER, THE SCHOOL ATHLETICS HAS BEEN POSTPONED FROM TOMORROW MARCH 17.

IT WILL NOW BE HELD THE FIRST FRIDAY IN TERM 2 - APRIL 28.

Community PBL is Launched

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:17 AEST

After the success of the Learning Community Annual Business Breakfast, Community Positive Behaviour for Learning has been launched. Click on the link below to read the great articles in the Cessnock advertiser:

http://www.cessnockadvertiser.com.au/story/4504347/business-leaders-breakfast-at-kurri-high-photos/?cs=459#slide=1

http://www.cessnockadvertiser.com.au/story/4508260/rewarding-positive-behaviour/#slide=3

Congratulations to our Student Ambassadors for a fabulous job hosting the Breakfast.

Deadly Cooking

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:17 AEST

P&C MEETING THIS TUESDAY 28TH FEBRUARY 6.30PM

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:20 AEST

Just a reminder to all our parents and friends that our P&C meeting this week will take place int he library. Please park at the back car park off Northcote Rd. Looking forward to seeing everyone. A light supper will be provided.

Nostalgia High Tea

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:19 AEST

KKHS Parent Learning Group

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:21 AEST

Keeping parents and carers up-to-date with what and how your children are learning in their school day, is important to us. In 2017 we are forming a Parent Learning Group with a series of workshops which will explain programs and initiatives happening on a daily basis in our classrooms. We encourage all parents to join these 1 hour sessions and have an active part in their child's education.

Free Student Software

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:17 AEST

All DoE students have access to free software from Microsoft & Adobe. The updated How to Install Guide (pdf 405 KB) will assist students to download and install the software on their device. For further information, please contact Mr J Rennex (Head Teacher Teaching & Learning) - via the school switch or at jeremy.rennex@det.nsw.edu.au

BYOD Program

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:16 AEST

Dear Parents and Carers,

If you are looking for information regarding BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) for your child, please head to our Curriculum and Activities page on our website. On this page you will find links to all the details and specifications you need to ensure your child has an appropriate device.

Students need to fill in a BYOD access request form (available from the Tech Support office) and return the signed portion to Technology support, (together with their device for configuring), to the same office.

NSW 2017 School Vaccination Program

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:20 AEST

NSW SCHOOL VACCINATION PROGRAM

Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the school vaccination program.

In 2017 the following vaccines will be offered to Year 7 students:

dTpa vaccine (Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis (whooping cough)) as a single dose
varicella vaccine (chickenpox) as a single dose; and
human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in a 3-dose schedule at 0, 2 and 6 months (students who commence HPV vaccination in Year 7 but do not complete the course may be offered catch-up doses at school in Year 8)

Parent Information Kits* will be sent home to parents/guardians. To consent to the vaccination of their child, parents/guardians are advised to:

read all the information provided
complete the consent form, including signing their name next to the vaccine/s they would like their child to receive
return the completed consent form to their child's school
ensure that their child eats breakfast on the day of the school vaccination clinic.

*The Parent Information Kits contain a consent form, information sheet and privacy statement that details how personal information will be collected, stored and utilised.

Parents/guardians who wish to withdraw their consent for any reason may do so by writing to the school Principal or phoning the school. The Procedure for Withdrawal of Consent is available on the NSW Health website at www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation.

To improve vaccination completion, students will be opportunistically offered any missed doses throughout the year where possible.

A Record of Vaccination will be provided to each student vaccinated at each clinic. Parents/guardians should ensure that this record is kept for future reference and should not assume that their child has been vaccinated if they do not receive this Record of Vaccination.

WELCOME BACK

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

A very warm welcome to our families, old and new for 2017! There are many exciting developments this year, beginning with a whole new way of teaching Year 7. This new 'hub' design has been created with the vision of creating happy, healthy and informed citizens of the future who can navigate the new ways of working in our society. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) will be combined and taught as a series of projects. QUEST (meaning quest for knowledge will encompass English History and Art). Students will learn in larger groups with more teaching to support and facilitate a more engaging style of learning.

Annual Awards Night

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

Congratulations to all our award recipients at our Annual Awards Night, held on Tuesday Dec 13tth. Despite the heat and local bush fires, thank you for those of you who came to share the successes of our talented students. A special thank you goes out to all our guests who joined us representing various agencies and families who are ongoing benefactors of KKHS. Once again, the support of our local school community needs to be acknowledged for how wonderful it is.

