Poet Francis Thompson was right when he wrote in The Mistress of Vision:

All things by immortal power,
Near or far,
Hiddenly
To each other linked are,
Thou canst not stir a flower
Without troubling a star

This week in our Year 10 Service and Prayers, we paused to consider the impact of recent world events on those most closely affected, and on those well beyond direct connection, in the context of our place in the community of our School and of Mittagong...and of all parts of Australia and overseas. I have urged students to speak with their parents about the issues that arise for them and about which they need broader understanding. Important - every day - is that we continue to examine the quality of our efforts to support student growth in compassion, and in leadership, so that they develop informed perspectives essential to respectful, active citizenship.

***

Responsibility

‘Never do anything for your child that they could do for themselves…’ …OR … ‘why we urge parents to be intentional, aligned and determined about setting high expectations for children and teenagers around responsibility and accountability…’

A favourite message of mine applied in the School context is: … ‘if students can manage this (an organisational challenge) please let them…’ because - if we always ‘take charge’ in areas that are entirely manageable by children or teenagers, we are robbing them of the opportunity to accept a level of ‘real’ responsibility that can teach how hard it can be to make things happen, and (when successful) how rewarding…If we add the elements of quiet support along the way and debrief when the task is completed, students build capacity, and everyone benefits.

The best leadership experience for students is ‘real’ – with outcomes that matter. It requires students to work with or on behalf of others, to set and persist to achieve high standards, and to problem solve. 

Testing this notion in our current School context, Senior Frensham students are asked regularly to identify areas of School life where they can support our operations and management. It is my expectation that should we need them to keep the School running for a day in the absence of teachers and House staff, they have the capacity as a team to mobilise and manage their peers and younger students to complete the day safely and productively. 

Three areas of School life where this principle is embedded:

1. The Year 12 leaders of Event Management, Stage Management, Sound and Lighting have for years been fully responsible to the Deputy Head for the preparation, logistics and direction of all major school events in Clubbe Hall - from the operation of lighting and sound, to the stage management, seating and set-ups of the entire space. 
2. Visitors to the School are offered Student-led Tours of the campus – requiring two girls from different year groups to engage directly with a family, to agree with them on priorities for the tour, and to respond to questions along the way. This is an experience for every girl – across her lifetime at Frensham.
3. In a different area completely: Gary Palmer, Frensham Schools IT Manager has in the past two years restructured our IT operation to facilitate student installation and upgrade of essential software on their devices (whilst also increasing the safety and security mechanisms around what is accessible).  In a Report on 2018 achievements, Gary noted that, across Frensham Schools, he has hundreds of associates sharing responsibility for IT management – the students. They are well aware of their role in maintaining what they need for learning and also of the limits imposed – for their benefit – on their IT access.

Resilience – learned through accountability and acceptance of Responsibility

In the opening chapter of Raising Resilient Kids (2018), Dr Michael Carr-Gregg offers excellent guidance for parents (‘How to Build Happy and Resilient Children’, p.5): ...resilience is not a rare ability; ...it can be learned and developed by virtually anyone...resilient individuals have, through time, developed coping techniques that allow them to navigate around or through crises...

Carr-Gregg includes in his list of five key drivers of student growth in resilience:
(i) the development of Social-emotional Competencies (student ability to manage their feelings and friendships and solve problems)
(ii) Islands of Competence - a passion or spark that gets students up and out of bed in the morning – growing skills that make them feel capable…

We know that students feel stronger and happier about life if they can ‘do more’ and if they feel ‘needed’ and our embedding of the experience of accepting responsibility – from the earliest days in Preschool at Gib Gate, is intentional and essential.

Visitors offered high praise to Year 6 at Gib Gate this week, commenting on their skill and their ‘engaging presence’ as hosts of all parts of Open Day - ‘real’ leadership opportunity presented to Gib Gate students, with outcomes that matter.

For parents, please consider the opportunities to harness your child’s or teenager’s ability to manage organisational challenges within family life: step back, set the expectations...and observe (or guide quietly) the ‘solution architects’ in your family, as they test their skills...!

Back to Frensham Weekend Service and Celebration:
Reminder to all re the last weekend of this term that we will be hosting a special Service and Celebration to acknowledge the Centenary of the establishment of Frensham Fellowship.

Acknowledgement to:

• All families, students and staff who extended a warm welcome to the teachers and students of Paya Lebar Methodists Girls’ School (PLMGS), Singapore during their recent visit. Special thanks to the families who billeted eight of the students and to the student Shadows who hosted girls in class or in the House. The girls enjoyed a full academic and activities programme during their stay at Frensham, including participating in the Year 10 Sunday Service as part of the Senior Choir;
• Gib Gate families, teachers and students for their support of Gib Gate’s Open Day this week;
• Recent Girdle recipient, Charlotte Lalak (Year 12) (Equestrian);
• Frensham Senior Choir for its support of the Confirmation Service at St Stephen’s Mittagong and to Rev Richard Mills who prepared Year 10s for Confirmation;
• Frensham Swimming Team for their individual achievements, including 12 Years Girls Champion – Sylvie Potgieter (Year 7) and 17 Years Girls Champion – Abigail Clark (Year 11), and for their success as a team: Southern Highlands Secondary Schools Champions;
• Frensham Schools Equestrian Teams for their success at the recent NSW Interschools Equestrian Championships – further details to follow when overall results are finalised;
• Allie Broun (Year 11) and Sienna Campese (Year 9) selected in the U18 Southern Highlands Hockey Team to play in the NSW State Championships;
• Frensham’s Tildesley Tennis team, heading to the competition next week – Wednesday and Thursday, 27-28 March;
• Frensham’s Show Cattle Team for their recent success at Robertson Show and in the Moss Vale Show Junior Steer Competition and to Olivia Salkeld (Year 12) (Grain), Pip Ireson and Brodie van Egmond (Year 11) (Fruit and Vegetables) for gaining places in State Finals in the Young Judges competition;
• Students achieving certification and certificates of achievement, now skilled to operate the AV systems of Clubbe Hall, following attendance at formal training sessions with professional staff from Custom Presentations: Sarah Hunter, Lara Kyriazis (Year 9); Sophia Pernice, Caitlin Quinn (Year 10); Caitlin Hargraves (Year 11); Kora Fripp, Hayley Hunter (Year 12);
• Recent Duke of Edinburgh International Award recipients (Silver): Olivia Hamilton, Miriam Hopkins, Gracie Phelan (Year 11).

Julie Gillick
Head of Frensham
Head of Frensham Schools

International Partnerships

Next week Frensham will be hosting a group of 20 students (Years 8 and 9) and two staff from Paya Lebar Methodists Girls’ School (PLMGS) in Singapore (15-21 March). When Deputy Head Geoff Marsh and Head of Innovation (Mathematics) and International Partnerships May Wong visited PLMGS last year, they were particularly impressed with the ethos of the school and its close alignment to Frensham’s values – and the friendship initiated has resulted in next week’s programme. PLMGS will be here for an immersion trip where they will be ‘in-class’ for three days as well as joining our musicians for the Year 10 Weekend performances. PLMGS’ status as a Centre of Excellence in Creative Arts in Singapore sparked their interest in involvement with us, for experience in an Australian School where pursuit of excellence in the performing arts is embedded in the culture of the School.

Open Day and Year 7 Parent Weekend

We are grateful for the feedback offered by current parents and visitors to the School over the Open Day / Year 7 Parent Weekend. I include some notes for general interest – comments we have shared with teachers and students:

• From a parent of a new boarder in Year 7: ‘We very much enjoyed the Welcome Dinner, Saturday Sport, meeting some new Yr 7 parents and staff members, the Service today and most importantly seeing our daughter looking so happy and well.  She has certainly settled in and is enjoying her first term at Frensham.
• From a parent of a new boarder in Year 7: ‘Every single aspect of the weekend is so meticulously planned and prepared and, as a visitor, it rolls so smoothly. I know that is due to the tireless preparation from a huge team, and a commitment after hours from all your staff and their spouses. Please pass on our thanks to all involved!
• From an Old Girl here for the 50 Year Reunion: ‘Congratulations to all - wonderful staff and girls seeming to work as a perfect team effort, the results of which shall be long remembered in the hearts of parents and old girls alike...’

We also had many comments about the centrality and standard of musical performance – across the full weekend’s events, including in the Cooper Hall programme on Open Day. One excerpt from a new parent email:

‘My husband could not believe the standard of singing in the whole school. I know that this standard does not happen without the high expectations and support from the music department of not just the special ones, but of every single girl and her voice. Please pass on our high praise!’

Staffing Update – Careers Counselling

In support of senior students, Mrs Cherylynne Williams, Careers Advisor, will be returning to Frensham from next week to work in particular with Year 12 (continuing the one-on-one Careers planning interviews commenced in Term 4 last year) and with Year 10 (Work Experience planning). Mrs Williams will speak to Year 10 parents as part of the Plenary Session in Clubbe Hall at 8.30am next weekend and will schedule interviews for Year 12, as well as speak with the year group as a whole, re their personal preparation for tertiary entry.

Acknowledgement to:

• Students and staff for the hosting of new families, current parents and the 50 Year Reunion group here for Frensham’s Open Day and for all elements of the Year 7 Parent Weekend including the School Service and Concert;
• Gib Gate and Frensham teachers involved in Outdoor Education and Leadership programmes over the past week; we appreciate the generous-spirited efforts by teachers to step out of their personal comfort zone, in support of these extremely valuable experiences for students;
• Sienna Campese (Year 9) for her selection in the NSW Blues Hockey Team U15 to play in the National Championships from 8-14 April;
• The Gib Gate and Frensham Equestrian Teams, acknowledged at the Annual Equestrian NSW Awards Dinner, for 2018 achievements. Representing Frensham and Gib Gate: Charlotte Lalak (Captain of Equestrian), Emily Gubbins, Zoe Renowden and Olivia Salkeld (Vice Captains of Equestrian), Alexandra Inglis and Elizabeth Taylor (Year 7) were also joined by Old Girl, Olivia Barton (2017). 2018 Awards: Champion Primary School (for the fourth successive year) – Gib Gate, trophy collected by Alexandra and Elizabeth; Champion Secondary School – Frensham (for the sixth concessive year); Alexandra Inglis – Champion Primary Show Jumper, Champion Primary Combined Training, Overall Primary Champion; Elizabeth Taylor – Owner of the Year (Show Horse); Olivia Barton (2017) – Junior Eventing Athlete of the Year.
• Frensham da Vinci Decathlon Team members: Year 7: Poppy Carter, Claudia Hampson, Cate Horsfall, Sophie Simpson, Eva Telford, Lilly Treweeke, Sidney Wheeler, Amy Wimalaratne; Year 8: Scarlett Alldis, Bella Cay, Elise Davies, Pia D'Rozario, Sophie Hassall, Eliza Mulligan, Summer Oxley, Hilary Swan; Year 9: Ankitha Avvari, Yusra Chalak, Zoe Gallagher, Holly Horsfall, Olivia Laverty, Charlotte Senior, Emily Senior, Mia Shakeshaft; Year 10: Eliza Friend, Emilie Hassall, Grace Lewis, Harriet Mackie, Caitlin Quinn, Annabelle Ranken, Georgia Shakeshaft, Eleanor Swan;
• Frensham Birthday Play cast for Present Laughter by Noël Coward: Adele Bouniol-Laffont (Monica), Attica Darling (Daphne), Adelaide Darvall (Joanna), Gina Macken (Liz Essendine), Sophie McLean (Gary Essendine) (Year 12); Millicent Bolger (Henry), Olivia Hamilton (Morris), Caitlin Hargraves (Miss Erikson), Lillie Morrison (Fred), Brodie van Egmond (Lady Saltburn), Cate Watson (Roland) (Year 11);
• The Gib Gate and Frensham Swimming Teams for their success at the recent Southern Highlands Carnivals.

Video of images from Frensham Open Day – Saturday 2 March

International Women’s Day – 8 March – celebrating the purple, green and white issue...

First celebrated on 19 March 1911, International Women’s Day moved to a fixed date of 8 March in 1913, just a few months before the founding of Frensham in July 1913.

In 1995, the United Nations Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was signed by 189 governments, the Declaration envisioning a world where every girl and woman could exercise her choice to receive an education, participate in politics, have an income, and live in a society free from violence and discrimination.

The Alliance of Girls Schools Australasia (representing more than 175 girls’ schools in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Africa) was established around the same time in the 1990s, to advocate for the equal education of girls in girls’ schools. The Alliance, adopted the colours of purple, green and white, reflecting those first chosen by the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) headed by British suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, ahead of a huge street march in June 1906.

Purple was chosen to represent dignity and self-respect
Green represented hope and life
White represented purity in public and private life

As we prepared last weekend for our Open Day, Year 12 was asked to offer their views on key messages they hoped visitors would take away... In their contribution of ideas, they wanted me to reinforce the value of high expectations, like those set out in the Character Education document that they critiqued as Year 11s last year, well prior to publication. In their words:

‘...having the confidence to connect to and value others – their different talents and their friendship; having the inspiration to practise what it means to live an ‘active lifestyle’; learning to respect and celebrate each other’s best effort; having the opportunity to gain real leadership experience and learning to make a positive difference – because that it what is expected... (of all of us)...

