Newsletter Term 1, Week 3 12 Feb 2021

In a learning culture we can see teams and individuals that are proactive in their endeavours to articulate and share their knowledge and learning, and everyone in the community feels the responsibility to contribute and cultivate the learning culture. To support this, it is crucial that the School provides a climate that fosters and enables everyone to be able to learn through research, feedback, reflection and conversation.

We have started our year by focusing on leadership with our middle leaders: Heads of Department, Heads of House and Year Level Coordinators. 

Each middle leader will set a goal in one of the three areas below and work through the cycle of research, feedback, reflection and conversation with a Senior Leadership Team member (teaching):

1. Developing people
2. Building relationships
3. Modelling Excellence

The middle leaders will undertake their own professional learning program and focus on leadership.

Our teaching staff have also considered the question of what a learning culture at Strathcona could look like and what can they be doing to intentionally contribute and cultivate it. This might include presenting or attending Professional Development courses (internal or external), reading more, collaborating more, sharing more and trying something new.

Our Professional Learning program will aim to focus on the curriculum and pedagogy of the School.

Importantly, we have linked with Ron Ritchhart, researcher at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. In addition to running whole school professional development on Making Thinking Visible, Ron will work closely with teams of teachers throughout the year developing their skills in the classroom, “creating places where thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted”.

Ms Tracy Herft, Deputy Principal - Operations

Together we are all part of something that is greater than any one of us alone. If we commit ourselves to the broader mission and not just ourselves – this will bring out the finest qualities in us all. Additionally, this connectedness with each other and with the entity that is the School, assists us in our lives, makes us feel safer and gives us a sense belonging.

The annual Foundation Day Service celebrates the first days of this School and also the days, years and decades which followed.

Strathcona Girls Grammar School (as it was originally named) officially commenced on 12 February 1924. Originally, the area - bounded by Scott St, Prospect Hill Road and Claremont Crescent - was made up of 19 individual properties. Each of these properties was purchased by the school over time.

It was two women who brought their dream of this school to life. Miss Henrietta Hughes and Miss Florence Livingstone – or Henny and Liv as the girls of that time called them. For them, creating a school was no passing dalliance by the idle rich; Strathcona, named after the original house at 34 Scott Street was financed by the sale of Mrs Livingstone’s home and assisted by Miss Hughes’ modest capital and a loan from an uncle.

Both women believed in the right of women to the same kind of education offered to their male counterparts.  Mrs Livingstone herself combined her career with family – not at all usual in those times. She was a woman well ahead of her time. These two Headmistresses, so different in personality, quickly created at their school a warm, happy, stimulating environment, despite the fact that they were considered quite strict. I guess, despite principals and teachers, students create their own worlds of friendship and fun.

One memory from an old girl of Miss Hughes era was this:
‘A Strathcona girl always wore her hat and gloves in the street (They are just as much part of your uniform, girls, as your tunic and blouse, she would say). She did not shout in the street or jump around in a way that could be described as unbridled. And she certainly did not eat in the street. Giggling was out as, was talking to boys on street corners. In social situations, Strathcona girls must always ensure that everyone was well looked after. No one should be left in a corner in her own, but drawn into the general circle as far as possible’.

Strathcona was not just a Ladies’ Academy - as they were known then - the task of which was to prepare women for the marriage market. For Strathcona, the academic content was not mere form. The first Prospectus advised that while singing, dancing and physical activities would be taught, the following core subjects were also in place: French, Latin, German, English, Physiology, Botany, Physics, Chemistry, History, Geography, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry and Arithmetic.

Clearly, our two founding Headmistresses believed that girls were fully capable of engaging in a rigorous education. Strathcona, from the start, aimed to provide an education which would afford girls choice – home and family, or career, or both, as Mrs Livingstone had done.

Henny and Liv created Strathcona. It seems to me that the values and beliefs that they instilled in the School that grew on our Canterbury site and then to Hawthorn at Tay Creggan, and across the road to Mellor House, and our Early Learning Centre, have endured and are part of our DNA.

Strathcona was not ‘smart’ or socially superior and it seems that this down-to-earth, unpretentious, warm and personalised approach was probably its salvation in that tumultuous time. I believe it is still at the heart of the School’s success.

These two women were in fact rather bold and brave. Today we would call them entreprenneurs.  97 years later this school endures having survived through world wars, depressions, recessions, massive social and geopolitical change and now a pandemic.

