Volume Fifteen - Friday 15th October

Greetings and welcome to our new students and their families who will be joining us in 2022 and who will now receive our newsletter each week.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle committed his life to providing a quality Christian education to the young men of his time. Oakhill College maintains this legacy with a contemporary focus on excellence in teaching and learning, a comprehensive co-curricular program and a proactive, positive approach to wellbeing that enables young men and women to find their passion and to make an impact in their world. 

Oakhill College has a proud history of developing leaders across many domains including academia, arts, business, sport, construction and trades, and the professions such as education, medicine and law. We believe that an academically rigorous, spiritually challenging and physically engaging education, develops young men and women of faith, action, and service, founded on values such as honesty, respect, compassion, integrity and self-discipline so that they may be the best person they can be.

Being the best does not mean being exiled or labelled a perfectionist. This week I was reading an article by Jan Robinson about perfectionism, not being excessively self-critical or afraid of doing a task ‘wrong’ or taking a while to bounce back from disappointment. She said the myth of the “perfect life” is pervasive, and “perception can be as hampering as reality”.

“There is a perceived need to always be reaching for more” – Jan Robinson

But perfectionism is not always negative. “It’s a multi-faceted trait that varies from the healthy to the unhealthy. Understanding where behaviours fall on that spectrum can determine whether it is supporting a child’s learning, or creating barriers to it.”

A healthy dose of perfectionism can help us learn and achieve, but too much can lead to pressure and procrastination.

‘Healthy’ perfectionism is when students:

• Strive for excellence and are satisfied with their personal best
• See success as a mix of effort and ability
• Allow for limitations and imperfections
• Accept failures and keep perspective when they are frustrated by failure

‘Unhealthy’ perfectionism is when students: 

• Have excessively high standards for themselves and others
• Focus too much on mistakes
• Avoid taking risks
• Show self-doubt, poor organisational skills, and procrastinate
• Believe their parents expect too much, and may expect parents’ criticism
• Think their self-worth is equal to their grades

Mrs Robinson stresses the importance today of students developing ‘tolerance of uncertainty’, which is very relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. She stresses the great value that ‘the ability to act despite unknowns, complexities or incongruences’ can have for students in learning and in life.” Another help is to give students the opportunity to see that, in some situations or tasks, there is more than a single way to achieve success. “Learning that there can be multiple correct alternatives can be very liberating,” Mrs Robinson said.

This is very helpful as we begin to focus on our return to school and learning to live with COVID-19.

I invite us all to start preparing for our return to onsite learning. It will not be easy as we return to a more institutional, regulated routine – some may look forward to this, some will not, but we all need to mentally prepare. Furthermore, the campus is changed and we will need to adjust to new spaces, new yards and new routes to classrooms while our central precinct is being created.

To conclude,

I would like to congratulate our newly selected College Leaders for 2022. It is such a difficult task and one I would rather not have to do, as Oakhill College is blessed in that so many students are competent passionate leaders who aspire to these formal roles. I encourage every single one (badged or unbadged) to continue on that journey you aspire to, and lead. There is scope aplenty at Oakhill College to stretch your wings and fly and to be recognised for these achievements. Success is 100% attitude and application.

Br Steve Hogan fsc
Principal

Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in another direction.

As we get our lives back after lockdown where do you want to go that might be a better and happier direction? What did lockdown teach you that you want to incorporate into your life going forward?

Our Friday morning Liturgy's continue online for the Oakhill community. This is a wonderful way for us to come together pray and reflect and stay connected during this remote time. 

On Friday 15th October we were pleased to have another joint Liturgy with our Lasallian brothers and sisters from De La Salle Ashfield. After joining our Liturgy's they were thrilled to be able to host from their stunning onsite Chapel. We thank them for organising this uplifting Liturgy and for incorporating both Oakhill College and De La Salle Ashfield students in the service.

Mrs Gabby Russo
Marketing & Community Liaison Co-ordinator

We are excited to announce our student leadership team for 2021/2022.

We would normally have inducted our leaders at a College assembly and thanked our outgoing leaders, however, we are hopeful this can take place later in the year.

Oakhill is very fortunate to have such high calibre students to take up leadership roles, and the Class of 2022 is an exceptional cohort that will support this team. We wish them every success.

Oakhill College Leaders

Mrs Gabby Russo
Marketing and Community Liaison Co-ordinator

There is no magic figure. The right amount of screen time can depend on a range of factors like your child’s age and maturity, the kind of content they are consuming, their learning needs and your family routine. 

