TERM 4 No 3 Friday 16 November 2018

Learning to thrive... Opening speaker at the most recent Cambridge International Conference for Schools, Valerie Hannon is an expert adviser to the OECD, and is currently working on their Future of Education and Skills 2030 project. She has also contributed to the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) and is working with the New Zealand Government on their Education strategy. Hannon’s work is interesting to us for the Cambridge Examination link (i.e. linked to the curriculum we offer in Years 9 and 10) but above all for the thinking published in her latest book Thrive: Schools Reinvented for the Real Challenges We Face.

Educators around the world are grappling with answers to the same questions – ‘what matters?’, ‘what should matter?’ and ‘what matters more or most?’ amongst all that we are providing in the School setting. ‘Learning to thrive in a transforming world’, says Hannon, ‘is not just about lists of what students need to learn...it is about learning to live in new and better ways to take charge of their future, to shape it and deal with its challenges...’ As we refine our Character Education statements to articulate what we believe is inspired, expected and supported through a Frensham education, Valerie Hannon’s global perspective is helpful: ‘Schools in diverse settings and conditions are already innovating their methods to help their learners – not just to pass tests – or even get a job – but to thrive’. However, the words we are using to capture our intentions set overall outcomes as complementary – not ‘either/or’ – and they are words that should resonate with parents and girls, from all that we continue to say and support, in daily life at School: ‘We expect students to strive to be physically, mentally and spiritually fit for the future...... to work together to embrace challenge and to celebrate each other’s achievements...to rise to the intellectual life around them...and, to thrive in terms of character and leadership... Our ultimate success is measured in the way our girls carry themselves beyond school with a courageous and generous spirit as global citizens of today and tomorrow.’

Acknowledgement to: India Shead and Adele Bouniol-Laffont (Year 12) who delivered a message on behalf of the youth of the Southern Highlands, at the Mittagong RSL Remembrance Day Service [See excerpts from their Address, in this Newsletter]; The Hon Katrina Hodgkinson who presented to Year 9 on her life and career in politics – as part of Global Perspectives; Retiring members of the Frensham and Gib Gate Advisory Committees, for the considered support of the School; Dr Steve Clarke, for his management of our Holting teams this year – undertaking the first phase of new campus projects; Outstanding HSC achievement – ahead of overall results – as at today (with Music and Visual Arts selections still to be finalised by NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority), our congratulations as below: HSC DRAMA: Chipo Riva (Year 12) selected to perform her monologue, Harriet Tubman in the OnSTAGE 2019 performance programme (one of eight individual works in NSW) and Molly Paradice (Year 12) – her Design Costume project selected for inclusion in the OnSTAGE exhibition at the Seymour Centre from 9 February-15 February 2019. And (already reported) – Caroline Gotterson and Antoinette’s monologues nominated as exemplary works, for consideration; HSC DESIGN and TECHNOLOGY: Lucy Brigstocke, Zoe Hamilton and Tara Penton (Year 12), nominated for possible inclusion in Shape 2019 the annual exhibition of a selection of exemplary Major Projects developed by HSC Design and Technology, Industrial Technology and Textiles and Design students in 2018; HSC MUSIC: Tara Penton (Year 12) nominated for possible inclusion in the HSC ENCORE selection of performances and compositions; HSC VISUAL ARTS: Alice Battcock, Isabella Camilleri, Chloe Hickson and Stella Wilde - Bodies of Work nominated for consideration for inclusion in ARTEXPRESS.

Staff Retirements – ahead of our formal acknowledgement at the end of the year We will be sad to farewell senior colleagues whose contribution to the School has been outstanding: - Ms Liz Stephenson – Former Senior Teacher (Latin) [28 years] - Mrs Cherylynne Williams – Head of Information Services and Careers and Year 12 Coordinator [21 years] - Ms Cathie Weaver – Head of Health Centre [12 years] – (Cathie is on Long Service Leave, returning for end of year celebrations.) - Mr Paul Nash – Teacher of HSIE [7 years], former Coordinator - Jamieson Programme, Head of House (Bryant McCarthy) - Dr Anne Healey – House Staff (Bryant McCarthy House) [3 years]

2018 Australian Mathematics Trust (AMT) Teacher Award We congratulate Miss May Wong on her achievement as recipient of the 2018 AMT Teacher Award, recognising outstanding contribution to the teaching of mathematics/algorithmics within a school community, acknowledging teachers who have gone above and beyond to support and inspire their school, class and students.

Julie A Gillick Head of Frensham Head of Frensham Schools 2

Frensham Advisory Committee 2018 Gib Gate Advisory Committee 2018 Mrs Caroline Begg [email protected] Mrs Sara Moylan (Sec) [email protected] Mr David Cullen [email protected] Mrs Rowena Bendror [email protected] Ms Ruby Curtis [email protected] (FOGG) Mrs Penny Hanan [email protected] Mrs Chelsea Doyle [email protected] Mrs Kiki Hill [email protected] Mr David Griffin (Chair) [email protected] Mrs Erica Holcombe [email protected] Mrs Kate Iori [email protected] Mr John Hopkins [email protected] Mr Trent Johns [email protected] Mr Simon Logan [email protected] Mrs Tanya Gregory [email protected] Mrs Angela Macken (Sec) [email protected] Mrs Denise Telford [email protected] Mrs miChelle McGufficke [email protected] Mrs Lucy Wilson [email protected] Mrs Nicola Robertson [email protected] Ms Jo Thomson (Chair) [email protected]

TERM DATES 2018 – Gib Gate and Frensham

Term 4 - Gib Gate: ends Friday 7 December 3.00pm Frensham: ends Sunday 9 December 12.00pm (after 11.00am Carol Service)

Ranier Uniform Shop ~ 2018 All fittings for uniforms are by appointment, during shop hours: Mondays and Thursdays 12.00pm-5.00pm

Shop Manager: Mrs Michelle Wynn. To order items, please call the Shop: (02) 4860 2136 [BH], email: [email protected] TERM DATES 2019 - Gib Gate and Frensham

Term 1- Gib Gate & Frensham Term 3 - Gib Gate & Frensham Thursday 31 January-Thursday 11 April, 3.00pm Tuesday 23 July-Thursday 26 September, 3.00pm (Boarders always return evening before classes start) (Boarders always return evening before classes start)

