Mackellar Girls Campus Newsletter 7 JUNE 2019 Term 2, Week 6

Meeting the educational needs of girls

P&C Meeting Wednesday 4 SEPTEMBER 2019

Director General’s Award for Turning Potential into Performance Director General’s Award for Excellence in Girls Education

Director General’s Award for Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education Director General’s Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Programs

Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Pacific Islander Programs

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Dear Parents, Staff and Students Warringah Australia Remembers Trust On Friday 31 May 2019 the Warringah Australia Remembers Trust conducted its annual Commemorative Service at North Head to mark the night World War ll came to Sydney as Japanese submarines entered Sydney Harbour. The Hon. Tony Abbott, MP and his office organise the event. Our Year 11 Hospitality students, with Ms Mills and Ms Goykovic , contributed enormously to the event in catering for and serving morning tea to the 500 guests, despite the cold wind and chilliness. I have had numerous reports about how excellently our girls presented themselves, bringing great credit to the school. Our girls were well-mannered, respectful of the occasion, positive, highly competent and utterly delightful. They should feel very proud of themselves. National Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 Jun Each year National Reconciliation Week celebrates the rich culture and history of indigenous Australians. It is the ideal time for everyone to join the reconciliation conversation and to think about how we can help turn around the disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The theme for Reconciliation Week is Grounded in Truth: Walk Together with Courage. Trust and truth are the basis for all strong, equitable relationships. Reconciliation is ultimately about relationships, and like all effective relationships, the one between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians must be grounded in truth. There can be no trust without an honest, open conversation about our history. It is also a time to reflect on the apology to the Stolen Generations by the Australian Parliament on 13 February 2008, a powerful and memorable moment in the nation’s history. Saying sorry inspired Australians to believe we really can build the kind of respectful relationships needed for positive, long term outcomes. School Contributions for Years 7 – 12 Parents, earlier this term, received invoices for any payments due. These indicate the payments that are applicable to all students, as well as the costs involved in studying elective subjects in Years 9 -12. We really appreciate that so many parents have already made their payments. It allows us to purchase teaching and learning resources for use for the whole year. Parents, please realise that the only thing we do with your financial contribution to your children’s learning is spend it on their learning. The preferred payment method is POP, which can be accessed via our school website. School Uniform As our students are the face of the school to the community, it is extremely important that they wear the correct school uniform, and indicate that they are proud of the school and its image. As the weather chills some students are adding items of clothing that are not part of the uniform. The school jumper, vest, blazer, scarves and tights, along with warm undergarments, are the best and warmest alternatives to keep warm. Jewellery, bright hair adornments, brightly coloured hair, makeup, coloured scarves and black socks are not uniform and must not be worn. The zip-up jacket is part of the tracksuit, and may only be worn with the PE uniform. A tracksuit top is not part of our daily uniform. Skirts are to be worn just on the knee in length –

EMAILING THE SCHOOL - Please use ONLY the nbscmgirls-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au email address for correspondence. DEDICATED SMS NUMBER—Please text 0427 459 133 before 9am to advise late or absent students

