26 MARCH 2021 Term 1, Week 9 Meeting the Educational Needs of Girls

Mackellar Girls Campus Newsletter 26 MARCH 2021 Term 1, Week 9 Meeting the educational needs of girls

P&C Meeting - Wednesday 5 May 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 -

Science Laboratories Upgrade Two more of Mackellar’s 50 years old laboratories in E Block will soon undergo a complete refurbishment through a joint funding venture between the Department of Education and the school. This is very exciting news for the school. It is expected that the project will begin by the end of Term 2.

The old toilet block in D block will also be refurbished next term through special state funding.

Parent-Teacher Evenings These evenings scheduled for March - May 2021 will be postponed. Due to Covid restrictions particularly related to physical distancing of adults and visitors into the school, we cannot conduct these event at this time.

If you would like to ring you daughter’s teachers to have a phone meeting to gain a progress report, you are most welcome. You would need to know your daughter’s classes and her teachers to be able to be directed to speak with them. I suggest calling before school or at lunchtime or immediately after school to maximise your chance of connecting with the teachers.

School Visitors As a school we have a duty of care of our students. As such, all visitors to the school must firstly go the office, and if their visit is appropriate beyond the foyer area, sign in as a visitor and be given a visitor’s badge to wear for the duration of their stay in the school. This applies to parents who come to the school to see a teacher or student.

It is not appropriate for parents to email any staff directly. Staff will not respond to any email they receive directly from a parent. Parents are welcome to either write a letter or send an email to the school email address, where it will then be forwarded to the teacher, Deputy Principal or Principal.

Design Make Innovate Our Year 9 Design and Technology students have been mentors working with two of our partner primary schools, Manly Vale and Curl Curl North Public Schools, in Design Make Innovate, a rich project-based learning. The students engaged in a design process to ‘shrink our footprint’.

This learning experience encapsulates 21st century learning capabilities that we desire in our teaching and learning – student choice, student voice, collaboration, team work, communication, problem solving, creativity, curriculum inter-connectedness and risk taking in learning.

Project Penguin For the 14th year, Taronga Zoo, in conjunction with the Northern Beaches Secondary College and several of its schools, is planning a learning rich task called Project Penguin. The project will involve students from Years 10 and 4 or 5 from Balgowlah Heights and Harbord Primary Schools working together to help preserve a local endangered species, the Little Penguin. 120 of our Year 10 girls will be trained by zoo and teaching staff in the relevant science, research methods, geography and mentoring for the project, to lead the primary school teams. It is a fantastic opportunity for our students.

Technology The rapid pace of developments in technology has provided access to information and new communications that have benefited us enormously. With the privilege of access to technology in schools comes responsibility. Any breach of our school’s code of conduct with technology will result in that student’s computer device being

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

confiscated and disciplinary action, in accordance with the Student User Charter that the student and parent have signed. The following indicates computer use that is not acceptable at school:  using the device to access inappropriate applications and websites for school use  using someone else’s account or providing your password and account for another to use  using a proxy to access sites blocked by the Department of Education  bringing to school, or using, a USB that contains inappropriate material  senior students using computers in their study periods for activities that are not directly related to their HSC courses.

Mobile phones must be switched off whenever a student is in class or between classes or participating in a school activity. Photographs, videos or audio recordings made with a mobile phone may not be taken or made without the permission of those being photographed or recorded and may not be publicly distributed.

Please discuss this information with your child/ children to ensure that both you and your child/ children understand what is inappropriate use of computers and mobile phones at school.

Student Punctuality Lateness to school is an issue with a small number of our students. I ask parents to do what they can to instil in their children the importance of being on time, getting to school by 8.40 am and being prepared to start the day in a positive frame of mind. Repeated lateness is a serious misdemeanour and affects students’ progress. The number of days a student is late appears on their school report – a notable number here would not be attractive to a prospective employer, even for part-time jobs.

Scoliosis Scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine, can result in significant health problems, and is most prevalent in teenage girls. To detect scoliosis, all parents of girls are strongly advised to download the self-detection brochure from the Spine Society of Australia’s website (www.scoliosis-australia.org). It is particularly important for girls 11 – 13 yrs of age, as this is the age range when scoliosis first appears.

