Newsletter Term 1, Week 7 12 Mar 2021

While there is much to celebrate about the progress women have made since the idea of an International Women’s Day first arose early last century, the events in this country in the past few weeks have given any thinking, compassionate person cause to feel some despair. I have celebrated this day in girls’ schools for over 30 years now. However, I have never felt the way I do this year, 2021 - when supposedly women have come so far - as I do this week. Over the past few weeks, a light has been shone on the uncomfortable truth of sexual assault against young women. This followed the very public allegation by a young Liberal staffer, Brittany Higgins. Ms Higgins claimed to have been inspired by the words of another brave young woman, Grace Tame, recently announced Australian of the Year for her work as an advocate of the removal of the barriers and discomfort in conversations about sexual assault. Ms Tame led a campaign ‘Let Her Speak’, which won her the right to publicly self-identify following abuse she suffered as a teenager in a school not dissimilar to ours at the hands of a teacher.

In ensuing days, a wide disclosure of young women in Sydney from independent girls’ schools shared their own disturbing and upsetting experiences of assault, which resulted from an anonymous online petition circulated and signed by thousands of young women asking schools to provide better education on sexual consent and to do it at a much earlier age. The petition was created by an ex-student named Chantel Contos from an independent Sydney girls’ school. Some of the stories were horrifying and they mostly involved students from independent girls’ and boys’ schools in Sydney, but this movement has now extended to other states and beyond Chantel’s circle of independent school students. Young people who were intoxicated was often a part of their stories. While I was shocked at the extent of the problem, I was not at all surprised that this problem existed. I have worked too long and too closely with students in various roles in my career as they sought to make sense of various situations that they had encountered and get their minds back on their schoolwork. About 15 – 20 years ago, the stories of when things had gone wrong started to change, to escalate, and it was concerning that some of what was recounted by students was considered normal by them. If you ever want to know what is actually going on, as Dr Briony Scott, Principal of Wenona - a Sydney school very similar to ours - stated in her piece titled Our Passive Attitude Must Change in the Sydney Morning Herald, ask a teacher, especially those who work and are trained in wellbeing. “They are the ones who are desperately picking up the broken hearts, trying to hold lives together and doing their best to remind young people that everything will be ok”.

When I first came to this School, I asked that Health and Physical Education, where sexual education usually occurs (and drug and alcohol education), be reviewed with a focus on teaching young women about their health and how to manage relationships and sexuality. From what I could see, such issues were not being taught explicitly or early enough; the staff agreed and changes were made. However, perhaps in retrospect, not enough. Obviously, the area is a very delicate one and different parents have different views with some not even wanting this to be taught at all. For years, educators have been grappling with the notion of what is age-appropriate sexual health education noting the variabilities in the stages of development of students and the varying cultural and religious backgrounds in our community. Now, five years later, another review is occurring in this School and Mrs Amber Sowden, Dean of Students and Ms Kim Bates, Head of Health and Physical Education, will be in communication with you about how this program is redesigned and what your daughter will be exposed to. It is vital that schools and parents work in partnership on this issue and it is also important that we listen to what our young people tell us. I welcome your input as parents.

In support of the questions raised this week about school programs teaching of consent and sex education, which is at the heart of the plea which has come from this petition, a 2016 study of students of South Australia and Victoria has shown young people do consider school to be a trustworthy source of sexual health education but most do not believe the lessons have prepared them adequately for relationships. This may be especially the case since we know that most boys and young men gain knowledge about intimate relationships from pornography. The reality that we are currently facing is that the kind of pornography, which is readily available these days, is demeaning of women.

Jacqueline Hendriks, from Curtin University, cautions that we should be careful not to oversimplify the issue of consent. “Sexual negotiation can be a difficult or awkward process for anyone – regardless of age – to navigate. The term ‘consent’ is often associated with sex, but it is much broader than that. It relates to permission and how to show respect both for ourselves and other people. Consent should therefore be addressed in an age-appropriate way across all years of schooling”.

The ACARA Health and Physical Education Curriculum clearly outlines for schools to teach students about establishing and maintaining respectful relationships, this includes resources for Year 3 – 10, covering such topics as:

•    standing up for themselves
•    establishing and managing changing relationships (offline and online)
•    strategies for dealing with relationships when there is an imbalance of power (including seeking help or leaving the relationship)
•    managing the physical, social and emotional changes that occur during puberty
•    respecting difference and diversity in individuals
•    practices that support reproductive and sexual health

Such matters are covered in our own Health and Physical Education program already and our aim always is to encompass a holistic view of sexual health inclusive of respect, intimacy, relationships and consent. In the early years, students should be taught how to affirm and respect personal boundaries, using non-sexual examples such as whether to give hugs.

