On the last day of Term 3, the Frensham community came together to bear witness to the formal 'handing over' of responsibility for student leadership, from Year 12, 2023 to Year 12, 2024.

It was noted that ‘Student leadership’ at Frensham is not an extra but rather a core experience for every student.

Every member of ‘Year 12 2024’ received a letter on the Tuesday afternoon, advising them of their leadership appointments, and 16 girls were advised that they have been elected by staff and their peers as Prefects.

Follow the link below to see the full list of elected prefects and leadership roles:

STUDENT LEADERSHIP 2023-2024

Also on the last day of Term 3, we farewelled Ms Janene van Gogh, who is retiring to spend more time with family, particularly her grandchildren.

Janene has been the Frensham Director of Studies – in Residence and Head of PDHPE for the past 12 years at Frensham. Her experienced, intelligent and calm approach to all she does has had a positive impact on many of our students and staff. During her time at Frensham, Janene has acted as the Deputy Head and over the last 12 years coached the Firsts Netball team.

We are extremely grateful for the contribution Janene has made to our schools and we wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

Due, in part, to the retirement of Janene, a resulting organisational restructure, and the departure of Mrs Janet Holmes (Science and Mathematics) to Jindabyne Central School, we congratulate the following staff on their new or modified appointments at both Frensham and Frensham Junior School (Gib Gate Campus).

• Nathan Bessant – Director of Studies
• Lucy Dalleywater – Director of Activities
• Matthew Selby – Coordinator of Daily Operations and Timetable
• Merrilee Harris – Head of Careers
• Lucy Thorne – Head of PDHPE (Week 9, Term 3, 2023 start)
• Kim Walters – Physics Teacher (Term 1, 2024 start)
• Amanda Graham – Coordinator of Sport and PDHPE at Frensham Junior School

On Monday of this week, I attended the Frensham Junior School Legacy of Leaders presentations and showcase at the Gib Gate campus. It was fascinating to hear which leaders Year 6 students had chosen to research and discuss, with the delivery of the presentations being of the highest quality. Congratulations to the students for their hard work on this project.

Sunday 17 September marked the opening of the latest Exhibition at Sturt entitled Florescence. The show, designed to tie in with Bowral Tulip Time, is part of Sydney Craft Week. The exhibition was opened by renowned artist and Frensham Schools Board of Governor, Elizabeth Charles. As always, the quality of art-making was outstanding and included works in ceramics, painting and fibre art. This exhibition celebrating spring will run until 12 November.

I wish everyone a safe and relaxing holiday and we look forward to seeing students and families at the start of Term 4.

Boarding

As Term 3 concludes, we should take a moment to reflect on the accomplishments, comraderies, and growth we have experienced together. 

We completed the term on a high, with students enjoying the annual Frensham Harry Potter Dinner, Skit Night, Theatre Sports and the fabulous Colour Run. Year 12 students also enjoyed a special Sunday night dinner of woodfire pizza on the lawns of Bryant McCarthy. It was a wonderful opportunity to come together and celebrate their final Closed Weekend.

A few reminders about the return to school

• The return date for all Full and Weekly Boarders is Monday 9 September, from 3pm.
• Houses will be open from 3pm, all students are to be back in their House by 8:30pm, please.
• Please make time during the vacation to check your daughter’s summer uniform items needed for Term 4. It is important that uniforms are tried on and length of hems checked before returning to school.

On behalf of the Boarding Team, thank you for another wonderful term and we look forward to seeing you in Term 4. 

Ms Sally Edwards, Director of Student Life (Boarding)

Music

In the Year 9 Service, Freyjika Parker was featured as soloist in the anthem. The Kennedy Strings, conducted by Ms Boulton, opened the concert with their arrangement of The Beatles' Come Together. The Senior Choir sang an arrangement of Ain’t No Mountain High Enough with a number of Year 12 soloists. The Year 9 music class, comprising Stephanie Clark, Fran Gelonesi, Holly Halloran, Chloe Hannah, Henrietta Hayman, Mischka Hilkemeijer and Samantha Sewell, performed their own arrangement of Feeling Good by Nina Simone. Finally, all Year 9 sang Where is the Love by The Black Eyed Peas.

The HSC Music students are all pleased to have completed the performance and composition components of their final examinations. Matilda Chadwick, Sarah-Joy Day, Chloe Kennedy-Green, Alice Mitchell, Eliza Mulligan, Freyjika Parker and Hilary Swan are all happy with the way they presented their performance programmes.

Rehearsals for the End of Year Production, The Addams Family, have already begun and it has been exciting to hear the wonderful music, as well as the quality of our cast.

Ella Scott and Chloe White (Year 10) have been accepted into the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Young Musicians Workshop in the vacation.  They are commended for this achievement, and for their continuing contribution to our Concert Band.

Mr Michael Spencer, Head of Music

Jamieson Programme

Term 3 has been an exciting time for immersing students in critical thinking activities, coming up with solutions to global problems, providing leadership opportunities and continuing with community service efforts.

