Newsletter
ST GEORGE’S ANGLICAN GRAMMAR SCHOOL Edition Two 22 February 2019
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.
Contents From the Principal 3 From the Head of Curriculum 7 From the Head of Pastoral 9
From the Head of Health and Physical Education
11
From the Music Coordinator 13 Community Noticeboard 15
From the Principal Mr Gary Racey
Well, the School Term is certainly off to a flying start. The students and staff are keeping extraordinarily busy and the holidays are now a far-off memory. The place is abuzz, which is exactly how we like it! We continue to have significant increase in interest in the school, with enrolments constantly on the rise, so please tell your family and friends to secure an enrolment before it is too late – one space has become available in Year 7 so tell them to grab it! It was interesting in reading the Sunday Times on 3 February regarding the State Government having the first high-rise school firmly on their agenda. This inaccurate representation of education within our city is disappointing to say the least; however, the newspaper did publish
my response on behalf of our school in the form of a ‘Letter to the Editor’. A copy of the article is on the next page if you missed it.
New Parent Sundowner
Such a wonderful evening was hosted at the school for new parents to St George’s on Friday 15 February. With over 100 parents in attendance, it certainly indicates our community is a strong and engaged one. Thank you to all who attended – I hope you enjoyed it as much as the staff! As I have said previously, St George’s is about relationships, caring for one another and working together, both families and staff to provide the optimal experience and education possible. This is where it all starts! Thank you to Mrs Karen Van Rooyen for her incredible attention to detail, coordination and preparation in presenting such a wonderful night, in addition to our
Café and general staff who helped prepare the food and to pack up afterwards. Thank you also to the Mr Matt Holden and Mrs Clair Chatel-Holden for their support via their wine and beer distribution business, called Grape and Grain. They have certainly led from the front in supporting our school, which is greatly appreciated.
Year 12 Ball
I had the pleasure of attending the Year 12 School Ball on Saturday, 9 February, which was held at The Duxton Hotel. The Ball was attended by current students, invited guests from other schools, and a number of our School staff. It was great to see the young adults of our community enjoying themselves and engaging with each other on this most special of occasions. Mrs Katie Fassom and Mr Peter Quan (Heads of House) organised this event, along with the members of the Year 12 Ball Committee and should be commended on their commitment to ensuring that the Year 12’s school year started in such a successful way.
Parent Handbook / SEQTA
A reminder that we have recently launched a Parent/Student Handbook, which is a one stop shop for families seeking particular information. This can be accessed via the SEQTA portal. Additionally, parents/carers are reminded to regularly access SEQTA to be kept informed regarding key information about your child/children’s performance and results, and to see any formative feedback, which is a key priority 3
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
for the School this year.
Child Protection
It is hoped that all families took the time to read the separate communication I forwarded regarding the Child Protection Framework that the School works within and associated Protective Behaviours Curriculum. Child Protection is an absolute priority in our organisation, and it is important parents/carers understand the policies and programs we have in place to keep your child/children safe. The documents can both be found on SEQTA within the Parent Handbook and on our website here.
Parent Register / Annual Survey
Thank you to those families who have added their names to the Parent Register, which will be made available to all staff in order to request the offered support when required. We can’t thank you enough. Additionally, you will have received a parent survey recently, which you are encouraged to complete. This will become an annual survey for longitudinal data collection, which will help guide the school each year in its development of the annual School Improvement Plan. Thanks in advance for your time.
Graduating class of 2018 – Student celebration - Performing Arts Perspectives Our school community will be pleased to know that two St George’s 2018 leavers made it into the Performing Arts
Edition 2 2019 4
From the Principal cont. Perspectives event to be held at the Perth Concert Hall on 27 March 2019, after a very competitive audition process. Dylan Merrick and Massimo McKie are two of only six WA drama students who will be performing at this year’s event and are the first to represent St Georges. Dylan will be performing his Original Solo Performance (see photo of Dylan dressed as Harry Truman) and Massimo will be performing his monologue. I will be in attendance, along with a number of our staff and the Year 11 Drama class. Tickets for the Performing Arts Perspectives show on 27 March 2019 are available online via Perth Concert Hall here.
Gary Racey
Principal
5
Pictured right: The Sunday Times ‘Letter to the Editor’.
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
Edition 1 2019 4
From the Head of Curriculum Mrs Angela Tanham
SEQTA
The learning management system used by the School is called SEQTA. Parents/ Guardians, along with students, have access to this management system and can track their child’s academic progress as well as comments by teaching staff that have been entered into the system. For parents/guardians it is called SEQTA Engage. Please log into this valuable feedback tool regularly, to keep informed about your child’s progress. If you experience trouble logging-on to SEQTA contact the IT help desk at ITsupport@stgeorges.wa.edu.au
Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA)
The first round of the Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) testing is scheduled for Weeks 6, 7 and 8 of this term. Students in Years 10, 11 and 12 who have not yet demonstrated Category 3 Standard for Numeracy, Reading or Writing will have an opportunity to do so at this time. Personalized emails have been sent home to all parents/guardians informing them of which component(s) their child is required to sit. Students are encouraged to speak to their English and Mathematics teachers to obtain further assistance. 7
Students can also go to website http://assess.scsa.wa.edu.au/ (Username: 1140 and Password: prac14) to access example and practice tests.
Homework
Parents often ask me about homework and how much time students should be spending each evening completing homework. In the St George’s Parent Handbook, we state that the purpose of giving students homework in the early years of secondary school is primarily to develop a habit of working independently at home for a period of time. This time will gradually increase as students move in the later years of secondary schooling. Just because a student isn’t given set homework by a teacher, doesn’t meant they have nothing to do for that subject. The homework time should be spent revising the concepts learnt in class that day and putting together study notes for future assessments.
Angela Tanham Head of Curriculum
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newslette
Edition 2 2019 8
From the Head of Pastoral Mr Hilton Hardman
The vision for PAWS continues with the focus shifting to the incorporation of Elevate Education and Enhanced Learning Educational Services. These programs look to equip students with the necessary skills needed to progress through school, while limiting the stress around how to study and prepare for the academic year. Elevate Education has been viewed as the world’s leading study skills partner and will be available for Years 10 – 12. During week four, guest speakers delivered a topic for each year, and the PCG tutors will run a 6-week Teacher Implementation course specific to that outline. The program has been broken down into the following topics:
different types of work they can do in preparation for exams, and which are the most effective. • Fixing mistakes • The students are shown how to identify exactly what they’re currently doing wrong on mock exams and practice papers, and how to ensure these mistakes are not made in the exam room. • Allocation of time • Students are taken through a step-by-step process to ensure preparation is completed weeks in advance. • Exam room techniques including stress management, planning, time allocation and how to tailor a succinct, focused answer.
Time Management Year 11
This seminar addresses the second most common question: “Once I know what to do, how do I find the time to do it?” Students have busy lives and for most the challenge is simply finding time to get the work done. Ace Your Exams Year 12 Skills covered: With the arrival of exams knowing the • Study routine and how to develop a study material is no longer enough. It now routine that allows for socialising, sport and becomes a case of application. The extra- curricular activities but still ensures question for many students is: “How do I productivity. • Working smart take all the work I have done and turned it • How to identify the work that is going to into the marks I deserve?” This seminar get students the most marks across their outlines the critical exam skills that will allow them to excel in the exam room, while final years and how to ensure that it gets also demonstrating that exams are not just done. • Students are shown how to leverage their about the exam room - the preparation is time across the year by using study groups. where the marks are. This is a particularly powerful academic Skills covered: • Effective work technique for those students who are • Students are introduced to the time-poor. 9
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
Students are introduced to the most common reasons underlying procrastination and how to manage them, if not eliminate them.
Study Sensei Year 10
Address the question: “What is study?” This seminar breaks down the study techniques of the top students, providing students with a road-map for what work they need to be doing across the year and how to do it. Skills covered: • Working consistently • How to get notes done during the term, instead of just before exams. • Note taking • How to get the ideas students have extracted from their readings into an organised set of notes that will facilitate effective learning. • Conceptual learning skills • Teaching students how to break the information into its relevant parts as opposed to simply rote-learning the material. • Standing out on assessment • How to distinguish oneself from the thousands of other students being taught the same material.
summary sheets, worksheets, articles and links, online polls, facility to submit questions, helpful grids and planners. Year 7’s will cover some of the following topics: • Home study environment • Organisation and filing • Time management skills • Managing workload • Summarising • Active studying, starting secondary school. Year 8 and 9’s will cover: • Dealing with distractions • Goal setting • Lifestyle and balance • Classroom skills • Asking for help • Dealing with conflict • Groupwork skills • Bullying Issues and strategies. Parents are able to track student progress through the log-in details provided by the Head of Curriculum in the first newsletter.
Hilton Hardman Head of Pastoral
Our Year 7 – 9 students will be working through the online Study Skills Handbook created by Enhanced Learning Education Services. In addition to the huge amount of content, the systematic program for students to work through includes: online quizzes, Edition 2 2019 10
From the Head of Health and Physical Education Ms Jodie Scheele
We were blessed with perfect weather and an amazing venue to host our 2019 Inter-House Swimming Carnival, held yesterday at the UWA Aquatics Centre. There was some incredible swimming performance where students swam with tenacity and skill. We also saw many students challenge themselves by entering the pool to represent their House and swim to their best of their ability. It certainly is a highlight to see the courage, the commitment and the level of camaraderie at our School carnivals. I congratulate all students on their performance and
representation, and on their willingness to “dive” in and have a go! The School’s tradition of “Sync Swim” is a highlight of the Inter-House Carnival where students work hard at perfecting their team’s synchronisation, choreography and formations in the pool, timing is to a mash-up of songs. It was great to have past St George’s students attend to judge the event and also the expertise of one of the UWA Human Movement academics, Mr Martin Anderson.
124 points 120 points 113 points
As you can see the final points for the Sync Swim event tally was very close, there was not much between the Houses.
Overall Results
Gandhi House Lincoln House Mandela House
1296 1036 886
Congratulations to Gandhi House - you got the hattrick this year!
Sync Swim Results Senior Competition Gandhi House Mandela House Lincoln House
Gandhi House Mandela House Lincoln House
126 points 123 points 106.5 points
Junior Competition
It has been pleasing to witness an increase in the number of parents attending the School Carnivals and I would like to pass on the School’s gratitude for taking the time to attend this event. Finally, I would like to sincerely thank the incredible dedication and efforts of my
colleagues. They step into unfamiliar roles time after time and work together to ensure every carnival is successful while doing it with grace, good humour and always a smile! In the coming week I will be announcing the 2019 ACC Inter-School Swimming Team who will compete at HBF Stadium on Tuesday the 19th of March and will be led by our Team Captains, Eliza Griffin and Elijah Sparrow. Swimming training is strongly encouraged for the team members and is continuing every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 6:30 am at Mercedes Swimming Pool. School Bathers are essential for all team members. A final congratulations to everyone who took part and made the event such a success!
Jodie Scheele
Head of Health and Physical Education
Inter-House Swimming Carnival Results
11
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
Division
Champion
Runner-up
Sportsmanship Award
U/13 Girls
Zara Brown
Arianne Lienert
U/13 Boys
William Owen
Harry Joyner
U/13 Matilda Thetford
U/14 Girls
Milla Howard
Bonnie Baugh
U/14 Boys
Alexander Brits
Tristan Bow
U/15 Girls
Alexandra Griffin
Leah Italiano
U/15 Boys
Harry Maude
Jeremy Webb
Open Girls
Eliza Griffin
Cosette Pachioli
Open Boys
Elijah Sparrow
Jack Blatchford
U/14 Katherine Mullaney U/15 Michael Bowman Open Findlay Samuelson
Edition 2 2019 12
From the Music Coordinator Mr Michael Newton
Over the past few weeks the ElectroCity Ensemble has been rehearsing for, and performing at the 2019 FRINGE WORLD Festival, the 3rd largest fringe festival in the world. Their first performance was at Old Custom House in Fremantle on 7 February.
Muso Profile
This was an amazing and successful night as a lot of people came to the show and we sold many CD’s. The second and final performance was at The Actors’ Hub in East Perth on 12 February. This was a major success and a sell-out show.
4. Why should other people do music? Because it’s great fun and a great way to get to know students in other years.
Electrocity Ensemble has an EP (‘Reflections’) available for $5.00 from First Floor Reception. It’s a very strong recording and definitely worth a listen!
Eliza Webb
1. What instrument(s) do you play? French Horn, Piano, Guitar, Bass and Voice. 2. What first got you interested in Music? My parents and loving musicals. 3. What’s the best thing about Music at St George’s? Being able to be to be in heaps of bands and being a smaller school means there are more opportunities available.
5. What’s your advice for anyone learning Music? Pursuit and find something you love about it.
Coming Up & Opportunities 21 March – On The Roof Concert
Michael Newton Music Coordinator 13
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
Edition 2 2019 14
Community Noticeboard Please click the below brochure images to view the details of the upcoming Academic Task Force Master Classes.
Careers
‘What do I want to study?’ & ‘Where do I want to study?’ UWA If you’re feeling like there must be other 18 March Years 10 and 11 Course Informtion options out there than the major two or three local unis then this event is for you. Evening, Alexander Lecture Theatre Faculty and Student life expo 6:00 pm If you want to know what life might be like Presentation 7:00 – 8:00 pm as a freshman at a US college or as a first year student in the UK, then this event is for 18 March Year 12 Course Information you. evening Presentation 7:00 pm Faculty and Student life expo 8:00 - 9:00 pm If you want to find the university that is perfectly suited to you - with the most inspiring professors, cutting edge facilities To register for either of these events visit and global opportunities at your feet, then https://study.uwa.edu.au/events this event is for you!
Perth to The Ivy League and Beyond: Where Your ATAR Can Take You 26 February 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm, St Catherine’s College, Crawley
The choice you make after high school is likely to be the first life-changing decision you’ll make.
By the end of this event, you’ll come away knowing how US and UK universities will prepare you for the rapidly changing future of work and how the immersive campus experience will challenge you to grow as a person more than anything you have done before! To find out more about this event and to register your attendance click here
That choice is usually made up of two questions:
15
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
Edition 2 2019 16