In 1914, recorded in our first Chronicle (about Frensham’s first years), Headmistress Winifred West noted (in reference to Australia as a ‘developing country'):

‘Women too are entering a new phase...they are waking up to the realisation of their powers and the need for the use of these powers...’

‘There is one feature in common to both these phases  – ...that the demand that is being made is not for more enjoyment and more pleasure....but a demand for the right to help and to share responsibility – surely a reasonable and right thing...’

Frensham’s purple iris emblem was chosen for its beauty, strength and ability to flourish in all conditions. The colours of purple, green and white are prominent in our uniform...teamed with brown – the colour of the earth from which the iris grows.

In 2019 we reflect on the pioneering spirit of our founders; the creativity and resilience and groundedness that underpinned an excitement and sense of urgency about breaking new ground in Australia for girls’ education...

***

Newsletter Highlights

Thank you to all for the support of Frensham over the Open Day / Year 7 Parent Weekend. Please see: Information and Acknowledgement re the feedback from current parents and visitors, hosted over the weekend.

Expos and Open Days 2019

• Frensham Open Day: Saturday 2 March
• Gib Gate Open Day: Tuesday 19 March
• Hangzhou, China Parent Information Event: Wednesday 24 April
• Fellowship Back to Frensham Centenary Weekend: Saturday-Sunday 6-7 April
• Gib Gate Preschool Open Day: Saturday 11 May
• Dubbo Boarding Schools Expo: Friday-Saturday 17 & 18  May
• Tamworth Boarding Schools Expo: Friday-Saturday 26 & 27 July
• Young Parent Information Lunch: Wednesday 14 August
• Wagga Wagga Parent Info Evening: Wednesday 14 August
• Sydney Parent Information Evening: Wednesday 21 August
• Head’s Tour [Frensham]: Saturday 31 August
• Singapore Parent Info Evening: Tuesday 3 September

Acknowledgement to:

• HSC Drama (2018) student Chipo Riva (Year 12, 2018), who performed her monologue as one of 8 selected for OnSTAGE solo performances, and Molly Paradice (Year 12, 2018) for her Design Costume project displayed at the recent OnSTAGE exhibition at the Seymour Centre, 9-15 February;
• Georgia Richardson (Year 12, 2018) merit scholarship recipient for her Bachelor of Music Musicology course for her first year at the Conservatorium of Music, Sydney;
• Charlotte Menzies (Year 11) selected in the IGSSA Open Softball team;
• Recent Girdle recipient Harper Northam (Year 12) (English);
• Year 5, 2018 Young Scientist award winners (Science Teachers’ Association of NSW): Sophie Alexander, Sophie Baldwin, Eliza-Grace Bashford, Thomas Campbell, Isabella Carpenter, Sophie Goodisson, Amelia Hartnell, Elizabeth Shadbolt;
• Sophie Alexander (Year 5, 2018), finalist in the IPSHA Speaker’s Challenge.

Year 12 2018 Tertiary Placement offers to NSW Universities are noted below. Offers to Interstate and Overseas Universities are separately advised to us by girls when published. We note with interest the 32 'different' courses offered to a cohort of 50 girls, reflecting their particular interests and goals.

• B Advanced Computing
• B Advanced Science (Hons)
• B Applied Science (Speech Pathology)
• B Arts
• B Arts/B Advanced Studies (Media & Communication)
• B Arts/B Advanced Studies (Political & International Relations)
• B Arts/B Business
• B Business
• B Commerce
• B Commerce (Dean’s Scholar)
• B Communication (Public Communication)
• B Design (Visual Communication)
• B Design Architecture (Hons)/M     Architecture
• B Design Photography
• B Economics/B Advanced Studies
• B Engineering (Hons)/B Arts
• B Engineering (Hons)/B Laws       
• B Event & Tourism Management
• B International Studies/B Laws
• B Laws/B Arts International Studies
• B Liberal Arts and Science
• B Medical and Health Sciences
• B Medical Science
• B Music [Conservatorium Scholarship]
• B Nursing
• B Psychology Science
• B Psychology Science/B Criminology & Criminal Justice
• B Science/B Advanced Studies (Taronga)
• B Science/B Advanced Studies (Animal & Veterinary Bioscience)
• B Sport & Exercise Science
• B Visual Arts
• Diploma Digital Media Design
• Flexible Double Arts Social Sciences Business Science

Left: HSC Drama (2018) Chipo Riva and Molly Paradice; right: Sophie Goodisson and Sophie Baldwin (Year 5, 2018)

Make your bed...clean your shoes...tidy your room... greet the day with energy...say ‘thank you’ and mean it (as early in the day as possible)...and sit down to enjoy a good breakfast... (the little things in life matter...)...and, when the pressure is really on, ‘sing – from the heart’ in unison or in harmony with your friends...

In just two weeks all of Frensham will be ‘in residence as a Year group’ – on Camp or involved in Leadership or Senior Studies programmes that we consider core - not extra - in terms of School experience.

Early last year, prolific reader Mrs Cherylynne Williams (our recently retired Head of Information Services and Careers and a Coordinator of Year 12) shared inspiration from a small sample of her summer vacation reading – a short text by former U.S Admiral William H McRaven, titled ‘Make your bed: little things that can change your life and maybe the world’:

Chapter 1: ‘If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.’
‘If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another...Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter...If, by chance, you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made - that you made - and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.’

Few students would be thinking about the daily chore of bed-making in the way McRaven establishes the first of his ten Principles for Life...or would relate to the physical challenges he describes in his next eight Chapters, based on his experience and distinguished service in the US Navy - 37 years as a Navy SEAL.

However, the tenth principle was immediately understood – the power of one person to take a stand – or offer hope – or show courage...joined by the first follower...then another...then everyone..:

‘The instructors told us we could leave the mud if five men would quit – only five men, and we could get out of the oppressive cold. There was a warm fire with hot coffee and chicken soup just waiting. Looking around the mud flat, it was apparent that some students were about to give up. There were still over eight hours until the sun came up. Suddenly above the howl of the wind came a voice. One voice raised in song.  It was tired and raspy, but loud enough to be heard by all. One voice became two. And two became three. And before long, everyone in the class was singing. And somehow, the mud seemed a little warmer, and the wind a little tamer, and the dawn not so far away...’

In two weeks from now... On Camp or through the Leadership and Senior Studies programmes (if all goes to plan) we should see each other at varying levels of comfort; we should be well out of our comfort zone for significant parts of the three days. We will be urging everyone to do the basic daily chores with good grace – say thank you and mean it (as early as possible in the day) and ‘sing’ when the real pressure builds...

***

Newsletter Highlights

• Ms Robson and Ms Chauncy both speak powerfully this week in Gib Gate News about the need to embed ‘reading’ (of good literature) in young people’s lives – so that the reading habit is ‘forever’. I commend their ideas to your attention because it takes very little to make a difference, if we are deliberate in modelling and nurturing that habit.
• In Frensham News, we bring you information on the Creatable Project – another example of our commitment to developing 21^st Century skills in our students through the constant exploration and expansion of our curriculum…very exciting for students and staff alike.
• And don’t miss our annual summary of HSC 2018 Tertiary Offers…showing the remarkable achievements and breadth of interest of our 2018 students. My congratulations to all!

Read this week's Information & Acknowledgment  

Ms Julie Gillick
Head of Frensham
Head of Frensham Schools

Start Where You Stand (Berton Braley - 20^th Century American poet)

Inspired by a pre-Term 1 professional learning focus on the ‘growth mindset’ research of educational psychologist, Carol S Dweck (See Mindset – updated publication, 2012), Berton Braley’s poem captures the message we continue to reinforce with colleagues, students and parents – that today is a starting point... and the first term of a new school year is an opportunity to restart or to build even further on outstanding achievement:

Start where you stand
This is another chapter in the book,
This is another race that you have planned.
The world won’t care about your old defeats,
The future is your time and time is fleet.
Take courage, be brave and drive ahead,
Start where you stand...

From Preschool to Year 12, teachers will be reinforcing for students that high quality achievement requires effort – directed at the right targets. That is, ‘right practice’, not ‘just’ practice. Finding the words or the person to spark the aspiration is a shared responsibility and some of Dweck’s words are helpful:

‘The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.’

Dweck advises, ‘If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence.’ 

Breaking of new ground this year: Parents will note curriculum change across all three campuses: Cambridge International Global Perspectives and Primary Ethics at Gib Gate, i-Stem, ‘Creatable’ (industry-delivered course), a Year 8 Extension Mathematics Research Project and Extension Science at Frensham, and after-school classes added to the Sturt Design and Fabrication programme, through the School for Wood at Sturt. Physically, significant renovations and restorations have been achieved over the break at both Gib Gate and Frensham.  Student boarding numbers at Frensham are at more than 73% of the total school enrolment, with our demographic mix including long distance – interstate and overseas, Sydney and local boarders, and Gib Gate’s Preschool has started with very high numbers for both the Reception and Transition classes. New Staff positions – in Languages, Mathematics, Innovation and Foundation create a new energy and challenge that drive essential ongoing review and new opportunity. We continue to ask, ‘What’s worth learning - in this rapidly changing world?’

I look forward to the year ahead - working with parents in our support of student progress – in all facets of the educational experience.

Ms Julie Gillick
Head of Frensham
Head of Frensham Schools

Information & Acknowledgements...

Thank you in advance to parents involved in the hosting of School events and processes this year. We appreciate your generous offer of time in support!

A Frensham Contact List now posted on Schoolbox will be emailed separately today to parents, to guide direct communication in key areas.

Acknowledgement to:

Prefects for Year Groups - announced at Final Prayers

• Year 7: Annabelle Hickson, Bardie Thompson
• Year 8: Isabella Gale, Alexandra Hill, Lillian Ives
• Year 9: Adelaide Darvall, Georgina Ridge, Sophie Robertson
• Year 10: Phoebe O’Connell, Amelia Hickson, Sophie Sheehan
• Year 11: Lucy Hayes, Alexandra Maciver
• Year 12: Holly Webster (Vice Head Girl), Georgie Tooth (Head Girl)

Heads of House appointed for Term 1

• Hartfield: Grace Amos, Ella Clark, Anna Rickwood (Year 10)
• Kennedy: Adelaide Alker, Amelia Byrne, Amelia Guilfoyle (Year 10)
• Linden Turner: 
  Emilie Hassall, Isabelle Promnitz, Annabelle Ranken (Year 10)
  Annika Blackman, Lillie Morrison, Annalena Turnbull (Year 11)
• Bryant McCarthy:
  Isobel Huggins, Rebecca Muller, Christina Richardson (Year 11)
  Adele Bouniol-Laffont, Georgia Kelleher (Year 12) – all year

Girdle Recipients (end of 2018): Elvira Berzins (Music), Kora Fripp (Service – Clubbe Hall), Hayley Hunter (Service – Clubbe Hall), Adele Bouniol-Laffont (French);

Announced in the last week of Term 4, 2018:

• Virginia Cuppaidge Scholarship – Alice Battcock (Year 12, 2018)
• Ruby Mowle Scholarship – Sarah Jancewicz (Year 11)
• Roma Dix Scholarship – Elvira Berzins (Year 12)
   
• Eleanor Swan (Year 10), one of 25 participants aged 14-18 years, selected to attend the National Invention Convention at Questacon in Canberra, over the recent vacation;
   
• Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award recipients:
  Bronze: Year 11 - Dimity Crowe, Annalena Turnbull; Year 10 - Erin Alcorn, Adelaide Alker, Elke Arnott, Alexandra Barton, Alexandra Bolger, Coco Bradley, Sarah Brown, Amelia Byrne, Ella Clark, Harriet Collins, Alexandra Crawford, Sachi Darling, Meg Fairrie, Eliza Friend, Sarah Glanville, Jessica Greig, Amelia Guilfoyle, Ruby Halloran, Laura Harper, Emilie Hassall, India Hicks, Georgia Hill, Ella Hopperton, Emma Jancewicz, Mollie Laird, Grace Lewis, Grace Mackenzie, Harriet Mackie, Ivy McGufficke, Willa Mitchell, Madeleine Mulligan, Lilith Parker, Sophie Perkins, Sophia Pernice, Isabelle Promnitz, Anna Rickwood, Georgia Shakeshaft, Taylah Stoney, Jemima Storch, Eleanor Swan, Lara Tait, Amy Thompson, Olivia Turner, Skye Vander Straaten, Brigitte Watkin.
  Silver: Year 12 - Maggie McKittrick, Sophie McLean, Sophie Sheehan, Amelia Thomson; Year 11 - Frances Alldis, Harriette Beedle, Cordelia Bell, Annika Blackman, Millicent Bolger, Emily Conradt, Alexandra Cunningham, Annabella Damiani, Charlotte Dulhunty, Sybella Harris, Olivia Hamilton, Chanel Huang, Daisy Latimer, Olivia MacDiarmid, Sarah Manwaring, Mairi Menzies, Gabrielle Metua, Elizabeth Mitchell, Rebecca Muller, Clementine Paradice;
   
• UOW STEM Camp (January 2019) selected participants: Ruby D’Rozario, Natasha Long, Caitlin Quinn (Year 10);
   
• Sophie Hatch (Year 11), selected in the Australian Junior Showjumping team for the Aquis Champions Tour to be held in Queensland in the first week of May;
   
• Sebastian Atra (Year 4) Welsh Alpine Championships Gold Medal U10 Male Giant Slalom and Silver medal U10 Male Slalom.
   