Term 2 - Gib Gate & Frensham Term 4 - Gib Gate: Monday 14 October-Friday 6 Monday 29 April -Thursday 27 June, 3.00pm December, 3.00pm (Year 10 Work Experience ends Friday 28 June) Frensham: Monday 14 October-Sunday 8 December (Boarders always return evening before classes start) 12.00pm (after 11.00am Carol Service) (Boarders always return evening before classes start) *Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend* Frensham Travel Day added from 2019 Departure: Thursday 6 June, 3.00pm – all students Gib Gate (no change to current schedule) Long Weekend Departure: Friday 7 June, 3.00pm 2019 PARENT WEEKENDS – Confirmed dates for attendance of all students Years 7-12 Term 1: Term 3: Year 7 Saturday 2 March-Sunday 3 March Year 11 Saturday 10 August-Sunday 11 August Frensham Open Day – Saturday 2 March [Year 10 Saturday 10 August – Year 10 planning Year 10 Saturday 16 March-Sunday 17 March for Senior Studies (with parents on Saturday)] Year 9 Saturday 31 August-Sunday 1 September Term 2: Year 8 Saturday 18 May-Sunday 19 May Fellowship Centenary Weekend Year 12 Saturday 1 June-Sunday 2 June Saturday 6-Sunday 7 April FS Birthday – Friday 31 May [Service hosted by Current Students - Sunday 7 April] Frensham’s 106th Birthday – Sunday 2 June Reminder: – all of Years 7-12 attend Open Day and all Parent Weekend Services

BACK TO FRENSHAM WEEKEND – Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 April, 2019

2019 marks the Centenary of Frensham Fellowship’s establishment in 1919. A preliminary meeting of Staff, Prefects and Old Girls, was held on 13 December 1918 to make arrangements for the formation of Frensham Fellowship. The stated Objects of the Fellowship were: to carry on the School tradition of love and service, to keep Old Girls in touch with the School, and to encourage Members to interest themselves in current thought and activities.

A century later, we are celebrating 100 years of Frensham Fellowship with a special weekend where it all started. Please save the date for the Back to Frensham Weekend on 6 and 7 April 2019 where we have two major events planned: a Cocktail Party (Saturday 6) and a School Service and Celebration (7 April). 2009 and 1979 cohorts have already organised their reunions for the weekend, and we encourage all Fellowship members to come back to Frensham to celebrate, reminisce, and see the old and the new in and around Frensham.

Invitations to the Saturday night Cocktail Party will be sent in the New Year, and we hope to see Clubbe Hall at capacity for the special Fellowship Centenary Service and Celebration on the Sunday morning.

Please note for your diary!

KEEPING IN TOUCH Share your news and update your contact details:

By website: electronically by using the Submit News & Updates Form on the Alumni page. You can also upload photos and documents for inclusion in the Frensham Chronicle. Go to: www.frensham.nsw.edu.au/community/alumni/submit-news-updates

By post: Frensham Fellowship, PO Box 34, Mittagong NSW 2575

By email: [email protected]

Please include your name when at Frensham and the year in which you left.

2019 Reunion Dates and Year Reps: 5 Year Reunion 1 & 2 June, Sophie Driver, Frensham 10 Year Reunion 6 & 7 April, Sally Johnson (Newton), Frensham 20 Year Reunion 10 & 11 August, Fiona Rae (Church), Frensham 30 Year Reunion 18 & 19 May, Fleur Vander Straaten (Merrett), Frensham 40 Year Reunion 6 & 7 April, Cath Brennan (Raynolds), Frensham 50 Year Reunion 2 & 3 March, Alison Attard (Wright), Jane Coutts (Betts), Pauline Hunter-Knight (Hunter), Frensham 60 Year Reunion 16 & 17 March, Susie Arnott (Margaret Taylor), Frensham 70 Year Reunion 17 July, Pam Phillips (Abbott), Sydney Lunch

For a full list of events and Reunions, please visit: www.frensham.nsw.edu.au/community/fellowship

Looking back…

2018 has been a year of great achievement with the completion of the Kennedy and Dining Room renovations. The generous support of Foundation from our community has allowed Foundation to contribute to these outcomes.

Looking forward…

Much is planned for the future, and more will be revealed in due course, but the Foundation Board has already been charged with increasing its efforts to raise much needed funds. The modelling presented to the Board at its meeting last Saturday very firmly cemented in the Board’s mind that the next five years need to be focussed on some very serious outcomes.

Everyone can participate in ensuring that we get some very exciting outcomes over the next five years by supporting Foundation and its events in 2019.

Complementing Gib Gate students’ great interest and skills in Robotics, on Saturday 10 November Year 2 participated in the FIRST Lego League Junior Challenge at The Illawarra Grammar School.

FIRST Lego League is a hands-on STEM programme for children aged six to ten and each year an exciting Challenge is presented to ignite the creativity of children. Working in small teams, the children explore a real-world theme using a Lego Education Inspire Model. Using this model as a starting point, they design a new model of their own.

As they work, they learn engineering and programming skills with LEGO Education WeDo and apply these concepts to make their model move. Teams also document their work in an Engineering Notebook and share their journey through a team Show Me poster. Throughout their challenge, teams operate under the FIRST LEGO League Jr. Core Values, celebrating discovery, teamwork, and ‘gracious professionalism’.

The 2018 Challenge was called ‘Mission Moon’ and the Gib Gate students began by learning about the Moon and exploring what kinds of problems they would need to solve in order to live there including: What would they eat and drink? How could they generate energy? What would they breathe and what recreation activities could they take part in? They then designed a solution to one or more of these problems, designing and creating a Moon Base and Show Me poster.

Representatives from each team, then attended the FIRST Lego League Jnr Challenge Expo, sharing their working models, programming and posters with judges and students from other schools. The atmosphere at the event was amazing and the students enjoyed watching the older primary and lower secondary school students compete in the next challenge level, Into Orbit.

FIRST Lego League Team – (L-R) Hannah Chalak, Matilda Spong, Oliver Whitfield, Bon Doyle, Phoebe MacLaughlin, Darcey Burrows, Amelia Hewson; front: Jake Linde and John Shadbolt; pictured with Mrs Kelly Berman.

For more information regarding Gib Gate’s Science and Technology programmes for 2019, incorporating coding and algorithmic and computational thinking, please see the Director of Teaching and Learning, Mrs Kate Chauncy’s, report below.

