Welcome to Term 3, 2023! I hope everyone had a wonderful break and had the opportunity to relax and unwind, maybe even enjoying a good book. I am excited for what this new term has in store. Term 3 is dedicated to our Year 12 students, with trials, final grades, feedback, and preparations for the HSC, as they stand at the threshold of a new future. Meanwhile, Year 11 students are in their final term before embarking on the HSC in Term 4. We wish all the students and staff a healthy and productive term.

Naplan 2023 Results:

We are thrilled to announce the outstanding Naplan results for 2023:

• Year 9 Numeracy: 49% achieved strong or exceeding performance.
• Year 9 Reading: 63% achieved strong or exceeding performance.
• Year 9 Writing: 64% achieved strong or exceeding performance.
• Year 9 Grammar & Punctuation: 47% achieved strong or exceeding performance.
• Year 9 Spelling: 84% achieved strong or exceeding performance.
• Year 7 Numeracy: 57% achieved strong or exceeding performance.
• Year 7 Reading: 73% achieved strong or exceeding performance.
• Year 7 Writing: 64% achieved strong or exceeding performance.
• Year 7 Grammar & Punctuation: 67% achieved strong or exceeding performance.
• Year 7 Spelling: 78% achieved strong or exceeding performance.

For students who are developing or requiring additional support, we will provide specialised tuition to cater to their educational needs.

New Staff:

We extend our congratulations to Ms. Stacey Mills, who will be joining our TAS faculty this term. Ms. Mills brings a wealth of knowledge to Beverly Hills Girls High School, and we are certain that our students will benefit greatly from her expertise.

School Development Day:

Our school development day was focused on enhancing the knowledge and skills of our teachers, school leaders, and administrative support staff through targeted professional learning programs. The day centered around understanding student strengths and how we can collectively strengthen our practice to achieve better outcomes for our students.

Subject Selection:

On Monday, 24th July 2023, we held our annual Year 10 Subject Selection Day/Night. During the day, Year 10 attended a presentation in the hall, followed by 'KLA Information Sessions' in rotation. In the evening, we hosted an 'Information Night' at the school, where parents and students had the opportunity to meet with faculties and gather valuable information.

NAIDOC Assembly:

We celebrated NAIDOC week with a whole school assembly on Thursday, 20th July, coordinated by our Aboriginal students. The theme of the celebration was ‘For Our Elders,’ and we express our gratitude to Mr. John Kilronomos, our Aboriginal coordinator, for his contributions.

Be Part of the Plan for NSW Public Education:

The draft plan for NSW Public Education outlines our commitment to creating an outstanding and equitable education system while uplifting trust and pride in the teaching profession.

Transforming lives through Public Education (qualtrics.com)

Parents & Citizens Meeting:

Our Parents & Citizens meetings take place every term in week 6 on Wednesday at 6.00 pm. We warmly welcome new families to attend and join us in shaping our school community. Your presence and participation are highly appreciated.

Ms. M Iemma

Principal

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a syllabus and the curriculum?

A syllabus is a mandated document produced by NESA to inform teachers of what they're required to teach students and why.

Each syllabus includes the rationale, aim, outcomes, course, specific content, and any mandated assessment requirements.

After receiving the syllabus from NESA schools, then use this to develop the curriculum.

The curriculum is a plan for learning that every school develops for each key learning area. It includes all relevant syllabuses and other relevant information to support teachers, including department policies and procedures. School priorities.

How the content is planned to be taught and the resources chosen. The curriculum provides an opportunity for teachers to plan, evaluate and modify teaching programs to improve student learning.

The curriculum: A plan for learning that includes the syllabus. For more information, visit the department's curriculum web page.

What is curriculum reform?

The NSW Curriculum Reform aims to strengthen and streamline what is taught in schools. The curriculum reform is an opportunity to engage and re-energise what we teach and how we teach it. It focuses on making clear what is essential in the curriculum to give more time for deep learning, establish stronger foundations in English and mathematics, and provide stronger links between HSC subjects and career pathways.

August 2023

Historic moment for public education. First formal partnership agreement launched between NSW Department of Education and P&C Federation NSW.