Congratulations for high achievement to:  Jesse (Y12) and Stefanie (Y11) for their 2nd in the ACT Open Beach Volleyball Championships  Emily (Y11) for her selection for the Olympic Swimming Trials for 100m backstroke  Pipi (Y7) for her success in the NSW Nippers Surf Lifesaving Championships – 1st in U13 Swim Team and Board Relay, 2nd in the U13 Ironwoman and Swim, 4th in Board  Octavia (Y8) for her selection into the NSW Basketball Talented Athlete Program  Matilda (Y8) for her selection in the NSW Juniors Athletics Team and a 3rd in 100m in the NSW Junior Championships, Fleur (Y8) for her 1st in U15 800m and Luana (Y8) for her 6th in U15 Long Jump  Elani (Y9) for her 2nd in the Surf Lifesaving NSW U15 First Aid Competition and qualifying for the Australian Championships  Sophie and Tia (Y12) and Hilton (Y9) for their selection in the NSW CHS Girls U18 Tennis team  School Captains Hanako and Milla for their Parliament of NSW and Government House Leadership Program  April (Y9) for her competing in the NSW CHS Individual Triathlon  the Open Water Polo Team for being runner up in the CHS Regional Knockout Championships  Regional Swimmers: Lauren, Hanako, Layla (Y12), Amelia, Emily (Y11), Milla, Creel, Ella (Y10), Millie, Rachel, Annika, Abby, Amber, Rachel (Y9), Sielo, Carys, Coco, Octavia (Y8), Elyse, Katy, Rylee, Sarah, Abigail, Blake, Eryn, Pipi (Y7)  Zone Swimming Champions: 14 yrs – Abby; 16 yrs – Emily; 17yrs – Lauren  Zone Swimmers: Jada (Y8) , Chloe, Georgie (Y7)

Christine Del Gallo, Principal

P&C NEWS -

Dear Parents and Carers,

The P&C held their AGM on Wednesday 10 March. Thank you to all those who attended. The Mackellar Canteen is in need of volunteers next term. This is a valuable and practical way to contribute to the school community. Please contact Annette Ryan, the Canteen Manager, [email protected] if you can help.

Yours Sincerely Cristina Anderson—P&C Regional Representative

W@M Report

YEAR 7- As we approach the end of Term 1, it is pleasing to see so many Year 7 students embracing our value of Participation. All students took part in a fabulous workshop to help them learn some skills and strategies to support their social-emotional wellbeing. The URSTRONG workshop was presented by Dana Kerford who spoke to the girls about friendship facts, recognising healthy and unhealthy friendships as well as taking the girls through some steps to help them put out their Friendship Fires. Ask your daughter about the strategies she learned to help her stand up for herself when someone is being mean on purpose. One of Dana’s most important points was to accept that the only person you can control is you. You can help your daughter develop her self- efficacy by reminding her of this.

Having a locker is a novelty to most Year 7’s and so they like using them quite often. If your daughter has a locker it is important she only access it at the allocated times which can be found at the top of page xi in her school diary. We were so thrilled with the way that Year 7 conducted themselves at the Year 7 Camp and we hope that they made new friends and learned some new skills. Ms Horton & Ms Jones - Year 7 Advisers YEAR 8 - Term 1 has been a successful and busy one for our Year 8 cohort. They have been working hard, and embraced our value of the term Kindness, with many girls being nominated by their peers to receive certificates.

Term 2 will present a number of exciting opportunities for Year 8 students at Mackellar. On Thursday in Week 1, students will participate in the High Resolves Program which was introduced to them last year. The objective of the program is to motivate high school students to view themselves as purposeful global citizens and to acquire the mindsets and skills they will need to lead their communities, and the world, to a brighter future. The school Athletics Carnival is being held on Friday of week 2 and the much anticipated Year 8 sleepover is on Friday week 3.

Please remember that the winter uniform is to be worn when we return in Term 2. Check whether your daughter has outgrown her uniform so adjustments can be made before she returns to school.

We wish the girls a safe and relaxing holiday. Ms Grasso, Ms Kelsey & Ms Drane– Year 8 Advisers YEAR 9 - The first term has been another successful and busy one for our Year 9 cohort. Students will be participating in the Problem Solving Day (a fun day organised by our Differentiation Team, where all students have the opportunity to transfer skills across multiple subjects whilst engaging in real world issues) and Elevate (a study skills workshop designed to assist students with their study methods). We hope that students can gain valuable knowledge from these two workshops.

