Newsletter Term 3, Week 1 15 July 2021

A few months ago, I shared some thoughts from an article I had read which explored the notion of people being in a state of languish at the moment, rather than of flourishing. We know, of course, that some people are not even languishing, rather they are struggling in a much more profound sense.

Recently, I was asked to speak to the skills that this generation we are currently educating will need to thrive in the workforce and what schools are doing to foster these skills in their students. In thinking about this, I could not help but consider the fact that if uncertainty is going to be the next normal, what does this mean?  It has felt a bit like a Groundhog Day scenario, as our worlds, our cities and states, keep tilting this way and that. There are repetitive unknowns and we strive to make sense of it all in what feels like an “Alice in Wonderland” adventure.

In this School setting, we staff and parents are the adults in the “room”, and we know we need to comport ourselves in a way that helps our young people feel safe, optimistic and believe that things will be ok. This situation we are in means that work-life balance (whatever that is and it means different things to different people) has become very indistinct, especially evident in the lockdowns, but even so now. Family relationships can be under pressure and people are feeling the loss of not being able to see, or even plan to see loved ones and dear friends. What does this situation mean for us as the adults or the elders? I think we need to recognise the complexity of the effects of these repetitive unknowns and constant changes, both large and small and positive and not so, and somehow keep collectively pooling our ideas to leverage what we have that is precious, strong and good.

Over the break, my husband and I took a short road trip to South Australia in lieu of going home to Queensland to see family and old friends. We visited the Coonawarra and McClaren Vale areas and finished up in a pretty place called Robe before heading back. Craig got to go to some of his favourite wineries and discover new ones as well, while hanging out with people with a passion for the land, vines, soil and the product itself. As we went from place to place we played the soundtrack of our youth, which consisted mostly of music from the 60s, 70s and 80s and a few more recent bands our kids have put us onto. Not sure how we pretty much skipped the 1980s to the 2020s – we must have been too distracted in those child-rearing/working years to follow music trends!

Best wishes for a normal as possible Term 3.

Mrs Marise McConaghy, Principal
 
Welcome to New Staff
Ruth Barclay, Teacher (replacing Geoff Wriedt on LSL)
Janet Costello, School Chaplain (new appointment)
Ellysa Cunningham, ELC Co-Educator
Jenny Jones, Library Technician (replacing Mandy McAuliffe on LSL)
Melissa Mabilia, Teacher (replacing Penny Allen on LSL)
Carol Tan, Food Technology Assistant
Penny Willoughby, Learning Enrichment Teacher (additional appointment)
Annie Yang, School Psychologist (additional appointment)

Choosing to come back here has given me lots to reflect on. So, in my red backpack here I have a few props in lieu of a PowerPoint to show and tell! All good Baptist sermons have 3 points so I’m going to give you 3 short points and tell you a bit about myself as I address the big Pastoral Care/Chaplaincy question: What gives us meaning, connection and purpose in life?  

My first prop is my alphabet embroidery. Life is not linear, unlike my embroidery of the alphabet here! In a big COVID clean out,  I found various old tapestries in different states of completion, some I did here at Strathy as a schoolgirl. Being left-handed and a bit unco, I was luckily saved by my kind homeroom teacher who was also my needlework teacher. I remember sitting in the old needlework room having fun, talking, laughing, and making great friends! So, my first point is that life and relationships are not linear. Those letters of life, like my needlework threads, get jumbled up pretty quickly. We don’t have to get from A -Z to be complete.    

My second prop is my Strathcona Bible which I recently found. It is the Bible that I was given when I left School. It symbolises how my life has been surrounded by faith, friends, family, and community. These things are very important to most of us and something that I saw very clearly with sick and dying people in hospital is that “Love matters most”.  

Going on with my life story, I went and studied Arts after leaving school because I didn’t know what I wanted to do.  The idea now of Strathy girls being “unstoppable” is something I could have done with back then! I think the girls now get a more rounded education that encourages heart, mind and soul along with equal and positive relationships which fit with my feminist ideas.   