It can be easy to focus only on the clock, but the quality and nature of what they are doing online, and your involvement, are just as important.

Consider your child’s screen use in the context of their overall health and wellbeing. For example, is online time getting in the way of their sleep and exercise? Is it impacting their face-to-face connections with family and friends? The answers to these questions will guide you and help strike the right balance of online and offline activities for your child.

Signs to Watch For

Signs that your child’s online activity may be having a negative impact on them or on your family include: 

• less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
• not doing so well at school
• tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches, eye strain 
• changes in eating patterns
• reduced personal hygiene
• obsession with particular websites or games
• extreme anger when being asked to take a break from online activity
• appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
• becoming withdrawn from friends and family

What to do if you are Concerned

Ask questions and listen

• Some of the behavioural changes described above are a normal part of growing up but, if you are concerned your child is struggling, try to find out why — there may be underlying issues such as cyberbullying, friendship difficulties or mental health issues. 
• As part of your conversation, ask your child about how much time they spend online and explain why it is worrying and what they could be missing out on. 
• Try not to show that you disapprove or they might shut down communication altogether. 
• Talking to your child’s school may also reveal academic or social issues, and the school may also be able to provide support.

Help your Child Manage their Online Time

Stay engaged and encourage balance

• Keep an eye on the games, apps and devices your child uses. Chat with your child regularly and help them stay aware of how much time they are spending on different online and offline activities. 
• Include positive things outside the online world in your conversations, such as what they love in life, careers they are interested in and new hobbies.
• Join in. Play games together as a family, or explore some joint online projects. Rather than being just a solitary activity, online time can then become another way of strengthening connections as well as building social skills.
• Where possible, avoid limiting online time as a punishment as this approach may inflate its importance to children.

Create a Plan

• Involve your child in creating a family plan for leisure and entertainment time that balances time spent sitting in front of screens — including time online and watching TV — and a variety of offline activities. 
• Work out the plan together. Young people are more likely to respond to rules they have contributed to and see as being fair and consistent.
• As well as agreed age-based time limits, the plan could include rules about which websites can be visited and online games can be played. It could also include control of access to the internet or devices, perhaps with daily passwords revealed once family time, homework and chores are complete. 
• A minor reduction each day or a ‘15-minutes to switch-off’ warning can help the transition to a more balanced use of time. 

Reducing your own Screen Time also sets a Positive Example

• You could also consider formalising your plan into a signed written agreement — a family online safety contract.
• There should be clear consequences for not sticking to the agreement and it is important to follow through with these. 

Use the Available Technology

• Parental controls are software tools that allow you to monitor and limit what your child sees and does online. But be honest and open with your children about why and how you want to use these technologies.
• There are also apps and software to measure online time as well as set time limits on device use or internet access.

Set Boundaries for Digital Device use in your Home

Device-free zones and times can help you manage screen time. For example, your family plan could include rules like this:

• no devices in the bedroom for younger children
• all screens off in bedrooms after a certain time for older children
• all screens off at least one hour before planned bedtime
• all family members switch off at dinner time
• devices charged overnight in a place your child cannot access

Mr Peter Morrissey
Infrastructure Technical Lead

Enrolments for boys entering Year 7 in 2024 and girls in Year 11 2023 are now open. To join our enrolment list, please complete your online Expression of Interest form from our website.

Due to current NSW Health restrictions, our upcoming College Tour on Thursday 28th October is cancelled. You may view our virtual tour from our website. Please save the date for our Open Day on Sunday 6th March 2022. Registrations for this tour will be open shortly.

Mrs Nicole Beamish
College Registrar

As part of improvements for disability access to schools, the Oakhill College P&F Association secured funding as part of the NSW Community Building Partnership grant. This NSW Government grant has allowed us to improve our facilities, by building a pathway to Hermann Oval. 

The pathway begins alongside Lawrence Oval and ends at the main stairway. The retaining wall has a dual purpose and allows for additional seating. Instead of disposing of the soil from the hill offsite, Maintenance has moved this to the other side of the ovals, allowing a flattened area where we can store outdoor sporting equipment safely and which can be accessed more easily.

Mrs Gabby Russo
Marketing & Community Liaison Co-ordinator

You may have seen this week's Dooral Roundup article about our College Master Plan. Works are ahead of schedule with exciting developments onsite. Keep an eye out for our Master Plan update next week.