• Frensham Year 9, 2018 for their outstanding results in the internationally recognised Cambridge International Global Perspectives Course, with 30% of Frensham students gaining the highest result (A*) – compared to 10% internationally - and another 32% gaining an A result (compared to 20% of A results internationally).

Staffing update – staff welcomed in January

• In the new position of Director of Languages (Preschool to Year 12): Mrs Kerry Lennon BA (USYD), Grad Dip Ed (UWA) - teacher of our 2018 HSC French Extension class (from her Sydney Grammar position as Subject Master - Modern Languages).
   
• Gib Gate:
  Miss Stefanie Klauer B Ed (UC), Dip Early Childhood Services (CIT) – Year 1 Teacher
  Miss Jacqueline Pawl B Teach (Primary), BA (UON) – Year 2 Teacher
   
• Frensham:
  Mr John Day B Sc (USYD), Dip Ed (UWS) – Senior Teacher (Mathematics), House Staff
  Mr Andrew McMillan B Sc (UC, NZ), Grad Dip Teaching/Learning, (CE, NZ) – Design and Technology
  Miss Harriet Hooke B A (Lang Hons, French) (USYD), M Teach (Secondary) (UNE) – Languages
  Mr Matthew Griffiths B Sc (UOW), M Teach (UOW) – Science
  Miss Karin Klaver* B English Ed (NHL Uni, The Netherlands) – House Staff (*Term 1 Exchange)
   
• Sturt:
  Mr Ian Bromley Assoc Dip Elec Engineering (TAFE) – Coordinator, School for Wood
   
• Frensham Schools:
  Ms Jackie Dalton B Ed (USYD), WWS Foundation  –  Director of Philanthropy
  Mrs Virginia Kidd Paediatric Intensive Care PG Cert (NSW College of Nursing), Midwifery PG Cert (Westmead Hospital), General Nursing Cert (Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children) – Head of Health Centre
  Mrs Heidi Wilson Cert Registration – Real Estate, Cert Childcare Studies (TAFE) – Administration Assistant
   
• Promotional positions and new positions for current staff:
  Miss May Wong – Head of Innovation (Mathematics and International Partnerships)
  Miss Emily Sinden – Year 11 Coordinator
  Mrs Jane Crellen – Head of Activities
  Ms Lee McGuinness – Year 12 Coordinator (with Mrs Ros Buick)

Ms Julie Gillick
Head of Frensham
Head of Frensham Schools

Read full report from Frensham Faculties

Download the document below:

Frensham Faculty News - Term 1 No 5

Old Girls return to Frensham - 100 Years On

One hundred years ago this year, the inaugural meeting of the Frensham Fellowship of Old Girls was held with members encouraged ‘…to put their time and abilities to good use, to study and keep abreast of world affairs and to keep in touch with the School’. This call to action for Fellowship encouraged members to carry out into the world the ideal of love and service expressed in Frensham’s motto, In Love, Serve One Another.

On the weekend of 6 and 7 April, the Frensham Schools community will celebrate this milestone with a Back to Frensham Weekend including a Cocktail Party, Service & Celebration, tours of Frensham and Morning Tea in the newly renovated Dining Room.

A highlight of the weekend will be the viewing of a new installation honouring Australian pictorial photographer, Harold Cazneaux, who in 1934 was commissioned by the School’s first Headmistress, Miss Winifred West, to photograph Frensham. Cazneaux’s photographs are hung in galleries around the country including the Art Gallery of NSW, with The National Library of Australia home of the principal archive of his prints and negatives. A sandstone and bronze installation - a gift from Frensham to Fellowship’s past, present and future members - will pay tribute to Cazneaux.

From Cazneaux’s photography of the School, a book of 100 photographs titled The Frensham Book was published, and in a nod to the book, Frensham has created a photo collage of its own called Centenary Collection: Frensham 1913-2013, Frensham Fellowship 1919-2019.  This inspiring pictorial display is hung in the School’s Cooper Hall for Back to Frensham Weekend visitors to view and for current students and staff to enjoy.

Former Chair of Governors, Ms Gabrielle Curtin, said during Frensham’s Centenary in 2013: ‘We know very few organisations survive for 100 years. The research shows that the ones which do survive stay steadfast to their values whilst adapting strategically to new challenges and opportunities. Our values must be our moral compass, our guiding light, our rock. While acknowledging our history, our raison d'être is to build on this history whilst looking to the future and developing a contemporary education in the broadest sense of the word.’

The Back to Frensham weekend celebrates and acknowledges the School’s rich history and community – a history that informs the School’s future as an outward-looking and forward-thinking boarding and day school for girls.

A new partnership between the School of Education at University of Wollongong (UOW) and Frensham sees UOW teaching students coaching at Frensham and Frensham students accessing STEM resources at UOW. The partnership was initiated and developed by Frensham’s Deputy Head, Mr Marsh, and Director of Special Projects, Mrs Rowan.

The programme involves UOW PDHPE and Mathematics teaching students coaching Sport and Mathematics at Frensham. Conversely, Frensham students will access programmes at UOW’s Science Space and the expertise of the University’s Coding coaches and Extension Science mentors.

Ms Gillick notes about the partnership with University of Wollongong: “Frensham is a school committed to supporting and mentoring future teachers and the partnership with the University will build on that priority. In addition, a large proportion of our students study STEM subjects, so high-level mentoring from UOW in the area of Coding and Science will be of immense benefit to the students’ understanding of the subjects.”

Read full report from Frensham Faculties

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Frensham Faculty News - Term 1 No 4

Read full report from Frensham Faculties

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Frensham Faculty News - Term 1 No 3

Our Gold D of E girls on the Overland Track.

Over the summer vacation, many girls participating in Duke of Edinburgh adventurous journeys at both the Gold and Bronze award levels. Students canoed through the Morton National Park, walked the Overland Track in Tasmania, the Royal National Park and the Colo River area.

We also had girls completing their Residential Projects as part of their Gold Award, requiring them to participate or lead an activity such as horse camps, working with underprivileged children, sport camps and being guides at summer camps, to name just a few.

This year, we have a remarkable number of students registered in the Award with 68 girls in the Bronze Award, 71 in the Silver Award and 52 in the Gold Award.

Throughout Outdoor Education Week, girls from Years 7-10 will be camping — some for the first time. For those girls currently working towards their Bronze or Silver Awards, Outdoor Education Week will count towards the Award as their practice adventurous journey. Girls will learn from the guides and demonstrate the ability to work with groups and upskill their camping, navigating and teamwork. There will be other camps organised throughout the year for all Award levels.

Designed to foster personal achievement, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is undertaken from Year 9. The Award is a programme of cultural, practical and adventurous activities covering four different areas: Service, Expeditions, Skills and Physical Recreation. Through participation in Frensham’s Jamieson Programme, students also gain approval to complete Service and Skills components of the D of E programme.

Read full text from all faculties this week:

Faculty News Term 1 No 3 | PDF

In preparing Frensham girls for essential competency as global citizens in a 21st Century context, we know that ‘Learning to thrive in a transforming world...is not just about lists of what students need to learn...it is about learning to live in new and better ways to take charge of their future, to shape it and deal with its challenges.’

Our efforts to inspire innovation at Frensham are intentional and whilst we take a research-based approach to decision-making around learning and teaching, we are also unafraid to trial ideas from around the world based on our collective, professional wisdom – assessing and benchmarking our progress against world standards.

This year, we are excited to offer our Year 9 and 10 students a course we are calling the Creatable Project. It is a STEM-focused learning experience where students build their own product from start to finish – from ideation, to pitching, to rapid prototyping, to commercialisation. Through design-thinking and creative problem-solving, girls will build personal interest in the innovation process, putting technology in context. A real-world, enterprise project in which girls take an industry-focused outlook in their studies, it is also cross-curricular, encompassing disciplines such as Science, Design and Technology, Business, and English.

Recently, a parent wrote to the School and noted, ‘My daughter is doing the Creatable Project and is absolutely rapt about it. I've been delivering workshops where we are talking about strategic planning, ideation, fail fast etc. and these girls are going to be so far in front of the I'm working with; such a great head start for life.’

In the age of automation the future is creative. Young people want to learn relevant skills for relevant workplaces… but the pace of change is rapid. The Creatable Project will facilitate our students’ industry preparedness by connecting them with innovative brands through an engaging learning experience.

Advantaged by our independence, we continue to explore and expand our curriculum options. With projects like Creatable – and in combination with other offerings such as iSTEM, – we can provide our girls with 21st Century skills for 21st Century workplaces, as well as bridging the education/industry divide. By creating a learning environment for students to express their creativity and ultimately find their creative voice, we are equipping them with hard and soft, real-world tools for the ever-changing, creativity-focused future.

Read full text from all faculties this week:

Faculty News Term 1 No 2 | PDF

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Frensham Faculty News - Term 1 No 2

Frensham students excel in internationally recognised course

Frensham students have achieved a remarkable number of top results – A* and A – in the Cambridge International Global Perspectives course, with Georgia Shakeshaft topping the School’s results with a score of 183 out of 200.

Overall, Frensham Year 9, 2018 students received outstanding results in the internationally recognised course, with 30% of Frensham students gaining the highest result (A*) – compared to 10% internationally - and another 32% gaining an A result (compared to 20% of A results internationally).

Head of Frensham, Julie Gillick, noted, “Our involvement in Cambridge International courses allows us to analyse student achievement in courses studied in up to 10,000 schools in 160 countries. It is exciting to know that, through Cambridge, our students are connected to an international network that comprises almost one million learners.”

Equally important is the fact that our teachers enjoy the challenge to interpret new curriculum requirements and to harness their academic capacity and passion to inspire critical thinking and high level academic writing, in middle high school students.

We congratulate the girls and the team of staff involved in teaching the course, led by Head of our Jamieson Programme, Ms Merrilee Harris.

Run by Cambridge University in Great Britain, Cambridge Global Perspectives is a ground-breaking course that stretches across traditional subject boundaries and develops transferable skills, with an emphasis on developing the ability to think critically about a range of global issues - where there is always more than one point of view. Frensham offers the course to Year 9 students as part of our unique Jamieson Programme. Meeting government ministers, organising a local river clean-up project and writing to the United Nations about climate change, are just some of the activities learners pursue through the course. Speaking about the importance of the Cambridge International Global Perspectives course to Frensham, Deputy Head, Geoff Marsh, noted recently, “Frensham is a global school and the course strengthens our international links as girls collaborate with other students from around the world. If we want our students to make a difference well beyond School, they have to understand the complex nature of issues from a local, national and global perspective.

Read full text from all faculties this week: Faculty News Term 1 No 1 | PDF

Read full report from Frensham Faculties

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Frensham Faculty News - Term 1 No 1

Holt Farm welcomes new residents

Research proves that students learn more deeply and perform better on complex tasks if they have the opportunity to engage in more authentic learning such as projects and activities that require them to employ subject knowledge to solve real-world problems*

Authentic, real-world inquiry learning is a core aspect of the Gib Gate curriculum. A project that will involve the whole school this year is currently being led by Year 5 students, supported by Gib Gate Preschool students.

Designated as a Land for Wildlife Site by Wingecarribee Council in 2018, the woodland area in the Gib Gate grounds adjacent to the Preschool has been deemed an important wildlife corridor. Year 5 students are working closely with the Council and local experts on the regeneration of local flora and fauna suited to this habitat.

Working in teams as Botanists, Pedologists and Landscape Architects, Year 5 students are researching and identifying invasive and native flora, conducting experiments to test the effect of light and soil types on native plant regeneration and designing a 3D Nature Corridor based on the Gib Gate Land for Wildlife site.

Inviting Preschool students to collaborate with them, Year 5 welcomed the students to their classroom last week to share the data Preschool had collected and analysed regarding bird life in the Land for Wildlife area.

Using binoculars and the power of close observation, Preschool students tallied the types of native birds they spotted in the paddock area during their daily walks. Identifying Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Magpies, Rosellas, Lorikeets, Noisy Miners, Kookaburras and Crested Pigeons, Preschool students concluded that Noisy Miners far outnumbered other native birds at Gib Gate. Sharing their data with Year 5, questions were posed such as: ‘Why are there more Noisy Miners than any other type of bird?’ and ‘How do we encourage other native birds into the Nature Corridor?’

We are looking forward to following up with Year 5, and to the whole school becoming involved in the Land for Wildlife Inquiry Learning project in coming weeks.

*The Power of Inquiry, Kath Murdoch

Ms Sally Robson, Head of Gib Gate

Studies

New for 2019 – additions to our Standardised Assessment Programme at Gib Gate

In Teaching and Learning, as part of Frensham Schools Strategic Priorities 2018-2022, we are continuously seeking to improve and extend our assessment and benchmarking using a research-based, robust set of tools to provide data across multiple subjects and years, enabling us to study individual, class and cohort levels of achievement and growth. This approach to data analysis ensures excellence in teaching practice and enhances creative pathways for learning that increase personalisation and flexibility for all students so they can achieve their personal best.

In 2019, we will be utilising the newly developed UNSW Global Assessment programme – REACH. The REACH Assessment tools provide us with an annual, independent and objective benchmark of student progress to support our teacher professional judgement, class-based tasks and formal school-based assessment programme and inform future curriculum planning and programming.