I was raised a Christian and attended a Baptist church. Church, school and family were key influences in my life. Now for those of you who might be a bit unsure about what a Baptist is, let me reassure you that we are not some strange cult or sect, but a mainstream Christian denomination. And I should say now we are all welcome, no matter if you come from a different religious background or no religious background. I don’t think of myself as religious but I am very interested in spirituality and I am a follower of Jesus, who talked a lot about loving God, other people, and self. As a pastoral carer we ask the question: “What is it that gives this person purpose, connection and meaning in life?” I learned that for most people these days spirituality centres around family, friends, pets, community, nature, and sense of themselves in relationships.  Disillusionment with organized dogmatic negative religion is not surprising. Love matters more for most of us.   

The early Baptists were distinctive as followers of Jesus as they took on this idea. They didn’t believe in hierarchical structures; they had no bishops or archbishops and they believed in love mattering more! They also believed in freedom of religion. I’m telling you this so you don’t think we all come from the rather intolerant southern American Baptist ilk! Modern Baptist heroes are people like civil rights campaigner and Baptist minister Martin Luther King Junior and former US President Jimmy Carter.   

I loved Uni and went on to become an English and History teacher and taught in two secondary colleges. Those early teaching years were a baptism of fire. From being a very sheltered Strathcona girl, I found myself teaching at 21 in a rough State Secondary School on the outer edge of Melbourne, where many of the kids lived in caravan parks permanently. I was shocked they didn’t have pens, paper and books, and teaching literacy certainly wasn’t easy.  

I then went on to become a Student Welfare Coordinator whilst teaching sex education. That was one of the few topics that wasn’t general dinner time conversation in my family. Talking about politics and religion was much more acceptable.  I started studying more in the areas of student welfare and counselling. I moved to St Kilda to be part of a Baptist Church Community that worked with the homeless, mentally ill and down and outs. I lived in and helped run a homeless refuge whilst doing student welfare, counselling and teaching.  I also started studying Theology as I could see that people had “heart, mind and soul” needs, along with material needs, that needed to be addressed.  

After marrying and having kids, more linear milestones that caused messy threads and heartbreak, I went back to work in an inner-city Catholic girls’ school as the School Counsellor. It had a very different socio-economic demographic to Strathy, but I did like being back in a girls’ school. I completed my Masters in Theology and Graduate Diploma in Counselling and Gestalt Therapy. My Strathcona education paved the way for me to keep learning and I will always value that this was instilled in me at an early age. 

About 12 years ago I went to Kilvington Girls’ Grammar School as it was then, as Chaplain and Counsellor. Then Kilvington transitioned to being co- educational, which was an interesting time to be in the school! I was also transitioning to becoming a Baptist Minister, majoring in Pastoral Care, so it was a busy and exhausting time. It is with a sense of coming full circle I have come back here to Strathcona. My path has not been linear and there have been stitches in my embroidery of life that go back and forward with some loose threads here and there. But the most important thing I have learned is that love matters most.   

My last prop was given to me at my graduation in Clinical Pastoral Care a few weeks ago by one of the hospital pastoral carers. It says, “Being kind to yourself, is one of the greatest kindnesses”. She said that she thought people like me from educational settings were great at looking after everyone else, but not themselves. I agree. Teachers and school staff give, give, and give and this is my last point. “Being kind to yourself is one of the greatest kindnesses”, which is a quote from the book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. Give yourself time to nurture your heart, mind and soul. The Covid pandemic has caused an epidemic of anxiety and depression, not only for students but also for parents and teachers. I think this message of nurturing heart, soul and mind is even more important right now than ever!  Be kind to yourself and seek support when you need it.  

So, to sum up, my embroidery of life: 

1. Life is not linear and there are lots of loose threads that make up the whole picture.  

2. Love Matters Most!  Value your friends, family, community, faith or whatever it is that nurtures your spirit.  

3. “Being kind to yourself is one of the greatest kindnesses”.  

To conclude this reflection, we are going to do a brief mindfulness meditation and I am going to pray. The pattern I am going to use comes from an App called Lectio 365, which I try to do morning and night for my own meditation and self-care. It has four parts using the letters PRAY.  

Pause. Take a moment to still our senses. Listen to our breathing, close our eyes.  