Year 7 students explored what it meant to be a 'Grounded Future Builder’, a graduate outcome for Frensham students, what this means to them now and what it might look like in Year 12. Students considered Frensham's history, analysing Winifred West's role and focus when she founded Frensham in 1913. With our current Year 12s in mind, the students were inspired by a Final Dinner address in 2003, by Ms Julie Gillick OAM, where she talked to the idea of a 'suitcase' and what Year 12 might need to 'pack with them' from Frensham to support them after school. Year 7 then considered what the current Year 12 might need, both literally and figuratively, and made an actual suitcase packed with items like a toothbrush, to ensure they always have a bright smile when they meet new people and a Frensham ribbon, so they can always find another Frensham student. They are excited to present this ‘suitcase’ to Year 12 as a final gesture of their appreciation and best wishes for the future. A highlight of this unit was reading a poem titled 'The Bridge Builder' by Will Allen Dromgoole. This poem promotes working for the future and for the betterment of those around you. 

Year 8 students have been looking at what it means to be a 'Solution Architect'. As such, they have been looking to support the charity Share the Dignity. Students have been working in small groups to come up with a range of solutions to promote the charity. This includes an awareness of homelessness and poverty, domestic violence and mental health issues. Students have been tasked with creating a timeline to support the charity, that includes creating whole school awareness and involvement in the project and packing and delivering the final donations in November in time for Christmas. Each student will also make a handwritten note to be included in the bags as a message of hope, encouragement and support.

Next term, Year 8 students will look at what it means to be a 'Grounded Future Builder'. This will see them complete the work they commenced this term, as well as unpack what social and emotional maturity looks like as they head towards Year 9.

With Global Forum, two Adventure days, where the girls abseiled and completed cave ladder climbing at OEG’s Biloela Camp, and the completion of the Cambridge IGCSE Independent Research Project – Year 9 students have had an active and involved Term 3. They are currently investigating environmental issues and individuals who are taking positive steps to reduce environmental impact. The students have seen how effective regenerative farming practices have been in the Monaro region and connected their visit to Thread Together during Global Forum with the work of Professor Veena Sahajwalla from UNSW who is recycling old clothes into kitchen tiles on a commercial scale.

With the Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives Team Project and Independent Research Project completed, our attention now turns to exam preparation. The critical thinking skills students have used when completing the school-based tasks are now being refined as we spend time analysing each of the question types that appear in the examination. Please note that the Global Perspectives examination is coordinated by Cambridge under quite strict conditions. The examination is scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday 25 October. If your daughter is unwell, Cambridge requires a Doctors Certificate explaining why she is unable to complete the examination. Unfortunately, there are no “catch-up” examinations and if your daughter is absent for the examination, she is not eligible for the award. We wish the girls luck in their preparation for this important examination in Term 4.

Mrs Merrilee Harris, Director of Jamieson Programme

Equestrian Team

With the end of the term drawing near, the members of the Equestrian Team are still actively competing and achieving outstanding results.

Abbey Kuiper (Year 11):  

• Sydney Jumping Association event on the weekend of 9-10 September. Riding her horse, ‘Vakarra Champagne’, they placed 4^th in the Junior 125cm class.
• 14-17 September, Abbey competed at the 4CYTE Jumping at Willinga event in Bawley Point. Competing on ‘Vakarra Champagne’, they placed 10^th in the 130cm young rider class, 10^th in the 125cm speed class and 2^nd in the 125cm Junior Grand Prix. On her other horse ‘YPH Positano’, they placed 8^th in the 120cm two phase class.

Sunday 17 September, Bowral Dressage:

• Annika Basson (Year 8): rode her horse ‘Keeralee Bandit Bob’ and placed 3^rd in the Preliminary 1.2 (Official Competitive) class and 4^th in the Preliminary 1.2 (Closed Unrestricted) class.
• Tildi Lane (Year 8): riding ‘Mystic Shadows Cinderella’ placed 1st in 2.2 Novice and 2nd in Novice 2.1 in the Youth Division. 
• Abby Weel (Year 7), competing in the Open Division against adults, placed 1st in the Elementary 3.1 riding ‘Deveron Nintendo’ and 3^rd, in the same event, riding ‘Reitlands Obama’. In the Elementary 3.2, Abby placed 2nd on ‘Deveron Nintendo’ and won the event on ‘Reitlands Obama’. [pictured right]

A reminder about the Berry Interschool Championships at the Berry Riding Club, 50 Schofields Lane, Berry on 30 September-2 October. Also, good luck to the riders competing at the Australian Interschools Championships on 29 September-3 October at the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre, Victoria (see the last Newsletter article for details).