The REACH assessments are based on the Australian curriculum for the relevant year, are suitable for use across all ability levels and are administered in comfortable, timed conditions for all students. Items range from recall and routine application of knowledge and skills, through to more demanding questions that provide additional challenge for high-ability students.

In 2019, students in Years 2-6 will undertake the following assessments delivered online: Digital Technologies, Science, English and Mathematics. For Writing, students in Years 3 and 4 will complete the test on paper while students in Years 4 to 6 will complete the test online. The Writing Test is not available for Year 2. Testing will take place between May and August.

We have always provided our students with the opportunity to challenge themselves using UNSW Global ICAS Competition papers and we will continue to use this tool in addition to REACH.

ICAS has been redesigned for 2019 and beyond and is aimed at recognising academic excellence for high-potential students, emphasising challenge and extension in tightly timed conditions. The ICAS Competition online papers in 2019 will be offered to those students who reach the top 10% of the cohort in each year from Years 2-6 allowing them to apply their learning and challenge themselves at ‘competition level’ in each of the disciplines above. The 2019 ICAS Assessments require students to think beyond the classroom and provide us with data that acknowledges their performance achievement at the highest level.

Please refer to the UNSW Global website for further information:

https://www.unswglobal.unsw.edu.au/educational-assessments/services/

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

Enrichment / Activities

Japanese Incursion
Students in Year 3-6 participated in a Japanese Rakago performance incursion last week. This high-energy performance was inspiring, as students have been working on their Japanese speaking and writing recently, setting themselves personal goals.

Opera
Opera Australia brought their newly devised Opera, In the Light of the Moon, to Gib Gate this week. This Opera was based on the Owl and the Pussy Cat poem. Our students are fortunate to experience high-calibre musicians and performances annually through Opera Australia’s Touring Schools programme.

Extracurricular
Extracurricular enrolment forms are published on SchoolBox. Please return forms before the end of term to ensure your child’s place in Term 2 activities.

Mrs Anne Graham, Gib Gate Coordinator (Administration)

Sport

Swimming
Congratulations go to all the children who swam at the SHIPS and IPSHA Swimming Carnivals over to past two weeks.  Gib Gate results were highlighted by a large number of personal best times. Particularly pleasing is the noticeable overall improvement in times from previous years, with many of our senior students swimming low 30-second times for the 50 metre freestyle.

Kindergarten to Year 2 also enjoyed their Fun Swimming Carnival at The Centenary Pool last week. There was noticeable development in the children’s swimming skills, due in large part due to the Swimming Development programme being run for Sport each Thursday of this term.

Summer Sports
The summer sports Cricket, Basketball and Water Polo wind up over the coming weeks. We congratulate all players and coaches for the time and effort put into training and playing over the long summer season.

Interschools Equestrian Championships
Congratulations to Sophie Baldwin (Year 6) 3^rd place overall in the 80cm and 6^th place overall in the 90cm Show Jumping, Piper Berkelouw (Year 5) 4^th overall in the 80cm Combined Training  and  Annika Basson (Year 4)  9^th overall in the 45cm Primary Combined Training who competed at the NSW Interschools Equestrian Championships last week. Sophie will now represent NSW in the Australian Interschools Equestrian Championships in September.

Interschools Regional Snowsports
Families who have expressed interest in competing in this year’s Interschools Snowsports competition are reminded that selection of events is now due. Please send selections to the Gib Gate office.

Mr Michael Standen (Coordinator PE and Sport Gib Gate)

Preschool

Teamwork - Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. Helen Keller

Teamwork and learning collaboratively across different grades is something Gib Gate prides itself on. As described in Ms Robson’s message, recently, the youngest Gib Gate students answered a request from Year 5 for assistance in finding out what kind of birds visited the bushland at Gib Gate. Pictures and names of birds the Preschoolers are familiar with were listed and when they recognised a bird, a tally mark was made on that page. The students saw Kookaburras, Rosellas, Lorikeets, Noisy Miners, Crested Pigeons, Magpies and Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. They decided evidence was also required, so feathers and photos were collected and shared with Year 5. The Preschoolers noted that more birds were seen on a rainy day than on sunny days. Leo Berkelouw thought it might be because the birds were happy with the rain, and after adding up the tally marks, students concluded that Noisy Miner birds outnumbered all other birds. 

In turn, Year 5 students shared how they had been researching flora and fauna in the bushland area. They had taken on the roles of zoologists and landscape architects. Items of flora were viewed under a microscope, plants in pots were displayed and work on computers was shared with the Preschool students. Ms Robson set a challenge to Year 5 to find out why there were so many more Noisy Miner birds than other types of birds at Gib Gate. Preschool students look forward to working further with Year 5 on the Land for Wildlife project.

Mrs Tinna Loker, Preschool Coordinator

Beyond Blue’s Healthy Families states that building a child’s resilience ‘is everyone’s business’, and the old adage, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’, is even more applicable in today’s society. Resilience is important for the development of children’s mental health, and families, the school and our community need to work together to ensure children develop the ability to cope with challenges they encounter in childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. Establishing boundaries at school and at home creates healthy environments for children where they are protected from harm whilst developing independent skills. At the parent session with Cyber Safety expert, Susan McLean, last week, we were again reminded of the importance of saying ‘No’. Please see a full report of the Parent Session, prepared by Mr Greg Hannah, which includes important recommendations and advice regarding setting boundaries around the use of technology.

Read Ms Gillick's article: Three Reasons to say No or Not Yet in the 2018 Newsletter Term 1 No 3 – click here and select 2018 archive.

Ms Sally Robson, Head of Gib Gate

Studies

Curriculum Highlights: What we are learning about, and from, History

The History K–6 Syllabus provides opportunities for students to learn about major concepts that will be explored in a sequential way from Kindergarten to Year 6, and continues through Years 7 to 10 in secondary school. History is a disciplined process of inquiry into the past that helps to explain how people, events and forces have shaped our world. It allows students to locate and understand themselves and others in the continuum of human experience up to the present day. History provides opportunities for students to explore human actions and achievements in a range of historical contexts. They become aware that history is all around us and that historical information may be drawn from the physical remains of the past as well as written, visual and oral sources of evidence.

History is much more than the simple presentation of facts and dates from the past. This KLA (Key Learning Area) provides the skills for students to answer the question ‘How do we know?’ An investigation of an historical issue through a range of sources can stimulate curiosity and develop problem-solving, research and critical thinking skills. It develops language specific to the discipline of History and provides opportunities to develop literacy skills. Students learn to critically analyse and interpret sources of evidence in order to construct reasoned explanations and a rational and informed argument based on evidence, drawn from the remains of the past. Students engage in research involving traditional methods and ICT (Information & Communications Technology), including evaluating web-based sources and using a range of technologies for historical research and communication.

In Term 1 the following units have begun:

Kindergarten begins its first History Unit, Personal and Family Histories, at the beginning of Term 2 which provides them with the opportunity to learn about their own history and that of their family. The inquiry includes stories from a range of cultures and other parts of the world. As participants in their own history, students build on their knowledge and understanding of how the past is different from the present and that some things change over time while others remain the same.

Past and Present Family Life provides the opportunity for Year 1 students to learn about similarities and differences in family life by comparing the present with the past. They then begin to explore the links and the changes that occur over time.

For Year 2, The Past in The Present unit mandates a study of a significant building or site in the local community and what it reveals about the past. Gib Gate will form the case study for Year 2 students and they will develop their own inquiry questions about how Gib Gate has changed over time and how it has remained the same. Students will develop their historical communication skills through sharing their findings with others in our community using a range of forms including digital technologies. A highlight of their inquiry was a visit from Mrs Ros Buick (Director of Events and Planning, Teacher of History and Frensham Studies at Frensham and past teacher and Head of Gib Gate) in Week 4. Mrs Buick told the children many stories from the past and explained the significance of a variety of ‘special places’ and historical artefacts found around Gib Gate.

Year 3 students are exploring how Celebrations and Commemorations contribute to personal and national identities in Australia and around the world, and how national celebrations and commemorations are underpinned by values and beliefs. They are developing their understanding about how significant individuals, groups and events have contributed to changes in the community over time.

Year 4 students have begun their unit entitled First Contacts. They will develop an understanding of the traditional Aboriginal way of life and seek to understand how it functioned and endured for 50,000 years prior to European settlement. Following this, students will identify the journeys and activities of early European explorers and the reasons that drove their search for the ‘Great Southern Continent’. Working as historians, they will be guided to conduct historical inquiries where they will pose questions and document research using both primary and secondary sources of information. Students will create and use timelines to sequence key historical events and compose detailed written responses. 

For Year 5, The Good Old Australian Colonial Days of the 19^th Century? provides a study of colonial Australia in the 1800s. They are identifying factors which contributed towards groups of people moving to Australia and will collect and study data about significant events and people, political and economic developments, social structures and settlement patterns. This unit helps students to develop understandings of when, why and how the Australian colonies developed to make Australia the diverse country it is today.

Year 6 are studying Geography in Term 1, to integrate with their Science unit, before moving to History in Term 2. The Geography content learning involves the study of the people and places of the Lake Eyre Basin, and makes global connections and comparisons with this unique Australian location and the entire Mekong River system in Asia. The content learning moves to History in Term 2 and the inquiry, Australia as a Nation, which focuses on the development of Australia as a nation, particularly after 1901. Students explore the factors that led to Federation and experiences of democracy and citizenship over time. They develop their understanding of the significance of Australia’s British heritage, the Westminster system and other models that influenced the development of Australia’s system of government. In addition, they will learn about the way of life of people who migrated to Australia and their contributions to Australia’s economic and social development.

Inquiries into the units outlined above will deepen throughout Semester 1, incorporating specific investigations of historical issues to stimulate students' curiosity. Excursions and guest speakers are planned for each inquiry to support, enrich and deepen children’s skills, knowledge and understanding.

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

On Wednesday 27 February, Gib Gate parents and teachers were invited to attend a highly informative presentation delivered by Susan McLean, Australia’s foremost expert in cyber safety for young people. Well-grounded in casework and current research, McLean delivered facts and practical advice emphatically, beginning with a challenge to ‘be a parent and be strong – you’re not your child’s friend.’  While many primary school-aged children have high levels of technical savvy, they lack the life experience, maturity and sense of discernment that adults possess. This situation makes children vulnerable to predators. As parents, we mustn’t fall into the trap of believing that children who know their way around interactive games, or the myriad features of social media platforms, are also equipped to make wise decisions, particularly in the face of manipulation by a clever and calculating older person. We were reminded that in Australia, the minimum age for most social media services and apps is 13 years. Therefore, parents should not allow their primary school-aged children to have their own social media accounts.

Acknowledging that some parents choose to allow their children to have their own devices, particularly to enable communication with family members, McLean emphasised the importance of appropriate adult supervision and the need to establish rules about the amount of time children are allowed on their devices. Her top tips were:

• Get devices out of bedrooms
• Have a family online contract
• Know your child’s passwords/passcodes
• Talk early – talk often
• Use filtering
• Learn to say NO (even if other parents say yes)
• Learn about the sites and apps that children use
• Use all security settings
• Only add people that your child knows (IRC - Internet Relay Chat)
• Know where your child is online

When it comes to the most popular devices in the Australian market, parental controls are inbuilt and can be used to help keep children safe. On Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, Family Sharing should be activated in your Apple account and your child’s device needs to have been set up using an ‘Apple ID for a Child’. This enables you to use your device to set restrictions on your child’s device such as:

• Sharing GPS location with the parent
• Setting downtime (disable the device at certain times of the day/night)
• Setting time limits for individual apps e.g. games
• Setting content and privacy restrictions e.g. disallow access to App Store purchases, disallow access to inappropriate websites and restrict location sharing with apps
• View reports on the amount of time your child spends using apps or games

On Apple devices running iOS 12 or later, parental controls are located in Settings > Screen Time. An important tip is to create a unique Screen Time password so that you alone have control over these settings on your child’s device.

Mr Greg Hannah (Teacher, Academic Coaching and Personalised Learning)

Enrichment / Activities

Outdoor Education
The Years 5 and 6 Camp will be held from Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 March. Information is available on Schoolbox and students will be briefed at school. Parents are invited to an Information evening which will be led by OEG staff on Monday 11 March at 6.00pm. More information regarding the programme is available on the OEG website at https://www.oeg.edu.au or contact an OEG representative through the school. To Login: Username = Gib Gate Password = GibGateOutdoors. Please note that it is not necessary to complete the medical forms as OEG already have your child’s medical information.

Students in Years 3 and 4 had their Outdoor Adventure Days recently and enjoyed the Challenge by Choice of abseiling and mountain biking activities as well as making their own lunch on the day.

URStrong
Kindergarten to Year 6 students participated in URStrong sessions last week at Gib Gate. This is an internationally-recognised, social and emotional wellbeing programme which explicitly teaches children how to develop healthy friendships and manage conflict in a positive way using specific friendship skills. Gib Gate students enjoyed participating in the sessions with Dana Kerford, the Programme’s founder.

Opera Australia
Opera Australia is visiting Gib Gate on Wednesday 20 March to present a performance of By the Light of the Moon. Based on the rhyme  The Owl and the Pussycat, this Opera has been specifically devised for Primary Schools and all Gib Gate students will attend the performance at School.

