Newsletter Term 4, Week 9 2 Dec 2021

Our staff, teachers, in particular, have been superheroes who have found the capacity to keep on going even though their metaphorical tanks must have been pretty much depleted quite a while ago. How they found the reserves to keep one hundred percent engaged in caring, organising and thinking about the students right until the bitter end, I don’t know. So, to all of you, parents and staff all I can say is – thank you. And in regard to our students, we really could not have asked more of them – even though, of course, they could not have been perfect through this. None of us have – we have all just done our best. There is a saying “May you live in interesting times” … Well, we have done that and now we would like less interesting times, thank you very much.

Following this are some reflections on giving. As you will know we have established a partnership with the Women’s Property Initiative. I shall include Ms Fields’ words to the students at the launch this week, followed by my own. This initiative is significant and something I have wanted to establish for quite a long time. Little did I know we would manage it post six lockdowns, but given the fact that many women in casualised or part-time work lost jobs and income, it seems apt. There are important lessons here for our girls in regard to financial independence, financial management, understanding superannuation and the fact that women often leave work to rear children, thus missing the opportunity to accumulate super, their own savings and a career trajectory. Sadly, family violence is also a factor. Just as important as this educative aspect is that the students feel that they have a role to play through their education, agency and voice to help change things. I believe our girls will do their part now, when it is simply a matter of donating money and goods, but more importantly in the future when they are in work, businesses and professions where they can use their expertise, problem-solving capacity and influence (I know it is a hackneyed expression but nonetheless) to make the world a better place.

I wish you a happy, peaceful and fun and sun-filled Christmas Season shared with family and loved ones. Again, thank you for the feeling you have given that we have all been in this together. I believe it has helped each one of us get through ‘these interesting times’ by the fact that we have been part of something bigger than just ourselves in our locked down homes navigating ‘unprecedented’ times.

Warm regards

Marise McConaghy, Principal

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to our first Giving Day at Strathcona. This day has been established to remind us to reflect on how we can give back, primarily giving to others. The nature of giving is not new for any of us, but it is particularly pertinent to consider its meaning given the upcoming Christmas season which has a long tradition of giving gifts.

Tokens or gestures can provide a substantial impact to others, but can also more importantly speak volumes towards how we value, care and love one another.

Giving Day is part of a global movement and this morning our students and staff have been fortunate to see giving in action, with a range of activities from messages of gratitude on the wall behind me, to the coffees provided to staff throughout the day.

So for the next few moments, I want you to reflect on what giving means to you. How can you make a conscious effort to give more to those around you every single day. This doesn’t have to be money, perhaps it is giving a hug to someone who is feeling fragile, or even giving your seat up on the train for a person who may benefit from this act. There are so many things that we can give and all of them can make a difference. Many of you already do this, naturally, however as I share with you some exciting information about our new partnership with Melbourne based not for profit, Women’s Property Initiatives I would like you to think about where you will fit into this aspect of service within our beautiful and generous School community.

Today in the next hour the CEO, Jeanette Large of WPI will be joining us and Mrs McConaghy to celebrate our partnership which will officially launch today. Jeanette will return in 2022 to speak to all of you, however, today a small number of students in 7-12 will share with WPI what we are already working on. The students selected have greatly with the early movements of fundraising and supporting women in need.

Having a home is something we can take for granted but for many women in countries across the world, having a home that is safe and affordable is not always a reality. In fact, 148000 households in Australia are waiting for social housing. This figure continues to grow. Homelessness is often the only option that some of these women and families have. 2 of every 3 people seeking help for homelessness are women. And 1 out of every 2 is escaping violence. The facts tell an eye-opening story. Women in Australia need support. So how can we give to them?

At Strathcona, we want to support other women in our local and global community. We know empowerment and education are crucial. Housing must come first and developing more housing which is accessible is the goal of WPI. We will be working with WPI and their vision as a whole School. We will hear more from the women who benefit from their work and also understand how a not-for-profit operates.

Every girl and young woman here will be a part of shaping our service as we move towards 2022 to bring about change and raise awareness for women and all of the issues associated with that which includes housing.

WPI we are so lucky to be working with you, women who have founded a business for women. In almost 25 years you have given time and support to thousands of women. We are proud to be working with you on such a worthy cause. On this giving day, please consider how you will give, to others around you. On a final note, perhaps your act of giving is to bring in a self-care pack for women for Christmas and leave it at one of the Collection points.

Thank you.

