Congratulations, thank you and farewell to Mr Bernie Lowes

Whilst our College is only 15 years old as Saint Ignatius College Geelong, our story is a relatively recent chapter in the long history of Geelong Catholic education.

We acknowledge with gratitude the contribution of staff, parents, students and parishes of the various school communities that preceded our College.

Staff member Mr Bernie Lowes retired last Thursday after 43 years of dedicated service to Geelong Catholic secondary education. Bernie was our longest-serving staff member who had an unbroken connection to our College and the schools from which Saint Ignatius College was formed. He has significantly contributed to the development of our College during his years of service.

The Lowes family had considerable involvement in Geelong’s St Mary’s Technical School, where Bernie went to school and later commenced as a Woodwork Teacher. During his early career, Bernie undertook further studies in ICT. With the development of and the increasing reliance on ICT over the years, Bernie helped lead the inclusion of ICT courses into the schools’ teaching and learning programs, as well as the development of the ICT infrastructure needed for these programs and the schools' administration systems at St Mary’s, Catholic Regional College and now Saint Ignatius College.

At our College, Bernie has held the Director of Infrastructure and Operations position and was a member of the College’s Leadership team. In these roles, he was instrumental in developing the College’s ICT and was involved in our extensive building programs and upkeep. Our laptop program is a testament to his significant contribution and the work of the team he led. 1500 laptops connecting smoothly to our ICT system each school day is a remarkable result of Bernie’s work.

In his Operations role, Bernie ensured we had a workable timetable each year that maximised students obtaining their subject preferences.

Bernie was very generous with the time he devoted to his job. When something needed to be attended to out of the norm, Bernie would step up to help manage the situation, even out of usual hours. He was a loyal servant of the schools’ he worked at over the years. Indeed he continued the Lowes’ family involvement in Geelong’s Catholic education story.

On behalf of our school community, I express my gratitude to Bernie and wish him a very happy and healthy retirement.

Term finish-up and Parent / Student / Teacher Interviews

It is hard to believe that next week is the last week of Term Three. When the Year 12 students return next term, they will have just over two weeks of formal classes remaining before exams commence in late October. To maximise their level of achievement, our senior students obviously need to plan to make the most of the remaining time.

To help you with your planning, can I please remind all parents about the following?

• Please check your son or daughter’s Term 3 progress by accessing the feedback available on our Learning Management System, “Canvas” (ask your son or daughter to show you how to access this if you are not sure how to find this information)

• Parent, Teacher and Student Meetings will be held on next Thursday 15th September (4.00 pm to 7.00 pm) and Friday 16th September (9.00 am to 12noon) and conducted online via Zoom;

• Last day of term three classes will be Thursday 15th September. Please note that Friday 16th September is a student-free day due to the Parent / Teacher / Student meetings.

• The first day of term four is Monday 3rd October.

A letter has been sent home with students to explain how to book a Parent, Teacher and Student Meeting. Bookings opened yesterday and close next Wednesday.

Gillies road

Please do not park in our neighbours’ (east side of Gillies Road) driveways when dropping off or picking up your daughter or son.

Summer Uniform compulsory for Term Four

With the warmer months approaching, can I please ask parents to check that their daughter's/son’s summer uniform is in order before they need to wear it next term? Some things to be mindful of are:

• The tie does not have to be worn with the summer uniform in Term Four;

• The summer shirt can be worn not tucked into the shorts;

• The only type of school shoes permissible are black leather (able to be polished) ones, preferably lace-up (no skate or sports type shoes);

• The jumper is not to be the outer garment when travelling to and from school, if it is cold the student should wear their blazer;

• Long hair (longer than to the shoulder) is tied back with college-coloured ribbons and kept off the face;

• Summer uniform dress length must be to the knee; and

• The navy blue school hat is compulsory in term four.

Please find a copy of the uniform policy that relates to the summer uniform in the front section of the student planner.

