Our Special Education Support Unit at James Busby High School is very proud of all the achievements of students and staff during this ‘Learning from Home ‘period. We thank you for your wonderful support and encouragement of students and staff. This has been a challenging term, however, there is much to celebrate this term in terms of students and staff achievements.

Year 12

In regards to Year 12, I thank Year 12 students for maintaining their focus on their studies this term. I would also like to thank parents for their support of transition activities that have been organised including transition and review meetings. In particular, I thank the school counsellors, Head Teachers and Mr Suljevic for their great work. Well done, Year 12, your level of engagement has been fantastic.

I also thank parents and carers for your patience as we have worked with the Department of Education in organising support for vaccinations for Year 12. I thank Ms Bartolillo for her wonderful support. If you have any further questions regarding these, please leave a message at the front office and I will call you back. We will keep you informed as to end of Year 12 activities as information comes to hand.

Changing Communication Processes

Organisation of communication has been important during this learning from home period. We appreciate your considerate and friendly approach and letting us know of any concerns at an early stage.  We have been busy organising phone calls being made to students and parents to support students’ engagement in learning and to assist with their work where required. As well, teachers and SLSOs have offered to mentor students. If you would like to talk to your child’s class teacher or Year Advisor, please call the school and leave a message for the Head Teacher or class teacher and they will call you back. I thank all staff for their great work in communicating with parents and students.

An increased focus on ICT

We appreciate all the encouragement and support of your child’s learning in what has been a quick change over for many students in using technology on a daily basis. I am still learning many aspects of ICT and the many wonderful resources that are available. I thank the Head Teachers, Ms Bray and Ms Samuel for leading their faculties in this. 

Staff have worked hard as a team to implement technology. Staff have met each day via zoom for the first six weeks of ‘Learning From Home’ in streamline learning processes for students. We are continuing to meet at least three times a week. Staff have met with students via zoom and on Google Classroom. This year, I have introduced a change in the SLSO role where they are also involved in supporting students and teachers on Google Classroom. I would like to thank support officers for their wonderful work and to recognise their fantastic contributions to supporting students, not just in this week which is SASS recognition week, but throughout the year. Please contact your child’s teacher or Head Teacher, if you have any questions regarding technology or require more work booklets.

'Focus on Inclusion’

Last week, the Inclusion Team in our school met for a zoom meeting. I would like to thank all those who attended from across the school both Mainstream teachers and teachers of Special Education Support classes. A news school team in the school this year, we look at activities, programs and processes to continue to maintain and to improve inclusion in the school. I would like to thank staff for their enthusiasm and great ideas.

‘Wear it Purple Day’

This year staff dressed in purple for our Staff meeting on ‘Wear It Purple Day’ to celebrate gender diversity. As well we organised a zoom meeting with students with the theme ‘Start the Conversation and keep it going’. I would like to thank Ms Ramsay our Librarian for working with me on ideas for ‘Wear it Purple Day’.

Finally, I would like to thank you personally for all your support and understanding throughout this challenging time. I wish you and your families the very best.

Regards and thanks

Mrs Veronica Mafi

When everything's darkness and you feel so alone,

When the rain doesn't stop and you can't make it home,

When it feels all is lost and you just want to run,

It can't rain forever. Just wait for the sun.

When family is pain, when friends can't be found,

When you just want to scream. But you can't find the sound,

When it's all your fault,  and you feel like you're done,

Wait for the sun. The sunshine will come.

The storm always passes. It won't last forever.

The rain always stops and gives way to good weather.

The brightest and warmest of days still to come.

Please wait for the sun. The sunshine will come.

People who need you, people who love you

Can warm up your soul like the sunshine above you.

You're never alone, no matter what's done.

Wait for the sun. Just wait for the sun.

Dark clouds always pass. I promise you.

We're all waiting with you.

Just wait for the sun.

As we approach the end of another term together, we look forward to some rest and time away from our devices. Learning from home has not been an easy adjustment for our students or their families, but they have not merely stayed afloat, our students have excelled during these challenging times. I am very proud of their achievements as all our students are engaged in workbooks, Google Classroom, Zoom and work is submitted daily. It goes without saying, this could not have been done without the tireless efforts and support from the parents.

