24 August 2018 (1)

Term 3 2018 Edition No. 5
Successful Learning – Responsible Living
www.morisset-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Farmer Relief Fundraiser
Morisset High School is very proud of our Year 11 students who are
getting behind our drought stricken farmers and raising money for
the Farmer Relief Fund.
Lead by Sophie Taylor and Indy Vouden, Year 11 held a cake stall
on Wednesday 15th August and raised a whopping $572.05.
Further to this at the MHS hosted Rotary Dinner they received a
further $330 in donations from Rotarians in support of this cause.
Donations are still being received at the front office if community
members wish to donate.
Morisset High School is very proud of our students for their
hard work and humanitarian qualities in supporting this
fundraiser.
Darren Mitten

Deputy Principals
Report
It’s been an exciting year settling into the busy days of
Morisset High School. It’s a great school, with a vibrant
student population who are strongly supported by a
wonderful group of teachers and support staff.
One of my greatest delights is wandering down to our
Agricultural plot, my thanks go to Ian Cartwright who has
made me feel very welcome, teaching me how to feed
the cows and sheep. A few of the sheep are lambing so
it’s quite exciting to drive into school and look for the
new lambs!
Year 12 are just finishing their Trial examinations and
have begun their emersion into the last months of study
prior to starting their High School Certificate.
Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher
for guidance around a suitable pattern of study for your
child. I can recommend this website
http://www.boredofstudies.org/ to be of assistance
during the study period. Friday mentoring is now in our
Senior Study Room, so we can easily assist with any
information that the students are identifying.
Remember, we are all working together, as a community
of learners with teachers and students working in unison
to support our students in developing contemporary
skills that allow them to be the very best version of their
young, adult self! Year 12’s graduation is on Friday 28 th
September, further information closer to the event.
As our Year 11 students move into Year 12 many will be
reassessing their learning needs. There may be the
choice to exit a subject and concentrate on subjects that
build towards their 10 units required for an Australian
Tertiary Admission Rank (A.T.A.R.). This number
reflects a rank, between 0.00 and 99.95 indicating a
student’s position relative to all the students who are in
Year 12, 2019.
In the coming year, for those of you with students
looking towards entering university following their
H.S.C. we would like to recommend the University of
Newcastle’s My Big Tomorrow website.
This website offers a range of options for those seeking
tertiary education. However, employment extends far
beyond leaving Year 12 and entering university the
following year. Another great website that informs is
www.myfuture.edu.au. It’s full of information and
quizzes that assist students to develop employment
pathways.
Remember, no matter what your long term employment
goal is, regular school attendance and classroom
application will always assist with your goals. As the
warmer weather approaches, the temptation of
spending the day at the beach increases. However,
Morisset High School, in partnership, with parents and
caregivers is responsible for promoting the regular
attendance of students. While parents are legally
responsible for the regular attendance of their children,
school staff, as part of their duty of care, record and
monitor part and whole day absences. We are seeking
to provide a caring teaching and learning environment,
which addresses the learning and support needs of all
students.
We enjoy fostering a sense of wellbeing and belonging
to our school community. Here at Morisset High School
we value the contribution each student makes to their
learning and the learning of others. And what we value
most here at MHS is the relationships that we build with
every student and with you.
Evelyn Wilson
Welcome back to a busy Term 3, I am honoured to
have accepted a Relieving Deputy Principal position at
Morisset High School. I am really looking forward to
working with the Students, Parents/Carers, Staff and
the Community of Morisset High.
It has been a pleasure to already have been involved
with the Rotary Dinner, Education week assembly, the
subject selection procedure and last week being able
to celebrate student achievement at a school
assembly. I have been impressed with the commitment
of both students and staff at these events.
Year 8 and 9 students are currently selecting the
elective subjects they wish to study in 2019. I
encourage you to have discussions with your child
about the subjects they may be interested in studying
next year and please do not hesitate to contact me if
you have any questions.
Attendance can have an enormous influence on a
student’s future success and achievement in life. I
would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the
following students who received awards for 100%
attendance in term 2, and have made a positive start to
the year. It is interesting to note that some of the
students that received awards for 100% attendance
also received one for academic achievement.