Well done to our student leaders who chaired the evening and to all those students who performed. You represent our school so well and we are proud of oyu.

Year 9 Art Exhibition

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

Industrial Action Thursday December 8th 2016

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:18 AEST

School will be open for minimal supervision in the playground before 10am on Thursday the 8^th due to industrial action. Classes will begin at 10am.

All things BYOD for Year 7 2017

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:16 AEST

BYOD will provide a framework for the the innovative learning practices KKHS will be implementing for Year 7 in 2017. For all things BYOD see the link on our Curriculum & Activities page.

Basa's Drop the Beat

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:16 AEST

Today, the student body - and many staff - took up the pledge to shift young people's attitude towards domestic violence. In conjunction with Cessnock Community Youth Development, Playground Sounds and our own Community PBL project, this cause proves to be one that affects many families in our area and is recognised as one that needs to be addressed right from the grass roots of our young people. To launch the event, the student body heard from White Ribbon Ambassador Craig Williamson who spoke about why this is an issue that young people need to be aware of and act now to stop the cycle.

With a silent disco to dance to, students had the opportunity to participate in a survey to gauge how well young people understand the significance of domestic violence in our area, as well as being able to take a pledge to not allow domestic violence to be a part of their lives.

A full gallery of photos is available in the photo section below and we thank all those who supported this event.

Putting students out of their comfort zone to score goals

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:21 AEST

7B were visited today by NSW Goal Ball reps who worked with the class to learn this new sport. Goal Ball is a sport traditionally played by those with a vision impairment, and we are fortunate to have amongst our student body Tyson O'Neill who plays the sport at a State level. For the majority of the students, they were somewhat out of their comfort zones but nevertheless tested their senses and put their bodies on the line (literally) to play. Well done 7B! See a full gallery of photos in our photo gallery below.

Meet our Rep Sports Sponsors

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:19 AEST

We welcome our new sponsors for our Representative Touch Football, Netball and Basketball teams.

iGym Kurri Kurri will be sponsoring our Rep Touch Football Team and Domino's Kurri Kurri our Netball and Basketball Teams. This sponsorship makes an amazing difference for our teams, allowing us to provide new uniforms and supplement costs associated with competing.

Both iGym and Domino's are both businesses we have valuable links with and thank them for their support and look forward to sharing the successes of our teams with you all throughout 2017.

Year 7 2017 Parent Information Night

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

Leaders Induction 2016-17

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:21 AEST

Today we welcomed the new school leaders into their roles for 2016-17.

Our School Captains, Prefects and the Executive for the JAECG were joined by proud parents and friends to pledge their oath to represent the school and themselves to the best of their abilities.

Our student leaders are:

Captains: Brayden Bean and Jessica Eades

Vice-Captains: Jed Kinch and Emily Lloyd

Prefects: Victoria Maples, Darcie Cliff, Ejay Schute, Isadora Pearson, Psy Imhoff and Chloe Wilson

The JAECG are:

President: Steven Ahoy

Vice President: Emily Lloyd

Secretary: Darcie Cliff

Assistant Secretary: Chloe Lambert

For all the photos, see the album below.

Building for Hope

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:16 AEST

I would like to share the words of Greg Bevan Past District Governor, Chairman District Membership
Rotary District 9670 about our wonderful new Interact Group here at KKHS:

"I have just returned from Teralba where our Interact students Brayden, Victoria, Nicola and Stephen have assisted our Rotary Club in catering for the McDonald Jones "Build for Hope" open day.

These four young people were outstanding in the way they conducted themselves all day. They were so well mannered and so keen to carry out any role which was asked of them.

They helped prepare the food, then carried the food and drinks to the public and did so with dignity and respect.

They mixed extremely well and nothing was a problem. They met with Scott Cam and other dignitaries and they were very impressed.

The Interact club of Kurri Kurri's first community project was an outstanding success.

Arguably tough contest at the Annual Mayoral Debating Finals

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:16 AEST

Has Mental Health changed with digital technology? KKHS says No!

This was the tough question to be argued by Year 9 students Jack Benic, Chelsea White, Kaitlin Mitchell and researcher Emily Watson. The team came up against St Philips in the final of the Mayoral Debating Competition and did themselves proud in the argument they presented.

