The Weekly Bulli-tin

Last week I was invited to attend the school assemblies at both Coledale and Scarborough Public Schools. During these visits, I had the opportunity to observe the unique learning environments in each school, engage in meaningful discussions with the school principals, Ms Stephens and Ms Hutchinson about best practices, and explore ways in which we can support students transitioning to secondary education. One of the highlights of these visits was witnessing first-hand the enthusiasm for learning of these students. We know that early education plays a pivotal role in shaping students academic future. We are excited to continue strengthening the relationship with our feeder primary schools, as we believe that creating a seamless educational experience from primary to secondary school is essential for our students' success. Moving forward, we will be running cross-school projects to ensure all our students receive a well-rounded, enriched education. We are committed to working together with our local schools to support our students, celebrate their achievements, and ensure they have the tools they need to thrive academically and personally throughout their schooling life.

I would like to share a standout moment from our recent school assembly for years 7 to 10, where year 12 student leader, Ethan House, delivered a presentation on the importance of cleaning up and sustainability. Ethan’s passion for environmental issues was evident as he spoke to the entire student body about the urgent need to take responsibility for our surroundings and the planet. Ethan highlighted key environmental challenges, such as waste pollution, and shared practical steps that we can all take to reduce our environmental footprint. His message was clear: every small action matters and each one of us has a role to play in creating a cleaner and more sustainable world. Ethan’s ability to communicate such an important message to his peers was a testament to his leadership and commitment to positive change. I would like to congratulate Ethan for his initiative and the thoughtful way in which he presented his message. It’s inspiring to see our students taking ownership of such important issues and using their voices to create awareness and encourage action within our school community.

As we move forward, I hope that Ethan’s words continue to resonate with our students and that his efforts inspire all of us to be more mindful of our impact on the environment. Together, we can make a positive difference and contribute to a more sustainable future. Thank you to Ethan for his leadership and to all of our students for their commitment to making our school a cleaner, greener place.

Year 11 Drama students recently showcased their creative talents in captivating performances based on the poem Solitude. The performances, which combined deep emotional resonance with innovative theatrical techniques, demonstrated the remarkable skills and dedication of our students in their first term of studying the senior Drama course. Under the guidance of Mr Macnab, the students skilfully transformed the poignant themes of the poem into powerful group performances. The performances not only highlighted the students' talent and hard work but also showcased their ability to interpret literature in a meaningful way, bridging the gap between written words and live performance. The seamless collaboration between students resulted in thought-provoking performances. Congratulations to all the Year 11 Drama students for their dedication and passion. They have set a high standard for future performances. A special thank you also goes to Mr Macnab for nurturing and guiding these young performers through the creative process. I look forward to many more performances from these talented students in the future!

The conclusion of this term sees the retirement of two of our esteemed staff members, Ken Mackenzie and Tia Wilson, who have each dedicated many years of service to our school and the education of our students. Mr Mackenzie has been an integral part of our Science faculty for over 10 years, while Ms Wilson has served in our English department. As we celebrate their careers, we want to express our deepest gratitude to both Mr Mackenzie and Ms Wilson for their years of dedication and service. We wish them the very best in their retirement. We know they will enjoy the well-deserved rest and adventures that come with this new phase.

We also acknowledge and farewell our long-standing Careers Advisor, Richard Harding, who has taken up a position at St Ives High School from next term. Throughout his time with us, Mr Harding has made an invaluable contribution to the lives of our students, helping them navigate their career pathways and providing guidance as they explored the exciting opportunities that lie ahead. Whether through one-on-one counselling, career workshops, university and apprenticeship guidance, or helping students with work experience, Mr Harding has been a steady source of support and encouragement for many students during their crucial decision-making years. We wish Mr Harding all the best in his future endeavours. We are truly grateful for the many years of hard work, care, and passion he brought to the Careers Advisor role and to the school.

Next term, we welcome some new staff members to Bulli High School. Many of you will already know Megan Jackson-Lee as our SBAT Engagement Officer, who has now been appointed as our new Careers Advisor. We welcome Nicholas Leary as the new SBAT Engagement Officer. Matthew Hourcade will begin with us as a Science teacher, and Cameron Ivey will be an additional counsellor. I would like to congratulate long-term English teacher, Esther Murphy, who has now been permanently appointed to the school. We look forward to welcoming and working with these teachers next term!

I wish our school community a wonderful Easter break. Teachers return to school with two School Development Days on 28 and 29 April, where they will be undertaking professional learning on High Potential and Gifted Education. All students return to school on Wednesday 30 April which will be a Week A.

