As term 3 draws to a close it is a great opportunity to reflect back on the wonderful events and student achievements that have occurred in the last six weeks.
Year 10 students have been very busy this term preparing for their transition to college. An evening information session was presented by Dickson college explaining general college processes and what to expect in the coming years. Students visited the Careers Expo which had over 150 local and national exhibitors, including universities, colleges, VET and career placement organisations, providing a wide range of information. Recently year 10 students have had individual sessions with college teachers selecting their subjects for 2024. Next week most year 10 students will participate in the Pre-Learner Licence (Road Ready) Course.
Our Outdoor Education students enjoyed a three day Snowsports camp. Despite the fairly slushy snow, students were able to put in practice some of the snow skills and theory that they had completed in the classroom into the beautiful natural environment of Thredbo. Many thanks to the staff attending, Sally Ward, Heather Mutton, Nathan Blackburn, Mikayla Evans, Tim McIntyre and Lachlan Maxwell.
On Monday 7 August, a team of 12 players represented Lyneham High at the 2023 North Canberra Secondary Schools Chess Championship. The event saw a record breaking field of 170 players. Each player competed in seven games over the whole day. The Lyneham High Team A of Larry Cheng, Connor Amoore, Shriya Karthik and Somon Vos placed second with 24 out of a possible 28 points, half a point below the winners, Radford. Lyneham High Team B composed of Charles Huang, Nomon Vos, Roy Im and Shakthi Karthik were third with 21 points. Congratulations to all participants.
The Creative Writing classes headed to Warrambui for a three day writers camp. The camp provided students with an excellent opportunity to expand their writing and editing skills. Local authors also offered their personal experiences and insights on the process of writing and editing novels.
Book Week was held in week 6. Our wonderful librarian, Alison Simmons, organised a series of fun and engaging activities for both students and staff. Teachers got into the spirit of the week by dressing up as their favourite book character and students had to try and match the book to the staff member.
In week 7, the Forum students organised a fundraising Fashion week. A suitcase rummage was held on the Thursday followed by a Thrift Fashion show on the Friday. The events promoted the importance of recycling and how second hand clothes can make a great fashion statement while helping to save our planet from fast fashion waste.
The music teachers have been busy taking band students on tour. The year 9 band performed at various locations in Melbourne, while our year 8 Band will return from their tour to Sydney this Friday. Taking students on overnight excursions is exhausting so our thanks go out to Tim Bowyer, Fran Nagy and Will Houghton.
Parent teacher interviews will be held Monday 18 September 4:00-7:00 pm and Tuesday 19 September 4:00-6:00 pm. We request that appointments be kept to 5 minutes to allow all parents to speak with staff. It is important that parents help us by keeping to their allotted time as I am sure you would agree that it would be unreasonable to have staff here beyond the allocated times. An 11 hour day is already very demanding! If you feel that you need a longer appointment, please contact the teacher and ask for a longer interview at a different time. I am sure we will be able to accommodate you.
This is our last newsletter for term 3. I wish all families an enjoyable and safe holiday. Take advantage of the beautiful spring weather to recharge and rejuvenate in preparation for what will undoubtedly be a busy final term of 2023.
Kind Regards
Jacqui Ford
Important - Northbourne Avenue Pedestrian Crossing
Concerns have been raised about the Northbourne Avenue Pedestrian crossing. Can students please be patient and respectful of the high traffic volumes. Remember to use the pedestrian crossing, wait for the green signal, and cross between the lines. Stay safe!
Transport Canberra.
Have Your Say: mobile phones in ACT public schools
The Education Directorate is reviewing policies related to student use of mobile phones and similar devices in all ACT public schools.
A new Personal Use of Communication Devices in ACT public schools’ policy will be created to ensure that ACT public schools and classrooms are safe places that provide an effective and accessible learning environment for all students. It will outline the appropriate use of mobile phones and other communication devices by students.
By providing feedback, you can help make sure the policy meets the needs and expectations of parents and carers.
The first session was the College Transition Information for year 9 and 10 Parents and Students. This was run by Dickson College staff, and aimed to assist parents and students with their year 11 subject selections for all ACT colleges. Thank you for your attendance at this event; the school hall had over 400 parents and students! During week 7 & 8 we were happy to see our students confidently choosing their college subjects for 2024 in the library with Dickson & Gungahlin staff, and it was wonderful to have many parents join them for their session. The Narrabundah College subject selections are happening in week 10.