Ms Sally Robson, Head of Gib Gate

The new Science and Technology Syllabus for 2019 Under the leadership of Mrs Lynn Venish, Gib Gate teachers are, at present, working collaboratively every Tuesday afternoon after school, to familiarise themselves with the new NESA Science & Technology Syllabus which will be implemented K-6 from Term 1 2019. Science and Technology K–6 is an integrated discipline that fosters in students a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them and encourages them to embrace new concepts, the unexpected and to learn through trialling, testing and refining ideas. The syllabus is designed to provide flexibility for teachers to develop their teaching and learning programmes to meet the needs of our Gib Gate students who continue to display highly developed skills and knowledge in this exciting Key Learning Area.

The syllabus now consists of five ‘strands’. In Living World students learn about living things, the needs of living things and where food comes from. In Material World students explore the characteristics and properties of materials and substances. In Physical World students explore forces, energy and how the physical characteristics of objects affect movement. In Earth and Space they learn about the Earth’s place in the universe and about caring for the Earth’s resources. In Digital Technologies they investigate existing technologies and create digital solutions. In this particular strand Gib Gate students have already begun their journey in learning - way ahead of their NSW peers - through their intensive Term 3 programme on coding and algorithmic and computational thinking delivered by pedagogical specialist leaders in this field - ScopeIT Education. In Term 1 2019 we will continue to provide our students with this exciting learning opportunity to develop and apply these 21st century skills.

In addition, our students will develop an understanding of the five strands through two skill processes: Working Scientifically, and Design and Production. This enables them to answer questions and develop creative solutions to problems. The syllabus addresses important contemporary themes and general capabilities as students prepare to live and work successfully in the 21st century. As we teachers prepare new learning journeys for them in the weeks to come, Gib Gate scientists can look forward to an exciting 2019.

Gib Gate teachers Lisa Gemell (Teacher of Japanese K-6) and Katelyn Williamson (Class Teacher Year 6) have represented Gib Gate at two major conferences in recent weeks. Mrs Gemell attended the National Symposium of Japanese Language entitled ‘Bigger, Broader, Better’ on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 November at UTS in Sydney. Keynote speakers and workshops explored tools to promote Japanese language education, ideas to promote diversity and innovation in the types of programmes offered and how to effectively advocate the importance of learning Japanese. Mrs Williamson attended the PETAA (Primary English Teaching Association Australia) ‘Writing the Future: Transforming the Writing Culture in your School’ Conference on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 October at the University of Canberra. Sessions were led by Dr Beverly Derewianka, Dr Misty Adoniou, Professor Robyn Ewing and Dr Helen Harper and the address was given by 2018-2019 Australian Children’s Laureate; Morris Gleitzman. This conference assisted Mrs Williamson to source and implement research-based pedagogical strategies aligning with the Frensham School’s Writing Project commenced in 2018 under the leadership of Dr Ruth Phillips.

Ms Kate Chauncy, Director of Teaching and Learning, P-12 and Coordinator of Gifted and Talented Programmes

Enrichment/Activities IPSHA Speakers’ Challenge Sophie Alexander, Sophie Goodisson, Elizabeth Shadbolt and Maxime Trudeau (Year 5) represented Gib Gate at the IPSHA Speakers’ Challenge at Abbotsleigh Junior School this week. Mrs Venish and Mr Ben Hewitt supported the students in their preparations and all enjoyed the valuable experience.

Senior Musical Production Congratulations to students from Years 3-6 for their outstanding preparation for the performances of Madagascar Jnr last week. Year 6 students have led the production with confidence and enthusiasm, and the performance was enjoyed by all.

Madagascar’s cast dancing to ‘I Like to Move It’

Remembrance Day Year 2 students led the Remembrance Day Assembly on Friday 9 November with poise and confidence. They shared their understanding of this important day with the school, modelling respect and dignity.

FIRST Lego League Junior Challenge This term, Year 2 has been working on the FIRST Lego League Junior Challenge, ‘Mission Moon’, in Science and Technology. Students began an investigation to explore the challenges of living on the Moon. They discovered that they would need air, water, food and power and came up with some clever ideas to sustain human life on the Moon. Students have built motorised Lego models to illustrate their innovative designs and they have developed a digital diary to document their progress. They are in the process of preparing a poster to display their thinking and learning through the design process.

Christmas Concert All students from Kindergarten to Year 6 will perform in the annual Christmas Concert in Clubbe Hall on Tuesday 4 December at 6.00pm. The evening will culminate with community carols accompanied by the 25-piece Gib Gate Orchestra and the moving recessional of Year 6 with their Kindergarten Buddies.

Anglicare Giving Tree Appeal Donations of food or gifts can be made to the annual Gib Gate Giving Tree appeal in which Gib Gate partners with Anglicare to collect items for distribution to families within the local community. The final day for donating gifts and food is Wednesday 5 December.

Mrs Anne Graham, Gib Gate Coordinator (Administration)

Sport Summer team sports in cricket, basketball, water polo and tennis are all well under way with most teams experiencing great success and enjoyment. This summer there are 125 Gib Gate students from Preschool to Year 6 involved in competitions or activities in the above sports. In addition, there are many Gib Gate students involved in gymnastics, swim squads, swim club, little athletics and equestrian.

Swimming The Swimming Development programme for Kindergarten to Year 6 resumes during Thursday Sport time this week and will run every Thursday until the end of term at The Centenary Pool.

Mittagong PCYC For the next four weeks, all PE lessons will take place at the PCYC Centre at Mittagong. Students will be transported there and back by bus for their lessons with Mr Standen. Students will have the opportunity to be participate in a range of new sporting pursuits including archery, trampolining, boot camp and vaulting.

Mr Michael Standen, Co-ordinator of PDHPE and Sport

Preschool (Pre-Kindergarten) Last week, the Gib Gate Preschool students ‘Face Timed’ the preschool students and staff at Werris Creek Preschool. In preparation, our students wrote down some questions to ask the Werris Creek Preschool students. Zachariah wanted to know what their outside area was like, Xavier wondered if they were still in drought after the big storm and Rose was keen to find out what their favorite toys were.

The Werris Creek Preschool children and staff were excited to answer all of our questions and to wave, Hello! They told us that unfortunately the recent storm did not break the drought and they were lucky that nothing in their Preschool was damaged. The Gib Gate students showed our Werris Creek friends around our Preschool using the phone camera.

The Werris Creek children and staff thanked the Gib Gate Preschool students for raising $80 for their Preschool during the Gib Gate ‘Denim Day’ Charity Day for rural communities and families affected by the drought. The Gib Gate staff read out a card we had received from Werris Creek Preschool thanking the Gib Gate children and families for their generosity and thoughtfulness. They said that they would use the money for a ‘treat day’ and have a sausage sizzle and ice block. We will talk to them again after their special day and can’t wait. What a fabulous experience it was for everyone!