Mrs Anne Graham, Gib Gate Coordinator (Administration)

Sport

Swimming
The Gib Gate swimming season culminated this week with the IPSHA Carnival that was held at Homebush on Tuesday. The Gib Gate swimmers also had a successful meet at the SHIPS Carnival held at Bowral Pool last Thursday, taking out many of the top places across the Carnival. Performances of note came from Oliver Linde (Year 6), York Doyle (Year 5) and Amelia Blackshaw (Year 4) who all dominated in their respective age groups.

Equestrian
The NSW Interschools Equestrian event will be held over next week at the Horsley Park International Equestrian Centre and we wish the following Gib Gate riders every success: Sophie Baldwin (Year 6), Piper Berkelouw (Year 5), Annika Basson (Year 4).

Water Polo
Congratulations to the following students who have been selected in the Southern Highlands Water Polo U12 team to compete at the NSW Country Water Polo Championships in Orange in late March: Luca de Manincor (Year 7), Sophie Alexander, Tempe Arnott, Isabella Atra, Isabella Barber, Isabella Carpenter, Oliver Linde, Arabella Whitehead (Year 6). 

Mr Michael Standen (Coordinator PE and Sport Gib Gate)

Preschool

Sport in Preschool
Our youngest Gib Gate students are fortunate to participate in an extensive sports programme. Students take part in sports lessons with Mr Standen, Little Kickers Soccer skills, Cricket, as well as everyday challenges in the Preschool. With Sport, there are calculated risks of which the children are made aware. They learn how to make decisions to keep themselves safe yet also challenge their bodies and minds. These skills help prepare students for challenges in the classroom and for life now and into the future.

With the support of Mr Standen, a number of students are ready to jump off a log in the School playground and somersault in the air. The thrill is evident and the students who are ready know they are supported in every way… so they embrace the challenge. Students all participate in relay races, ball throwing through hoops or a game of cricket, giving each activity their best effort.  

Little Kickers is a popular session each Thursday with their coach, Mr Vella, who makes the lessons fun while working on ball skills. This week, the students were invited to dinosaur land and they needed to use their ball skills to save the dinosaur eggs, get away from the dinosaur or hit the dinosaur with the super protector ball. The students were taught various skills including how to use their foot to control the ball, moving the ball forward using the side of their foot, and working on balance by placing a foot on the ball and then pushing forward to move it without kicking the ball.

The Preschool teachers are conscious that participating in a variety of sport programmes not only supports social development, it also improves health, promotes self-esteem, builds familiarity with sports and athletics, and is a lot of fun.

Mrs Tinna Loker, Preschool Coordinator

In this fortnight’s Frensham Schools Newsletter, Ms Kate Chauncy, P-12 Director of Teaching and Learning, has provided parents with an overview of Gib Gate’s high-quality Literature programme, explaining why quality literature is core to the Gib Gate Experience and how our specialist children’s Library is at the centre of our School and curriculum.

Catching up with holiday reading over the break reinforced for me just how critical it is for adults to model good reading practices and encourage students’ daily reading of good quality literature, especially given the increasingly online nature of our lives.

In the ‘Quarterly Essay, Net Loss – The Inner Life in the Digital Age’, author Sebastian Smee commented in a way that particularly resonated, noting that, ‘in our constant recourse to devices…it gets harder to be alone with ourselves or to pick up a book; harder still to stay with it.’ Looking at my tower of ‘must read books’ I was ashamed to admit to myself how my time spent reading quality literature had diminished, replaced by shallow, less challenging, far less character building ‘online time’.

Determined to change this habit, I switched off my phone and laptop, relegated these devices to another room and ploughed my way through books I had been so excited about reading but somehow never had the time to get to. What did I learn? I learnt about the world, about relationships, cultures, history, attitudes, perspectives, nature, art, humour, empathy, fear, loss, gratitude and grief, joy, wonder, adventure, words and language, how to think and question, the writer’s craft and probably, most importantly, I learnt more about myself.

I know parents share our concerns about the impact on children growing up in a seemingly all-encompassing online world. How best to help children find the balance needed when we ourselves can find it so difficult to achieve this? Finding time to read, to model good reading, to actively encourage good reading habits in our students and children is a simple but powerful way we can do this.

Ms Sally Robson, Head of Gib Gate

The Importance of Reading…Time…

From children’s author Katherine Patterson:  ‘It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations—something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.’

At Gib Gate a major goal is to develop in children a love of literature in all its forms and to continually encourage them to be lifelong readers. We do this through carefully considering the types of texts we choose to read with the students from Preschool to Year 6 ensuring that, by the end of their time with us, they have enjoyed a plethora of books we believe they ‘should not leave childhood without having read’. In each classroom, every day and in each weekly literature session in our library students learn to express themselves and respond to a variety of texts through discussion and formal and informal written response.

All family members -- parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters – play a significant and vitally important role in shaping our children into lifelong readers. Through modelling a love of reading as a worthwhile and enjoyable activity, and by ensuring time is spent reading daily, parents have the opportunity to be the best reading teachers in the world. Parental involvement is key to a child learning to read, to use language and to develop a love of reading – thereby enriching their lives.

Reading aloud to children is the single most important means of building the skills and knowledge necessary for children to successfully learn to read when they begin school, and to continue reading as they progress through primary and secondary school. Children who are good readers are usually successful learners. By setting time aside each day to turn off the TV, phones and electronic devices and to read aloud to children, we share the words and pictures, the ideas and viewpoints, the rhythms and rhymes, the pain and comfort, and the hopes, fears and big issues of life that we encounter together in the pages of a book. In this world of written information, of text and email, literacy is more important than it has ever been. We need to read and write, and we need global citizens who can read confidently, comprehend what they are reading, understand nuance, and make themselves understood.

Albert Einstein was asked once how we could make our children intelligent. His reply was both simple and wise: ‘If you want your children to be intelligent,’ he said, ‘read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.’

We look forward to sharing the quality literature – the books - your child will listen to, share and read daily in the classroom and as part of her homework programme in 2019. Our classrooms and our highly specialised children’s Library are treasure troves of books to enjoy.

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

Enrichment/Activities

Extra-Curricular activities commenced last week and there are places available in a limited number of classes. Please contact Mrs Graham if you would like your child enrolled. 

Hokuriku Gakuin Elementary School

Gib Gate students recommenced the Skype sessions with our sister school, Hokuriku Gakuin in Kanazawa, Japan. Mrs Gemell prepared the students to say hello and introduce themselves in Japanese. Kindergarten to Year 4 have all had a session of communicating with our sister school in the first weeks of the term.

Year 3 & 4 Outdoor Adventure Day

On Monday 25 February students in Year 3 and 4 will participate in their Outdoor Education Adventure day. Year 3 will abseil and bushwalk at Mount Alexander and Year 4 will mountain bike and engage in bush skills in Welby. Parents are reminded to refer to the information on Schoolbox regarding the start time and items to bring for this excursion.

Mrs Anne Graham, Gib Gate Coordinator (Administration)

Sport

Basketball
We congratulate the following students for being invited to trial for IPSHA Basketball representation last week: Tempe Arnott, Isabella Carpenter, Sophie Goodisson, Oliver Linde, Elizabeth Shadbolt, Arabella Whitehead (Year 6), Piper Berkelouw, York Doyle, Gretel Graham-Wansey (Year 5). Arabella was chosen in the final team of ten and she will now play for the IPSHA Basketball team at the CIS trials in Sydney this Friday.

Tennis
Sophie Goodisson (Year 6) is congratulated on her trial at the IPSHA Girls Tennis selections.

Snowsports
During the Summer holidays, Isabella Atra (Year 6) and Sebastian Atra (Year 4) were chosen to represent the Australian Winter Sports Club (EDEP) at the Welsh Alpine Championships in Champerey, Switzerland. Sebastian achieved outstanding results, winning the U10 GS and coming 2nd in the Under 10 Slalom. Isabella also achieved creditable results placing 15th in both of her U12 events.

Winter Sports
The Winter Sports Selection note was posted on Schoolbox last week. Students should nominate selections for their winter sports team. Hockey, Netball and Soccer are offered as Gib Gate winter team choices. Selections need to be finalised over the next two weeks so teams can be entered in the local competitions.

Mr Michael Standen (Co-ordinator PE and Sport Gib Gate)

Preschool

‘Play is the highest form of research’ Albert Einstein

Gib Gate’s Preschool students are keen explorers who eagerly head ‘Out the Gate’ to explore the Gib Gate forest, paddock and pine tree areas. Before each walk, Preschool students and staff run through a checklist of how to keep themselves safe while exploring. The list is extensive and includes sun protection, wearing boots as protection from insects, stick handling rules, precautions when turning over leaves on the ground, avoiding swooping birds, etc. Our students remember the safety precautions well and understand why we have them, often adding safety precautions of their own. One of the first points of call on our walk is to replenish the water supply we leave out for the animals that live around the School. We have noticed many parakeets, ducks and other birds drinking from the water pots which are visible through the Preschool fence.

On our walk last week, the students were quick to notice some sap on the bark of the trees, just out of our reach. One innovative thinker suggested we get a long stick to knock the sap off the tree. After some deliberation, discussion, trial and error, the students worked together to find sticks that were strong and long enough to reach the sap. After it was retrieved, they explored the texture and stickiness of the sap. The students were fascinated and huddled around, sharing their theories as to why the sap was sticky and how it got on the tree.

Exploring outdoor spaces generates natural discussion and contemplation on a level that promotes the sharing of theories and understanding. Through play, the students learn to be explorers and questioners of the world around them. 

Mrs Tinna Loker, Preschool Co-ordinator

Welcoming new students to the school at the start of Term 1, it was wonderful to see Gib Gate students excitedly greeting new and old classmates, and rewarding to watch Kindergarten 2019 start the school year so smoothly and confidently after participating in the 2018 Kindergarten Orientation Programme.

After an exciting start to the day, there was time to catch up with both new and old families at the Welcome Back Coffee Morning for parents in the Gib Gate Library, and it was lovely to see existing parents welcoming new families.

Working with senior colleagues, new staff and Gib Gate staff in the weeks leading up to the start of school, I am confident Gib Gate students will have a tremendous year guided by the expert teaching and learning team from Preschool to Year 6. The Gib Gate Preschool to Year 2 Early Years Curriculum is stronger than ever, with two experienced and expert educators, Ms Jacqueline Pawl and Ms Stefanie Klauer, joining the Gib Gate staff on Year 2 and Year 1.

Years 3 and 4 students are looking forward to the upcoming Outdoor Education programme where they will be learning to orienteer, cook outdoors, build an outdoor shelter, abseil and mountain bike. Year 5 is eagerly anticipating their first three-day Outdoor Education Camp and the Gib Gate Year 6 Leaders have already assumed their leadership responsibilities as Monitors and Kindergarten Buddies.

I am looking forward to welcoming parents to upcoming events such as the Families of Gib Gate (FOGG) Welcome Drinks, Parent Information morning and evenings, the Year 6 Monitors Presentation Assembly, Outdoor Education Camp briefings and the New Parent Welcome Dinner. All of these events are designed to assist you in finding out more about the School, your child’s class and how you can support your child at school.

Ms Sally Robson, Head of Gib Gate

New Science and Technology Syllabus for 2019

The new NESA Science & Technology Syllabus will be implemented K-6 from Term 1 2019. Science and Technology K-6 is an integrated discipline that fosters in students a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them and how it works, and encourages them to embrace new concepts and the unexpected and to learn through trialling, testing and refining ideas. The syllabus is designed to provide flexibility for teachers to develop teaching and learning programmes to meet the needs of our Gib Gate students who continue to display highly-developed skills and knowledge in this exciting Key Learning Area.

The syllabus now consists of five ‘strands’. In Living World students learn about living things, the needs of living things and where food comes from. In Material World students explore the characteristics and properties of materials and substances. In Physical World students explore forces, energy and how the physical characteristics of objects affect movement. In Earth and Space they learn about the Earth’s place in the universe and about caring for the Earth’s resources.

In Digital Technologies they investigate existing technologies and create digital solutions. In this particular strand, Gib Gate students have already begun their journey in learning about Digital Technologies - way ahead of their NSW peers - through their intensive Term 3 2018 programme on coding and algorithmic and computational thinking delivered by pedagogical specialist leaders in this field, ScopeIT Education, and we will continue to provide them with this exciting learning opportunity to develop and apply these 21^st century skills in Term 1 2019.

ScopeIT Education bring state-of-the-art equipment and expert technology educators to Gib Gate on Wednesday of each week, and each class is immersed in their new learning for one 40-minute lesson with instructors and their class teachers. This provides our students with the opportunity to learn new skills in a computer coding programme, taking their education in technology to the highest level by including: how the internet works; how to build basic apps, websites and other computer programs; safe use of the internet; logical thinking, problem solving techniques and creative design using technology; and 3D printing and robotics. The courses feature fun puzzles and interactive games so they can learn about the ‘engine’ that drives computers in a way that relates to what they already know about technology and their devices. Over time, students will be coding apps and printing 3D objects in class.