Reflect at the start of this spring term with a 3-week holiday at the end, reflect on what gives meaning, purpose, and connection in your life.  

Ask. I ask Lord for a sense of peace for the staff who have had to learn, teach and work in such new ways while under incredible pressure. Also, for the leadership team, the students, and their families here at Strathcona. We particularly ask your blessing Lord on staff members who are going through stressful, sad or messy moments in life.  

Yield is about giving back to ourselves so that we can be useful to others. May our staff be kind to themselves and show themselves unconditional positive regard in order to pay this forward.  

May we remember Jesus’ words to Love with heart, soul and mind, and love our neighbour and offer this love also to ourselves. Amen. 

Rev Janet Costello, Senior School Chaplain

Please see below the dates and times for the Semester 2 Online Learning Conferences which are to be held via Microsoft Bookings. These conferences are an opportunity to speak to your daughter's teachers about how they are going in the classroom. The time allocated for each interview is five (5) minutes.

Junior School Online Learning Conferences
To book in a time click here

Day 1: Thurdsay 22 July - 3.45pm - 7.00pm

Day 2: Wednesday 28 July - 3.45pm - 7.00pm

Senior School Online Learning Conferences
To book in a time click here

Day 1: Thurdsay 22 July - 1.30pm - 7.00pm

Day 2: Monday 26 July - 4.00pm - 7.00pm

Suggestions are welcome from staff, students, and parents in the community and if your suggestion is chosen you will win a pair of Pro Apple AirPods, valued at $304.00.

Some guidelines:
Keep it short and sharp!
The more symbolic of our school, and positive, the better!

Tips:

• You could use an acronym
• You make up an entirely new word
• You could have a brainstorm over the family dinner table and see what you come up with together!  

You can submit as many suggestions as you wish and all suggestions are welcome. The more suggestions the better!

To Enter: 

Place your suggestion in this online form by July 31: https://sb.strathcona.vic.edu.au/survey/intro/384  

Questions?

Email Mrs Newton cnewton@strathcona.vic.edu.au 

The project has been overseen by Paul and Angela Wheelton who have supported the girls through the process. The girls had a total of $17250 (with $5000 of that being an additional donation from the Wheelton family. The groups recommendations are summarised below:

In our group, we researched and interviewed our allocated organisations in the impact area which were healthy and resilient communities. It has been interesting to learn about the history and need for these organisations. Through reading the proposals prepared by the Austrlian Youth Climate Committee (AYCC) and Channel 31 (C31) we felt that the AYCC resonated more with our goals and we could see that the outcomes (if successful) would benefit the future of our country. In our discussions, we also felt that the direct impact on the community would help to promote visible change due to the focus on the climate and the environment. 
During our online meetings with each organisation, we learnt more, however we felt more engaged with the AYCC representative and provided stronger answers to our questions. We considered that the AYCC have more partners and sponsors than C31 and may be less in need of our financial support for their proposal, but felt that due to the licensing concerns around C31 we wanted to invest more in our philanthropy towards AYCC. AYCC's focus on sustainability would have long-term benefits to helping the community long after the investment especially if those involved in AYCC go on to bring more change to Australia and the world. We felt AYCC stated that they were deeply affected by COVID and that through our support they could empower more young people to inspire, educate and mobilise others around the issues impacting the environment. C31 definitely has a space in Victoria, however their audience numbers were quite small and their online presence was still being developed, as their presence was limited, for example on Youtube and Instagram. Overall we feel that AYCC has a bigger voice in the community which is supported by strong statistics in their year-by-year reports which were available online and through our support they will be able to promote further change. We have been so grateful to have been a part of this rare opportunity.

Ms Hollie Fields, Head of Arnold House 

Items in this edition include:

• Dates to Diarise in Term 3
• New Courses offered at Flinders University
• News from Monash University
  o 22 Careers in Pharmacy helping Change the World
  o Digital Open Days 2021
• Studying the Diploma of Public Relations at RMIT
• New Bachelor of Medical Science – Pathway to Graduate Medicine at CQU
• Studying Neuroscience at Swinburne
• 'Earn as you Learn’ Professional Practice Program at Federation University
• Graphic, Interior & Visual Design Degrees on offer in Victoria in 2021
• • Snapshot of The University of Melbourne (UoM) in 2021

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

Over the last two weeks I have watched many young Australians compete on the world stage. Like many Australians, I tuned in last Saturday night to cheer Ash Barty to her inaugural Wimbeldon victory. Earlier in the week I also watched a young Queensland bike rider, Harry Sweeny, who, after turning pro in January, finished third on Stage 12 of the Tour de France - a truly amazing finish. 