The conversation about communities affected by the drought led to a discussion about water and the use and storage of water. We posed the questions: Where does our tap water come from? and How can we collect rainwater? One of our Preschool inventors suggested that we could put a pipe from the roof into a bucket to collect the water. Everyone agreed that we should all try to be more mindful of not wasting water. Students have been studying a local map to look at where our local water supply comes from and exploring the possibilities of ways to collect rainwater.

Mrs Tinna Loker, Preschool Coordinator

FRIENDS OF STURT Denise Sumner (President), Penny Hoskins (Secretary), Ruth Wright (Roster Secretary), Joan Dinning, Bill Dinning, Anne Thomson, Julie Musgrave, Michael Harris, Libby Hobbs, Jill Dyson

Artisans Night Market Our Night Market will be held on Friday 14 December from 3.00pm until 9.00pm. Along with the opening of two new exhibitions, live music, food for sale and complementary Christmas drinks, this has become a great night out for Christmas shopping so make sure the date is in your diary!

Wood School students graduate Another big date in our calendar is the graduation of our current Wood School students.

The 2018 graduation and exhibition opening will take place at 11.00am on Saturday 24 November with special guest and Sturt School for Wood alumnus, Stuart Faulkner from Heartwood Creative.

The volume and quality of the work displayed in this important exhibition, which showcases emerging talent is outstanding. A wide range of industry organisations and businesses now support the end of year exhibition for our students.

Summer School 2019 Sturt Summer School, to be held from 3-7 January 2019, offers 24 one-week courses for adults across all art mediums and abilities. We still have a few places remaining in some of the most popular courses but they won’t be around for long!

We offer accommodation and meal packages and a range of social events that make this programme a memorable experience for everyone - so come to the Southern Highlands this summer and get creative. Book online now at www.sturt.nsw.edu.au

We still have places left in: Drawing Nature with Suzanne Archer Exploring Basketry with Jillian Culey Plein air painting with Evan Salmon Mosaics with Helen Bodycomb Automata basics with David Archer Working with Glazes with Greg Daly Exploring Watercolour with Tanya Baily Wood Project: Wollombi wine table with Simon Zablotsky

Our next exhibition… Sonder – an exhibition of new work by graduating students, Sturt School for Wood 2018 - 24 November to 9 December Sturt’s world-class Wood School, training Australia’s future fine furniture makers and designers, will celebrate the graduation of its 2018 students and the opening of their end-of-year exhibition in Sturt Gallery. The Sturt School for Wood continues to experience high demand, with a full school until 2020.

Full details of all Sturt courses, exhibitions, residency programmes and events can be found on the website www.sturt.nsw.edu.au or to make a booking or enrolment call Sturt Shop on +61 2 4860 2083 or email [email protected]

Mr Mark Viner, Head of Sturt

Deputy Head Jamieson Week The 2018 Jamieson Week timetable will be finalised within the next week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons of Jamieson Week will involve all students in a variety of Year Group activities. As well as community service activities, there are sessions designed to enhance the existing curriculum, prepare students for tasks they will have next year and expose them to relevant issues.

On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings of Jamieson Week, Frensham will host local primary school students and Nursing Homes residents for two matinee performances of the End of Year Production in Clubbe Hall. Thursday will involve all girls visiting a Nursing Home or Retirement Village to sing Christmas Carols. Wednesday will be the Frensham Carols Concert and Friday will centre on the traditional Frensham Christmas Lunch - our first Christmas lunch in the new Dining Room.

All students will be actively involved in Jamieson Week.

In preparation for 2019, girls will be asked to nominate their sporting and extra-curricular involvement for Term 1 before the end of the year. This is designed to assist the students in planning their weekly activity schedule and involvement throughout the year.

Fitness, Health and Wellbeing Year 9 students recently took part in a mental health programme hosted by Batyr. Batyr is an organisation specialising in Mental Health for young people. The programme addressed topics identified by students related to this content area of the PDHPE syllabus.

Mr Geoff Marsh, Deputy Head

Boarding News There was great excitement as the Year 11 students made the transition into their new accommodation in Bryant McCarthy over the weekend, with the Year 10 students from Linden Turner moving to their new house on Saturday morning and Sunday evening.

Bryant McCarthy House details are as follows: Duty room: +61 2 4860 2160 Mr Paul Nash - Head of House Dr Anne Healey Miss Lucy Haydon Ms Sally Arnold (from Linden Turner) Mrs Janet Hart (from Linden Turner) Ms Cathy Syme

Exeats - Full Boarders A reminder that Weekend Exeats for Full Boarders must be submitted by Friday lunchtime. An Exeat Form is required to be completed and emailed to [email protected] A copy of the form is available on Schoolbox, in the Parent Forms section. Your assistance with this is greatly appreciated.

Weekends - Weekly boarders On the occasions when weekly boarders stay in over the weekend, parents are asked to email the arrangements to [email protected]

Correspondence To ensure a prompt reply to all enquiries related to Boarding, we ask that parents communicate with us via one of the following options: Emails: [email protected] Phone: +61 2 4860 2114

Mrs Tanya Vaughan, Director of Boarding; Ms Amanda Graham, Deputy Head of Boarding

Director of Teaching and Learning Professional learning has continued during Term 4, with all teachers P-12 concluding their Teacher Learning Communities (TLC) 2018 programme last week with a final meeting. Teachers shared their learning on ‘Creating and Harnessing Learning Environments’ that inspire purposeful and deep thinking, and considered the eight cultural forces from the research of Ron Ritchhart, Senior Research Associate, Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. Achieving these forces across Frensham Schools has been the focus for the year. Teachers are now reflecting on their classroom practice and formulating their goals for 2019.

Members of the English Faculty who are currently teaching Year 11 students spent time last week with AIS English Consultant, Karen Stapleton, discussing the implementation of the new NESA English Stage 6 course. Scope and sequences and new units of work for both Preliminary and HSC Standard, Advanced, Extension 1 and Extension 2 were discussed and an exciting range of new resources are now available for senior students.

In addition, members of the Languages Faculty worked with AIS Languages consultant, Alison Dean, on the new NESA French 7-10 syllabus which will be implemented in stages during 2019. The workshop provided teachers with the opportunity to work collaboratively to programme the units of work and assessment scope and sequence.

