Bally Spirit The Balgowlah Boys Campus Newsletter

Bally Spirit
The Balgowlah Boys Campus Newsletter
Week 6, Term 2 2009 W/C 1 June, 2009
Principal: Dean White
Relieving Principal: Dave Pickering
Deputy Principals: Paul Sheather & Peter Sims (Relieving)
Principal’s Report
NBSC Balgowlah Boys Campus
Maretimo St, BALGOWLAH, NSW 2093
Ph: 9949 4200
Fax: 9949 0266
www.balgowlahboys.nsw.edu.au
Providing the Best Education for Boys
ANZAC Day
I congratulate our School Captain Max and Vice Captain
Alex on the outstanding manner in which they
represented our school and the youth of Australia at the
Martin Place and Manly ANZAC Day ceremonies.
Max, along with Mackellar Girls Campus’s Tahlee, recited
the Ode at the Martin Place Dawn Service. The service
was telecast across the nation. I have received a letter
from 2CH-1170 complementing Max and Tahlee on the manner in which they
conducted themselves on the morning. “I was also considerably impressed with
the depth of understanding and knowledge about the ANZAC tradition in the
interview I did with them on Radio 2CH following the ceremony.” Gareth McCray,
Radio Presenter.
Alex represented us at the Manly ceremony. Alex made a speech that has been
described as “moving and inspirational”. Alex was asked to be a part of the service
by Manly Council, he prepared the speech himself and displayed to all present that
the youth of today have learnt the lessons of the past and honour with sincerity
the efforts of previous generations.
Public Speaking
I am very proud of Harrison from Year 10. Harrison entered the Manly Council
Japanese Speakers Competition which took place on the evening of Wednesday 27
May. In this challenging competition Harrison competed against students from
Manly Selective Campus, Mackellar Girls Campus, Stella Marist and St Pauls.
Students were required to read a Japanese text and were ranked by a panel of
judges. Harrison performed very well and was ranked third in this annual
competition. This is a fantastic result and again demonstrates the quality of our
students’ ability.
Manly/Odawarra Exchange
The Manly/Odawarra Japanese exchange is one element of the Manly Council’s
sister cities program. This year we were fortunate to have our Balgowlah students
included in the program. Unfortunately due to the recent flu pandemic the
exchange has been cancelled this year for the first time in the partnership. Upon
hearing this news Mrs Briggs and myself put to the committee the proposal of a
virtual exchange using our recently installed Connected Classroom. This will allow
the students from surrounding schools to still take part in a valuable cultural
experience. Mrs Briggs is developing the proposal that I will present to the
committee next month. We believe that with the outstanding technology at
Balgowlah there is no reason to let the swine flu get in the way of a learning
experience for our students and those of the surrounding schools.
Dean White
Principal

Relieving Principal’s Report
Balgowlah Boys’ commitment to Project Based Learning has been further showcased with the
wonderful efforts of our Year 7 boys in the Aboriginal Education Project. This project designed by
our Principal, Mr White saw our boys immersing themselves in a rich variety of activities that
investigated Aboriginal art, weapons, foods and culture. The boys at this school never cease to
amaze me with their ability to come up with high quality work in very short periods of time and in
touring their displays in the hall it was obvious our Year 7 boys had done it again. The visiting
primary schools were suitably impressed and we had a big rush of parents after school to view their
efforts. I would like to thank all the staff who put so much time and creativity into helping our boys
do their best, particularly Ms Bourke who coordinated the displays.
Project Penguin, under the able guidance of Ms Caldis and her staff, kicked off with a “sleepover” at
the Zoo two Sunday nights ago. I use the term sleepover advisedly as I can’t say there was much
sleeping, particularly by yours truly. Despite the lack of sleep the boys then did an excellent job on
the Monday of mentoring the primary school students involved in the project and received a lot of
praise from the Zoo staff. The majority of the rest of Year 9 did the same sleepover with very
similar outcomes last Sunday night, again ably led by Ms Caldis and supported by Mr White and his
family. The project will finish in the last week of term with a display of projects and awards to the
winning teams at the Zoo.
Year 10 have started the important process of choosing subjects for Year 11 2010 with a very well
attended evening in the school hall last Monday evening following on from a very soggy but
successful athletics carnival. There are some tough decisions to be made but all boys must ensure
they seek advice from their teachers and we would like to see them all back here next year having
chosen subjects they enjoy and can achieve in.
Dave Pickering
Relieving Principal
Deputy Principals’ Reports
Year 10 Subject Information
0n Monday 1 st June we held the Year 10 information evening to discuss issues regarding student
subject choices for Year 11, 2010. It is an anxious time for both parents and students of Year 10 as
those of who have children go through this process previously will attest.
The students are encouraged to further access the information in the careers room by making an
appointment with Ms Davis. We have also encouraged all boys to talk to parents, other students
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 2

