Know le dg
e F ait h S e r v
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Newsletter
ST GEORGE’S ANGLICAN GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Edition Eight 7 June 2019
Pictured: Mr Racey with special guest, Neil, a local homeless man.
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 Head of Curriculum .................................................................................... 5 From the Head of Pastoral .......................................................................................... 7 Reconciliation Week ...................................................................................................... 8 From the Head of Physical Education ..................................................................... 9 From the Music Coordinator ...................................................................................... 11 Out and About ................................................................................................................ 12 From the IT Manager ................................................................................................... 13 News and Information ................................................................................................. 15
From the Principal Mr Gary Racey
International Trip As mentioned in the most recent newsletter, I have recently participated in an international work trip to both Singapore and China, with my engagements being both productive and enlightening. In Singapore, I visited two schools – Invictus and GEMS World Academy. These schools are worlds apart and have distinctively different philosophies; one with limited resources/facilities where the individualised education and care of the child was of absolute priority, above and beyond the financial implications that this may have, and the other that was absolutely driven by performance, enrolments, aggressive marketing and the ‘bottom line’.
We are indeed on the correct track in leading from the front in terms of a 21st century focus via flexible and engaging learning spaces and a move to a more modern way of delivering content that enhances creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. It also confirmed that our pastoral philosophy and caring environment is something that must absolutely be maintained and valued, as some institutions allow the ‘business’ side to become more of a priority. Our new strategic plan will reflect this and is welltimed with regards to an education revolution.
Additionally, I was able to network with the directors of Urbis and CISTRI, two global firms that support property development around the world through investment, feasibility projects, town planning, templates, landscape design and planning permits. Whilst on the surface this may not seem the The outcome of my visits and norm in education, it does open up opportunities and considerations for our conversations was a re-affirming notion that St context at St George’s. We have to connect George’s has the balance right. with the corporate world for the benefit of
our students and this is a good start – you just never know what may come from these relationships and conversations. Furthermore, we now have connections with Urbis Perth who have an office on William Street, whom I will be meeting in the coming weeks to see how they may be able to support our school and students, whether this be through guest speaker presentations, work experience, internships, introductions to their partner alliances or corporate sponsorship etc.
re-connect with our students and staff. Learning Environments Australasia 2019 Conference Tour
St George’s was fortunate to have been chosen to be one of only two schools for the ‘2019 Learning Environments My time in China permitted me to meet a Australasian Conference: Transformance’, number of education agents and fellow with approximately 40 architects on-site on Principals’, opening up a network of Thursday 30 May. We received overwhelming potential alliances and relationships, and gain feedback regarding our use of light, space, a clearer view of the part Anglican Schools furniture and environmental factors to International plays in putting forward create a positive learning space that not only enrolments for our system and our school. promotes well-being but also enhances Additionally, it permitted me to get a performance. Further evidence that this better understanding of where many of our strategic focus is research based and international students come from and the on-point. cultural differences they are experiencing by now living in Australia, and get to meet some Year 10-12 Examinations possible students and families who may join I wish all the best to our Years 10-12 our community in the future. As I always say, students who are in the midst of their midrelationships are key to our progress and year examinations and remind them to success, and our international students are maintain perspective. These examinations no different. There may be a language barrier give you an indication of not only your and distance separation at first, but knowledge and understanding, but also how communication and care are essential in you can perform under time parameters. bridging this perceived divide. Learn from the experience, get feedback from your teachers, focus on how you can I thank my Executive staff for holding the improve next time, and celebrate any success fort in my absence. It was an extremely busy you achieve whether this be an improved few days, but very worthwhile for the big result or beating your pre-determined goal. picture. Whilst I return with ideas and This is only one of a number of assessments inspirations, it is nice to be back amongst the across the year, so if it didn’t go to plan keep action again on-site and getting to forging ahead with confidence and a positive Edition 1 2019 2
From the Principal cont. attitude. Reconciliation Week Since my previous newsletter article, in which I indicated we would not have any student participation in the 2019 Reconciliation Walk due to it being a nonschool day, it is no surprise to me that Courtney Evans was able to organise nearly 20 student participants. This indicates how strongly our student body and staff feel about this movement and the fact that enhanced indigenous engagement will be an ongoing priority for our school.
ACC Cross Country I was thrilled to watch our Inter-school Cross Country Team compete in the recent ACC event on Thursday 30 May at Perry Lakes. This is such a massive occasion, with hundreds of children participating. Our runners did themselves and the School proud with a positive attitude and competitive spirit. It was a highlight of my week seeing the determination and grit of our young people. One student summed it up for me by saying, “I will do my best and get some fitness at the same time”. A good 3
perspective I would suggest. Congratulations to Ali Griffin and Eliza Griffin on achieving second place in their respective races.
Eye Contact Photographic Exhibition The ‘Eye Contact’ Photography exhibition by Perth photographer, Phil England, was hosted by St George’s throughout this week. The exhibition included 20 portraits of homeless people in WA with a summary of their personal stories. Interest in visiting the exhibition has been extremely high. The School had a special guest attend the exhibition. In recent months I have connected with a local homeless man, called Neil. I invited Neil to view the exhibition, with a view to introduce a program called ‘Project Neil’. This program will initially focus on Neil to provide him with support, education and care, but is hoped it is the seed to grow and evolve into a much larger focus for the School in terms of making change for our homeless community. Neil was provided with a care pack as a thank you for his attendance. Thank you to Ms Wohlnick for coordinating the event. Blessings
Gary Racey Principal
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
EYE CONTACT PHOTOGRAPHS
BY PHIL ENGLAND Edition 1 2019 4
From the Head of Curriculum Mrs Angela Tanham
Post Exam Review and Making the Most of Feedback All Year 12 students have recommenced their classes this week following the examination period and Year 10 and 11 students will have completed their exams by Tuesday 11 June.
Year 11 2020 Information Evening A reminder that the Information Evening for Year 11 2020 will be held in room 3.5 on Thursday 27 June commencing at 6:00 pm. This evening is for parents and guardians of current Year 10 students. The subject selection hand book will be available on SEQTA Engage the week commencing Monday 24 June 2019.
Year 10 Work Experience A reminder to all Year 10 Parents and Guardians that all Year 10 students will When the students receive their corrected attend Work Experience during the last exam papers they will be very focused on week of Term 2 as part of their Careers the mark they have received. What they course. Work Experience provides students should also focus on is making the most with exposure to work places to assist them of the feedback given by the teacher. This with making choices about after school feedback will highlight what they did well career plans. It also provides students with: and the areas that still need improvement. • A learning experience in a real-work environment; To maximise feedback students should: • Finding out about specific skills required for a job; • Ask for help with areas they still don’t • An opportunity to develop self • understand; confidence and communication skills; • Re-do questions they didn’t do well in and the exam; • Re-write essays and re-submit for further • An experience of how to work with other people. feedback; • Re-do study notes if necessary; Careers • Consider study techniques and the changes that may be necessary in the Murdoch University way they study for the next exams; and Business Open Night • Talk to students who did really well and Date: Wednesday 19 June 2019 6:00 pm – find out what they did differently. 7:30 pm Managing Stress Date: Wednesday 17 July 2019 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm Tips and Advice for Year 11 and 12 Students 5
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
For more information and to register visit https://www.murdoch.edu.au/study/undergraduate-students/events-and-resources/ future-students Edith Cowan University Teacher Education Information Evening Joondalup Campus Find out why Teaching’s popular at ECU and experience our well-equipped School of Education. Date: Wednesday 19 June 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
For more information and to register for these events visit https://www.ecu.edu.au/ future-students/events Curtin University Commerce Information Evening This evening will provide you with an opportunity to ask any questions you might have about studying a Commerce degree at Curtin Date: Wednesday 29 May 6.15 pm – 7.30 pm, Lance Twomey Lecture Theatre For more information and to register for these events visit https://news.curtin.edu. au/whats-on/
WAAPA Arts Management and Live Production Information Evening Mt Lawley Campus Discover why our School of Engineering has Angela Tanham some of the best facilities in Australia Head of Curriculum Date: Thursday 20 June 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
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From the Head of Pastoral
Reconciliation Week 2019
Mr Hilton Hardman
PAWS Our PAWS program continues to expose our students to messages from a wide range of guest speakers. Last week, our Year 9 and 10 students received a message around Life Choices from two speakers touring Australia. Jarryd and Blake are from an organisation known as Second Chance, located in South Africa. They will be speaking at nine schools in Perth before flying to Sydney to give the same presentation.
Ms Courtney Evans
multi-pronged approach. It equips learners with age-appropriate knowledge and tools to consider and make the right choices. The program started with a motivational talk from Jarryd (seen in the blue) which focuses on life choices, substance abuse, bullying and teenage drinking, and includes personal life stories to portray the devastation caused by poor life choices. The session ended with Blake sharing his journey on becoming a two-time world champion freestyle dancer and the challenges he faced along the way. He finished off with a demonstration of his ability to prove he was a world champion.
The following talks will be presented to our students: Their school-based program aims to equip children and youth with the knowledge that • Year 7 - Bullying • Year 8 (boys) - Real men talk enables them to make informed and • Year 10 - Sex and healthy relationships responsible choices about their lives and their future. The program tackles substance abuse prevention and healthy life choices using a
Hilton Hardman Head of Pastoral
Pictured left to right: Blake Williams (2nd Chance program facilitator), Hilton Hardman, Adam Przytula (Armed For Life) and Jarryd Smith (2nd Chance founder and program facilitator) 7
St George’s Anglican Grammar School Newsletter
On Friday 31 May, a group of St George’s students from Years 9-11 attended the Walk for Reconciliation. Joining over 3000 community members, they walked from RAC Arena to Yagan Square in support of seeking truth and reconciliation. Our students heard about the connection of Whadjuk Nyoongar people to this land and joined in with cultural activities; adding to a mural, listening to music and watching dancers share their culture, amongst others. Some quotes from our students and a Year 10 parent can be read below. “What a very proud moment for SGAGS to have student, teacher and family representation at the Walk for Reconciliation. The students displayed an open heart and mind in their behaviour and interactions during the walk to learn about Aboriginal cultures and why reconciliation was important. The students interacted with Noongar Elders in a respectful and caring way asking thoughtful questions and participating actively in all areas. As a community we should be very proud of the behaviour of these young people and their commitment to making a difference. It appeared to me that our school was the only school represented outside of ones with a dedicated program for Aboriginal students. Our school stood side by side with community members in a show of strength and solidarity, proudly wearing their St George’s uniform.” Carlene Thorpe (Year 10 parent). “It was enlightening to see the amount of
people who are still impacted by the events of the past, and how we can continue to reconcile and work towards a better future.” Cozi (Year 10) “It was an extremely impactful event.” Hannah (Year 10) “It was good fun. A friendly atmosphere.” Theo (Year 10) “Being new to Western Australia, it was good to see many different cultures and nationalities coming together under an important cause.” Charlie (Year 10) “I experienced an amazing sense of community. My faourite part was watching the dancing and listening to the didgeridoo.” Kate (Year 10)
Courtney Evans Teacher
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From the Head of Health and Physical Education Ms Jodie Scheele
ACC Cross Country Firstly, I would like to sincerely congratulate the 2019 ACC Cross Country Team who placed 35th out of the 70 participating schools. This is truly an incredible effort. We had runners compete in every age category giving us an overall combined aggregate which contibutue to our overall placing. You can view the individual placings on the ACC website at https:// www.accsport.asn.au/carnivals/cross-country/results-0. You can also download the ACC App where live results are posted throughout all ACC carnivals. I would like to highlight the outstanding achievements of the “Mighty Griffin Girls”. Both Alexandra (U/15) and Eliza (Open) placed an incredible 2nd place out of 289
and 309 competitors in their races. This is the biggest ACC Carnival as it is the only one that brings the Association together as a whole, rather than divisions. It is certainly quite a spectacle to witness the size of the event! Congratulations to the girls and their family on their tenacious run and their commitment to their extensive training regime that enables them to achieve such a high standard. City to Surf I would like to invite the entire St George’s community to register in the inaugural 2019 SGAGS City to Surf team. This annual running event takes place on Sunday August 25. You can enter as a St George’s team member under any of the race distances. I will be running the 12km which starts just outside our school. Click this link to register https://www. registernow.com.au/secure/Register.aspx?E=32941&G=93152
NWAS The NWAS after-school fixtures have been well-attended and teams have been competing to their best of their ability. Teams rely on each other in terms of individual student commitment so lastminute pull outs on the competition day really do put coaches under pressure and we would like to avoid fronting up to schools with teams that are short on numbers. We have two more fixtures to go: 1. Carmel School 11 and 12 June 2. Aranmore Catholic College 18 and 19 June 3. FINALS are played the following week where the winning school is awarded the seasons shield. Good luck to all teams.
welcome to come along to this event. We look forward to seeing lots of parents on the sideline cheering on our students. Student Achievement The School would like to recognise the outstanding ballet talents of Madison Curtis who has just won two major prizes. Maddie won the Evelyn Hodgkinson Scholarship which was judged by David McAllister, the artistic Director of the Australian Ballet. Maddie also won the 1012 age group Adjudicators Award judged by Claire Hill, former Soloist of the West Australian Ballet. Maddie was asked to dance her two solos at the Royal Academy of Dance Gala at John Curtin. We would like to congratulate Maddie and her family on her achievements and her dedication to her training program.
Jodie Scheele
Head of Health and Physical Education Athletics Physical Education classes are moving into Athletics for the final four weeks of term. Students will be travelling to UWA Sportspark, located at McGillivray Reserve in preparation for the 2019 Inter-House Athletics Carnival which takes place on Tuesday 6 August. As always, families are 9
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From the Music Coordinator Mr Michael Newton
ElectroCity
The SGAGS ElectroCity Ensemble are Jumping for joy with their recent success!
entries. This is an incredible achievement and we are so proud of this awesome group of St George’s students. Listen to ElectroCity Ensemble at their Triple J Unearthed profile - https://www. triplejunearthed.com/artist/electrocity-ensemble
West Australian Music recently announced the group as a nominee in their Song of the Year competition - “Can’t Help This Feeling”.
