Term 2, Week 8 2023 15 June 2023

Additionally, we are proud of how our students have managed the examination blocks, which inevitably comes with natural feelings of some anxiety. We are dedicated to working with our students to help them learn to do challenging things in a high support environment. By doing this, they exercise their own capability capacity which will help them when they are older and have challenge but perhaps without the close support of the nurturing School and family partnership.

It has also been wonderful to note, the air of excitement and anticipation surrounding our first Giving Day, to be held next Thursday 22 June. Giving Days are not new to schools; however, this will be Strathcona’s first, and the cause could not be more compelling. On Giving Day, we aim to raise the full balance of what is required to support one future girl for her entire secondary schooling, all inclusive. It will be a proud moment for all of us to share and what a life-changing opportunity for this first girl and her entire family. Our School has a strong vision for needs-based scholarships, and that is that one day in the not-too-distant future, we have 1% of our school community supported by a scholarship like this. A nice big, bold goal to make independent schooling more accessible to a broader range of families thus creating a more diverse environment for our students as they prepare to participate in and contribute to a world beyond our Scott Street gates.

If you can, please join me by contributing on Giving Day. Any contribution made on the day from 8.00am - 8.00pm will be tripled, thanks to our very generous matching donors. Donations can be made here on Thursday 22 June.

Congratulations to our Years 9, 10 and 11 students who have successfully completed their examinations this week. Teachers are busy marking and creating feedback in readiness for next week. Examinations are an opportunity for students to reflect on their recent learning opportunities, consolidate knowledge and take on board feedback which will grow their capability and capacity as learners.

Our VCE students have just finished the GAT. This year, the format for the GAT has changed – with two sessions in the day – so it will be interesting to see what our students think of this revised schedule. Next week is also a busy SAC week for all Unit 3 and 4 students – good luck and well done on finishing first semester!

The last couple of weeks have seen our GSV Term 2 Season wrap up and we have had 3 netball teams participating in finals. Well done to our Senior D, Inter C and Junior B team for making finals. We now look ahead to Term 3 where our trials for Volleyball, Soccer and Badminton will be kicking off. Make sure you keep an eye out on Maple for when these trials are taking place. Congratulations to Sport Leader, Sienna, who was recently announced in the 2023 GSV representative netball team. She will participate in a one-off match at the beginning of next term and we wish her well for this match.

On Sunday Tay Creggan are hosting SFA's Mother Daughter High Tea, which will be a special occasion and chance for students and their mothers to connect and share special memories.
Our Performing Arts have a jam-packed program with a Bands Concert for students from Year 6 to 12, the Year 10 performance of Little Women and the Music Scholar's Showcase. I hope you are able to join us for one of these events.
 
Next week we have some teams from the Junior School and Senior School off to compete the FUSE Cup – we wish them well and hope it is an enjoyable and enriching day.

Our ELC students and staff have been busy preparing a display for the Reggio Emilia conference which is coming up in these June holidays. During a recent excursion to the Royal Botanical Gardens our ELC students were fascinated by the ducks and how they flip upside down in the water. This inspired the creation of an art display by the ELC students, enquiring what creatures are below the water line. Stay tuned to see what the final art installation looks like.

We are excited for Strathcona's inaugural Giving Day on Thursday 22 June. This is to raise funds for The Centenary Scholarship - Strathcona’s first community funded scholarship. It will be a full scholarship, inclusive of books, school uniforms, camps and excursions, everything. Last year, we raised just under $75,000 to get the project going. This year, a gift of any size will be tripled between 8.00am and 8.00pm and help us to raise the full balance of what we need to support her from Years 7 to 12. We encourage you to contribute to this important initiative and #saveheraspot.

As we near the end of the term I wish you all an enjoyable break and encourage our students to use this time to stay well, to rest, and to have some quality family and friends time. For our Year 12s, it will be important to take time to refresh and prepare for the final leg of your Strathcona schooling journey. 

The highlight of our time at Parliament House was meeting Strathcona alumni and Member for Kew, Jess Willson. Jess is a particularly vibrant new young member of Parliament and she spent plenty of time with the girls talking about being a politician and the reality of politics versus what we see in the news. Interestingly, Jess is one of over 40 new members from all sides of politics in the Victorian Parliament - they have regular meetings for lunch and offer each other support. 

Our Science teacher Ms Grace used our Museum visit to focus on the next topic of earth sciences, and as a result we visited the Dynamic Earth and 600 Million Years exhibits. We explored all types of fossils, gemstones and minerals to learn more about the story of the earth. After lunch, once we had donned our 3D glasses, we watched the documentary "Life on Earth" in the IMAX Theatre.

In Art this week, teacher Eve Close reports that the "Core Skills group were so focused! We had lots of progress happening, so good to see students really getting to grips with all the tools and techniques for metal smithing. Lots of action today." 

In Envision this week, we have made a start on entrepreneurial learning. Students were quizzed about their knowledge of what a "lean start up" might be or "bootstrapping" and we explored examples of both social and commercial entrepreneurship. Next week's visit to Glenferrie Road will help begin our investigation into the types of products in the market and ways in which they are packaged and sold. 

