We are very much looking forward to the upcoming weekend here at Frensham Schools, with lots of activity across campuses. Alongside Saturday Sport and the Year 9 Weekend, we are hosting 3 reunion groups and more than 200 people have registered to attend Saturday afternoon’s Head’s Tour. All families are welcome to the Saturday afternoon performance of our Junior Production, The BFG, commencing at 3pm in Clubbe Hall and of course to our Sunday Service and Concert, featuring Year 9 students. Another highlight is the Year 12 HSC Visual Art and Design and Technology Exhibition – works are being hung and installed this week and the exhibition looks absolutely spectacular. Frensham Year Weekends are unique times in our school community to gather as a whole school – students, staff and families – to celebrate and support one another. We look forward to welcoming many of you to campus this weekend.

Last Friday we were pleased to host Ms Sally Robson to Frensham Schools, thanking her for her 18 years of service and celebrating Ms Robson’s time as Head of Gib Gate. Ms Robson, as always, gave a most thoughtful and considered address to students, staff and parents present, and we enjoyed the celebration involving the Gib Gate community.

Our termly Gib Gate and Frensham Advisory Committee Meetings have also occurred in the past week, with valuable insights shared and gained through consultation. We remind all parents and carers of the calls for Expressions of Interest emailed to families last week – these close before the end of this term to ensure sufficient time to confirm representatives for the 2023 committees. I wish to personally thank parents who give of their time to serve on these Advisory Committees.

It has been thoroughly enjoyable to see Gib Gate visit at Frensham this week, with classes having the opportunity to learn in the Science Labs, visiting the animals at Holt Farm, walking the Bush Track in the Lower Holt, exercising their Drama skills and enjoying storytime in the Esther Tuckey Library. We look forward to future visits and combined activities at Gib Gate, Frensham and Sturt!

Celebrating Gifts

As another busy fortnight of celebrating the gifts of the students and staff at Frensham Schools comes to a close, and we find ourselves at the halfway point of the term. Over the last few weeks, I have been reflecting on the wonderful aspects of this community and the way in which we come together to provide rich learning opportunities for our young people. It truly is a buffet when it comes to what is on offer for the students to be involved in. 

We might be small in size but we are huge in spirit. This fortnight I had the privilege of watching the HSC Drama and HSC Music Showcases where under the guidance of Mrs Hannah and Mr Spencer, the Year 12 students absolutely shone in mature, striking pieces that highlighted their talents as individuals. It is always a proud moment when I see their peers supporting them with the enthusiasm of an Opera House-sized audience. Both the musicians and the actors were captivating in their command of the stage and their chosen genre, and we wish them all the very best for their final performances.

In addition to the showcases, I was privy to my first Book Week at Frensham Schools. Wow! What a spectacular event across both Gib Gate and Frensham campuses. I could hear the love of reading, the joy of escaping into other worlds and wonderful messages about the importance of literature throughout the student body as students happily chatted about their favourite book. The outfits were also very impressive!

In the busy-ness of life at Frensham Schools and life in general, I often wonder how our young people (and their parents) find time for themselves and some self-care. I hear the students talking about time out, Ville leave, walking in the Holt and cuddles with the pets that visit the houses and the library, reading and more. So I thought this week, I might look at the difference between self-care and self-compassion and the importance of each of these for our students and for you as parents.

The terms self-care and self-compassion are often used interchangeably, but they are actually different concepts. Self-compassion is regarding yourself compassionately where self-care, by contrast, is treating yourself compassionately. The two terms sound interchangeable, but they contain a thinking versus doing distinction.

This got me thinking about the difference between thinking and doing. Sometimes the “doing” and habit forming is much easier than the thinking as it involves a physical response or act. Presently, I’m sure in each of your households, there are days when the ‘doing’ of the self-care activities happens, there are days when it doesn’t, and that’s ok. There is a perception that it is more difficult to retrain our minds and change our thinking habits, I do wonder why that is. Self-compassion and mental health all require work and training, just as our physical habits do. We flex our muscles when we are training for physical activity, so we need to work on flexing our mind to change our thinking habits so be more compassionate towards ourselves.

What habits will you work on this week? And where will you carve out some time for self-care?

Ms Sarah Tynan, Deputy Head

HSC Drama Showcase

On Friday 12 August, the HSC Drama Showcase was held in Clubbe Hall, celebrating the work and achievements of the Year 12 cohort. Year 11 students, Sarah-Joy Day and Freyjika Parker, hosted the evening which showcased Group Performances and Individual Performances for the HSC Drama course.