West Australian Music Song of the Year Announcement - https://wam.org.au/ wams-song-of-the-year-1819-nomineesand…/
The track was shortlisted from over 1400
Music Coordinator
Michael Newton
Out and About Wool Hunt The Year 9 Design class recently went on a hunt around the city for wool. As part of the Wool4School Design project sponsored by The Woolmark Company, students have been asked to design a garment made of 80% wool. Students were able to go into a variety of shops on the hunt for garments made predominately of wool. They were able to feel the products and get an understanding of the materials they will be using in their own designs. Perth Zoo Our students braved the wild weather today and headed to Perth Zoo for a science-based excursion. Check the next newsletter to read all about it.
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From the IT Manager Mr Jason Wakefield
Following on from CTAP Report the article surrounding security in the previous newsletter, our monthly Trend Micro report After just 8 days of analysing our Internet reveals some trending statistics. traffic, our Cyber Threat Assessment Program report came back with startling Trend Micro is the statistics. school’s choice of Without giving too much away we anti-virus software. It reported: received the following items for review: • 414 quarantined viruses/malware; • IPS attacks detected - 51,378 • 3 cleaned viruses/malware; and • High-risk applications used - 20 • Noted the top 5 viruses/malware were • Malicious websites detected - 57 found on MacBooks. • Application vulnerability attacks detected- 40 As indicated previously, the top five detections originated from Apple macOS It is important to ensure you keep your computers. Criminals are targeting the applications and computers patched and macOS operating system more than ever up-to-date. before, so please make sure your devices are protected by a reputable anti-virus Out of the top 10 high risk apps, 6 of them program. were VPN apps. These are generally used to get around firewalls & web filters. Users It is school policy to have an active antimust be very mindful that using a VPN does virus installed on all computers that have not mean you are safe browsing the access to and use the school network, so Internet. please take advantage of the free offering of Trend Micro found on the student’s SEQTA Learn home page. Instructions can be found under SEQTA > Documents > Trend Micro for Students
always evolving state that we, as a school, need to be persistently at the forefront utilising pro-active solutions rather than reactive. Recycling Don’t forget we recycle your household batteries. Please make use of this free facility to dispose all your expired batteries (not including car and phone batteries). The battery recycling bin can be found in the IT Manager’s office on level 1. Let’s reduce landfill waste together. TIP OF THE WEEK YouTube We’re all very familiar with YouTube, but did you know about these very handy shortcuts: • To pause a video: press K or the ‘space’ bar;
• To skip 10 seconds back and forward: Press J and L respectively; • To search videos from a specific user only: Type @ before you search; • To save your time watching videos: Press ‘Shift + >’ and ‘Shift + <’ to speed up and slow down the video respectively; and • To view all keyboard shortcuts: Press ‘Shift + ?’.
If you missed the first IT news article, it contained information regarding a home internet safety product from Disney. More information can be found at https://cybersafehouse.com
Jason Wakefield IT Manager
Naturally, Australia was our top source for incoming traffic. And surprisingly enough, the Netherlands and Ukraine were next. “What does this all mean?”, you may be asking. Well, to me it means we need to be constantly aware that cyber-crime never sleeps. Our edge firewalls need to be constantly relevant and up-to-date. It is an
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News and Information
full within seven days of exit.
Data Collection
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.
Our school is participating in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). This Data Collection is taking place in Catholic, government and Independent schools across Australia, and will provide valuable information about supports required for a broad group of students. This will enable Australian and State governments to better target support and resources in schools. This, in turn, will help schools like ours give students the support they need. The NCCD is not limited to students with diagnosed disabilities. It uses a very broad definition of disability, taken from the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, which includes a range of health issues and learning difficulties where schools implement strategies to support students in participating effectively in their learning. The Data Collection will take place in August. No personal or identifying information about any student will be included. A letter has been sent home to all parents with further information. If you decide you do not wish information about your child to be included in the NCCD, email your preference to opt out to Mrs Karen Van Rooyen at kvanrooyen@stgeorges.wa.edu.au by latest Friday 14 June 2019.
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.
More information about the NCCD is available at https://www.nccd.edu.au/
Upon withdrawal of a student from the School, all fees and charges incurred for that student are payable to the School in
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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.
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.
Uniform Shop
Year 7 Parents Mid-year Dinner St George’s uniforms are purchased from Matrix Uniforms Showroom, 1 Hasler Road Osborne Park or online. Uniform fittings are Saturday 22 June 2019, 7:00 pm available from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday The Camfield (next to Optus Stadium, 1 Roger MacKay Drive, Burswood) to Friday. The Science Department needs your help! Donations of any old working fish tank
Please RSVP to Sara 0411 562 192 (Isabelle’s mum), or Vickie 0407 119 855 (Ari’s mum) by Friday 14 June.