Earlier this term, Miss Victoria Akins represented Frensham at the ‘Disco et Doceo Classical Wisdom K-12 and Beyond’ two- day conference run by the Classical Languages Teachers Association on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 October at the Harbourview Hotel, North Sydney. The Conference included plenary sessions delivered by guest speakers and a rich programme of teacher-led workshops, enabling the School to now provide the most up-to-date teaching research and resources for our students of Latin from Years 8 to 12.

Ms Fiona Shannon (Teacher of Drama), represented the Drama Faculty on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 November at the Viewpoints and Composition Teacher Training workshop held at The Arts Unit in Lewisham, in association with Drama NSW. Using Anne Bogart’s methods, teaching artist, Jena Prince, equipped teachers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to teach this style of movement and acting within their classrooms.

Senior staff from both Gib Gate and Frensham worked in an afternoon session with AIS consultant, Ben Arber, learning how to access and navigate the new data analysis software system, SCOUT. The system was introduced in September 2018 and is the means through which we analyse our Schools’ NAPLAN data from this point forward. SCOUT apps also allow teachers to download and use a variety of teaching resources to support student development across all key areas currently assessed: Reading, Writing, Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar and Numeracy.

Ms Kate Chauncy, Director of Teaching and Learning, P-12 and Coordinator of Gifted & Talented Programmes

Director of Studies Year 7 Reports were emailed last week and Year 8 Reports will follow. It is important to understand that in many instances there can be a significant difference between a student’s examination marks and course marks. In considering how best to represent the examination marks and the comparison between subjects, subject examination marks have been adjusted such that an average is similar for all subjects; where averages were exceptionally high or low these have been scaled as outlined on the student result sheet. Course marks in practical subjects such as PDHPE, Visual Arts, Music and Technology include assessments in which performance or completed products often inform marks. Also, many students are better able to demonstrate their learning with hand-in tasks than when under examination or timed conditions. Assessment is designed to provide a variety of methods to determine understanding and knowledge, and allow students to demonstrate their skills. The assessment programme, conducted over the academic year by each subject area, acknowledges the different ways in which students learn and provides a range of opportunities for them to demonstrate achievement of their learning. Different modes of assessment include work samples, oral tasks, research projects, portfolios and classwork.

Year 10 students have completed examinations and Year 9 students will complete their examinations this week. Examinations are an assessment of knowledge and skills under timed conditions. Students are prepared for this style of assessment in several ways. Girls know what to expect in terms of the format and style of questions, and the content areas being examined. Teachers prepare students for examinations using the following strategies: 1. Guiding the process of analysing questions/content areas (highlighting and breaking down each part of the examination). 2. Notification and focusing on key terms. 3. Using prepared exemplar responses and/or past examination papers/questions to model answers with students. 4. Providing guidance and instruction about the study methods appropriate for their subject. This includes specifying areas of focus for review and study during Prep, and time beyond the classroom.

Annual examinations for Years 7 to 10 are stand-alone tasks and are reported on separately from course work. Examination notifications and timetables are published to students in advance to facilitate prioritising of revision programmes. Examinations are a form of summative assessment and are only one means of measuring a student’s developing competence in achieving course outcomes. It is important to remember that it is the daily classroom teaching and learning activities in which students participate that facilitates achievement - not the testing.

Ms Janene van Gogh, Director of Studies – in Residence

English and Drama Drama A feel-good musical filled with fun and frivolity, Me and My Girl is coming to the Clubbe Hall stage in Jamieson Week. The show was written in the early 1930s and came right out of the spirit and history of Musical Hall, playing on the West End in 1937. It was war time and the theatre where Me and My Girl played was bombed, so the company had to keep moving theatres. Winston Churchill was committed to keeping this happy, frolicking, beautiful musical running to lift the spirits of the people. It has been such a delight to rehearse such a happy musical when there is so much going on in the world. This golden-age musical has lots of great roles, big dancing and singing ensembles, and gives our girls plenty of opportunities to have fun and shine. One of the most enjoyable aspects of staging this show is seeing how the girls have responded to the musical with great adoration and respect.

It is always rewarding to get to this point of the production process and feel pleased with what the cast and crew have achieved in a short time. With only a few weeks to go, it is thrilling to see the magic of theatre come alive, with the final elements of production coming together, from the choreography to the costumes and sets. We have no doubt that when you come to either the public performance on Friday 7 December or the school performance on Saturday 8 December, you won’t be able to stop singing the songs from this heart-warming musical.

Mrs Sally Hannah, Head of Drama

English “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela

‘Representations of personal or collective perspectives manipulate the reader to discover political realities.’ While this statement may appear highly relevant to the journalistic reporting of any of a myriad political realities in our current world, our Year 12 students, in their HSC Advanced English Paper 2, were required to evaluate how the statement applied to Shakespeare’s history play, Henry IV Part 1, and a related text of their own choosing. Having studied themes such as honour, leadership, ambition, power and the legitimacy of rule, Frensham students generally found the question provided them with a good opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of people and politics in the play, and in related texts as varied as Stephen Frear’s film, The Queen, and Orson Scott Card’s futuristic novel, Ender’s Game.

In the same examination paper, students had to discuss the extent to which the statement, ‘Literature cannot be appreciated without empathy and without acknowledging uncomfortable truths’, aligned with their personal view of two of the speeches set for study. The prescribed speeches represented a range of interesting and informed viewpoints from political views such as those expressed in Egyptian President, Anwar Sadat’s 1977 Speech to the Israeli Knesset and Paul Keating’s 1992 Redfern Speech, to the role of stories in developing and sustaining a well-informed literary culture, such as Doris Lessing’s 2007 Nobel Lecture and Geraldine Brooks’ 2011 Boyer Lecture 4. Critical study of language, extensive contextual research, and lively class discussion of the ‘rhetoric’ and ‘substance’ of the seven speeches prescribed for study, had prepared the girls to discuss their views of the statement in the HSC question with confidence and conviction.

Standard English students were similarly required to demonstrate their ability to connect their understanding of the themes of a text with other texts. One of their Paper 2 questions asked them to consider the extent to which the statement, ‘Personal interactions involve as much loss as they do gain,’ applied to the 2008 film, The Black Balloon, and another text of their own choosing. These skills were also tested in the common Advanced/Standard Paper 1, which focused on the Area of Study, Discovery. Using previously unseen texts to justify their views, students were required to write about aspects of discovery relating to photography, imagery and altered perspectives before exploring the idea that discovery is not always finding the new, nor is it always a joy.