Dooral Roundup Article

A reminder for those who have turned 16, and have not yet done so through Student Services, you are invited to apply for a concession card. This card allows you to travel on public transport at student rates and also to secure tickets to various events at a reduced rate. 

To request a concession card, please complete the form below which requires your name, date of birth and the school year for 2021. 

Concession Card Request

Once issued, concession cards will be valid until March 2022. Students in Year 12, particularly those intending to go on to further study in 2022, are encouraged to apply now if you haven't already obtained a card.

If you already hold a concession card, now is a good time to check that it hasn't expired. If it has, you can also use this form to apply for a new card.

Without a concession card, you may be expected to pay adult fares and rates now that you are 16 or over. You may be subject to fines on public transport if you cannot show a valid card. This concession card will be the only proof of student status that some venues and providers will accept.

If you have any questions about this, please contact Student Services at the College.

Mrs Donna Findlay
Head of Senior School

Powerful learners have a number of things in common and one of the most important ones is that they seek help when they need it. If you are struggling in an aspect of your life, the best thing you can do is to reach out and ask for assistance. The worst thing you can do is to do nothing or pretend the issue doesn’t exist. For example, if there have been aspects of your learning this year that you have find difficult, or have fallen behind in, this last term of school before the end of the year is the perfect time to reach out for help.  

Where can you find help when you are struggling at school?

Personal Issues

If things in your life are upsetting you or stressing you this will affect your ability to learn effectively. Talk to your family, talk to your friends or other people you are close to or teachers you feel comfortable sharing with. However if you need additional support you can approach one of our counsellors and they can give you some professional help or find someone who can help you with your specific problems. There are also lots of support agencies, for example Kids Helpline, a free confidential service: 1800 55 1800 or use the online service at www.kidshelp.com.au. It is much better to talk to someone rather than lock it all inside you. 

Subject Specific Issues

If you are finding a particular subject difficult, or have fallen behind, the first place you should seek help should be your classroom teacher. Firstly, ask questions in class as problems arise. If you find you have too many questions that it is not practical to ask them all in class, then ask your teacher if you can make a time to discuss the issues you are having outside of class time. Teachers are happy to help students who do their best and are keen to improve. Other places you might be able to find subject-specific help are: books or extra textbooks at Oakhill or the local library, other students in the class, students in older years, other teachers at the school, family members, family friends. If you try all of these options and are still having problems, then you might consider looking for a tutor. Often ex-students from school who are at university might be interested in doing some tutoring or even teachers at other schools. Your parents could ask your teacher if they can recommend anyone.

Learning Issues

If you aren’t having trouble with a specific subject, but are finding learning for school in general difficult, the first people to talk to are your parents. You might like to write down your feelings or what you are experiencing so you can explain things to them clearly. Your parents can then help you decide what steps to take next. It is probably a good idea for them to talk to your teachers first to get their perspectives. They might make an appointment with your Dean to discuss with you and your parents to talk through the issues you are experiencing. We also have learning support staff who can help you work out what your issues are and who the best people are to help you. If the learning support staff can’t help you, they will be able to refer you to outside services who can diagnose and address any learning issues you might have. 

Learn more this year about how to improve your results and be more efficient and effective with your schoolwork by working through the units on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au  - our access details are: 

Username: foroakhillonly
Password: 41results (the 1 is a number)

Ms Rose Garofano
Assistant Principal Curriculum

On Wednesday 6th October Dr Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services (www.enhanced-learning.net) ran a study skills session with the Year 12, 2021 students. The session helped students identify effective study techniques and tips to enhance their study time as students work towards achieving their potential in the up-and-coming HSC Examinations. Students developed their personalised study plans and Dr Prue spoke about the best way to organise and manage their resources and the steps to studying effectively: making study notes, learning the notes by testing themselves and doing as many practise papers as possible in timed conditions. Mrs Hagerty, on behalf of Dr Prue, sent to every Year 12 students’ College email, Dr Prue’s PowerPoint presentation from the session. Students and parents are encouraged to revise the PowerPoint.

All secondary students Oakhill also have access to a great study skills website to help students develop their skills. Go to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au and enter the username: foroakhillonly and the password: 41results and start improving results today!

Ms Deb Gillis
Assistant Principal Pastoral Care

Year 12 students have worked extremely hard over the past year on their Major Projects and despite numerous challenges have produced outstanding pieces. Our Major Works Showcases have been cancelled, however, we want to share their impressive projects. Below are three TAS showcase videos capturing some of the work done behind the scenes by our talented staff and students:

Timber Showcase

Design & Technology Showcase

Industrial Technology Graphics Showcase

Mr Scott McLeod
Academic Head of TAS

The Artist of the Month for September is Michael Royle, Year 10 for his abstracted exploration of a rotary engine from a Mazda RX7 FD.

