Newsletter
ST GEORGE’S ANGLICAN GRAMMAR SCHOOL Edition Eleven 07 August 2020
Contents From the Principal ......................................................................................................... 1 From the Head of Curriculum ................................................................................... 4 From the Head of Pastoral ......................................................................................... 6 Head of Science and Mathematics ........................................................................... 8 From the School Chaplain .......................................................................................... 10 From the Head of Health and Physical Education ................................................. 12 School News ................................................................................................................. 14
St George’s Anglican Grammar School; an exciting, innovative co-educational secondary school based in a high-rise building in the Perth CBD. The School caters for local and international students in Years 7-12, and is a proud member of the Anglican Schools Commission network of schools in Western Australia. We are committed to child safety and protection, and expect all staff, volunteers, visitors to the School and contractors to respect and abide by all policies, procedures and practices developed and put in place by the Anglican Schools Commission (ASC) and/or the School in this regard.
From the Principal The three-week mid-semester break has offered students and staff the opportunity to rest and re-energise in readiness to embrace and present highquality learning experiences throughout Term 3. Students and staff have returned in a positive fashion and have been setting goals for the remainder of the year, whilst our Year 12’s have started the final sprint to concluding their high school education – we wish them well! As we start Semester 2, we send a warm welcome to twelve new students and their families who have joined our school community and hope they settle in quickly as our newest St Georgian’s. The School continues to go from strength to strength, regardless of the impact of COVID-19, with enrolment positions filling up fast in the new classes for 2021 and 2022. Many of these new enrolments are thanks to the advocation of our existing families, for which I thank you for. A few spaces still remain open, so please continue to encourage your friends, family, work colleagues and members of the community to contact the School to secure a position.
professional learning, both within and outside of education. One such event that I recently attended was in the realm of leadership and featured the Premier as the keynote speaker as he shared his reflections on his leadership journey to date, but more especially during COVID-19. It was quite an inspiring insight into the challenges that relate to leading the State in unprecedented times and highlighted how difficult it can be to remain decisive, objective and considered when making global decisions for the community you may lead. A key takeaway from this event is the importance of the team around you and the ability and willingness to collaborate and share in the decision-making process. We are most fortunate that St George’s has such an experienced and capable staff, all of whom are leaders in their own right, regardless of title they may hold. Many of our staff are continuing their studies and gaining additional qualifications that not only adds value to our organisation but also inspires our young charges to be motivated and seek challenges for lifelong personal and professional development.
International Students – An Inspiration! As can happen in life when challenges come your way, the human race instinctively and protectively places our energy into how we and those close to us manage the Breakfast with the Premier circumstances, with the by-product at times As an educator, it is extremely important for being consideration of others placed on the teachers and school leaders to model those back burner. This is understandable; however, attributes that we seek to instil in our it is in such times that we must not forget students. One such area is to be a lifelong those that may be struggling even more than learner and to always seek to evolve in ourselves, which brings me to reflecting on knowledge, skills and understanding. With this our international students and their families as in mind, I often seek the opportunity to access they navigate the current health pandemic. 1
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
Our School has approximately 20% international student population, most of whom are living in homestay arrangements away from their families for an extended period of time. The cultural adjustment, homesickness and political concerns for many are difficult enough, but then throw in a health pandemic and consider how tough this must be for these young people. The resilience, perseverance and flexibility shown by our international students who are living away from their families in a foreign country is inspiring. I thank our international students
appear to be thrilled with the outcome, as are the staff. If your child is not involved and is keen to learn an instrument or join an ensemble/ band, please contact the Music Department. Interhouse Athletics Carnival Congratulations to House Mandela on their win at the Interhouse Athletics Carnival on Tuesday August 4. Having had to reduce co-curricular activities in recent months, an enhanced appreciation of the value of such occasions when the entire school gets together as one was certainly noted. Thanks to Ms Scheele and her team for coordinating such a wonderful event.
for their contribution to our school and encourage them to remain strong in adversity and to be reminded that we are their family away from home and always here to support them. Music Configuration As most of you know, St George’s provides an incredible and unique music suite, including a co-curricular program that caters for at least two thirds of our school population. To permit access to our peripatetic program, the School has recently re-furbished the Music Studio to increase the number of tutor rooms to five. Students 2 Edition 11 2020
Open Day The 2020 St George’s Open Day is scheduled for Friday August 21, with tours departing every hour. Whilst advertising will be implemented for this event, existing members of our school community are requested to share the information with friends, families, clients etc. to permit potential new families to visit, see and consider our school for their children. Students are also encouraged to take the opportunity to help during the day, whether this be welcoming families, participating in mock lessons or other.