Recently we hosted an eSafety information session in our school library. Thank you to all the parents who attended this session. This session was designed to develop their knowledge and skills in supporting their child with digital technologies. We also had rich discussions about the current eSafety issues children and young people are experiencing at Lyneham, how to support your child to be safe online and we were able to share resources for preventing and responding to online issues, and where to go for further support.
We look forward to connecting with our community further in term 4. Please look in our newsletter and our school emails for the next parent session/s.
If you have ideas for parent sessions for 2024, please contact the school via email to lynehamhs@ed.act.edu.au with the subject title ‘Parent Sessions’.
Languages at Lyneham
Fifty lucky year 9/10 students attended the Writer’s Camp run by Lauren Eager, Esther Packhard-Hill and James Moore. There they were able to undertake activities such as a workshop with local authors, learning about fiction and of course, the World Cup soccer games.
French students enjoyed the tasting of brie, camembert and swiss cheese in all classes. At this stage, it appears brie was a clear favourite. The ‘Tour de France’ and French geography were also covered at the same time, which helped put the places into context.
Indonesian classes are busy completing cultural assignments. Year 8s are choosing a traditional sport or hobby such as ‘fire football’ and ‘foot volleyball’ to research and present.
Currently, assessment is being undertaken across the board in EALD, English, French and Indonesian. Students are advised to try to complete items by the due date and use their time wisely.
Library News
This year the Children's Book Council of Australia held Book Week from 19-25 August. The theme this year was: Read, Grow, Inspire. The library has the shortlisted books for loan along with the winning novel for older readers, Neverlanders by Tom Taylor.
At Lyneham we had a week of library activities for students and staff to participate in;
Find the Mascots
Library Quiz
Match the book to the staff member
Book Character Bingo
D.E.A.R (Drop Everything And Read)
Students earned Book Week and Spirit points over the week. Congratulations to Angie C in year 8 and Mr Aaron Holt who won the Book Week prizes.
In other news, the library is having a clear out of old and duplicate copies to make way for new and exciting changes. This means we have a lot of books, both fiction and non-fiction, that would like a new home. If you are interested in looking through the selection, they will be available at parent/teacher nights in week 10. We will also make them available at select times next term.
Can you help? The library currently has 900 books that are overdue. Students have been sent overdue notices via their school email accounts and we would love to get them back. Can you please check if your young person has any? Thanks.
Term 3 Suitcase Rummage and Fashion Show
This term forum students organised a suitcase rummage to raise money for this year's charity and to promote recycling. This was a great success with many students leaving with clothes they love for the cost of a gold coin.
The following day a thrift fashion show was held to showcase second hand fashions. This was also well attended, and the atmosphere was one of fun and happiness.
Thanks to all those that donated clothes, to all that participated, and to the forum volunteers that made both days a great success.
Uniform Shop
The uniform shop is now stocking a polo shirt for the Seek program for $30. It appears on the current uniform order form.
We have reduced the price of some items in our uniform shop as we are no longer stocking them or there have been changes to the logos. DARE Jersey's M-XXL come with a free pair of trackies in the same size. The STAR items are in a variety of styles and colours from previous years. Stock is limited. There is a separate order form at the front office or pop into the Uniform Shop at the usual times.
Languages for Year 11 and 12 students in 2024 and beyond
From the start of 2024, CIT Solutions will be able to take on the delivery of senior secondary (years 11 and 12) languages programs from the start of 2024. The Canberra Academy of Languages (CAL) is now completing its seventh and final year of program delivery in senior secondary languages. CAL currently run courses in French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Tamil in 2023. CIT Solutions plans to continue to offer these in 2024. CAL will be working with CIT Solutions to ensure a smooth and successful transition.
CAL and CIT Solutions will jointly hold an online information session on Thursday, 21 September 2023 from 6 pm to 7 pm, for senior secondary students who would like to study languages that are not available at their day schools. New starters will need to be in Years 11-12 to commence their studies in the programs next year.
Discussion will include: confirmation of new provider arrangements; information on learning languages in Years 11-12; receiving credit for languages studies towards the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate and towards the ATAR; how programs are set up; how to find current information through online systems about programs throughout the year; and what to do if you are planning to study senior secondary languages in 2024.
To register for the session, send an email to info@cal.act.edu.au, by COB Monday 18 September, so that they can send you the link for the online meeting. More details about the information session are on the Events page on CAL website at https://cal.act.edu.au/events.htm.
School Calendar
Did you know the school’s calendar of events (excursions and the like) are maintained as a Google Calendar which is accessible from the front page of the school’s website (see below)? Events are maintained weekly.
