The Dragon | Edition One| 10 February 2023

THE DRAGON

From the Principal

Welcome Back to school! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, New Year and summer holiday break. I am sure that it was a special time for family and for many a chance to travel and connect with friends and family overseas after the COVID restrictions of the last two years.

We are so excited to see the students back at school and it has been fabulous to see their smiling faces and hear their laughter in and around the city and the School as they reconnect with their friends and teachers for the 2023 academic school year. For those new to the School, a very warm St George’s welcome to you all. It was so lovely to see so many of you at our New Parents Sundowner last night and my hope is that you already feel part of the St George’s School Family and were brave enough to make some new connections and begin the process of making St George’s friendships – just as your children are doing.

2023 has commenced with a flurry of events. Our Year 12s have had their School Ball where an Enchanted Garden theme saw them look sensational and celebrate in style for this incredible

event and Year 12 rite of passage held at The Ambrose Estate. Electrocity Ensemble performed for us at The Actors Hub as part of the Fringe Festival and our wonderfully successful Orientation Day Service saw over 130 new students and their families welcomed to the School at St George’s Cathedral. It has been a positive, upbeat, vibrant and spectacular start to 2023.

This week we celebrated the formal Commissioning Service for our 2023 Captains and Prefects. At this service we also importantly recognised and acknowledged the significant leadership role that the whole Class of 2023 play as the leaders of the School. As the Year 12 cohort, they are critical in shaping the culture, atmosphere, and direction that our School will take this year. I encourage them to reflect carefully on their role as leaders. Their actions, attitudes and decisions will impact the experiences of everyone connected to St George’s. I am extremely confident that the Class of 2023 under the direction of Tom Sweeney and Milla Howard as our School Captains will lead our School with kindness, thoughtfulness, compassion, and great pride. I hope that they will

endeavour to inspire others in their leadership, to lead by example in all that they do and to seek to make a positive difference to the whole School community throughout their final year at St George’s. I am excited about the year ahead working with them and I offer them my full support.

Each year our School theme reflects an aspect of academic and personal excellence for us to concentrate on. It strives to become a compelling focus for the whole School as we begin the year together. This year our theme is ‘Let’s GROW Together’ and it is illustrated on the front page of our School Diaries. The 2023 School theme calls for us to be intentional in pursuing growth in our lives. Growth for us here at St George’s centres around four key themes using G.R.O.W. as an acronym.

G = Grateful, R = Resilient, O = Optimistic, W = Welcoming. Each of these characteristics are important and contribute to our lives in a positive way. G.R.O.W is our unified combined mantra for the 2023 academic school year. We look forward to seeing just where this focus might take us.

In Term One, we will be concentrating on GRATITUDE –what do we have to be grateful for in our lives? Looking around at our beautiful School, seeing the many changes that have occurred

during the summer holidays thanks to our maintenance department, welcoming back both new and returning staff to commence the 2023 academic school year, seeing our largest cohort of new students across Years 7 -12 begin their St George’s journey in their perfectly pressed and extremely smart new uniforms, reconnecting established friendships and having the School come alive with so much fun and laughter there is indeed a great deal to be grateful for here at St George’s Anglican Grammar School. My hope is that as members of the School Community that you too can practice gratitude in your lives this term – what fills your heart with gratitude?

The School Calendar for 2023 is now very much active and alive. All the events are updated regularly and this year we are excited to be able to host our House Parent Sundowners for all families. These will commence with the Gandhi Parent Sundowner on Thursday 23 February. Formal invitations have been sent to all Gandhi Parents today and RSVPS are due by Friday 17 February. Mr Quan and I are looking forward to seeing a sea of red at the Gandhi Parent Sundowner.

I wish you a wonderful year ahead.

Warmest Wishes,

Chaplain’s Corner

I am excited by our 2023 School theme, Let’s GROW Together!

One of the exciting things for me was planting three fruit trees at the backyard of our house—an apple, lemon, and mandarin tree. A horticulturalist at Bunnings kindly gave me some tips about how to get the best from each of these little trees, the kind of manure or fertilizer to use, the length, width, and depth of the garden beds, the amount of watering the trees must get, the chemicals for treatment, and so on. It is not an easy task caring for a tree!

GROW

She warned me that the lemon tree would produce early fruit, but I must immediately remove and discard the fruit and allow the tree to grow bigger and stronger so much that it can handle a more abundant crop as it grows and matures. She told me that if you allow early fruit at its young age, it will think that is the norm and it will always produce just a few fruit each season. How interesting!