Staff changes

Term 3

Term 4

Best wishes

This is the final newsletter for Term Three. The next newsletter will be available late in the day on Thursday 6th October 2022.

I hope all students have a restful break with some time spent revising work and preparing for next term included. Best wishes to all families for an enjoyable time together.

Thank you to our dedicated and hard-working staff members for their efforts to support our students’ educational experiences throughout the term. I wish all staff members who will be on holiday my best wishes for a well-deserved and enjoyable break.

Michael Exton

Principal

Term Three has been a particularly busy term in the Humanities Learning Area as we continue to provide students with as many opportunities as possible to learn to a higher level.

We began the term with a bang, running our second annual Humanities Week – the Amazing Race was particularly well received by students.

In addition, students have taken part in the following immersive learning experiences:

• Year 8 Medieval Day

• Year 9 Australian History Overnight Experience: Sovereign Hill

• VCE Business Management Excursion to local businesses Kieser and Think Fencing (owned by alumnus Jack Fitzgerald – Class of 2003)

• VCE Units 1 and 2 Business Management Guest Speaker (and parent) Kate Engler

• VCE Legal Studies Incursion with Jane Patrick (former Magistrate and County Court Judge)

As a learning area, we would like to celebrate the achievements of a number of students for their effort and achievements as they strive to learn to a higher level.

The following students received awards for their endeavours in the Australian Geography Competition, which was offered to all students during Term 1.

Participation Awards:

• Patrick Lonergan – Year 7

• Emily Neicho – Year 7

• Zoe Nyga – Year 7

• Chloe Van Den Bosch – Year 7

• Joel Anderson – Year 8

• Thomas Cadwallander – Year 8

• Mietta Corby – Year 8

• Paige Berrie – Year 9

• Drew Magtaka – Year 9

• Thomas McLean – Year 9

• Logan Pitts – Year 9

• Will Hanley – Year 10

Credit Awards:

• Thomas Nyga – Year 9

Distinction Awards:

• Reuben Cook – Year 7

• Henry Hatswell – Year 7

• Owen McCoughtry – Year 8

• Alana Clark – Year 10

High Distinction Awards:

• Oscar Creak – Year 8

• Amelie Anderson – Year 9

• Mitchell Smith – Year 9

The following students demonstrated their commitment to learning to a higher level, taking up the challenge of the Australian History Competition in Term 2.

Participation Awards:

• Zoe Nyga – Year 7

• Jessica Reynolds – Year 7

• Chloe Van Den Bosch – Year 7

• Madaline Bernazzoli – Year 9

Merit:

• Alana Clark – Year 10

• Seann Fitzgerald – Year 10

• Will Hanley – Year 10

• Zach Johnston – Year 10

Credit Awards:

• Jade Cowdery – Year 8

• Charlie Hardcastle – Year 10

Distinction Awards:

• Reuben Cook – Year 7

• Oscar Creak – Year 8

• Ethan Meyers – Year 10

High Distinction Awards:

• Stephanie Reynolds – Year 9

• Mitchell Smith – Year 9

• Max Marriott – Year 10

• Paddy Noble – Year 10

• Olivia Tolan – Year 10

We would also like to extend our warmest wishes to the following students, who have applied for the 2022 Civics and Citizenship Pilot Program, offered to students in Years 9 and 10. This pilot program will select 25 students to represent Victoria, gathering in Melbourne to work virtually with students from across the nation to explore contemporary constitutional issues and encourage students to become better informed about the Australian Government and Constitutional process.

• Drew Magtaka – Year 9

• Kathryn McInerney-Sotomayer – Year 9

• Stephanie Reynolds – Year 9

• Archie Stella – Year 9

• Max Craven – Year 10

• Alana Clark – Year 10

Photographs:

Amazing Race

History and Geography Competition photos

Samantha Windmill | Humanities Learning Area Leader

What’s been happening in the Year 9 Centre?