There are now 97 years of the Strathy story and many thousands of people whose lives have been entwined with it.

We are now part of that story.

In the words of Mrs Livingstone:

‘To you pupils, the School is a little world, in which work is to be done and joys and sorrows are to be experienced’.

Our motto, ‘Fortiter, Fideliter and Feliciter: Bravely, Faithfully, Happily,’ is ever before you, expressing an ideal to guide you both in the School and in the world in which each of you will play your part as women.

We thank God for those who have led the School over the decades; the staff who gave so much of themselves and continue to do so; our generations of families; and – mostly, of course, now you - our wonderful Strathy students.

The warm heart of this School beats strongly on.

Mrs Marise McConaghy, Principal

The Learning Legacy Program (LLP) was unveiled this week, as part of Strathcona‘s  contemporary, personalised and future- focused approach to teaching and learning.

The key emphasis for these sessions on Wednesday afternoons for Years 10-12 is to give students agency over their own learning, as well as voice and choice in how these sessions are conducted.

We know from both student and staff feedback on experiences during COVID and the lockdown, that self-directed learning has now become one of the most valued learning dispositions. As a School we wanted to capitalise upon this. Significant attention has been spent on the most viable independent learning model for Strathcona, to build autonomy and highly effective learning habits through ‘learning how to learn and think’ sessions. The renewed focus on how to manage one’s own learning, allows our students the control and space in which to be self-directed both at school and at home, as well as how to respond to difficulties or challenges in their learning; to find the solutions themselves. Our belief is that this pedagogical approach will cultivate independent habits of mind.

We found that students who thrived in the remote and flexible learning environment during the pandemic, demonstrated more of the competencies around critical thinking, creativity, resilience, independence, self - regulation, cognitive flexibility and perseverance. These are the attributes that are noted as critical for future employability across industries and geographies. In this complex and unpredictable world of the global knowledge economy and the ever- evolving workplace, when graduates are competing for jobs and careers with others around the world, the capacity to change rapidly and apply new skills is paramount. So, while we want to provide balance and stability in our school routines, we also want to foster these global skills, competencies and attitudes through the Learning Legacy Program.

We want students in the driver’s seat, but we also know from the educational literature that these type of programs have to be a part of a scaffolded curriculum and facilitated by an academic or mentor of some sort, to fully realise successful outcomes. As such, the Year 10 program has a combination of subject specific and study skills sessions, while at Years 11 and 12, the program will be a combination of sessions focused on study skills or optional sessions where students select what best suits their learning needs of the moment such as note-taking and examination techniques. There will also be supervised or self-directed learning periods, study groups and tutorials. In particular, at the beginning of each semester, there will be a meeting with Learning Tutors to help set goals and guide their own individual learning plans. A natural evolution of this program beyond 2021, once students have gained the requisite skills will be to provide even more options for use of this time.

Essentially, we want to leave our learners wanting to learn more. The key to doing this is to cultivate the intrinsic motivation to learn; individually and together. The essence of this powerful and deep learning is fostered by committed and talented teachers, as well as a student’s sense of purpose and connection to our community.

Ms Simone Boland, Dean of Teaching and Learning

Our Sport Leaders, Amelia and Thalia headed off to Shelford Girls Grammar for the annual GSV Sport Leaders' Breakfast, they had the opportunity to met with Sport Leaders' from other GSV schools and also hear from guest speaker, Meg Durham who is from Open Mind Education. Meg spoke to the girls about leadership qualities and being a positive role model in their sport and in life.

Today, we celebrated Strathcona's Foundation Day with an assembly for Years 7 to 12 students where Mr Geoff Wriedt, our current Science and Mathematics Teacher and who has been a long standing staff member at Strathcona. He shared some funny stories about his time at Tay Creggan and also here at Senior School.

The Years 10 to 12 Parent Information Night next Monday 15 February will now be pre-recorded. A link will be emailed to parents/guardians on Monday for you to view this online.

Please keep in communication with the School via your child's Head of House or Year Level Coordinator during the lock down this upcoming week.

Ms Tracy Herft, Deputy Principal (Operations)

Although to say that Friday (29 January) simply involved ‘chilling’ is definitely an understatement. From hearing about Paralympian Don Elgin’s inspirational life story about perseverance and overcoming obstacles, to Dr Charlotte Keating’s thought-provoking presentation on how to thrive, manage stress and enjoy our experience over the coming year, our minds were fuelled thoroughly throughout the course of the Well4Twelve day as we indulged in education of a different kind.