In my mind I thought, let young

people be young people—give them space to grow at the right pace. As adults we have the responsibility to support and manage that process a little more carefully. As the School Chaplain I would like to see students grow physically, academically, and spiritually whilst they are here with us —all round growth for all!

Luke 2.52 says about Jesus when he was a boy, “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Metaphorically, the student is our little tree. In class they get fertilized academically by their teachers. In Chapel, I am the gardener giving them their spiritual drink to nurture their soul. At home parents, guardians and carers do the hoeing and weeding by moulding them into the characters they want them to be — you remove the weeds, the bad habits.

This term we will focus on the letter G from the acronym G.R.O.WGratitude. Growth begins with gratitude! I hope, like me, you have plenty to be grateful for in your life …. We are indeed blessed to live in Australia and be here as members of the much loved St George’s Anglican Grammar School Community who have the very special opportunity to be at St George’s Cathedral once a week –what a blessing.

School Photos Day

On Wednesday 1 March, all students will be participating in the first of two school Photo Days in 2023. On this date we will only be taking individual photos. Order forms for purchase will be distributed to families after the second Photo Day in August, once the group photos have been completed. Individual photos will be able to be order at that time.

On 1 March students are required to wear their full summer uniform and their blazer. They are not to wear make-up, long hair needs to be tied back and presentation needs to be as per the school uniform policy (refer to student diary for reference).

A schedule for the day will be published on SEQTA closer to the date.

Curriculum Update

Anthony Bochrinis

OLNA

OLNA is back earlier than ever before in 2023! Under the new system of OLNA, students are able to select from flexible dates to align their OLNA with their assessment schedule. Please see below the six OLNA windows for 2023. Please note that some windows only allow certain year groups to participate:

• Term 1 Window (Y11/12 Only): 27 Feb - 10 Mar

• Term 2A Window (Y10-Y12 Only): 1 May - 12 May

• Term 2B Window (Y10-Y12 Only): 12 Jun - 23 Jun

• Term 3A Window (Y10-Y12 Only): 24 Jul - 4 Aug

• Term 3B Window (Y10-Y12 Only): 4 Sep - 15 Sep

• Term 4 Window (Y9 Only): 23 Oct - 3 Nov

Click here for more information.

Click here to view our information presentation for parents:

Our OLNA Coordinator, Mrs Cristi Jonas, will be working with students to select a suitable OLNA testing date to work around as many assessments in other subjects as possible.

Please do contact her if you have any questions or queries regarding OLNA for your child – cjonas@stgeorges.wa.edu.au

NAPLAN

NAPLAN is also quite different this year! Instead of the usual timeslot of Term 2, NAPLAN has now been moved to Term 1. Please see below for our Term 1 NAPLAN dates:

NAPLAN Writing

NAPLAN Writing Catch-Up

NAPLAN Reading

NAPLAN Language Conventions

NAPLAN Numeracy

NAPLAN Catch-Up

NAPLAN Catch-Up

Wednesday 15 March

Thursday 16 March

Friday 17 March

Monday 20 March

Tuesday 21 March

Wednesday 22 March

Thursday 23 March

Click here for the information brochure for further guidelines regarding NAPLAN participation, purpose and role. This gives you more details regarding NAPLAN and the arrangements in place. If you have any queries regarding NAPLAN please be in touch directly with me as Head of Curriculum abochrinis@stgeorges.wa. edu.au

Year 7 and 12 Parent Teacher Interviews

We have our Parent Teacher Interviews for our youngest and eldest students very soon. These are occurring earlier in the year this year so that we can guide both our Year 7 students and our Year 12 students to success.

On Tuesday 21 February, we will be hosting interviews at the School from 4pm - 8pm.

On Wednesday 1 March, we will be hosting interviews remotely via Microsoft Teams from 4pm - 8pm.

At high school students are warmly encouraged to join their parents for these meetings as it is a way for us to work together as a team academically to support ongoing development and success. Please do encourage your child to join you at Parent Teacher Nights. There is a space in the Library for younger siblings to sit quietly whilst the interviews take place and light refreshments are available throughout the evening. All students attending Parent Teacher Evenings should be in their school uniform. Year 12 students should most definitely attend to hear and action their teacher’s feedback in their learning.