Term Three has been a busy one and it’s hard to believe that it will come to a close relatively soon. Our year 9’s will soon be the Year Ten cohort for 2023! Wow. Where has the first half of the school year gone?

2023 Subject Selection and Pathway Interviews:

The first few weeks of Term Three were abuzz with excitement up in Year Nine as the students were supported choosing their subjects for 2023 with an eye on pathways for the years that follow. We held a series of assemblies to share relevant subject information with the year level including conversations about the students giving their learning options serious thought whilst at the same time reminding the students of the importance of following their passions, hopes and dreams and focus on what they love doing in the classroom as well as consider what will serve them well in the future. With a variety of options available it was an exciting time for the students and on the whole they gave the process the thought and dedication it deserved by utilising the resources available to them including their teachers, family members and each other. There was a genuine maturity around the Year 9 Centre as the young people considered their options going forward and worked hard to finalise their choices.

Australian History Excursion – Sovereign Hill

This week has seen our second group of Year 9 Australian History students this year head to Sovereign Hill on an overnight excursion. As part of the experience the students were privy to a range of educational experiences designed to transport them back in time to the Victorian Goldfields of the 19th century. Activities included heading down into an authentic mine shaft hundreds of metres below ground, watching how gold is melted down and converted into a tradeable commodity, and an immersive nocturnal 90-minute theatre experience using 3D technology called ‘AURA’. AURA follows gold from its creation in outer space through to its discovery in Australia. This excursion was organised by the head of Humanities at Saint Ignatius College Miss Samantha Windmill who is also the Homeroom Teacher for 9 Mangin. Lucky students enjoying a fun educational time away.

Year 9 Sporting Stars:

This Thursday the 8th of September our Intermediate (9/10) AFL side will play in the Herald Sun Shield Grand Final against Rowville Secondary College and Year 9 is proudly represented by Will Lane, Noah Jeffrey, Rilley Aquilina, Harry Sedgmen, Tom Snowden, Riley Molloy, Will Cunningham and Charlie Confoy. These young men have been training hard and playing since the beginning of term 2 and this day will be a highlight for them as they run out on Trevor Barker Oval in Sandringham and represent their college against some of the state’s finest young footballers. Thanks to Andrew Philp and Andrew Walsgott for their support and dedication for these young footballers.

On Thursday 11th August Saint Ignatius College entered three teams in the 9/10 Annual Basketball GISSA Carnival and Year 9’s were incredibly well represented by some exceptional talent including Jem Denning, Will Cunningham, Harriette O’Keefe and Poppy Hart. The boys took out the cup in their division and so did the girls! Amazing efforts. I was lucky enough to be involved on the day and was taken aback at some of the talent on display including from the names mentioned here. Thanks to Stacey Learmonth, Giselle Dawson (Year 10) and Darcy Bassett for supporting our champions on the day.

Geelong Social Justice Workshop

On Tuesday August the 9th a group of our Year 9 Ignatian Leaders were invited to St Joseph’s College to be part of a Geelong Social Justice Worksop Day hosted by SJC and run by Mackillop Family Services. MacKillop Family Services conduct a range of crucial work with marginalised families in the region and our leaders heard all about the incredible work they do and shared ideas with other like-minded students from SHC, SJC, Iona, and Clonard. The students enjoyed presentations from a range of speakers on issues such as homelessness, special needs schooling, advocacy, and residential care for students from troubled home lives. At times the day was somewhat of a humbling experience for our attendees. Our students carried themselves exceptionally well and had the opportunity to consider how our Catholic values and principles are being put to work in the world through the important work being carried out by organisations like Mackillop Family Services. Organisations like Mackillop Family Services and the work they do are very much in alignment with our Ignatian ethos of for and with others.

I look forward to supporting the Year 9’s as they complete their first uninterrupted finish to a school year since they embarked on their secondary schooling years. We are seeing improvements in fundamentals like independent learning skills and focus and organisation and considering the unique couple of years this group had in years 7 and 8 they’re doing a fine job. Thanks for your support at home.

