Newsletter Term 2, Week 2 5 May 2022

On a lighter note, there are other great offshoots to being a language learner. Five things, to be precise. When you consider yourselves to be amongst the likes of Bradley Cooper (French), Sandra Bullock (German), Leonardo DiCaprio (German, I kid you not! ), Johnny Depp (French), and even Kevin Rudd – remember him? (Chinese), then you can start to feel extremely superior.

Here are the top five reasons why you are a Language Learning Superstar:

1. Learning a language is like giving your brain a gym membership. It is a true mental workout and your brain thanks you for it because it keeps it in top shape. Any person who has learned a language in the past or is currently doing so can attest to this fact. It takes time and dedication but any work you put in earns you an equal reward.

2. And while you’re at it, just like exercise helps produce endorphins in your body, learning a language does the same thing for your brain. So not only is your brain staying in top shape, learning a language is even good for your mental health. Almost like drinking a very dark green smoothy but much more pleasant.

3. Ok, so it’s a while off yet for most of you but learning a language slows down the aging process and that’s got to be a good thing. However here’s a disclaimer; language learning will not stop the wrinkles or grey hair. However, the wrinkles are sure to be from smiling not from frowning. 😊

4. How about this one. You are not only a more worthy person when you know more than one language, you are also actually worth more in real dollar value. Did you realise that you can put a value on learning a language? Apparently you can. Having a language in your pocket, so to speak, is your ticket to better financial rewards in the future.

5. Finally, and surely most importantly, you are considered a real catch if you are bilingual. 80% of French people would prefer to go out with someone who is bilingual than someone who is super sporty and have the body to match. Who knew a language could be such a powerful aphrodisiac?!

So hang in there, language learning superstars. It can be a rocky road at times but the view from the top will surely make it all worthwhile in the end.

 And remember, as Nelson Mandala once said “If you talk to a [someone] in a language [they] understand, that goes to [their] head. If you talk to [them] in [their] own language, that goes to [their] heart.”

Need I say more?

Virginia Prior, Head of Languages

Well done to all students who participated in a range of events across the day. It was exciting to see all students out on the track in the middle of the day for our all-in 15min walk, enjoying some exercise and movement with their friends. 

Thank you to the House leaders for their guidance and support in getting their houses organised and ready for the day. 

A big congratulations to Arnold for taking out the win over Findlay by a very close 13 points! 

Caity Murphy (Year 12) - Diving

• GOLD in 14-18 3m synchro with her dive partner Leyanna
• 4th in 1m individual event (missing out on bronze by 0.05) and 4th in 3m individual event

Natasha Kohlman (Year 9) - Swimming

• 4th in 800m Freestyle and 5th in 400 Freestyle finals. Natasha also made the final in the 200m freestyle. 

Isabella Osborn (Year 9) - Swimming

• Made the 100m fly final

Lauren Phillips (Year 11) - Hockey

• 8th place out of 12 teams in U18 National Championships. Lauren was in the development team so still has a number of years left in this age group. 

Isa White (Year 11) - Cricket

• 4th in U19 National Championships 

Items in the Career News include:

• Victorian Careers Show 2022
• Where can an Arts Degree take you?
• Discover Monash Seminar Series
• RMIT: Discover What’s Next Seminar Series
• Studying the Bachelor of Applied Innovation alongside another Degree at Swinburne
• Business Degrees in Victoria in 2022
• Commerce Degrees in Victoria in 2022
• Snapshot of Swinburne University in 2022

Our excursion to Hanging Rock on Friday allowed us to not only have a fun-filled day with stops in the nearby town of Woodend, but also understand just how gothic, dis-orienting and pretty the Rock is. Climbing and exploring the Rock gave us an insight into what the girls in the novel went through, and allowed us to see in person what Joan Lindsay had described. With readings of the novel on the Rock, we were reminded of important symbols that we can use in our essays. Although climbing the Rock was fun, my favourite part of the day was eating the heart-shaped cake that two girls (Nikki and Georgia) made - this was our version of the St Valentines picnic that the Appleyard College girls had! 

