The Dragon | Edition 16 | 19 November 2021

Edition Sixteen 19 NOVEMBER 2021

THE DRAGON

Know le d g

e Faith S e r v

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FORTNIGHTLY NEWS AND EVENTS FOR ST GEORGE’S PARENTS

From the Principal Tina Campbell

I often sit and reflect on my thoughts besides a picture in my office by Rachel Castle entitled ‘Just Love’. It was given to me by a dear family friend and always makes me smile.

Rachel has spent the past 30 years creating beautiful pieces of work for the homeware industry and the Castle Brand has become a haven for lovers of all things sunny.

Coming together for our Remembrance Day Service at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we paused to reflect on the sacrifices made by all the men and women who gave their lives in service to their country, who may have returned home injured or ill, and to those who continue to bravely serve our country today.

The 103rd anniversary of the end of the First World War marked the first Remembrance Day in more than two decades where Australia was not involved in active conflict.

As the sunshine peaks through the clouds and we head towards the end of the 2021 school year and summer holidays, these words resonate strongly with me.

I JUST LOVE the St George’s students and all the many smiles and

laughter that they bring to my day.

The silence of the service was just beautiful, and the sea of red poppies placed lovingly on the Cathedral lawn whilst we stood to listen to the sounding of the Last Post was a magical and moving gesture to all that has allowed us to live and love our lives of peace and freedom.

I JUST LOVE the energy and excitement that I get each morning as

I drive into the city to our beautiful School.

I JUST LOVE the enthusiasm, passion, and collegiality of the St

George’s staff and the sense of family, community, and care that they create amongst each other and with our students on a daily basis.

As well as the Remembrance Day Service at St George’s Cathedral, the City of Perth itself came to a complete standstill in a minute of silence to honour Remembrance Day. It was indeed a time of reflection and contemplation in what is usually the hustle and bustle of city life.

I JUST LOVE what I do, and I JUST LOVE the energy and vibrancy of

this place, especially as we today welcomed our Year 7s, the future Class of 2027 for the second of their Transition Days.

We continued this reflective stance in our regular Chapel gathering on Monday with Rev Sarah leading the whole school through a meditation passage reminding us of the importance of quiet

A warm welcome to them to the St George’s School Family - a happy place to be!

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St. George's Anglican Grammar School – THE DRAGON

reflection, stillness, and balance in our everyday lives for our emotional wellbeing and overall health.

Curriculum Update Victoria Kelleher

The session was certainly a talking point on our walk back to School, some loved it, some did not. For me it was a wonderful part of the day as in the words of Arianna Huffington, ‘Meditation is not about stopping thoughts but recognising that we are more than our thoughts and feelings’.

Booklists 2022 We are pleased to announce our continued engagement with Box of Books for the provision of digital and physical education resources for the 2022 school year. A communication has been sent to all families through Direqt Message with a link to order your child’s books for 2022.

My hope is on reflection they saw the value in our time together and took something positive from the experience.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a time for quiet reflective thoughts in your lives.

For some subjects, you may already have the school prescribed texts in hard copy, either through siblings who have completed the subject in an earlier year, or through the purchase of the text separately to Box of Books. Where this is the case, please contact the Head of Learning Area to check whether a digital version of the text is also required.

Mrs Tina Campbell

“Meditation is not about stopping thoughts but recognizing that we are more than our thoughts and our feelings.”

Arianna Huffington

Head of Creative Arts

Carol Wohlnick cwohlnick@stgeorges.wa.edu.au

Head of Humanities, Technologies & Religion

Kath Kania kkania@stgeorges.wa.edu.au

Head of Health & Phys Ed

Jodie Scheele jscheele@stgeorges.wa.edu.au

Head of Languages

Damien Kerrigan dkerrigan@stgeorges.wa.edu.au

Head of Mathematics

Anthony Bochrinis abochrinis@stgeorges.wa.edu.au

Head of Performing Arts

Michael Newton mnewton@stgeorges.wa.edu.au

Head of Science

Charlotte Donovan cdonovan@stgeorges.wa.edu.au

Steps to order: 1. Visit Box of Books to create your parent/guardian/carer account 2. Add each student, nominating their school and year group 3. Select the items you wish to purchase from the booklist shown 4. Use the checkout to organise postage direct to your nominated address and payment

Year 10 Examinations A reminder Year 10 students will sit their Semester Two exams next Thursday 25 November (English and Science) and Friday 26 November (Maths and Humanities).

