School prefects Heidi-Page Agius, Ruby Black, Ella Garland and Emily Gjoreski attended the GRIP Youth Leadership Conference at City Hall on Wednesday, 26/10. The student leaders took part in interactive workshops throughout the day and had the opportunity to listen to guest speakers about the role of leaders within their own school community. The day was a fantastic opportunity for our student leaders to interact with like minded leaders from all across the Newcastle and Hunter region, as well as picking up some top leadership tips to bring back to the student leadership team at Swansea High.

Our school uniform is part of who we are at Swansea High. We are seeking the support of parents to ensure all students are in uniform. This includes not wearing hoodies, no logos on jumpers and no jeans or leggings. Of particular concern is students being in solid black shoes.

Parents are encouraged that when purchasing new shoes for next year they do not have any white markings, soles or logos. We appreciate your support.

The library now provides access to audiobooks, with almost 1,000 titles added to our e-book platform. They can be accessed through OLIVER Library System, on the e-platform website https://www.eplatform.co/au/ or via the e-platform app available at the App Store or Google Play. You need to log in with your school email (@education.nsw.gov.au) and you have access to the audio books and 1000's of titles in the eBook collection. A library right there on your phone!

Students in Year 9 Food Technology were set the task of making stuffed tacos. They brought in their own props form home for food photography. All students learnt some new skills and did an amazing job which they should be very proud of themselves!

A large group of students from Swansea high school, including our Special Education Unit, had the opportunity to experience the multi-sensory "Van Gogh Alive" exhibition on Monday 17th October. Students enjoyed sitting and sketching Customs House, a walk along the foreshore ad lunch by the beach. They then spent time exploring the interactive and immersive displays in the pop-up exhibition. Students have a great time and gained creative insight into one of the world's greatest artists. An enjoyable day was had by all.

As the Year 10 Formal approaches, the wellbeing hub has opened up the FORMAL FRENZY. Anyone is free to browse and try on any items and take them at no cost to make the formal season a little bit more special. Open at lunch times from Monday

Thank you to Shona Joy, Swansea Community Cottage and Sophie Tickner (SW student) for their amazing support, and to the families and community members who have also supported this initiative.

8TAS5 have worked incredibly hard to complete their fabric pillows. Students were given the task of designing their own front and back covers of their pillows. Students used their imagination and creativity to come up with some wonderful designs. Well done 8TAS5!

It’s been a busy month in Careers at Swansea High School. On the 17th October, 18 students completed a full day’s training in the Common Room to satisfy the requirements of the White Card Course. These students are now permitted to work on construction sites in their future. Congratulations to all students who completed this training and were successful in gaining their White Card.

On the 26th October, 44 students visited the ‘Big Day In’ at the University of Newcastle. The Big Day In is a full-day STEM seminar where students listened and asked questions of a variety of people who have pursued successful careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths). Students also enjoyed a free lunch and were lucky enough to win some prizes on the day.

Year 8 Art has really been enjoying their latest unit of work based on the Tjanpi Weavers of Central and Western Australia. Students were introduced to these Indigenous female weavers and then created their own Tjanpi-style animals. They used newspaper, wool, string, fabric, buttons, etc and often finishing off with googly eyes. They then had to write a story about their animal.

Students then had to created a script using all the animals in the group. This was then turned into an animation, using backdrops painted by them and finally Stop Motion Studio or Cap Cut to do the filming. All the students did a fantastic job!! Some of their animals are displayed in the Library for all to enjoy, on a class by class rotational basis.

Mrs Ferguson's Year 11 class created amazing neuron models. They look awesome!

All Year 9 students will be participating in the wellbeing initiative from Week 5 this term called YAM – Youth Aware of Mental Health. This program goes for five hours over a three-week period and will be run at our school by qualified YAM instructors. YAM is a culturally sensitive program targeted at all Year 9 students to promote increased knowledge and discussion about mental health, as well as the development of problem-solving skills and emotional intelligence. Students have been given an opt-out form to complete and return to school if parents are carers would prefer them not engage in the program. Student participation is encouraged as it is a great opportunity to start a safe discussion of this topic, as mental health is such a significant concern for young people. Any questions please get in touch.

Caves Beach Tennis Club have provided Swansea High School with so much support over the years with our sport and PASS classes.

Thankyou!

A massive thanks to both of these businesses for supplying sausages and bread for Spec Ed's infamous Friday sausages sizzle. We are extremely appreciative of their donations. They are delicious!

Swansea High School acknowledges the traditional lands of the Awabakal people we teach and learn on and pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.