Keep an eye out for an email that will be sent early next week to begin booking in meetings with our teachers!

We are very much looking forward to meeting with you in person, or online, to discuss how we can best support your child to reach their maximum academic potential in each subject throughout the 2023 academic school year.

Term 1 Assessment Schedules

To assist your child in planning for our upcoming Term 1 assessments, please find below our assessment schedules - a handy reference for you to hang up on your fridge!

• Year 7 Assessment Schedule

• Year 8 Assesment Schedule

• Year 9 Assessment Schedule

• Year 10 Assessment Schedule

• Year 11 Assessment Schedule

• Year 12 Assessment Schedule

I have spoken to staff at length regarding keeping to these schedules and so if there are significant changes these should be communicated with you. Again, if you have any queries or concerns, please do be in touch with me directly either via a SEQTA Dirert Message or via email.

Year 11 and 12 Parent Information Evening

Many thanks to all our Year 11 and 12 parents who joined us on our newly refurbished Level 4 last week to meet your child’s teachers and to find out more information about senior school.

If you were unable to attend these sessions, please find below a video recording of our presentation as well as access to the information slides for your reference.

Year 11 and 12 Subject Change Dates

A reminder that if any Year 11/12 ATAR/APEx student is wanting to explore alternative subjects of study, or pathways they must make an appointment with a member of the subject selection team prior to the closing date of course changes which is Friday 3 March.

Students are most welcome to see me in my office on Level 1 or Mrs Tagore on Level 3 to explore alternative options and to ensure that they are both in the right subjects and on the right pathway for their unique and individual success.

Chat GPT (Artificial Intelligence Language Model)

Chat GPT is a new form of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that was launched by Open AI on November 30, 2022. This technology went inconceivably viral, reaching 1 million users in 5 days (by comparison, it took Facebook 10 months and Netflix 41 months to reach this same milestone). Chat GPT is a type of ‘language model’ AI that gives you an original and non-plagiarised written response to any prompt you can imagine.

At St George’s, Chat GPT is protected behind our firewalls due to

Pastoral Focus

Hilton Hardman

Welcome to the start of another exciting school year. The pastoral team are thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of our students’ school journey and are committed to creating a positive and supportive environment for all our students.

Our focus this year is on building strong connections between students and fostering a family atmosphere that promotes growth and development. We believe that by working together, we can ensure that each student has the opportunity to reach their full potential and make this a successful and memorable school year.

The Pastoral team has grown over the holidays, and we are excited to start the year with our three inaugural Heads of Year.

• Head of Year 7 & 8: Ms Sephton

• Head of Year 9 & 10: Miss Wilkinson

• Head of Year 11 & 12: Mrs May They will work closely with your child’s PCG tutor in supporting

the personal information users need to provide upon sign-up, and the unmonitored nature of the conversations that AI is able to have with users. It is also recommend for students aged 18 years and above and so for this reason we have restricted its use within the confines of school.

However, students are most welcome to use Chat GPT at home with parental supervision and we certainly see lots of advantages for using this technology as an aid to one’s learning.

We advise students to use Chat GPT as a ‘study buddy’ when working on their subjects.

Here are some prompt suggestions on how students can use Chat GPT:

• Rewrite a definition or theoretical concept so that a 5-year-old can understand it.

• Write a study outline.

• Create a mnemonic.

• Provide a list of 5 pros and cons.

• Grammar check the following paragraph: insert paragraph.

them through their St George’s journey. We look forward to seeing the benefit of this additional support layer for your child and for yourselves, as you are also warmly encouraged to contact both your child’s PCG Tutor, Head of House or Head of Year.

The year commenced with our Student Leaders and Year 12 Cohort Commissioning service. During this service, I made mention of Nelson Mandela and his leadership style. Mandela’s leadership style is often described as transformational, motivating, and inspiring. He constantly sought to support others to achieve more than they even thought possible for themselves.

The second key point was that Nelson Mandela was a servant leader who put the needs of his followers first creating a supportive environment that allowing those around him to feel supported and to reach their full potential.

Our hope for the 2023 Leadership group is that they will embrace their new responsibilities with courage, integrity, and compassion, just like Nelson Mandela did, and that they will strive to be servant leaders who put the needs of others first.

We look forward to seeing their enthusiasm and commitment shine throughout their final year of schooling here at St George’s Anglican Grammar School.

