Newsletter 7 MAY 2021 Term 2, Week 3 Meeting the educational needs of girls

P&C Meeting –Wednesday 2 June 2021

EMAILING THE SCHOOL - Please use ONLY the [email protected] email address for correspondence. DEDICATED SMS NUMBER—Please text 0427 459 133 before 9am to advise late or absent students

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE -

Term 2 School Development Day On the first day of this term, staff engaged in professional development activities to continue the constant improvement of curriculum delivery and care of our students. The day focused on literacy and numeracy and refining all teaching programs to further incorporate strategies to enhance learning.

Anzac Day Dawn Service Our school was represented at a wonderful Anzac Day Dawn Service organised by The Manly Warringah Remembrance Trust at Manly Dam where a wreath was laid on behalf of the Mackellar community and a Mackellar student delivered the keynote speech. I commend this very special service to all families to attend next year as a truly wonderful experience. Our students also did outstanding jobs and played a major part in the Anzac Day ceremony at school. Our students carried out their roles with confidence, respect and solemnity, and brought great credit to themselves and our school.

The Zonta Club of the donated a collection of books to be laid as a living wreath during our Anzac Day Service at school. We are greatly appreciative of this.

NAPLAN The national testing of literacy and numeracy of all students in Years 7 and 9 occurs over the next two weeks. These online tests measure each student’s skills and knowledge in these fundamental areas of learning, and enable schools and parents to focus on the areas that are being achieved above the benchmarks and areas where students may need extra direction and learning.

NAPLAN assesses skills that are developed over time through the school curriculum. NAPLAN is not a pass or fail type test, but rather shows how individual students are progressing in numeracy and literacy skills against national standards for all Australian children.

Teachers highly value the diagnostic information on individual students that NAPLAN provides to schools. This is quite different to the incomplete and often misleading information that will appear later in the year on the MySchool website.

School Musical June is our annual school musical time. “Matilda” starts its run on 15 June with a matinee performance for students. There are four evening performances that week at 6.30 pm in the Performance Space. The cast, backstage crew, technicians, musicians, producers and directors are all putting enormous time and talent into making this our best. I encourage you to bring your family along and have a great night. Tickets will go on sale in Week 6 from the Library.

Mobile contact with parents Students must have their mobile phones switched off in class or at school events. Parents please do not ring or text your child at these times as they will not be able to respond.

Winter Uniform Students have now moved into winter uniform for Terms 2 and 3. If you are unsure as to the requirements, the uniform is listed in the student’s diary. Each girl must wear full school uniform every day.

Director General’s Award for Turning Potential into Performance Freshwater Community Bank is Director General’s Award for Excellence in Girls Education the proud Community Sponsor Director General’s Award for Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education of Mackellar Girls Campus Director General’s Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Programs Manly Vale Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Pacific Islander Programs

Our uniform is one way we indicate to the community the pride girls have in being a Mackellar Girl. And rightly or wrongly, the community judges how good a school we are, in part, by the way our uniform is worn by our students. It is important, therefore, that students present themselves neatly, wearing a uniform that is uniform. Part of that uniformity is the length of the skirts. Skirts that are short are not part of our uniform. All skirts must extend down to the top of the knee, with hems sewn. The lengths of the skirts at purchase are the right length – they are not to be taken up or rolled up at the top. Makeup and jewellery are not part of our uniform.

Subject selections for Year 10 Year 10 girls are selecting their subjects that they will study in Years 11 and 12 at Mackellar. These decisions are important ones to lay the foundation for senior study and further education beyond. It is of the utmost importance that students make informed and wise subject selections – to select subjects that they will enjoy, be engaged with, are matched to their ability and interests, keep their options open for the future and are beneficial to each student’s career path.

Mackellar girls are extremely fortunate to have such an extensive subject choice available to them, teachers of enormous expertise in their subjects and HSC marking experience and senior staff dedicated to providing expert guidance in the best study patterns for different career paths.

Digital media research A new research report by the Gonski Institute for Education reveals digital media and technologies as a great distraction in Australian family life.

More than 9 out of 10 parents think digital devices negatively distract their own lives, and 83% think their children are also negatively distracted by digital gadgets.

While parents find digital technologies useful in staying connected with their children and keeping them safe, 3/4 of parents think it is difficult to control their child’s digital habits. As many as 65% of parents also admit that negotiating the use of digital media and technologies at home causes conflicts with their children.

