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Edition Five 2018
6 April 2018
For a number of you, next week marks the end of your first term at St George's - I hope you are comfortable and happy with what is happening in your child's school life. I encourage you to check SEQTA, to read the newsletters, to join the Facebook page, to check out the website....anything that can provide the best link to the School and the information that you need.

Thank you for your overwhelmingly positive responses to our attempts to separate the students from their devices for an hour a day. A few grumblings but they're fading.....and we have 
students sitting around chatting, playing table tennis, going for a supervised walk, playing board games - generally enjoying social interactions with their peers. And the students who have work to do, are using the library as their quiet workspace and doing the right thing re devices. 

An interesting element of being in the city, is that our students sometimes get confronted with some challenging things - homelessness, poverty, mental health issues, anti-social behaviours. We talk to the students about these things, and indeed, in terms of our social outreach, support the Cathedral by providing food packages for those in need. But we need you to talk to your children from a family point of view, particularly in terms of safety in the city. We tell the students to always walk in groups, to be considerate and polite, and not to confront anyone or do anything that could escalate poor behaviour. And to respect the rights and privacy of others by not filming or transmitting footage of people in unfortunate circumstances. These are rare occurrences but we want our students to be resilient and respectful, with the ability to deal with all sorts of scenarios. I am quite sure you want the same.
 
Term 2 is my final term as Interim Principal, with Mr Gary Racey starting his Principalship at St George's as of July. Exciting times ahead! Enjoy the holidays with your children and go well.
Music and School Work
A major change that I have experienced in teaching in recent years is the access that students have to music. When I was in Year 12, the Walkman was a new, bulky invention to listen to music on the go. They were relatively expensive and very few people had them. I saw the introduction of 
the discman, had one of the original ipods and now subscribe to Spotify so that I can always have access to the new music and old favourites. 

Today’s students take for granted that they can listen to music at any time with their earbuds and mobile phones. Students like to listen to music while they do their school work and many insist it makes them work better. I have recently read an article that disputes this claim. Researchers from Cardiff Metropolitan University completed a study to see if students did, in fact, work better whilst listening to music. Their results found that students who revised in a quiet environment did 60% better in an exam than students who listened to music with lyrics. More about this research can be read here https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2018/mar/14/sound-how-listening-music-hinders-learning-lessons-research

For many, turning the music off is hard. A good compromise is as follows. If the work is not very difficult, and fairly routine, then you can have whatever music you like on. It will make you feel relaxed, it will make you feel like the time is going faster and help you stick to completing the work you need to do. But if the work requires higher order thinking skills, i.e. studying for a test, trying to understand something difficult, doing an essay plan, trying to learn or remember anything – then switch the music off. Otherwise,
it will end up taking you much longer to complete the task and to retain what you are learning (even though you are convinced it is not affecting you!). Just get in the habit of stopping and asking yourself each time before you start work whether it is the type of work that requires you to really focus and concentrate and if it is – switch the music off for a while. The same approach goes for doing work in front of the TV.

Parent Teacher Interview Reminders
Parent Teacher interviews will be held on Thursday 12 April from 
1:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Students will finish classes at 1:10 pm on this day. A separate email with booking information has been sent to parents.

NAPLAN reminder
Students in Year 7 and 9 will be sitting the NAPLAN tests during Week 3 of Term 2. The dates and details for the tests are as follows:
 
NAPLAN 2018 paper test timetable
  Tuesday 
15 May
Wednesday
16 May
Thursday
17 May
Friday
18 May
Year 7 Language conventions
45 minutes


Writing
40 minutes
Reading
65 minutes
Numeracy
60 minutes
Part A:
Calculator allowed
50 minutes
Part B:
Non-calculator
10 minutes
Catch Up
Year 9 Language conventions
45 minutes


Writing
40 minutes
Reading
65 minutes
Numeracy
60 minutes
Part A:
Calculator allowed
50 minutes
Part B:
Non-calculator
10 minutes

 
Lunch Time Activities

With the 
focus off digital technology at break times, the school feels like it has come alive. At lunch times especially, there is a great deal of positive chatter and noisy interaction. On level 3 table tennis has become very popular, with incredibly energetic play and a vocally active audience. The plan is for this floor to become the more active floor during break times, while Level 2 will be a little quieter.

Some very useful feedback from students has lead us to thinking of starting
 up various clubs and co-curricular style activities at lunchtimes; this will be discussed at an upcoming staff meeting to get some plans in place and we will feed back to the school community soon. Another suggestion was that we start a student representative committee across all year groups to plan lunchtime activities, and to that end, I invite any students with ideas or a desire to be part of such a group, to come and see me in Week 11 or early next term.

I will start the proverbial ball rolling in Term 2 with a Slam Poetry Competition, open to all and any students and staff who may want to try their luck. If you are unsure of what slam poetry is, it’s a 
free-form
style of poetry where the poems are performed; no props, no music. It’s a bit like a rap I guess, without the music. Have a look at this great example by the 12-year-old winner of the 2017 Australian Poetry Slam Competition. Look out in the daily notices for details early next term.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/video/2017/oct/17/solli-raphael-12-becomes-youngest-winner-of-australian-poetry-slam-video
 
Winter Uniform
As we draw to the end of Term 1, please remember that we start back next term in full winter uniform. As such, now is the time to try on your blazers to make sure they fit and for the girls to check their winter skirts to make sure the length is appropriate; hems must touch the top of the knee. Ties are the other item that often gets forgotten. Please remember that ties are compulsory for both boys and girls with the winter uniform. We look forward to seeing all of our students return, refreshed and looking their best on Wednesday 2 May.