that were phone based served a purpose, the personal connection of face to face cannot be underestimated. COVID-19 Update Due to the delay of Phase 5 within our State, the School continues operations as we ended Term 2. This means we are working fairly close to normal conditions, which we feel very blessed about. Our increased cleaning regime continues, as does our diligence in maintaining a safe and healthy environment for staff, students and visitors. Your continued support with keeping your child/ren home if they are unwell, have a cough, fever or display any of the symptoms of COVID-19 is appreciated. Blessings
Gary Racey Principal
Parent/Teacher Interviews How wonderful it was to see so many parents back in the School building last week for the second round of parent/teacher interviews. Whilst Semester One interviews
From the Head of Curriculum Ms Victoria Kelleher
OLNA Year 9 As a result of educational disruptions due to the current health concerns,Year 9 students who have not been able to sit NAPLAN, will have an opportunity to sit OLNA this year instead. Students who demonstrate the required literacy and numeracy standards in these tests, will prequalify for the literacy and numeracy requirements for the Western Australian Certificate of Education. The online test dates have been scheduled for Monday August 10 to Friday August 14. Students will have an opportunity to complete a practice test this week and will be well prepared for Monday 10. Assessment Schedules Assessment Schedules for Years 7 – 12 have been sent to all families through SEQTA this week. These schedules are a good indicator of your child’s busy periods this term, as they provide an overview of all assessments and due dates in every subject area. Where possible assessments have been scheduled so that students are not over assessed on any day. If any changes occur, class teachers will endeavour to work with their class to find an alternative date.
spoke to several parents on the night who appeared to ask the same question, ‘how has my once sweet child, morphed into a lazy, moody, sometimes unlikable adolescent?’ This question is nothing new, in fact Shakespeare, in A Winter’s Tale, complains that a couple of teenagers have frightened the sheep away and he says, ‘I wish there were no age between 10 and 3 and 20’. We can go back even further to Socrates 2,000 years ago who wrote, ‘Children; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise…they contradict their parents and tyrannize their teachers’.
Of course, a lot of research has been conducted around brain science which informs us about teenagers and what goes on in their heads (or rather what doesn’t go on!) A lot of their behaviours can be explained and there are three aspects of this neuroscience which we know impact on those teenage years.
The first is the prefrontal cortex, the PFC. This part of the brain, the decision-making centre, Parent Teacher Interviews is the last part of the brain to mature. Which I would like to take this opportunity to thank is why, when you are asking your teenager why the large number of parents who took time to they lack the organisation skills to submit an attend our Parent Teacher Interviews on early draft or why they did not seek help and Thursday 30 July. It’s always a wonderful clarification from their teacher, you may as well opportunity to meet with our families and be asking your puppy why they messed on the discuss goal setting with our students as we move into Semester Two. For our parents, I hope carpet. Teenagers are bad at making decisions. The second aspect of neuroscience, which casts it was a good opportunity for you to be even more light on teenage behaviours, is their reassured and supported, as you navigate your ability to process emotional information. Again, way through the challenges of adolescence. I 4
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
the frontal lobe, is not always functioning fully in teenagers and therefore their brains respond differently to the outside world. As their responses are driven with more of a gut reaction, than an executive or thinking kind of response, they tend to offer a more impulsive behavioural response, instead of a necessarily thoughtful and measured kind of response. These are typically the ‘grunt’ response, the ‘slamming door’ response and sometimes the ‘you’re ruining my life’ response. So, not only are our teenagers unable to make good decisions, when they do, they are often using the wrong parts of the brain. The third aspect that I want to share, involves the cerebellum. The cerebellum is the part of the brain that changes most during the teenage years, and it also doesn’t mature until our early twenties. The cerebellum is often linked to the coordination of our cognitive and thinking process. The ability to smooth out all the different intellectual processes to navigate the complicated social life of a teenager and get through in-tact, is also the function of the cerebellum. How does any of this information help our students? Perhaps, we need to share this information more with them so that they have some understanding of their own development. As teachers we often talk of motivation, specifically intrinsic motivation, and its impact on learning. As motivation is increasingly linked with identity, the more we understand ourselves, the more motivation we have, to improve ourselves. Perhaps if our students had a little bit more information about what was going on in their heads, it could help their motivation and their learning? It certainly couldn’t hurt to try. How does this information help you? I think the most important thing to remember is what I wrote at the start of this article, ‘several parents asked, ‘how has my once sweet child, morphed into a lazy, moody, sometimes unlikable adolescent?’ The key word here is ‘several’. Poor
decision making, emotional outbursts and social and cognitive clumsiness are often characteristics that describe our teenagers. A couple of years ago, I read the book “Stumbling on Happiness” by psychologist Daniel Gilbert. In it he describes what scientists have discovered about the uniquely human ability to imagine our future and predict what will make us happy. About two thirds of the way through, I came across the following graph which should be labelled ‘the most terrifying graph for all new parents!’. It’s made up of four completely independent studies which all show a precipitous drop of marital satisfaction, which is closely aligned with broader happiness, that peaks during the teenage years and does not rise again until your first child goes off to college. All parents would agree that their lives have gotten dramatically better because of their
children, but when you reach those teenage years, it is safe to say that your average happiness may occasionally waiver. However, be reassured that you are not alone. It is not just your teenager. Also be reassured that as a community, we are here to support you as your child progresses through these teenage years. There will be many highs and lows during adolescence and eventually they will become independent, responsible, and communicative young adults. Until that happens, always remember that we are in this together, and we will come out of it together!