The department and P&C Federation NSW have a long history of working successfully together. That relationship has been strengthened further with the launch of a 10-year Partnership Agreement.

The Partnership Agreement [PDF 1027 KB] reinforces the importance of parents in their child’s education and is an important part of supporting parents and carers so that students can achieve their potential through public education. The partnership aims to enrich student learning through positive connections, strengthen school communities and support parent/carer participation in their child’s education.

Research shows parental engagement in their child’s education significantly improves student outcomes and that learning is enriched by positive relationships between schools, students, parents, carers and community.

Valuable feedback from hundreds of P&C Association members, school staff and parents and carers helped to draft the partnership agreement.

NSW Department of Education Secretary Murat Dizdar shared his message of support in which he said he looks forward to the department and the P&C Federation NSW working together in partnership and celebrating the successes of our school communities.

“We know student learning is enriched by positive connections between schools, parents, carers and the community, and this formal agreement will build on those relationships for our students,” Mr Dizdar said.

“Parents are the first educators of their children and by supporting them to continue to be involved in their local public school we can maintain these benefits all the way through our students’ life at school.”

P&C Associations offer a valuable voice for parents, carers and school communities in our NSW public schools. There are close to 1800 individual P&C associations in NSW public schools, more than 6,500 elected office-bearers [president, secretary, treasurer] and thousands of P&C members.

We value the input of our parents and carers. Our P&C works in close partnership with our staff to support and advance our quality teaching and learning programs and the resources available to students. We are fortunate to have a school community that shows such enthusiasm, support and interest in the educational journey of their children. Our P&C meets every term during week 6 on Wednesday at 6.00pm. All parents are welcome to attend.

Getting involved in school activities can be a rewarding experience. Parents are always welcome to participate in school activities and are invited to join our school’s P&C Association. Please reach out to our P&C President <insert name, contact> or visit our P&C Association’s website [insert link] if you would like to find out more

By working together, we can better support our students to achieve their potential.

For more on the Partnership Agreement please visit Getting involved with your child's school

Attendance Matters at Beverly Hills Girls High School:

Why is regular attendance important at our school?

Both Australian and International research shows that regular attendance helps students to:

• Develop a sense of belonging
• Be more engaged at school
• Progress with their learning
• Develop and maintain friendships
• Be more aware of career and life options.

When students are regularly absent from school, they are more likely to:

• Be socially isolated and lack skills in forming and maintaining relationships.
• Be at risk of harm during times of absence and more likely to be involved in socially unacceptable and/or illegal activities.
• Have gaps in their knowledge and understanding of basic concepts which may limit future employment options.
• Leave school at a younger age.
• Be at greater risk of entering the youth justice system.
• Be at greater risk due to wellbeing and possible child protection issues, including exacerbation of existing child protections issues and/or exposure to socially unacceptable or illegal activities.

Student Attendance

Students who are not at school every day lose valuable learning time that they cannot afford to lose. Every day you allow your child to miss school, impacts on their overall outcomes, success and future earning capacity. None of our students can afford this. Please ensure that your child attends school every day.

Addiction to Devices and Social Media

It is unhealthy practice for students to be on their device and social media constantly. This could lead to lack of sleep, inability to concentrate and impact their behaviour. Parents and carers can support their child’s success at school by encouraging routine at home. Young people do not need access to their phone or device 24 hours a day and all activities should be within view.  To practise and promote healthy habits we recommend that you set yourself a task of comparing:

• How often does your child read daily?
• How often does your child practice and revise core skills?
• How often does your child exercise? 

Please remember that you can control all of this with adjustments to home routines.

Mobile Phones and Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs)

A reminder that all PED's devices including mobile phones, AirPods, speakers and smart watches, need to be ‘Off and Away all Day.”

Devices seen or heard will be surrendered to the front office until 3pm for collection by the student. An email will be sent to parents advising them about the surrendering of the phone. If the phone is surrendered twice, the student will be placed on a two week ban and parents will be notified by the managing Deputy Principal of that year group.