 
St George's will be switching online canteen providers from QuikCliq to Flexischools. The new system will assist with streamlining our processes allowing a more user-friendly option for both parents/students and the School. 

If you have money stored in QuickCliq, your child can either spend this next week or contact QuickCliq for a refund. QuickCliq can be contacted via email info@quickcliq.com.au or phone - 1300 116 637. Please have your bank account details handy so they can arrange the transfer. It is anticipated the new system will be up and running from the beginning of Term 2.

For details on how to set up an account, please visit www.flexischools.com.au  
Japanese Exchange Visit 

A small but enthusiastic group of Japanese students joined us from Tomeikan Junior High School in Kyushu, Japan. Five of the six students were kindly hosted by St George’s families, who treated the students to 10 days of their way of life in Australia. The exchange students wrote lovely thank you letters to their families, as well as giving thank you speeches in English at the farewell party.

Whilst at St George’s, the Japanese students participated in regular classes with their local “buddy”, as well as special drama, art, music, PE, science and singing classes. They also worked with students studying Japanese to help them learn their hiragana characters and practise speaking the language. The exchange students loved seeing how classes run in Australia (very differently to Japan!) and were impressed with the enthusiasm and Japanese speaking ability of our students, particularly the Year 11 and Year 12 students.
 

A huge thank you to the host families who opened their home to a stranger and provided their own child/ren with a life-changing opportunity. Without your support, we are unable to welcome so many exchange groups into the school and continue to develop the Japanese program at St George’s Anglican Grammar School.
From the Music Coordinator - Mr Michael Newton

On Thursday 22 March the (Not) on the Roof Music Concert took place in Lower Burt Hall at St George’s Cathedral. The Concert was a wonderful night full of excellent performances and enjoyable moments. We had great solos, duos and band performances. If you didn’t get your tickets or sign up to perform for this one, there will be another concert in Term 4. Click here to view a short video of some of the performances. 

Muso Profile - Winnie Zheng
What instrument(s) do you play?
I play piano and guitar and I sing. 

What first got you interested in Music? 
When I was really young, my mum 
let me learn piano when I was in kindergarten. I really enjoyed piano during this time but then I moved to Shanghai and my mother couldn’t afford lessons so I stopped for a while. I started learning guitar when I was in Year 6, but stopped in Year 7 because there was too much homework. When I joined St George's, I started taking lessons again for piano.

What's the best thing about Music at St George’s?
There are lots of activities such as On the Roof, (Not) On The Roof, Musical Festival, and co-curricular subjects like Years 7, 8, 9 & 10 Rock Bands. There are many teachers who are very good at music such as Mr Newton, Mr Davy and Mr Ramirez. Lots of people are doing music in this school as well.

Why should other people do music? 
When you get old and have nothing to do, you can play music. Music is really good for your brain. It is (also) a way of expressing yourself. Music is like a language that lots of people use.

What's your advice for anyone learning Music? 
It’s better to do a little bit 
everyday rather than a lot on one day. I encourage you do to music with friends instead of by yourself. Also, ask Ronan to be your tutor. Choose to play music you like.

Ronan Dixon
2018 Music Captain


Coming Up & Opportunities
20 June - ASC Piano Competition 
26-27 June - St George's Music Festival 
28 June - Festival Concert 
July 2018 - Music Tour to Germany

 
New Childcare Centre opening in the City! Click here to view the flyer.

The Ronald McDonald House ‘Mission ImPerthable’ is on Sunday 8 April at 11:00 am.

Teams will have four hours to solve up to 40 clues across a number of top-secret locations on our doorstep, Perth City. Suitable for all ages and all fitness levels There are lots of prizes up for grabs.

This event raises money for Ronald McDonald House.

Registrations can be made at https://www.missionimperthable.com.au/

Master Mind Revision Program

Middle School revision and skills development program
  • For students in Years 7 to 9
  • Study Skills (5 hours of teaching)
  • Subject Revision (10 hours of teaching)
  • Naplan Preparation
  • Extension classes in Mathematics and English (10 hours of teaching)
  • First and Second Week of the April Holidays
  • Two Campuses
    • Christ Church Grammar School (Claremont); and
    • Hale School (Wembley Downs)
ATAR revision and exam preparation program
  • For students in Years 10, 11 and 12.
  • Study Skills (5 hours of teaching)
  • Essay Writing (5 hours of teaching)
  • Subject Revision (10 hours of teaching)
  • Exam Preparation and Focus
  • First and Second Week of the April Holidays
  • Two Campuses 
    • Christ Church Grammar School (Claremont); and 
    • Hale School (Wembley Downs)
Please click the below links to download the brochures.
2018 Middle School 
2018 Middle School V2
2018 Senior School 
2018 Senior School V2

Calendar
Please check the School calendar on the website for up-to-date event details. The calendar can be accessed here.

 
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