and any contacts they may have, about the various courses on offer and about particular career
paths that interest them. Of course, students should also talk to their current teachers about the
senior courses!
By Friday of this week, students will submit their subject selections in order for us to determine
what subjects we will offer in 2010. These subjects will be place on “lines” that will determine when
they will run on the timetable next year.
The college will also make subjects available for Year 11 students in Cross-Campus classes that run
before school and into Period 1, as well as from Period 6 and after school. Students choosing these
courses will be transported to other campuses by the college bus. This arrangement ensures that
all Balgowlah boys can get the subjects that they want to study. It also ensures that they can stay
at Balgowlah and enjoy the smaller classes, leadership opportunities and great HSC results that our
previous senior students have enjoyed.
Half Yearly Exams
Year 9 and 7 Half Year exams will commence next week and Year 8 and 10 the following week.
Timetables have already been distributed so boys can now plan their study for each subject. Year 7
and 9 reports will be available at Parent, Teacher and Student Evening on Thursday 9 th July. Year 8
and 10 will have their reports distributed early next term.
Paul Sheather
Deputy Principal
Aboriginal Education Project Year 7
As part of the Project Based Learning program across the school, Year 7 boys have spent two
weeks studying Aboriginal culture, music, dance and history. This project started with a visit to the
Art Gallery of NSW and the Sydney Museum, and two days of workshops in each subject area at
school. The boys excelled in then producing displays and educational materials for local Primary
Schools and hosting a display for these schools and parents. Thanks to parents for supporting this
display.
The boys are to be congratulated on the whole project, and in particular on the involvement and
standard of materials produced. I would also like to thank all the staff involved in such a big
activity. Prizes were awarded to the students this week as judged by primary schools students and
parents.
Best Project Panudet and Daniel
Second Nathan and Andrew
Third Wylie and Mitchell
Highly Commended Valentino and Thomas
Luke and Ryan
Dan and Nick
Craig and Lachlan
Josh and Luke
Teachers Choice Beaudean and Wade
Cameron and Lewis
Adam and Matt
Cooper and Dylan
Lee and Declan
Chris and Rayis
Uniform
We have made a major effort to have every student in full school uniform, particularly with the
colder weather now with us. It is pleasing to see an improvement across the school and that we
have the support of parents and the school community in achieving this goal. The uniform shop at
school is open every Tuesday and Thursday from 8am to 9am, and has all items in stock now.
Peter Sims
Deputy Principal (Relieving)
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 3