Uniform

The Department of Education supports the wearing of school uniform, which promotes a sense of belonging for students and creates a positive identity for the school community. Wearing the school uniform also contributes to the personal safety of students by allowing easier recognition of students inside the school and in the community.

Beverly Hills Girls High School expects all students to wear the uniform during school hours every day including while travelling to and from school.

Thank you for your support with uniform.

Year 12

Year 12 have finished their last assessment block. With little time left for this term, it is important to continue to come to school every day and continue to prepare for their final HSC exam, which will run between October 11 and November 3. We encourage every student to revise every day by practising past HSC papers. This will also assist with their writing skills. Past HSC papers can be accessed at https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/resources/hsc-exam-papers

The school has also organised some study days for Year 12 to help them with their preparation for the HSC. The subjects on offer are Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Business Studies, Legal Studies and PDHPE. These will take place in Week 7 during school time. More information will be sent out to the students in the coming weeks.

• The following website offers information regarding rules and procedures for Year 12 students as they approach the HSC: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/rules-and-processes/2023-rules-and-procedures-guide

We also encourage Year 12 students to:

• Check exam timetable (accessed at  https://www.hsccountdown.com.au/files/2023-HSC-timetable.pdf) and the equipment needed for every exam.
• Attend and make a serious attempt at every exam.
• Submit an illness/misadventure application if required.
• Check assessment ranks in Students Online after the last exam.
• Check that Students Online account Personal Details section:
• that they are using their personal email address, not the school email address, and change to personal email address if required.
• has the correct home address for the HSC testamur to be posted to and correct the address if required.
• Note their NESA student number and NESA PIN so that they can get results online.

Good luck Year 12

Ms. R Spratt

Deputy Principal

"In realms of ink and paper's grace

we journey to a boundless space

through pages worn and stories spun

we find the battles yet unwon

in every tome, a life anew

a chance to learn, to thrive, to view

the world through eyes not quite our own

a thousand lives, a heart full grown

from humble starts to soaring heights

through whispered days and endless nights

we walk with heroes side by side

in worlds where dreams and fates collide

from Frodo's quest and his resolute heart

to Atticus Finch, noble and smart

these characters, they light our way

inspiring us through night and day

through Santiago's desert sands

we grasp the strength of aging hands

his spirit's voyage, boundless and free

guides us to where our dreams might be

through "little women" strength we find

in Jo's fierce spirit, heart, and mind

she pens her path with inks and dreams

a symphony of life's grand themes

from Sherlock's witt, and Gatsby's dreams

we gather fragments, piece by gleam

each tale a mosaic, colour bright

guiding us through our own life's flight

so let us read, and let us grow

through lives woven, we'll bestow

a legacy of lessons learned

from every page, our hearts will yearn

for as we read, we live anew

in different lives, we find what's true

in every chapter, wisdom's shown

and inspirations seeds are grown."

Azka I

Year 10

Nour A of Year 10 has been shortlisted for the 2023 Mosman Youth Awards in Literature. She submitted two entries in poetry and prose and we wish her all the very best in the competition! Please read the following extracts from her pieces of writing.

This Is Me!

Her thoughts,

Her feelings,  

Her country,

Her home.

But no. They couldn't get into her home. Her home was her sanctuary. Where they joked about being called names. Names that were untrue and unkind.

So maybe it bothered her, maybe it didn’t. 

But why did she have to tolerate it?

Why did she have to hold back an eye roll?

Why did she have to fight back in a world that valued equality?

It was all a lie. Equality did not exist for her and her family.

…

So she once again smiled. Smiled at her family, the only people who mattered. The only people who knew what equality was.

So when she went to sleep that night, she did so with a smile on her face because she knew.

Stockholm Syndrome 

Is it ok?

I ask myself 

Is this love?

Is his hand supposed to loom above? 

I'm trapped.

He has me wrapped,

All these empty promises of love

…

They know what happens

They tell me it’s okay to speak

But he has me trapped,

with his charm

There's no escaping this syndrome 

He makes it feel like home.

So they ask,

What's stopping me?

Is it fear?

But it can't be he's my dear.