Freshwater Community Bank is the proud Community Sponsor

of Mackellar Girls Campus Manly Vale

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skirts that are shorter are not our uniform. Parents, please ensure that your daughters leave the house each morning in the correct attire and are not wearing makeup. If there is a valid reason why your child will be out of uniform on a particular day, they are required to come to school with an explanatory note from you. The new Department of Education Uniform Policy incorporates a three year lead-in time for changes to a school’s uniform. We are progressing through the necessary processes, sampling and research by the Uniform Committee to determine the shorts and pants that will become optional parts of our uniform from 2020. Uniform items need to be the uniform for decades; it is not a slap dash, make constant changes, follow fashion process, and hence to get the best product requires a thorough process. Tax deductible donation As the end of the financial year approaches, you might like to consider that this is the perfect time to make a tax deductible donation to our School Library Fund. In many ways, the library is the learning hub of the school, and further improvements to it will enliven your daughter’s love of learning. Student Responsibility Please make your daughter responsible for her own belongings and commitments, including bringing her lunch and homework. This year there has been a notable increase in parents dropping off items to the school office for their daughter to pick up, and this is to stop. Our girls need to take responsibility for themselves and the office staff cannot be constantly interrupted dealing with forgotten items or interrupt classes. Fundraising Our students, often led by the Prefects, do enormous amounts of fundraising for charity organisations throughout the year. One of the values we treasure at Mackellar is that of appreciating what you have, giving back and giving to the community in a selfless manner. There is also regular fundraising carried out by students because they have been selected for School state or national sports teams, where large expenses have to be met to compete overseas. However, the school cannot manage any further fundraising for individuals. We cannot accommodate families, parents or students wanting to fundraise at school for any out-of-school endeavour or to lessen the financial commitment of parents for their daughter’s co-curricula activities. Congratulations for high achievement to: Sarah (Y11) for her selection in the NSW CHS Water Polo team to tour USA and Canada Jade (Y11), Petra Janda (Y9), for their selection in the NSW Gymnastics team The Choir for their 3rd in the Sydney Eisteddfod Open Age Show Choir Ella (Y10) for her being a member of the winning Regional Basketball team at NSWCHS and being

awarded Most Valuable Player of the tournament Chantal (Y8) for her selection in the State Wind Band Matilda , Zoe , Urja (Y9), Elana , Izabella (Y8), Eva , Frances (Y7) for their selection for the NSW

Public Schools State Senior Music Camp and Gemma (Y8), Evelyn and Alana (Y7) for the Junior Camp Amara (Y7) for her selection for Australian Dance Competitions in Las Vegas Sarah (Y8) for her 1st place in a local Street Art Competition

Christine Del Gallo, Principal 

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W@M Report

This term the Prefects organised the Year 12 skit for the Athletics Carnival, which was our last carnival ever. We all wore fluro and fancy clothes and danced down the 100m strip to “land down under”. It was great fun although sadly it was our last. On the 31st of May, the Prefects ran the Year 12 sleepover. The girls in our year assembled in the hall at 5:30pm and participated in numerous fun-filled games and activities. Some of the activities included Just Dance, Master, slider hockey, murder wink, and trivia. To conclude the night, we watched two movies: Bohemian Rhapsody, which the year group all sang along to and St Trinians. This initiative was not only great fun but enabled us to raise money for our chosen charity, the Manly Women’s Shelter, to help provide them with some much-needed necessities. The Prefects also volunteered at the Days for Girls workshop on the 1st of June, in which we helped to make reusable sanitary pads and kits that will be sent to girls in developing countries. These reusable sanitary kits will allow young girls to attend school while they have their period and also educates them about menstrual health. The two Captains this term, Elise and Sarah attended the Secondary Schools Leadership Program at the Parliament of NSW. This day gave them the opportunity to develop their knowledge of the government system and parliament proceedings, and the opportunity to meet the Governor, Justice Margaret Beazley and gain a better understanding of her role. Being a part of this team of wonderful girls has been an amazing experience and we wish all the best of luck to the new elected prefects and hope they have the most enjoyable and rewarding time as Prefects, just as we all did. The Prefects

LIBRARY UPDATE -

As the middle of the term comes around, the Library is as busy as ever! This is the time we get many classes coming in to not only make use of the resources but also our Librarians for help with assessments. Most recently, it has been the Year 10 Elective History classes having research lessons with Mrs Reed for their Historical Investigations. Within these Library classes we were happy to introduce the students to our two newest digital resource subscription services – JSTOR and Britannica School. JSTOR is an online database that offers access to a wide variety of academic journals, theses, books, primary sources and thematic collections. JSTOR is often a part of university database collections so it is very exciting to be able to offer it to Mackellar Students. Britannica School is part of the well-known Encyclopaedia Britannica company and is another great addition to our resources. It provides access to a range of multi-media content that aligns to the state curriculum. An important part of each year is National Reconciliation Week. Reconciliation Australia (2019) describes that “reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” This year’s theme is ‘Grounded in Truth’ which calls to focus the need for truth-telling about Australia’s past to move towards a unified future. On display and ready for borrowing are a range of resources from our Indigenous Collection. Ms Reed and Ms Langford