Hollie Fields, Head of Arnold House

About 10 years ago, I was invited by a well-known academic, feminist and philanthropist, dale spender AM, to be on the board of a group called ‘Second Chance’ in Queensland. I went into it knowing this group of women raised money and awareness in regard to the plight of homeless women, but I hate to admit that I was ignorant about the extent of the issue nor the complexity of it. I visited women’s refuges where women were literally hiding with their children, spoke to women who had needed to flee their homes, mostly owing to family violence, or whose marriages had broken down and they were left penniless and address-less. Without an address, these women could not access government benefits – and so the cycle was going round and round.

So I am incredibly excited to announce to announce Strathcona’s unique new partnership with Women’s Property Initiatives (WPI). This initiative has taken what Second Chance was trying to do to a whole new level that we just dreamed about back then as it unites the concern and the feeling of social responsibility we feel for these women and families – so it is not just about raising money and awareness as important as that is – but it links with the design, planning and construction of affordable housing thus bringing together the expertise and passion of key professional and business areas such as builders, engineers, architects, town planners, business people and so on.

I have a daughter who is an architect, and she has been on at me for years now about how wrong it is that very little has been done in this area that is respectful to human beings whose lives have not gone to plan or for whom housing is simply unaffordable. Housing, place and home are integral to our sense of being recognised as valid human beings who can respect themselves, feel some sense of dignity and safety and who are entitled to some kind of safe shelter which, on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, is integral for all in the humanity we share.

WPI is a Melbourne-based not-for-profit that supports women at risk of homelessness by providing them with a home that is safe, high quality and secure for the long term. This housing enables women to live with dignity, participate in society in a meaningful way, and contribute to their communities, while helping to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and family abuse. WPI currently owns and manages 101 homes across Melbourne for more than 250 women and children.

WPI’s mission is, “To build a secure future for women and children in need by developing and providing good quality and long-term affordable housing”. This is a cause that aligns strongly with our School’s values, Strategic Vision, Baptist spirit in regard to the notion of generosity and hospitality and awareness that we of some privilege have obligations to those less fortunate.

Girls, I ask you to bring passion, agency, thought and generosity to this new Strathcona project. When you are at university and you are working women, I ask you to bring your professional skills – whatever they are (as writers, filmmakers, performers, architects, politicians, engineers, town planners, lawyers, accountants, businesswomen, medical practitioners, educators and so on) – your belief that we all need to help each other in this life – and of course, depending on your means -some kind of charitable donation such as the one we are running now for Christmas for our mothers who would always put their kids first before themselves when it comes to treats in the festive season.

In 2022, WPI’s 25th year, Strathcona will focus a significant portion of our student service efforts to support WPI in its quest to help more women in need of a home.

To help support WPI’s mission, we ask you to participate in fundraising, donation of goods, acts of service and promoting further awareness raising in the community. They will also have the opportunity for hands-on learning which may involve activities such as providing design advice, inspecting the homes when they are built, and financial planning. If you study Economics for VCE you will gain a deeper understanding of how economy works and this will further deepen your understanding of how the world works.

We believe our partnership with WPI will help you to become more conscious citizens, to be aware of the needs of the broader community, and to consider how collectively we can create better futures for women in particular, but really for all. 

Marise McConaghy, Prinicpal

During the week we remembered and honoured our long and rich history of service and giving with for-purpose organisations such as School of St Jude and Baptist World Aid and excitedly launched our new partnership with Women’s Property Initiatives (WPI), a relationship that will further enrich our school community and our girls’ experience at Strathcona.

Strathcona staff were treated to coffee and muffins to thank them for the difference they make in the lives of our girls on a daily basis, and we reminded students that generosity is about more than simply giving money, encouraging them to take daily action to positively affect the lives of others. They then used the power of voice to spread messages of kindness and thanks via our gratitude wall. During the week we began collecting pamper gifts for WPI’s 101 female tenants, our service leaders collected prizes and drew the winners of their raffle which raised over $600 for WPI programs.

Our year 9’s heard from the MUSTARD team about gratitude and giving, baked slices for Servants Community Housing and packaged over 36,000 meals for the FORaMEAL program! They also readied themselves to handover a cheque for $2000 which was raised for this charity through their Envision businesses.

Finally, we celebrated the generous giving of our own community, remembering the 150 community donations received in 2020 for the Family Support Fund, and the 78 donors who supported the Green Evolution Appeal in 2021.

