Newsletter
ST GEORGE’S ANGLICAN GRAMMAR SCHOOL Edition Nine 21 June 2019
WAM Song of the Year Award nominees SGAGS ElectroCity Ensemble
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 .......................................................................................................... 1 From the School Council ............................................................................................. 3 From the Head of Curriculum .................................................................................... 5 From the Head of Pastoral .......................................................................................... 7 From the Head of Health and Physical Education .............................................. 9 From the Head of Mathematics and Science ....................................................... 11 From the IT Manager .................................................................................................... 13 School News ................................................................................................................... 15
From the Principal Mr Gary Racey
SGAGS School Council – Expressions of Interest A rare and exciting opportunity has become available for a position on our School Council. Please refer to the advertisement within this newsletter for further details. Strategic Plan The final draft of the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan has been presented to School Council, who are now completing their review, and hence we enter the conclusion of the Plan’s development. It is an outstanding document that reflects the feedback and input from all members of our community, as provided during the consultation process, and leads the School into a very exciting phase. The Plan will be formally launched in Term 4 of this year. Eliza Griffin – ACC Cross Country All Star and Letterman Award Congratulations to Eliza Griffin who has
recently been awarded her Associated and Catholic Colleges (ACC) Letters, following the 2019 Cross Country carnival. To achieve Letters, a student has to be selected in the ACC All Star team for Swimming, Cross Country or Athletics for at least 4 years, which Eliza achieved after coming second in the ACC Cross Country event in 2019. This is the highest individual accolade awarded by the ACC, so it is a remarkable achievement. Eliza will be presented with her Letters by the CEO of the ACC in an upcoming whole school assembly. ASC Piano Competition Congratulations to all participants from St George’s who were part of the ASC Piano Competition on 19 June. Unfortunately, I had a prior commitment this year so missed out in watching our incredible performers, but the feedback from staff and colleagues from our school and others has been wonderful. Nearly all of our participants were in their first year of competition and each should be commended on how they handled the pressure. Particular note should be given to Ronan Dixon who was 1st in the Diversity Category, 2nd in the Excellence Category, and 1st overall. If you have ever seen Ronan perform you will know why he has achieved such lofty heights.
congratulate Mr Newton and his team for the support and guidance in presenting real-life experiences for our young musicians. The winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony at the Hyatt on 26 June, which our students will attend – an exciting experience in itself! Regardless of the outcome, we are so very proud of the group and look forward to hearing more of their original work in the years to come. Music Festival Thankyou to families who shared the evening at the school for the Music Festival on Thursday night. These events are always a highlight for me and provides another opportunity to remain connected with our parent body. I hope those who attended enjoyed the night as much as I did.
times. St George’s takes our social responsibility and pastoral care of our young people extremely seriously and this is another example of this. Thanks to Mr Lim for his coordination of this event. The Block The Pastoral Care Group (PCG) ‘Block’ Competition has come to an exciting end following a number of weeks of design and preparation from staff and students.
Congratulations goes to 7 Lincoln, Miss Carrick’s PCG, who have created a warm, Lincoln House Charity Day What an amazing day we had on Friday 21 inviting and practical space. This group will June, as led by Lincoln House. Headspace is be treated to a lunch in the city with the Executive Team in Week 10 of Term 2. such an incredible cause and the fundraiser/day of awareness was wonderfully supported by both students and staff. I encourage families to seek out The Headspace website, which has numerous resources for families who may require some direction/guidance at various
Blessings
Gary Racey Principal
WAM Award – Song of the Year Our ElectroCity Ensemble continues to move and shake the music world after being nominated for a 2019 WAM Award for Song of the Year. To be nominated out of 1400 applicants suggests how impressive our entry is, and I again 1
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
ASC Piano Competition
From the School Council School Council Member On behalf of Council of the St George’s Anglican Grammar School, a school of the Anglican Schools Commission, we are delighted to invite expressions of interest for a position on School Council. Now in its fifth year, the St George’s Anglican Grammar School is located in the heart of the Perth CBD and provides an ideal environment for students to engage in authentic and future focused education. Students explore learning in a dynamic and relevant context, using the resources of our City as an extension of the classroom. See www.stgeorges.wa.edu.au for further information on the school. Council seeks to appoint an additional member to the already strong team.
Ideally you will bring professional experience on a Board or Council and perhaps have some background related to secondary or tertiary education. Our preference is also that Council members are connected to the Perth CBD in some way. Intending applicants should be aware that Council will give preference to participating members of an Anglican Church. People interested in considering this opportunity are encouraged to contact Geoff Blades on 9221 0744 or geoff@lesterblades.com.au for a preliminary confidential discussion. Alternatively, please forward your expression of interest/Resume to applications@lesterblades.com.au quoting reference number LB302292. Chair of Council, Stephanie Buckland, welcoming new parents to St George’s.