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PDHPE & SPORT Premier Sporting Challenge On Monday 20th May, 9 students from Years 9 and 10 participated in the Premier Sporting Challenge's 'Learning 2 Lead' day held at Mike Pawley Oval, Freshwater. The girls were given the opportunity to put the coaching skills they had gained from the PSC's leadership program to good use in a fun filled day with over 200 primary school students. Over three sessions, the younger students were led by our Mackellar and other NBSC coaches in sports such as soccer, touch football, rugby league, ultimate frisbee, golf, softball and cricket. All students involved enjoyed the experience thoroughly, many leaving with new sporting and coaching aspirations. The participating students from Mackellar included Rosie Brennan, Anna Butler, Sienna James, Kristina Spano, Olivia Bakewell, Hannah Kelsey, Tayla McMahon, Amy Patrick and Mali Spijker. Marcus Beeby School Athletics Carnival Congratulations to all athletes who competed at the School Athletics Carnival at Narrabeen Athletics Track. It was a fantastic day with some incredible results - 12 records were broken! Our Age Champions for this year are: 12 years – Madison 13 years – Chloe 14 years – Sophie 15 years – Charlee 16 years – Madeleine 17 years – Piper

The winning house yet again was Beabau – 3 carnivals, 3 wins! The Zone Carnival will be held at Narrabeen on Friday 7 June with over 70 Mackellar student attending.

Zone Cross Country Congratulations to all of the girls who competed at the Zone Cross Country on Monday 27 May. We had some amazing results with plenty of students making it through to the Regional carnival. We also want to give a huge congratulations to the Age Champions, who came first in their age group on the day: 12 years – Brooke 13 years – Anneke 14 years – Mercy 16 years – Tia 17 years – Piper The Open Knockout Soccer Team: Played Gosford HS and won convincingly 6-0, which now puts the team into the NSW CHS Final 16 Series. Volleyball: Stefanie and Jesse who have been selected for the Australian Volleyball Development Program. This is an amazing achievement girls, well done! Wheelchair Basketball Our Year 10 PASS and PD classes spent the day experiencing the challenges of athletes who play basketball in wheelchairs. The PASS students played games and learned the skills and strategies that are part of their study in Sport for Specific Groups. The PD classes listened to a talk which outlined the issues of risk-taking, challenges of change and appreciation for diversity. Burn2Learn Our year 11 students are really enjoying the pilot program of incorporating exercise into study/class time. The teachers have found that by taking an “exercise break” in their longer lessons, there is a positive impact on students engagement when they return. The study is run by Newcastle University and will continue during term 3. Thanks to our PDHPE and Ancient History staff and students for taking part in such an innovative program. Health4 Life Another pilot program will commence in term 3 called “Health4Life” which will be conducted in Year 7 PD Health classes. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of a new digital intervention, known as Health4Life, in preventing and reducing the Big 6 risk factors for chronic disease among secondary school students. Physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, risky alcohol use, smoking, sedentary recreational screen time and poor sleep are the “Big 6” risk factors associated with chronic disease. Rhonda Williams Head Teacher PDHPE / SPORT

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MUSIC NEWS - BIG BAND BLAST The students in the Big Band along with Mrs Patterson and many parents had an awesome weekend at Big Band Blast in Port Macquarie last weekend. There was exciting concerts, extremely informative workshops and our own gig in a Festival/Conference setting. Jazz musicians came from Primary and High Schools across Australia, tertiary ensembles and professional musicians from Australia and America. For the rest of this term the Concert and Performance bands are busy preparing for the NBIF and NSW band festivals. Please see information in table below as to the confirmed dates and times. Gigs - Please mark Calendars – PLEASE NOTE NEW DETAILS AND TIMES