- Maddie Couttie

'Whether Picnic at Hanging Rock is fact or fiction, my readers must decide for themselves. As the fateful picnic took place in the year nineteen hundred, and all the characters who appear in this book are long since dead, it hardly seems important.' Fortunately for the 1/2 Literature class, none of us went missing when we visited the rock last Friday. We visited Woodend and enjoyed exploring the shops, buying books at the second hand bookshop and ordering lunch from the bakery. Luckily for us, we didn’t have to wear gloves, so there were none to remove once our bus (sadly not a horse draw carriage)  passed through Woodend! We all loved exploring the area around Hanging Rock and walking up the path to the summit. After a short moment of stress when many of us believed we were lost, we met up at the top and read through some interesting sections of the text. We enjoyed some cake (inspired by the one made for Saint Valentine in the novel, on the iconic day many years ago), and finally travelled back on the bus to the school.

- Pippa Monckton

On the 29th of April, our literature class visited the Hanging Rock to further develop our understanding of the text. Exploring the rock was my favourite part of the day as it helped set the scene of the novel and immerse ourselves in the ambience of the rock. It helped me understand the difficulties that the characters in the novel would have faced climbing the Rock back in the early 1900s. We walked to a nearby creak and took a moment to appreciate the sounds of nature around us.’

- Maya Pillay

As we stepped off the bus at the clock town, we were immediately swept into the serenity and peacefulness of the rural Victorian town Woodend. After a morning of exploring country op shops, second-hand bookstores, and quaint bakeries, we then travelled to the site of the rock. As we drove through the gate, now automated unlike the wooden gate Miranda opened on Valentine’s Day over a century ago, the rock was hidden by a veil of trees, shielding the monolith from view. After taking a moment to take in the sounds and senses of the Australian bush, we then ate a beautiful heart shaped caked, not unlike the one the girls of Appleyard College ate at their picnic. Finally, it was time to climb the rock. We spent what felt like an endless time wandering around the summit, exploring the different crevices and admiring the expansive views. After a slightly scary moment where we didn’t know where we were, we managed to find our way to a clearing for a reading of a exert of the novel. We then made our way back down and drove back to school after a very enjoyable excursion, thankfully without anyone going missing.

- Elizabeth Tong

Recently our Unit 1/2 Literature class took an enlightening trip to the Hanging Rock and Woodend area in order to explore the themes and setting of our text “Picnic at Hanging Rock” by Joan Lindsay. Our first stop was at the beautiful town of Woodend. We enjoyed passing time at the second-hand bookstore and local cafés, gaining insight into the town which is referenced in the novel. Beneath the clock tower we engaged in a discussion surrounding the motif of ‘time’. Following this experience at Woodend, we made our way to the rock. Together we immersed ourselves in the idyllic natural surroundings and read a short passage by the creek. For afternoon tea we indulged in a stunning cake inspired by the girls’ picnic in the novel, baked by two students, Nikki and Georgia. We then proceeded to climb the rock and marvel at the spectacular views and natural phenomena of the Macedon ranges. From this experience we feel we have gained a greater understanding of the novel’s unique atmosphere and themes, which we look forward to utilising in our upcoming assessment.

- Meg Harrison and Molly Sawers

 Year 11 Literature Students

Do you have lots of spare clothes and accessories lying around in your home that you're not wearing anymore? Maybe it’s best to do a little bit of decluttering and find some valuable clothes that you might throw away and go into landfill. We are accepting one bag of items per student.

Give us any clothes and accessories for all ages from kids size 10 or above to adult.

We will be accepting the following:

-Shoes (sizes 5-11) Women, girls, gender-neutral only

-Women’s, girl’s and gender-neutral cardigans, jumpers, hoodies

-Women’s and girl’s dresses, jeans and shorts

-Jewellery

-Handbags

-Scarves

-Hats

-Gloves

If you have any of the following items you would like donate, be sure to bring to Ms Fields and the Environment Committee in the Senior Centre. Nicola Franklin or Sophie Hall can be contacted with queries about items you may be unsure about. 

Thank you and we can’t wait to promote a future with less fast fashion and more reusing.

Our term began with a workshop run by Angela Martin from Money Mentors. Her program is aimed at teaching young women how to manage their finances and providing examples of positive financial management. Students were taught about superannuation, bank accounts, credit and debt, with one of the most discussed topics being "buy now pay later". These important skills will also be put into action in term three when students run their own businesses.