The four cleverly took the angle that mental health and mental illness are in fact two different things. Clearly defining the difference and arguing that mental health has in fact been influenced by similar factors since early civilisation. Sadly, the win on the day wasn't to be theirs but the side was highly commended by both the judges and the Mayor.

The Mayoral Debating Competition has be running over the past fortnight and came down to today's battle to determine the winning school in our local area. Well done to the team and thank you to Mr Davis for his support and preparation.

Kurri Kurri High Interact Club

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:18 AEST

This week saw the beginning of a fabulous partnership between our school and the Rotary Club of Kurri.

Interact is Rotary International's service club for young people ages 12 to 18. Our Interact club is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kurri, which will provide support and guidance, but they are self-governing and self-supporting. We have had an amazing level of interest with 99 students putting their name down for the group.

Every Interact club carries out two service projects a year: one that helps their school or community and one that promotes international understanding. Several ideas have already been put forward for projects and moving forward, through regular meetings, we will have some great updates on Interact and how it benefits our students and our school.

KKHS Interact Board for 2016 are Brayden Bean, Brandon Gear, Nathan Goodwin, Amber Allen, Alyssa Horne and Jaymie Harris. Thank you to the supporting Staff for getting the initiative off the ground, Mrs King and Mrs James-Cliff.

Outstanding Student of the Term - Term 2

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:20 AEST

Lauren Gardner Year 11

Lauren has been selected as Student of the Term for myriad reasons.

She is an all round excellent student—highly motivated and excelling across her school work.

Lauren is also an active Sportswoman. During the past months she has represented our school at Lawn Bowls, culminating in the State Championships at which she and the team came home in a very respectable 6th place.

Lauren's award is proudly supported by McDonalds Kurri Kurri.

Aboriginal Student of the Year KKHS

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:15 AEST

A BIG Congratulations goes to Dylan Andrews in Year 10 for receiving the Aboriginal Student of the Year Award for KKHS. Dylan was presented his award at assembly this week by Local Member for Cessnock, Clayton Barr. This is an award that Clayton is incredibly proud to be able to present as it is given to an Aboriginal student who shows the qualities of a leader on many levels. Recipients are active members of their local and school communities, are respected by peers and have an interest in making a positive difference. Dylan will also head down to Sydney to attend a Leadership Day and we look forward to hearing about his experience. Well done Dylan on your award,

Youth off the Streets Scholarship

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:23 AEST

Congratulations to Year 11 student Kevin Cook!

Kevin has just been informed that he has been awarded one of 20 scholarships that are being offered nationwide to help him achieve his dreams!

A Youth off the Streets scholarship will assist Kevin financially as well as provide him with a mentor to work with over the next two years. Kevin will be off to Sydney in September to receive his scholarship, meet other recipients and meet his mentor. Watch this space for news on this fabulous achievement.

Can you help? Take 5 minutes to complete our survey

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:16 AEST

Please take just 5 minutes to complete our survey. Your feedback will assist us in the way we encourage and reinforce positive behaviours in our schools and have them flow on into our community.

Simply click on this link Community Survey

Thank You

SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:22 AEST

As of Newsletter No.3, posted on May 20 2016, we will no longer be posting out the school newsletter on a general basis.

You will be able to read the newsletter via:

EMAIL

ONLINE on the website

ON THE SCHOOL APP

Please ensure that we have a CURRENT email address to send the newsletter out to. You can email us at: kurrikurri-h.school@det,nsw.edu.au or call the Office on 4937 1877,

NAPLAN 2016

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 22:16:19 AEST

Week 3 is NAPLAN Week for Year 7 and 9 students. This year students may use black ballpoint pen (not the erasable type) OR pencil. They will require a calculator for their first test on Thursday.

The organisation is:

Tuesday 10th May - Pd 1 & 2:
Language Conventions and Writing tests. Students will return to timetabled classes after lunch 1.

Wednesday 11th May - Pd 1 & PBL:
Reading test. Students will return to timetabled classes from Pd 2 onwards.

Thursday 12th May:
Numeracy tests (Calculator and Non Calculator).
Year 7 students will complete these tests during PBL, Pd2 and Pd3 and attend their timetabled classes Pd1, Pd4 and Pd5.
Year 9 students will complete these tests during Pd1, PBL and Pd2. They will go to sport and Pd5 as normal.

Friday 13th May:
Catch up day for any absent students.

For more information about NAPLAN go to www.nap.edu.au.

If you have any concerns regarding your child's ability to complete the tests contact Elizabeth Tucker.