Vanessa Patterson, Band Director On Sunday the 26th of June the Vocal Ensemble and Mackellar Singers competed in the Sydney Eisteddfod at the concourse theatre in Chatswood. This was the girls first ever eisteddfod and they performed beautifully. The Vocal Ensemble especially were thrilled to be awarded Third Place in the Show Choir all ages event. It was a wonderful and valuable experience to represent Mackellar. Any students wishing to be part of the Vocal Ensemble are welcome to join us from the start of Semester Two. It is open to any students who have a passion for singing. Rehearsals are Friday mornings at 7.45am in the School Hall. Miss Hawes

Wednesday 12th June

Principals Confer-ence Manly Pacific

Hotel 1st Floor

Big Band 6pm – 7:30pm Arrival 5:20pm

Friday 14th June (Concert Band)

Northern Beaches Instrumental Festi-val Pittwater High

school

Concert Band Session Starts at 5pm -6:40pm arrival

4:30pm

Monday 17th June Music Night Term 2 All ensembles 6:30pm Arrival for 7pm start. Finish

8:45pm Sunday 23rd June

(Performance Band) Northern Beaches

Instrumental Festi-val Pittwater High

School GALA CONCERT by

Special invite

Performance Band Session Starts at 7pm -8:40 arrival 6:30pm

July 1st Week 10 Term 2

Senior State Music Camp The Arts Unit

Selected students – apply on line at the

Arts Unit

Week-long event

Term 3 Week 1 Junior State Music Camp The Arts Unit

Selected students – apply on line at the

Arts Unit

Week-long event

Sunday 28th July NSW Band Festival Conservatorium of

Music

Performance and Concert Band

Concert Band 11:15am Start arrival prior.

Performance Band 1:10pm start Arrival

prior.

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UNIFORM SHOP NEWS - Dear Volunteers, Please see below the days/times we require help in your school uniform shop: WEDNESDAY 12TH JUNE 12-2PM MONDAY 24TH JUNE 1-2.15PM WE HAVE 1/2 FINGER NAVY GLOVES $6 & SCHOOL SCARF IN NAVY, RED OR CREAM $8 IN STOCK (other scarfs not to be worn). Please see school website for shop opening days & times. Please be reminded there are always ordering forms on the outside of uniform shop door so your daughter can bring form home, fill out and pop through shop letterbox. We will then pack order and have your daughter called at lunchtime to collect goods.:) JUST WANT TO SAY A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO MY VOLUNTEERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF YOU THAT COME IN WEEKLY, YOU ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED & SHOP COULD NOT RUN SO SMOOTHLY WITHOUT YOU. ALL PROCEEDS RAISED IN OUR SCHOOL UNIFORM SHOP GO DIRECTLY BACK INTO YOUR DAUGHTERS EDUCATION. Thank you, Leigh McPherson Uniform Shop Coordinator Email: uniformshop@mackellarpandc.com

CANTEEN NEWS

Hi Parents Coles is offering points for containers at the moment. If the parent community would like to donate their points and donate some containers, we would be very grateful! The Canteen accepts cash only and if your daughter wishes to place an order this can be done before the morning bell and at recess. The lunch bags are under the menu board with instructions on how to place an order. We are very happy with the new parents who have signed up to the sign up genius platform recently and look forward to meeting them. We are always looking for more support! Please follow the link and sign up to the Sign Up Genius link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c4aa4a62ea3fb6-canteen Cheers The Canteen Crew

P&C NEWS - This week Professor Jennie Hudson of Macquarie University presented a talk about identifying anxiety in adolescent girls and offered practical strategies for dealing with it. The talk was extremely informative and well received by the audience. We sincerely thank Jennie for her insight and time. The P&C meeting which was held immediately following was well attended. Please save the date Friday 2nd of August for the Mackellar Comedy night. More details about the comedians will be provided soon. The try-booking link to purchase tickets for the evening is comedyforacause.net/MACKELLAR For all P&C enquiries, please contact Sally Gee pandcmackellar@yahoo.com.au Cristina Anderson, P&C Regional Representative

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