The ACARA HPE curriculum does not continue to Years 11 and 12. Schools tailor their own curriculum for these senior years that can be targeted appropriately for gender and age.

The National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health has been carried out by researchers at La Trobe University at regular intervals since 1992. It is considered the most comprehensive of its kind into the sexual behaviour, attitudes and health of young people at secondary school. Each survey involves more than 2,000 students in Years 10, 11 and 12 at Government, Catholic and Independent schools in all states and territories.

This survey presents a very clear picture of the sexual world of young people and proves to be a great resource for parents, schools and policy makers. Schools can take heart from results that suggest that young people “on the whole” are feeling good about their decisions to engage or not to engage in sexual activity and most are acting responsibly.

The most recent survey conducted by La Trobe University in 2018 highlighted that more than one-quarter (28.4%) of sexually active students reported an unwanted sexual experience. Their most common reasons for this unwanted sex was due to pressure from a partner, being intoxicated or feeling frightened. A key priority area identified was to improve people’s awareness, knowledge and skills to engage in healthy relationships.

Without doubt, for some parents these are uncomfortable and delicate conversations to have at home. I would encourage you to leverage from the media coverage of recent weeks as a conversation starter. I spoke fairly directly on assembly this week, while trying to be sensitive to the different ages and stages of the students in the audience. I referred to Brittany Higgins allegation and Chantel Contos’ petition in my International Women’s Day address. I also mentioned Sydney’s Cranbrook Headmaster being quoted in the media expressing his great concern about extreme pornography, which is so easily available these days. It depicts women being treated very badly, which he believes is a central concern to this problem of assault as it displaces love and distorts views on respectful, mutual sexual relationships. Additionally, I sent students in Years 10 – 12 a few media pieces, which outline the discussions occurring around the country. Health and Physical Education staff will follow up with discussion in a more scaffolded, formal approach, but it may be a way for you to start some discussion in the context of your family values.

Finally, while my focus is schools and students, obviously, it needs to be said that sexual assault is a broader cultural issue, not just a school sector or a “it would never happen here” or “but my kid is a good kid” issue. As Dr Briony Scott puts it: “that someone’s abuse would be categorised by what they wore, how much they had to drink or what school they went to, is profoundly not the point. That it happens at all is the point. That it can happen in the halls of the highest office in the land, in the parks of our city or at kids’ parties in family homes, is profoundly not the point. That the former president of the US can boast to the world that he can grab any woman he wants, whenever he wants, and not to be held to account – along with so many others - is the point”.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #Choose to Challenge. Grace Tame did. Brittany Higgins did. Chantal Contos did, as did the thousands of young women who responded to her online petition. As an older woman, I have much admiration and enormous faith and regard for this next generation of girls and women. They will choose to challenge when the time is right for them; they will speak out in a thoughtful, informed and respectful way. The job that we have as educators and as parents in the context of this present national discussion is to ensure that they are empowered with information. Not only that, we need to keep focusing on them developing self-agency, confidence and enough ‘feistiness’ and courage to be able to say “no” if that is what they want. On a deeper level, to be able to do this with authenticity, our young people need to know who they are in a profound sense - emotionally, socially and spiritually – as much as this is possible for the age they are. This will help give them a level comfort and some serenity in being true to themselves in working out what is right for them as individual human beings at the stage they are at.

We finished our IWD assembly with Helen Reddy’s 1970s classic, which was a key background lyric for some of us during school and university years: “I am Woman, Hear Me Roar”. I think we have to not only #SpeakUp, as Grace Tame put it, but also roar a message that girls and women should be able to feel physically and emotionally safe to be able to navigate, without harm, the terrain of intimate relationships. We #ChooseTheChallenge.

For your interest I leave with your two thought provoking pieces I found valuable in my reading and they provide a slightly different and broader context for this discussion.

International Women’s Day, Choose to Challenge

Lack of Respect, not single sex schools

Mrs Marise McConaghy, Principal

Don’t you just play games all day? That is one of the most frustrating questions Physical Education (PE) teachers get asked about their jobs. Well yes, we do play games but there is more to Physical Education than scores on the board. Ask any ‘Phys Edder’ about their values and role in education, and you will get a passionate response about the importance of being physically active along with its greater impact on individuals and the whole community. They will speak about the link between physical activity and an individual’s overall wellbeing. Physical Education is not just about teaching sports, it is about developing and equipping students with life-long skills, because we want students to be life-long participants in physical activity and the community.  