Wellbeing Assembly Award Winners
Year 7
AWARD
NAME
100% attendance Danielle Burnell-Jones
Thalia Elyard
Alissa Grant
Bella Sneddon
Clay Tregidgo
Good Start
7E
Jayden Kumar
7O
Carlin Ronis
7R
Thalia Elyard
7S
Lara Harrington
7T
Chloe Arnold
Year 8
AWARD
NAME
100% attendance Felicity Cisco
Justin Dunn
Jonah Haines
Jon O’Farrell
Hayden Roberts
Angelika Smith
Ryan Smith
Archer Sonter
Rebecca Taylor
Braden-Ricky Wardell-Paterson
Best Performer
Emelyn Ostenfeld
Most Improved
Lachlan Chalmers
Quiet Achiever
Noah Cuskelly
Year 9
AWARD
NAME
100% attendance Hope Flockhart
Dylan Freeman
Carly McNaught
Best Performer
Dylan Freeman
Most Improved
Joel Bennett
Quiet Achiever
Hayley Watters
Year 10
AWARD
NAME
100% attendance Nathan Brown
Caitlin Gale
Best Performer
Benjamin Fullerton
Most Improved
Tori Zahn
Quiet Achiever
Chloe Williams
Finally, a number of students have been selected to participate in the 2018 Programme for International Student
Assessment (PISA) on Tuesday the 28 th of August. PISA asks what young adults around the world are capable of
doing, how they can apply what they have learnt in school, and what they think about school. If your child has been
selected they will have a letter and pamphlet providing further information. Please encourage them to complete the
assessment to the best of their ability as it is important for us to identify areas in which Australian students are
doing well, and areas in which the Australian education system needs to improve.
Geoff Fleming

Term 3 Transition Taster Lessons in Art
The first round of Transition Taster Lessons went off with a blast.
Congratulations to Jason Burgess our wonderful art teacher for hosting 3 weeks of amazing
Art Lessons. Our partner primary school students learnt skills in mono tiling, Well Done!!
Premier’s Debating Challenge Stage 5 Zone and
Interzone Final winners!
The MHS Stage 5 Debating team consisting of Jess Price, Olivia
Bartha, Tori Zahn and Ben Fullerton won our Zone competition of
the Premier’s Debating Challenge last term and on the morning of
Friday 10 th August 2018 competed in the Interzone Final against
Northlakes H.S., which they won! On top of that, they then went
straight into the Quarter Final competition against Lambton H.S.
in the afternoon, which they very narrowly lost.
They have done amazingly well to get this far - it puts their team
in the top eight of the Hunter/Central Coast region. The winner of
the Quarter Final debate goes into the Semi-Final and then the
Regional Final – where the winning team represents the whole
region at a State level in the State Finals.
Making it this far through the competition is a huge achievement
and reflects the dedication and enthusiasm of the team and their
mentor Ms Carla Valencic. Moving forward they are keen to help
mentor the Stage 4 teams for the remainder of the year and to
prepare for the next challenge of the Stage 6 competition in 2019.
If you see Jess, Olivia, Ben and Tori, please congratulate them on
a fantastic effort and achievement.
Mrs Miller

New Zealand Student Visit to Big Picture
On Monday the 30 th of July, we had the
opportunity to host two New Zealand
students from Hobsonville Point
Secondary School. They learnt from our
advisory’s the Big Picture design and how
we achieve our learning in this
environment. We showed them the
highlights of Morisset, which included a
visit to Morisset Hospital where they got
the opportunity to experience kangaroos
close and personal. It was good to hear
from them how they learn in New
Zealand where they start school in grade
1 and complete school in grade 13. Our
advisory enjoyed their company and look
forward to more of these opportunities.
Regional Athletics 2018
On Wednesday 1 st and Thursday 2 nd August 2018, 20 students from Morisset High School attended the Hunter Regional
Athletics Carnival at Glendale Hunter Sports Centre. A huge congratulations to all students who completed representing
their school and Westlake’s Zone. A special mention goes out to the three students who made it to the State Track and Field
Championships, held at Sydney Olympic Park in September. Imogen Bailey made it into the Female 14 year’s 200M hurdles,
3000m Run, 1500m Run, Javelin, Long jump and Triple Jump. Tyrone Mesake had success in the Male 15 years Javelin.
Thomas Steel dominated the Male 17+ Long Jump and High Jump. We would like to wish our three Regional Winners the
best of luck in their upcoming competition.
PDHPE Faculty