Brain Bee Competition

On the 9th of August this year, 5 Year 10 BHGHS students (Ayesha Ahmed, Hebak Abdullahi, Adeena Faisal, Sarah Syeda and Maheya Hasan) participated in the 2nd round of the Brain Bee Challenge hosted at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

The competition is about Neuroscience, and involves the students knowing detailed information about the Brain and Nervous System. On the day students participated in a team challenge where they placed 3rd! A huge achievement as they were up against students from a range of different schools including selective, private, and independent schools from all across NSW.

A fantastic achievement from Ayesha Ahmed who made it into the final individual challenge on the day. In this challenge, she competed against 9 other students for the title of State Brain Bee finalist. This involved her having to answer a series of Neuroscience questions in front of all the students and teachers in a knockout format.

Congratulations to all students that participated in the Brain Bee challenge we are proud of your achievement! Your dedication, commitment and many hours of study have not gone unnoticed. Well done again!

Ms. F Critchley

HT Science

Elephant Ed Healthy Relationships Incursions

Students in Year 7- 10 engaged in some healthy relationship sessions.

Year 7 covered Respectful Relationships, with 100% of the students who attended the session giving it a thumbs up.

Year 8 discussed issues around Body Image with 98% of the students who attended the session saying that it was valuable.

Year 9 discussed issues around social media and relationships with 88% of the students who attended finding the session engaging and useful.

Year 10 students discussed issues around Language and Labelling with 100% of the students who attended stating that the session was worthwhile.

Special mention to the students who engaged with this program and demonstrated maturity and respect while engaging with the Elephant Ed facilitators.

Ms. S White

HT PDHPE

Mito Daini Senior Girls High School

Japanese Student Visit - August 2023

Beverly Hills Girls High School students and staff provided a warm and wonderful welcome to 30 students and their teachers who visited our school from Mito, Japan from Wednesday 2 to Friday 4 August.  The day they arrived we started with a Welcome Ceremony in the Library and then students were taken on a tour of the school.

For the next three days the Japanese students and our BHGHS student helpers participated in fun activities including making lamingtons, playing cricket, a science experiment, participating in crochet club and learning an Australian song “Home Among the Gum Trees” complete with actions. The Japanese students also learnt a lot about Australia in lessons on Australian geography, history and poetry.

Highlights of the experience included a food challenge trying out vegemite, Twisties, Tim Tams and Violet Crumble and a Reptile Show with snakes, lizards and even a crocodile!

The final activity was presenting our visitors with Certificates of Appreciation and a fun “Kahoot” in teams competing on general knowledge about Australia.

All too quickly it was time to say (teary…) goodbyes.  Thank you to all our wonderful students for being such excellent ambassadors for our school and community.  They demonstrated care, maturity and initiative in looking after the students from Japan. 

It was an opportunity for the students to learn about another culture and to try out their respective language skills.  The use of technology meant that communication is becoming even easier for our students – even if Google translate needs translating sometimes!

 We look forward to continuing our friendship with Mito Daini Senior Girls High School and welcoming them again in the future.

Ms S Stock

Japanese Language Teacher

UNSW Gateway Program

On Thursday 3rd August, Year 11 students had the opportunity to talk to representatives from UNSW about the Gateway Program. 

Once registered, students take part in subject specific classes in preparation for their HSC, also including attendance to the Spring Program. Upon completion, students will have a chance to receive an early conditional offer at UNSW through the Gateway admission pathway. 

Any Year 11 student who did not attend the information session, please check the google classroom to register and see Mrs Pangis for more information. 

FUTURE FOCUS @ USYD 

Year 11 students attended the University of Sydney earlier this term exploring their study and career options, whilst learning how to make informed choices. Some highlights included: 

Study options available at the University of Sydney. Subject selection information related to their particular areas of interest. The link between their personal interests and skills with higher education study options and future career paths. The impact of subject selections on getting an ATAR and future study options. 

Work Experience 

Year 10 students have the opportunity to participate in Work Experience in Terms 2, 3 & 4. Work Experience is an invaluable opportunity for students to learn the job skills for a profession they may be interested in. Students may not always know which career direction to take and a good starting point is to choose the work which may align with their interests. Gaining experience in an adult work environment is important and may even help students to discover their future career path. 