Physical activity is more than minutes per day, it is about minutes per year of life. Creating physical activity habits is the anchor for physical health and overall wellbeing. The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030: More Active People for a Healthier World, highlights that "Physical activity is important across all ages. Active play and recreation are important for early childhood as well as for healthy growth and development in children and adolescents. Quality physical education and supportive school environments can provide physical and health literacy for long-lasting healthy, active lifestyles”. The WHO action plan also states the importance of integrating physical activity into settings where people live, work and play. This aligns with our role as educators in PE, to instill the values of life-long participation in physical activity.  

We aim to implement these values through our Health and Physical Education curriculum at Strathcona. Some examples are the Unit 3 PE students who are currently analysing the impact that deliberate play has on skill development, students in the Unit 2 PE course are investigating the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model as it relates to the influences on physical activity. At Year 10 we are providing options of sports-based curriculum and lifestyle options through Cardio Tennis, Spin, Self-Defence, and Lawn Bowls. And in the Junior School we are in first term of the implementation of the Health Education Curriculum, which will feed into the existing Senior School program.  

School plays an important role in influencing skill development and participation, PE and wellbeing are interwoven and intrinsically linked. In PE we use the term ‘physical literacy’ which is lifelong learning through movement and physical activity. The establishment of physical literacy has lifelong positive benefits that influence physical behaviour along with physical, social, cognitive, and psychological health. 

We are fortunate at Strathcona to have structures and facilities that provide opportunities to physically active and develop our physical literacy. Our students will eventually graduate and enter the adult world where those structures and opportunities will be less readily available to them, they will have to seek out sports teams, sign up for a local gym membership or find that motivation to do that YouTube Yoga class on-line. Our intention is to empower students with the knowledge and confidence to be positive decision makers about their health. Through the Health and Physical Education program we aim to be able to instill the knowledge and enthusiasm for being physically active, develop students who are mindful of their overall wellbeing and understand the importance of the role of lifelong physical activity plays in the balance of life.

This week was Health, PE and Wellbeing Week were students in Years 7 to 12 have been engaged in various activities to celebrate the importance of the week. Students participated in NetFit activities with Kate Eddy from the Melbourne Vixens along-side some other Victorian National Players, dodgeball competition, a WooHu Scavenger Hunt and joined in for a Zumba/Dance session.

Ms Kim Bate, Head of Health and Physical Education

International Women’s Day Speech - Women Changemaker – Tanya Hosch

International Women's Day is a global celebration where we can seek out and honour all that women have achieved to date. Women across the world come together crossing boundaries from various cultural and ethnic groups to acknowledge women’s struggle for peace, justice, equality, and equal education.

The first recorded Women's Day was organised by the Socialist Party of Americain New York 1909. It was a solidarity protest by a group of female textile workers in Russia in 1917 that lead to the fall of the tsar, a dynasty that ruled Russia for centuries. It is the anniversary of their demonstration which is now used to celebrate International Women’s Day worldwide.

This is a day to not only reflect on the past but also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity in the present and future. We need to be courageous to challenge the stereotypes and form strong powerful coalitions that can create change. Today I would like to speak with you about an inspiring changemaker, Tanya Hosch, a Torres Strait Islander social activist.
Tanya has become the first indigenous person and second female executive at AFL, appointed as the Diversity Chief. She is using a very traditional sport, that is a stereotypically male dominated profession, as a powerful vehicle for change. Tanya’s principled leadership is far reaching it is not only transforming the AFL but is advancing women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and gender-diverse Australians across the entire nation.

She has helped found the advocacy organisation The Indigenous Players Alliance which is aimed at supporting current and past Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players. They face unique challenges both before, during and after their AFL careers.

Tanya also drove a world-first gender diversity policy for contact sport, enabling women to seek redress for unacceptable behaviour. This is a huge advancement towards equally for women in sport, as their voices can be heard and taken seriously.

In the influential words of Tanya, “Keep reminding yourself that we have every right to be here and that women before you have fought very hard for you to have those rights.”
Tanya has risen to the challenge, the theme this year for International Women’s Day is Choose to Challenge so let’s all choose to challenge.