English Report
This is an appeal to both parents and students!
“But how can we study English?” This is a question that is frequently asked by the students at
Balgowlah Boys Campus.
Parents, although English is a subject where skills and knowledge develop cumulatively in our
students, there are certain steps that your son can take which will ensure a high level of literacy.
Firstly, every now and then, ask to see your son’s English exercise book and look to see that work
is entered regularly and that the work looks complete. Your son’s English teacher has thoroughly
planned the lesson and it usually will mean that some writing is entered each day in the exercise
book. Next, check to see that your son is completing his set homework by glancing at his diary and
comparing that with the work entered in his exercise book. If your son is consistently working in
class and at home, he is then automatically developing his skills. The interest that you take in your
son’s academic development won’t be missed by him either!
General fiction reading is also an excellent way for your son to develop depth in English. By being a
regular reader, your son’s vocabulary is developing, his imagination is growing and subliminally, he
is developing spelling, punctuation and grammar skills. Reading is an excellent life skill too!
As we are approaching half yearly exams your son, at any time, has the capacity to ask his teacher
to dig out past papers, take them home and practice on those past papers.
Specifically, Year Seven will sit a one period exam which will include them creating a procedural
text. Year Eight will sit a two period test and include a diary entry. Year Nine will sit a two
period test and be expected to write a speech. Year Ten will sit a two period exam and be asked
to compose a narrative.
Our more senior students, Years 10, 11 and 12, can also access past School Certificate and Higher
School Certificate papers on the Board of Studies web site. The student who goes on the front foot
and is active in their study, sets himself challenges by improving on weaknesses rather than
strengths, will become a really effective English candidate.
Please remember, English is a compulsory subject and success requires consistency and a solid
effort.
Ian James
Head Teacher English
Year 10 - The Senior School at Bally
What to look forward to:
• Specialised teaching methods in boys’ education and teaching practices that are tailored
specifically to the needs of boys.
• Close student teacher relationships. The boys here know each other and are known by their
teachers.
• Smaller class sizes and teachers who are able to work more closely with individual students
as a result.
• One on one tutoring time for students during school by teachers in the school library during
periods when they do not have classes.
• Individualised remedial programs.
• Programs to challenge gifted and talented students.
AND
• A Year Adviser who knows them well, who cares about them and who wants to see them all
through a successful and happy HSC.
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 4

By the time you read this you will have attended the subject selection evening. I hope that the
evening proved useful. We will be working with the boys at school to assist them in making the
right decisions for them. Please contact the school if you want to discuss these important decisions
further.
The School Certificate examinations are of course the pivotal part of the year and teachers will be
working hard with the boys to prepare them.
The boys can also access past papers and practise multiple choice questions available at the Board
of Studies web site which is http://www4.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/ for the following School
Certificate subjects:
• Australian Geography, Civics and Citizenship
• Australian History, Civics and Citizenship
• Computing Skills
• English literacy
• Mathematics
• Science
I urge all of our Year 10 boys to use these sites over the year in preparation for their School
Certificate exams. After attempting the questions, the program marks them and the results will
provide an indication of whether you have answered the type of questions you may be asked in the
School Certificate exams correctly.
Other things to look forward to this year include work experience, College interviews, the peer
mentor program and of course the formal. I will be sending information out regarding a Youth and
Road Trauma program at Homebush next term, run by Westmead Hospital. The boys will also be
offered a driver awareness program in term 4.
I thank all parents for your continuing support and I am happy to hear from you at any time. It is
through an open dialogue that we can all realise the best for your son.
Geoff Walker
Year 10 Year Adviser
Mathematics
An important time of year is coming up – and I don’t mean the Bally/Macca dance! Years 7 and 9
sit their half yearly exams during week 7 (9–12 June) and Years 8 and 10 the week after.
Experience has shown that solid revision makes all the difference. An hour or so the night before is
not enough.
Talking of exams; I would like to congratulate Years 7 and 9 on their good behaviour during
NAPLAN last month. I am sure you all gave it your best shot and tried to beat the high standard set
by last year’s cohort.
During August a selection of the boys will be entered in the International Competitions and
Assessments for Schools (ICAS). Some of you will receive a letter with further detail and a request
for payment. These assessments are run by the University of NSW and there is information on their
website: http://www.eaa.unsw.edu.au/ .
On the staffing side I congratulate Tom Mitchell who will be with us for the rest of the year. He has
proved very popular and a great addition to our team. As you may also know, Ray Rankin is taking
long service leave this month and his enormous shoes have been competently filled by Nigel Stoyef
(an ex Bally Boy!).
Tony Surace
Head Teacher Mathematics
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 5