Work experience dates: 

Term 3: 

• Week 9 – 11th September – 8th September 2023 

Term 4: 

• Week 8 – 27th November – 1st December 2023 
• Week 9 – 4th December – 8th December 2023 
• Week 10 – 11th December – 15th December 2023

Please see Mrs Pangis for a form 😊 

BEVERLY HILLS GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL CAREERS EXPO 

On Tuesday 13th June 2023 we held our annual CAREERS EXPO at Beverly Hills Girls High School. Supporting our already extensive Careers Program, various exhibitors attended which allowed students to gain a deeper understanding and explore the myriad of options leading to their future careers. 

YEAR 10 SENIOR SUBJECT SELECTION MENTORING INTERVIEWS 

Year 10 are making some important decisions regarding their senior study choices. It is a daunting time for most students trying to figure out what they should choose to study in Year 11 & 12.  

To have the best opportunity at success, it is important for students to harness their strengths and find what they enjoy; a combination of these is more likely to lead to not only success, but better engagement in the senior years. Sometimes, students will need to have studied a particular course/subject in order to meet pre-requisite requirements to be eligible for specific courses, though, this is rarely the case. 

Following on from a successful Subject Selection evening earlier this term, students have submitted their choices and are now in the process of having a mentoring interview with Mrs Pangis and senior executive at school to finalise their selections. 

YEAR 12 STUDENTS - a reminder 

Don’t forget to apply to any/all early entry opportunities you’re eligible for, most of these will be closing soon – please check the Careers google classroom for more information. 

Also, if you’re planning to apply to university, remember to activate your UAC account before 30th September as the registration for this will increase on that date.  

Finally, whilst in UAC, apply for SRS and EAS (if eligible)!  

You can find more information about all of this and more in the Careers google classroom, the UAC website and please see Mrs Pangis for any assistance. 

CAREER EXPLORATION PRESENTATION 

On Wednesday 16th August our Year 8 & 9 students participated in a Careers Exploration Presentation provided by Careers NSW. The presentation focused on an introduction to the concept of careers and how their interests and abilities can help shape their future in terms of not only career path(s) but also their senior subject selection. 

CAREERS NSW SCHOOL TRIAL 

In conjunction with the services already being provided by the Careers Adviser here at school, our school is trialing Careers NSW careers guidance services during Terms 2 to 3 2023. The trial aims to help our students think about their career choices, discover who they are and explore who they can become. 

If you have a child in Years 7-10, they will be able to identify and recognise their skills and strengths and explore different careers in group sessions run by Careers NSW. These sessions will introduce them to career concepts and debunk myths about jobs and work. 

Group career exploration sessions will be organised by the school for your child. 

For more information visit Careers NSW Schools. 

Ms. S Pangis

Careers Adviser

UTS – HIGH RESOLVES Workshop

A full day of ‘Social Progress’ experience which focuses on skill-building using the signature award-winning High Resolves UN-style simulation. Workshops were held in UTS’s innovative ‘Pod Classrooms’ designed for interactive technology-enabled collaborative work. Students also got the opportunity to experience other aspects of university life throughout the day.

“At UTS we were able to learn more about the university and the different things it offers. It was a great opportunity that consisted of a tour and different games.

The highlight of the experience consisted of us students taking the role of ambassadors of different countries around the world. I myself was representing China! We took the roles and then we took part in a "conference" in which we worked (or tried to) work together and solve world pollution and global emissions, while making sure our country didn't spend too much money.

It was a very realistic experience and very interesting to see the perspectives of world leaders and how they would solve problems. We learnt a lot of lessons about making decisions and working together with others.

UTS was a great experience, and we got a lot of questions about the UNI life answered."

FUTURE THINKERS – ABCN 

On Friday 16th June, a group of Year 10 students attended Macquarie Group. This excursion was designed to help build key transferrable enterprise skills such as creativity, innovation and problem-solving will equip and support students to be able to adapt to a rapidly changing workplace and world. 