Outside the Knowledge Exchange today at lunchtime you can show your solidarity towards challenging and calling out gender bias, stereotypes and discrimination by taking photos with our Choose to Challenge selfie cards.

I’m looking forward to seeing you there.

Thank you.

It was fantastic to see so many students getting into the house spirit at our House Swimming Carnival at Aquarena yesterday. There were many students participating in the water, helping out with marshalling and other jobs, as well as recruiting team members to try and maximise their house points. 

In the end, final results saw Findlay take out the event for the first time in 33 years, narrowly beating 2020 winners, Gilbert. Full results are listed below. Well done to all students who got involved yesterday on what was a wonderful day filled with enthusiasm and an overwhelming sense of comradery. 

Our three sponsor children are:

• Fiona from Uganda, she is 12 years old
• Liha from Cambodia, she is 12 years old (pronounced Leah)
• Monika from Bangladesh, she is 18 years old

We will be distributing hot cross buns in packs of six in the flavours of traditional raisin, chocolate chip and apple & cinnamon. We suggest ordering with a group of friends or taking them home for your family to enjoy.

Further details will be released next week.

This week contains the following information on:

• Your Career Website
• News from Monash University
  • New Certificate Courses
  • Bachelor of Arts - Professional Futures
  • Bachelor's/Master's Program in Arts
• Differences between a Physiotherapist, Chiropractor, Osteopath and Myotherapist
• ADF Gap Year and Information Sessions
• Undergraduate Webinar Series at Victoria University
• Travel & Tourism Courses in Victoria in 2021
• Occupational Therapy Courses on offer in Victoria in 2021
• Physiotherapy Courses on offer in Victoria in 2021
• Snapshot of Bond University 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.

This week, International Women's Day enabled us to reflect on the progress of women and the importance of strong female role models in our community. Year 9 student leaders, Jasmine and Chelsea ran Tuesday's Assembly by introducing us to 'female firsts' - women who were the first in their field to challenge the existing norms of their time. To complement this presentation, Ms Lana Goldstone's International Studies class made an International Women's Day board which has been on display in the Hall all week. Jasmine, Chelsea and Mrs Cathie Waldron were invited to represent Tay Creggan at a Rotary Club of Canterbury breakfast on Thursday, and were delighted to hear speakers including Lord Mayor Sally Capp, Dr Megan Clark, President of the Australian Space Agency and Colin Carter, President of the Geelong Football Club. In June, all Year 9 students will support the Rotary Club in their FORaMEAL program which endeavours to provide nutritious meal kits for needy people. 

Commendation to all Year 9 swimmers and divers at the House Swimming Carnival on Thursday and to our four members of the Symphonic Band who played at the International Women's Day Assembly at Main School.

We have also had the opportunity to see some fine examples of student leadership apart from Tuesday's Assembly. Our FORaMEAL team are working with Junior School Principal Mrs Lisa Miller to organise a fundraising event before Easter, our Year 9 SOUL Sisters are busily planning their next activity for the Year 4 students, and even our Happy Diggers gardening group are planting seedlings.

Below this news article, I have included a link to Paul Dillion's blog titled "Parents of Year 9, Prepare yourself for a bumpy year when it comes to sleepovers, parties and gatherings". Parties and gatherings do become more common at Year 9, and there is no doubt that social occasions are important for our young people. Dillion's firm advice, I believe, is invaluable when making decisions and setting boundaries. Please do take the time to read it if you can. 

We wish our Year 9 rowers every success at the Head of Schoolgirls' Regatta on the Barwon River and our Year 9 Kayaking crew good luck as they head to Nagambie for the Victorian Schools' Championships. 

Enjoy your weekend,
Mrs Karyn Murray, Head of Tay Creggan

The article's title "Parents of Year 9s: Prepare yourself for a bumpy year when it comes to sleepovers, parties and gatherings" gives a good indication as to the advice contained within. Importantly, Dillon provides exceptionally clear guidelines for dealing with young people as they begin to make independent choices, take risks and form their identity. 

I would recommend it to you as useful reading.

Parents of Year 9s: Prepare yourself for a bumpy year when it comes to sleepovers, parties and gatherings (doingdrugs-darta.blogspot.com)

Mrs Karyn Murray, Head of Tay Creggan

For these investigations to be successful we need a lot of specific "real" items or equipment and were wondering if families could help with the collection of these?

Some of our investigations may be tinkering, construction, writing workshop, reading corners, collage, painting/artwork, mathematics, technology, or imaginative play.