W@M this term has included mindfulness, an important strategy to help one avoid overreacting when negative feelings are triggered. It is also a strategy that can be used in the current climate of events to help us focus on one thing at a time and take each activity and each day as they come. The students also watched a Ted Talk by Jade Hameister who spoke of her trek to the North Pole. The class discussion centred on Jade’s character strengths, achievement and the importance of goal setting and perseverance. Our final W@M for this term will be on creating our best possible self. The students worked on managing obstacles that may arise in reaching their goals so that their best possible self is tied to reality and they can mentally rehearse what they will do to overcome obstacles.

A reminder that next term is winter uniform. Check that the skirts are the appropriate length and organise a time to visit the uniform shop if they are not meeting the requirements to ensure the students are ready to go at the beginning of term.

Have a lovely holiday break! Ms Goykovic & Ms Adams - Year 9 Advisers YEAR 10- Term 1 has been another busy one for our Year 10 students. From the swimming carnival, where our students showed great swimming ability as well as great encouragement and care for one another, to excursions and enrichment, which allowed our students to learn and keep striving for their personal best. W@M this term has included mindfulness and ‘grit’. Mindfulness is an important tool to help in situations of tension or whenever negative feelings are triggered. Our students learnt the S.T.O.P. method: Stop, Take a breath, Observe yourself and Proceed with caution. Grit is defined by Angela Duckworth as ‘the power of passion and perseverance’, and involves students showing resilience and determination when faced with challenges. We encourage Year 10 to keep these important concepts in mind throughout the year as they encounter new challenges and obstacles. A reminder also that Year 10 was given Assessment Manuals at the beginning of the year - these contain important protocols and policies that must be followed. This includes the procedures for absences during assessment tasks. Early next term we have the Subject Information Evening for Year 11 2022. Year 10 will also have the

opportunity in Week 2 to attend ‘taster sessions’ for subjects they are thinking of choosing to get a better understanding of what the subject is about. Ms Karandonis & Ms Maconachie– Year 10 Advisers YEAR 11- Year 11 has continued to demonstrate maturity in their senior life at Mackellar. They have displayed a committed approach to their subjects, and their enthusiasm for the Peer Support program has been a delight to see, with many Year 7 students reporting that their Peer Support leaders have been excellent mentors.

It was wonderful to see Year 11 show respect in their interactions with each other and the GPs during the GP visits. We hope that Year 11 was able to gain relevant medical knowledge and understand how they are able to seek medical assistance and the services that are available to them.

The Year 12, 2022 Jersey Committee has been busy creating designs that have been shown to Year 11 for their final vote. The design will be finalised shortly and students will have the opportunity to choose a suitable name that will appear on the back of their jerseys. The students are suitably excited at the prospect of this rite of passage and their responsible participation in this process is appreciated!

A reminder that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, senior students are expected to participate in DEAR (Drop Everything and Relax) sessions. These sessions have been designed to provide students with time for relaxation and students have the option to select from a number of activities including physical exercise, guided meditation, careers counselling, teacher mentoring and quiet reading.

The Year 11 Elevate study skills day has unfortunately been postponed and a new date will be advised shortly. However, at this stage it is critical that Year 11 is establishing study routines to prepare them for Year 12. This includes ensuring that they have a dedicated work space at home with the required resources and materials, and that study is taking place regularly and efficiently. Ms Leung & Ms Eakins– Year 11 Advisers YEAR 12- Year 12 has now commenced their Half Yearly Examination period. This is an invaluable opportunity for our students to practise and refine their examination and study techniques. Students should be following study timetables, eating well, resting and exercising, to ensure that they are looking after themselves during this period. We encourage Year 12 to work towards their personal best in every examination, and reflect afterwards on what needs to improve or change before the Trial Examinations in Term 3. The HSC year is a marathon and not a sprint – study techniques and the establishment of good habits developed now will be appreciated later this year during the HSC examinations. Students are able to view their HSC Timetables via their Students Online accounts.

Excitingly, our Formal Committee has chosen the date and venue of the school formal. Following on the heels of the HSC examinations’ conclusion on the 4th of November, our formal will be held on the 8th of November at Curzon Hall. This will be a wondrous event which will allow the year group to congregate and celebrate together one final time before they officially leave school. More information will follow regarding the organisation. Thank you to the Formal Committee for their hard work in the preparations for this special night.

