Newsletter ST GEORGE’S ANGLICAN GRAMMAR SCHOOL Edition Seventeen 22 November 2019
Contents From the Principal ......................................................................................................... 1 From the Curriculum Coordinator ........................................................................... 3 From the Head of Pastoral .......................................................................................... 5 From the Music Department ....................................................................................... 9 From the Humanities Department ............................................................................ 10 From the IT Manager .................................................................................................... 11 School News ..................................................................................................................13
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 Mr Gary Racey
Remembrance Day As mentioned in previous newsletter articles, the School is so very blessed to call the St George’s Cathedral its spiritual home, and the connection between the Perth Diocese and St Georges AGS provides numerous opportunities for our young people to be exposed to the Anglican faith and the joy this brings. This connection was once again evident in the recent Remembrance Day Service at the Cathedral on 11 November 2019, which our students and staff were permitted to participate in.
Third stream of Year 10 2020/Third stream of Year 7 2021 I am pleased to announce that the community has responded extremely positively to the additional Year 10 class in 2020, with enrolment positions disappearing quickly. Tell your family and friends to get in fast.
Remembrance Day is an extremely important day to commemorate the millions of men and women who have risked and lost their lives in a bid to protect our nation and bring peace to others; to pay our respect and gratitude to those who have lost their lives to keep us safe. As time passes and society almost becomes desensitised to the atrocities of war, it is vital we ensure our young remember.
Building cladding – this project is ahead of schedule and may be completed before Christmas.
I thank our student body who could not have been more respectful or appropriately behaved.
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A reminder also that we will have a third class of Year 7’s in 2021, so for those who know families with younger children please let them know early. Building Update/Designs A brief summary regarding the capital building works that we are excited about for 2020:
Café refurbishment – anticipated completion by January 17. A few elements may be incomplete by day 1 Term 1 due to delays in receiving materials as we head towards the Christmas holiday period, but the space will be useable and safe for student and staff use. Ground floor – demolition of the space is near completion. Tenders have been finalised and the nominated builder appointed. The goal is for practical completion by the end of January, with priority being given to the classrooms.
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
Senior Learning Centre: Level 5 Central Queensland University – scheduled for completion by mid Term 1 next year. The School has a contingency plan in place and all students will be housed in transitional classrooms until the new space is ready. Language School St George’s has been the home to the Anglican School’s Commission Language School for the past few years, with many of the graduates attending our school following completion of the relevant course. As of 2020, the Language School will relocate in an adjacent level to our new Senior Learning Centre at Central Queensland University. Therefore, whilst the students will not be part of our direct community at 50 William Street, we will maintain our connection with them and the Anglican Schools Commission International.
Staffing Due to recent growth, we have a number of new staff positions being appointed for 2020, including the following: • New Head of Year 7 • New Humanities teacher • New Outdoor Education teacher (part-time) We are genuinely excited to see what strengths the new staff will bring and look forward to introducing these people to the community at the start of next year. Another bit of staff news is that we farewell Mrs Kelly Newbold today on parental leave. We wish her and her family all the best as they await their new arrival. Kelly will be on leave until the end of 2020. Additionally, we wish Miss Natalie Cox best wishes as she takes on a teaching role at a school closer to her home next year. Natalie currently commutes 1 hour and 20 minutes each way every day, which will be reduced to 20 minutes. It shows how committed she has been to fulfil her duties this year and we thank her for her efforts.
Head of Music It is with great pleasure that I inform the school community that Mr Michael Newton has been promoted to Head of Music for 2020. For those that know Mr Newton, there is no need to explain the reasons why this decision has been made. We are so very proud of our Music Blessings. program at St George’s and thank Mr Newton for his vision and commitment. His experience and strategic mind will be of great value to our middle management team in the years to come.
Gary Racey Principal
From the Curriculum Coordinator Mrs Angela Tanham
End of the Year As we enter the final 3 weeks of term, it is very easy for students to start to wind down and look towards the holidays. It is important that all students remain focussed. The Year 10 students have their final exams commencing in week 7 and students in Year 7 to 9 have final tests and other assessments. The Year 11 students will receive back their exams with feedback that will help them evaluate what they are doing well at school and what they need to change in order to improve. Whilst we can all feel that the end is in sight, it is important to finish the race strong all the way to the finish line. Year 10 Students Please be aware of the following significant dates for all Year 10 students: 25 November - Year 10 Exams Commence 27 November - Year 10 Exams Conclude 4 – 6 December - Year 10 Camp
recommendation is that these be used at home so that students are not carrying heavy bags to and from school each day. A separate list will be made available to parents for stationery requirements for subject areas, including Visual Art. This will also include information about the minimum requirements for BYO devices. More information can be found on our school website here. Presentation Night The Presentation Night for Year 7 to Year 11 students will be held at 6:00 pm on Monday 9 December at St George’s Cathedral. This is a compulsory event for all students. Parents, guardians and guests are welcome to attend. RSVPs can be emailed to info@stgeorges.wa.edu.au by Monday 2 December. Parents and guardians of students receiving awards will be informed prior to the evening. An email will be sent to all families regarding the supervision of students who choose to stay at school at the end of that day before attending the Presentation Night. 9 December - Year 7 - 11 Presentation Evening
Box of Books A letter was emailed to all families of the change in textbook suppliers. This change was necessary due to the closure of LearningField as at the end of this year. Box of Books was chosen as our preferred supplier as their platform will allow parents to purchase digital textbooks that students can access from a single sign in portal. Parents will also have the option to purchase physical textbooks, although the
11 December - Final Day Term 4 Year 7 – 11. Day concludes at 3.30pm.
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It is an expectation that all students attend school camp. Students who do not attend camp will not be accommodated at school with an alternate program.