We wish them all the very best for their exams.

Mrs Victoria Kelleher Head of Curriculum

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Chaplain’s Corner

The Cathedral takes its name from the ‘Cathedra’ the Archbishop’s chair which is housed in the Cathedral. Our Cathedra is up at the high altar, carved into the marble. Cathedrals are the central church for a region or ‘diocese’, and hence St George’s Cathedral is ‘Mother Church’ for the Anglican Churches in Perth. The Cathedral is where the Diocesan services are held, such as ordinations, Chrism Mass and most worship gatherings of the Diocese. The Cathedral also functions as a public church where Sunday services are held and presided over by the Dean of the Cathedral and the Cathedral Clergy (including your Chaplain – who is Assistant Curate at the Cathedral). The Cathedral Clergy include the Dean, who is the leader of the Cathedral, the Pastor who takes care of the Cathedral congregation and takes the weddings and baptisms held at the Cathedral. The Precentor of the Cathedral is the Priest who takes care of the services, the liturgy, the music choices, public and private events that take place at the Cathedral.

The Cathedral is a busy and exciting place to work, and we are fortunate to be able to use it as our Chapel.

Although I work in the St George’s Cathedral four days out of the week, I am yet to get used to the beauty and ambience of the worship space, especially when it is empty.

The most wonderful thing about the Cathedral is that it is open and accessible for the whole city. Any one of us can wander in on any day of the week, participate in a prayer service, light a candle, or just sit in silence. The Cathedral is a wonderful place for connecting with the grace, comfort, and companionship of God, and with no entry requirement or fee, it is a place I can highly recommend for a visit.

This week we swapped our usual Chapel service for a guided meditation, and as I prepared the space with LED tea lights and candles, I took the chance to enjoy the peace and quiet.

The Cathedral is open seven days a week, 365 days a year. It serves as sanctuary from hot weather and cold. It is a safe place to sit and pray, and it represents, for the city, a building steeped in history and Christian tradition.

Chaplain Sarah

School Operations Susan Lazenby

As you and your family are planning your summer holidays and preparing for the festive season, at School we are finalising plans for 2022. It is an exciting time to be at St George’s as there are many wonderful things to look forward to next year!

A date for your diaries: Presentation Evening is on Wednesday 8 December from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at St George’s Cathedral, which all students in Years 7 to 11 are expected to attend. After the ceremony, please join us for light refreshments in Burt Memorial Hall.

Award recipients’ parents, guardians, carers will receive an invitation to the event and the remaining seats will be available to school families on request. Further details have been emailed to all families.

Last Friday afternoon during PAWS, the Year 7 students accompanied by supervising teachers went to Elizabeth Quay to enjoy the sunshine and experience Park Play. They played different sports, some had gelato, while others cooled off in the water park at the Quay. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during lunch, the Year 7 to Year 10 students are welcome to bring their packed lunch, a hat and some sunscreen (perhaps some pocket money too!) and meet the duty teachers on the ground floor at 1:00 pm. Each day there is something different happening; the details are in Daily Notices.

22 November

Last day Year 11 Examinations

23 November

Senior Students’ Drama Showcase

25 November

Sounds@Sunset, Yagan Square 7:00pm – 9:00pm

25 & 26 November Year 10 Examinations

Thank you to the families who have sent suggestions for CoCurricular in 2022. Great ideas to think about incorporating and to build on in the future. There is still time to add your suggestions before we finalise the program for 2022. You can send me a Direqt Message or an email.

30 Nov - 3 Dec

Painting Masterclasses

1 - 8 December

Electrocity Fringe Festival Writing Workshops

1 December

Languages Lunch Excursion

1 December

The Discoveries Exhibition 6:00pm – 7:30pm Year 9 Political Parties Challenge 11:00am – 1:00pm

2 December 3

St. George's Anglican Grammar School – THE DRAGON

Pastoral Focus

Combine play with physical activity, which is critical for wellbeing.

Some ideas include: riding your bikes, throwing around the baseball, wrestling and hiking.

Hilton Hardman

Like adults, kids also struggle with stress. Too many commitments, conflict in their families and problems with peers are all stressors that overwhelm children. The key to helping kids manage stress is teaching them to problem-solve, plan, and know when to say yes and no to activities and commitments.