What struck me about both Harry Sweeny and Ash Barty was their humility, their 'cup half full' approach to life and their recognition that others had also sacrificed to enable them to reach great heights. 

Ash Barty, said after her win: 

“I’ve just tried to live by my values that my parents instilled in me. It’s more important to be a good person than it is a good tennis player. Being a good human being is absolutely my priority every single day.”

whilst Harry Sweeny, who had the opportunity to win the stage, but mis-timed his finish and placed third maintained:

"I knew I was capable of doing this, but tactically, it's another thing. Maybe I made a few mistakes in the final, but I can't be disappointed with this result."

Whether it is Wimbeldon, the Tour de France, or any other pursuit, what strikes me is that 'winning' does not have to come at the cost of being a decent person. Equally, the ability to find the silver linings in all that we do is an admirable quality. In my mind, it is these values, among others, that we want to instill in all of our students. Australian role models such as Ash Barty and Harry Sweeny further this cause. 

As Year 9 students set out to create their new businesses, they will face setbacks and be challenged. Indeed, our current uncertainty amplifies this. We have 38 business in 2020 who have all begun their business development. They are producing Business Models, learning financial tools, analysing their customers and competitors before pitching for their $20 Seed funding.  We look forward to sharing their journey with you this term. 

In Health classes this term the focus is on mental health and illness. Michelle Holding, our Tay Creggan Health & Wellbeing teacher, shares details of this program below.

Today, Senior School Teacher Librarian delivered pizza lunches to the Grenfell students who won 'Game of Loans' last term.  They were a very happy bunch!

Unfortunately since students received their Music Camp beanie from Mrs Meachem, she has had to cancel the Camp. Our rowers are likewise disappointed at their weekend activities being curtailed. Being able to 'bounce back' and recover in upsetting situations is part of life's journey. The lessons may be difficult - be the learning necessary. 

Kind regards,

Karyn 

After focusing on physical, social and emotional dimensions of health and wellbeing through the lens of nutrition and respectful relationship units in Semester One, this term we are investigating mental health and wellbeing. We are examining the difference between mental health and mental illness, including perspective around our emotional responses to challenging times and seeing mental health as a continuum, rather than something immoveable. De-stigmatising mental health and empowering our students to recognise indicators, to identify, experience and put into practice self-help strategies enabling them to manage stressors will be an emphasis this term. Building these capacities will provide life-long skills but will be particularly beneficial as our Year 9s move towards their senior years of schooling.

Mrs Michelle Holding, Health Teacher

Her recent success needs no introduction but as a young girl she had a dream. A sparkle.

A sparkle that was not always alight. Ash took time off from tennis to explore other sports, fell out of love with tennis for many years and questioned if she would ever return.

We could categorise her as an indigenous woman that has inspired a nation and the world, however, I think what makes that little girl in the picture so endearing to all, is that she grew up to be an inspiring human and most importantly a kind human.

As the SOUL wellbeing program begins to take shape in the Junior School, the school values and the belief that it is our role as educators to shape kind humans that have positive relationships with themselves and others, is becoming more evident and transparent.

The girls may not all end up on the world stage as an Ash Barty, however knowing that we have given each child a chance throughout their time in the Junior School to find their sparkle and know what sparks their SOUL is what wellbeing means to us in the Junior School.

Children are given opportunities to find their shine, be creative, extend their thinking and reflect each week during our assemblies and SOUL lessons on how this impacts themselves, others and relationships with family, friends and teachers.

Mrs Lisa Miller, Head of Junior School

Please see below the dates and times for the Semester 2 Online Learning Conferences which are to be held via Microsoft Bookings. These conferences are an opportunity to speak to your daughter's teachers about how they are going in the classroom. The time allocated for each interview is five (5) minutes.