Furthermore, I would also like to acknowledge the persistent effort, hard work and dedication that Ben Johnson of Year 12 has placed on learning. He made us proud as he received a Highly Commended Award from TAFE NSW for his efforts in Certificate II Animal Studies Companion Animals. Well done, Ben.

Wishing our students and their families a safe, warm and enjoyable holiday. Your teachers and I are looking forward to seeing you online and in the classroom next term.

Ms. Samuel (Year Adviser IO/AU)

We are almost there!

What an amazing bunch of students, parents and teachers we have at JBHS. We have managed to get through a whole term of online learning, TOGETHER. Although this term has been probably the most difficult many of us have endured, most people have just dug in and did the best they can. Which is all we can do. The highlight for us has definitely been our year advisor catch-ups on Zoom. Having a chat to our students and enjoying a few games of charades, pictionary and hang-man. It has been nice to have a bit of fun and connect with people outside our households through Zoom.

As your Year Advisors, we are still here for you each and every day. If you need someone to talk to or have any questions, send us an email and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

With the holidays approaching please remember to stay safe in all aspects. Follow the health advice and hopefully this will be our last holiday in lockdown.

Regards

Ms. Apuk Maror and Ms. Vinita Shukla

Hello Year 9! We made it – 10 weeks of Home Learning! We know how extremely hard that was, being away from your friends and even your teachers. But you did it, and you did it brilliantly! You kept up with as much school work (including assessment tasks) as you possibly could, all whilst dealing with the pressure of lockdown, and we are so proud of you! We heard all the positive feedback from your teachers and this has really shown just how tough Busby students can be!

We all had different experiences, but we need to make sure we acknowledge that it was tough, that we did the best we could, and that we are proud of making it through probably the toughest term ever! Enjoy your break, you deserve and earned it!

As always, if you need anything please reach out – even during the holidays!

One term to go and then Year 10.

Can’t wait to see all your smiling faces!

Ms Encina & Ms Kasavetis

Year 10, this year has been quite difficult for all of you. The Covid Pandemic has affected us all and I know how hard it has been for all of you especially to experience learning from home without the face to face guidance of your teachers. You need to give yourselves a pat on the back for getting through it so far. It won’t be long before we move back to face to face learning. Hang in there!

You were all given an opportunity this term to choose your subjects and I hope you made the right decision. If you were quite unsure, please don’t worry too much about it. There are always different pathways to get what you want in the future. We all understand that it is quite a stressful time for everyone.

We are so close to the end of the year now, and you are so close to completing your fourth year of high school. Congratulations to all of you. Hopefully you all have learnt, or have started to learn, the key to succeeding in high school. Year 11 and Year 12 will be quite challenging but I believe that you will get through it.

Please reach out to your teachers and your year advisers when you need someone to talk to or when you get overwhelmed with life which we all face at some point in our lives.

To continue to succeed in high school, please be respectful with everyone. You can achieve this by using your manners. Being a student of James Busby High School, you receive many opportunities to excel in the classroom, in sport, music, and in other non-academic activities. I encourage you all to take advantage of these opportunities. You should always aim for excellence, and challenge yourself to do that little bit better with each day. Set goals for yourself and work hard to achieve them. We all care for your safety and wellbeing and will work to keep you safe, however, this also means you have to cooperate for this to occur.

Mrs Narayan and Ms Cau 

Year 12, what a crazy term. It has been very quiet. I have missed you all, especially the debating skills of my pastoral care students and the entertainment of my EES class. It has been disappointing for me, and I know so much more for all of you, to have missed this last term of Year 12 at school.

The upside – I have been so glad to see the hard work that many of you have been doing, being able to motivate yourselves in these conditions is a valuable, lifelong skill. And also to have seen your determination to just keep on going and your growth in maturity. I know that it has been really difficult but I’m proud of the way you have persevered.

I know all our staff have been going above and beyond to help our students this term, especially our Year 12. I would like to say a special thanks to Mrs Hall and Mr Costa.