From the Head of Pastoral Mr Hilton Hardman
Welcome to Term 3! This term sees more guest speakers coming into the school from Anglicare WA with the theme of Mental health. The focus during these talks will be to Reducing Stigma, Increasing Resilience/mental fitness and Identify and Act (being active in preventing mental health challenges and managing struggles in self and peers, including help-seeking). Below is an outline of what each year group will cover during this session.
Year 7 – Relationships • Relationship characteristics – positive and unhealthy, Bullying, Boundaries and Conflict resolution. Year 8 – Positive Emotions • Exploring positive emotions and enjoyment, Character strengths, Anxiety Year 9 – Mental Health in Society • Stigma, Mindfulness
Year 12 – Identity and Transitions • Depression, Self-compassion and selfforgiveness, transitions and identity Year 10 – 12 School Social is BACK!! Our Senior Social for Years 10 – 12 will be taking place on Friday 18 September on the newly revamped Crystal Swan. The Crystal Swan is a highly sought after school formal cruise venue with quality dining, exceptional service, stunning views and overall unique experience.
The River cruise on the Crystal Swan will include; DJ fully enclosed upper deck, fully enclosed lower deck with large dance floor, magnificent panoramic views from both levels of the City Skyline, spacious upper and lower deck for mingling. As a school, we always encourage our students to get involved in such events; it allows them to develop friendships, make memories and experience something new. Students have been encouraged to hand their forms in if they plan on attending these events.
Year 10 – Navigating Challenges • Stress, Challenging unhelpful thinking, Managing risk-taking behaviours Year 11 – Positive Psychology • Positive emotions, optimism and gratitude, Body image 6
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
This year the annual Anglicare WA Schools Sleepout at Optus stadium was cancelled due to the current health issue. This gave us the unique opportunity to hold the sleepout here at school instead - this Friday 7 August. The Anglicare WA staff, including some of the Street Connect youth workers, will be running a virtual homelessness simulation. Then after a soup kitchen dinner the students will be sleeping out on the roof, enduring the cold and uncomfortable conditions for a night to build empathy for people who have to sleep rough every night. The participants are collecting sponsorships from friends and family, all money raised will go to Anglicare WA to ensure that they can provide the Street Connect service to support youth who are experiencing homelessness.You can sponsor our team by following this link https://anglicarewaschoolsleepout.org.au/t/ team-st-georges
Hilton Hardman Head of Pastoral
From the Head of Science and Mathematics Ms Charlotte Donovan
Welcome back to Term 3! This is always a big term for us in the Science and Maths department. Our Year 12’s are finishing off their courses and starting their revision prior to their final examinations. The Year 7 – 11’s are consolidating their skills and knowledge, taking full advantage of the hands-on-experiences we can offer. One of these great hands-on experiences included a Year 10 class learning about radiocarbon dating techniques through the use of M&M’s. Delicious and educational!
National Science Week is during Week 4, and the Science Team is excited to unveil this years display, and to run a series of lunchtime incursions for all students to participate in and 8
enjoy. The Annual Science Week Kahoot will run again! It is always a hotly contested competition among the PCG’s. Stay tuned for further information on the activities being run during that week and how you can be involved. In other news we have relocated the fish tank from the Basement to Level 1 and we are patiently awaiting the arrival of some new fish. They will need some names! When they have settled in, there will be a competition to name some of our newest “school” students. It was a pleasure to have a visit from Tahlia McGrath-Colgan (Head Girl, 2019). She dropped in to see her teachers and to share how she is going post-St Georges. Tahlia is studying Human Biology and Psychology at the University of Western Australia. We are so incredibly proud
of her accomplishments and are excited to hear more of her adventures and achievements. St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
Don’t forget that Homework Club runs on Tuesday and Thursday in Room 2.5 from 3:30 pm. The Maths and Science teachers are available to answer any questions or to offer strategies on revising or answering assessment style questions.
Charlotte Donovan Head of Science and Mathematics
From the School Chaplain Ms Sarah Stapleton
strongly about it.