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From the Head of Curriculum Mrs Angela Tanham
What to Do When an Exam Doesn’t Go Well By now, students in Year 10, 11 and 12 will have received the marks back for most of their Semester 1 exams. As the mum of a Year 10 student, I have experienced first hand the stress of preparing for exams, the relief when they are over and the disappointment if final results weren’t exactly what were hoped for. It is important that students have resilience around exam results and maintain perspective. My advice to students did not receive the marks they wanted is: • Your results don’t define you and they are not the only road to achievement in life. • Try not to be overly critical of yourself. Look at the situation with some balance. It is a setback, nothing more. • Look for the learning experience. What can you do differently next time to • improve? • Let your parents know you need their support and understanding. Ask them to listen to what this means to you and to help you plan the next step. We are proud of how all of our students at St George’s handled the Semester 1 exams and we are all here to help them continue with their study in a positive and productive manner. 5
Year 11 2020 Information Evening A reminder that the Information Evening for parents and guardians of current Year 10 students who will be entering Year 11 2020 will be held in room 3.5 on Thursday 27 June commencing at 6:00pm. The Subject Selection handbook is available to view under the Documents tab on SEQTA Engage.
subject teachers. Venues include UWA, Notre Dame, Churchlands Senior High school, Perth College, Perth Modern and Rossmoyne Senior High School. Further information about the courses and how to enrol can be found at the following links: www.academicassociates.com.au www.academictaskforce.com.au www.teeconsultants.com.au
Semester One Reports and Parent Teacher Interviews Semester One Reports for all students will be available on SEQTA Engage after 3:30pm on Friday 5 July. The reports provide parents, guardians and students with important feedback as to the progress students have made across the semester and where they need to apply improvement both in class and at home. For parents and guardians who wish to discuss their child’s progress with individual teachers, Parent Teacher Interviews will be held on Thursday 8 August from 1.30 pm. Parents will be able to book times on the school interviews website after 3:30 pm on Friday 29 June until Monday 5 August. The link to access this website will be sent to all parents in a separate email. Students are encouraged to attend these interviews with their parents or guardians.
Notre Dame University Early Offer Program The Early Offer Program at Notre Dame acknowledges and rewards achievements of outstanding Year 12 students by simplifying their access to programs at the University. Applications for the Early Offer Program are due by 5pm Wednesday 31 July 2019 Late applications will not be accepted. If a student accepts their Early Offer to Notre Dame, they still have the option of applying and being offered a place at another university. More information and a copy of the application form can be found here https://www.notredame.edu.au/study/ early-offer/early-offer-fremantle
Revision Courses During the July school holidays a number of organisations run revision courses for Year 11 and 12 ATAR subjects. Revision courses give students the opportunity to revise course content, prepare for exams and learn to maximise exam performance and are presented by experienced ATAR St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
Careers Murdoch University Admission Pathways Open Night Date: Wednesday 3 July 2019 6:00 – 7:30 pm Whether you are looking for a Plan B, or won’t have an ATAR, we’ll help you find your pathway to Murdoch and support you along the way. https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/undergraduate-students/events-and-resources/ future-students
Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Conservation, Environmental Management, Marine Biology and more. Joondalup Campus Date: Thursday 4 July 6:00 – 7:00 pm Campus Tour Join your tour guide and check out the facilities on-campus and in some of our schools. Mount Lawley Campus Date: Tuesday 9 July 11:00 am – 12:00 pm International Night For international students in Perth – covers courses, entry requirements and plenty more Mount Lawley Campus Date: Tuesday 9 July 6:00 – 7:00 pm Campus Tour Join your tour guide and check out the facilities on-campus and in some of our schools. Joondalup Campus Date: Wednesday 10 July 11:00am – 12:00pm https://www.ecu.edu.au/future-students/ events University of Western Australia Year 12 Individual Advisory Sessions Designed to help answer in-depth questions about UWA courses, admission requirements and more. Date: 15, 16 and 17 July https://study.uwa.edu.au/events/ year-12-individual-advisory-sessions-2019
Edith Cowan University Science Showcase Evening Edition 9 2019 6
From the Head of Pastoral Mrs Hilton Hardman