Year 12, I hope that you enjoy a bit of a break after the trials (especially if you are one of those people who have been working hard!) and catch up with your friends and family. Hang in there and hopefully see you soon.

Ms Walsh

Congratulations to our Year 12 students! You've nearly made it to the end of a unique and very tough year. Your resilience and work ethic through this time are to be admired. Stay the course and don't waver! You are strong and capable young people. All the very best for your HSC exams.

Ms Bartolillo

I want to wish you all the very best as your schooling year draws to an end. You proved yourselves capable of dealing with any challenges life throws at you as you got through your online learning and online Trial HSC. Well done to you all. As the school holidays approach, take the time to rest and focus on your wellbeing. Then head straight back into studying and preparing yourself for the HSC exams. Remember to keep in touch with your teachers as there is still plenty of support here for you.

Wishing you all the best,

Ms Chand

To Year 12, Class of 2021,

Our high school experience is finally coming to an end, and what a bittersweet experience it has been given everything that is happening around and to us in such times of difficulties. Nonetheless, I hope all the memories we have made collectively through the six years, both the good and bad, will be cherished and fondly remembered by us in the future.

It’s been an honour for Adam and I to represent you all this year as School Captains. We have tried and failed many times to arrange a Year 12 excursion and the events we had planned for our last term as Year 12 students due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, but nonetheless, we hope we have made you proud with the small amount of school-based activities and events we helped to organise, such as Valentine’s Day, Harmony Week and White Ribbon Day. Also, a big thank you to the Prefects who have made our “job” tolerable, as all nine of you have been such an incredible, supportive and loving team from the very beginning who have shown outstanding capabilities as leaders of the school and community, and for that, I both applaud and thank you for all your hard work!

Thank you to the teachers and staff, you have not only educated us, but have been our friends and mentors in school and in life. During such times of difficulties, you have all gone to such incredible lengths to help us keep learning and making sure we are doing OK. And to James Busby High School as a whole, thank you for the nurturing environment you have welcomed us into six years ago, you have helped us grow into the people we are today and will be in the future, who are ready to step out into the world like birds leaving their nests for the first time, regardless of how reluctant we may be to say goodbye to you all. So, to every teacher and staff at James Busby, Thank You!  

And just like a bird about to leave its home, I hope every single one of you – all 116 Year 12 students,– will be able to venture out of your nests and take a step forward into building a bright future you are deserving of and go on to live your dreams, whether you are to start tomorrow or a year from now. You can do it!

Yours sincerely,

Danyella Beeto

To the Class of 2021,

Although this is the end of the road, this is not the end of the journey and we will meet again soon. I wanted to take the time to extend my gratitude and love to all those who’ve been with me through the journey, whether it’s from the start or the end.

First off, all the friends I’ve made along the way and some of them are a part of my prefect team and that made being captain so much more enjoyable! Although I may not have been friends with everyone prior becoming Captain, I got the chance to make friends with EVERYONE. I’m so happy to have been able to work together with all the people that I did. Everyone contributed to something that in the end was bigger than ourselves. 

The teachers, where would we be without you? Although you’ve received my thanks and my personal gratitude, I wanted to reinstate, we are nothing without your guidance. You guys have made all of us who we are but from me; you’ve made me who I am. 

To Year 12, what a long way we’ve come… we were the worst! But look at us now, we’re all friends, we all get along and we all have made it. Although it’s been so tough! The toughest I’d say. We were tougher and we made it as a team. Congrats! And thanks for making High School so memorable and enjoyable because without the individual memories with everyone and the collective memories life without be the same. 

NOW A SPECIAL thanks to Danyella Beeto! You have no idea how much I admire you and how inspired I am by you, I’m so glad you were by my side and helped me through everything because I can’t imagine anyone else working with me the way you did and getting things done. So some people wanted a special thank you so this one's for you:  Julia, Jasmine, Nikki and Kawthar! Love you guys! If I didn’t mention you please know I did think about you but there’s just so many names!! So to everyone, Thank you! 

James Busby you may be thought of badly but you hold a special place in my heart and truly exceed your reputation because what James Busby has is a family.  