Angela Tanham Curriculum Coordinator
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From the Head of Pastoral Mr Hilton Hardman
Exciting development: PAWS 2020 Pastoral Care continues to be a key focus at St George’s, and we are currently planning for next year. After our parent guest speaker on Study Skills, it was clear that this was an area both our parents and students were seeking support. With this in mind we have looked to expand this current level of support in our PAWS program. I am very excited to announce that St George’s Anglican Grammar will be making use of Red Tick Education next year. Red Tick Education has been providing user-friendly study skills resources to schools throughout Australia and New Zealand for over 12 years. Currently over 10% of schools throughout Australia have introduced their study skills material to students, parents and staff.
Have more confidence when preparing for examinations Develop usable strategies to apply when challenged with difficulty reduce stress and tension surrounding study. The PAWS program continues to grow and ensure it meets the current needs of our students. Red Tick Education is only one of the many new programs to be introduced in 2020. School activities bringing our students together During week four, our Student Mentors set up nine activities that took place in different areas of the school. The main focus around this was for students in different year groups to be able to interact over activities that they share similar interests. These activities were: Dodgeball, Board Games, Karaoke, Mandela Art, Just Dance, Walking to Elizabeth Quay, Letters to Neil, Kahoot’s and Study session for those Year 10’s and 11’s looking to prepare for their exams.
One of the products our student will benefit from will be the customised A2 sized Student Wall Planner. With the daily application of the Student Wall Planner with Digital Study Skills Resource, our students will learn to: Set realistic goals Create effective homework and study routines Accept greater responsibility for managing their time Accept greater responsibility for managing their learning
Interaction amongst our year groups has always been something we promote as a school, and it links in with our Pastoral Framework. This event was planned and run by students for the students. Thank you to all Student Mentors for making this happen and continuing to seek ways to support our student’s and maintain our culture of supporting each other.
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Hilton Hardman Head of Pastoral
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From the IT Manager Mr Jason Wakefield
Trend Micro Monthly Report Purchasing a BYO 36 files cleaned Device 39 files quarantined It’s nearly that time of 115 total virus/malware types year again! You may be 24 total spyware/grayware types thinking about purchasing a device as a NB: 3 out of 5 computers with virus/malware detections are MacBooks gift for your child this Christmas. TIPS OF THE WEEK - Windows Keystroke Shortcuts Use these Windows keystroke shortcuts to handle common activities, such as cutting and pasting text, quickly and easily, or to open key windows. Please take careful consideration into which Key or Keystroke Combination Effect Ctrl+X Cuts the selected text or object device and its specifications.You want your Copies the selected text or child to have a device that will keep up with Ctrl+C object the demands of multiple software Ctrl+V Pastes copied or cut text or applications running at the same time Eg.: object Researching using a web browser and taking Ctrl+Z Undoes the previous action notes in Microsoft Word or OneNote. Alt+Tab Switches between currently open app We have established a new site page to Windows Key Displays the Start menu assist you with choosing a BYO device Win+S Opens Cortana here: https://www.stgeorges.wa.edu.au/parOpens Cortana in Listening ents-students/information-technology/byod- Win+C mode what-do-i-need/. At the very least, please Displays the Settings window adhere to the minimum specifications listed Win+I Win+L Locks your computer there, for example, “Intel Atom, Pentium, Win+X Display the Desktop menu Celeron or equivalent AMD central Win+A Displays the Action Center processing units (CPU) are not Win+E Displays File Explorer recommended. They lack the required Win+Tab Displays Task View processing speed.” And be encouraged to use our partnership with StottHoare for education pricing on business grade notebooks plus accessory, support and warranty choices too. Please do not hesitate to email them here. A BYOD web portal is coming soon! 10
The IT department recycles your household batteries. Please use this FREE facility to dispose of all your expired batteries (not including car and phone batteries). The bin can be found in the IT Manager’s office on level 1. More info here. St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
If you have missed any of our IT articles this year, I encourage you to have a read of them here as they may contain information that could help you out in your everyday life with technology. One such article covered information regarding a home internet safety product from Disney. More information here: https:// cybersafehouse.com
Jason Wakefield IT Manager
School News Student Term Dates - 2020 Term 1 30 January - 9 April New Student Orientation 29 January Students Mid Term Break, Friday 28 February Term 2 30 April - 3 July Students Mid Term Break, Friday 29 May Term 3 27 July - 25 September New Student Orientation 24 July Students Mid Term Break, Friday 21 August Term 4 13 October - 9 December 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. 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. Upon withdrawal of a student from the School, all fees and charges incurred for that student are payable to the School in full within seven days of exit. 12
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. SEQTA The St George’s Anglican Grammar School SEQTA account is not assigned to a staff member and, therefore, is not monitored. Please contact the staff member directly to ensure prompt action to your message. Uniform Shop Matrix Uniforms will be taking appointments for fittings starting from December. Appointments can be made by calling 6148-5000 or sales@matrixuniforms. com.au The Matrix showroom, 1 Hassler Road, Osborne Park will be open until 19 December at 4.00 pm and will reopen on the 6 January 2020. Any online orders that are placed during the holidays will be delivered to the school on Tuesday 28 January 2020. We will also open on a Saturday in January, the week before school starts, on 1 February 2020 from 9.00 am – 12.30 pm for the working community that can’t visit the showroom any other time. The Science Department needs your help! Donations of any old working fish tank accessories will be gratefully received to fit out our 2 new fish tanks. We are seeking the following: • Gravel; • Lights; St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
• Filter and Air pumps; • Decorations (Plastic plants etc); and • Large sheets of acrylic or polystyrene. Also, any ice cream containers (any size, with or without lids) will also be accepted. Students can bring their donations in directly to the Science department or their Science teacher.
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