Here is a list of equipment you may be able to collect (please only reuse/recycle):

• Tinkering – old electrical equipment eg. telephones, calculators, toys, controllers, toasters
• Construction – cardboard boxes, tubes or containers (please no bigger than a shoebox), pieces of soft wood, screws or nails, small bathroom tiles
• Writing Workshop – old magazines, interesting writing materials, old greeting cards, pads of paper, envelopes or newspapers
• Collage – interesting materials, shiny, bumpy, natural, ribbons, fabric scraps, felt, string
• Home Corners – hospital, aquarium, café, space station, school, shops, dress up clothes, necklaces, masks, old glasses, hats, airport (brochures, catalogues and tickets are wonderful resources)
• Science / Mathematics – microscopes, bug catchers, measuring tapes, old clocks, posters.

Thank you in advance for your help as occasionally we may call out for specific items. Children are happiest when playing and directing their own time and we believe it is our greatest platform for learning.

If you bring items to School to donate, please drop them to my office and I will help distribute and find appropriate storage for the items.

Ms Lisa Miller, Head of Junior School

Mindfulness is the practice of attention regulation. It involves three aspects:

• Where is my attention? Prioritising where my attention needs to be. Making my attention go there and stay there
• We can practice mindfulness in a formal way by completing meditation, mindful coloring and Yoga.
• This week the girls enjoyed mindful walks, listening and paying attention to the surrounds. Mindful colouring with Zen tangles and Junior Yoga classes.

Mr Matthew Lander, Deputy Head of Junior School

Our first Junior School Music performance event is approaching, the Junior Music Soirée, for musicians taking individual lessons in their instrument or voice. Solo Soirées are afternoon concerts which take place once per term, from 4pm for about 45 minutes. Musicians who take lessons inside or outside school are welcome to play; your piece must be performance-ready (please check with your teacher) but it doesn't matter if you're a beginner or an advanced musician. Short beginner pieces are as welcome as 5-minute concerto movements.

If your daughter is interested in performing, please contact Mrs Anna Miller (amiller@strathcona.vic.edu.au) by Tuesday 9 March; you will then receive an Edsmart incursion notification which must be completed. Parents and friends are welcome to attend this event (maximum two audience members per performer).

If you have any questions, please contact Anna Miller, Director of Junior School Music.

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.

To find out what sport camps they are providing please refer to the flyer below.

If you book one of their 3 Day Camps Strathcona families will receive a 40% discount. When making the booking for a 3 Day Camp please use the code STRATHCONA40 at checkout, please refer to the flyer for more information on booking.

THIRD PARTY DISCLAIMER The services provided from International Sport Camps Australia is supplied from a third party that is independent from Strathcona Girls Grammar and it’s curriculum. It is important that all users understand that the service is not provided or endorsed by Strathcona and your legal relationship is with the third party supplier. Please be aware that Strathcona has no involvement in the program and has not checked the quality of the service.  Any enquiries or complaints should be directed to International Sport Camps Australia.

Thursday 18 March 2021, 7.00pm-8.30pm, Auburn Hotel, 85 Auburn Road, Hawthorn East

Strathcona Family Association Fathers' Subcommittee invites all dads and male carers to join them for their annual Pub Night.

This year our guest speaker is Andrew Stark, a serving member of the Australian Federal Police for 21 years. Throughout this time he developed expertise in several dimensions of security and risk management including diplomatic protection, counter-insurgency, surveillance and criminal investigations. Acting as Security Adviser, he has consulted for numerous foreign Heads of State including Nelson Mandella, Tony Blair and George W Bush. He also spent six years as Security Adviser to the Australian Foreign Minister and worked with each Australian Prime Minister dating back to 1990. Andrew is the founder and managing director of Stark Corporation established in 2014 and a past Strathcona parent.

Cost is $20 for finger food and drinks at bar prices. Book your ticket through Trybooking https://www.trybooking.com/BPDLJ

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.

Strathcona's 2021 Musical, Roald Dahl's - Matilda The Musical (Book by Dennis Kelly and Music & Lyrics by Tim Minchin).

Dates for performances at Featherstone Hall are:

• Tuesday 4 May - Preview, 5.30pm
• Thursday 6 May - Opening Night, 7.00pm 
• Friday 7 May - Evening Production, 7.00pm 
• Saturday 8 May - Matinee, 2.00pm and Final Show, 7.00pm 

Tickets have now SOLD OUT, and we are extremely excited to welcome audience members to the show in May.