Students had to choose a mechanical part that moved for their unit of work: Man, Machine and Movement. Michael chose the engine part and created a series of works using a variety of mediums including charcoal, Photoshop and sculpture and assemblage. Michael showed determination and a willingness to experiment with new materials in his works which is why he is our September Artist of the Month. 

Well done Michael!

Mrs Rachael Manning
Visual Arts Teacher

With these unusual times and remote learning, it seemed appropriate to break with tradition and acknowledge two exceptional students with Artist of the Month for October - Nicholas Gomez and Thomas Lenane, Year 9 Photography Digital Media.

Nicholas excelled in our earlier unit 'Film Noir' and decided to revisit his videography skills within the marking campaign for G C (Giga Coin). He created an infomercial, an app and modified an online web creation site to promote his imagined company. Here he demonstrated his skills using Adobe Premiere Pro and Illustrator. Also, an ability to work creatively, remotely.

Thomas' managed to combine his future aspirations to create bespoke timber future with our unit For Sale: Commercial Media, using the Adobe Suite - Illustrator and Photoshop. Once he had established visual credibility by including the 'Date Established' within the logo, he had fun changing the typography from the T in Timber to a nail, tilting the hammer with his target market in the forefront of his campaign. Traditional marketing strategies were combined with the appeal of social networking and Instagram.

Congratulations Thomas and Nicholas.

Mrs Cecilia Weinart
Visual Arts Teacher

Our extremely dedicated and talented VA students have overcome many obstacles to produce some inspiring and unique Body of Works for their HSC from a number of different art forms. 

Please enjoy our VA Body of Works Catalogue:

Visual Arts Major Works Showcase

Mrs Marie Hogan
Academic Head of Visual Arts

Year 11 Design & Technology students have been working on upcycling projects during Term Three. They have been taking disused items and upcycling these products to give them new life. Making our world more sustainable by altering the life cycle of everyday items.

Some fabulous pieces the students have done exceptionally well.

Year 11 DT Whats Old Is New Projects

Mr Chris Goodman
TAS Teacher

The Lions Club of Australia Youth of the Year Program is on again.

The programme is aimed at all young people aged between 15 to 19, generally from Year 10-12, and is designed to encourage, foster and develop leadership and the qualities required to take an active and constructive role in the community in conjunction with other citizenship qualities in our youth, at an age when they are about to enter the fields of employment or higher education. The students meet in fellowship and have the opportunity of open discussion, exchange of ideas and meet professional people of a community service club organisation. By participating in the program, Australian Senior School students have a forum to gain experience and confidence in presenting themselves to a selection panel of industry leaders and speaking to an audience on their favourite subject. 

Any students who are interested in the program, please contact me via email for further information and an application form by 3.00pm Friday 22nd October. 
Student Flyer

Ms Deb Gillis
Assistant Principal Pastoral Care

October is Mental Health Month, and as part of our activities, Oakhill is participating in the #onefootforward challenge run by the Black Dog Institute. Many Australians have experienced challenges, riding the waves of up and down emotions. We want to run and walk in solidarity for people living with mental illness and shine a light on the importance of good mental health.

We have challenged each Tutor Group to get moving and see who can walk or run the most kilometres for the month, emphasising the importance of conversations around mental health while also raising funds.

At the end of this week, our students have walked over 4,000 km and raised almost $11,000.00. Fabulous effort Oakhill!

You can join us or donate here:
https://www.onefootforward.org.au/fundraisers/OakhillCollege

Mrs Gabby Russo
Marketing & Community Liaison Co-ordinator

There will be a network change for Hillsbus public services commencing on Monday 18th October. 

A new service Route 643 will operate between Gables/ Box Hill and Rouse Hill. 

Route 610X will only operate between City and Castle Hill, no longer to Kellyville.

We remind students they must have a valid Opal card to travel on school buses and must tap on and off morning and afternoon.

Congratulations to the students listed below for completing all requirements for the Dean’s Award in the Read to Succeed training program.

 These students have worked hard to continue their reading and posting while online learning and the library and their Dean's are so proud of their efforts. They have received a Dean’s Award certificate.