Best wishes,

Karyn

Katherine's performance was a part of the MSO’s Learning and Engagement week. Katherine played First Violin in Stravinsky's 'Firebird Suite' (1911) and Wagner's 'Lohengrin: Prelude'. Congratulations Katherine on such a wonderful achievement!

Katherine is pictured with MSO Violinist, Deborah Goodall.

To start off our Senior D team won the GSV D Grade grand final! This team was made up of Year 12 students who were all playing their final game of GSV netball at Strathcona. What a perfect way to end their GSV netball experience. 

Our Year 5-12 students also competed in the GSV Championship Cross Country Carnivals held at Cruden Farm.

It was the first time that a Year 5/6 cross country event has been held and our students across both the Junior and Senior carnivals were exceptional in extremely tough and muddy conditions.

Of particular note, well done to our students who finished in the top 10 –
Olivia – 3rd
Sophie – 7th
Izzy – 8th
Aaryn – 9th

Overall our senior students finished 6th In Division 2, with our juniors finishing in 7th, inters in 3rd and Seniors in 4th. Well done to all who participated in GSV Cross Country this year.

• A Day at Melbourne
• Art, Design and Architecture School Holiday Workshops at Monash
• Career in the Australian Border Force
• Criminology and Paralegal Degrees in Victoria in 2023
• Snapshot of Box Hill Institute (BHI) in 2023

Please click here for the full edition of Career News.

Joanna Buckley

Head of Careers and Partnerships

Little Women is a tale of laughter and tears. Witness the heart-warming journeys of the four March Sisters, as they navigate society and adulthood. Observe Jo’s riveting adventure as an aspiring author, experience the bittersweet ending of shy little Beth, and so much more. The production will feature live songs from the cast, and some lovely choreography that is sure to transport the audience straight into the heart of the 1860s.

To book tickets, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/CIX...

The ticket price includes a light supper. Complimentary tea and coffee will also be provided. (Student performers do not require a ticket).

The Music Scholars Showcase promises to be an inspiring and enjoyable event that will celebrate the talent, dedication and hard work of our young musicians.

Details:

Thursday 22 June 2023 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM 

Featherstone Hall – Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar

Bookings: 

To book, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/CIXYJ

Bookings are essential

Some simple strategies will be provided to help ensure teens are able to interact with friends on a Saturday night and, at the same time, reduce the risk of underage drinking and the potential dangers associated with such behaviour. It aims to empower parents with a positive message and assist them in having open and honest family discussions in this complex area.

About the Guest Speaker:

Paul Dillon has been working in the area of drug education for more than 25 years. Through his own business, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) he has been contracted by many agencies and organisations across the country to give regular updates on current drug trends within the community. He continues to work with many school communities across the country to ensure that they have access to good quality information and best practice drug education.

He has worked extensively with a range of sporting organisations including the Australian Cricketers Association, the Rugby Union Players Association and the Football Federation of Australia to provide training workshops to elite athletes on a range of alcohol and other drug issues. In 2009 his best-selling book for parents was published titled ‘Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs‘ and has since been released internationally, being translated into a number of languages. With a broad knowledge of a range of content areas, Paul regularly provides media comment and is regarded as a key social commentator in Australia, appearing on a wide range of television programs including Sunrise, TODAY and The Project discussing topical issues.  Paul also had a regular spot on a national radio program on Triple J for seven years where he dealt with current youth drug issues. Paul also has a blog where he discusses topical issues of the day, as well as addressing some of the questions and queries he is regularly asked by those attending his presentations.

Details:

Thursday 10 August 2023 7.00 PM - 8.00 PM 

Featherstone Hall, Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar

Bookings: 

To book, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/CHFBY

Bookings are essential

Anxiety, perfectionism and over perfectionism … what is the similarity and difference between the emotional and behavioural experience of each of these presentations…. What is helpful about them… and when do they become impairing? The discussion will highlight a practical understanding and approaches to working with the experience of Anxiety and perfectionism.

About the Guest Speaker:

Dr Celeste Merrigan is a Fellow of the Australian Psychology Society and former Chair of the College of Clinical Psychologists and a Doctorate in Clinical Child, Adolescent and Family Psychology.

Celeste is a former clinical and academic fellow of Psychology Department of the Royal Children's Hospital, and Research Fellow of Murdoch Children's Research Institute, engaged in coordinating and teaching in the Doctor of Psychology (Child Specialisation) at the University of Melbourne and former lecture in the Schools of Public Health and Psychological Science, Latrobe University. She continues to provide guest lectures to doctoral students at Melbourne, Monash and Latrobe Universities and provides clinical and research supervision to a range of professionals and post-graduate students in psychology from the major universities working in hospitals and other settings. She has been a guest reviewer for the Australian Psychologist and the Journal of Family Studies and expert reviewer for program materials for the 'KidsMatter' Project an Australian Government Initiative to improve mental health and wellbeing in school children and implemented through schools and kindergartens. She is a consultant to the Victorian Children's Court Clinic. Celeste has also held positions on a number of mental health related advisory panels. 

Bookings are essential for this parent seminar.

Details:

Monday 21 August 2023 7.00 PM - 8.30 PM 

Featherstone Hall, Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar

Bookings: 

To book, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/CFR...