Extension Studies
Learning to Learn Day
On Friday 29 May all Year 7 participated in a workshop to identify
what type of learner they are. This was designed specifically to
assist the boys with upcoming exam techniques.
Robo Cup 2009
We will be entering the competition again this year; it is in week 6
term 3 at the University of NSW. Expressions of interest will be
posted in the daily notices in week 7. Most boys will be introduced
to C programming.
Soccer robot and infrared ball
Learning to Learn Day
Year 8
This term we held a robotic soccer workshop for the Year 8’s. It
was run by Michael Schofield who runs the RoboCup from the
University of NSW. The boys learnt to program the robots to find
and locate and infrared ball and push it into the goal.
Web Page Design
We have started this unit which will last for approximately 2
terms. The summary of content is:
HTML code This is a six module introduction to writing web
pages using Macromedia software
Web Page design This includes Fireworks, Flash and Dreamweaver. The boys will complete a
five to eight page site which will be able to be published to the internet.
Year 7
Robotics
We have begun our robotics unit. The boys will undertake six modules learning to program the five
sensors located on each robot. The sensors involved are rotation, sound, light, touch and
ultrasonic.
I am very happy with the typing progress of both classes. The level of speed and
accuracy are a reflection of their application and motivation.
Michele von Appen
Extension Studies Coordinator
Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) –
a new era in the Humanities, Term 2 2009
Term 2 has seen a slight restructure in the organisation of the Humanity subject areas. Instead of
having separate faculties for Social Science (Geography, Commerce, Business Studies,
Economics, Legal Studies, Society & Culture) and History (Junior, Ancient and Modern), the two
faculties have been merged in to one, namely Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE). This
keeps us in line with the Key Learning Area organisation for schools across NSW.
Year 11 Geography, Modern History, Economics and Business Studies students have been
able to reflect on their exam results and overall ranking based on their assessment tasks
completed so far. Those who have demonstrated a consistent effort and taken responsibility for
their own learning include;
• Brad, Tyler, Felix, Mischa, Shayma, Anna and Emily (Geography)
• Peter, Michael, Leo, Joey (Business Studies)
• Michael, Tom, Jamie, Lachlan (Economics)
• Andrew, Andrew, Steven (Modern History)
• Spencer, Tyler, Tim, Logesh (Ancient History)
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 6

On Tuesday 2 June my Geography class was involved in a video-conferencing call with a group of
First Nation (indigenous) community members from Alberta, Canada. In our Global Challenges
option of Development, we investigate factors which help classify a nation as developed or
developing in relation to their overall standards of living. At the moment we are investigating
equity issues in relation to education, health, housing and facilities. We focus on Canada (being a
developed nation) and the inequalities that exist between the white Canadian, Inuit communities
(previously known as Eskimo) and First Nation communities (native Indian groups). It was an early
start (7.15am) and after several attempts at connection we were unable to link up with each other
via video, so the conference went ahead using my mobile phone on loudspeaker.
The students took notes as various First Nation men and women spoke about how 1 million
indigenous people in Canada (total population of Canada is approx 33 million people) are both
recognised and given opportunities by the Canadian Federal Government through land treaties such
as Nunavut and Yukon (which facilitate and encourage the Inuit people to preserve their traditions,
such as the Caribou hunt, as well as the tracts of land called reservations (608 across Canada, the
state of British Columbia has the most land claims).
It was, however, sad to hear them speak about the reality of the issues that do affect First Nation
and Inuit groups such as diabetes, overall poverty, poor quality housing, lack of cultural
awareness/significance in the curriculum (one mandatory unit in Grade 3 Social Studies) and
significantly lower academic performance in their educational testing, Provincial Achievement Tests
– equivalent to our BST, NAPLAN, SC, HSC etc.
It was a unique lesson that occurred through a conversation I had with Mr Kevin Knibbs, our
Canadian exchange teacher, and his wife, who both work actively at home in Alberta to promote
awareness about and improve the standards of living for local First Nation groups. I would like to
publicly thank you both for referring me on to the people in Canada that made the lesson possible.
We aim to repeat the lesson at the end of the term when the technological hiccups that prevented
an international video connection occurring will hopefully be rectified. Thank you also to Mr
Sheather for his technological assistance.
On Friday 5 June, Mr Hartog’s Modern History class are going in to Sydney to complete a heritage
walking tour that profiles Sydney city at the beginning of the twentieth century. They will then be
watching a movie ‘The Baader Meinhoff Complex’ in Paddington which profiles political events that
shaped life in Germany throughout the early-mid 1900’s. Both activities reinforce the historical
concepts related to the topic ‘World at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century’.
During Term 1 some of our Year 10 Geography students entered the National Geographic
Channel Australian Geography competition. All boys receive a certificate of participation and an
individual results sheet. The following students are to be congratulated for their outstanding
results:
High Distinction
Lawson, Daniel, Alex and Alex
Distinction
Harley, Jake, Lachlan and Charlie
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 7