In Term 1 Kindergarten are participating in ‘Mouse Skills in 3D Design’; Year 1 ‘Coding for Kids 1’; Year 2 ‘Coding for Kids 2’; Years 3 and 4 ‘Young Coders 2’; and Years 5 and 6 move into more complex thinking through the ‘Intermediate Coding’ course. Teaching Kids to Code is about providing a fundamental set of skills and logical thought-process techniques. At Gib Gate we have chosen these specific differentiated courses not solely for the pursuit of ‘tech’ knowledge, but rather as a complementary set of skills to develop students’ thinking across all curriculum areas. Teaching students to code teaches a structured methodology of learning, logical thought process, problem solving and collaborative team work to name but a few skills. Often this is generalised as ‘algorithmic thinking’. We prefer the term ‘Teaching Kids to THINK … by Teaching Kids to Code’.

Students are spending increasing amounts of time on electronic devices but they are missing the underlying principles of how they work. Through learning computational thinking, design and reasoning we show them how to be creators, not just consumers of technology. Parents are invited to learn more about our learning providers at: https://www.scopeiteducation.edu.au

In addition, our students will develop an understanding of the five strands through two skill processes: Working Scientifically, and Design and Production. This enables them to answer questions and develop creative solutions to problems. The syllabus addresses important contemporary themes and general capabilities as students prepare to live and work successfully in the 21st century.

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

Enrichment/Activities

Music

Music lessons will recommence for continuing students next week (Week 3) and new students will commence lessons in Week 4. Places are available in all instruments if your child is interested in starting this year. Junior Singing sessions and Senior Choir have been held this week and Orchestra rehearsals will commence this week, Week 2, on Friday 8 February at 12.30pm.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Extra-Curricular activities commence in Week 3. There are places available in a number of classes. Please contact Mrs Graham if you would like to enrol your child.

Years 3 and 4 Outdoor Education Adventure Day

Year 3 and Year 4 will participate in an OEG Adventure Day on Monday 25 February. We are required to provide 2019 medical forms to OEG for the day. If you have not already done so, could you please assist by returning your child’s medical forms.

Mrs Anne Graham, Gib Gate Coordinator (Administration)

Sport

Summer Sports

The second half of the summer season is underway, with Basketball, Water Polo and U11 Cricket all starting back this week. Students and parents will shortly be asked to make their selection for winter sports, with these selections finalised by early March.

Swimming

The Swimming Development programme at The Centenary Pool for all classes from Kindergarten to Year 6 will resume in Week 2.

The Year 3 to Year 6 Gib Gate Swimming Carnival will be held at The Centenary Pool on Friday 15 February and all the children have been asked to nominate the events in which they wish to compete.

The SHIPS Carnival at Bowral PooI will take place on Thursday 28 February, while the IPSHA Carnival at Homebush will be held on Tuesday 5 March. Teams for these representative events will be selected following the Gib Gate Carnival. The Fun Aquatic Carnival for Kindergarten to Year 2 will be held on Thursday 14 March at The Centenary Pool. Parents are most welcome to come along and support at all these carnivals.

Squad and Swimming Development sessions for all levels are available at The Centenary Pool by contacting Ben Slade at the Pool on 4872 3672.

Swimming Race Development Clinics are held each Friday afternoon from 4:00pm at The Centenary Pool. This is open to any Gib Gate students wishing to develop skills in diving off blocks, timing and fitness.

Cross Country

The Gib Gate Cross Country Carnival will be held on Friday 22 March, with the SHIPS Carnival held at Gib Gate on Tuesday 26 March and the IPSHA Carnival at The Kings School Parramatta on Saturday 6 April. Cross Country training will begin in Week 5 this term on two mornings a week. Training is open to all children from Year 2 to Year 6.

Representative Trials

Term 1 is a busy time for selection trials for various representative sports. Over the coming weeks, several children from Year 5 and 6 will be invited to trial for IPSHA selection in a range of sports.

Mr Michael Standen (Co-ordinator PE and Sport Gib Gate)

Preschool

Show and Tell provides an opportunity to share personal items/home-grown produce and experiences with Preschool. Presenting is valued at Gib Gate as a powerful activity that fosters self-esteem and allows each child to become ‘an expert’, sharing their knowledge with their class. These informal interactions foster oral language by building vocabulary as well as self-expression. They are an activity that can be socially rewarding and academically advantageous for young children, while also solidifying the home-school connection. By encouraging the children to participate and speak in front of others, the student can be the centre of attention, and their classmates learn to respect each other’s turn to talk. Students have the opportunity to practice the skill of listening to and answering simple questions. This term commenced with many eager Gib Gate pupils eager to share experiences with their classmates.

For Show and Tell, Louis Vaile brought in a bowl of blackberries he had picked before school…and shared them with his peers. During the morning meeting, Louis told his classmates about the prickly parts of the bush around which you need to be careful and about how some of the berries are ‘squishy’ before you pick them. He decided blackberry pancakes should be made so a group of children measured flour, milk, and blackberries into a bowl before adding the mixture to the frypan to cook. The blackberry pancakes tasted delicious and were enjoyed by all.

Leo Berkelouw brought photos, cards and a badge from an aircraft museum in America that he had visited during the vacation. He shared information about the aircraft and explained that the planes landed in the water when the men fought during the war.

Samuel Robb discussed the postcards he sent to Preschool over the vacation. He explained how he posted them from a museum that had planes and trains. He shared with the class that he didn’t think people fought there but moved the trains with levers.

It was delightful to see the respect the children have as they listened and questioned our presenters.

Mrs Tinna Locker, Preschool Co-ordinator

ALUMNI 2 – new work by selected graduates from Sturt School for Wood 2006-2016 - Closes 7 April
Don’t miss out on this showcase from makers who graduated from the Sturt School for Wood in the period 2006 to 2016, a time when the School began to establish a national reputation for the quality of the makers it produced. You have until 7 April to view the stunning pieces.

Winter School is filling up!

Courses are filling fast for our next Winter School that will take place from the 8 to 12 July. This year we have 16 courses on offer for adults along with daily classes for children. Remember that we offer competitive accommodation and meal packages, making our Winter School a unique cultural experience. Courses and accommodation can be booked online at Sturt Winter School. 

A SPECIAL EVENT

Coinciding with Sturt’s exhibition, Punu, living wood features artists from Maruku Arts.
Sturt is holding a unique exhibition with Maruku Arts from the Northern Territory. This coincides with a short Artists Residency with senior indigenous artists, Billy and Lulu Cooley, which will incorporate various public demonstrations over the residency period.

Wednesday April 10 & Thursday 11 April
11:00am-12.30pm (both days); 1.45pm-3:00pm (both days)

In this interactive public demonstration, watch, learn and understand the processes involved in carving music sticks and Punu (traditional wood burning designs) led by Billy and Lulu Cooley. All are welcome and school groups encouraged.

Saturday 13 April
10.30am-11.30am: Gallery talk with Curator, Slavica Zivkovic, and Billy and Lulu Cooley.
11.30am-12.30pm: Interactive public demonstration featuring the processes involved in carving music sticks and Punu led by Billy and Lulu Cooley.

Sunday 14 April
11:00am-12:00noon: Exhibition opening with Terri Janke BA.LLB (UNSW), Solicitor Director of Terri Janke and Company
1:00pm-2.30pm: Interactive public demonstration

Propose an exhibition for 2020

Do you have a great idea for an exhibition that will appeal to a broad audience and generate income for artists? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Full details of how to submit an exhibition proposal can be found on the Sturt website. We will be planning our 2020 exhibition program in April so now is the time to submit your idea.

Short Courses 2019

Our Short Course program for 2019 is now online and available for booking. The first weekend of Short Courses will take place on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

Landscape Basketry with Lissa-Jane de Sailles
Level: All levels| Cost: $310 + materials TBA

Every basket tells a story: Take your weaving skills further. In this workshop you will learn how to weave beautiful patterns into your baskets using colourful twine and wool. We begin by learning the ancient art of twining and how to incorporate asymmetrical patterns into your work. Participants will be able to complete a small basket over the weekend as well as learn how to design a larger project which can be completed independently.

Origami Surface with Angharad Rixon
Level: All levels| Cost: $310 + materials TBA

In this course you will explore couture pleating, experimenting with traditional corrugated and flat pleats which can be used to create geometric surface patterns. Look at the process of design pleating and use this newly learned process to design and make a pleated tote bag in rip-stop nylon that will hold a pleat permanently. This workshop is suited to artists who are looking for techniques to take their 2D textiles into 3-dimensions.

For more information, or to sign up for Short Courses: Sturt Short Courses.

Our next exhibition…

Punu – living wood
4 April to 2 June

This new collaboration between Sturt and Maruku Arts will feature work by senior artists, Niningka Lewis, Billy Cooley and Lulu Cooley, and over 20 other artists including generations of the Cooley family: David Cooley, Sissy Cooley and Janey Cooley.

Maruku Arts support over 900 artists from the communities surrounding Uluru. Based in Mutitjulu Community, and in the shadow of Ayers Rock Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Maruku today is one of the largest and most successful Indigenous-owned and operated arts organisations. This exhibition is a celebration of punu - objects and paintings that incorporate timber.

Billy and Lulu Cooley will be in residency at Sturt for two weeks from 8 April and will give a series of free demonstrations and talks during this time.

In conjunction with this exhibition will be a display featuring work by local Indigenous artists, Peter Swain and The Yirran Miigaydhu Weavers.  

The Punu – living wood opening will take place on Sunday 14 April at 11:00am with the exhibition officially opened by special guest, Terri Janke, Solicitor Director of Terri Janke and Company.

Mark Viner, Head of Sturt

Full details of all Sturt courses, exhibitions, residency programs and events can be found on our website www.sturt.nsw.edu.au or to make a booking or enrolment call Sturt Shop on 02 4860 2083 or email shop@sturt.nsw.edu.au

A SPECIAL EVENT coinciding with Sturt’s exhibition, Punu, living wood, features artists from Maruku Arts

Sturt is holding a unique exhibition with Maruku Arts from the Northern Territory. This coincides with a short Artists Residency with senior indigenous artists from Marulu Arts, Billy and Lulu Cooley, which will incorporate various public demonstrations over the residency period.

Wednesday 10 April-Thursday 11 April, 11.00am-12.30pm and 1.45pm-3.00pm

In this interactive public demonstration, watch, learn and understand the processes involved in carving music sticks and Punu (traditional wood burning designs) led by senior indigenous artists, Billy and Lulu Cooley. All are welcome! 

Saturday 13 April

• 10.30am-11.30am: Gallery talk with Curator, Slavica Zivkovic, and artists, Billy and Lulu Cooley.
• 11.30-12.30pm: Interactive public demonstration featuring the processes involved in carving music sticks and Punu led by Billy and Lulu Cooley.

Sunday 14 April

• 11.00am-12.00pm: Exhibition opening with Terri Janke BA.LLB (UNSW), Solicitor Director of Terri Janke and Company.
• 1.00pm-2.30pm: Interactive public demonstration

Friends of Sturt volunteer call-out

Friends of Sturt are seeking a volunteer to assist for three hours on one Wednesday each month in the Archives building, to help sort and catalogue archive and collection material. If you are interested in lending your time, please call Denise Sumner on 02 4868 2425.

Propose an exhibition for 2020

Do you have a great idea for an exhibition that will appeal to broad audiences and generate income for artists? If so, we would love to hear from you. Full details of how to submit an exhibition proposal can be found on the Sturt website. The planning of the 2020 exhibition programme will commence in April. 

Short Courses 2019

Our Short Course programme for 2019 is now online and available for bookings. The first weekend of Short Courses will take place on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May from 9.30am until 4.30pm.

Landscape Basketry with Lissa-Jane de Sailles

Level: All levels | Cost: $310 + materials TBA

Every basket tells a story. Take your weaving skills further in this workshop where you will learn how to weave beautiful patterns into your baskets using colourful twine and wool. We begin by learning the ancient art of twining and how to incorporate asymmetrical patterns into your work. Participants will be able to complete a small basket over the weekend as well as learn how to design a larger project which can be completed independently.

In 2013 Shoalhaven-based fibre artist, Lissa de Sailles, won a local scholarship that enabled her to study with master basket maker, the late Jim Wallis. This style of basket was one of Jim’s signature works and as he wished for his work to be carried on after his death, he taught Lissa his repertoire over a period of four months. Since that time, Lissa has added her own touch to these beautiful and unique baskets which reflect the colours and patterns of the Australian landscape. 

Origami Surface with Angharad Rixon

Level: All levels | Cost: $310 + materials TBA

You will explore couture pleating, experimenting with traditional corrugated and flat pleats which can be used to create geometric surface patterns. We will look at the process of design pleating and use this newly learned process to design and make a pleated tote bag in rip-stop nylon. This workshop is suited to artists who are looking for techniques to take their 2D textiles into three dimensions.

Angharad Rixon is a technical textile historian specialising in lace and passementerie. Her studies in Italy, Switzerland and Spain have led to skills in a variety of off-loom techniques. Angharad lectures in Milan and Florence and consults for museums and universities around the world.

Winter School 2019

The Winter School programme is now open for online bookings and courses are beginning to fill. Winter School will take place from 8 to 12 July and there are 16 courses on offer for adults plus daily classes for children. A reminder that we offer competitive accommodation and meals packages, making our Winter School a unique cultural experience.

