Around the world, approximately 250 million people suffer from poor vision simply because they do not have access to or cannot afford care. Poor vision impedes a child’s ability to learn in school and robs an adult of independence, mobility and quality of life. OPSM and Dymocks Childrens Charities are working with OneSight to collect 50,000 pairs of glasses for people in need. (To find out more about each of these organisations click on their name)

Coordinator Sathya Kumaralingam with Year 8 students Scott Worthington, Trae Chama and Gagan Jalandhra

ESL Teacher, Sathya Kumaralingam held a month long appeal for Homebush students to bring in used spectacles so that they could be sent to assist those in need. The appeal was extremely successful and as a result over eighty children and young adults will be able to look at the world in a new way. Ms. Kumaralingam stated that this was a huge effort from the school community and reminded us not to throw away those old sunglasses or spectacles but to keep them and donate them in the 2010 appeal.

The Year 11 Debating Team cordinated by English Teacher Ms. Porteous did exceptionally well in the 2009 Premiers Debating Challenge. Representing the school were Ashvin Ashok, Shivayan Saravanapavananthan, Dhananjay Pandya and Vignesh Iyer. The team were Zone Champions and Regional Finalists.

Principal Dr Ian Paterson congratulates Ms. Porteous and the Year 11 team on the School Assembly

Eighty Year 12 students and staff helped the Red Cross Blood Services in Australia celebrate 80 years of operation by donating blood at Parramatta. Each year the Year 12 students at Homebush have marked their completion of school study by donating blood. In 2008-9 Homebush scored very highly in the Vampire Shield by making 93 donations and it is hoped with the help of parents and the local community that we can beat this in 2009-10. All you need do, when you are donating blood at Parramatta, is to state that you are representing Homebush Boys High.

Year 12 proudly show off their community certificates for Donating Blood in the Year of The Blood Donor

The process of donating blood is very painless. Students are picked up from school in a mini-bus and taken to the Australia Red Cross Blood Service at Parramatta. While making the journey students fill up an information form (and themselves with water). On arrival at the centre students register and show proof of identification. They are issued with a number and a bag of lollies( to build up their sugar levels?), weigh themselves and wait for their number to come up on the screen to indicate which room to go to to check their blood pressure, iron content in their blood and go over the information form. This is an important aspect of the process to ensure that the student is fit to give blood. Students are then taken into the Blood Donation room where blood is taken. This process takes about twenty minutes but for first time blood donors an extra ten minutes is given for students to recover. Students then build up their strength by consuming milk shakes, pies, pasties, cake and lollies in the cafeteria before returning to school. See pictures of the process below.

Over a two day period 220 students in Year 9 were issued with their personal laptops creating the start of the new era of digital learning at Homebush Boys High. The students have excitedly accepted these new learning tools. Students will not only be able to use the laptops in the classroom but as illustrated below in the playground. Shortly the wireless network will cover the entire school so that students will be able to use the laptops all over. Overseeing the project was Deputy Principal Curriculum Tim Jurd. As well two new members of staff have been appointed as Technical Support Officers. They are Mr. Kevin Yeung and Ms. Sharmin Sharmy. One exciting aspect of the lap tops is that teachers can email students with information and worksheets and that students can complete their assignments using the computers.