Year 9 Geography started Project Penguin (Pingu) with a zoo sleepover. During the Sunday
night session the boys learnt about how to become a good mentor but there were also ‘perks’ such
as the night walk around the zoo, listening to the crickets, frogs and possums buzz, hum and walk
around all night; feeding the giraffes in the morning; and stroking a koala, quokka, and carpet
python.
The Monday session was spent learning about the Little Penguins as a species, their threats and
habitat but most importantly meeting up with the primary school students they will be mentoring
for the rest of the term to develop an interactive display and learning tool that can be used to
educate community members about the Little Penguin community in Manly.
The boys followed all instructions (except the one about going to sleep!) and participated
productively in all of the activities (despite being tired). They were particularly good at the Beach
Audit in coming up with reasons why or why not that beach would be a good habitat for Little
Penguins. All boys were EXCELLENT in the way in which they looked after and encouraged their
primary school groups to listen, participate and ask questions. ‘Legends of the Lesson’ transferred
in to ‘Legends of Penguin’ and the Zoo staff nominated Hayden, Chad, Jack and Josh as the
OUTSTANDING mentors and participators in the program. Congratulations to these boys.
Pingu wouldn’t have been as successful without the teachers that were involved. Whilst I did both
sleepovers and days at the Zoo it takes more than one teacher to make a fieldtrip and learning
experience enjoyable and manageable. I could not have done without the help of Ms Jen Florey, Mr
Dean Stringfellow, Mr Sebastien Hartog and Mr Dave Pickering who came on one of the sleepovers
each and then spent the day at the Zoo, so thankyou very much for giving up your own time and
school time to participate in Pingu and help Year 9.
Group 1: Sunday May 24 and Monday May 25.
Beach Audit – Is this a good beach for Little Penguins?
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 8

Mentor Groups – How do we educate others about Little Penguins?
Group 2: Sunday May 31 and Monday June 1.
Giraffe Feeding ☺, Beach Audit and Teachers Tents �
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 9

Mentor Groups – How do we educate others about Little Penguins?
Year 9 and 10 students study Australian Geography and History for the School Certificate
exam. To introduce the beginning of HSIE and help the students make educational connections
between the Geography and History courses we showed the movie ‘Australia’ on Friday 22 May in
the Hall. The students behaved well and seemed to enjoy the movie. A slight technical glitch after
lunch meant that we were unable to see the end of the film so we will be finishing off the movie in
Geography and History classes after the exams. Thank you to the teachers who were willing to give
up their Year 9 and 10 classes so that we could introduce HSIE to the boys. I much appreciate the
help with supervision that these teachers gave.
Year 8 History students experienced a Medieval Morning in the Library last Tuesday, 26 May. The
boys were able to try on chainmail and helmets as well as hold swords, shields and other battle
weapons. The Medieval Man gave an enchanting talk and performance about the battle tactics,
torture techniques, clothing and cultural activities that were common to the day of the Vikings and
other medieval groups. Thank you to Ms Jones for freeing up space in the Library so that this
display could occur.
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 10

Medieval Man!
Lastly, Year 7 were treated to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performance during our
Aboriginal Education Week. As the photos suggest, the boys not only listened to the stories and
watched the performers but were able to also participate in the dances, play the didgeridoo and ask
questions at the end. Ms Vanessa Briggs, Ms Mary-Anne Bianchin and myself were taught a shell
and midden collecting dance from the Torres Strait Islands which we then had to perform in front
of the students. All of Year 7 participated well and with respect.
As you can read, it has been a busy five weeks in HSIE but the learning experiences have been
diverse and hopefully engaging for the boys.
The HSIE team
Susan Caldis (Head Teacher), Toni Langdon, Peter Cooper, Dean Stringfellow, Sebastien
Hartog, Nadia Talbot-Wilde, (and Korrie Duncan, Helen Lepre, Ian James – who also
teach History as well as English)
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 11