3. Make sleep a priority.

In an article written by Margarita Tartakovsky in 2018, she writes, “If you don’t teach [your kids] how to manage stress, they will selfmedicate with food, drugs and alcohol.” In other words, kids will reach for something to make them feel better right away, and usually, it won’t be something “healthy”.

Again, reducing commitments helps. Also helpful is stressing the importance of sleep and creating an environment that facilitates it.

For instance, keep TV – and other electronics – out of your child’s bedroom. (There’s no research that says TV is good for kids.)

Sleep is vital for everything from minimising stress to boosting mood to improving school performance. If your child isn’t getting enough sleep, that’s another red flag that they’re overscheduled.

4. Teach your kids to listen to their bodies.

Teach your kids “to understand their own bodies and the physiology of stress,”.

Encourage them to listen to what their bodies are saying. While it’s normal for a child’s stomach to feel jumpy on the first day of school, leaving class because their stomach hurts or waking up repeatedly with a headache is a sign there’s too much going on.

5. Manage your own stress.

From her research, she identifies tips on how you can help your child manage stress successfully.

“Stress is really contagious,”. “When parents are stressed out, kids are stressed out. If you’re living in an environment with one thing after another, your kid is going to pick up on that.”

1. Stop overscheduling.

6. Make mornings, calmer.

One of the biggest stressors for kids is being overscheduled. And yet, today, kids are expected to pay attention and perform in school for seven hours, excel at extra-curricular activities, come home, finish homework, and go to bed to do it all over again the next day.

“Where’s the downtime?”

A disorganised home is another stressful trigger for kids, and this is especially evident in the mornings. Making mornings smoother because this “sets the tone for the day.” This piece has specific suggestions.

Look at your kids’ schedules over the course of a week and making sure that there’s enough downtime.

2. Make time for play.

For kids, a lot of stress comes from the fear of making mistakes.

Remind them that they’re not supposed to know “how to do everything or do everything right.”

Tartakovsky emphasises the importance of “play that isn’t pressured.”

There’s no lesson, competition, or end goal. Younger kids will do this naturally, but older kids may forget how to simply play.

Also, while making good decisions is an important skill to learn, the skill that might be even more important is learning how to recover from a bad decision.

7. Prepare your kids to deal with mistakes.

A S C

INTERNATIONAL

Sharing Cultures | Creating Friendships

Part of The Anglican S chools Commission (Inc.)

Student Hosting Opportunity The Anglican Schools Commission International is looking for caring families to host* regional, interstate and international students intending to study at St George’s Anglican Grammar School.

• NO COST TO REGISTER • LONG TERM HOSTING • SHORT TERM HOSTING • TEMPORARY HOSTING (SCHOOL HOLIDAYS)

All enquiries to: Accommodation Coordinator | homestay@asci.edu.au

*Hosts are paid a weekly fee

www.asci.edu.au

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Around the School Art Club

It is Christmas time again and, as an Anglican School, we are called to give gifts as much as we like to receive them. Whilst the three Maji in Matthew’s Gospel brought gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus, St George’s Anglican Grammar School is participating in two different gift giving activities this year.

The first is the Anglicare WA Christmas Appeal. St George’s are delighted to partner with Anglicare WA every year for their Christmas Appeal to provide back-to-school supplies for the 10 000 children across the State they work with. Education essentials are simply out of reach for many struggling families and your donations will help these children not only with their education, but their dignity and confidence. Every parent knows that a new backpack and school supplies can go a long way toward putting a smile on a child’s face on that first day back to school.

In Art Club this semester students have been busy learning how to curate artworks and prepare them for display and exhibition.

Tasked with brightening the walls of the space at 56 William Street post-renovation, students have been helping to select suitable artworks and apply their design skills through the arrangements and placement of artworks. These selections will grace the walls with an abundance of vibrant student works.

Anglicare WA has let us know that they are in desperate need of backpacks this year. They often receive lots of smaller supplies but not enough backpacks to pack them in. Backpacks are available from K-Mart for between $5 and $12 so there are affordable options. Students are asked to bring their donation to their PCG by the end of Week 8, Friday 3 December. A list of other much needed supplies can be found here.

Alex Hassan, Isabella Szick and Abigail Jones seen here in the amazing Art-Deco Lift at No. 56.