Co-curricular participation in Year 9 is also on the increase this term, with strong numbers of participation in GSV Sports, 16 students representing Year 9 in the School Musical and exceptional attendance and participation at the Athletics Sports. 

Our Food Tech students served their families afternoon tea in the Ballroom today, displaying the culmination of their 7 weeks learning about Melbourne food culture and food preparation skills.  Everyone seemed to be delighted by the offerings on each table and Narelle Cameron, our Food Tech teacher, was delighted with her students' efforts.

Camp2Campus information for those who missed the Information night can be found here.

A reminder that all Year 9 students will sit their NAPLAN assessment next week.

Finally, I have included an article below by Rebecca Sparrow about being a teenager - an opportunity for reflection perhaps?

Best wishes,

Karyn Murray, Head of Tay Creggan

See that girl? That's me. I'm sixteen in that photo. (COULD MY GLASSES BE ANY BIGGER?) I look at that photo and I go straight back. I can remember my teen years like they were yesterday. I remember feeling hopeful, unsure, awkward, vulnerable, excited, fragile and bold. I remember being in love with boys who never knew I existed. I remember laughing so hard during lunchtime with my friends Lynne and Robin that tears came down my face. I remember hating everything about how I looked. I remember feeling jealous and being unkind when my friend Lynne tried to bring a new girl into our friendship group in grade 9. I remember moments of humiliation. And moments of real joy.

Here's another memory.

From the age of 15 I worked in a popular department store every Christmas holidays. I always worked in the 'handbag' department dutifully dusting the wallets and bags. Anyway, one Saturday morning when I was 16 and at work, my beautiful mum came in to visit me while she was shopping. Now my mum and I are (and were) very close. Let me also say we look nothing alike. We are completely different builds. She's much smaller than me. Anyway, in she comes to see me. And once she leaves my manager Andrew* comes over to me and says, "So was that your mum?" I say yes. And then he said to me, "Oh so is your dad fat?"
I knew exactly what he was saying. I went home devastated.
And when I got home I was in a FOUL mood. I was rude and grumpy to my parents - even though we were close. And I didn't tell them a word of what had happened that day. I kept it to myself. But I was gutted.
Over thirty years later and I still remember that moment and how much it hurt.
So, what's my point? My point is that so often as parents we take our tween and teenager's grumpy, cranky, cantankerous behaviour personally. I get emails from parents (or we do a bit of group therapy in the Lighthouse Plan closed group) questioning why their kids are in such foul moods when they get home from school. Why they grunt or mumble at them.

We must think back to what those years were like. Our teens are fragile and vulnerable about who they are. And the world (and sometimes their manager 😐) is telling them who they are and how they look is not okay. And then there's school which can be joyful but also brutal. Sometimes the thought of saying out loud what has gone down during the day is just too humiliating or painful. Our kids are dealing with big feelings and emotions.

So sometimes when our tween or teen comes home in a foul mood -- don't push them for answers, instead leave a hot chocolate in their room. Maybe over dinner ask them to rate their day out of 10 (since sometimes trying to articulate how you are feeling is just way too hard and giving a score to snapshot how you are feeling is easier). Or write them a loving note in a journal "You don't seem yourself. Are you okay? Can I help?" and leave it in their room to reply in writing. Sometimes making eye contact and talking in person is just too hard.
Remember what it's like being a teen. Don't take their grumpiness personally. And lean in. Bec

On Tuesday, Year 2 went to 33 Scott St to visit Mrs Little to learn more about the history of the school. They learnt all about Lord Strathcona and were able to try on our past Strathcona uniforms. 

We had a busy day on Wednesday, with our Prep & Year 2 students heading off to the Zoo. A highlight for all the girls was getting to see the new baby giraffe. Year 4 students headed out to Rayner’s Orchard where they got to taste several fruits and made canned pears. The Year 5 & 6 students attended the Senior School production of Beauty and the Beast.  

On Thursday, the Year 6 student headed to CERES to learn about renewable energy.

At Assembly this week we awarded our Efforts & Values Awards from Term 1. Please see below for students who received an award. 