Caleb Ryan | Year 9 Coordinator

With the end of Term 3 coming to an end, school has been a very busy place for staff and students alike.

At the moment, the SRC is holding a ‘Coin Drive,’ where students are encouraged to bring in any silver coins they have lying around… especially 5 and 10 cent coins as they are gradually going out of use. The money raised from this will go towards supporting triUMPH, or in this year's case - triUMPH lite. All money raised will help support five East Timorese adults to become teachers.

Music students from all year levels recently had their vocal night on Monday the 5th of September at The Potato Shed. It was marvellous to see the wonderful talent of students from all across the school through solos, duets, senior and junior ensembles and the choir.

R U OK? Day also is this week. Activities across the day include a staff vs student dodgeball game, a Year 7 and start scavenger hunt, and a big focus on mental health with conversation starters scattered across the school.

Year 12 students and their teachers, as well as a few year 11’s, are finalising their last few sacs for the year and getting prepared for exams. With only 48 days until the English exam, stress levels are high. However, the excitement of graduation, celebration day, and Valedictory make it all worth it.

With only 6 more days of Term 3 to go, I wish everyone a safe and happy holidays!

Audrey Hughan | College Vice Captain

Click here to read the CECV letter to parents

PERFORMANCE & INSTRUMENTAL NEWS

Over the past weeks our music students have been very busy rehearsing for Triumph, Instrumental Showcase and Vocal Night.

Our students never cease to amaze us all with their dedication, and when on stage, they certainly rise to the occasion. For many students, these concerts have been their first opportunity to perform in public. 

INSTRUMENTAL SHOWCASE

On August 25th, our very talented music students performed in ‘The Instrumental Showcase.’ The evening was held in the MPC and it was a huge success.

The concert featured solos, duets, trios and all the college ensembles: The Senior Band, Junior Band, Honours Band, Stage Band, College Choir & Junior Ensemble.

I sincerely thank the directors of these bands, Mr Michael Wilding, Mrs Janice Wilding, Mr Tim Neal and Mrs Marina Brown for their wonderful work with our students.

I also wish to thank our dedicated instrumental music staff who prepared many of these students for the evening and to Michael Wilding, our band coordinator, who assisted me greatly with the set up for the concert.

VOCAL NIGHT

The Potato Shed was filled to capacity last Monday evening when our vocal students performed to parents and friends of the College.

The concert featured The College Choir, Junior Ensemble, Mrs Grant’s Junior and Senior ensembles, duets and solos. Thanks to our vocal teachers, Mrs Tania Grant and Ms Teressa Duddy who prepared the vocal students and to Mrs Marina Brown for her work with the choir.

Many thanks to Mr Wilding who accompanied many students on the night. With Mr Wilding on board now, I am certainly getting some time to breathe.

The students sang songs from many genres with Lily Petterwood and Zoe Walter stepping from their comfort zone and venturing into the world of classical repertoire and singing in their finest Italian!

Ukuleles were a popular accompaniment and it was such a delight to see the Randall brothers and the Watson brothers performing duets.

Thank you to our Arts Captain, Lily Petterwood and Storm Randall for compering at both events.

INSTRUMENTAL LESSONS

Timetables are being completed for Term 4 so if students are interested in taking lessons, I do ask parents/guardians to please complete the form on Operoo for Instrumental lessons as soon as possible.

If you have any trouble with completing the form, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

We have been very lucky to have student teacher, Ms Eleanor Lewis with us for five weeks. I am very grateful for her support during this time, especially with the last two concerts .

Thanks to the many parents and friends who attend our concerts and continually support the Performing Arts. Dates for our future concerts will be published in our next newsletter.

Regards,

Linda Pape | Performance & Instrumental Coordinator.

It’s been an eventful couple of weeks in the ILC! We have moved back in and reopened with some fanfare. It’s been great to be back welcoming students and staff into the space and seeing all those familiar faces again.

