ISSUE 194

2024 - Term 2, Week 5

Welcome!

Acknowledgement of Country

I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands TGIF is written on, the Awabakal and Worimi People, where I live, and where I was raised. I would like to extend my respects to the People of Darkinjung land, where I was born, to any and all Aboriginal People reading this, and all the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Australia, who lived on, learned on, and nurtured this beautiful land for over 60,000 years before the Colonisation - and subsequent atrocities - that brought my ancestors here.

Words & image by Marley

TGIF NRW logo by Charlie D

Editor welcome

Hi Cooks Hill Campus! Welcome to TGIF, issue 194. This week's issue has a special focus on Reconciliation Week! The first National Reconciliation Week (NRW) was held in 1996 and has been held annually for the last 18 years. NRW is a time for Australians to unite to remember and acknowledge shared histories, cultures, and achievements. In this issue of TGIF, we are showcasing the importance of this NRW, highlighting this year's theme, and the Reconciliation Week posters created by our peers. This issue also highlights the activities our peers participated in over the last fortnight and the work that was completed.

Words by Matilda

What We Did!

Feature focus - Reconciliation Week

This year's National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is held from May 27th to June 3rd and carries a powerful theme: "Now More Than Ever." NRW reminds us of the importance of understanding Australia's First Nations Peoples' experiences and working towards a more just and reconciled Australia.

The dates of NRW hold special meaning. They mark the anniversaries of two key moments in Indigenous Australia’s history: the 1967 Referendum, a critical step towards recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution, and the 1992 High Court Mabo Decision, which recognised native title rights.

The 2024 theme comes after the 2023 Referendum outcome. While the vote for constitutional change did not succeed, NRW reminds us of the ongoing journey towards a more unified Australia.

This week is a chance to reflect, to listen to First Nations voices, and to commit ourselves to achieving equality.

Words by Dascha

Reconciliation Week posters by CHC students!

BBQ fundraiser for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation

Town Hall challenge for NRW

New students! Introducing....

Tony (Adv 6)

One word to describe Advisory - Comfy

Favourite season - Winter

Animal I relate to the most - Sloth

Dream LTI - Barista, Author

Dinner guest: GF

Lyric (Adv 6)

One word to describe me - Energetic

Something everyone should know about me - I am learning German

Animal I relate to the most - Red fox

Go-to karaoke song - Something by Sabaton (metal band from Sweden)

Savannah (Adv 1)

Something everyone should know about me -

My favourite thing is animals. I volunteer at Taronga Zoo every holidays

Rhiannon (Adv 5)

Favourite season -

Autumn

Headspace visits CHC

In Week 5, a Headspace representative visited Cooks Hill Campus to host a mental health workshop. It was all round a pleasant experience and we had an immersive conversation about bullying. Some of our fellow students held a free sausage-sizzle.

Words by Kenny & Mieko

Outlearning: Sculptures at Scratchley

The sculptures at Fort Scratchley were great. I loved looking in all the little rooms and at all the art. It was an amazing outlearning experience.

Words by Sophie P

Student writing: Existentialism

“Do you think that I count the days? There is only one day left, always starting over: it is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.”

- Jean-Paul Sartre.

Click here to read Zephyr's long form essay about Existentialism, its ideas, and what it is not.

What We Saw!

TGIF person of the week!

Interview and cover art by Sophie

What is your role in the school?

I am technically a school admin officer, is my official title. But I’m fixer extraordinaire.

What do you bring to CHC?

A smiley face, love and kindness and all things nice.

What is your favourite/least favourite aspect of your role?

Favourite - All of the beautiful people at the school.

Least favourite - Having to do clearance checks for visitors, it’s tedious.

What would you like to see at CHC?

I would like to see students realise they are stronger and more reliant than they think they are.

How long have you been at CHC?

6 years at Newcastle High, 2 at CHC.

How do you feel about being TGIF’s Person of the Week?

I feel very honoured.

** Have you done something cool this week? **

Do you know someone who did something cool?

Fill out the form here and nominate them for TGIF Person of the Week!!

Album of the week: Kim Dracula

Review by Marley

Book of the week: Twisted Love

Twisted love by Ana Huang

Genre: Romance

Favourite quote: You are the light to my dark, Sunshine.

My rating: ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️

Why should you read this book? It's my favourite book so far. It's pretty much the same as the last book but so much cuter. I love the relationship in this book and love the spice.

Review by Sophie P

Movie of the week: Mabo

On Wednesday this week, we got together as an Advisory group and watched a documentary called Mabo, which tells the true story of an Aboriginal man who left his island and fought the Australian government for indigenous land rights.

After the movie we were asked to write a journal about how “Terra Nullius” affected First Nations Australians. I created a list, which included the dispossession and assimilation of Aboriginal people ever since the invasion of Captain Cook, and the various diseases and foreign wildlife that were brought onto the land.

In 1998, Eddie Mabo made history by bringing evidence to the high court that Australia was, in fact, rightfully Aboriginal land, and “Terra Nullius” was a fabrication created in order to colonise Australia. This case was so revolutionary that it changed the perspective of the majority of the Australian Government.