Whilst some of us ended our day by getting our blood pumping in Jacqui Rudd’s active BodyArt session, I, for one, really enjoyed doing some mindfulness meditation and yoga in Diz Randall’s relaxation session.

As I finished my first full day of classes, I know that, despite the onslaught of learning that I will face as days, weeks and months pass by, I will always have these fundamentals at the back of my mind, as I am sure the rest of my Year 12 cohort will; a metaphorical toolkit that won’t just benefit us now as students, but continuously as we move into adulthood and the future:

Self-love. Self-care. Self-empowerment.

May 2021 only bring success and happiness to all.

Alyssa Yap, Gilbert House Captain

Please click here for 5 February edition of Career News.

In this week's edition (12 February), you will find the following information on:

• News from Deakin University:
  
  • New Commerce/Communication Double Degrees
  • Marine Studies at Deakin:
    • Bachelor of Environmental Science (Marine Biology)
    • Bachelor of Marine Science
• New Bachelor of Business Innovation and Enterprise at RMIT
• Studying Business at Victoria University
• What does a Meteorologist do?
• Skills Spiderweb
• Chiropractic, Osteopathy & Remedial Massage Courses in Victoria in 2021
• Universities in Western Australia

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

Classes in Science and PE all spent time on the boat dock, in Science this involved conducting a range of experiments, exploring ecosystems, microorganisms and the like, whilst in PE, the girls loved canoeing and learning new paddling skills. We did have one wet student who found herself unceremoniously dumped in the Yarra, but she handled her demise well, with plenty of laughter and jokes ensuing. Thankfully, the sunshine on Wednesday helped her dry off quickly.

This week all students completed the first in a series of activities designed by Mrs Michelle Holding for them to explore their values, identity and team work. Titled 'Walk a Mile in My Shoes', students in Health classes decorated shoes and wrote statements about how it feels to be them. These have now been displayed (without names) and provide a perfect opportunity to discover shared concerns, ideas and interests.

We also acknowledged students elected to leadership positions this week. Tay Creggan Leaders were presented with badges by Mrs McConaghy in a formal Assembly and all Year 9 students received their Tay Creggan badge. I spoke to the girls about our four 2021 Australian of the Year winners who are all women, and provide excellent role models of courage, humility and community engagement. Mrs McConaghy then implored each student to make the most of their Tay Creggan year and challenged them to have a conversation with every person in the year level by the end of the year. 

Congratulations to the following students:

• Tay Creggan Leaders: Jasmine Harvey and Chelsea Tribe
• Sport Leader: Lily Douglas
• Performing Arts Leader: Eleanor Clayton
• Duke of Edinburgh Leader: Gemma Kellock
• Debating Leader: Amy Johnson
• Environment Leaders: Liza Griffin and Sarah Le Get
• House Leader – Arnold: Sophie McIntosh
• House Leader – Findlay: Jemima Collings
• House Leader – Gilbert: Scarlett Jolly 
• House Leader- Grenfell: Rachel Zhou
• House Service Leader – Arnold: Esther Jung
• House Service Leader – Findlay: Alyssa Koedyk
• House Service Leader – Gilbert: Teagan Briffa
• House Service Leader- Grenfell: Belle Gemmell

We applaud these elected leaders, and encourage all students to find a way to contribute positively in 2021.

Finally, now would be a good time for all Year 9 parents to check that your daughter is keeping a diary - electronic or paper, to keep track of her school work and day-to-day activities. We are finding that some of the girls are relying on their memories or classmates and we are keen to establish greater independence and good habits.

Best wishes for a good weekend,

Karyn

The Prep students made positive affirmations word cards, decorated with glitter, and shared them with older students, Year 4 students found their inner voice of strength and the Year 3 girls filled each other’s buckets with positive language. We all enjoyed the first Soul lessons and the positive energy it created. Embedding a caring and positive culture, that promotes the girls to be their best, is important as the girls grow and learn.

Mr Matthew Lander, Deputy Head of Junior School

The Second Hand Uniform Shop will open on Wednesdays by appointment only at the following times: 

• Morning: 8am - 9.30am
• Afternoon: 2.30pm - 5pm

Customers will need to book using the below link. Please select 15 minute appointment Uniform Shop to see available times. Please note that a maximum of one student and one parent/guardian will be allowed in the shop at the allocated appointment time. Appointments will be for 15 minutes.

Card payments preferred please.