We were able to reopen in time for the 2022 Book Week. With the theme “Dreaming With Eyes Open” we ran a number of fun activities such as;

• Book Week Theme related quizzes

• Origami sessions

• 100 Word Short Story Competition

• Art Competition

• Guess the Clouds in the Jar

There were great prizes on offer and we congratulate the following winners;

100 Word Short Story

1st Indiana Colley

2nd Emilia Browne

3rd Leah McCurry

Art Competition

Drawing and Painting – Junior Winner

Nakita Smith

Thomas Cadwallander

Drawing and Painting -Senior Winner

Madelyn Waugh

Photography

Georgia Lamb

Well done to Cam Snookes for Guess the correct clouds in the jar

Monday 29th August saw the annual “My book doesn’t have a Charger” Literary Evening happening. Guests were treated to a panel style discussion on the many benefits of reading. The evening was hosted by renowned local author Sue Lawson, who was joined by Mark Smith and Shivaun Plozza as guests were treated to stories on how they have developed their writing skills over the years as well as providing insights for our students to advance their own literacy skills.

Leonie Stephenson | ILC Coordinator

Tournament of Minds (TOM) is an international program designed to give students the opportunity to participate in creative activities involving stimulating, open ended challenges which demand experimentation and reward divergent thinking.

The TOM challenges are not simple, otherwise they would not be ‘challenges’ at all! Working with a group of seven people often provides complications; and working towards a fixed presentation date makes TOM a real-life task.

After two years of doing presentations through a pre-recorded videos, this year we returned to once again experiencing the nervous energy that a live presentation brings. We went to Deakin University in Waurn Ponds where 21 students, their families, friends and siblings were able to enjoy a day of watching the challenges being presented by our college and others in our region.

This year we had 3 teams, the most ever for our college! The students chose to undertake Challenges in STEM, Social Sciences and Arts divisions. In another first, our Social Sciences were crowned as regional winners with team progressing to the state finals in Melbourne. The STEM team were awarded a ‘distinction’ for their high quality, well researched presentation.

Congratulations to all students who participated in Tournament of Minds 2022!

STEM

Brianna Brew

Sarah Tolan

Olivia Tolan

Jackson Brotchie

Will Hanley

Fin Hanley

Amelie Anderson

Social Sciences

Tom Galan

Paddy Noble

Stephanie Reynolds

Curtis McCoughtry

Owen McCoughtry

Natasha Oakley

Jade Cowdery

The Arts

Harry Tinker

Max Marriott

Mietta Corby

Jasmine Halliwell

Jeeann Tinij

Olivia Agustsson

Lilliana O’Meara

Karen Perkins | Learning Enhancement Coordinator

Year 10 Cape York Indigenous Immersion

To put the once in a lifetime 10 day Indigenous Immersion into words is quite nearly impossible. We were blessed with the opportunity to learn about Indigenous culture from the traditional elders of the Cape York Peninsula. On our journey we met elders of Thiithaarr Warra Country, Willie and Robbie, and elders of Bana Country, Uncle Pete and Aunty Marilyn, as well as many other incredible people in their communities. Their knowledge of the land and its resources gave us a new perspective on Indigenous culture. We were fortunate enough to participate in many cultural activities on each homeland. At Thiithaarr Warra there was spear throwing, story telling, didgeridoo playing, coconut eating and the construction of tables for our community project. At Bana there was painting, language lessons, preparing a kup murri and damper making. Through these activities, we were able to fully immerse ourselves in their culture while understanding their way of living.

We came into the experience open-minded which allowed us all to have many insightful chats with the elders who were willing to answer any questions we had about causal topics and the important political conversations. A memorable quote was from Willie who stated that ‘the only thing that prevents mediation is expectation.’ These conversations allowed for everyone to connect with the elders, homelands and each other. In both homelands, the elders stressed that education was the key to closing the gap. Robbie and Willy strongly enforced the importance of not only educating Indigenous children to improve the livelihoods of future generations, but also educating non-indigenous people on their culture and ways of living. Many elders, such as Aunty Marilyn, were working on writing books to teach people their traditional Yalanji language. Through the Red Earth immersion program, we experienced first-hand just how life-changing educating non-aboriginal kids on their customs can be.