Due to cancer, Eddie Mabo passed away 4-5 months before he won the case, however his legacy was carried on, and his mission was completed.

Review by Kenny & Mieko

Info For You!

LTI & Outlearning Opportunities

TAFE Start Your Future courses for Term 3 - EOIs OPEN!
Attention Year 10s! First look at TAFE TVET courses for 2025!
University of Newcastle Schools Visit Day is coming up on Thursday 4th July (Week 10), for senior students.
Novaskill is offering a 3 week pre-apprenticeship skills course in Community Services & Allied Health at the end of Term 2. Perfect for students interested in employment in Nursing, Aged Care, Disability Services and/or as a Personal Care Giver.
SBAT opportunities with electrical wholesaler Lawrence & Hanson (with Cert II in Business, Retail or Supply Chain Operations).
Tourism & Hospitality industry - one-day event at Newcastle City Hall on Thursday 20th June for students to learn about careers in cookery, front of house, event management, tourism, marketing and outdoor recreation.
Nursing SBAT - Hunter New England Health School Based Traineeship Program - APPLICATIONS OPEN! Deadline: 23 June 2024.
Luna Park Excursion at end of Term 2 - Parents can access the permission notes and payment platforms on School Bytes (check your emails)- Currently ALL places are filled.
Racing NSW Track Maintenance Traineeship Opportunity - Newcastle Jockey Club
Expressions of Interest - Float Your Boat - Port of Newcastle Maritime Explorer and SBAT Pathway Program

Check out the LTI Canvas page for all the latest LTI & Outlearning opportunities, or speak with Andy for more information.

TOP TIP: Youth Links produces a list of the latest career opportunities, such as apprenticeships, each week. They can be found here.

Student leadership opportunity

CHC students are invited to participate in 'Peer Support Training' in Week 10 on Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd of July from 9.30-3pm. This will be an offsite activity on Hunter Street.

Peer Support Australia encourages all young people to engage with experiences to become leaders. At CHC, we are looking for students who would like more opportunities to contribute positively to school culture as well as mentoring new students. The program involves students being trained as Peer Leaders and leading groups of other students. The program fosters students’ wellbeing by nurturing peer relationships, empowering students to take on leadership roles, and enabling all students to learn and practise transferable life skills that will support their mental health and wellbeing now and into the future.

This program is open to ALL students and is a great experience for seniors, looking for skills to add to senior portfolio.

Please register your interest here https://forms.gle/nBuuNdPKtuM1cYG56 or refer to Audiri for more details.

You can also talk to Chloe or Felicity if you would like some more information.

Self-care & wellbeing: Mindful colouring

Colouring in is often regarded as a childish source of entertainment, but recent studies show it’s really good for your mental health. Taking the time to slow down and let yourself focus on a simple task reduces anxiety and can help you focus.

A study that was recently conducted by the University of West England looked into the cognitive benefits of colouring, getting volunteers to spend 20 minutes colouring in, and then they’d get said volunteers to answer various questions to indicate their mood. The answers showed that volunteers that had been colouring were significantly happier than volunteers that came in just for the test.

So I recommend that if you need a break, give colouring in a go! It’s more fun than you’d think.

A few websites with good colouring pages:

Wonder-day

mondaymandala

And Pinterest always has good pages!

Feature by guest reporters Zack & Rex

Sketch by Charlie D

Headspace groups

History fact of the week

Nubuluna, more commonly known as Dexter Daniels, was an Aboriginal activist born in the remote town of Ngukurr, NT.

Dexter is best known for his involvement in the historic Wave-Hill Walk Off, in which hundreds of Aboriginal people, working under horrific conditions for extremely low wages on a cattle station in Wave Hill, went on strike. The strike was started by Vincent Lingiari after his many conversations with Dexter about conditions at the stations. Vincent was hesitant to begin the strike, believing that it would fail. Dexter bluntly rebutted, “No, it’s time to go on strike, old man.”

And, so, in 1966, the Wave-Hill Walk Off began. At first, the strike focused mainly on workers rights, but evolved into a protest for Aboriginal land rights, eventually spreading far beyond Wave-Hill. The strike ended with a victory in 1975 when the Whitlam Labor Government negotiated with the station owners to return a portion of land to the Girindji people.

While the Wave-Hill Walk Off is a very famous event in Australian history, Dexter's involvement has been largely forgotten, largely due to his involvement in the Australian Communist Party, and his reptuation as a troublemaker. Nonetheless, Dexter has been a crucial player in the fight for Aboriginal rights.

Words by Harvey

Words of the week

mumpsimus (mum-sim-uhs)

Mumpsimus refers to someone so stubborn, that they stick to their choice even after being proven wrong. Someone who got the wrong answer on a test, but is so sure that they are right that they would fight 1+1 being 2.

saudade (sau-da-di)

(Portuguese)

Saudade is described as a feeling of longing or love for something or someone who is gone and not coming back. It’s a bittersweet, empty feeling of loss that carries with it the knowledge that what is gone may most likely never return.

It implies melancholy and nostalgia, and is described as ‘the love that remains after loss’.

Words by Marley