Students of Extension 1 English studied texts from the period, Romanticism, including poetry by S T Coleridge, Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, and Mary Wollstonecraft’s 1792 polemic, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Their examination question required them to argue the relevance of the statement, ‘Romanticism constructs a dialogue about renewal’ to at least

four texts from the period. They were also required to demonstrate their understanding of Romantic ways of thinking in an original imaginative composition that explored the relationship between tradition and progress.

These examples of summative HSC assessment of the English Standard, Advanced and Extension 1 courses demonstrate the focus of the current syllabus on the complex meanings of texts, and their connection with the personal, social, historical, cultural and workplace contexts that produce and value them. Of course, the syllabus also includes well-known literary texts such as the work of Australian poet (and Frensham old girl) Rosemary Dobson, and Virginia Woolf’s classic modernist novel, Mrs Dalloway. Deep engagement with such an array of classic and contemporary reading and viewing fosters higher-order social, aesthetic and cultural literacy, while encouraging our students to develop a strong sense of themselves as autonomous, reflective and creative learners. Importantly, they develop their enjoyment of English and an appreciation of its value and role in learning, in a way that promotes self-awareness and broadens their experience of the past and present world, and allows them to deal effectively with change.

Those qualities are promoted even more strongly in the new Stage 6 English syllabus, which will be examined for the first time in 2019. Last week English teachers had a very productive workshop with AIS Consultant, Karen Stapleton, in which programmes taught in Year 11 2018 were evaluated and those planned for Year 12 2019 refined. The new syllabus aims to develop in students an understanding of literary expression and nurture an appreciation of aesthetic values. Current Year 11 students who have completed the Preliminary year of the course have responded very positively to opportunities to experiment with ideas and expression, and the expectation of independence, collaboration and reflection that is fundamental to the course rationale.

Ms Jennie Mickle, Director of English

French Félicitations aux filles de la Terminale de 2018! HSC students from French Continuers and French Extension worked diligently to achieve their best. Given that learning French is a skill acquired for life, the girls are sure to encounter many future opportunities to exercise their skill and benefit from knowledge and understanding gained at school. The students in Year 11 French have some excellent role models to emulate.

French examinations were completed last week for Year 10 and this week for Year 9 students, all of whom prepared with exemplary focus and determination. Years 7 and 8 girls are continuing to study assiduously to realise the learning outcomes established for their respective year group, particularly in their Oral skills, which are to be assessed next week. Their activities are laying the foundations for their future achievements in the study of this beautiful language and fascinating culture.

There is an exciting new initiative underway which is likely both to promote our speciality and encourage students to improve their language practice. So…who wouldn’t want to join Le Club, de Français de Frensham?! It will be available to all French students from Year 7-12 with the first session in less than a weeks’ time, including some fun Christmas-themed activities.

Mlle Victoria Akins, Teacher of French

Latin Years 9 and 10 have now completed their examinations and the Year 10 students who have chosen to continue with Latin in the senior school are experiencing a ‘taste’ of Year 11. During two weeks of Orientation lessons they are continuing to learn grammar constructions while also reading some authentic Latin, such as the poetry of Gaius Valerius Catullus (c. 84-54BC), Rome’s first and most popular love poet, and short extracts from Virgil’s Aeneid.

Year 8 students’ major work this term has been a project creating a Powerpoint of the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Rome. Students were required to choose a theme, such as animals, buildings or brands, and then choose an aspect of the theme to correspond with the god or goddess. For the theme of animals, Jupiter, King of the Gods, could be represented by the lion or the silver-backed gorilla; for buildings, the chosen building for Diana, Goddess of Hunting, could be a hunting lodge in Africa and for brands, Juno, Queen of the Gods, could be represented by Chanel. The students were very creative both in the design of the Powerpoint and their chosen theme and have become very familiar with the symbols and functions of the gods and goddesses.

Miss Victoria Akins, Teacher of Latin

Human Society and Its Environment (HSIE) Orientation for Year 10 students commences this week, with all HSIE subjects studied in the HSC available for students to sample. Orientation lessons provide insight into the content examined in the course and the skills required for success in the

HSC. It is important for students to ask questions of their orientation teacher about the nature of HSIE subjects. If parents or students have any questions about the HSIE subjects on offer in Year 11, please ask the teacher or myself for clarification.

Remembrance Day Frensham’s Remembrance Day Service was held on Friday 9 November. India Shead, Adelaide Darvall, Holly Webster, Francesca Milner and Stella Leon led a beautiful service focused on poems of the First World War. Adelaide performed ‘In Flanders’ Fields,’ evoking the images of the poppies that grew on the graves of the fallen soldiers, while Holly read ‘Dolce et decorum est,’ a poem reflecting on the horror of chemical warfare in the trenches. All five students helped the audience to reflect on the significance of the 100th commemoration of the end of the First World War, where approximately 15 million people lost their lives, with countless more suffering injuries.

In an article in the Sydney Morning Herald over the weekend, the historian of the Australian War Memorial encouraged all Australians to consider the impact of the war on the lives of those who returned from war, especially the soldiers who were physically whole but mentally ravaged. She made the point that noone returned from the war unscathed, with many veterans institutionalised with what we now recognise as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Those soldiers were in the minds of the crowd assembled on Sunday morning at 11.00am during the Mittagong RSL Remembrance Day Service. India Shead and Adele Bouniol-Laffont represented the youth of the Southern Highlands, while Olivia Hamilton and Gabrielle Metua laid a wreath on behalf of the Frensham Schools community. The extracts below are from the stirring speeches of Olivia and Adele:

“100 years ago today, the Allies and Germany signed an armistice, to call a ceasefire in the most disastrous war in human history, the Great War. At 11.00am on the 11th day of the 11th month, the guns on the front lines fell silent. The incomprehensible death and destruction had finished. The war was over. Peace spread across the globe, as soldiers and families rejoiced in the war’s completion, longing for their new freedom and safety. This service was not without sacrifice. Over the four years of the war, there were an estimated 40 million casualties, with estimates of up to 15 million military and civilian people killed. This included approximately 62,000 Australians, almost 2% of the population of our young country. They had been so eager to join, yet so many paid the ultimate sacrifice. Serving across Europe, the Pacific and the Middle East, so many young men lost their lives fighting for something that they believed was worth protecting, their families, their compatriots and their country…

“In an age where new technologies push young people towards social media and materialism and less towards conscious awareness, we need to reflect on why we are gathered here today. Those who fought and those who fell instilled in us the value of altruism and courage in the face of paralysing fear and unimaginable suffering. These people knew that they may not get to see the immediate yield of their sacrifice, yet they carried on despite this, striving for their families and loved ones and the future of their country. All of them as one made an exemplary and intricate mosaic of strength and bravery. We, standing for you as the youth of today, understand and appreciate this valour and heroism and we wish to extract the lessons they taught us of nobility and gallantry and retain these traits as inherent principles of our own generation. In everything we do, and everything we say, we aspire to contemplate and be grateful towards those who served and those who are currently serving, mirroring their most admirable attribute of selflessness.”