About a third of families allow their children to use their digital devices after bedtime every single day. Furthermore, three in five children who struggle in school regularly sleep with their digital gadgets.

Growing up digital is also becoming an equity issue. According to the study, lower-income parents and lower achieving students, in particular, are most at risk of distraction from interactive media use.

The study is also one of the first efforts to include grandparents' views of their own and their grandchildren's’ digital media habits. Almost four in five grandparents feel they are in control of their own digital technology use, and most would rather see their grandchildren play sports than video games.

In summary:  More than 4 in 5 children own at least one screen-based device that belongs to them, and children own, on average, three digital devices at home. Personal ownership of gadgets starts as young as four years old.  Only 46% of parents felt that their child spends a day without digital technology.  73% of parents and grandparents think it is harder to control their child’s digital habits since getting their own screen-based device.  65% of parents agreed that ‘negotiating digital technologies use causes conflicts in our home’.  83% of parents, carers and grandparents felt that their child was negatively distracted by digital technologies.

Congratulations for high achievement to:  Stefanie (Y11) for her selection to train with the Volleyroos Women’s team preparing for the Olympics, and her competing at the Australian Junior National Beach Volleyball Championships and the Australian Beach Volleyball Schools Cup  Fleur (Y8) for her 2nd places in the U15 800m and 1500m at the National Track & Field Championships  Emma (Y) for her Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships results – 2nd in Patrol Competition, 6th in First Aid, 7th Champion Lifesaver  Jasmine (Y11) for her selection in the U18 NSW Beach Volleyball team  Alice (Y8) for her selection in the NSW U14 Country Softball Team  CHS Swimmers: Lauren, Hana , Layla (Y12), Amelia, Emily (Y11), Milla, Creel, Ella (Y10), Millie, Rachel, Anika, Abby, Amber, Rachel (Y9), Siello, Carys, Coco, Octavia (Y8), Elyse, Katy, Rylee, Sarah, Abigail, Eryn, Pipi (Y7)  Elise (Y10)and Ava (Y8) for their competing at CHS Tennis  Sarah (Y10) for her selection as a displayed artist in the 2021 Mosman Youth Art Prize  Jampa (Y11) for her friends of Zainab Scholarship

2

 Greta (Y11) for her selection to represent Manly Electorate in the NSW Youth Parliament  Phoebe (Y9) for her selection in the Regional Soccer team  Sielo (Y8), Alyssa (Y10), Jasmyn (Y9) and Coco (Y8) for their selection in the Regional U15 Touch team  Faith (Y10) for her selection in the Regional Hockey team  Summer, Emma, Maya, Celena and Eloise (Y7) for their selection to the SRC Christine Del Gallo Principal

P&C NEWS -

Dear Parents and Carers, The next P&C meeting is on Wednesday 2nd of June at 7.30pm. It will be held in the staff room in A Block. Entry is through the main door of the school office. Everyone is welcome to come along.

Cristina Anderson—P&C Regional Representative

UNIFORM SHOP NEWS - Thank you so much to all the regular volunteers who pop in to help in the shop.

If you are interested contact me at [email protected] We still have some vacancies for May, June and July.

Remember if you order online we are only there to process and pack the order on Mondays and Wednesdays. You will be sent an email when it is packed and your daughter or yourself can pick it up.

We appreciate your patience as some of our suppliers are still having trouble getting stock into the country.

Leigh McPherson, Uniform Shop Manager, [email protected]

YEAR 8 LANGUAGE DAY: We are very much looking forward to Language Day on Friday 14th May. Y8 students will participate in immersion language and cultural activities all day. Permission notes and money are due to the front office by Friday 7th May.

Y8 German – city restaurant excursion and walking tour of German landmarks. Wear full school uniform.

Y8 Japanese- workshops including drumming, calligraphy, sumo and tea ceremony. Wear full PE uniform.

Y8 French- workshops include drama, Mauritian dancing, crepes and a New Cal cultural experience. Wear full PE uniform.

Cross Country 2021 Congratulations to all the students who competed in the Cross Country carnival last week on Wednesday the 28 April The Zone Carnival will be held on the 20 May 2021 at Rat Park in Narrabeen. Please collect your Zone notes if you placed in the top 10. Please see Ms Patison if you are unable to compete on the day.