However, it wasn't just the connections with the elders that made the trip amazing; it was also the connections with our classmates and teachers. It was some of the simpler moments of mucking around with the footy and joking with mates that allowed our group to connect and make the most out of every second. In only ten days we went from a group of people that barely knew each other to people who screamed Dua Lipa’s ‘One Kiss’ together on the bus and people who played slightly aggressive games of boys v girls river rugby with the star player Hodgey. We became our own community who looked after each other. It was something very special.

Being in the remote Indigenous communities allowed for deeper reflection as we learnt to connect with the environment. Each day we would journal, reflecting on all the wondrous things we experienced and learnt. One thing that stood out was that everything in the environment serves a purpose. For example, the firewood tree on Bana can be used for medicinal purposes, as well as to create instruments and weapons. It was this same tree that was used in the Welcome to Country Ceremony by Aunty Marilyn whereby the spirits would look after us during our stay. We learnt the value of basic things that we often take for granted. The shock of cold water, the two-minute showers, the odour of the drop-down toilets all seemingly ‘unenjoyable’ aspects were only unusual to our own life and culture. In fact, it was being in nature and having time for each other that bonded us and made us closer to each other and the communities we were staying with. We also learnt what is truly important. Technology, while missed, was not necessary; rather, something as simple as a fresh orange and playing card games was vital to the everyday routine. We learnt to appreciate the small things that we wouldn't think twice about at home.

The experience was invaluable and it would not have happened without the support of many people. A massive thank you to everyone who was involved in making the trip possible, especially the organiser of these Immersions, Ms Hodge, who kept up the enthusiasm for over a year. After this lengthy wait, our patience paid off. Thank you especially to Liv Whitehead and Deb Hodge for always looking after us, keeping us smiling and learning to enjoy our music. To all the staff who were flexible and supportive in helping us catch up on work, allowing for extensions, our thanks. To Red Earth and support staff for organising the trip and enabling it to run smoothly, we extend our appreciation and gratitude. To all the parents who sacrificed so much and let us travel to the top of Australia for 10 days with little communication, we express our deepest thanks. To our fellow Cape Yorkers, it was fantastic to travel with you and we hope you get to go back one day. To potential future Cape Yorkers, if this opportunity comes up, we highly encourage you to go. There will be no regrets for this once in a lifetime experience. Yundu Yalada!

Melody Davidson and Alana Clark

Our Italian Cultural presentation saw us take students on a virtual reality tour of the Vatican Museum. Our presentation was on Italian Art and its history and culture, so we showed our classmates the amazing art in the Vatican Museum in Italy. Our VR tours were a great success with lots of fun and laughs. Big thanks to Tyson and Todd for organising this for us!

-Ashlyn Pitts, Zoe Nyga, Maddie Ralph, Georgia Van Hamond

7 WARD con Professoressa Losi

Students in Year 8 were learning about Medieval Europe, the feudal system, castles and weaponry. As part of their assessment, students were given the option to recreate a weapon or draw a medieval castle. This year we got some pretty impressive results.

Abigail (8Aik) – Battering Ram

Harrison (8Aik) - Medieval axe

Owen (8Aik) -Concentric Castle

Cameron Donald and Ms Spencer attended The Blood Centre to donate blood and save 3 lives each. This was Cameron’s first time donating and he did a great job and will now become a regular donor. Only 3% or 1 in 30 Australians give blood yet 1 in 3 will need blood at some point. In Australia they need over 29,000 donations each week. Well done Cam and Ms. Spencer.