how to be. • Try to take a breath or a step back before launching into the emotionally charged conversations. • Ask yourself whether the timing is right. Should you wait to have the conversation until you or the other person has calmed down or until some time has passed to give slightly more perspective on what has happened? • Think about your tone of voice; often, the issue is not with what is said but how it is said. Having said that, what we say is important too. My mum always This is an ongoing task and, at times, a said, “If you have nothing nice to say, say difficult one. The tricky thing about respect nothing”. is that it is multi-faceted; it requires • Remember that you are no more consideration of self, others, society and special than the next person. Everyone the environment within which we live and has people who consider them to be operate. And it can be very easy at the the most important, but that’s the point, moment to allow our emotion to cloud our everyone is important to someone. responses. This is a challenge for our • Try to look for the hidden value in students, as they are still in the phase of others; it is always there. their lives where they are learning to • Be kind. In my house our main rule is if master their emotions. you can be only one thing, be kind. And I do realise that we are all more than one Being respectful sometimes requires us to thing, the point is more that it’s the main put others first, but we certainly don’t want thing we should aim for. our young people to learn that they are not • And of course, a Golden Rule; treat important, or that they should not stand up others how you want to be treated. for themselves and what they believe. The Think about how you want people to trick is in getting them to do this speak and act toward you and model respectfully. that. People will not behave respectfully toward you if they do not ever see you We don’t necessarily explicitly teach being respectful. respect, and this perhaps makes the task • Finally, be willing to apologise more difficult, although we do tackle it at legitimately. An honest and heartfelt times in our PAWS sessions. A few easy rules “sorry” is one of the most powerful for us all to try to remember can help us words in existence. be respectful and teach our young people
Lincoln Charity Day Today, our school celebrated Lincoln House Charity day. This day looked to raise funds for Headspace who focus on Mental Health for youth. The day had several activities being run in a carnival-like atmosphere at Supreme Court Gardens. The following activities were included, Inflatable obstacle course, Inflatable gladiator ring and
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Respect A quality that we value above many others at St George’s is respect. We aim to model it every day in our behaviours toward each other, and we try to teach it to our students an all-encompassing understanding of what it is to be respectful.
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
Superhero sumo suits. PCG activities included: • Year 7’s – Face paint/glitter • Year 8’s - Food / Food game • Year 9’s – Pie face (shaving cream pies) • Year 10’s – Fair games (knock down the pins, get a ball in the basket etc.) • Year 11’s Fairy floss machine
From the Head of Health and Physical Education Ms Jodie Scheele
18th Round ACC Lettermen 2019 Following Mr Racey’s congratualtions to Year 11 student, Eliza Griffin in his article. On behalf of the School, I would like to sincerely congratulate Eliza and her family. This award reflects Eliza’s incredible discipline, commitment and dedication to her training schedule whilst balancing her School commitments and other interests. She placed second at the ACC Cross Country out of a total of 309 competitors on her Open Division.
Eliza’s sister, Ali Griffin, also placed second in her Under 15 Division race. Eliza has achieved the highest individual accolade awarded by the Associated and Catholic Colleges of WA (ACC). She has been selected in the ACC “ALL STARS” Cross Country Team for the fourth year, which qualifies her for this award. All Star teams are honorary teams comprised of the top 9
performers across all schools and divisions for Swimming, Cross Country and Athletics. When a student achieves selection in the All Stars team for their fourth year they are awarded ACC Letters. With 80 schools within the ACC this is a remarkable achievement. The Award will be presented by the ACC Director of Sport, Mr Kyle March, at our End of Term Assembly on July 5.
NWAS This is the last week of NWAS, with our final game against Aranmore Catholic College. I commend students on their commitment to the teams and their effort and performance in NWAS. We improved with each fixture as teams began to work cohesively. Many thanks to the dedication
of my colleagues who commit their time to coaching and travelling with the teams each week. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Jodie Scheele
Head of Health and Physical Education
Athletics Students have commenced their Athletics program in their PE classes to prepare them for the up-and-coming Athletics Carnival which will be taking place in the first weeks of Term 3. Following the Inter-House Carnival, selected students will represent the School at the ACC H-Division Carnival, which is on September 6 at the State Athletics Centre, HBF Stadium. City to Surf A reminder to all avid runners out there to register for the inaugural 2019 St George’s Team for the City to Surf which takes place on 25 August. You can enter as a St George’s Team member under any of the race distances. Just follow this link: https:// www.registernow.com.au/secure/Register. aspx?E=32941&G=93152 Every Thursday we will be heading down to the Swan River or up to Kings Park for a training run. This is open to the entire St George’s community. Meet in the Fitness Centre 4:00 pm. St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
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From the Head of Mathematics and Science Ms Charlotte Donovan
Despite the pressure of examinations and end of term tests, our students are are still managing to incorporate great learning opportunities into their Science studies.
Year 12 Human Biology students were able to use Biotech Out of the Box and their understanding of Biotechnology techniques to profile DNA, looking for a specific gene mutation. Our Year 7’s trooped off to Perth Zoo, and despite the inclimate weather managed to use their skills in Classifying to work their way around the zoo, spotting some amazing animals.