Morisset High School works closely with its parents, students and community to develop strategies and plans to
make our school a healthy and safe place for students to learn and teachers to provide meaningful learning
experiences.
Our school is conscious of the need to provide a safe environment for our students, staff and visitors. There have
been a number of occasions recently where the use of aerosols in the school premises has led to staff and students
having an allergic reaction requiring medical attention.
To address this serious issue, the school has determined it should be Aerosol Free.
It would be appreciated if our parents could ensure that students do not bring any aerosols’ into the school grounds.
Aerosol’s will be confiscated and may result in discipline consequences being imposed. Parents will be asked to
collect the aerosols from the school if their child has one confiscated.
Vietnam War Veteran Visit July 2018
Learning about history with PowerPoints and
textbooks is informative. Watching and discussing
video clips and documentaries is interesting and even
confronting. But on 4 th July, our Year 10 students
participated in a history lesson they will surely not
forget.
They were privileged to hear the first-hand
experiences of a local Vietnam veteran, who
experienced an ambush on route to Dat Do. Tony was
later injured in a bomb attack in Saigon and suffered
permanent hearing loss as a result. He was one of the
“lucky” ones who lives to tell of the harrowing
experiences of war.
The Vietnam War was controversial and
unconventional that divided a nation. Mr Bridge talks
of the returned soldiers having to come home in the
middle of the night to avoid the protesters that were
present every day.
Although a soldier first, one of his roles was Liaison
Officer Military Secretary Branch, saw him process
bravery awards to soldiers that were there to protect
their nation from the threat of communism. Mr
Bridge himself was awarded service medals and the
Order of Australia. We were all fortunate to have him
with us to bring our textbooks to life.
To show our gratitude, Olivia Hebei and Meleseini
Tangulu presented Mr Bridge with a canvas
produced by Year 10 students. Demonstrating
respect, the students listened intensely, asked many
questions that demonstrated learning in the
classroom and even stayed behind to personally
thank Mr Bridge for his service. No matter what we
may think of war, there is no denying that we honour
our soldiers, fallen or retuned, for their selfless
contribution and courage to protect our country.

Year 11 and 12 HOSPITALITY STUDENTS
CATER FOR OVER 100 GUESTS
On 1 st August, over thirty Year 11 and 12 Hospitality
students prepared and served over 100 community guests
at our twice yearly Rotary dinner. This event has
continued to grow after starting from humble beginnings
over ten years ago when around 35 guests were served
from the old TAS/Home Economics kitchen. With the
acquisition of the state of the art commercial kitchen
(funded by the Federal Government), we have been able
to cater for larger numbers with industry realistic
equipment.
Students started preparing the food from scratch around
1pm, and guests were served at 6.30 p.m. Final
dishwashing after the event occurred just after 9.30 p.m.
Catering for events like these provide students the
opportunity to experience and develop industry skills in
preparing and serving guests in the Hospitality Industry.
For some students, this is one of the first experiences in
their transition from school to employment.
Guests were served alternate main courses of lamb
cutlets on ratatouille with sweet potato frittata or ricotta
and semi dried tomato filled chicken breast wrapped in
prosciutto. Dessert was raspberry and white chocolate
cheesecake or apple and rhubarb crumble tart. Some of
the guest comments included ‘pleasantly surprised of the
quality’, ‘dairy free mains and dessert were both delicious’,
‘as good as it gets’ and ‘restaurant quality food and
service, great work!’.
Guests included Rotary clubs of Morisset, Warners Bay
and Cessnock, Probus Clubs, PCYC, MHS parents and
families, Mr James Brigden Director Educational
Leadership Lake Macquarie West Principal Network
amongst others.
I would like to thank these wonderful students
(special mention to Lachlan Vane and Aaron Kachel
who have acted as Head Chef) for demonstrating
amazing enthusiasm and teamwork. I would also like
to thank Mrs Kerr and Mrs Dekker who provided
significant support on the evening.
Mr Post
Hospitality Teacher