Hospitality
Both Years 11 and 12 are making good progress through their competencies and are cooking some
fabulous dishes. Year 12 have their Ready, Steady, Cook competition in class later this term. The
boys will be selecting four ingredients for another student in the class. They are then going to
create a dish or dishes using these four ingredients plus what we have in our stores. This was a
fantastic experience last year so I am hoping the students this year enjoy it just as much.
Year 11 Hospitality have a busy end of term ahead. In week 8 the boys will be participating in the
first stage of the Worldskills Cookery Competition. This is the school stage and the students
finishing 1 st and 2 nd have the opportunity to compete in the regional stage at the Northern Beaches
TAFE next term. The students have the opportunity to progress through this competition and
perhaps even finish competing in the national stage as Mathew Anderson did last year. This
competition has helped Mathew secure an apprenticeship at Pilu at Freshwater and he is now
enjoying his experience in the industry. Mathew came back earlier this year and spoke to Year 11
about the opportunities available in the industry and has now offered to come back and show the
boys how to cook one of the signature dishes at Pilu.
Year 11 also have their Work Placement in week 11 this term. The boys will be working in a local
establishment getting some real experience and applying some of the skills learnt so far in class.
We will be sending the paperwork home to organise these placements in a few weeks and ask
parents to assist by ensuring these are signed and returned to school as soon as possible to avoid
any delays.
Food Technology
Year 10 have been making some amazing dishes and drawing on their viewing of Master Chef on
Network 10. We saw some restaurant quality dishes made in a 50 minute lesson last week and the
boys were outstanding in the way they worked in the kitchen. We will be doing this exercise again
next term and I am very much looking forward to what will be achieved. The boys were rewarded
with some “invention” classes where they have experimented with baking cakes without a recipe or
method. I must admit the results have been amazing. Well done Year 10 Food!
Year 9 are also getting creative this term and have developed some very interesting Pastry
Products. We had a trial run of these last week with some of the dishes as follows: Choc Puff Pastry
Pizza, Strawberry and Choc Turnover, Choc Top Custard Tart and Toffee Swirls. The results were
very interesting with many boys heading back to the drawing board. We cook our final product in
week 10 and while the boys are enjoying this process, we are hoping for some more edible results!
Canada Day Celebrations – Thursday 2 July – (Mufti Day)
Industrial Arts are very pleased to have Mr Kevin Knibbs as part of our faculty this year. Mr Knibbs
and his wife Diny Woyiwada are very much enjoying their time in Australia and their experiences
here at Bally. To make our Canadian friends even more welcome we have decided to work together
and create our own Canada Day Celebrations here at Bally. Canada Day is 1 July but due to this
being a Wednesday and sport day we have decided to hold our celebration on 2 July. Mr Knibbs’
daughters have offered to come and play a free rock concert in the quad for some entertainment
and due to Strictly Bally being only a few days before, we are hoping to secure a few school bands
to get involved. We will be selling food and drinks of course but with a twist. Instead of the ever
popular sausage sandwich we will be selling “Pigs in a Blanket”, a sausage wrapped in a pikelet
with Maple Syrup. Quite a number of Year 11 boys and SRC members have trialled the Canadian
specialty, with rave reviews. There will also be a Hockey competition with prizes to be won on the
day. Hopefully we can raise some funds for Ghana Africa, a very worthy cause that is very close to
Ms Woyiwada. We are hoping to raise $600 to purchase a Woman’s Apprenticeship and sports
equipment for children.
Haley Dibley
Teacher, Food Technology
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 12