The winning house for Cross Country was BeaBau beating Gullary by only 8 points. The age champions are the students who placed first in their age group:

12 years – Sarah 13 years – Adelaide 14 years – Fleur 15 years – Anneke 16 years – Bella 17 years + - Katia Multiclass – Mali Congratulations girls and good luck at Zone!

3

W@M Report

YEAR 7- We cannot believe how fast this year is flying by! Year 7 have already completed one term and have settled in well at Mackellar.

We would like to remind our students and parents of the important message the girls received from the UR Strong session in Term 1. The skills that the girls learnt are so important and we want to encourage them to continue to use the language and techniques that were explored in the session. Understanding the difference between a healthy and unhealthy relationship is a vital life skill.

The Cross Country Carnival and the Athletics Carnival were both held last week. It was amazing to see so many Year 7 students get involved and run, jump and throw their hearts out. Congratulations to the students who have progressed to the Zone Carnivals where they will represent Mackellar. Please ensure that the Permission Notes for these students are returned promptly.

In Weeks 4 and 5, all Year 7 students will be participating in NAPLAN Tests in order to gauge their progress in skills such as literacy and numeracy. Please ensure that students come to school prepared with a charged device and headphones. Any students who are absent during these tests need to report to Ms De Angelis on their return.

We are looking forward to another busy term! Ms Horton & Ms Jones - Year 7 Advisers

YEAR 8 - We have had a busy start to Term 2.

In Week 1 the Year 8 cohort participated in a High Resolves Program, which is run by an external provider. The program focuses on social justice, collective action, conflict resolution and negotiation, and exposes the girls to ideas such as global equality. The concept covered in the half day session was ‘social justice’. The students were provided the opportunity to develop skills that allowed them to recognise and analyse social situations without bias of self-interest, apply principles of fairness to unjust situations and establish processes that will lead to justice. This is a highly valuable program and all the students thoroughly enjoyed partaking in it.

In Week 2, it was great to see so many Year 8 students participating enthusiastically in the school Cross Country on Wednesday and Athletics Carnival on Friday, and winning points for their houses.

We look forward to the Year 8 sleepover this evening. In week 7, the girls will be involved in ‘Stand Tall - The Event’. It brings together leading youth communicators with star musicians, sportsmen and other popular young successful role models from ‘Generation Z’ pop culture. They will address many of the critical issues confronting today's high school students. These presenters will impart wisdom learned from their own life experiences, giving students the hope and courage to make the right choices. Ms Grasso, Ms Kelsey & Ms Drane– Year 8 Advisers YEAR 9 Year 9 students have started the term off in a flash. These first few weeks have seen participation from Year 9 in both the School Athletics and Cross Country. Congratulations to all the girls and their results, particularly those who have made it to the Zone Level.

At the last year assembly, Year 9 were reminded about the importance of making use of their personal strengths to help them achieve their goals. The next W@M session will feature a TED talk on “What I learnt from 100 days of rejection” by Jia Jiang, which highlights that having a positive mindset ensures that stress and pressure are minimised in the years to come.

This term will also see Year 9 involved in High Resolves, which is a Global Leadership Program that features leadership skill development workshops and the opportunity for students to practise and enhance leadership skills through hands-on social action projects to benefit their schools and communities.

In Weeks 4 and 5, all Year 9 students will be participating in NAPLAN Tests in order to gauge their progress in skills such as literacy and numeracy. Please ensure that students come to school prepared with a charged device and headphones. Any students who are absent during these tests need to report to Ms De Angelis on their return.

We are looking forward to another exciting term! Ms Goykovic & Ms Adams - Year 9 Advisers YEAR 10- The school Cross Country and Athletics Carnival were held last week and it was pleasing to see so many Year 10 students participating and being involved in both of these activities. Year 10 has also begun the exciting process of selecting subjects for senior school. This is an important time for the girls as they make

4

significant decisions about what Year 11 and 12 will look like for them. Mackellar makes every effort to make the process as simple as possible, and the Year 10s are encouraged to speak to their classroom teachers and approach faculties if they need more information about any of the subjects. Students have also been encouraged to visit the NESA website and have a closer look at the syllabus of any subject they are interested in studying. The syllabus is a document that sets out in detail exactly what is taught in a specific subject. The link below will take you to the NESA site, after which you scroll over the ‘YEAR 11 - YEAR 12’ tab along the top to find the subject area you are interested in: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/home

The first draft of the curriculum lines will start to be constructed now that the girls have completed a survey indicating the subjects they are likely to choose, and actual subject selections will occur later this term and again next term. To help with this, students had the opportunity to attend ‘Taster Lessons’ this week, where they could sign up to observe a senior class ‘in action’. Student-teacher interactions and relationships are very different in the senior years, and these ‘Taster Lessons’ have allowed Year 10 to witness this and have a better understanding of what Year 11 and 12 at Mackellar.