Dr Stephen Clarke, Head of HSIE

Jamieson Programme The Jamieson Programme is built on the belief that…’The very experience of being confronted by physical, intellectual and emotional challenges in a stimulating environment is inherently exciting and immensely rewarding.’

Year 7: This term the students are composing Shadow Books for the incoming Year 7 students, as well as continuing their study of Frensham’s history.

Year 9: On Thursday 1 November, it was a great pleasure to have The Hon Katrina Hodgkinson present to Year 9 on her life and career in politics. She took the students through the work of Parliament and educated them on the four separate parliamentary departments. The students were so impressed with Ms Hodgkinson’s account of how she entered politics and the challenges she has faced in her career. Across Australia, women continue to be significantly underrepresented in parliament and executive government, comprising less than one third of all parliamentarians and one fifth of all ministers. The girls were very interested in Ms Hodgkinson’s perspective on gender in politics and the broader context of women in leadership and executive decision- making roles in Australia.

Year 9 students were thrilled to complete their Cambridge IGCSE examination on Global Perspectives last Thursday. The teaching staff congratulate Year 9 students on their fine efforts in both their Individual Research Projects and Group Project.

This Thursday, students will prepare for the ‘Walk in Her Shoes’ activity to raise awareness on how, in developing countries, some women have to walk many hours a day to collect food, water and firewood, often in rugged terrain and under quite dangerous circumstances. The hours spent walking prevents them from spending time going to school or earning an income. The girls and staff will walk approximately eight kilometres around Mount Alexandra and the Mittagong area in Week 7. Upon their return, the girls will reflect on the toll that a walk like that every day, often carrying 10-15 kilograms of water or firewood, would have on their schooling, leisure time and physical wellbeing.

Mrs Merrilee Harris, Head of Jamieson Programme

Mathematics Practice Makes Perfect “Algebra is a way of arranging knowns and unknowns in equations so that the unknowns are made knowable. The three fundamentals involved…are commutation, distribution, and association. Once a student grasps the ideas embodied by these three fundamentals, he is in a position to recognise wherein ‘new’ equations to be solved are not new at all. Whether the student knows the formal names of these operations is less important for transfer than whether they are able to use them.” Jerome Bruner’s The Process of Education, Harvard University Press. 1977

Long-Term Memory Building and Maintaining Grasping the structure of a subject is understanding and holding it in a relevant memory category. This becomes a neural network that can be used for transfer, where it can link with other networks for application beyond the original learning situation. Constructing neural networks is achieved not by rote memorisation, but by mental manipulation where new input and prior knowledge are related meaningfully. Concept knowledge in mathematics is the authentic way of achieving long-term memory and is best achieved by learning how things are related.

Repetitive stimulation of the neuronal circuits holding the information is necessary for the memory to be maintained and even for the neuronal connections to remain in place and not be lost.

Practice really does make permanent – as long as the practice involves active mental manipulation, construction of new ideas, and is truly using the new information in different ways from the way it was originally learned.

To be clear, mental manipulation is not what happens when students passively repeat procedures over and over on worksheets. For example, when students review learned material by solving well-designed word or story problems, they are making judgements about what question is being asked, analysing the data provided to determine what is needed to reach a solution and what is extraneous, and considering the procedures they know to see which might be useful.

Similarly, when learning is reviewed by authentic incorporation in new learning, the storage circuits are reactivated. For example, each time a long division problem is done correctly there is practice of subtraction and multiplication.

The Brain Likes Practice When learning is examined through follow-up lessons using open-ended discussions, students are encouraged to seek multiple approaches to solving problems and to verbalise and communicate with classmates.

This also provides opportunities for more student engagement. When classmates add new approaches to the problem solving, the other students extend their established, stored memory patterns and categories to incorporate the new insights.

These areas are important in memory consolidation and they have a beneficial influence on the dopamine release related to pleasure and enjoyment, influencing memory when these activities are incorporated in the teaching or review.

Through practice, these are the powerful lessons you create to incorporate personal interest, prior knowledge, global real-world connections, surprising discrepant experiences, and the intrinsic reward of meeting challenges the students feel are significant. (excepts from an article written by Judy Willis M.D., M.Ed., radteach.com)

Ms Joanne Allison, Head of Mathematics

Music Last Friday, the School gathered for a Remembrance Day service in Clubbe Hall. While Glenn Strings, Kennedy Strings and Concert Band have, for some years, supported this service, this Remembrance Day seemed particularly powerful. It may have been the words and the way they were delivered by the Year 11 speakers, it may have been Miss Sinden's careful preparation and leadership on the day, it may have been the extra significance of the Centenary of Armistice this year and it most certainly was in the way Annabelle Hickson's Last Post resonated within the hall and in our hearts.

Frensham has never had such a large and diverse combined instrumental ensemble and the musicians always enjoy the power of the sound they make when brass, percussion and organ come together. It was a pleasure, therefore, to announce to the girls last week that Ms Gillick has requested a major work for the Centenary of Fellowship celebrations at the end of Term 1 2019, for which Miss Sinden has already begun arranging the "Finale" from Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony. It will be wonderful to hear and even more exciting for the girls to play.

Mr Michael Spencer, Head of Music

Science Biology – the study of living things – has been a focus for Year 7 Science students in recent weeks. They have used microscopes and secondary sources to gain an understanding of cells as the basic units of living things, performed a Webquest to find out about beneficial and harmful micro-organisms, and participated in a Scavenger hunt to learn about plants. In Week 4, they started a new topic ‘Science of the Athlete’ which looks at body systems and how the interactions between those systems help an athlete prepare for the Olympics.

Right: Olivia Huggins and Millie McMurtrie during the plant scavenger hunt

The Term 4 assessment task for Year 8 involved setting a Sustainable Development Goal and building a model of a house using sustainable principles. Girls worked in groups and individually to complete different aspects of the task. Some of the finished houses are shown below. The latest Year 8 topic is ‘Off the Planet’, in which students look at how humans have entered Space in the past and what it is like to live on the International Space Station.

The new Biology syllabus has an emphasis on the skills of Working Scientifically. Students are encouraged to use models to qualitatively and quantitatively explain and predict cause- effect relationships. Communicating processes with clarity and accuracy is essential.