Prep:

Isabel Wallbridge
Lucy Serrano

Year 1:

Rachel Wu
Charlotte Hargenrader

Year 2:

Candice Tang
Alessandra Casella

Year 3:

Ally Grayson
Penny Sun

Year 4:

Gabriella Casella
Mila Nilson

Year 5:

Sibella Enojas
Cecelia Bailey
Alexis Stodden
Heidi Farkas

Year 6:

Judy Wang
Sofia Pomeroy
Emily Wang
Erin Cadle 

Below are some extra images from this week.

Eleni Kyritsis, Deputy Head of Junior School

Thanks to the SFA Father’s subcommittee, in particular Chris Howell, for organising a fabulous evening on Sunday with 241 dads and daughters attending. There was plenty of laughter, food and fun games!

Thanks to our mums who cooked and served 500 sausages at the Athletics.

Thanks to our wonderful Junior School mums, in particular Kavita Gupta, for running the Junior School Mother’s Day stall.

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 Wednesday, 4 May 2022 by clicking here and include your daughter/s or son/s year level.

You are warmly invited to this upcoming Parent Seminar Series Event. 

'Body image' has been named as one of the top concerns across adolescent age groups and genders consistently in a number of surveys and studies over the last decade. Far from being a superficial or harmless concern, body image worries can span across physical, mental and social aspects of health and life to have significant impacts on young people, their families and communities. Significantly, this topic has never been as important as has emerged over the last 2 years with the various challenges that have been presented to all of us. It's not unusual that we are concerned about our teen's body image, but we might be unsure what to do or say. Should we be concerned or not? What is 'normal' anyway?

The good news is that parents, families, schools and communities can play powerful and important roles in supporting young people to understand their own experiences and provide environments where they are more likely to take care of their bodies from a place of respect.

This Parent Seminar will be presented by Body Image specialist and Dietitian Fiona Sutherland and is for parents and caregivers who would like to understand how to support a body-positive environment at home. The aim will be for attendees to leave with a deeper understanding of how body image concerns show up, how to have constructive conversations and take timely action if/when needed.

Strathcona’s Wellbeing Workshop (for unstoppable girls and women).  Book now here: https://www.trybooking.com/BYT...

Who: Mothers, Special friends and their daughters from our entire community, school families, alumnae and the local community. The workshops are designed for Mums, special friends and daughters to participate together, from all age groups, fostering connection, and healthy lifestyles in line with Strathcona’s Wellbeing program.

When: Sunday 15 May, 9.30am  - 2.30pm

Day's activities include:

8.30am Yoga (optional) with Strathcona Alumna and owner of Light Space Yoga, Clare Monahan. 
9.30am Breakfast followed by Guest Speaker Jo Stanley, Founder and CEO of Broad Radio, TV host of House of Wellness and alumna of the School.

African Drumming

The wellness benefits of drumming are numerous; it helps to develop enhanced teamwork, leadership and communication skills needed to work together to create rhythms and music in unison. It is good for our state of mind, and will leave you feeling connected, energised and empowered.

Bracelet Making

Mindfulness can be practiced in a variety of ways. Typically people think meditation but there are many activities that can help us to become more aware of our thoughts and feelings, reduce stress and anxiety, improve focus and fine motor skills. The simple nature of bracelet making allows you to follow a repetitive pattern and helps to focus your attention hopefully resulting in slower breathing and feelings of calmness. This is a simple activity that can be done on your own or whilst chatting with friends.

Gratitude Journaling

Gratitude is one of the key pillars of good health and wellbeing. Numerous studies have demonstrated that gratitude journaling can increase one’s happiness. The benefits of practice gratitude include; increased positive mood, more satisfaction with life, nurturing of key social skills such as humility, patience and wisdom and less materialism. Gratitude journaling is an intentional way to reflect on the things, people or situations we are grateful for. It allows us to put these feelings into words and we are then more likely tell someone we are grateful for them!

Where: Our Senior School Campus 34 Scott Street, Canterbury

Breakfast and lunch are provided, as well as gift bags from our supporters.

Places are limited, please book quickly to avoid missing out and to assist us with catering.