All students are welcome to continue to aim for the Principal’s Award which is the next level of achievement in the Read to Succeed training program. Principal’s Award winners will be announced this term.
 
Year 7 Winners
William Abouhamad, Ayrron Anthony, Jake Backhouse, Meer Baig, Nelson Batty, Lachlan Bisoglio, Liam Boys, Christian Braganza, Joshua Chan, Deangelo Chedid, Jayden Chen, Shaurya Chopra, Oscar Collimore, Lachlan Compton, Liam Conlin, Debopom Dhar, Samuel Duda, Riley Edwards, Thomas Foxall, Cooper Frost, Dylan Fu, Ky Gilchrist, Anthony Gomez, Callum Goracz, Sullivan Harris, Evan Hunt, Jasone Iwanowski, Sean Iychettira, Collin Jiang, Aidan Johnson-McRae, Conor Kerr, Raamis Khan, Aarav Khanna, Andre Kiaian, Paul Kim, Benjamin Krastev, Rudraveer Krishnan, Jonathan Le, Yorick Lee, Gerald Lim, Gavin Lim, Elliot Lines, Rain Luo, Brayden Manio, Prithvee Mathad, Christian Matta, Kayden McPherson, Rohan Menon, Charis Michael, Jason Mouhayet, Hayden Moynihan, Sahib Mullee, Benjamin Munoz, Heath Natera, Jude O'Donnell, William O'Farrell, Liam Piggott, Vishnu Priyesh, Christian Rahme, Amish Raj, Ashwin Ramaswamy, Senuk Ranasinghe, Albert Roberson, Boston Roberts, Lucas Rothwell, Thomas Ryan, Buddy-Ray Saliba, Jackson Santelmann, Arnav Saxena, Finn Sebire, Riaz Seddiq, Aarav Serpaul, Sunny Shah, Aayush Shah, Harrison Shand, Pranav Sharma, Jay Shim, Jasmeh Singh, Rynall Singh, Aidan Smith, Cohan Sommer, Andrew Soosaipillai, Gabriel Stewart, Kaiden Taggart, Simon Tangarorang, Alexandros Tantsis, Luka Thomas, Alexander Totsis, Mitchell Touma, Arhaan Trivedi, Jack Trofa, James Troon, Thomas Varga-Strike, Luke Wehrmann, Joseph Wesser, Matthew Wybrow, Jonathan Yu, Xavier Yu, Joshua Zeaiter, Antonio Zeaiter, Jayden Zhou.

Year 8 Winners
Muhammad Abdullah, Christian Attard, Cooper Bell, Aaron Berg, Umar Chowdhury, Lachlan Coady, Alex Corben, William Easton, Flynn Farrell, Joshua Foo, Gerry Hanckel, Keean Holmes, Andrew Huang, Douglas Ip, Hamish Johns, Lukas Kohlhagen, Kristijan Magdic, Alexander Malouf, Krish Mehta, Chris Michael, Mark Mikhail, David Mitchell, James O'Donnell, Kiran Rajamantri, William Robson, Nicholas Saxby, Jonathan Soares Caplice, Harrison Valenzisi, Rutam Vanarse, Joshua Vaz, Rhys Webster, Radheen Wettasinghe, Hamish Zlotkowski.

Year 9 and Senior Winners
Aarav Sinha, Jun Li, Nicholas Fischer, Max Antunac, Alexander Saxby, Max Proctor, Rohan Hariman, Kieran McMurrich, Marcus Campagna and Noah Hickey.

More information about the Read to Succeed training program can be found on the library website.

Keep up the great reading,

Oakhill College Library Staff

Wednesday Tutor Time at Oakhill is dedicated to silent sustained reading, otherwise known as ‘Just Read’.

This week, Tutors were given the chance to focus on “Reading Aloud” with their Tutor Group.

Reading aloud has many academic and social benefits as well as creating a shared moment between the reader and the listeners.

Some of the many benefits of reading aloud include;

• Sharpened focus;
• Improved vocabulary;
• Increased comprehension;
• Strengthened listening skills;
• Better memory.
   

Reading aloud enhances social connections and although it is often done during the earlier school years teenagers can benefit from this connection as well.

The PJ Walsh Library subscribes to SORA where you can access ebooks and audiobooks from home. Families can listen to a book together as a way to connect and relax at the end of the day.

Reading aloud at home can be a safe way for families to explore challenging topics, discuss global issues or even have a laugh together.

Reading aloud takes some practice, some may find it daunting at first. I encourage you to take advantage of this time at home together and give it a go. 