The study habits that students develop this year will be the foundation of their work ethic in their senior years, so it is important to establish healthy routines and a positive mindset now to ensure that stress and pressure are minimised in the years to come. As a parent and caregiver, you can help by encouraging the use of strategies that support organisation, such as using a diary and having a wall calendar to write in important dates, having a healthy diet, staying hydrated, being active and probably most importantly, getting enough sleep. Ms Karandonis & Ms Maconachie– Year 10 Advisers

YEAR 11- Year 11 is back into the swing of school life having participated in the Cross Country and Athletics Carnival in Week 2 and the inaugural Mackellar Moonlight Cinema at the end of Week 1. It was great to see so many of the Year 11 students enjoying these events. This week students have completed the first session of the Elevate Study Skills workshop which assists them to develop essential skills that will serve them well moving forward into the HSC.

The prefect application process has also begun this week with students nominating themselves for this important leadership role. All nominations are submitted to Ms Coles by Monday 10 May with a CV to be submitted by Monday 17 May. This is followed by an after-school workshop where nominated students gain further insight into the role. Interviews will take place in Week 6 from 24 May. This is an exciting opportunity for many of our Year 11 students.

Also coming up this term is the Exam Practice Week in Week 5. This provides Year 11 with a fantastic opportunity to revise and hone their exam skills. The Year 12 2022 Jersey Committee created the Year 12 jersey design which all Year 11 students had the opportunity to vote for last term. The students are now nominating their jersey names and the Year 12 2022 jerseys should be ready to order towards the end of this term! We look forward to seeing our Year 11s in their jerseys next year and would like to take this opportunity to remind students of the school’s expectations of uniform. A friendly reminder that students must not roll their skirts up and must ensure their skirt length is to the knee. School shoes must be plain, lace up and black leather – Dr Marten boots are not part of the uniform. Finally, students are only permitted to wear the navy blue, knitted jumper available from the uniform shop. It is great to see most of the Year 11 wearing the school uniform correctly and being a positive role model to all. Ms Leung & Ms Eakins– Year 11 Advisers YEAR 12- Year 12 has experienced and enjoyed more significant milestones this week with the Cross Country and Athletics Carnivals. They were wonderful Rainbow Fairies, and what a race they ran! It is lovely that after COVID we are able to have moments like these that celebrate their hard work in the classroom.

This week Year 12 had GP Visits, where local doctors came to the school to speak with the students about medical issues and things they are concerned about in a sensitive and respectful way. This is a valuable time for the students, as they are encouraged to see their local GPs with any concerns and get whatever help may be needed.

At the end of last term, the Year 12s completed their Half Yearly Practice Examinations. All students showed diligence and hard work in preparing for these tests and are to be commended on their efforts. It is important that the students take the feedback from these tests and reflect on their current abilities. This allows them to set goals for upcoming assessments. They can do this using the Student Reflection Journal, available at bit.ly/mgcreflect. Students are also encouraged to access their past reflections before completing similar tasks to ensure they are reaching their academic goals.

Year 12 reports will also be available soon, allowing students to understand their current academic standing and receive crucial feedback from their teachers on their progress. Ms Ravenscroft & Ms Coles– Year 12 Advisers

5

MUSIC

A recap of recent events: Congratulations to the Performance Band for their wonderful team work with High School students at the Northern Beaches Symphonic Wind Ensemble Concert last term. Overall it was a fabulous experience for students to work collaboratively on a challenging work and I hope the students will remember the experience for year to come.

MUSIC CAMP Staff and students worked extremely hard at our recent Mackellar Music Camp learning new repertoire and working on extra-large works together across the ensembles. On our second night a selection of students performed solo or small group items in a fabulous student concert and the girls are to be congratulated on preparing and performing to their peers. The End of Camp Concert was very well received and an exciting performance for the students. If students liked this environment, applications for State Music Camp are now open. Please see The Arts Unit website if interested.