Support Our School Through rebel Community Givebacks

Do you shop at Rebel? You can support our school every time you shop by linking your Rebel Active Membership to our school. 5% of what you spend is given to P&F to purchase sporting equipment for our school. If you’re not a member it’s free to join either online or ask a team member in store.

Rebel Community Givebacks St Ignatius College

Entertainment Book

Yes we are still selling the Entertainment Book however it now is digital and is valid for 12 months from date of purchase. If you would like to purchase an Entertainment Book please email us at sicgpandf@ignatius.vic.edu.au.

Become part of the Parents and Friends’ Association

We are still searching for a new Treasurer, unfortunately there was no nomination at our AGM. We would like to invite you to consider nominating for this role and be part of our wonderful team.

Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday 13th September 2022. We look forward to seeing you there. Even if you cannot make it to the monthly meetings, but think you might be able to be on call to help at fundraising events, please get in touch with us by emailing sicgpandf@ignatius.vic.edu.au

The Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop is now opening prior to our monthly Parents and Friends meeting in addition to the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month. Please check the Saint Ignatius College Facebook page for updates regarding open days and times. Email the uniform shop at uniformshop@ignatius.vic.edu.au if you have any questions.

Did you know the uniform shop also sells brand new socks, ties and hats?

Items to be sold or donated can be dropped off at the Uniform Shop during opening times or anytime at the front office. Please ensure any item that is sent in for sale has been freshly laundered, if not it will be returned to you.

We are always seeking Volunteers to help in the uniform shop. If you are available and have time to help out contact Kate by emailing uniformshop@ignatius.vic.edu.au . Training is provided.

W/C 12/9/2022

12th: NEEDED, NEEDED

13th: M.Dunstan, NEEDED

14th: C.Holland, NEEDED

15th: M.Hiemstra, M.White.

16th: No Canteen: End of Term 3

...............................................................................................................

W/C 3/10/2022

3rd: M.Pepyat, NEEDED

4th: K.James, S.Peters

5th: C.Holland, NEEDED

6th: M.Hiemstra, NEEDED

7th: B.Brinfield, L.Hart.

If you are able to assist on the above mentioned dates, please contact Canteen Manager Mrs. Sandra Woodall on woodalls@ignatius.vic.edu.au 

Volunteers must hold a current WWCC. New volunteers must fill out the form provided via the link below.

Click here for Volunteer Form

Mrs. Sandra Woodall.
Canteen Manager.

Opening prior to the P & F meetings from 5-7pm

13th September

The University of Melbourne School of Mathematics and Statistics would like to share an exciting opportunity for our students.

They are offering a half-day workshop for female or non-binary students in year 9 or 10. The workshop will focus on topics in mathematics and statistics beyond the school curriculum - weird and wacky topics which students have probably not encountered before.

The workshop will heavily feature hands-on activities, problem-solving, and critical thinking. It will help students develop their curiosity, creativity, communication, and collaboration - essential skills for any mathematician/statistician. The workshop will be most beneficial to students who want to meet like-minded peers and experience topics outside of the curriculum. We are not necessarily looking for high-achieving or high-ability students.

Please note the following details about the workshop:

Date: Wednesday 21 September 2022

Time: 11 AM – 3 PM (AEST)

Location: The University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus (further details to be advised)

Cost: Nil

Student registration link: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/u22e

Registrations will close Friday 16 September. Places for the workshop are limited and will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. Note that teachers are not expected to attend nor arrange transport for students.

BCS Parent Webinar Gaming and Young People

2022 Term 4 Regional Parenting Calendar

Is play time dead?

For anyone driving around their neighbourhoods after school or during the holidays, it might seem as though playtime has vanished from our children’s lives. Many parents and grandparents nostalgically recall games of cricket on the street with all the neighbourhood kids or fighting for space on the monkey bars on the local playground. But now the playgrounds regularly stand mostly empty, the streets devoid of children. We have clearly moved past the golden age of outdoor play of the 1960s. But is play time dead?

Maybe not.