Our current exhibition…

ALUMNI 2 – new work by selected graduates from Sturt School for Wood 2006-2016 - Continues until 7 April

The Sturt School for Wood was established in 1985 as an intensive training place for aspiring fine furniture makers and designers. Over 30 years later the School has built a national and international reputation offering an unrivalled course taught by some of the best fine furniture makers and teachers working in Australia and overseas. 

In this follow-up exhibition to our first staged in 2017, we will showcase makers who graduated from Sturt in the period fro 2006 to 2016, a time when the School began to establish a national reputation for the quality of the makers it produced.

Artists include: Isabel Avendano, Chris Bartkus, Phoebe Everill, Ian Factor, Bailey Farmer, Ray Garnsey, Mark Gudgin, Steve Harper, Darryl Ingate, Christopher Neal, Darren Oates, Grant Robertson, Adrian Spano, Ruth Thompson, and Orest Danylak.

Our next exhibition…

Punu – living wood - 14 April to 2 June

This new collaboration between Sturt and Maruku Arts will feature work by senior artists, Niningka Lewis, Billy and Lulu Cooley and over 20 other artists including generations of the Cooley family — David Cooley, Sissy Cooley and Janey Cooley.

Maruku Arts support over 900 artists from the communities surrounding Uluru. Based in Mutitjulu Community, and in the shadow of Ayers Rock Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, today Maruku is one of the largest and most successful Indigenous owned and operated arts organisations. This exhibition is a celebration of punu - objects and paintings that incorporate timber.

Niningka Lewis is a skilled punu artist proficient in sculptures, however she is also renowned for her walka boards — burnt etching on board where she adds paint in sections often depicting personal memories from her childhood as well as her first connate experiences.

Billy Cooley is a master carver producing intricately carved snakes made from various desert timbers that he sources and shapes to bring to life wanampi water serpents, each one uniquely realistic with distinctive markings that are etched to represent scales and patterns. His work is highly regarded and in many collections around the world.

Lulu Cooley is Minyma Ulkumunu, a senior Aboriginal Woman, and a consummate carver specialising in pita and wira traditional bowls. The pita, or wooden bowl, is a traditional woman’s carrying vessel for food and water. Lulu has developed a distinctive scallop pattern to her creations that evolved after observation of her mother’s work.

Billy and Lulu Cooley will be in residency at Sturt for two weeks from 8 April and will give a series of free demonstrations and talks during this time.

In conjunction with this exhibition will be a display featuring work by local Indigenous artist, Peter Swain, a Wiradjuri Warrambinga man and a direct descendant of Peggy and Jimmy Lambert, the Daby people of Rylstone. Peter has been sharing his Aboriginal culture and expertise in schools for the last ten years. He is a practising artist having exhibited in galleries across NSW, ACT and Victoria showing works of mixed media. Peter makes tools and artefacts and teaches Boomerang making and throwing.

The Yirran Miigaydhu Weavers (meaning many women weaving in Dharawal) will showcase some of their work made from local fibres and native grasses. The group learns traditional methods of making to create works in their own individual style such as coil baskets, bark water carriers, dilly bags, animal sculptures, random weave baskets, fishnets and adornments.

The exhibition opening will take place on Sunday 14 April at 11.00am and will be opened by special guest, Terri Janke, Solicitor Director of Terri Janke and Company.

Mark Viner, Head of Sturt

Full details of all Sturt courses, exhibitions, residency programs and events can be found on our website www.sturt.nsw.edu.au or to make a booking or enrolment call Sturt Shop on 02 4860 2083 or email shop@sturt.nsw.edu.au

Propose an exhibition for 2020

Do you have a great idea for an exhibition that will appeal to a broad audience and generate income for artists? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Full details of how to submit an exhibition proposal can be found on our website. We will be planning our 2020 exhibition programme in April so now is the time to pitch your idea to us.

Short Courses 2019

The first weekend of Short Courses will take place on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

Landscape Basketry with Lissa-Jane de Sailles
Level: All levels| Cost: $310 + materials TBA

Every basket tells a story. Take your weaving skills further in this workshop where you will learn how to weave beautiful patterns into your baskets using colourful twine and wool. We begin by learning the ancient art of twining and how to incorporate asymmetrical patterns into your work. Participants will be able to complete a small basket over the weekend as well as learn how to design a larger project which can be completed independently.

In 2013 Shoalhaven based fibre artist, Lissa de Sailles, won a local scholarship that enabled her to study with master basket maker, the late Jim Wallis. This style of basket was one of Jim’s signature works and as he wished for his work to be carried on after his death, he taught Lissa his repertoire over a period of four months. Since that time, Lissa has added her own touch to these beautiful and unique baskets which reflect the colours and patterns of the Australian landscape.

Origami Surface with Angharad Rixon
Level: All levels| Cost: $310 + materials TBA

You will explore couture pleating, experimenting with traditional corrugated and flat pleats which can be used to create geometric surface patterns. We will look at the process of design pleating and use this newly-learned process to design and make a pleated tote bag in rip-stop nylon that will hold a pleat permanently. This workshop is suited to artists who are looking for techniques to take their 2D textiles into 3-dimensions.

Angharad Rixon is a technical textile historian specialising in lace and passementerie. Her studies in Italy, Switzerland and Spain have led to skills in a variety of off-loom techniques. Ms Rixon lectures in Milan and Florence and consults for museums and universities around the world.

Residencies in 2019

An exciting programme of residencies in 2019 will include a visit in April by two artists from Maruku Arts to work in Punu, traditional wood carving and sculpture. We will welcome Rachel Wood from England for a professional residency in ceramics prior to the opening of her exhibition at Sturt in September. We will also welcome back furniture designer, Isabelle Moore from Scotland, who will be teaching Term 4 in the School for Wood. Graduate residents for 2019 include jewellery maker, Brooke Coutts-Wood, and furniture maker, Wayne Creaser.

Winter School 2019

Online bookings for the Winter School are now open and courses are beginning to fill. Winter School will take place from 8 to 12 July this year. We have 16 courses on offer for adults plus daily classes for children. Remember that we offer competitive accommodation and meals packages, making our Winter School a unique cultural experience.

Our current exhibition…

ALUMNI 2 – new work by selected graduates from Sturt School for Wood 2006-2016 - 17 February to 7 April
The Sturt School for Wood was established in 1985 as an intensive training place for aspiring fine furniture makers and designers. Over 30 years later, the School has built a national and international reputation offering an unrivalled course taught by some of the best fine furniture makers and teachers working in Australia and overseas.

In this follow up exhibition to our first Alumni exhibition staged in 2017, we will showcase makers who graduated from Sturt in the period 2006 to 2016, a time when the School began to establish a national reputation for the quality of the makers it produced.

Artists include: Isabel Avendano, Chris Bartkus, Phoebe Everill, Ian Factor, Bailey Farmer, Ray Garnsey, Mark Gudgin, Steve Harper, Darryl Ingate, Christopher Neal, Darren Oates, Grant Robertson, Adrian Spano, Ruth Thompson and Orest Danylak.

Our next exhibition…

Punu – living wood - 14 April to 2 June
This new collaboration between Sturt and Maruku Arts will feature work by senior artists, Niningka Lewis, Billy Cooley and Lulu Cooley, and over 20 other artists including multiple generations of the Cooley family – David Cooley, Sissy Cooley and Janey Cooley. Maruku Arts support over 900 artists from the communities surrounding Uluru. Based in Mutitjulu Community, and in the shadow of Ayers Rock Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Maruku today is one of the largest and most successful Indigenous owned and operated arts organisation. This exhibition is a celebration of punu – objects and paintings that incorporate timber.

Niningka Lewis is a skilled punu artist proficient in sculptures and she is also renowned for her walka boards – burnt etching on board where she adds paint in sections often depicting personal memories from her childhood as well as her first connate experiences.

Billy Cooley is a master carver producing intricately carved snakes made from various desert timbers that he sources and shapes to bring to life wanampi water serpents, each one uniquely realistic with distinctive markings that are etched to represent scales and patterns. His work is highly regarded and is in many collections around the world.

Lulu Cooley is Minyma Ulkumunu, a senior Aboriginal Woman. She is a consummate carver specialising in pita and wira traditional bowls. The pita, or wooden bowl, is a traditional woman’s carrying vessel for food and water. Lulu has developed a distinctive scallop pattern to her creations that evolved after observation of her mother’s work.

Billy and Lulu Cooley will be in residency at Sturt for two weeks from 8 April and will give a series of free demonstrations and talks during this time.

In conjunction with this exhibition will be a display featuring work by local Indigenous artists: Peter Swain is a Wiradjuri Warrambinga man and a direct descendant of Peggy and Jimmy Lambert, the Daby people of Rylstone. Peter has been sharing his Aboriginal culture and expertise in schools for the past ten years. He is a practising artist having exhibited his works of mixed media in galleries across NSW, ACT and Victoria. Peter makes tools and artefacts and teaches Boomerang making and throwing. The Yirran Miigaydhu Weavers (in Dharawal meaning many women weaving), will showcase some of their work made from local fibres and native grasses. The group learns traditional methods of making to create works in their individual style such as coil baskets, bark water carriers, dilly bags, animal sculptures, random weave baskets, fishnets and adornments.

Full details of all Sturt courses, exhibitions, residency programs and events can be found on our website www.sturt.nsw.edu.au or to make a booking or enrolment call Sturt Shop on 0248 602083 or email shop@sturt.nsw.edu.au

Tools & Techniques and Alumni 2 opening

Approximately 200 people attended Sturt Gallery on Sunday 17 February for the opening of the new exhibition, “Alumni 2”, a showcase of new work by selected graduates of the Sturt School for Wood between the years 2006 and 2016. Raymond Scott from Workshopped spoke eloquently about the value of attending a school like Sturt for the aspiring maker, and the challenges that lie ahead when that maker returns to the real world. Many graduates of the School, from as far back as the 1980s, were in attendance for this terrific event that formed part of the annual Tools & Techniques Weekend. Approximately 1200 people attended tool sales and displays and live demonstrations by some of Australia’s best fine furniture makers and designers.

A Butcher, a Baker and a Bunch of Makers

A new exhibition at Berrima Museum opened on Saturday 16 February with a focus on the makers and artisans of the Southern Highlands. Using high-tech screen technology, the exhibition offers photos and voiceovers of makers across the Highlands and all areas of art and business. Sturt has lent some works from its permanent collection for the exhibition and so, consequently, enjoys a significant profile as the unrivalled home for makers in the Southern Highlands.

Residencies in 2019

In 2019, an exciting programme of Sturt residencies will include an April visit by two artists from Maruku Arts to work in Punu, traditional wood carving and sculpture. We will welcome Rachel Wood from England for a professional residency in ceramics prior to the opening of her Sturt exhibition in September and welcome back furniture designer, Isabelle Moore, from Scotland who will be teaching Term 4 in the School for Wood. Graduate residents for 2019 include jewellery maker, Brooke Coutts-Wood, and furniture maker, Wayne Creaser.

Winter School 2019

Winter School will take place from 8 to 12 July. There are 16 courses on offer for adults plus daily classes for children. The full programme is on the website and the brochure will be out in March. Remember that we offer competitive accommodation and meals packages making the Winter School a unique cultural experience.

Our current exhibition…

ALUMNI 2 – new work by selected graduates from Sturt School for Wood 2006-2016

17 February to 7 April

The Sturt School for Wood was established in 1985 as an intensive training place for aspiring fine furniture makers and designers. Over 30 years later, the School has built a national and international reputation offering an unrivalled course taught by some of the best fine furniture makers and teachers working in Australia and overseas. 

In this follow-up exhibition to our first Alumni exhibition staged in 2017, we will showcase makers who graduated from Sturt in the period 2006 to 2016, a time when the School began to establish a national reputation for the quality of the makers it produced.

Artists include; Isabel Avendano, Chris Bartkus, Phoebe Everill, Ian Factor, Bailey Farmer, Ray Garnsey, Mark Gudgin, Steve Harper, Darryl Ingate, Christopher Neal, Darren Oates, Grant Robertson, Adrian Spano, Ruth Thompson, and Orest Danylak.

Our next exhibition…

Punu – living wood

Walka work and sculptures by artists from Maruku Arts at Uluru. A two week residency by artists will accompany the exhibition and will include a program of demonstrations and workshops for the public.

Full details of all Sturt courses, exhibitions, residency programs and events can be found on our website www.sturt.nsw.edu.au or to make a booking or enrolment call Sturt Shop on 0248 602083 or email shop@sturt.nsw.edu.au

A new year has started for Frensham term classes and the Sturt School for Wood. Over the Christmas and New Year break we enjoyed a fantastic Sturt Summer School with over 220 students and 24 tutors across the Sturt and Frensham campuses. 

We welcome Ian Bromley as our new Course Coordinator for the School for Wood plus four graduates from the Wood School cohort of 2018 who will be renting space at Sturt as ‘resident woodworkers’ – Lou Harriss, Luke McLennan, Ian Bromley and Aldo Dezani.

An exciting exhibition programme for 2019 begins with ‘Alumni 2’ – new work by selected graduates of the Sturt School for Wood from 2006 to 2016.

Residencies in 2019

A programme of residencies in 2019 will include a visit in April by two artists from Maruku Arts to work in Punu - traditional wood carving and sculpture. Prior to the opening of her exhibition with us in September, we will welcome Rachel Wood from England for a professional residency in ceramics. We will also welcome back Scottish furniture designer, Isabelle Moore, who will be teaching Term 4 in the School for Wood. Graduate residents for 2019 include jewellery maker, Brooke Coutts-Wood, and furniture maker, Wayne Creaser.