Year 10’s have been solving crimes using their understanding of DNA sequencing. They took the responsibility very seriously, and were successful in determining who did the crime!
The Big Science Competition is held annually, and allows students from Years 7–9 to test their Science Skills and knowledge against other students across Australia and New Zealand.
Year 12’s have been using their Titration skills to provide practical experience toward learning their Chemistry syllabus. Some students will also be representing St George’s at the Titration Stakes next Tuesday – we wish them the best of luck for the competition!
We were very proud of all students who took part, and many students received excellent results. Certificates will be presented at the end of term assembly and also in class. Another big term in Science! Stay tuned for next term, where we Celebrate National Science Week!
Year 11’s returned from their examinations and went straight back into dissecting! Dissections form an integral part of the Year Charlotte Donovan 11 Human Biology course, and the students Head of Mathematics and Science love learning about what the inside of their body is like and how it functions.
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Year 7 Results Credit Distinction High Distinction Zara Brown Taylor Buller Harry Stubbs-Denny James Claricoates William Corcoran Sadie Tibbitts Sarah Clayson Isaac Holden Clare Cohen Serena Lee Cameron Jones Linus Miller Matilda Thetford William Moesker Cooper Zuidveld Hamish Monk William Owen Olivia Reed Carly Rumley-Lima Jamie Schutze-Byrne Emily Shoebridge Jackson Sparrow Year 8 Results Credit Distinction High Distinction Jordynn Brown Harrison Flower Austin Aggiss Benjamin Gardner Zachary Gilmour James Pardo Milla Howard Ethan Phillips Samuel Plowman Ethan Lane Ethan Nana Tom Sweeney Ellie Townley Year 9 Results Credit Distinction High Distinction Ela Findlater Ella John Jeremy Webb Kaelan Harwood Lachlan Mitchell Jake Simpson Frederick Wood Edition 1 2019 12
From the IT Manager Mr Jason Wakefield
Brave Browser Brave is the latest unique browser to join the everexpanding market. The open source and free browser from Brave Software Inc. has positioned itself as the browser that loads faster with better privacy protection. Brave keeps data safe and provides users with the power to save or delete it. It features a built-in ad tracker and blocker. Unlike most common browsers, Brave also helps to fight phishing and malware.
ed.com/brave-browser-review-2019-whatmakes-brave-browser-special/ I encourage you to have a go. Who doesn’t want to be safer and more secure when browsing the Internet? https://brave.com/ Anti-virus A reminder to please make sure your devices are protected by a reputable anti-virus program.
It is school policy to have an active anti-virus installed on all computers using the school network so please take advantage of our free offering of Trend Micro found on the student’s SEQTA Learn home page. Instructions can Currently, this is my browser be found under SEQTA > Documents > of choice. I particularly like the Trend Micro for Students loading speed, privacy (anti-tracking) and adBattery Recycling blocking features. It also has Don’t forget we recycle your household an in-built feature to try to first batteries. Please use this FREE facility to connect securely to the website you are safely dispose all your expired batteries (not visiting over SSL (secure socket layer) – including car and phone batteries). The bin keeping you safer when online browsing can be found in the IT Manager’s office on the web. As it is based on the open-source level 1. Let’s reduce landfill waste together. code – Chromium – you can add Google Tip of the Week Chrome extensions in this browser. Handy Windows Keyboard Shortcuts A comprehensive 2019 review on this browser can be viewed at https://zerocrypt- • To take a screenshot of the active
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window only: Press Alt + Print Screen. To delete one word at a time: Press Ctrl + Backspace. To open applications on the taskbar: Press Windows key + Sequence number of the application. Do the same to minimize/maximize it. To open Windows Explorer: Press Windows key + E To lock your computer: Press Windows key + L To highlight text in a web page: Click on the starting point, then press Shift + Click on the ending point. No more mouse dragging especially long text highlights.
Make sure you read the next article for the first part of our overview of the entire Office
365 suite. If you have missed any of our IT articles this term, I encourage you to have a read of them here as they may contain information that could help you out in your everyday life. One article included information regarding a home internet safety product from Disney. More information at https://cybersafehouse.com
Jason Wakefield IT Manager
Brave browser stats
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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.
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.
of requests to advertise parent-run events in advance. As the events and details thereof are outside of the School’s control, we can no longer accept these requests or assist in the promotion of these events.
We do encourage parents to continue planning get-togethers, and are happy to include a photo and a short report on the activities in the newsletter after they have been held.
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 St George’s uniforms are purchased from Matrix Uniforms Showroom, 1 Hasler Road Osborne Park or online. Uniform fittings are available from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday. 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 Including: • Gravel; • Lights; • 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.
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.
Newsletter Advertising The School enjoys hearing news of St George’s parent community events but recently, the School has received a number
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