The Pastoral Team is excited and ready for another busy year and one that continues to have our student’s wellbeing as our central focus.

HEADS OF YEAR REPORTS

Year 7 and 8

It is wonderful to report that the academic year has started off very well for the youngest members of our School community.

Students in Year 7 have demonstrated determination in their start to high school. Learning about timetables, passwords, locks, bus routes, teachers’ names and uniforms have dominated their conversations these first two weeks. It has been pleasing to see so many students asking questions and using their new diaries. We absolutely encourage this.

Our Year 8 students have hit the ground running. They are enjoying their new “home” on Level 3 and are reconnecting with their friends and teachers. While 2022 is a not-too-distant memory, I encourage the Year 8s to not only reflect on what went well last year but also on areas which might need some extra focus or effort. Setting achievable and measurable goals to work towards is a worthwhile activity to habituate at the start of each term.

There is much to look forward to this term for both Year 7 and 8 students, not limited to the big-ticket items such as the Inter-House Swimming Carnival, Year 7 Camp and the Year 8 Social.

I encourage both year groups to harness the positive energy they have generated during these first two weeks and to channel this into the rest of Term One.

I look forward to working with them throughout the year to assist them in reaching their potential.

7 and 8

Year 9 and 10

It brings me great joy to say hello and welcome everyone back to St George’s Anglican Grammar School for the 2023 school year.

Term One, as always, can be a nervous but fun start to the year.

As Head of Year 9 and 10, I will be working closely with students and their families to ensure that our Year 9 and 10 students feel happy and supported throughout their time at school.

This term is a busy one for our students and here are a few key dates to have in the diary.

• Thursday 16th February - Inter-house Swimming Carnival

• Thursday 23rd February – Gandhi Parents Sundowner

• Wednesday 1st March – School photo day

• Friday 10th March – Year 10 and 11 River Cruise

The theme for this year at St George’s is ‘Let’s Grow Together’… it is a theme that will help us to support each other and be happy

together as a School Community.

This leads me to my own focus for the term which I will be discussing with our students, ‘Bright Start’. I want to encourage students in Year 9 and 10 to develop good habits, such as: getting enough sleep, eating healthily, getting to school on time, wearing the correct school uniform and being organised with equipment, just to name a few. Together we will have a ‘Bright Start and Shine’.

Happy Term One!

Year 11 and 12

It is my pleasure to welcome the Year 11s and 12s back for the 2023 school year.

The Senior Students have had a strong start, and I am looking forward to all the exciting opportunities and experiences that this year will bring.

I would like to thank those parents who attended the Senior School Information Evenings held last week. For those who were unable to attend the presentation, and have any questions regarding WACE graduation requirements, APEx and ATAR pathways, or the School’s assessment policy, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Head of Curriculum Mr Anthony Bochrinis, the Careers and APEX Coordinator Mrs Sharan Tagore, or myself for further clarification.

On Friday evening, the Year 12 students celebrated their senior ball with the theme “Enchanted Forest.” The evening was a truly magical evening. I would like to extend my thanks to Mr Quan, the Ball Committee, and all the parents who helped make this special evening possible. It was a terrific night.

On Monday, we gathered as a School community for the Student Guild, Prefect Group, and Year 12 Commissioning Service. The service was a beautiful and meaningful occasion led by Father Gift, where our students were encouraged to be positive role models and leaders in our School community. As the Year 12 students begin their final year of high school, I encourage them to demonstrate leadership in all facets of their daily lives.

I am confident that this year will be filled with ongoing and productive collaboration between our students, families, and School as we work together to support the needs of our students and I am exciting to be in the role as Head of Year 11 and 12 here to support them to find their success.

Let’s make this a great year!

HOUSE REPORTS

Gandhi House

Gandhi House is gearing up for a busy and exciting 2023!

I recently stuck an important quote which I hope will resonate with our “Reds” by Kobe Bryant, “Everything negative –pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise”. After a successful 2022 with a championship win in the House Cup, we are ready to defend our title and continue our reign in the year ahead. We are the house to beat, the pressure is on!

The Gandhi Dance Squad has been working hard to put together an outstanding routine for Sync Swim that is sure to impress! Parents are warmly invited to join us at Claremont Pool for the carnival and festivities.

