Newsletter Term 4, Week 7 18 Nov 2021

Our Beth Smallwood Scholarship is a legacy left by another special Strathcona friend. Her gift, left to our school in her Will, ensures talented and worthy hearing-impaired students the support to excel at our School.  

This year, we ran our first giving appeal raising over $25,000 through the generosity of our community to purchase technology that will drive down our Carbon emissions. On top of that, the school is completing a massive undertaking to switch all of its lighting to the more environmentally efficient LED globes and we continue to look for ways to ensure our environmental legacy is the greenest possible footprint.  

Our students are also actively ensuring the strength of the Strathcona legacy. Back in July, Our Year 10 ‘’Youth in Philanthropy’’ team completed months of in-depth learning about the for-purpose sector by awarding the Australian Youth Climate Committee (AYCC) over $17,000 in grants to support its work on climate and the environment.  

Over the years, Strathcona students have created a global legacy via their support of a number of worthy charities through our service program. As a result of their work with The School of St Jude in Tanzania and Baptist World Aid, in particular, countless children have been enabled to learn, grow and lead their families and communities out of poverty.   

Later this month we will be launching a unique new partnership, providing more opportunities for deep and meaningful understanding of giving and the impact this can have on our community. Women’s Property Initiative (WPI) create new beginnings for women and their children at risk of homelessness by providing permanent and affordable homes, access to support and ongoing advocacy. In 2022, Strathcona will focus a significant portion of its’ service work to support WPI and will create yet another opportunity for enduring legacy, this time here in Australia. 

Philanthropic deeds are important because they can impact a community for generations and generations. But we know legacy is not just about giving money. Equally as important must be our daily actions and the mark this leaves on the lives of others. Whether through the giving of our time, our money our skills or our voices, we all have the ability to positively affect the life of another person.  

On Tuesday 30 November, a group of Strathcona students with a strong moral and social compass will be leading our school in the internationally recognised, ‘’Giving Tuesday’’. The event encourages individuals to consider giving back to their communities in any way they can, and I know our 2022 Issues and Actions leaders, with the help of Ms Hollie Fields, have some exciting plans for inspiring students to look beyond themselves on this day. 

For Strathcona, I think legacy is about what we can do today to make a mark on tomorrow. Producing the type of person who is generous and kind. Young people who use their intellect, skills, voices and capabilities not only to further themselves but also to enable the happiness and welfare of others.  I think enabling a community where these behaviours are the norm allow the greatest opportunity for impact, creating the sort of legacy of which we can all be proud. 

Ms Tracy Herft, Deputy Principal

Next week (November 22-26) tickets will be on sale for a raffle to support Strathcona’s new partnership, Women’s Property Initiatives! WPI is a wonderful Melbourne-based not-for-profit organization, supporting women and children, facing homelessness across Melbourne, by providing affordable and secure long-term or permanent housing.

There are 3 prizes in total, (meaning more chance to win for all!), with 2 $30 Mecca Beauty Gift Cards and one Cadbury Chocolate Hamper full of delicious treats!
Tickets will be $2 each, sold both throughout the week and at the swimming carnival on the 29 November also! Please see designated ticket leaders from each year level to purchase (an email will be sent soon).

So, if you can, ensure you purchase raffle tickets and support women in need either at school or at the Swimming Carnival!

Good luck!

Katie Johnson, Ebony Reid (Service Captains 2022) and Emily Harle (Issues and Actions Captain 2022)

Next week, students will sit three exams in English, Maths and Science before the end of year program begins. Year 9 teachers in these three subjects have spent time discussing how to prepare for each exam, providing revision information and study strategies.  Our intent is to develop skills and value effort. In Humanities, with no exam to prepare for, classes are completing research and creative activities related to Women in World War 1 and the Home Front.  You will see in the images below, the different mediums students have chosen to convey their understanding.

On Wednesday afternoon, we had the Christian group 'Mustard' run a workshop on Gratitude. Organised by Rev Janet Costello, the group spoke about the importance of being grateful, saying thank you and the value of gratefulness in our busy lives. There were games and activities as well as time for reflection. When questioned by the team about who are they most grateful for in their lives, the students' overwhelming response was "My Mum"!

Our three Brain Stem teams also gave their final presentations this week after many hours of research and development of complex ideas. Read about their projects below.

Over the next few weeks, we have a busy program with Year 9s moving between Campuses. Please refer to MyStrathcona for specific details each day.

best wishes,

Karyn 

Students in teams of three or four proposed questions that they thought didn’t have a solution yet that they might be able to ‘solve’. They were then able to spend a number of weeks conducting significant research with the final product being an innovative solution to the problem that they had determined existed. The students have investigated a wide and varied range of topics, well beyond the standard Year 9 curriculum including treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, solving issues with drinking straws for those with cerebral palsy and waste disposal issues in Australia. The students were able to benefit from their meetings with expert STEM mentors from universities and research facilities across Australia and developed their design thinking skills, use of collaborative tools, teamwork and time management skills on top of their new STEM knowledge. A big thank you to Ms Sarah Thom for her efforts in coordinating the program and supporting the students. 