Mrs Denise James

Principal

We would like to acknowledge country and the traditional custodians of this land who are the Wodi Wodi people of the Five Islands Dreaming, Dharawal Country and the Yuin nation.

We would like to acknowledge the country on which we meet and gather, near Sandon Point, the declared Aboriginal land rich in Aboriginal history and culture.

We thank the ancestors and Elders for passing down their knowledge of country and traditions which is the reason that Aboriginal culture thrives today.

At Bulli High School, it is our responsibility to preserve and respect the integrity of this significant site for future generations.

10th - 11th April

Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Hike

Friday 11th April

Last day of Term 1

Wednesday 30th April

Students return for Term 2

2025 is looking to be an exciting year with many events planned for our Indigenous students and the entire school community. These include morning teas, cultural excursions, the Community Reconciliation Walk, NAIDOC assembly, Woolyungah Mind Matters Program, Connecting to Country and establishing further connections in the wider community.

Already this term we have had a student morning tea in Week 6 where we welcomed our new Year 7 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to Bulli High School. This was a great opportunity for the new students to meet those from the other year groups.

The UOW Woolyungah Mind Matters program kicked off in Week 10 with a session for Year 11 and 12 students. Term 2 will see further sessions with all year groups.

Bulli High School is part of the Reconciliation Walk Committee working with Bellambi Public School and other schools in the Illawarra. We look forward to taking our students on this significant event.

I would like to welcome Mr Stuart Davidson the Year 7 and 10 deputy to our Aboriginal Education Team. This year several amazing staff members have joined our team, and I look forward to working with them and creating incredible opportunities for our students and the community.

Bulli High School will be focusing on embedding Aboriginal pedagogies into all key learning areas which is very exciting. The focus is not to teach Aboriginal culture but to embed perspectives.

I look forward to sharing with you many events and achievements of our students.

Leanne Hicks

Aboriginal Educational Co-Ordinator, Year 11 Advisor and HSIE Teacher

Welcome back to all students in Year 11.

As Term 1 closes, the year has already begun with a lot of events and opportunities for students. Students have settled in well to their senior year and are enjoying their classes.

The senior jackets have been ordered and should arrive early Term 2.

Congratulations to the students that received scholarships. It was a pleasure attending the afternoon tea with each of you.

I would also like to commend those students that participate in additional activities and opportunities offered at Bulli. It is pleasing to see the friendships and achievements made by individuals. Year 11 students have been involved in Harmony Day, the swimming carnival, cross country, musical performances and many more.

Please see the PowerPoint presentation attached.

Leanne Hicks

Aboriginal Educational Co-Ordinator, Year 11 Advisor and HSIE Teacher

https://schoolsnsw-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/leanne_hicks4_det_nsw_edu_au/ESZa3dIHX6xBm3KCYUTW4yEBK9WZxQeXp1Oc7tXICuHJug?xsdata=MDV8MDJ8VHJhY3kuR3JheTNAZGV0Lm5zdy5lZHUuYXV8Yjk5MDY3NDM3NTBiNDY4NDMzNzUwOGRkNzcxODdkNWV8MDVhMGU2OWE0MThhNDdjMTljMjU5Mzg3MjYxYmY5OTF8MHwwfDYzODc5NzY2OTQxMTc3MzQyNnxVbmtub3dufFRXRnBiR1pzYjNkOGV5SkZiWEIwZVUxaGNHa2lPblJ5ZFdVc0lsWWlPaUl3TGpBdU1EQXdNQ0lzSWxBaU9pSlhhVzR6TWlJc0lrRk9Jam9pVFdGcGJDSXNJbGRVSWpveWZRPT18MHx8fA%3d%3d&sdata=UmtNMTBtQ0Fobko2RGhCRWlWNFk2SDE0ZG5PMncwWjBzdU9HalBMVktXMD0%3d

Debating is in full swing!

A huge shoutout to our senior debaters for their hard work and dedication to the Premier’s Debating Challenge!

Bulli A has made it to the third round of the competition and is gearing up to face Sydney Girls at the beginning of next term! Meanwhile, Bulli B is all set to take on North Sydney Girls this Wednesday.

Wishing both teams the best of luck!

Students from our Black Diamond Learning Centre who complete Work Education or Work in the Community as an elective choice, have great opportunities to experience a variety of workplaces in the Illawarra. It also gives us a perfect chance to gain some extra experience with travel training. This week we had an amazing trip to Bunnings where we were taken on a site tour, learnt how to best find products and navigate the aisles as well as all completing a string art project. We learnt that Bunnings have over 95,000 products and that the app that can be put on our phones can help us find them all! We also looked at the website and learnt how we could apply for a part-time job which was of interest to our students.