We have always taken pride in encouraging everyone to get involved and have a go, and this is evident in the diverse range of talents we had on display last year. Whether it’s racing or pulling off your best dance moves in the water, Gandhi House is all about having fun and participating, and we can’t wait to show the other Houses what we’ve got in the upcoming events! “Strength in numbers”, that has always been the Gandhi House mantra, because we all work as a cohesive unit to ensure our victory and success on the day. In Gandhi everyone is welcome and everyone has am important part to play. As Head of Gandhi House it is my role to ensure that this happens.

In Week 4, we have the Gandhi House Sundowner. This is a new event which is for all Gandhi House Parents and will take place on Thursday 23 February. Whether you have been with us for a while, or you are a newcomer to our amazing family, this is an event not to be missed! We look forward to seeing you there – do please join us and come dressed in red to keep the Gandhi spirit strong.

Later in the term we will have the annual Gandhi Charity Day Colour Run. This takes place in the afternoon of the final day of Term One – Friday 6 April. This event brings the School community together for a day of fun and fundraising. Expect to see more information about this in upcoming Dragon articles as we get closer to the date!

A warm welcome to all of our new Gandhi Families and a welcome back to our returning Gandhites!

Lincoln House

It has been an incredibly busy and exciting start to Term One here at St George’s Anglican Grammar School.

Preparations for Sync Swim and the Swimming Carnival are well underway, and we are looking forward to getting back into the pool as a House once again. It was part of the carnival that due to COVID we weren’t able to perform last week.

I would like to welcome our new PCG teachers to Lincoln: Ms McGaw, Mr Janicke, Ms Jonas and Ms Yoxall. I too have a new PCG this year, PCG 8, and I am looking forward to my daily meeting with my Lincoln students. It has been wonderful to have a PCG again this year.

We had a great year in Lincoln last year, really giving Gandhi a run for their money in Term Two, until they broke away after the Athletics Carnival in Term Three. As such our goal for this year is as always to build on the strong sense of House spirit that we cherish in Lincoln House. It is also my desire to increase participation within the House and to this end we have a new Lincoln House noticeboard on Level 2 as well as House Week happening each term where there will be new possibilities for our healthy competitive spirit to come shining through. My challenge to all Lincoln students this year is to participate and sign up for at least one event for the upcoming Swimming Carnival and to ‘have a go’ and ‘get involved’ – the more we take part, the more points we gain and the more fun students will have. I would love to see a Lincoln student in every race if possible – that’s my challenge to all within Lincoln House this year.

Let’s work together to make this another fantastic year in Lincoln House!

Mandela House

My name is Mr Tom Dempers, and it is my great honour and privilege to be the Acting Head of Mandela House for 2023 whilst Ms Jamie Pedler is on maternity leave enjoying her new little baby. Ms Pedler is till with us at the moment and is likely to be leaving on or around March 20th. I know I speak for all within Mandela House that we wish her all the very best with her baby and we hope to see her and the baby dressed in green at future house events supporting Mandela.

This year is shaping out to be an action-packed, eventful year and I am looking forward to what is in store for Mandela House. I have every confidence that together we will be table to take the House Cup away from Gandhi House. Green after all is the powerhouse!

We have some new initiatives this year, so you will be hearing more from me in the coming weeks about what this entails for your child.

When going around to some of the students and staff of Mandela House, asking them what Mandela means to them, these are some of the words they used to describe our House, a crazy family, fiercely competitive, great relationships with everyone, supportive and different.

Mandela is a truly special place, where students are encouraged to thrive and be their best while Growing Together (our House motto).

It is my goal to make your child feel welcomed, to enjoy themselves and to be proud to call Mandela House their home.

I am looking forward to the upcoming Swimming Carnival and warmly welcome you to come dressed in green to support us in our endeavours to start the year off positively and win the swimming and Sync Swim!

Benjamin took park in the 4 x 1500m relay with his swimming club, UWA and came away with a gold medal and national title. What an achievement!

Benjamin Manning Year 9

Benjamin recently competed at the Australian Open Water Championships held in Busselton, which saw the best of the ocean swimming community across Australia come together in a festival environment.

Let’s go Green Machine!

Congratulations from all the St George’s community Benjamin and keep up the amazing work.

Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum (KS: CPC)

These lessons are run throughout the year and focus on educating and empowering our students.

All teachers delivering the program have received explicit training in the use of the Curriculum.