If you have any queries please contact Fiona White by email fwhite@strathcona.vic.edu.au.

Second Hand Uniform Donations can be left in the Donations Box at 35 Scott St Canterbury.

Please note there are no second hand Senior House Polo Shirts in stock. Dobsons are waiting on a delivery of the House Polo Shirts.

1. Strathcona App: Google Play or Apple store. Here are some instructions to get started.

2. Social Media channels:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrathconaGirlsGrammar/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strathconagirls/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/strathcona-baptist-girls-grammar-school/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/StrathconaGirls

To stay up-to-date with Strathcona In The Media, visit the News section of the School website.

3. MyStrathcona for day-to-day news: https://sb.strathcona.vic.edu/au/homepage/8779

4. MyStrathcona Upcoming Events: https://sb.strathcona.vic.edu.au/homepage/9188

• Monday 22 February – Strathcona Global Family coffee morning at Chicken or the Egg Café, Maling Road from 8.30am
• Friday 26 February - Year 7 Family Picnic/Sausage Sizzle – 6.30pm – 8.30pm on the Oval
• Tuesday 2 March – Class Reps evening, Senior Centre, 7pm (due to COVID restrictions this has been rescheduled to this new date!)
• Thursday 4 March – Class of 2019 1 Year Reunion, The Deck, 6.30pm – 8.30pm
• Thursday 18 March – Fathers’ Pub Night, Auburn Hotel, 7pm
• Saturday 27 March – Dancing Under the Stars – An SFA hosted parent evening. The Deck, Senior Campus 7pm – 11pm

More information about these events will be included in future Magnolia's.

You are warmly invited to the first Strathcona Learning Futures event for 2021 - Neuroscience of Emotions.

Our guest speaker, Dr Mark Williams, a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Macquarie University will speak about how emotional regulation is important for career success. Mark has more than 20 years’ experience in research and teaching and 70+ publications. He has studied how we interact with each other, how we learn and how we think.

There is a lot of talk about 21st Century skills and what we need to teach students now so that they can thrive in the future. These skills usually include a group of “soft” skills like collaboration, cooperation, teamwork, communication, curiosity, creativity and leadership. One essential component of these and many other 21st Century skills is perception, recognition and regulation of emotions. We need to understand our emotions, and those of others, to communicate and work together, to be self-aware and strong enough to take chances and be creative, to lead others and collaborate effectively. Large parts of our brains are dedicated to social awareness and understanding so that we can flourish in these groups. A major component of the social brain is emotion perception and regulation. The school and the workplace are extensions of these groups and we need to understand how our brain perceives, responds to and regulates emotions. Mark has spent more than 20 years researching, teaching and publishing on emotions.

In the seminar Mark will explain the brain basis of emotion perception and regulation including:

• Why the social brain has such an impact on our survival

• Why emotion perception will be important for future employment

• The importance of the face, eye contact and gaze

• How we recognise facial expressions and the body/brain interaction

• Using eye gaze to direct attention

• How to use emotions to attract attention

• The importance of emotions in memory

• How to change the emotion of a room

• How to maintain a happy environment

The focus will be on how we can implement strategies to improve relationship, learning, memory, collaboration and connection.

This seminar will be hosted online and the link will be emailed to all registered guests closer to the day so please ensure you provide your email address when registering. Click here to reserve your tickets.

Please consider being a Class Rep in 2021 as it is a great way to meet other parents and feel part of the Strathcona Community. Thank you to those parents who have already offered. The SFA Committee will host an evening for the 2021 Class Reps to welcome them and chat about suggestions for events during the year. Experienced Class Reps will share their knowledge with the group. If you would like to volunteer, please email Jo Wilson jwilson@strathcona.vic.edu.au or telephone 8779 7503 to discuss further.

Families are warmly invited to the ELC Family Picnic. This will be a casual picnic near the playground close to the ELC gate and an opportunity to meet other ELC families. BYO picnic basket and all members of your family are welcome

Look forward to seeing you there! Click here to register your attendance at the Family Picnic.

To kick off the year before your daughters go off to camp, the Community Relations Office, in conjunction with the Year 7 Class Reps, would like to invite Year 7 families to a casual picnic on the Senior School Oval. This will be a great opportunity to meet other families in your year level and your daughter's House. BYO picnic basket and all members of your family are welcome. A sausage sizzle will also be available.

For catering purposes, please register your attendance and how many members of your family will be joining you. https://www.trybooking.com/BOHAE