Our Steers
In late February, we got three speckled park steers. Our class named them
Carlos, Spencer and Denis. When they arrived, they were four months old. They
were very quiet and loved human contact and affection. From day one, we could
put them on halters and walk them (it was more like tug-a-war). From then on,
we worked with them every day that we had agriculture until we could walk
them with ease. After a few weeks, they loved to be brushed, given cuddles and
washed. Due to them being very calm and quiet, we have been able to walk
them outside the agriculture farm and introduce them to students that have not
worked with them before. They have now been here for just under six months
and are now ten months old. Each day we have watched, them grow and change
in many amazing ways. We enjoy working and being around them in all
agriculture lessons.
By Chloe Williams and Liana Kingdon, Year 10 Agriculture

“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.”
German philosopher Martin Buber
The human connection with animals and our pets has inspired a great many responses by artists
throughout time.
Morisset High School’s annual Pet Portrait exhibition documenting our year 7 student’s relationship with
animals and their pets never fails to engage audiences.
Our 2018 year 7 student cohort have created paintings that reveal new perspectives and themes relevant
to their experiences and relationship with animals.
Our students realized their portraits after investigating art elements and techniques in portraiture and
composition. We were impressed by the initiative and creativity demonstrated by most students and their
capacity to discover interesting solutions to the task.
New technologies including “Snap Chat” were discovered to influence the work of some students. Other
portraits reveal cultural influences and some reveal influences ‘outside’ our world. All portraits are
exhibited in the art corridor at Morisset High school and have
been the star attraction for older students who have previously
created works in Yr 7 Visual Arts on this theme.

We invite all parents, Guardians, families and community members to attend
our annual exhibition that will be held on Tuesday 28 th August 2018 from
3.30pm to 5.30pm in the Visual Arts corridor.

YEAR 12
CAMP
Year 12 attended a
camp in week 9 last
term. Majority of year
12 attended the camp
which was held at
Morisset Outdoor
Camp. Students arrived
very keen to embark
on 2 days of fun and
building relationships.
Day 1 started with hot
chocolate and fresh
hot donuts on arrival.
Students were then
divided into two
groups. Group 1
moving to participate
in Archery while group
2 took their bravery pills and flew through the tree
tops on the flying fox. Mr Bettison and Ms Boogaard
were heard
screaming through
the tree tops
too. The afternoon
saw the students
swap activities and
the challenge was on
for Mrs Bryde to
overcome her fear for
heights. After many
laughs and
encouragement from
the group and Mrs
Jenkins the Giant
Drop was accomplished. Many attempted activities
with bravery and felt very proud of themselves once
completed.
Giant Swing and
stories and toasting
of marshmallows by
the campfire.
Day 2 started with a
breakfast visit from
Ms Wilson-Babic
who then joined the
group at the first
activity. Those that
dared tried the high
ropes and the Leap
of Faith. Mr Diehm
encouraged and witnessed Mr Bettison achieve the
Leap of Faith.
Ms Ballantyne
and Mrs and
Mr Dekker
visited to offer
support to our
students as
well. This
support was
very much
appreciated by
all.
It was a great
privilege to
be at this years
camp with a
fabulous group of students that displayed all the
values that Morisset High School stand for. They
were respectful, responsible individuals at all times.
They have gained memories that they have for a
lifetime. Well done year 12 on a fabulous camp!
After a huge day of delicious food, fun and laughs
the day was completed with an adventure on the