It was a very good chance for our students to learn about requirements of jobs such as following safety procedures and the importance of providing a great experience for the customer. We all had a fabulous time and as always, our students were amazing representatives of Bulli High School – the only thing that was missing was the weekend sausage sizzle! We were so polite and inquisitive that the store representative suggested we come again for another visit next term so we can build on our learning, which everyone was keen to do. We look forward to visiting more workplaces throughout the year.

Our Year 7 students made lifelong memories and developed connections with their peers during camp. Included are some more photo's highlighting these experiences. Thanks so much to Year Advisers, Ms Payne and Mr Van Elsland for organising, and to the multiple staff that supported our students during the week.

Each year NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for adolescents as part of the School Vaccination Program.

The 2025 Dates for the School Vaccination Program at BHS are as follows;

Year 10: Monday 7th April (Term 1, Week 11)

Year 7: Tuesday 1st July (Term 2, Week 10)

We continue to provide additional support for all students with their learning. Students can access The Hub for additional HSC study skills support, through to help with Year 7 homework.

On Tuesday our U13 & U16 Rugby League teams competed at Albion Park against some extremely tough opposition.

U13s had a terrific start to the day with a strong victory over Holy Spirit before coming up against Illawarra Sports High in which they held their own against the top opposition. As we entered the semifinals we unfortunately went down to Dapto High School in a hard-fought contest. Making it to the semifinals in their first High School Gala Day is a terrific effort and an excellent building block for the years to come.

U16s were up against it from the start with only 12 players to start the day and finishing the day with only 9 players on the field due to a few injuries. The boys got the job done against Corrimal High in an impressive victory, but an extremely strong Edmund Rice College got the better of us in the second round against. Was an all-mighty effort even competing against them and the boys should be proud.

Thanks again to everyone involved.

Congratulations to rising surf champion Jett Blue now undertaking a 12-month internship as a board designer with San Diego based company AkuShaper.

Jett was talent-spotted last year via Bulli High Surf Academy and is currently writing design programs for the international schools market.

Jett travels to the United States later this year to work alongside AkuShaper owners and the world’s most talented teenaged engineers.

Good luck with the 6.30am conference calls, Jett!

Open Boys Basketballers keep their winning run going after going 4 & 0 today at the Sharks Shire Shield at Sutherland. The lads defeated:

Cronulla High 76-38

Menai High 66-41

Lucas Heights 50-26 &

Sydney Tech 56-45

to make it 12 straight wins to start our school basketball season & also advance to the Sharks Shire Shield Elite 8 Finals Series to be held on Monday the 26th of May.

Whilst our 'veteran' ballers were all at their best, today marked the Opens D1 debuts of Benji & UK import Ben West, who were both awesome offensive injections off the bench & played their part on D too.

Congratulations to all our boys, not forgetting our Opens Second Team that played today too. We mixed our U14, U15 & U16 young guns together to run against some older competition & they can all hang their heads up high after almost winning 2 games, including a heart breaking buzzing beating L.

Great job all!

Congratulations to our FIVE Bulli High School representatives for their selection in the South Coast Open Boys Basketball team to compete at the State Championships in Shoalhaven in May. Effort = Results.

To celebrate the upcoming Youth Week in April, NSW Advocate for Children and Young People are running a creative arts competition for children and young people aged 12-24, who live in NSW.

Children can create an art piece that shows:

• Who they are

• Their skills

• Their best qualities

• What they're most proud of.

There will be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place chosen 3 age groups. All winners will get a 6 month membership to Skillshare and the following prizes:

• 1st place: iPad 10 Gen

• 2nd place: $300 voucher for Eckersley’s or Officeworks

• 3rd place: $200 voucher for Eckersley’s or Officeworks

Submissions close Sunday, 13 April 2025, at 11:59pm.

More information can be found here: https://www.acyp.nsw.gov.au/youth-week-art-competition...

This is a fantastic opportunity for young people aged between 12-14 years living in NSW to get involved and let the NSW government know what they think about the unique issues facing young Australians.

Applications close on Sunday, 20 April 2025 at 11:59pm.

Apply here: https://www.acyp.nsw.gov.au/nsw-youth-advisory-council...

Address: Dharawal Country, 17 Ursula Road, Bulli NSW 2516

Phone: 4284 8266

Email: bulli-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Website: https://bulli-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/