Ms Carol Wohlnick

Head of Creative Art

Year 7s Paving the Way

To find out more about the Anglicare WA Christmas Appeal or to give a monetary donation follow this link.

This term we are recognising Year 7 students who demonstrate actions in line with our School’s values. Students who demonstrate Faith, Excellence, Justice, Respect, Integrity or Diversity during their classes, breaktimes or Co-Curricular activities are nominated for recognition by their teachers.

The second initiative is the annual Advent Giving Tree. Christmas is usually a time of excitement and joy for children and young people. But every year hundreds of local families face a Christmas about as far from what you would want for your own family as you can possibly imagine. You can help change this and put a smile on a child’s face this Christmas by purchasing a gift for our Annual Giving Tree. It is fun, quick, and easy and will help spread the joy of Christmas that every child and young person deserves.

The following students received certificates during our most recent year group meeting. Zara Moesker, Stella Pickup, Isabella Filippou, Cassia Douglas, Macy Chapman, Lawson Forrester, Aidan Milligan, Emran Noori, Adam Lazarevski, Julian Higginson.

All St George’s families are encouraged to take a gift tag from the St George’s Advent Giving Tree located in the School foyer, purchase the gift (or something similar), wrap and place it underneath the tree. Gifts need to be dropped off by the end of Week 9, Thursday 8 December.

Mr Ryan McBride

Religious Education Teacher

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”.

Winston Churchill

We are pleased to see so many of our Year 7 students demonstrating the School’s values through their actions and words.

Ms Taryn Sephton

Head of Year 7

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Sport Snapshot Physical Education (PE) classes have been focusing on the all important skill of hand-eye coordination. The ability to throw and catch and strike a ball using a bat have been central to our lessons. Year 7 students have been working up at Kings Park Tennis Club, utilising the free public transport service to West Perth. Year 8 students have been learning the skills of Softball, with batting practice proving good fun. We have seen some great progression of student skills. They are now playing competitive games with inter-class competitions proving very popular. Year 9s have been playing Super-8 Cricket matches and Year 10s have been travelling to UWA for European Handball. All sports aim to develop the handeye coordination of our students. ensemble conducted by Michael Newton sang Z. Randall Stroope’s, “Inscription of Hope” with haunting beauty.

Katherine Mullaney, Claire Beltz and Saira Afridi introduced and read poems about the Holocaust, and Jordan Littler carried and lit the Candle of Hope with Olivia Tate from the Temple David Congregation.

The students were outstanding in their roles and in the research they conducted to understand the importance of the commemoration in which they participated.

Speaking of coordination, our Archery Co-Curricular Program has been taking place at Riley Oval, UWA every Wednesday after School.

Students have been under the expertise of Mary from Archery-toGo and have proved to be fine archers. I look forward to running this program again in Term Four next year.

You will be pleased to know that in 2022 all Outdoor Education and PE lessons will be back to double periods so be ready to explore some exciting new venues with less time pressure. So, at the start of next year all students will be expected to change before and after their PE lesson within the double period allocation.

2021 National History Challenge

Thank you to the students, PE Staff and the administrative team for making it another great sporting term!

Ms Jodie Scheele Head of Health & Physical Education

Kristallnacht Commemoration

The theme for this year’s National History Challenge was, “Significance: History Matters”. Every year the theme is different.

Students were able to produce entries in one of three formats: either an individual research paper, a museum display, or other format such as a podcast, documentary or website. Congratulations to Ophelia Burchell who was awarded a Bronze certificate for her essay on the significance of Penicillin.

On Sunday 7 November, some St George’s staff and students attended the Commemoration of Kristallnacht hosted by the Council of Christians and Jews, Western Australia. It was the 83rd anniversary of the “Night of Broken Glass”, an organised pogrom of the Jewish people carried out by the Nazi party on the 9 November 1938.

Jewish owned stores, buildings, hospitals, schools and synagogues were smashed and burned; 267 synagogues were destroyed.

The theme for the 2022 competition will be announced in January.

Students will have until the last week of August to complete their piece. Any students interested in finding out more details on the competition can either speak to their HASS teacher or visit here.