The KS:CPC is a Department for Education and Child Development (DECD) responsibility under the Children’s Protection Act 1993 and the DECD Child Protection in Schools, Early Childhood Education and Care Services policy to ensure that effective abuse prevention programs are implemented and that all children and young people have access to the approved child protection curriculum.

The KS: CPC is an evidence-based, best practice curriculum developed collaboratively with child protection experts, teachers, educational leaders, and other professionals.

The KS: CPC is predicated on two main themes which are presented through topics and activities of increasing complexity.

The two KS: CPC Themes are:

Theme 1: We all have the right to be safe.

Theme 2: We can help ourselves to be safe by talking to people we trust.

The two KS: CPC Themes are explored through four Focus Areas, which are examined in growing complexity linked to the students year groups.

The four KS: CPC Focus Areas are:

Focus Area 1: The right to be safe.

Focus Area 2: Relationships.

Focus Area 3: Recognising and reporting abuse.

Focus Area 4: Protective strategies.

More information can be found on the DECD Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum site: http://tiny.cc/DECD-KSCPC

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding these curriculum topics please be in touch with myself as Head of Pastoral at hhardman@stgeorges.wa.edu.au.

The Changing Landscape of Tertiary Education

Gone are the days of single pathways as a route to university.

All Western Australian universities are introducing university preparation courses, alternative pathways to ATAR and most recently, credit for recognition of prior learning which will help students to reduce their debt before they even take out a loan. Not only does this make their time at school more meaningful, but it can also save them thousands of dollars in the future!

Universities such as Curtin University recognise the value of individual student achievements in shaping knowledge and expertise. This is why they are now encouraging students to apply for Credit for Recognised Learning (CRL). CRL, also known as Advanced Standing, is a way that students’ prior work and learning

experiences can be taken into account to reduce the length of their course and the costs.

When work experience or qualifications match the learning outcomes of a unit within a course a student wants to study, they may be exempt from studying that unit.

CRL may be offered for:

CRL may be offered for:

• Work

• TAFE qualifications

• Completing massive open online courses (MOOCs) or short course qualifications

• University courses already started.

Students can apply for CRL when they apply for a course. To find out more, click here!

As always, I am here to offer my support to both students and families alike. My office on Level 3 is always open for students to drop by for a chat and to catch up. My aim is to support all of our students achieve to their potential and to leave school with lots of choices.

share our joy of reading and learn about unexplored books. It will be a fun and inclusive space and I encourage students to sign up and get involved.

A Happy New Year to all readers and lovers of the Library. 2023 will indeed be a special year as our library grows, evolves and changes again in this its second year of operation as The Laurence Library. We begin the year with a beautiful and functioning library with a lot of wonderful books waiting to be read.

We were gifted with a selection of new books for our senior fiction collection and some interesting non-fiction. Two of the non-fiction I managed to read, although I do not usually read non-fiction; Helen Garner’s “Everywhere I look” and Philippe Sands’“The Ratline”. Two very different, but enjoyable reads, these are now in our Library for all students to enjoy.

This year we hope to initiate a number of new activities through the Library. We will begin a new Lego Club for a small group of Year 7 and 8 students, but there will be other activities related to books and reading.

Our new group of Lego enthusiasts will unbox and begin planning the construction of the Millennium Falcon. Book Club for Years 10 and 11 begins at 3.30pm on Wednesday in the Library. Any student in those years who loves reading is encouraged to join. We can

While many students from Years 7 to 10 have borrowed for their reading in English classes, there are still plenty of exciting books in the library to choose from. Furthermore, we have placed an order for a large selection of young adult novels and classics to enrich our collection. New titles are featured in our Bookflix slides and on the cover of Oliver. All students have access to Oliver from the homepage of SEQTA. Oliver is the library management system. It allows students to check the collection, rate and review the books they read, reserve books, and lots of other useful information.

Together, let us read.

Around the School

Year 12 Ball

The Year 12s have started off their final year of study with a bang and enjoyed their Year 12 Ball at the end of last week. Students and teachers gathered at the Ambrose Estate for a magical evening filled with elegance, laughter, and dance. The theme of the night was an Enchanted Forest and the venue was decorated with enchanting greenery and sparkling lights. There were multiple comments made on the amazing décor for the night – a wonderful testament to the efforts of our splendid Year 12 Ball Committee.

I also want to thank the teachers who attended and helped supervise the event. The Year 12 Ball would not happen without the support of the staff and it was evident from the camaraderie that the students clearly enjoyed having them there to celebrate their special night.

This year’s ball was, once again, a wonderful experience that was filled with memories and laughter; a night that the students will I am sure cherish for years to come.

Thank you again to everyone who contributed to making it possible.

ASC Concert Camp

The students arrived dressed to impress and were greeted by our lovely Principal and our Heads of Pastoral and Curriculum on arrival. Students enjoyed a wonderful buffet meal before heading to the dance floor, grooving to the sounds of the DJ. The room was filled with positive vibes, energy, big smiles and much laughter. Mr Bochrinis even got the Year 12s to experience the delights of Greek Dancing!

A big thank you to Claire Dyball, Ophelia Burchell, Lorena Bongiovanni, Mikayla Sherman, Chloe Smit, Austin Rose, Neve Gulvin and Nicole Ni for their hard work in making the event a success. Every detail was carefully planned and executed to perfection. The Committee’s tireless efforts were evident in every aspect of the evening, making it a night that their fellow students won’t be forgetting any time soon. A thank you to all the Committee’s parents for their help in the setup and clean up of the evening. It was lovely to see you all at 11pm helping us to clear the venue.

The focus of the camp was the opportunity to learn the repertoire for the Concert with an intensive rehearsal schedule. Campers

worked together in ensembles to learn popular pieces from a variety of genres, including West Side Story, Star Wars, Fix You, and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

The goal of the camp was to provide students with a supportive and enriching environment where they could learn and grow as musicians as well as meet their fellow musicians from other ASC schools. It was so rewarding to see the progress they make over the course of the weekend and to see them perform with confidence and passion.

The ASC Combined Schools Concert is in week 9 on Friday 31 March. Tickets will be on sale soon.

Electrocity at Fringe World

Electrocity was thrilled to perform at the 2023 FRINGE WORLD Festival on Monday 6 and Tuesday 7 February. The Fringe Festival is one of the biggest cultural events in Perth, the 3rd largest Fringe Festival in the world, and we were honoured to have Electrocity be a part of it. It is a great opportunity for our students to showcase their musical skills in front of a large audience and get recognition for their hard work and dedication.

‘Time Stops Moving’, ‘Out of My Mind’, ‘Not a Lot of Time’ and ‘Nothing to Lose’. All songs and lyrics were written by Electrocity Ensemble during the writing workshops at the end of Term 4 2022. The audience was impressed by their energy and musical prowess. Principal Mrs Tina Campbell said “They are incredible! What came through was their passion, energy and love of performing together as musicians and that’s what makes this group so very special”.

Wide World of Sports - Phys Ed @ St George’s Students have been diving into the PE Swimming Program this term.

Electrocity, under the guidance of Mr Michael Newton and music technology tutor Brittany Fitzgerald, has been preparing for this performance for months and they most definitely lit up the stage with their electrifying performance.

The band consists of talented musicians: Sadie Tibbits (vocals), Isla Andrews (keyboard/synth/ backing vocals), Zara Jones (Guitar/Bass), Nick Watt (Alto Sax), Tom Sweeney (Soprano Sax, Alto Sax), Jade Fletcher (Clarinet), Harv Miller (Trombone), Sam Fletcher (Electronics) and Xavier Camacho (Drums). The set-list of songs included show-title

Morning swimming training has commenced and takes place every Monday and Wednesday morning. Students meet at Trinity Swimming Pool at 6.20am ready for a 6.30am start.

The Inter-House Swimming

Carnival and Sync Swim is taking place on Thursday 16 February.

We are travelling to a new venue this year, Claremont Aquatics Centre. This facility has diving blocks and a 50m pool so it will bring a new dimension to the carnival. We invite all St George’s families to come along and watch the races and “Sync Swim” which is scheduled to be performed around midday.

ACC Basketball Championship trials took place this week and our teams are being formulated.

The fixtures vary for the different teams, and they are outlined below. Coaches will be in touch with further information. If the teams place first or second in the NWAS round robin, they will progress through to the ACC 16-round knockout competition.

Click here to view NWAS Fixtures 2023

News from Science

Welcome back to 2023!

Our teaching team has expanded, and we warmly welcome Mr Conrad Sloan to the department. Mr Sloan is very excited to be teaching Year 7 and 8 Science and the Year 11 APEx Human Biology course.

This year the Science Department is launching the Year 11 APEx Marine and Maritime studies unit, ably led by Mr Tom Dempers. We look forward to hearing about the student’s growth in understanding WA’s marine world and their progress with learning how to sail on our beautiful Swan River.

The Nobel Pathway rotations and electives are well underway.

Our Year 7s are grappling with some big Mythbusting questions,

Year 8s have been challenged with some engineering problems, Year 9s have been researching WA’s Maritime history and the Year 10s are learning what it takes to be a psychologist! It is wonderful to see our students engage in Science again across many different disciplines and bring their own personal knowledge and interests to our exciting Science classes. Practicals make up an integral part of Science practice. The ability to follow instructions, operate equipment safely and formulate reasoning behind observations helps students engage with some of the more difficult concepts that we teach in class. The Year 12 Human Biology students put their skills to the test, investigating stress while completing a fixed wire course this week. They were very focussed and will use the data collected in a Scientific write up this week.

As we fall into the swing of daily school life, parents and students are reminded to check SEQTA for upcoming assessments, feedback and scheduling of classes and topics.

Homework help is offered to all students if they need some extra support in their Science studies on a Tuesday and a Wednesday afterschool in the Library and we look forward to working with lots of students at these times to help them achieve.

Happy Science!

Exquisite Bodies Exhibition

Year 12 Visual Art ATAR and APEX visited the Art Gallery of Western Australia to see the new exhibition Exquisite Bodies by Contemporary and local Boorloo Artist, Bruno Booth. Booth identifies as a disabled Contemporary Artist, his work challenges societies preconceived ideas and perceptions of both disability and what is ‘normal’.

Exquisite Bodies is an interactive experience of Contemporary Art and encourages members of the public to participate and collaborate with his artistic practice. The exhibition explores openended outcomes through collaboration, accessibility and inclusivity and celebrates the diverse and wide-ranging lived experiences of all people in all types of bodies.

Dance Auditions

It’s that time of the year again!

St George’s would like to present the Co-Curricular Dance program for 2023 – the inaugural Dance Company.

Auditions are just around the corner, and we are excited to see all the talented dancers out there. Please encourage your children to join in if they have a passion for or interest in dance.

With the growing culture of dance within the School community, we are looking for dedicated and passionate dancers to join us for this upcoming year.

Audition Dates:

Term 1, Week 3 2023

Lunchtime (Friday – Drama Room)

All students from Years 7-12 are eligible to audition. The audition process will consist of a warm-up and hip-hop combination. Students will also have the opportunity to showcase any special skills they might have.

The Dance Company is open to all styles of dance.

It was a joyous, refreshing, informative and highly engaging Visual Art experience that has added tremendous value to the Year 12s course, I encourage all students and families to check out the exhibition!

Maths Help

The Maths Department is very excited to be back! Maths Help is running from 3:30pm in the library on the following days.

Tuesdays Miss Hewitt

Wednesdays Miss Hewitt

Thursdays Miss Jonas

Please encourage your child to attend, whether they need Maths Help or just a safe place to complete their Maths homework.

School Production Auditions

“A play for anyone who has never been destined to save the world”

We are thrilled to announce that this year’s secondary school production will be “Puffs: or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic”.

This off-Broadway hit is a comedic retelling of the events in the Harry Potter series, seen from the perspective of the members of the ‘Puffs’, a rival Hogwarts house.

With its witty script and charming characters, ‘Puffs’ promises to be a night of laughter and magic for all.

Auditions for Cast & Crew/Creative Team have been detailed in the audition pack. Students must follow the links to view the pack before expressing their interest in a specific role.

With plenty of opportunities both on stage or back stage please do encourage your child to be involved as being in the School Production is such a special experience and supports new students to find their connections and tribe across multiple year groups.

Audition Dates:

Term 1, Week 3 2023

After school (Wednesday, Thursday & Friday – Call backs only)

Performance Dates:

24 August– 26 August, 2023 (4 shows over one weekend)

We are so excited to begin the audition process, start rehearsals and bring the wizarding world to life on stage!

Cast Auditions:

Wednesday 15 February

Thursday 16 February

Friday 17 February (Call backs)

Creative Team & Stage Crew Applications: Due Friday 17 February

Student Hosting Opportunity

The Anglican Schools Commission International are seeking caring families to host, regional, interstate, and international students. We invite you to be a part of the ASCI homestay community where you will be supporting education, whilst developing strong foundations for cultural understanding.