Science
Junior Exams
Students should be preparing for all exams by revising using the outcomes listed on the inside of
their homework booklets. Year 9 and 10 students should be practicing past school certificate
questions online at www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au and practicing multiple choice quizzes at
www4.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au. If your son has any questions please encourage him to ask his
teacher or come to the Science staffroom. Good luck boys.
Science competition
The University of NSW Science competition where the boys compete with students all over the
state is being held on Friday 12 June, periods 5 and 6 in the hall. The test is a multiple choice test
and I encourage all students to participate as it can give us important information about your son’s
strengths and areas we need to work on.
Zoo
Our Year 7 boys had an excellent day at the zoo, learning about the classification of animals,
watching the chimp feed and watching the bird show. We also took part in a workshop about the
Aboriginal dreamtime stories and how they related to the animals presented, the carpet snake and
pigmy possum. Our boys were given the local totem of the Bandicoot; this was because it is
common in our local area and has energy, enthusiasm and can be a little cheeky (like a number of
our students!). Balgowlah Boys now have a responsibility to protect the habitat of the bandicoot.
Our boys were commended for their behaviour during the workshop where they touched native
animals, played the didgeridoo, ate bush tucker and fed worms to native birds.
Year 11 Long Reef Biology Excursion
Year 11 Biology students spent the day on the rock platform along with 52 Mackellar Biology
students measuring the abundance and distribution of species on the rock platform and the
physical conditions e.g. temperature, salinity etc. We were lucky enough to see some rare octopus
and fish species. The rain held off and we had a very interesting day.
Following their half yearly exams the junior students will begin the following topics, please ask your
sons to show you their new homework booklet. The boys will always have 2-3 homework
activities to complete.
Year 7: Driving Forces Year 8: Bad Air Day
Year 9: Big Bang Year 10: In Gravities Grip
Jo Bourke
Head Teacher Science
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 13

Careers Corner
Term 2 is busy with a number of activities.
Year 12 boys are seeing me for advice in future training/courses whether at university, TAFE or
private college. As an adjunct to that advice, I am also helping them with appropriate and
individual study plans.
On Thursday 21 May, all Year 12 attended the Northern Beaches Careers Expo held at Miramare
Gardens, Terrey Hills. They had the opportunity to gain advice from all the NSW universities, our
local TAFE, private colleges and professional bodies e.g. Chartered Accountants, the Police Force,
Defence Force and apprenticeship training groups.
Year 10 Careers classes are continuing with the emphasis on understanding HSC and UAI
requirements. Parents are also welcome to ring me with any concerns or questions they might
have. Year 10 boys are pouring in to see me about subjects selections for Year 11 and parents are
also welcome to ask me about this.
A select group of boys from Years 9 and 10 have been going to TAFE each Friday for a TAFE Taster
course; one group doing Automotive and the second doing Construction. These courses are
dependent on funding from both the School to Work program and the Northern Beaches Business
Education Network (NBBEN). A major factor in the program’s viability is the help and coordination
of our TVET Coordinator, Jo Day, who constantly liaises with me.
NBBEN is instrumental in organising programs on behalf of the Northern Beaches Careers Advisers.
Late last term, three boys attended an all day tour of the Automotive industry, including visits not
only to a mechanic workshop but also to spray painting, panel beating, auto electrics and many
more. Now in its third successful year is the “Rev it Up” program where students from various
schools in the Northern Beaches do most of the major work in repairing and renovating an old car.
Andrew Shaw, Year 10, is our representative, attending TAFE every Friday all term.
More activities are planned for next term, including an excursion in the Science research area.
Future newsletters will detail those exciting developments.
Sue Davis
Careers Adviser
INTERESTED IN HOSTING AN EXCHANGE STUDENT?
Open a door to other countries! Expose your family to another culture and extend your family unit
on an international level.
World Education Program (WEP) is looking for Volunteer Host Families for International Students
arriving in July 2009.
Students from Belgium, Italy, Brazil, France, and Germany are looking for families that are
prepared to welcome them into their homes as a family member.
These young ambassadors are looking for lifelong friends and a place to call home during their stay.
If you would like more information on becoming a Host Family, please contact our National Office.
World Education Program
Toll Free: 1300 884 733
Phone: (03) 9598 4733
Fax: (03) 9598 4233
Email: wep@wep.org.au
An information pack can be sent on request.
It’s easier than you think & a fantastic experience for all!
1 June 2009 Excellence in Boys’ Education 14