This week I am pondering the value of reverse cycle air conditioning. Not in my own house, but rather in our place of worship, St George’s Cathedral. It is not the first time I have contemplated the value of reverse cycle a/c, but I can say, it is the first time I have felt
As you might have heard, the Cathedral is undergoing building works at the moment, the floor is being pulled up in sections, and our worship is being hampered, re-organised and in the case of St George’s Anglican Grammar School, relocated altogether. All for the sake of reverse cycle air conditioning! Of course, I will be very grateful for warmth next Winter and cooling in the heat of Summer, but for the moment, I am just feeling ‘put out.’ The Cathedral has always been a safe, prayerful, and wonderful sanctuary for me. As Mother Church, no matter where I have worked or worshipped in Perth, the Cathedral has remained my spiritual home.
As the builders come in daily and (temporarily) change the way the Cathedral smells, sounds and feels I am once again reminded that the Church is not a building, and although buildings can be sacred places, the Church is and always will be people. Whenever we gather, and wherever wegather, we are a community that exists outside of time and space, and we are held together by something far greater than us, far greater than even the sacred and beautiful St George’s Cathedral.
For now, we will continue holding chapel services on Mondays in our classrooms, and we will pray for the builders to carry on their work with efficiency and safety, so that we can gather in larger numbers, to pray and worship once more in the sacred space of St George’s Cathedral. In the meantime, I have organised short trips to the Cathedral for the students (in their year groups, over the term) so that they can see the building works, and mark the changes as the Cathedral is transformed back into a quiet and welcoming sanctuary for anyone who wants to stop by.
Sarah Stapleton School Chaplain
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From the Head of Physical Education Ms Jodie Scheele
Outstanding individual achievements were St George’s were awarded to the following students and they blessed with the are all commended on their tenacious potential to host a performance and effort on the day! 2020 Inter-House Athletics Carnival and received such a magical Winter’s day in which to run it! It was brilliant to have some wonderful parents who put their hand up to help on the day. Many thanks to all the Parent Helpers, it was great to have families come along and be part of the day and I only hope we see more family involvement in future carnivals. The ACC Inter-School Athletics takes place From the early morning set-up to driving my at the State Athletics Centre on September 4. The school will be competing in H-Division. car out of McGillivray Reserve gates at the Training takes place every Wednesday starting end of the day, the level of engagement and next week on 12 August. Students will be participation was so impressive! At 7.30 am, transported by a hired bus to McGillivray at the Student Guild were at the field ready to 3.30 pm but will be required to make their help. Along with them, was a stream of own way home from the venue at 5 pm. The students who came along to assist and just team will be announced on Monday. made the setting up process easy and this then set the mood for the day! It is inspiring to witness our students’ willingness to assist and enthusiasm to participate. Thank you to the amazing St George’s Staff who also go beyond and above during these events The overall House result was super close. CONGRATULATIONS MANDELA who won this year’s Inter-House Athletics Carnival overall House shield.
Lincoln - 1985 points Gandhi - 2206 Mandela - 2287
The NWAS Winter Fixtures could not be played during Term Two but I am please to inform you that two one-day carnivals have been arranged where some of our Year 7 -10 students will participate in matches against the other NWAS schools. NWAS Year 7 & 8 Carnival: 27 August 2020 NWAS Year 9 & 10 Carnival: 28 August 2020
Jodie Scheele Head of Health and Physical Education
Student Term Dates - 2020 Term 3 27 July - 25 September New Student Orientation 24 July Students Mid Term Break, Friday 21 August
SEQTA The St George’s Anglican Grammar School SEQTA account is not a monitored platform. Please contact the staff member directly to ensure prompt action to your message.
Term 4 13 October - 9 December
Battery Recycling Used batteries are being collected in the IT Manager’s office. Please take advantage of this free facility.
Student Term Dates - 2021 Term 1 29 January - 01 April New Student Orientation, 28 January Students Mid Term Break, Friday 26 February Term 2 21 April - 02 July Students Mid Term Break, Friday 4 June Enrolments The School Enrolment Policy requires one full term’s notice in writing prior to the withdrawal of a student from the School. Where such notice is not received, the School will charge an amount equal to the tuition fees for that current term.
What batteries can be collected? Dry cell batteries include AA, AAA (single use or rechargeable), C, D, button batteries, 9V, 6V and cordless power tools. What batteries cannot be collected? Lead acid batteries, such as car batteries, and mobile phone batteries cannot be collected. Please contact your local council for details of how to dispose of these batteries.
To avoid fees in lieu being charged, notice of a student’s withdrawal must be received by the School before the first day of the School Term preceding the Term of the student’s departure. If this does not occur, families will be charged the remainder of the current Term, plus an additional Terms fee in lieu. More information can be found here: Upon withdrawal of a student from the School, https://www.mrc.wa.gov.au/School-community/ all fees and charges incurred for that student Battery-programs/School are payable to the School in full within seven days of exit. If the account has been paid in full and a refund is due, payment will be processed for the full refund due within seven days of exit. 14
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter