Newsletter Term 1, Week 10 1 Apr 2021

Last Saturday we had Board Governance Day. This was a full day Strategy meeting attended by board members and the Senior Leadership Team. It was facilitated by Chris Franklin who is a highly experienced senior consultant, facilitator and executive coach with experience in strategic design, governance, leadership development and issues management. She has worked extensively as a strategist in the independent schooling sector for Australian Heads of Independent Schools and the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia. The agenda for the day started with a beautiful Reflection and Prayer led by Michael Pittendrigh. Agenda items included Strategic Planning 2021 – 2025, discussion of the Terms of Reference of each Board Subcommittees, and presentations on key strategic initiatives from each member of the Senior Leadership Team. It was a most productive day and as our Board Chair, Jocelyn Furlan commented at the conclusion, the breadth and depth of the skill of the people on the Board combined with the obvious passion and care they have for the School, was clear throughout the deliberations. I am very appreciative of the time that these people give up to ensure that the School is being wisely stewarded.

On Saturday evening, a very successful ‘Dancing Under the Stars’ event occurred. Attendance was nearly 200 and it took place on the beautiful deck, which the Family Association assisted the School in extending. It was a very happy occasion with much chatter and dancing. Craig and I enjoyed being part of it all and our intrepid Director of School and Community Relations, Jo Wilson, locked the School gates at 1am. It was lovely too to have some former students assisting with the evening.

In seeking to find the right person to be School Chaplain, a recruiter has been appointed who is herself a Baptist and whose father a Baptist Minister. The School has consulted with Baptist Union Victoria, Director of Mission & Ministries, Daniel Bullock, and with our BUV representative, Michael Pittendrigh. In addition to the areas of faith leadership, Christian Education teaching, Worship Services, Prayer Group and the capacity to engage in intellectual faith-based and interfaith discussions with a range of students, the School would like someone who is prepared to keep up the Social Service component of this role.  

You are likely aware that a number of parent communications we have issued recently have found their way into the hands of a News Corp. journalist and driven coverage. 

My leadership team and I proudly stand by what we communicate; our number one priority always being the safety and wellbeing of our community. However, I would like to encourage those who are sharing the communications on to consider the potentially damaging effect this can have on our students and the school community. This is particularly so when the information conveyed is taken out of context. 

I would like to thank you for your steady support and wish you a happy and restful Easter break with your loved ones. This is the Benediction that I shared with the girls at our Easter Service this afternoon:

May the Lord bless you
And protect you
May the Lord smile on you
May the Lord show you his favour
And give you His peace.

Warm regards

Mrs Marise McConaghy, Principal

We have had a busy term, which included the School House Swimming and Cross Country Carnivals, so I know students will enjoy the upcoming break. 

As we head into Term 2 in the Senior School, we continue with our whole school sporting carnivals, rehearsals for Matilda and other co-curricular programs such as STEM Club. Academically, it is a busy term with a number of SACs and the GAT for our VCE students and mid-year examinations for our Years 9 to 12. For our Years 7 and 8 students, it is time to settle into the routines and patterns of our academic and co-curricular programs. As always, our wellbeing team is there to support and guide our students through these times.

Families are reminded that students who are unwell should be kept at home. As per government guidelines, a student who presents to the Health Centre and is assessed as not being well enough to remain at school, will need collecting in a timely manner. We appreciate your understanding regarding this. 

A reminder to advise us via email (therft@strathcona.vic.edu.au) when your child is undertaking a COVID test and that they must stay at home after the test has been done until you receive the results. When you receive the results please take a screenshot of the result and email it to therft@strathcona.vic.edu.au. Students are reminded that there is still a mandate to wear masks on public transport. Please ensure your daughter is leaving the house with a mask each morning if she is commuting to School on the bus, train or tram.

I wish all of our wonderful families a restful and safe Easter and look forward to seeing students back on campus on Tuesday 20 April.

Ms Tracy Herft, Deputy Principal

As we contemplate the completed work of the cross, it’s a powerful reminder that Jesus did not die so that we could limp through life carrying the heavy burden of sin. Rather, we are offered the gift of forgiveness so that we can surrender our mistakes to he who willingly stood in our place. Easter reminds us that those who respond to the invitation, are also partakers of the death and resurrection of Christ. That Jesus left with us the same Holy Spirit that on the third day, raised him from death. By the spirit of God and resurrection of Christ, we live as overcomers. 

This Easter, I pray that each of us has a true revelation of ourselves as partakers in the completed work of the cross. I encourage you to celebrate Easter in relationships that are honouring to God and to each other. Every blessing and encouragement to you and your families.  ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.’ Romans 12:2

Mrs Kathleen Vergers, School Chaplain

Some important rites of passage have been restored and there has been a palpable sense of joy for girls who have once again been able to participate in the House Swimming and Cross-Country Carnivals, Year 7 Camp, Matilda production preparations, HoSGs, GSV, Kayaking, Saturday Netball, Mustard, Orchestra and Band. 

These are obvious examples of school life, yet it is the subtle nature of our students reconnecting over lunch, studying together in the library and chatting at House Assemblies, that has been the most rewarding for staff to see.

The Learning Conferences held this week were another opportunity for teachers to reconnect with families and I trust that some valuable discussions about your daughter's progress in Term 1 occurred. Please do follow up with any of the staff if you require further information or assistance.

Term 2 brings cooler weather and therefore I remind all parents that from Tuesday 20th April all girls will be required to wear their full winter uniform. Wishing you all a safe holiday and a Happy Easter.

Mrs Amber Sowden, Dean of Students

You are able to monitor your daughter’s progress by accessing her ongoing feedback online, over the course of each Semester. If you are unsure how to access this feedback, please consult the instructions here. Please also note that an annual transcript of grades published to you on MyStrathcona each year continues to be produced at the end of the academic year for the purpose of record keeping.

On MyStrathcona you should find:

• Grades and/or feedback in the form of comments, rubrics or annotated work each semester. You should find some feedback in each subject now. For rubrics or annotated work you will need to click into the item to view the feedback.
• Learning Behaviours rubrics completed by the last week of each term, for all subjects. The Term 1 rubrics are completed now. 

If you have any questions about the process of reporting contact me at rphillips@strathcona.vic.edu.au. 
For any questions about technical issues relating to reporting, contact parentassist@strathcona.vic.edu.au
For questions about any of the specific tasks or feedback, contact the relevant subject teacher.

I wish you all a wonderful Easter.

Mr Ross Phillips, Senior Dean of Learning Futures 

Reading for pleasure improves academic achievement.

The correlation between reading for pleasure and academic achievement is strong and recent research has bolstered the connection. The British Cohort Study has followed the lives of 17 000 British children born in one week in 1970 across England, Wales, and Scotland. When this group was 16 years old, the researchers tested children who had demonstrated similar academic abilities at 5 and 10 years old. Those who had read often at age 10 and had continued to read more than once a week at 16 years old had higher test results in vocabulary, spelling and maths. Whilst maths seems counter intuitive, reading exposed students to new ideas, encouraged them to explore and understand new information and concepts, and to learn independently, which supported their schoolwork (Institute of Education, 2015). Similarly, research across 31 societies demonstrated a strong link between having books at home, giving more adolescent exposure to reading, and improved literacy, numeracy, and ICT skills as adults. Dr Joanna Sikora, the lead researcher, said that these beneficial effects lasted over time (Sikora, Evans and Kelley, 2019).

Stories, reading, bibliotherapy and social benefits.

Telling stories is a fundamental part of being human and stories have helped us understand the world and ourselves for many millennia. The power of reading to inform, amuse, comfort, soothe and provide material for reflection has long been recognised. Whilst oral story telling was a group activity, reading is also social, with readers sharing books and discussing the stories and ideas they have enjoyed. Reading enables us all to explore the world beyond our communities and to reflect on our own lives. In recent years, this social interaction has developed online with sites such as Good Reads and various Instagram reading influencers creating new, wider communities of readers spanning the globe. More formally, bibliotherapy as a specific field has been used to help support people with illness since the nineteenth century, but its benefits are recognised outside of the medical sphere. Over the lockdowns of last year, the State Library of Victoria developed a series of bibliotherapy podcasts where listeners were encouraged to use poetry and short stories to reflect on their circumstances (State Library of Victoria, 2020).

Reading affords adolescents the opportunity to safely explore new ideas and difficult topics. In reading about other people, teenagers can develop empathy for those whose lives are very different from their own. Genres such as fantasy and dystopia allow them to see people their own age as powerful in challenging and dangerous worlds. In following the fictional and non-fictional experiences and emotions of others, young people can learn about decision making and find role models for their lives. They can explore ethical conundrums and feel validated in their own experiences. Reading for pleasure becomes a vicarious experience and supports learning about the world. Young Adult (YA) literature has exploded as a genre over the past two decades and many authors specialise in creating fiction for adolescents across a range of genres. These works are created by authors who respect their readers’ desire to explore the world but recognise the need to be accessible to teen readers (Wakeman, 2019). Carefully curated collections of Young Adult fiction, biographies and graphic novels allow students to explore a range of issues in an age-appropriate way.

Game of Loans

The Game of Loans reading competition for Years 7-9 aims to leverage the social and wellbeing benefits of reading for pleasure. Having the program as part of the Wellbeing classes will emphasise this aspect, rather than running it in English where reading is often seen as work. Students will have time to read, recommend and discuss books with their teachers in their Wellbeing classes. The Wellbeing teachers will be part of the class team for the term, being part of the reading community. These group conversations should be relaxed and social with the readers being equals in the space. Other teachers can be co-opted by the classes to read for them, thus spreading the sense of the reading community across the school. Library staff will verify the reading through reviews posted on the Oliver LMS, replicating online reading communities like Good Reads, but within the online school community.

Unlike the Premiers Reading Challenge, there is no set list of books or target number. The students are encouraged to read for pleasure and follow their own tastes and interests, rather than selecting titles from a list. This is to underline the personal nature of reading and to encourage the idea that reading is fun. Ultimately, if students are encouraged to develop a habit of reading for pleasure it will be a success. Without a specified target, students can feel comfortable reading at their own pace and as they are reading as a team, every book counts. The student who reads one book, whereas before they would have read none, might be the difference between first and second place for their class. In the Game of Loans, a rising tide lifts all boats. All students enjoy the prize when their class wins. There will also be specific prizes for those who read a lot, or at a very high level and prizes for students nominated by the wellbeing teachers.

Ms Penny Roberts, Director of Library and Research

References
Institute of Education (2015). “Reading for Pleasure: Research impact case study. March 2015”. Retrieved, 25 March 2021, from: https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Readingforpleasurestoppress.pdf
Sikora, J., Evans, M. D. R. and Kelley, J.  (2019). “Scholarly culture: How books in adolescence enhance adult literacy, numeracy and technology skills in 31 societies.” In Social Science Research, 77 (2019), pp.1-15.
State Library of Victoria (2020). Bibliotherapy (podcast series). Retrieved 11/3/2021 from:https://podcasts.apple.com/au/...
Sullivan, A. (2013). “Reading for fun improves children’s brains, study confirms.” In The Guardian. Retrieved, 28 October 2019, from: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/sep/16/reading-improves-childrens-brains
Wakeman, J. (2019) “Developmental Bibliotherapy in young adult fiction: Why teens need books now more than ever.” National Education Summit. Retrieved, 29 October 2019, from: https://nationaleducationsummi...

In what was a very competitive and close evening of swimming and diving, our students represented Strathcona extremely well. It is a huge achievement in itself for our students to make this evening, placing them in the top 10 for their year level in their event and we had some outstanding results across the evening. 

Congratulations to all students who competed on the night, and well done to the following students who medaled: 

1 Gold – Natasha Kohlman
3 Silver – Natasha Kohlman, Anna Orelli and Year 8 Medley Relay
4 Bronze - Jesselyn Lim, Natasha Kohlman, Year 11 Medley Relay and Year 8 Freestyle Relay

Ms Keira Wills, Head of Sport

Vaping is becoming a trendy pastime that is growing in popularity across Australia, especially amongst teenagers. It is the act of inhaling a vapour created by an electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette. Many teenagers are succumbing to peer pressure around this risk-taking activity due to the ease of accessing and hiding vapes. They are often cheaper than conventional cigarettes, making it more cost-effective and attractive to young people.

Although under 18s are not legally allowed to purchase any type of e-cigarette or vaping product in Australia, teenagers are finding ways to access them online. Australia has strict regulations in place for nicotine-containing products, and attempts are being made to regulate vaping and ban the importation of them. Many of the flavoured liquids associated with vaping, contain not only high levels of nicotine, but other potentially harmful additives. Many of these “e-liquids” contain chemicals that are likely to be toxic, that when inhaled or vaped repeatedly, can cause severe damage to the lungs.

Continue reading the full report here

Items in this edition include:

• Dates to Diarise
• ‘Talk with’ Webinars at ACU
• Richmond Institute of Sports Leadership Information Session
• RMIT University - Discover What’s Next Webinar Series
• Careers in Agriculture
• Changes to Student Contributions towards University Degrees
• Animation & Gaming Courses in Victoria in 2021
• Photography Courses on offer in Victoria 2021
• Snapshot of The University of Otago (NZ) in 2021

Please click here for this week's Career News. To visit the the Careers page or view previous versions of Careers News click here.

Whether it has been during our city explorations, studying a problem in Maths or playing a game of whole campus hide and seek, there is a growing sense of camaraderie on Campus within the Year 9 cohort.

Our final week this term has seen our two Arnold Captains, Sophie and Esther organise an extremely competitive House dodgeball competition with Gilbert being crowned victors.

Year 9 students are also progressing well in their Duke of Edinburgh Award activities.  The majority of students have begun at least one of their chosen skills - your encouragement to keep logging their hours each week is greatly appreciated.

I do hope that each family has the chance to spend some time together over the break, and rest after a busy term. Next term will bring Camp2Campus, Naplan and the excitement (and perhaps trepidation) of exams!

Kind regards,

Mrs Karyn Murray, Head of Tay Creggan

We encourage and promote student opportunities to reflect, as reflection has the benefit of increasing self-awareness, which is a key component of emotional intelligence, and in developing a better understanding of others.

Mr Matthew Lander, Deputy Head of Junior School

The variety and richness in the experiences offered over the term both indoors and outside, has led to many interesting conversations and wonderings, explorations and discoveries.  I hope you have been able to follow these through the weekly reflections provided on your class page.

In the Banksia group the children have enjoyed finding creatures in the garden and dinosaurs! Jacaranda children were delighted in exploring light and colour though many mediums. Learning about ourselves in the Melaleuca class has led to many smaller projects such as, the colour of us and theories on how our eyes work.

The wattle class have been exploring the importance of soil, the creatures that live in it and the implications for  plants. They have also been busy working to replenish our vegetable garden ready for the kitchen garden program next term.

Many exciting projects are emerging, with many possibilities. We will have to wait and see! Enjoy your break and we look forward to a wonderful term 2.

Ms Jo Dowling, Director of ELC

Thursday 22 April, Featherstone Hall, 7pm-8.30pm

Guest Speaker: A/Professor and clinical psychologist Katie Wood from Swinburne University

2020 was an unexpected and unprecedented year where it tested everyone’s strengths and resilience. A/Professor and clinical psychologist Katie Wood from Swinburne University will join us and talk about how the current health pandemic continues to impact on our student’s anxiety and sense of wellbeing. Strategies to manage such anxiety and build resilience will be addressed. Coping with the ongoing uncertainty that this pandemic has created will also be discussed in the context of adolescence.

Bookings are essential for this parent seminar, click here to book your place.

Monday 10 May 2021 at 7:15 AM to 8:45 AM

The Strathcona Family Association would like to invite you and your daughters and sons to join them for a complimentary buffet breakfast on The Deck, Senior Campus to celebrate Mother's Day. 

We encourage all mothers and special friends to attend. A coffee cart and breakfast will be available. For catering purposes, please RSVP by Tuesday, 4 May 2021.

Register for this event via Trybooking

Friday 14 May 2021 at 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM

We are delighted to invite you to join us in celebrating Mother's Day at a lunch at Crudo Warehouse Kew. 

Tickets are $70, and this will include a drink on arrival, a 3-course meal plus tea and coffee. Gather your friends and make a booking soon as numbers are limited!

To book in for this event visit Trybooking. RSVP by Friday 7 May 2021

We will be holding a raffle at the lunch and, if you can stay, we will continue our afternoon at CRU Wine Bar. Entry to Crudo Warehouse is via the lane way (entry from Cotham Road).

Wednesday 12 May, Featherstone Hall (Senior School Campus), 34 Scott Street, Canterbury, 6.30pm-7.30pm

Guest Speaker: Sarah Davidson, Lawyer turned Funtrepreneur

You are warmly invited to the Strathcona Learning Futures event – Seize Your Yay!

Our guest speaker, Sarah Davidson, Lawyer turned Funtrepreneur will join us to share her experiences and how she has achieved a life that is happy and fulfilling. Sarah is an engaging and effusive podcaster, entrepreneur, author and former lawyer and sums herself up with her overarching life philosophy – ‘seize the yay’.

Sarah was a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in an international law firm, which taught her a lot, gave her exciting travel opportunities and an intellectual challenge but she was lured away from this by her passions of health, wellbeing, nutrition and creativity.

She founded the organic matcha green tea company, Matcha Maiden, with her partner in late 2014, which quickly grew big enough to draw attention from giant US retailer, Urban Outfitters. From there, Sarah along with her friends founded a trailblazing café, Matcha Mylkbar. Sarah also has a forum called Spoonful of Sarah where she talks about her entrepreneurial journey from a distance and how exciting life can be when you ‘seize the yay!’.

Please register for this event on Trybooking.