Junior School Online Learning Conferences
To book in a time click here

Day 1: Thurdsay 22 July - 3.45pm - 7.00pm

Day 2: Wednesday 28 July - 3.45pm - 7.00pm

Senior School Online Learning Conferences
To book in a time click here

Day 1: Thurdsay 22 July - 1.30pm - 7.00pm

Day 2: Monday 26 July - 4.00pm - 7.00pm

Read the special report here.

The physical impact of the pandemic has mostly spared our young people, however as the nation remains to be on alert and in various stages of lockdown, restrictions continue to be mandated. The pandemic has had a great effect on our young people with many paying a heavy emotional and developmental price. Psychological disorders are on the rise and emergency interventions have skyrocketed.

As hard as it is being a young person today, it's also draining being the parent of one. It has been reported that many parents are struggling to keep their child's mental health afloat, often proving it is difficult to juggle parenting responsibilities whilst at the same time providing much-needed emotional support for their children.

SchoolTV is an online resource designed to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies. Click here to access the website.

You are warmly invited to our next Parent Seminar Series event on the topic of sleep, adolescence, and school, with guest speaker Professor Greg Murray.

He will discuss sleep and its role in emotional wellbeing, and the biology of how sleep changes in adolescence. The well-known tension between school start times and adolescent sleep preferences will be considered, followed by a consideration of strategies to help adolescents manage this challenge.  Professor Murray is an award-winning lecturer and the talk is sure to be highly interactive and engaging.  

Professor Greg Murray has an international reputation for clinical psychology research, being ranked in the top 1% of researchers worldwide in the fields of bipolar disorders, circadian rhythms, and personality. He has published more than 200 articles, chapters and books primarily on sleep, biological rhythms and mood disorders, and is a contributor to the American Psychiatric Associations’ DSM. Professor Murray is a practicing clinical psychologist and a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society. He is currently Director of Swinburne’s Centre for Mental Health, Patron of Bipolar Life Australia, Chair of Orygen Research Review Committee, and Oceania Representative for the International Society for Bipolar Disorders.  After a first career in music, he took out his PhD from University of Melbourne in 2001, and has been a full Professor at Swinburne since 2011. 

Planning Liveable Cities event is tonight 5.30pm - 6.30pm. Register now! 

You are warmly invited to the Strathcona Centre Learning Futures event – Planning Liveable Cities.Hear about urban planning and the impact it has on lives now and into the future. Madison Robb and Yang Bai from Plan Melbourne will share about their careers in urban planning. We eagerly await their presentation where we will learn something that will have enormous impacts on our futures - the future of Melbourne.

Read more about our guest speakers below.

Madison Robb
Madison has over seven years' experience in urban planning, project management and Ministerial roles in State Government, delivering high-profile, large-scale planning and urban renewal projects, including Docklands and Fishermans Bend in Victoria and Perth City Link and Scarborough Beach in WA. Originally from Perth, Madison moved to Melbourne 4 years ago and took a short break from planning to explore cities as cabin crew for Virgin Australia, before COVID-19 hit the travel industry. Madison now works on delivering Plan Melbourne 2017-2050, the Victorian Government's strategy to guide the growth of Melbourne until 2050, including where people live and work and how we connect people to jobs and services.

Yang Bai
Yang Bai is a strategic planner working on the 20 minute neighbourhoods project in the Planning Department of Victoria. Her passion is in understanding the relationship between people and urban space, and also how we can create quality spaces. She is also interested in spatial data analysis and visualisation to facilitate communication and decision making. She was an engineer before moving to Melbourne to study Urban Planning. She is now also studying Urban Design.

Click here to register for this event.

Term 3 Introductory Program for Rhythmic Gymnastics
Term 3 Saturdays, commencing Saturday 17 July from 11.00am - 1.00pm

If you've ever wanted to try Rhythmic Gymnastics this is your chance! Strathcona's Term 3 Introductory Program for Rhythmic Gymnastics is commencing on 17 July 2021, and will run every Saturday of the term. Rhythmic Gymnastics is a graceful sport that combines dance, acrobatics and gymnastics and develops coordination, strength, balance, flexibility, posture and musicality. Above all, it's fun! We can't wait for you to join us in the program. 