At the beginning of Term 4, from the 13-16 October, ten riders will be representing Frensham at the Interschools Horse extravaganza (ISHE) at the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC), Tamworth competing in Hacking, Working Hunter, Show Jumping, Combined Training, Dressage and Campdrafting. We wish the riders good luck and look forward to hearing about their performances.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the 2023 Heads of Equestrian, Lara McConnochie, Augusta Muir, Megan Syme and Olivia Waugh for their dedication to the Equestrian Team, role modelling and leadership they presented, their time and effort competing for the school and beyond, and for their generous assistance of me in my role as Acting Coordinator of Equestrian.

Ms Leonie Mutch, Acting Co-ordinator of Equestrian

Agriculture and Livestock Team Report

On Wednesday 6 September, the Years 9 and 10 Agriculture Green class visited ‘Normandie Park’ a commercial beef cattle farm near Exeter. Earlier this year, the Frensham Livestock Team gratefully received a steer from ‘Normandie Park’ for the 2023 Show season. The steer, ‘Scooter’, a Murray Grey, performed well at local Shows and went on the win Champion in the Virtual Taste Test Competition in the Open Carcass classes.

The visit to the farm involved mustering cattle, feeding cattle, a farm tour and calf marking. The students were all involved in each activity, with some of them ear tagging and vaccinating cattle for the first time. The excursion provided an opportunity for the students, who have been studying beef cattle production, to complete some hands-on, practical experiences in a larger commercial cattle production setting. The class would like to thank Mr Paul Kasparian, owner of ‘Normandie Park’, as well as Mr Malcolm Davey, the farm manager, and his wife Jo, for hosting us and providing the students with some excellent beef cattle experiences.

Term 4 will see the start of the 2024 Livestock Team Show season, with training beginning in Week 1, for Seniors (Years 10 – 11) on Tuesdays from 4pm – 5pm and Juniors (Years 7 – 9) on Thursdays 4pm – 5pm. Any students who are interested in joining the Livestock Team (either sheep or beef cattle), need to email me on lmutch@frensham.nsw.edu.au . At training, students need to wear work clothes, a hat, and work boots as they will be handling livestock, so will need to bring these items with them when returning for the start of Term 4. Term 4 will involve training the steers and sheep, and students, and learning Show ring craft. During Term 1, 2024 the students will then have the opportunity to compete at a range of local Shows as well as the Sydney Royal Easter Show, depending on their availability.

2024 Cattle Show dates

• Berry Show – Saturday 3 February
• Nowra Show – Saturday 10 February
• Kangaroo Valley Show – Friday 16 February
• Robertson Show – Saturday 2 March
• Moss Vale Show – Saturday 9 March
• Sydney Royal Easter Show – Friday 22 March – Tuesday 2 April (Frensham required Wednesday 20 March – Sunday 24 March TBC)

2024 Sheep Show dates

• Crookwell Show – Saturday 10 February
• Goulburn Show – Saturday 2 March
• Camden Show – Friday 15 March
• Sydney Royal Easter Show – Friday 22 March – Tuesday 2 April (Frensham required Wednesday 20 March - Sunday 24 March)

For students interested in learning more about showing Beef Cattle, there is an opportunity to attend the Murray Grey Youth Educational weekend on 21 and 22 October at the Albury Showground. Learn about breed standards, genetics, animal care, and grooming techniques from industry experts. Witness live demonstrations and hands-on workshops that offer a deeper understanding of responsible livestock management. There are currently some Frensham students attending, so if you are interested, please contact Frensham parent, Jon Pinferi on Jon.R.Pinferi@nab.com.au or 0467 819 579 for further information.

I would like to take this opportunity the thank the 2023 Heads of Holt Farm and Livestock Team, Lucy Arnott, Zoe Logan and Amalia Scales for their excellent leadership and generous assistance throughout the year.

Ms Leonie Mutch, Co-ordinator of Agriculture

Acknowledgements

• Iris Award: Eliza Mulligan (Music); Girdle Awards: Gracie Hindmarsh (PDHPE and Biology), Savannah Linde (Design and Technology and Visual Arts), Lara McConnochie (Service to Clubbe Hall Technical Crew), Meg Jones (Event Management) and Hannah Bendror (Snowsports).
• Athletics: - Arabella Whitehead (Year 10), CIS Athletics Championships: Silver Medal 16 years High Jump - 1.57m; Phoebe Gilder (Year 11), IGSA Athletics Championships Silver Medal, 17 years 800m; CIS Athletics Championships Bronze Medal, 17 years 1500m.
• Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award recipients: Silver – Sylvie Potgieter (Year 11), Penelope Cay, Anna Fagan, Sophie Goodisson, Sophie Hanrahan, Skye McLelland, Camilla Ranken (Year 10).
• Ella Scott and Chloe White (Year 10) who have been accepted into the Sydney Symphony Orchestra Young Musicians Workshop held during the vacation, students participate in instrumental section tutorials mentored by the Sydney Symphony musicians.

Mr Geoff Marsh
Head of Frensham
Head of Frensham Schools