Ms Erskine, our fantastic Careers Adviser, has been working hard to educate and inform the year group about university applications and the admissions options available. By now all students should have joined the Careers Google Classroom (and if you haven’t yet – the code is 6mlw23y) in order to ensure that they are kept abreast of important dates, exciting opportunities and upcoming open days. Ms Erskine has also organised student ambassadors from different universities to meet with the year group, and we were recently visited by Macquarie University.

Year 12 is showing incredible resilience and positivity in their approach to school and work at the moment, and we’re incredibly proud of the diligence with which they’re tackling their assessments. In addition to this, they continue to shine as role models for the younger students, and lead by example. Whilst challenges are on the horizon, our year group continues to approach them with confidence and compassion for one another. Ms Ravenscroft & Ms Coles– Year 12 Advisers

On International Women’s Day, the Prefects attended an online conference hosted by UN Women

male-dominated trend in leadership, and we’re lucky to have such representation here at Mackellar.

To further celebrate such a relevant and liberating day, we as a Prefect Body initiated a Mackellar Body Positivity Week with the goal to create open and mindful conversions around body image. This took place in Week 7 of this term. As part of the week, mindful and positive reminders were put up around our school bathrooms’ mirrors to remind our students about what it means to be body positive, and to inspire them to rethink any negative thoughts they have about their appearance. We also invited the students and staff to participate in daily challenges that aimed to help increase self-esteem and allow everyone to feel confident enough to begin engaging in conversations regarding this usually unconventional topic. Tuesday’s challenge was to pass around Compliment Cards to friends or other members of the school community. The final event of the week was a Coin Weigh In fundraiser for the Butterfly Foundation, an organisation that supports sufferers of negative experiences regarding body image and/or eating disorders. We were able to donate over $300, and congratulations to Year 7, our best donators!

hear Sam Bloom speak, an incredible local woman who described to us the challenges she has faced in her life, and how individuals can sometimes find brightness and joy in places unexpected – even a baby magpie! Her incredible strength and resilience were a reminder to us about the power of women, and it was a privilege to meet her.

The Prefects

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 April and May.

Don’t forget Years 7 - 9 change over to Winter Uniform for Terms 2 and 3. The girls can come into the uniform shop on Monday 29 March 9-2pm or Wed 31 March 9-2pm to be fitted for a skirt and blue blouse. We highly recommend that they come for a fitting to get the correct size and length. Parents are permitted to come into the uniform shop.

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 your self can pick it up. Leigh McPherson, Uniform Shop Manager, [email protected]

MUSIC

MUSIC NIGHT: The students and music staff were excited to finally perform to an audience at our recent music night. We look forward to having our vocal ensembles join us for the next one. Other Music Nights are May 31 and August 23. There will be a Jazz Night on May 10th for the jazz ensembles with Balgowlah Boys jazz groups.

THIS SUNDAY: The Performance Band will be collaborating with students from Pittwater High School playing the same music in a concert on Sunday 28th March at 3pm with the Northern Beaches Symphonic Wind Ensemble at Pittwater High School. Family and friends are invited to attend. Venue: School Hall at Pittwater High School, Mona Street, Mona Vale.

TUESDAY 30th March There will be a collaborative concert for the Mackellar Concert Band and Big Band with Manly West Primary School and the Northern Beaches Symphonic Youth Band on Tuesday 30th March at 7pm in the school Hall. We are proud to say the youth band includes wonderful ex-Mackellar musicians. Family and friends are encouraged to join us for this fabulous concert. See flyer.

REHEARSAL DAY Monday 19th April- 9:15am – 10:45am Concert Band, 11am – 12:30pm Performance Band, 1pm – 2:30pm Big band. The other rehearsal Day is Monday 12 July.

2021 Music Camp Term 2 Week 1 6pm April 21 – 8pm April 23: All large music ensembles. This is one of the most celebrated events on the music calendar for Mackellar Girls. Payment due and online forms required. Concert for parents and caregivers 7:15pm Friday April 23 in upper dining hall at Narrabeen Sport and Recreation Centre.