Year 12 2019 Biologists have been studying Module 7 – Infectious Disease and as part of their assessment task they have created models of the adaptive/acquired immune response, detailing the cellular and chemical components involved when a pathogen invades the human body. They could choose the form of their models and made them from playdough and coloured cardboard and a range of models were also made using digital technologies.

Year 9 students have also been studying Biology in the topic ‘Natural Resources’. They have looked at the Carbon, Water and Nitrogen cycles and how human activities can disrupt these natural cycles. Biotic and abiotic factors in ecosystems have been examined including a fun practical using the Capture-Mark- Recapture technique to estimate the size of a population. The experiment was carried out using pasta as the ‘living organism’ and girls were asked to estimate the size of the pasta population in a beaker. Students then counted the actual number of pasta pieces in the beaker and compared it to their estimate. Discussions on how to make this technique more accurate and how it could be carried out in a real population of animals yielded some interesting ideas. Left: Sarah Glanville, Ruby D’Rozario and Willa Mitchell

Mrs Alison Andrew, Head of Science

PDHPE A revised PDHPE syllabus with implementation for Years 7 and 9 occurs next year. A three-strand model will form the basic structure of this syllabus and includes:

Health, Wellbeing and Relationships focused on developing the knowledge, understanding and skills students need to build respectful relationships, enhance personal strengths and explore personal identity to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves and others.

Healthy, Safe and Active Lifestyles designed to provide opportunities for students to participate in meaningful learning experiences that combine health, safety, wellbeing and physical activity concepts.

Movement Skill and Performance promotes an approach that focuses on active participation in a broad range of movement contexts to develop movement skill and enhance performance.

While many of these content areas are taught at present, a focus in the new syllabus will be on student self-management, interpersonal and movement skills.

Ms Janene van Gogh, Acting Head of PDHPE

Agriculture This week, in preparation for the 2019 Show Cattle season, all the steers will be fat scanned on the rib and rump using an ultrasound. The scanning estimates the subcutaneous fat depth at both sites and is linked to the specifications required for different markets. Scanning early in the season allows the Team to make adjustments to the steer’s feed rations to promote fat development, if required. At the Sydney Royal Easter Show, the steers are weighed and re-scanned and then allocated to a class based on the corresponding market specifications. These classes and market specifications are listed below:

Lightweight class = Domestic market trade 350-400kg live weight P8 (rump) fat = 6-10mm Rib fat = 4-7mm Middleweight class = Heavy Domestic / Supermarket trade 401-500kg live weight P8 fat (rump) = 8-13mm Rib fat = 5-9mm Heavyweight class = Export trade Over 501kg live weight P8 fat = 9-15mm Rib fat = 6-10mm

The students then base each steer’s feed ration on these specifications as well as their current weight and fat scan and set a ‘class’ goal for which to aim. Most of the steers have settled and are responding well to their handlers when being groomed and led. The students have until the end of the term to ensure their steers are ‘show ring ready’ as the Show season starts at the beginning of Term 1 2019. The dates of the cattle shows are:

Berry Show – Saturday 2 February Nowra Show – Saturday 9 February Kangaroo Valley Show – Friday 15 February Robertson Show – Saturday 9 March Moss Vale Show – Saturday 16 March Sydney Royal Easter Show – Friday 12 – Tuesday 23 April (Frensham required Monday 8 – Sunday 14 April TBC)

Don’t forget to thank a farmer on Wednesday 21 November – National Agriculture Day!

Ms Leonie Mutch, Coordinator Livestock Team

Sport Gymnastics On Friday 2 November, a team of nine gymnasts participated in the IGSSA Gymnastics carnival. This carnival is held annually at the State Gymnastics Centre in Rooty Hill, Sydney, a spectacular facility particularly for six of our girls who were competing for the first time.

The team consisted of the following: Year 7: Scarlett Alldis – Level 3 – Vault and Uneven Bars; Alice Mitchell – Level 3 - Uneven Bars and Floor; Lara McConnochie – Level 3 – Uneven Bars, Beam and Floor; Zoe Logan – Level 3 – Beam and Vault; Bella Cay – Level 4 – Uneven Bars and Floor

Year 8: Jemima Graham-Wansey – Level 5 – Floor and Vault

Year 9: Emma Jancewicz – Level 3 – Vault and Beam; Lilith Parker – Level 7 – Floor, Beam, Uneven Bars and Vault

Year 10: Caitlin Hargraves – Level 4 – Vault and Beam

Ms Erin Gray, Acting Head of Sport

Equestrian Recent results Maya Basson (Year 8) placed 4th EvA105 junior eventing at the Albury Wodonga Horse Trials on 27 October. Olivia Salkeld (Year 11) placed 3rd in the 40cm Derby and 4th in the 60cm Derby at Berry Riding Club Derby on 27 October. Ruby Halloran (Year 9) placed 5th in the EvA80 Junior at Berrima Horse Trials on 11 November.

2018 Australian Jumping Championships, 7-11 November , Borneo Park, Victoria Estella Dinnigan-Wilkins (Year 8) placed 4th in the Opal Series final.

Sophie Hatch (Year 10) competed in the 2018 Australian Jumping Championships held at Borneo Park, Victoria from 7-11 November. Over the three days of competition with 66 junior competitors, Sophie won the second qualifier and made the final on both her horses. Only the top 30 riders were taken to the final where Sophie had a clear round and was awarded runner-up Australian Junior Champion on Rosthwaite Belvedere and 12th on Glenara Mudslide. Sophie was part of the NSW team that won the state team event. For more detail, see link https://www.australianjumping.com.au/news/madeline-sinderberry-junior-rider-champion/

Miss Victoria Akins, Equestrian Coordinator

Visual Arts/Design & Technology This week, the School was informed that a total of seven practical projects undertaken in Visual Arts and Design & Technology have been nominated for possible inclusion in HSC Showcase Events in 2019.

In Visual Arts, Bodies of Work by Alice Battcock, Isabella Camilleri, Chloe Hickson and Stella Wilde were nominated for inclusion in ARTEXPRESS, and in Design & Technology, Major Design Projects by Lucy Brigstocke, Zoe Hamilton and Tara Penton were nominated for inclusion in SHAPE.

Students have been notified by email of their nomination and a further selection process for inclusion in exhibitions now takes place. We congratulate the girls on their nominations and wish them well for the next stage of the process.

Mr Phil Alldis, Head of Visual Arts and Design