Adam Rahif

To the 2020 - 2021 Prefects,

You have made the school proud. It has not been an easy year for you but you all made the most of a pretty challenging year and for this, I am so proud of you. From the start you proved to be individuals who displayed qualities that will see you succeed in anything that you put your mind to. You proved to everyone that you have what it takes to meet any challenge. We witnessed qualities such as determination, resilience, strength, courage, honesty, integrity, just to name a few. Every single one of you brought different strengths to the team and it is because of your uniqueness, you all succeeded as a team. I saw you work together during our many activities and initiatives. Sure, we had some teething problems at the start but we worked them out like any family would and you became stronger and supported each other and showed me how much you really cared about each other. 

Your tireless efforts from the start during our school's Food Bank drive proved what a hard-working, dedicated group of leaders we had. I was so incredibly proud at the efforts you all went to during your first major project. And in subsequent events, from the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Harmony Day, when you spent the week organising games and activities for our students, also demonstrated your commitment to our values and it showed your dedication. 

I know that we had much grander plans for Term 3, but circumstances beyond our control stopped all that. Still, we caught up as much as we could over zoom and despite the challenges and uncertainties, you didn't give up. 

I have enjoyed my time with you, it has been very interesting. There are things that I will miss: Nikki, Julia and Charlotte coming in to the Library during study periods for a coffee and eating my cookies. Danyella saying all competitions and merit draws are 'rigged'. All of your smiling faces :)

Things that I won't miss: Adam's constant jokes about my age and referring to me as 'the elderly'. Although the one positive thing about this joke was seeing Ashur Anwia laugh so much at this joke. This is a fond memory that will remain with me for a long time. Thank you for bringing so much joy and positivity to the school.

Thank you for always making our students feel included in everything that you do. Thank you for always showing our students what a wonderful, kind, compassionate, inclusive group of leaders we have at JBHS. Thank you for always stepping up whenever you were needed to help with all of the usual jobs such as Parent Teacher Night, Year 6 Orientation, and all of our events and fundraisers. You did everything willingly and maturely, and I often received wonderful feedback from staff about what an amazing team of leaders we have at our school. 

I wish you all the best as you venture out into the world to undertake your chosen career paths. I have no doubt in my mind that you will succeed at whatever you choose to do. 

Finally, the door to the Library will always be open (post COVID) and I look forward to hearing about your future successes. It's farewell for now, until you return to 'borrow' some cookies and a cup of coffee. 

Ms Ramsay

Thank you for your support during these challenging times. As you are aware, in accordance with the NSW Health, teachers and students have been unable to return to school. For this reason, the scheduled Preliminary Examinations and HSC Trial Examinations were replaced by alternative assessment tasks. All students received notifications from their classroom teachers regarding the nature of the alternate tasks and the online submission procedure. We thank our students and their families for engaging positively with this process and for continuing to support their child's/children's learning needs during this term.

We are engaging with a similar process with our students in Years 7 - 10 and have sent important assessment updates and advice to all students via their emails, Google Classrooms, our Skoolbag app and via our school website, which can also be accessed below:

Year 12 HSC Written Exam Timetable

https://jamesbusby-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/news/2021/9/year-12-hsc-written-exam-timetable.html

Year 10

https://jamesbusby-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/news/2021/9/year-10-exams---assessment.html

Years 7 and 8

https://jamesbusby-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/news/2021/9/year-7-and-8-term-4-2021-assessment-schedules.html

We remind all students to continue to check their Google Classrooms and our social media platforms for updates and to ask questions if there is anything they don't understand.

Each week each faculties provide the names of two students from each of their classes to be nominated in WHEEL OF THE WEEK COMPETITION. Obviously, there are so many of you awesome people out there being nominated, your name may not have been selected yet, but know your efforts and hard work do not go unnoticed.

So that’s why last week I decided to personally recognise my students working exceptionally well in my own way!