Dates for Diary for 2021 – Please note in diaries

Week 9 Sunday Collaborative Performance Band with Pittwater High School Hall March 28 3pm Music Experience Pittwater High plus Northern Rehearsal prior 1pm Rehearsal Concert Beaches Symphonic Wind 3pm Concert- Family and Ensemble Friends invited Pittwater HS HALL Week 10 Tuesday Combined Concert Band and Big Band Mackellar Girls Hall March 30 Concert with 6:30pm Arrival 7pm Manly West P.S. Concert Family and Friends and NBSYB invited Week 1 Term 2 Rehearsal Day Concert Band 9:15-10:45am; Performance Space Monday April 19 Performance Band 11am- 12:30; Big Band 1-2:30pm Week 1 Term 2 -6pm MUSIC CAMP Concert & Performance Narrabeen Academy of Sport Wednesday 21/4- Bands, Orchestra, Vocal and Recreation 8pm Friday 23/4 Ensembles Concert for family/friends 7:15pm dining hall Week 4 Term 2 Jazz Night Mackellar Girls and Hall 6:30pm Arrival Monday May 10 Balgowlah Boys Stage Band, 7pm Concert for family and Concert 7pm-8:45pm Big Band, Jazz Improvisation friends. groups, Jazz Vocal items. Week 7 Monday May Music Night #2 All Instrumental Ensembles Hall 31 7pm 7pm Concert arrive 6:30pm

Vanessa Patterson, Band Director

SPORT NEWS

Zone Swimming Carnival

On Friday 12 March, Mackellar sent a team of 29 students to compete at the North Shore Zone Swimming Carnival. The girls represented the school in a fantastic light and swum to the best of their abilities. We had some fabulous results on the day, including all of our relay teams who finished in the top 2 and will progress to the Regional Swimming Carnival . This includes the various age group 4 x 50m freestyle relays (U12s, U13s, U14s, U16s, and U17s and over), the all age 6 x 50m freestyle relay, the 200m medley relay and the all age mixed 12 x 50m freestyle relay which is a mixed relay with Balgowlah Boys. Abby, Emily and Lauren were crowned Age Champions of their respective age categories and Annika broke a number of individual records on the day. Congratulations to all of the competitors.

LIBRARY It has been an exciting few weeks here at Mackellar Library! On 8th March we celebrated International Women’s Day. This is a great opportunity for the girls at Mackellar to read up about not only the amazing women who have come before us, but how women are currently paving the way in our society. Books written by and about different women were put on display to encourage our students to borrow.

The Year 7 High Potential and Gifted students also finished their Project Based Learning Enrichment Days. For four days across weeks 7 and 8, the girls were given the task of selecting one of the UN’s Sustainable Development goals of equality and researching that goal within Australia and generate some solutions to these problems. The girls worked hard, guided by some of our great teachers, and created a digital product to showcase their work, as well as a presentation to their peers. Topics ranged from gender equality, poverty, clean water and sanitation, general health and wellbeing, equal access to health care and quality education. At the end of the project, the girls were able to present their findings to the rest of their peers. Groups created an amazing mixture of presentations, all demonstrating their creative thinking, critical thinking, collaborative and communicative skills.

With the April holidays approaching, we would like to remind students to borrow for the break! Borrowing length has been extended to after the holidays and students are able to borrow up to 4 books to read and enjoy after a busy Term 1.

We would also like to remind students that it is not too late to start the Premier’s Reading Challenge for 2021. Information can be found on the Premier’s Reading Challenge website, whilst the Mackellar Library page has book lists to help students select from.

Happy Reading!

Ms Reed and Mr Bailey

As an organisation, Share the Dignity oversees a number of initiatives that give back to Australian women and children in need, with a particular focus on victims of domestic violence. Our services range from collecting sanitary items for homeless women and those fleeing domestic violence.

The year 11 Community and Family Studies classes are again asking our school community to help give dignity to those in need at a time they need it most.

We are asking for donations of sanitary items including pads, maternity pads, incontinence pads, tampons, period-proof underwear and menstrual cups.

All donations must be brand new, sealed, in the original packing, and must comply with Australian quality standards.

Please leave your donations at the collection points in the allocated box in A block outside the Welfare office or in E Block outside the PE staffroom. This initiative will be running until the end of term.

Thank you for your kind support of this important initiative.

Mrs Alecia De Angelis, Ms Erin Brodie and Ms Bec Angus Yr 11 CAFS Teachers

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