Congratulations to the below students who have now concluded the 12-week BrainSTEM Innovation Challenge. 

Team 1 

Cynthia Shi 

Vinny Liang 

Steph Tang 

Jayna Wang 

Team 2 

Frances Chan 

Rachel Zhou 

Izzy King 

Sophie McIntosh 

Team 3 

Julia Glenn 

Amy Johnson 

Teagan Briffa 

Year 6 Maths Olympiad

^ Yinyan Fang 

^ Lily Wang 

^Charlotte Li

~Lavenyah Santharajah 

^Emma Shen

~Louisa Liu 

^Zoe Wong

^Demi Li 

^Yuxin Yang

^Inaaya Mishra

~Olivia Min

^Shalini Balashankar

~Evelyn Menzies 

~Sophia Reinthaler

^Nikki Shi

^Kyla Siu

~Olivia Smith

~Nivy Rajkumar

Year 5 Maths Olympiad

Thea Lukito

Jessie Tang

Sarah Khuu

Amelia Lim

^Julia Rozenkova

Emily Wang 

Sophie Ng 

Zoe Jenkins 

Year 4 Maths Games

^Surya Gupta

^Chelsea Hou

^Pippa Kelley

~Ava Mance

^ Top 10% Achiever

~Top 25% Achiever 

The following girls also received special awards for achieving the highest individual score in their team: 

Year 6: Yinyan Fang and Shalini Balashankar (Joint winners) 

Year 5: Julia Rozenkova 

Year 4: Chelsea Hou and Pippa Kelley (Joint winners) 

In addition to the girls’ individual achievements, the Year 6 Strathcona team placed in the top 10% of all Junior Division teams throughout Victoria, ACT and New Zealand. 

What an amazing result! 

Penny Willoughby, Enrichment Teacher, Junior School

Items in the Career News include -

• Final Reminder: VTAC 2022 Upcoming Key Dates

• Accessing VCE Results

• La Trobe University Campus Tours

• Monash University Campus Tours are Back!

• 2022 VCE Summer School Programs

• My Science 3-Day Program at Monash University

• RMIT Maths Bridging Programme

• Swinburne’s Maths Bridging Program Mathslink

• Useful Tips for Successful Interviews

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

In today’s world, it is common to hear socially offensive language on the streets, on social media channels, streaming services and in some forms of modern music. While swearing is becoming more common and less taboo, the use of derogatory language or the act of swearing at someone, or about someone, is a form of verbal violence. It transgresses the usual rules of social interaction by impinging on an individual’s self-image and sense of dignity.

Read the full version of this special report here.

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.

We warmly invite you to the 2021 Virtual Senior Art and Design Show titled Metamorphosis. The theme of this year’s Senior Art and Design Show ‘Metamorphosis’ represents the newly imagined future and symbolizes renewal and change. The art and design pieces showcase the talented work of Strathcona's Year 7 to Year 12 students. I hope you enjoy the show and are inspired by all of the dedication and aptitude of work produced by the Strathcona students, some at school and some in lockdown.

This event will be held virtually on Monday 22 November 2021, at 6.00pm.

Wednesday 1 December 6.00pm.

Please join us for this virtual event to celebrate the girls and boys from ELC-Year 6 and their creative endeavours at the Annual Art Exhibition. Both collaborative and individual pieces on display exploring both two and three-dimensional forms and a wide variety of mediums for your viewing.

Sunday 5 December 2021 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
The Year 6 Graduation Committee is excited to invite you to the Year 6 graduation dinner to be held on Sunday 5 December 2021 from 5.30pm to 9.30pm. 

The evening will be held at Nini's Restaurant in Hawthorn. We look forward to celebrating with you and your daughter!

Monday 6 December 2021, from 6.00pm

Strathcona Families are warmly invited to join us for 2021's Presentation Night on Monday 6 December. The formal part of the evening will commence at 6.30pm however we encourage you to attend from 6.00pm to enjoy performances, music and art.  

Once again Presentation Night will be online in 2021. Organisation for the event commenced well before restrictions eased and we are mindful of the health and safety of our community. The night will have elements from our Presentation Night including awards for Years 5 to 11 students and will be live-streamed for you and your daughter/s to reflect on the year 2021 and celebrate achievements.

We look forward to you joining us for this exciting event!

We warmly invite you to the 2021 Valedictory Dinner on Wednesday 8 December 2021 at the RACV City Club (501 Bourke Street, Melbourne) at 7pm to 11pm.

The cost is $145.00 (over 18) and $135.00 (under 18) (plus booking fee) per person which includes a 3-course dinner with alcoholic beverages (beer, sparkling, red and white wine and soft drinks) for guests over 18 a 3-course dinner with non-alcoholic beverages for guests under 18.

When booking, parents please purchase a ticket for your daughter. Please note there is a maximum of 3 tickets per family. Please indicate the name of two other families you would like to sit with as there will be tables of 9.

Please RSVP by Monday 29 November 2021.

We look forward to you joining us for what is sure to be a great evening!