The commemoration was a stark reminder of the horror Jewish people were subjected to and a reminder to us not to forget it or allow it to happen again. The event reminds us that the role of the bystander is an important one. We must stand up for what is right and not allow ourselves to ever ignore injustice. The School’s vocal

Mrs Katheryne Kania

Head of Humanities 6

St. George's Anglican Grammar School – THE DRAGON

Welcome to the Year 7s starting in 2022

ST GEORGE’S SUPERSTARS

The St George’s staff and students were excited to welcome the incoming Year 7 students of 2022 during their two Transition Days on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 November.

A sense of excitement was evident as the Transition students arrived on Thursday morning. Any nerves were quickly settled with the support of our Year 10 helpers who escorted the students and parents up to Level 2 where they were welcomed by their Head of Year and Heads of Houses.

Jacob Radici Congratulations to Jacob, Year 10, for winning a Silver Medal at the WA State Jiu Jitsu Championships last weekend.

This is a wonderful achievement and credit to his commitment and dedication to training.

Throughout Thursday the students rotated through a fun introduction to a selection of the subjects they will study next year.

From making coloured slime in Science to Aliens in Art, playing music in the Basement, participating in improv Drama games with Mrs Crisp and creating a business idea to present to the Shark Tank in Humanities, they certainly were kept engaged while also meeting some of their Year 7 teachers.

Alizeh Akhtar

Friday took on more of a House focus and the rivalry between the three Houses began during the (friendly) Pirate Treasure House competition at Supreme Court Gardens. The students remained in their House groups while taking a city tour with their Head of House. There was a welcome rest stop off at the Cathedral where the students met Chaplain Sarah who provided an informative welcome to the space. At the end of the day the House tokens were tallied and our winning House celebrated their success.

Alizeh Akhtar, a 2019 graduate, was recently invited to show her final Year 12 Artwork in a collaborative exhibition Masked at Gallery Central in Aberdeen Street, Perth. The work Silenced is an intricate ceramic work that speaks of diversity and acceptance and questions the social constraints of living as part of a minority group in our society.

The students left on Friday afternoon having made valuable connections within the cohort and very much looking forward to commencing their St George’s journey as a Year 7 student in 2022.

Alizeh is now studying Commerce at the University of WA. However, she is continuing her creative outlet through short courses that supplement her academic studies.

Ms Taryn Sephton Head of Year 7

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On a Musical Note The Music Department was recently the recipient of a grant of 15 Push2 Controllers (total value $27 000) from the production software manufacturer Ableton Live. Ableton Live can be used in recording and production, but also in live performance.

Muso Profile William Corcoran

The Push controller is an industry-level interface with the Ableton Live software platform. It’s a powerful, expressive instrument that gives hands-on control of an unlimited palette of sounds, without needing to look at a computer. The Advanced Music Program classes are currently looking at Mashups using Ableton Live and the Push controllers.

Instrument Voice

What first got you interested in Music?

I first got interested in music on Orientation Day. The Music Program was really engaging and showed why it’s fun and important to do music and this interaction with the Music Department is what got me interested in music.

What’s the best thing about Music at St George’s?

Coming Up in Music

Sounds @ Sunset 25 November, Yagan Square Tickets available here

The best thing about music at St George’s is the huge community of students who do music. The music community really encourages others to take part and creates an inclusive and fun music environment for people of all skill levels.

Whether you want to become a professional musician or are just doing it for fun, the large community at St George’s encourages others to do music.

Why should other people do music?

Presentation Night 8 December (Vocal Ensemble), St George’s Cathedral

Other people should do music because it’s fun, entertaining, and rewarding to take part in music. It’s also great for your mental health and there are so many different career paths and opportunities that are available. You’ll become part of a large community at our School that will always support and encourage you to keep playing music.

FreedomFest

What’s your advice for anyone learning Music?

Electrocity Ensemble FRINGE WORLD Workshops

1-8 December, Music Department

9 December, Venue TBC

FRINGE WORLD 8 & 9 February 2022 Tickets available here Mr Michael Newton

Head of Performing Arts

ST GEORGE’S ANGLICAN GRAMMAR SCHOOL A school of the Anglican Schools Commission Inc. KW noiswd cee lo ed mgeGFraaitche SSeerrvviic

My advice for anyone learning music is to enjoy it, don’t be too hard on yourself and always give things a go. It’s all right to be nervous about things and even a little scared, but the most important thing is that you do them. Remember, there will always be a large community of staff and students that are willing to help you with anything to do with music and as always don’t forget to practise.