Bossley Park High School

Bossley Park High School
File:Emblem.PNG
Location
Sydney , NSW Australia
Coordinates	33°52′13″S 150°52′30″E
Information
Type	Public, Secondary School
Motto	Focussing on Excellence and Success
Established	1988
Principal	Ian Parnaby
Grades	7–12
Number of students	1473 (2010)
Colour(s)	Black and White
Website	http://www.bossleypk-h.schools.nsw.edu.au

Bossley Park High School (abbreviated as BPHS) is located in the Bossley Park, New South Wales, Australia. It is a coeducational comprehensive high school serving the rapidly developing suburbs of Bossley Park and Abbotsbury in western Sydney. In 2010, the school was made up of over 1473 students , each from Years 7 to 12, and is one of the largest schools in the state. The school was established in 1988 and provides a functional and practical learning environment with access to facilities required for all facets of the curriculum.

In 1999, it was revealed by the Sunday Telegraph, that it was the richest state high school which had a bank balance of more $700,000. In 2004, The Herald revealed the school had more than $1 million in reserves.

History

Bossley Park High School is built on land that was formerly producing fruits, vegetables, flowers and poultry products, a site of almost seven hectares. Planning for the new school began in 1985 and White Industries Pty Ltd, was the company in charge for the construction. The contract price for the construction was almost $8,000,000, but, including the costs of the land and the furnishing of the buildings the final cost came to approximately $10,000,000. The school was established in 1988 with a small year 7 enrolment of 125 students. The first appointed principal was Mr Brian Jux and his successor by Ian Parnaby, who currently serves as Principal.

Facilities

As part of the school's ongoing asset acquisition program, the library, all computer rooms, the drama room and staff rooms are air conditioned. The school is acclaimed with a quick adaptation to new technologies, putting it up to 5 years ahead of other public schools. The school has a sophisticated student computer system, and also has interactive whiteboards in a few of its classrooms. The food labs were upgraded to industry standards to facilitate the vocational education and training course hospitality operations. A concrete court was laid so that students with physical disabilities had an area where they could play sports such as wheelchair rugby. In mid-2007, a shelter was built in order to shelter it from rain.

Further Upgrades

In 2008 major renovations continued including three water tanks, holding 315,000 litres, buried on the school grounds to keep the oval in good condition. A shelter has been built over the basketball courts to catch the rain, which then flows into the tanks, to be used for irrigation. Project on a new performance center, to be completed by March 2010, would also be hooked up to the tanks.This is the start of the school's water and energy saving plans. The school aims to have solar power generators installed on the performance centre. It is estimated to cut down $3000 per month on water bills.

Multiculturalism

Bossley Park High, as a secondary school in a multicultural community has high percentage of students from differing ethnicities. Approximately 68% of the student body come from a non-English speaking background. They include: Spanish, Italian, Assyrian, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Chinese Dialects.

Sports

Bossley Park High has achieved success in sports. Recently, the school has started a Talented Football (Soccer) Programme for players interested in soccer. Bossley Park High has won the Bill Turner Cup three times. In 1992, they won against Oxley High, In 2002, they won against Lambton High and in 2009, the school won the 31st Bill Turner Cup against Cavendish Road State High.

School House

Students are organised into four houses based on their last names. They include:

• Edina (Green)
• Gandangara (Yellow)
• Sartor (Red)
• Tarburton (Blue)

Curriculum

Departments

• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Home Economics
• Languages including Italian, Spanish
• Social Science
• History
• Performing Arts (CAPA) including Music, Photography, Visual Arts, and Drama
• Industrial Arts (Design and Technology)
• Personal Development, Health, and Physical Education
• Careers

Extracurricular activities

The school offers a range of extracurricular activities, including:

• Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
• Tournament of the Minds
• Debating
• Formal Committee
• Soccer Program
• Student Representative council
• Vocal group
• Drama Ensemble
• Glee Club
• Maths Olympiad
• Annual Apprenticeships Show
• Rock Ensemble

See also

• List of Government schools in New South Wales