$232.00 for the full term, or attend a trial class pro rata of the full term fee.

Classes will run from 11.00am - 1.00pm on the below dates:

Saturday 17 July
Saturday 24 July 
Saturday 31 July
Saturday 7 August
Saturday 14 August
Saturday 21 August
Saturday 28 August
Saturday 4 September

To book in click here.

Unfortunately this event has been cancelled.

Tomorrow at 7.15am is Strathcona's Green Evolution Breakfast. We hope that you can join us for what is going to be a very informative event. 

Hear from our panel of experts about climate change and rising sea levels, and be inspired by stories of action from local sustainability heroes. Learn about Strathcona’s own "Green Evolution’’ and commitment to a better Earth for girls and families everywhere.

Click here to register for this event.

Dr Kathleen McInnes ('79) - CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere 

Kathleen McInnes leads the Climate Extremes and Projections group of the Climate Science Centre in CSIRO's Ocean and Atmosphere business unit. Her work deals with how climate change will affect severe weather and coastal extreme sea levels through numerical modelling and climate model analysis with a focus on Australia and small islands. She has developed climate projections for impact and adaptation assessments to assist local government manage and adapt to climate change. Her contribution to this work was awarded Eureka award in 2003 and 2009. She has published over 200 refereed publications and other reports and articles and was a contributing author on the IPCC second, third, fourth and sixth assessment reports. She was a lead author on the IPCC Fifth assessment report chapter on Coastal Systems and Low-Lying Areas as well as a lead author on the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adapation in 2012 and the IPCC Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in 2019. She currently serves as a co-chair of the World Climate Research Program Grand Challenge on Regional Sea Level Changes and Coastal Impacts. In 2017 she became a Fellow of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and in 2020 she was awarded the CSIRO Medal for Lifetime Achievement.

Ninna K Larsen, Founder and Director - Reground

"Reground exists to help businesses help the environment and not let coffee, chaff or soft plastic waste end in landfill. Reground creates a community around waste resources to educate us all on how to make our future more sustainable.Reground changes our current waste disposal structure making it more resourceful for our pocket, people and planet.Reground exists to create positive change."Ninna is an expert in behavioural design, marrying her passion for sustainability and practicality to create real change in the waste and innovation space. She founded Reground in 2014 after experiencing the unnecessary coffee waste in Melbourne. Determined to see businesses stepping into the circular economy, she is creating a movement of businesses that puts impact over profit.

Matt Jones, Director - Mamachi

Matt owns and operates a number of Energy and Technology businesses and is driven to accelerate Australia's Energy and Carbon Transition. His passion and experience in Sustainability and Renewable Energy drives Matt to create impact and value for the Education Sector and other large organisations across the country. Through increasingly intelling and automated Building, Asset and Energy Management technologies Matt has delivered large scale programs and portfolio wide data management strategies nationally, achieving meaningful energy, emissions and building outcomes across most sectors.

Hollie Fields - Head of House, Strathcona Sustainability Team Leader

Hollie Fields has taught the Geography curriculum in schools across Victoria and Tasmania. She is committed to giving students on active role in sustainability education by providing them with knowledge and skills to foster change. Currently she teaches at Strathcona Girls Grammar where she leads the Senior curriculum for Geography (10-12). Alongside this, Hollie is a member of the School's sustainability committee, oversees the environment club and participates in the Boroondara Indigenous Network. Having presented at the Australian Geography Teachers Conference in 2019, Hollie engages with an Australia wide network of teachers to consider the best approaches for raising awareness for an ecological mindset. She believes everyone has a key role and that significant change is required to reduce the impacts of modern lifestyles on the natural environment. 

Families are invites to the Junior School Family Disco!

Saturday 28 August, 6.00pm - 9.00pm. 

Ticket prices:
Adult ticket: $35.00
Child ticket:$20.00

Cost includes dinner & drinks will be available at bar prices. Please let us know of any dietary requirements when purchasing your ticket. Please note that every child must be accompanied by an adult.

Click here to book in.