Winter School 2019

This year’s Winter School will take place from 8 to 12 July. There are 16 courses on offer for adults plus daily classes for children. The full programme is on the website with the brochure out in March. Sturt offers competitive accommodation and meals packages, making the Winter School a unique cultural experience.

Current Exhibitions 

New Design 3 and the National Contemporary Jewellery Award 2018
Until 10 February

The third exhibition in the series of New Design exhibitions at Sturt brings together a diverse group of designers and makers to showcase work that is pushing at the boundaries of the extraordinary. The selected artists are constantly evolving their making practice, incorporating new technologies and thinking. The exhibition will bring together separate creations in furniture, textiles, glass, paper, ceramics, resin and Indigenous craft to complement each other, and includes: furniture and woodwork by Aidan Morris, Steve Harper, Grant Robertson, Max Harper and Rachael Hanrick; textiles by Bonnie and Neil; ceramics by Amy Hicks and Sarah Ormonde; glass by Scott Chaseling; paper weaving by Gunjan Aylawadi; and mixed media vases by Kanun Onsel.

The 2018 National Contemporary Jewellery Award is a biennial acquisitive award exhibition from Griffith Regional Art Gallery that encourages new work in the world of Australian Jewellery. Sturt has supported the project for a number of years and offers a residency at Sturt as one of the exhibition prizes.

Our Next Exhibition

ALUMNI 2 – new work by selected graduates from Sturt School for Wood 2006-2016
17 February to 7 April

The Sturt School for Wood was established in 1985 as an intensive training place for aspiring fine furniture makers and designers. Over 30 years later, the school has built a national and international reputation offering an unrivalled course taught by some of the best fine furniture makers and teachers working in Australia and overseas. 

In this follow-up exhibition to our first Alumni exhibition staged in 2017, we will showcase makers who graduated from Sturt in the period 2006 to 2016, a time when the School began to establish a national reputation for the quality of the makers it produced. Artists include: Isabel Avendano, Phoebe Everill, Ian Factor, Bailey Farmer, Ray Garnsey, Mark Gudgin, Steve Harper, Darryl Ingate, Christopher Neal, Darren Oates, Grant Robertson, Adrian Spano, Ruth Thompson, and Orest Danylak.

The exhibition opening, held during Sturt’s Tools & Techniques Weekend, will take place on Sunday 17 February at 11.00am. The exhibition will be opened by special guest, Raymond Scott, Director of Workshopped.

Events

Tools & Techniques Weekend
Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 February 10am to 4pm

This annual boutique event, held in Sturt’s historic School for Wood, includes displays and sales by Australia's finest toolmakers and specialist timber suppliers along with scheduled woodwork demonstrations conducted by leading furniture makers.  Refreshments will be available along with free admission and parking.

Friends of Sturt Annual General Meeting, Sturt Cottage
Sunday 17 February 2.30pm

Consider taking on a role helping FOS in its many activities supporting and fundraising for Sturt. We invite you to come along to the meeting and join the committee for light refreshments and a review of the year past.

Full details of all Sturt courses, exhibitions, residency programs and events can be found on our website www.sturt.nsw.edu.au or to make a booking or enrolment call Sturt Shop on 0248 602083 or email shop@sturt.nsw.edu.au

Foundation is looking forward to two major events this year – the Annual Dinner on Saturday 18 May and the Bush Dance on Saturday 2 November – for which we are in need of prizes.

For the Annual Dinner, we would appreciate items valued at $5,000 or more for the always popular Live Auction.

Donations of items for the Raffle or Silent Auction at the Annual Dinner, and for the Silent Auction at the Bush Dance, would be gratefully accepted. These prizes should appeal to a range of tastes, budgets and age groups. Holiday House stays and those things that ‘money just can’t buy’ are always popular. Remember… no donation is too small or too large.

Please nominate your donation for the Annual Dinner by 30 April.

Donations for the Bush Dance will be accepted from now until 20 September.

To donate, contact bshannon@frensham.nw.edu.au or mscamps@frensham.nsw.edu.au.

Many thanks in advance for any support you may be able to offer!

FoundationAnnual Dinner – Saturday 18 May 2019

Online booking here!

Bush Dance – Saturday 2 November 2019

WWS Foundation Limited Annual General Meeting

All Foundation Members are welcome at the WWS Foundation Limited Annual General Meeting:

Date: Saturday 30 March 2019

Time: 10:00am

Venue: Drama Theatre, Frensham

All Foundation Members are welcome to attend.

A gift of $5,000 or more entitles the donor to a lifetime membership of the WWS Foundation. Recently, Old Girl Geraldine Kenway (1958) was invited to join Foundation after advising that she has left a generous bequest to Foundation in her will. This is just one of the many generous gifts that support Foundation’s Building and Bursary Funds – Investing in the Future.

FoundationAnnual Dinner

Saturday 18 May 2019
Cost: $150
Invitations will be sent out before the end of term.

Foundation’s Major Event 2019

Bush Dance
Saturday 2 November 

Livestock Enterprise

During activities over the Year 7 weekend, new parents to Frensham were introduced to the Foundation’s Livestock Enterprise. While farmers are generally finding it very difficult at the moment, several were interested in becoming involved in the Livestock Enterprise project as Hosts, once seasonal conditions improve. At least nine new Hosts have recently been added to the Programme. This project allows our rural community to generate support for the Foundation’s Bursary & Scholarship Fund which is then channelled back into our rural community by supporting rural enrolments.

Annual Dinner

New parents to Frensham Schools were also very enthusiastic in their response to Ms Gillick’s invitation to the Foundation’s Annual Dinner on Saturday 18 May. Invitations will be sent before the end of this term and we are looking forward to seeing a large contingent of new parents at the Dinner.

Foundation’s Major Event 2019

Save the date...

Bush Dance
Saturday 2 November 

WWS Foundation Limited Annual General Meeting

All Foundation Members are welcome at the WWS Foundation Limited Annual General Meeting:

Date: Saturday 30 March 2019
Time: 10:00am
Venue: Drama Theatre, Frensham

Foundation welcomes Jackie Dalton, Director of Philanthropy

We are pleased to welcome to the School this year Ms Jackie Dalton, Director of Philanthropy, to work in support of Foundation at all levels.  Jackie is a former teacher who has held senior philanthropy roles in secondary and tertiary education and she is currently immersing herself in School life on all three campuses, after joining us in January.

Jackie and her husband have relocated to Mittagong from Sydney and we are looking forward to introducing them to parents and friends of the school, at our first term’s events.

See Foundation's Events 2019

Save the dates

We hope to welcome you to celebrate the Centenary of the establishment of Frensham Fellowship this weekend, 6 and 7 April, during our Back to Frensham Weekend.

If you would like to attend Saturday's Cocktail Party... click the link below:

Back to Frensham Weekend

Looking forward to Foundation events in Term 2

• May 18 & 19: 30 Years On Reunion (contact: Fleur Vander Straaten)

• June 1 & 2: 5 Years On Reunion  (contact: Sophie Driver) and 106^th Birthday Weekend

• June 12: Fellowship AGM at the Royal Sydney Golf Club with Dinner and a Guest Speaker

For more details, please contact  bshannon@frensham.nsw.edu.au

Fellowship Reunions and Events dates are available from Alumni pages.

The Old Girls of 1959 were an interested and very enthusiastic group, enjoying their visit to Sturt’s latest exhibition before a tour of the School grounds led by Year 12 students. Saturday’s highlight was seeing the recently renovated Dining Room, with the still applicable quotes of Winifred West. The group was delighted to hear a poem written and delivered by Penny Nelson (McNicoll) especially for her visit entitled, appropriately, In the Dining Room. Following afternoon tea and a much-appreciated visit by Ms Gillick, the Old Girls left to prepare for dinner at a local restaurant. On Sunday the group was welcomed at the Service by Ms Gillick, before enjoying the Year 10 Concert and Service. Thanks to Susie Arnott (Margaret Taylor) for her work as Year Representative and for making this weekend such a success.

Attendees: Libby Albert (Elizabeth Selby), Susie Arnott (Margaret Taylor), Susan Ashton (Kirkby), Eril Becher (Parish), Pam Bramma (Pamela Shannon), Ingrid Butters (Gunz), Ginny Casey (Virginia Statham), Marg Doyle (Margaret Stott), Tricia Elliott (Patricia Pryse Jones), Gillian Elphick (Davies), Gillian Godfrey (Prentice), Ros Harbison (Roslyn Dance), Prue Mackenzie (Prudence Russell), Jos Mitchell (Jocelyn Smith), Kristy Moses (McCoy), Penny Nelson (Penelope McNicoll), Jane Scott (Austin), Babette Smith (Macfarlan), Lilibet Stephens (Elizabeth Edwards), Kathy Tait (Katherine Ashton), Rose (Rosemary) Vickers, and Libby Walker (Elizabeth Hickson).

Accepted but unable to attend: Virginia Bruce (Stirton), Josie Hardcastle (Josephine Hill)

Future Events

• 6 & 7 April: Back to Frensham / Centenary of Fellowship weekend – Click here for details and online booking
• 6 & 7 April: 10 & 40 Years On Reunions
• 18 & 19 May: 30 Years On Reunion      
• 1 & 2 June: 5 Years On Reunion / 106^th Birthday Weekend
• 12 June: Fellowship AGM, Royal Sydney Golf Club, Guest Speaker: Kumi Taguchi
• 10 & 11 August: 20 Years On Reunion
• Sep/Oct: Cooma/Monaro Lunch – details tba

Fellowship Reunions and Events dates are available from Alumni pages.

This weekend marked the Class of 1969’s 50 Year Reunion at Frensham. With thanks to the three coordinators, Alison Attard (Wright), Jane Coutts (Betts) and Pauline Hunter-Knight (Hunter), we hosted 41 Old Girls on Saturday’s tours and afternoon tea, and at the Sunday Service and Year 7 Concert. It was delightful hearing stories of times spent as students and reflections on what had changed since their days at the School. A highlight, as always, was their appreciation and enjoyment of our current girls’ singing during the Sunday Service.

Celebrating the Centenary of Frensham Fellowship (1919-2019)

Back to Frensham Weekend

• Saturday 6 April – Cocktail Party
• Sunday 7 April – Service and Celebration

See details and online booking

Back to Frensham Weekend

SATURDAY 6 APRIL 2019
Cocktail Party – Cooper Hall, 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Cost: $50 per person ~ Bookings essential

SUNDAY 7 APRIL 2019
Service & Celebration – Clubbe Hall, 10.00am
Followed by Morning Tea in the Dining Room (and Tours of the School)

Invitations will be emailed and posted very soon. To attend the Cocktail Party, you can book online now.

Cocktail Party Booking Form

2019 Events and Reunions

• March 2 & 3: 50 Year Reunion at Frensham, Frensham Open Day
• March 16 & 17: 60 Year Reunion at Frensham
• April 6 & 7: 10 Year & 40 Year Reunions at Frensham, Back to Frensham Weekend – Centenary of the establishment of Frensham Fellowship
• May 7: Fellowship Country Luncheon at Cooma
• May 18 & 19: 30 Year Reunion at Frensham, Annual WWS Foundation Dinner
• June 1 & 2: 5 Year Reunion at Frensham, 106^th Birthday of Frensham
• June 12: Fellowship AGM dinner & speaker, Royal Sydney Golf Club
• August 10 & 11: 20 Year Reunion at Frensham
• August 30: Fellowship Cocktail Party at Berrima
• November 2: Frensham Schools’ Bush Dance at Frensham

New memorabilia now available at Sturt Shop

At last year’s Fellowship AGM, the School was presented with the original painting, Irises, by Sir Sidney Nolan, now on display in the Esther Tuckey Library. Thanks to the kind permission of the Sidney Nolan Trust / Bridgeman Images, we have reproduced this beautiful image on cards for the Centenary of Fellowship, retailing for $22.00 for a pack of six.

Additionally, the ever popular Bohemia crystal tumblers are back in stock in presentation boxes of two and six.

Call Sturt Shop and Gallery on +61 2 4860 2083, email shop@sturt.nsw.edu.au, or visit us. We are open every day from 10:00am to 5:00pm. 

We hope to welcome you to the Centenary of the establishment of FRENSHAM FELLOWSHIP on April 6 & 7 at our Back to Frensham Weekend

Join us for Tours, Cocktails, and a Sunday Service and Celebration – details available shortly

2019 Events and Reunions

• March 2 & 3: 50 Year Reunion at Frensham, Frensham Open Day
• March 16 & 17: 60 Year Reunion at Frensham
• April 6 & 7: 10 Year & 40 Year Reunions at Frensham, Back to Frensham Weekend – Centenary of the establishment of Frensham Fellowship
• May 7: Fellowship Country Luncheon at Cooma
• May 18 & 19: 30 Year Reunion at Frensham, Annual WWS Foundation Dinner
• June 1 & 2: 5 Year Reunion at Frensham, 106^th Birthday of Frensham
• June 12: Fellowship AGM dinner & speaker
• August 10 & 11: 20 Year Reunion at Frensham
• August 30: Fellowship Cocktail Party at Berrima
• November 2: Frensham Schools’ Bush Dance at Frensham