Visit the PJ Walsh Library Reading Page for other resources. 

Oakhill College Library Staff

Welcome to Term Four. As we begin the new term, we are excited about the potential opportunities of starting sport activities when restrictions ease over the coming weeks and months. Oakhill College Sport will establish protocols to ensure the safety and well-being of our students and community in accordance with advice from ISA, AHPP, NSW Health, CSNSW and AIS. 

As our students return to school, we will run modified activities in PDHPE lessons. Our Year 7 and 8s will also run modified activities and games in their timetabled sport lessons. For those students playing Sport on Saturdays for Oakhill College, we are hoping that we can run grading days and trials in November (potentially Weeks 7 and 8).  We will use this term to grade our teams in preparation for the ISA season that will start in February 2022. More details regarding these trials and grading days will be sent to registered families when our return to sport is clearer.

Our junior cricket teams are looking to be back earlier than the ISA teams. As we play in the HKHDCA community cricket competition, our junior teams (U13-16) may be back on the cricket field in early November. Mr Fisher, Oakhill College Cricket Convenor, has been communicating with these registered players.

We are excited to welcome our students back on campus in the coming weeks. We also look forward to having trials and grading of our ISA Saturday Sport teams later in November once state regulations allow us to do so. 

Stay healthy, stay positive, stay happy.

Mr Andrew Wisemantal
Head of Sport

A friendly reminder that all students will need to return to school in full summer uniform. For Term 4, the College Uniform Shop will only be available for online orders through Flexischools.  For current students, the 'click n collect' option for orders will be available at the top roundabout adjacent to the De La Salle building on:

• Thursday 14th October between 2.00pm and 4.30pm and 

• Thursday 21st October between 2.00pm and 4.30pm 

Please stay in your car and move forward in the queue until you are at the front, whereupon you will be served by staff and can sign for your package.

Any outstanding orders from Term 2 that haven't been collected will be available at the collection points on the Thursdays specified above.

Orders placed after Thursday 21st October will be available for students to collect and sign for at Student Services upon their return to the College.

Mrs Carmel Christie
Administration Manager

As schools remain at level 3+ restrictions the canteen won't be in operation until further notice.

Mrs Nicola Stock has sent a text to all canteen volunteers about the canteen for Term 4. If you didn't receive this message, please contact her directly.

Recently Adam Bugariji, Year 11 travelled overseas to follow his football dream. Not long after landing in Europe, he was signed on for the U17 side with the Croatian club GNK Dinamo Zagreb. We wish him all the best.

Mr Jack Morrison
Teacher and Football Convenor

Congratulations to Zayne Ahluwalia (Class of 2020) and 2020 Oakhill College 1st XI co-captain who has been signed by the Portuguese second-tier side Casa Pia. Good luck Zayne.

Mr Jack Morrison
Teacher and Football Convenor

Nathaniel Deitch (Class of 2020) was asked to write a short article about himself as a first-year student at Sydney University, which has been posted on the EconSoc Facebook page and also below:

Economics has been an area of interest for me since I was in late primary school. I have always been interested in the nightly Finance segments on the news and this is what started my interest in economics. My interest in economics developed further in high school, especially after completing commerce in Years 9 and 10, which led me to enrol in economics for Year 11 and Year 12. Economics was my favourite subject in high school and I knew that this would be the key subject area I wanted to pursue at university.

My primary area of interest is macroeconomics especially as it relates to the financial sector. After university, I am hoping to start a career in an area dealing with macroeconomics and finance, such as at the RBA or a private financial institution. I am keen to pursue a career in one of these organisations in order to gain further knowledge and practical experience in macroeconomics and finance. I believe they are not just very interesting disciplines but are also very useful in understanding the economic environment and the world in which we live.

Nathaniel Deitch: 1st Year Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Economics & Finance)

Link: https://www.facebook.com/usydeconsoc

In the past year Riley Hogan, Year 9 has worked with Guide Dogs Australia as part of the organisation’s puppy raising program. This volunteer role saw Riley care for Guide Dog puppy Clyde from eight weeks to 14 months, teach specialised skills desirable for companion animals and attend training sessions with Guide Dog trainers and other puppy raisers during the school holidays. 

In early Term 4, Clyde graduated from the puppy raising program and returned to live at the Guide Dogs Australia training centre in Glossodia where he is currently being assessed by the centre’s expert staff for further training as a Guide Dog or Therapy Dog.