"The future thinkers' program at Macquarie Bank was a very valuable experience. It consisted of us being split into groups with mentors that worked at the bank. Each of the groups were then given a problem to solve, being as creative as possible. 

The mentors were really interesting, and it was a great learning experience to see their perspectives when solving the problems. This gave us valuable advice for solving problems and were sure to remind us to be as creative as we can. 

It was such a great opportunity, and I will always remember the lessons taught. "There were things I know I can take into my future." 

Aska I (Year 10)

Semester Two has seen Year 8 students return to school with new timetables, new classes and new teachers. This brings exciting opportunities for students to build important skills that develop their ability to adjust to different dynamics and to build their resilience in times of change.

As student advisers, we are proud of Year 8 and the improvement they have shown in regards to their attendance and with nearly half of the year group having 100% attendance this term. Regular attendance is very important for a student’s academic progress and is a simple way of creating good habits, whilst also having a positive effect on their personal wellbeing and sense of belonging in our school community.

A big thank you to Mr. Mills who stepped into the role of Student Adviser for the past six weeks, while Mr. Klironomos was relieving Head Teacher of HSIE.

Just a reminder to any students who are interested in nominating themselves for the Student Representative Council (SRC) that nominations close on August 28th.

Ms. Hutchinson, Mr. Klironomos and Mr. Mills

Year 8 Advisers

Last term, Year 11 students received their Half Yearly Report. This was an opportunity for students to reflect on their learning and to set some realistic goals for term 3. This term, Year 11 will complete their Preliminary Exams which will commence in Week 8. We encourage all students to work towards their personal best. In preparation for their examinations, students are encouraged to:

• use a term planner to map their examination dates, using the examination schedule
• refer to NESA and class teachers for copies of syllabus documents
• revise and summarise over course content
• complete practice papers and seek teacher feedback
• utilise the library for study opportunities!

We wish Year 11 the best for their exams!

Ms. Martin and Ms. Pangis

Year 11 Advisers

To our beautiful, passionate & joyful Year 12 students

Welcome back everyone to the start of the end of Year 12. Term 3 represents the final face to face teaching and is the pinnacle of 13 years’ worth of learning. The term started with the Trials and everyone’s stressful preparation for them.

As we are now almost halfway through the term, you are awaiting anxiously for your results. Some of you will be happy, some disappointed and others will think they could have done better. Either way, these results provide a good reality check and a guide to each and every one of you where they need to improve. The greatest challenge HSC students face is the time between the end of the Trial exams and the beginning of the actual HSC. It is the time to reflect and learn from the mistakes made during the Trials so that you can improve your content knowledge and ability to recall information and perform under pressure.

And just like that you have come to the last few weeks of your schooling career at Beverly Hills Girls High! And as much as we want you to keep studying, continue practising revision strategies and build your confidence; we also want you to continue making beautiful memories. For that reason, we have organised a picnic day at Carss Park on the 20th of September where we should all have fun together and take many photos for your yearbook. This will be followed by the Valedictory Assembly on the next day, the 21st of September where we will get to, officially, congratulate you on completing your high school education and farewell you.

You also need to be “camera ready” during the remaining of the Term, as the video committee will be filming you and taking lots of memorable photos of you.

As you face the prospect of finishing school and moving beyond the gates of B.H.G.H to the real world, we would like to congratulate you on your hard work and wish you good luck on all the big milestones that await you. We want you to succeed and be happy in life but the road to success is not easy. It takes determination, hard work and a little bit of luck to achieve your goals. So, embark on your next journey with confidence and remember “Girls can do anything”.

Ms. J Papas & Ms. N Petkovska

Year 12 Advisers

Sentral Parent Portal and School Bytes

Please ensure that the school has your current email address so that you receive all communications. Please send your updated email address to

beverlyhg-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au. Please remember to add your daughter's name and year in the subject line.

The Sentral for Parents app allows you to monitor your child’s school journey simply and efficiently. You will find numerous smart features that help streamline your day. Receive messages and notifications from teachers, report absences, make payments for school activities and more. The Sentral for Parents app helps you stay connected and informed about your child’s education.