Data shows that many parents no longer feel comfortable letting their kids play outside unsupervised, but this doesn’t mean that children aren’t playing at all. It’s just that play has undergone a shift.

Humans are naturally drawn to play. It’s a vital part of our human experience. Play time begins at birth when babies play with their hands and feet and discover how their bodies work. From there they move through solitary play at 2 years, and then begin playing with other children at around 4 years old. Much play in the early years is not about bonding. In fact, it often occurs with limited interaction – and it’s known as parallel play. As children grow older, play may look less like a game of superheroes, and more like playing board games or video games. It may look like trying out new tricks on a skateboard, strumming a guitar, or experimenting with new painting techniques. Even as adults, we may say that we’re “playing around with the data”, or “toying with an idea”. Play is simply defined as any activity that is intrinsically motivated and done for enjoyment. Many things fall under the umbrella of play.

So maybe play time isn’t dead. But the kinds of play that we associate with childhood are in decline.

While it is hard to quantify how much play has declined over the last few decades, 85% of mothers agree with the statement that their children play outside less than they themselves did as children. And in the 15 years leading up to 1997, the time children spent playing decreased by 25%. While we don’t know how much it has decreased since then, we do know that opportunities for play are shrinking.

Many kids go to school for 6 hours a day, then spend their afternoons and evenings bouncing around various highly structured (and often expensive) extra-curricular activities. While we may enrol our children in these activities with the best of intentions, they are being told what to do and how to do it for large parts of each and every day. They’re missing out on engaging in intrinsically motivated activities that are done just for enjoyment. Even if they enjoy these activities, competition and excellence often supplant connection and mastery as the reason for the activity.

Why does this matter?

Over the same period that opportunities for free play have declined, we’ve seen a corresponding increase in childhood and adolescent psychopathology. Children today are more anxious, more depressed, and more narcissistic than they were 50 years ago.

While we can’t say conclusively that decreased play has caused this increase in mental health challenges in our children, we do know that play time encourages children to develop their interests, practice making decisions and solving problems, learn to regulate their emotions, assess and respond to risk, develop socially, and most importantly, facilitates access to joy. All of which contribute to good mental health and wellbeing.

So how can we encourage our kids to play more? Here are three goals for what you can aim for:

1. Have one moment of roughhousing/physical play each day

Roughhousing not only helps kids to be physically active (and builds strength), it also encourages emotional intelligence, boosts confidence, and teaches boundaries. For pre-schoolers, you might play a game of airplane and fly them around the room. With your school-aged kids, you might engage them in a game of wrestling (make sure you lose spectacularly, your kids will think it’s hilarious!). And with your teens you could challenge them to a game of touch rugby. The idea is to get the heart rate up and get them laughing.

2. Allow at least 45 minutes of uninterrupted free play each day

You might have noticed that when your kids enter a new space, they are often quietly exploring at the start, and then arguments start to break out. Ignore your instinct to intervene. If you allow them to argue, just for a bit, you’ll notice that they’re trying to define the rules for play. Soon enough they’ll be happily playing together and will have learnt about cooperation and compromise along the way. To enable these 45 minutes of free play, leave out some open-ended toys for your pre-schooler to find, re-think enrolling your school kid in an afternoon activity to give them more free time in the afternoon so they can ride to a friend’s place or the skate park, and encourage your teen to have at least one homework free night a week so they can hang out with real people.

3. Spend two hours outside daily

While this may seem like a huge challenge, over 80% of teens and 60% of kids exceed the screen time recommendation of two hours per day. If we could replace that time (or at least some of it) with outdoor time, they will be reaping huge intellectual, social, physical, and emotional benefits. Nature is fuel for the soul, and it provides a platform for relationship building and physical activity.

In closing

While these goals may seem lofty and unattainable, remember that “If you’re trying and failing, you’re still getting one step closer to success than if you’re doing nothing.” (Jeanette Coron). Any play time is better than none at all.

Click here to view a quick tip video by Dr Justin Coulson related to this Insights article