The Group Performance is a mandatory component of the HSC Drama Course, where students in groups of 3–6 devise an original piece of theatre that is 8–12 minutes in length. In the initial stages of the process, students select a topic from a list of ideas, phrases, or images to use as their impetus for play building. The class of six students worked together to create Sticks and Stones, based on the idiom, the ties that bind. The piece explored toxic masculinity amongst young adults and the pressure placed on individuals to belong to the pack, without considering the consequences.

A special mention must go to Year 11 student, Rose Mahony for her contribution to the Group Performance process as she has worked has an understudy to support the group throughout Term 2.

For the Individual Project, four students elected Performance, a 6–8-minute monologue where skills in performance, characterisation, and dramatic structure and required. The performances included, The Mad Ones (Holly Horsfall), Things I Know to Be True (Rosemary Schmidt), Blackrock (Jemima Graham-Wansey), and Nobody Famous (Sophie Domazet).

Two students completed Individual Projects in Critical Analysis: Applied Research, Elyse Caristo, and Isabelle Kurtz. The Applied Research Project takes the form of a structured report on the results of an investigative research in 3500 words. 

Elyse researched whether “people with a physical disability are underrepresented in Australian theatre and if the industry does enough to give them a voice on and off the stage.”

Whereas Isabelle researched whether “theatre will survive the digital age”.

The HSC Drama course is examined in two stages, the External Practical Examination of the Group Performances, and Individual Projects, will be marked on Friday 2 September by visiting NESA markers and the Written Paper which will be completed in October during the HSC Examination Period.

Junior Production
Currently Year 8-9 students are making final preparations for the upcoming Junior Production, Roald Dahl’s The BFG to be performed on Saturday 27 August at 3.00pm in Clubbe Hall, directed by Ms Fiona Shannon and supported by Mrs Sally Hannah. All are welcome to join us for a whimsical afternoon as Roald Dahl’s story comes to life on stage.

Mrs Sally Hannah, Head of Drama

HSC Music Showcase 

The Madrigals have not been resting on the laurels since their Championship win in July. On the Sunday of the Year 11 Weekend, they supported the Year 10 Confirmation Service by leading the hymns and performing a very beautiful anthem at St Jude’s, Bowral. At last Friday’s Farewell Assembly for Sally Robson, appropriately, they sang Frensham’s Benediction as the anthem.

Last Friday night, the Year 12 music students shone at the HSC Music Showcase in Clubbe Hall.  This is an opportunity for the HSC candidates to perform most of their programme in preparation for their HSC examination on Monday 12 September.  The musicians displayed both resilience and courage in the face of unforeseen challenges.  They did this so well, with the audience thoroughly enjoying each and every performance.

Mr Michael Spencer, Head of Music 

Public Speaking

South Coast Public Speaking Competition - After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, a   team of girls (and buddies) competed in the 30th Annual South Coast Speaking Competition, on Tuesday 16 August at Holy Spirit College Bellambi. They were accompanied by Ms McGuinness, Mrs Metua, Ms Theodore and Head of Public Speaking Yusra Chalak. The team consisted of Year 7: Adeline Ahern, Harriet Brazier, Genevieve McLelland; Year 8: Maggie Maynard. Year 9: Lara Bentley, Claudia Henderson, Raphaela O'Neill'Siambis. Year 10: Kate Clifton.  Year 11: Meg Jones. The team was given a list of topics to choose from and presented a prepared speech on the night. All the girls made a commendable effort and achieved places in the following sections: Year 7, Adeline Ahern (2^nd). Year 9, Raphaela O'Neill'Siambis (1^st), Claudia Henderson (2^nd). Year 10: Kate Clifton (2^nd). Year 11: Meg Jones (3^rd). 

Congratulations to all on a tremendously fun and rewarding evening.

Ms Lee McGuinness, Head of English

Acknowledgements

• Frensham’s South Coast Public Speaking team, 5 of 9 team members placing in their section with Raphaela O'Neill'Siambis (Year 9) placing 1^st in her year group.
• Mae Gilkeson (Year 6), Lola Gilkeson and Camille Muir (Year 3) are representing Gib Gate this week at the State Interschools Snowsports Championships.
• Gib Gate Tournament of Minds Team of Darcey Burrows, Sophie Chin, Madeline Conway, Mae Gilkeson, Aliyah Mhanna, Matilda Spong and Annabelle Whyte-Cleaver with team facilitator, Mrs Williamson, competed at the Regional Finals at University of Wollongong on Sunday and were awarded Tournament Honours for their performance.
• Girdle: Matilda Walker (All Round Excellence)

Ms Sarah McGarry
Head of Frensham
Head of Frensham Schools