Upcoming Events:

JAZZ NIGHT Monday 10 May Performance Space Mackellar Girls Campus 7pm Start Students in the Big Band, Stage Band, Junior and Senior Jazz Improvisation and Sax & Rhythm ensemble will collaborate with Balgowlah Boys HS in a Jazz Night. Students are to arrive at 6:30pm in Performing Arts blacks. The Concert is for family and caregivers. See flyer attached.

Matilda Jnr. The Musical The School Musical for 2021 is fast approaching and students and staff are working very hard behind the scenes to make this show fabulous.

Show Dates (Term 2, Week 9): Tuesday 15 June 7pm Wednesday 16 June 7pm Friday 18 June 7pm Saturday 19 June 1.30pm & 7pm

School Matinee's for students only - Tuesday 15, Thursday 17 & Friday 18 June.

Tickets will be sold in the library from Week 5.

Laura Ravenscroft - Musical Director

6

Dates for Diary TERM 2 2021 – Please note in diaries these gigs and extra rehearsals.

DATE/TIME WHAT WHO WHERE

Friday May 7 & May 14 Golden Fleece: Full Orchestra, Mackellar Singers, Big Performance Space 7:30am Rehearsal Band 7:30am

Week 4 Monday May 10 Jazz Night Mackellar Girls and Balgowlah Hall 6:30pm Arrival Concert 7pm-8:45pm Boys Stage Band, Big Band, Jazz 7pm Concert for family and Improvisation groups, Y10 Jazz friends. Vocal items.

Week 6 Monday May 24 7pm “Golden Fleece” Rock Orchestra/Big Band/Mackellar Performance Space Cantata Concert Singers

Sunday 30 May 10am-4pm “Matilda” Reheasrsal Matilda Full Cast Performance Space

Week 7 Monday May 31 7pm Music Night #2 All Instrumental and Vocal Hall 7pm Concert arrive Ensembles 6:30pm

Week 8 Northern Beaches Concert and Performance Band Pittwater High School Late Afternoon evening of Instrumental Festival either 3rd, 4th,5th of June Date TBC (Possible 6/6 too)

Sunday 6 June 10am-4pm Matilda Reheasrsal Matilda Full Cast Performance Space

Sunday 13 June Matilda Final Matilda Full Cast Performance Space 9am-5pm Reheasrsal

Week 9 Tuesday 15 June Day “Matilda”: 2 Shows Matilda Full Cast Performance Space Matinee + 7pm Performance

Wednesday 16 June “Matilda”: Evening Matilda Full Cast Performance Space 7pm Show

Thursday Matinee for school “Matilda”: Show Matilda Full Cast Performance Space students

Friday 18 June Day Matinee + “Matilda”: 2 Shows Matilda Full Cast Performance Space 7pm Performance

Saturday June 19 Day 1:30pm “Matilda”: 2 Shows Matilda Full Cast Performance Space Matinee + 7pm Performance

Sunday 20 June 11am -3pm Northern Beaches Stage Band Harbord Primary School (requesting mid morning) Instrumental Festival: Jazz

Sunday 20 June Senior State Music Selected students Academy of Sport Camp Narrabeen

7

Jazz Night Presented by Mackellar Girls Campus and

7pm Monday 10th May, 2021 Mackellar Girls Campus Performance Space Campbell Parade, Manly Vale

Family and friends are invited to a relaxed evening of jazz music presented by MGC and BBC Big Bands and Stage Bands, Jazz Improvisation ensembles and other Jazzy items.

Performers to arrive at 6:30pm

If you email us at [email protected] we can email the school newsletter directly to you. It can also be accessed online at www.mackellargirls.nsw.edu.au Director General’s Award for Turning Potential into Performance DirectorDirector General’s General’s Award Award for Turning for Excellence Potential in into Girls Performance Education Director General’sDirector Award General’s for Excellence Award forin Gifted Excellence and Talented in Girls Education Director General’sDirector General’s Award for Award Excellence for Excellence in Gifted andin Aboriginal Talented EducationPrograms DirectorSecretary’s General’s Award Award for Excellence for Excellence in Pacific in Aboriginal Islander Programs

Mackellar Girls Campus Campbell Pde Manly Vale NSW 2093 T: 9949 2083 F: 9949 3028 E: [email protected] W: www.mackellargirls.nsw.edu.au

8