Six students were selected - two from 12 Hospitality, two from 11 Hospitality and two from 9 Child Studies will have received a little something to bake at home as a reward. All I ask in return is that you take a photo of your finished product and tag James Busby High on social media (see photo attached)

On behalf of the Home Economics Faculty we really hope you and your families are doing ok and keeping well. These are trying times. Feel free to contact myself or any one of the friendly teachers in our faculty on GC or email or school VET number if you need anything at all, or even just to chat!

We look forward to seeing you all. In the meantime, eat well, drink lots of water, get adequate sleep, get some Vitamin D, go for a walk or do some exercise, listen to music, take a break from your devices regularly, or cook something fun and share your photos!!!

 Be well,

Ms Hindi

Welcome parents, care givers, friends and families! This semester in Home Economics we've been focusing on keeping busy and getting creative. Our Technology Mandatory students have been actively engaging in take-home work activities, which has been a blast! Week to week, students have been given activities of different natures, where they are given the opportunity to get creative and express themselves through Design and Technology. Via Google classroom, the Home Economic team has been delivering fun filled safe activities in which students can participate at home. These activities would require students to express their creativeness and allow them to flex their hands-on skills! It's great to see students have taken this opportunity on board and have been engaging week to week. Some students have participated in practical activities like cooking, where as other students who prefer to showcase their creative flair. They have expressed themselves through designing mood boards, Aboriginal art and other cool practical activities such as sewing, weaving, stencilling and applique. We are very lucky at James Busby as we have so many creative and passionate students. Here are some examples of their work:

This Term while we have been learning from home, Year 7 and 8 have been looking at “Virtual travel”, “Mythical Creatures” and “Amazing Architecture".

It’s time to acknowledge and thank the often-unsung heroes in our school. Our SAS staff play an important role in the school community, and in particular, the SLSOs in our Support Unit. It’s here, where we see our SLSO colleagues working tirelessly every day, providing assistance to our students to achieve their best and helping teachers with their daily tasks. Our SLSOs act as mentors – encouraging students to be the best they can be. Our SLSOs look after students’ wellbeing by being welcoming, spreading good words and sometimes food. Our SLSOs form professional partnerships with teachers to provide them with assistance – preparation of resources, monitoring students’ behaviour, and to enhance students’ learning outcomes by working one-on-one and/or in small groups with them. For going above and beyond, for always being there for our students and us – we would like to say THANK YOU! Thank you for being you

M. Bray HT Special Ed

Check out our video here

https://fb.watch/82y1s9MGQ5/

Week 8 was a week for staff and students to focus on their own wellbeing.  Students were provided with a number of fun and relaxing activities to help reduce stress and anxiety and focus on what’s most important. The aim of this incentive was to balance the demands of online learning and wellbeing.

Students had many opportunities to focus on their wellbeing and engage with a range of different activities designed to help them with their own self care. It was a week to catch up on assessment tasks, visit suggested links, take some time out to spend with family, relaxation exercises, as well as visiting some of our art galleries.

Ms Robibaro:  Week 8 of Term 3 was dubbed ‘Wellbeing Week’. In the spirit of wellbeing, we organized some fun Zoom meetings for the students to partake in. We played games such as hangman, 5 second rule, Pictionary and charades. Those that attended had fun and we all enjoyed being able to ‘see’ others in the virtual world. In a time when we have to stay isolated, it was nice to connect for the purpose of fun.

Our students are able to access E books and audio books at any time from the comfort of their homes.

To start browsing and borrowing, students need to click on the link below and sign in with their DoE portal username and password.

All that is needed is internet access and a compatible device to read an E-book or to listen to an Audio book (computer, tablet, smart phone). Once students have signed in, it is easy. Start browsing, select a book, click 'borrow' and start reading/listening.  If students need help they can contact us at school for assistance.

 Here's the site:

https://jamesbusbyhs.eplatform.co/

It's always a great day to read! 

We share important information on our Skoolbag app, including copies of Assessment Tasks.

See the instructions below to assist you with downloading the app:

A friendly reminder that our school has a ClickView subscription. Clickview is like netflix for education. There is a wide range of classroom-friendly content, from popular films to documentaries and television programs and Australian-made educational videos on the site. See below for help with accessing Clickview at home.