Jo Stanley – Guest Speaker

Jo is a performer, writer, TV and radio presenter. She is co-host of The House of Wellness TV and Radio, and creator of the House of Wellness podcast. She writes a regular column for the Sunday Life Magazine, and is the creator of the Play Like A Girl kids book series. Her performance style, which is heavily influenced by her stand-up comedy roots, makes her a much sought-after MC and speaker.In between all these very rewarding roles, Jo has now turned her vast media experience into building Broad Radio – Australia’s first radio network for women, by women, and a platform that will amplify the full diversity of women’s voices and stories.Jo is passionate about mindfulness and meditation, and its profound benefits for mental health, life balance and happiness. She is also an advocate for women’s and girl’s health, gender equality and healthy, respectful relationships. In support of these issues, Jo is a patron for Lighthouse Foundation, a patron for Wellsprings for Women, and an ambassador for meditation app, Smiling Mind.

Clare Monahan – Yoga Instructor

Clare is an Old-Strathconian, Yoga Studio owner, and Mother of 4 beautiful boys. Graduating in 1998, Clare attending Strathcona from Year 3. After graduating, Clare completed a Bachelor of Business/Marketing and went on to spend over a decade working in commercial marketing for various international organisations.

In 2014, Clare left the corporate world to open her first Yoga Studio, Light Space Yoga, in Balwyn with her mother, followed by a second and third studio in 2015 and 2016 in Mitcham and Ivanhoe. In 2020, in response to Covid-19, came the creation of a progressive online yoga platform and app which now houses a growing library of over 3,000 yoga classes plus 36 live classes every week. Light Space Yoga is inspired by a fresh and contemporary approach to yoga, with over 120 classes every week to suit all levels and abilities. Each studio has been designed to feel like a sanctuary with natural light, tree-top views, and white bamboo floorboards.

You are warmly invited to this very special Strathcona Centre for Learning Futures event: Quantum Computing, Carbon Capture and Flying Cars. The talk will feature three guest speakers; Mithuna Yoganathan, Rebecca Phillips and Aidan Biggar.

ABOUT GUEST SPEAKERS

Mithuna Yoganathan

Quantum computers have been hyped to be the next big thing in computing, but will we really all have quantum computers in the future? If so, when? In this talk Mithuna will explain why the buzz around quantum computers might be missing the point. Quantum computers do hold a lot of promise- but probably not for running your laptop faster. 

Mithuna is from Melbourne and did her PhD research at the University of Cambridge in the UK. Her research was about whether certain kinds of computational problems could be run faster on a quantum computer. 

Rebecca Phillips ('17)

Increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere is a concern for many of us and affects or will affect us all in one way or another. Rebecca will introduce carbon capture and conversion as a technology that is expected to play an important role in future efforts to fight climate change. She will outline the approach a Monash student team is using to try and develop such technology and how being involved in student teams can be an enriching experience at university.

Rebecca attended Strathcona, graduating in 2017. She is now in her final year of studying Environmental Engineering and a Diploma of Chinese at Monash University. She is currently involved in the Monash Carbon Capture and Conversion (MC3) team. Their proposed solution of turning algae to biochar won funding in the XPrize student award competition, supporting their progress until the final submission in 2025. 

Aidan Biggar

Aidan will speak about what we can achieve with aerospace technology, where he thinks the future of the industry is going, and why he thinks we direly need more women to enter the field! He’ll share his  background of living in the US and Australia and what it was like to work in Silicon Valley before moving back to Victoria where he joined a small start-up. Aidan believes there almost always exist opportunities to work in your desired industry! 

Aidan was born in New Zealand before moving to France and ultimately settling in Australia. He graduated from Melbourne High School in 2013, before moving to California for university. He studied mechanical engineering at Stanford University and then worked for two years as a flight test engineer for the flying car company Kitty Hawk. His current role has him leading the flight test team at Swoop Aero, a drone start-up in Port Melbourne which focuses on delivering vaccines to hard-to-reach regions of the world.

We are delighted to invite you to join us in celebrating Mother's Day at a lunch at Georges restaurant in Camberwell. $80 per ticket which includes a glass of bubbles on arrival, a 2-course meal plus tea and coffee. Further drinks are available at the bar. Gather your friends and make a booking - numbers are limited! Please RSVP by Friday 13 May 2022 by clicking here.

Lucky tickets are available for purchase on the day and some great prizes to be won.

Junior School Disco – Saturday 21 May 2022

Save the date – booking and further details to follow.