This was an exceptionally good week for our school. We are so proud of Strathcona’s generous giving community and we look forward to celebrating our service and giving efforts again in 2022.

Eliza Goding, Development Manager

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

The annual transcript of grades will be available to you before the end of next week. You will be notified when they are available. At that time, please save a copy for your future reference.

You are able to view detailed feedback on your daughter's work online. If you are unsure how to access this feedback, please consult the instructions here. 

If you have any questions about the process of reporting contact me at rphillips@strathcona.vic.edu.au. For any questions about technical issues relating to reporting, contact parentassist@strathcona.vic.edu.au For questions about any of the specific tasks or feedback, contact the relevant subject teacher.

Mr Ross Phillips, Senior Dean of Learning Futures 

We were treated to a wonderful performance of 'Hating Alison Ashley' by a very committed group of Year 9 students. Set in the town of Barringa East, the action focuses on new student Alison as she meets Erica and the rest of the idiosyncratic Yurken family. Staff and students all enjoyed the many laughs, the wonderful set, and the messages of family loyalty and love. Congratulations to the amazing cast and the two dedicated crew members who brought the novel alive. 

Tay Creggan staff members Katie Harris and Sarah Thom spent three days with educator colleagues at the Melbourne University's Wade Institute Upschool program, learning more about teaching entrepreneurship. I joined them on Saturday to listen to their group pitches and presented to the group about the Tay Creggan Envision program.  

On Tuesday and Wednesday morning our Year 9's worked with the Rotary Club of Canterbury on their FORaMEAL production lines assembling meal packs for disaster relief.  We managed to pack in excess of 180 boxes of meals which equates to over 36,000 meals for people in the Philippines, and other parts of South East Asia. Pleasingly, we were also able to present the FORaMEAL group with a $2,000 donation with pay for the raw ingredients we packed. Special mention must be made of the FORaMEAL student team, Cherie, Teagan, Belle G, and Bethany for organising and running the event.

A reminder that the Year 9 Family Coffee morning, and a chance to tour Tay Creggan, is next Tuesday morning from 8.30-10.00am. All guests must register on the day via QR code and be fully vaccinated.  

Best wishes,

Karyn Murray, Head of Tay Creggan

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

We are excited to announce a new development with our OSHC service. As we continue to refine and enhance the programs and opportunities we provide for our students and families, we have just completed a rigorous Tender process to review our Outside of School Hours Care provider. As a result of this process, we have made a decision to appoint TeamKids as our provider. TeamKids’ OSHC service initially begins with Before and After Care for Junior School students on the 28th January 2022. We will also be providing a school holiday program through Team Kids and will advise when that will commence at a later date.

The program will initially be for Prep-Year 6 students from Term 1. ELC children of working parents may drop off their children at our ELC from 8.00am and ELC staff will provide care until classes commence. From the beginning of Term 2 and beyond Team Kids will be available for bookings from ELC to Year 6. We are confident that the partnership that we now have with TeamKids will benefit all students and families at our school. Unique to the industry, TeamKids will employ a qualified full-time coordinator, known as a Director of Service, at our school. The Director of Service has two overarching responsibilities, and that is to:

1. Implement age-appropriate experiences that are engaging and fun, but also create learning environments that are warm, unique and stimulating, a place where children don’t have to go, they want to go.

2. Ensure consistency of staff, provide an exemplary level of communication with the children and parents and builds strong, genuine relationships with the school and the broader community.

In addition to this, TeamKids have set a new standard in the OSHC industry in their offerings that:

•Build parental and student confidence through the quality of outstanding programs and communication.

•Create child-led programs that enrich and extend the children in meaningful ways as their TeamKids Clubs.

•Establish long-lasting relationships with our school by having complete community engagement, enhancing what already makes our school special.

•Provide industry-leading educator-to-student ratios of 1:10.

Further information will be supplied in the coming weeks with information events to be announced and family handbooks supplied to all members of the community. All families will need to register for free with TeamKids, this means that you can utilise the service even at unexpected times. If you have not used TeamKids before then you will need to register your child and add your bookings. Please go to the website www.teamkids.com.au and select the program and follow the enrolment instructions. If you have used TeamKids before, please contact their Customer Service Team and they will link your account. You will then just need to add your desired bookings. TeamKids’ local Customer Service team is always there to help. Please contact their Customer Service team via email info@teamkids.com.au or phone 1300 035 000, press #1 if you have any questions.

Yours faithfully,

Lisa Miller, Head of Junior School

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!