Welcome!

Acknowledgement of Country

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we are based, the land of the Awabakal and Worimi people. I would like to pay my respects to all Indigenous people past, present and emerging. I would like to extend that respect to all Indigenous people reading this issue of TGIF.

I would like to pay my respects to all the queer and gender diverse Indigenous people this IDAHOBIT and acknowledge the additional discrimination they face and experience.

-Ripley

Artwork by Uncle Paul Constable Calcott.

Editor's Welcome

Welcome to Week 3! As we're nearly halfway to exhibitions, it's time to start delving deep into your project research and other term requirements. We have many exciting events coming up so stay tuned and stay awesome!
A big thank you to Elliot for our banner this week.

-Josh

IDAHOBIT DAY

IDAHOBIT stands for International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination and Transphobia.

IDAHOBIT was first held in 2005. It is the anniversary of May 17 when in 1990 homosexuality was removed from the WHO Classification of Diseases. It is a day to celebrate these milestones but also vouch for further recognition and stand against the discrimination that LGBTQIA+ people still face today. It was only eight years ago that the Marriage Equality plebiscite was passed, and still 38.4% of the Australians who voted voted against it. Two in three LGBTQIA+ youth experience abuse due to their identity and 35% of LGBTQIA+ people have faced verbal abuse in the past 10 months.

There are many ways you can make a difference and show support even if you aren't a member of this community. Visit the IDAHOBIT website for more information.

What does IDAHOBIT day mean to you?

River Adv 4

Just being proud of your identity and being proud of who you are.

Mars Adv 4

A good sense of community for queer people and brings more awareness and inclusion and it's especially important in schools. For this school specifically it's nice having a sense of belonging.

Jasper Adv 5

It's all about embracing differences and recognising that everyone is their own person at the end of the day. And it's important to consider perspectives other than your own and have an open mind.

I have faced homophobia in public and been shouted at. And now that I'm in a safe space I can fully recognise how important it is to be proud to be a confident and self assured person.

Mieko Adv 6

I think it's very important that we still raise awareness because queer people still face prejudice.

Lexie Adv 6

It means accepting everybody and treating them all the same.

Connie Adv 7

It means including and accepting everybody, standing together and just being.

-Flossie

Photos from the week

Student Spotlight - Josh

Josh is a year 12 student who has been studying for the past 2 months to take the ACT. He's a great example of how students at Big Picture can personalise their learning to still incorporate mainstream education for a wider amount of opportunities after graduation.

What are you working towards in your senior project?

Right now, I’m studying for the ACT test which is similar to the American SAT.

How will the ACT test help you achieve what you want to do after graduation?

I’m using my test scores and my IBPLC to hopefully get into ANU (Australian National University).

Do you believe it’s possible for big picture students to have mainstream adjacent opportunities?

Yes, I do. While we don’t do mainstream learning, we still get a plethora of opportunities that are also used to help mainstream students.

What do tests like the ACT measure?

English and Grammar, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and Writing. All the content that I have to study is mainstream learning, but it’s worth it.

What is it like testing the limits of the CHC education design and broadening your horizon?

It feels pretty good to take control of my own learning and add some mainstream content back in.

-Reylen

Wellbeing group spotlight: Japanese

For this edition, we sat down with Jasper who runs the Japanese Wellbeing Group with Sammy. Read on to learn more about their process and what led them to leading the group!

Do you plan your own lessons? If so, what does the process look like?

Jasper: We do plan all of our own lessons! We usually use Antonia, the previous Japanese wellbeing teacher, and we use her previous study (like her university work) as a bit of a guide to help us with lesson planning. But from there, Sammy and I like to talk the night before about what we want our lessons to look like.

What made you decide to make the Japanese wellbeing group student-led?

J: After Antonia left, Sammy and I felt we would miss it so much, so we decided to run it ourselves. We both have an interest in education, which [for me] has definitely flourished through being able to teach the Japanese wellbeing group!

Do you enjoy teaching?

J: I love it so much more than I thought I would! I feel that if I stayed in the mainstream, I wouldn’t love teaching as much as I do. I just love getting to know the students and being able to see their work and their own passions for it. I also love improving my teaching skills and continuing to get better each week.

-Interview questions by Poppy & Ripley

-Interview by Poppy, with Jasper

What does a standard lesson look like?

J: We usually have at least one worksheet we go through, and we pick a topic for that week's lesson - which could be family, or our favourite subjects, etc. We go through the worksheet structure, and we give out some vocab which students fill the worksheet out with. We go through a few different activities as well, which [we hope] helps what we’re trying to teach in that lesson, stick in their brains. Sammy and I have also started giving out feedback sheets for the students to complete, which helps [us] to see what areas we can improve on with our teaching and our lessons.

How would you describe the Japanese wellbeing group to someone who knows nothing about it?

J: I would say it’s less about trying to get the students to become fluent, as that takes years and a lot of practice to accomplish, but more about giving the materials and resources to help the students begin their own language journeys! We give them the basics and help to get them excited and passionate.

What do you most enjoy about this wellbeing group?

J: Getting to know the students! Everyone is so different, and everyone’s on a different level, so it’s really fun to see everyone get so passionate about it. It feels so good and fulfilling to see it!

CHC Clean Up Day

On Thursday Week 6 (June 5), Cooks Hill Campus will be participating in World Environment Day by having a Big Cleanup. Each advisory will be going to different locations and engaging in a competition to pick up the most litter, the winner being the advisory that collected the most individual pieces. What's to stop you tearing up the pieces to artificially inflate your advisory score? Honour system, I guess.

Additionally, Cooks Hill Campus is also holding an online fundraiser for the Cleanup Australia organisation. Students and families are encouraged to donate to the site linked below.

cleanup.org.au/CHC

-Harvey & Josh

Announcements

Join the Conservation Critters for a free guided tour of Arcadia Park. Arcadia Park is located off Wolfe St, Newcastle 2300 and across from King Edward Park.

Cooks Hill Art Trade

Finley from Advisory 3, is calling all artists of any level and any medium to join this amazing opportunity of trading art and conversation. This has been created to bring the artists of our school together, and maybe even to make a new friend. But don't fret, for those who would like to remain anonymous that is an option too.

Why:

We have so many incredible and talented artists in our community who have never met before, so bringing them together to share art would be an amazing thing to do!
-Finley

When:
Week 9 is when you would meet up with your partner and trade your artworks.

How:
You will have the whole term to create your piece of art using any medium.

Link to survey
Cut off is Wednesday the 21st!!!

Can you guess who took the photo above?

Thanks for reading!

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