Last Wednesday fortnight 4 September was the national Indigenous Literacy Day which is run by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. Our Gawura Stage 3 students attended this event at the Sydney Opera House and performed a song written by the students of Barunga Remote Community School in the Northern Territory about a one hour drive south east of Katherine. Our students were joined on stage by Justine Clarke, Josh Pike, Greg Dreiss and Jessica Mauboy. The students sang superbly, were excited to meet Jessica and were a wonderful credit to our Gawura School.

On Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 September Nyarla and Maya attended the NSWPSSA Rugby Girls 7’s selection trials. Both girls represented the CIS (Combined Independent Schools) and played against several zones from all over the state. Maya was picked to join the Rugby 7’s Development Team of 24 players which will come down to 12 at the next selection trial. Congratulation to both girls on making the CIS team and again to Maya for making through to the Development Squad. This is a wonderful achievement.

On Thursday evening 12 September I had the pleasure of seeing this year’s JSGS drama production of the 33 Little Pigs. Gawura School and Junior School students have seen various performances throughout last week as well. Congratulations to Bryden who performed the role of Newsie Pig in what was a hilariously funny and entertaining play.

Finally, our next GPAC Meeting is to be held on Tuesday 17 September in the Bennelong Room from 2.00pm to 3.00pm. We hope to see as many of you as possible there and it will also be available online.

May grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Mr John Ralph
Head of Gawura

Pick up zones at our School

We would like to remind you of the safe and efficient procedures for drop-off and pick-up at our School. It is vital to ensure smooth traffic flow and, most importantly, the safety of our students.

Key points for School Zone safety:
Follow No Parking Signs: Queue from Point A to Point B as directed by the signs.

Staff Assistance: Our team, wearing high-visibility vests, will be available to assist your child with getting into or out of your vehicle.

Afternoon pick-up:

• If your child is not at the pick-up point upon your arrival, please circle the block to allow for smooth traffic flow.
• Stay within 3 metres of your vehicle.
• The maximum stay in the pick-up zone is 2 minutes.

Kiss and Drop Zones:
Area A: Kent Street - supervised 8am-8.30am for morning drop-off and 3.05pm-3.30pm for afternoon pick-up.

Area B: Bathurst Street - do not park on Bathurst Street, as it is a loading and bus zone with no supervision.

Area C: Wilsons carpark - Once the ticket is validated you then have 15 minutes to pay. So you shouldn’t be validating when you arrive to pick your children up, otherwise you are likely to go over the 15 minutes and your validation won’t work. You are advised to validate your tickets at Reception just before you go back down to the car park.

For more information, including a downloadable flyer and detailed map of the zones, please visit the Parent Information Site.

Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring a safe environment for all students!
 

Mr​​​​ Darrin Parsons
Property & Facilities Manager

R U OK?

Ask, Listen, Encourage action, and Check in. These are the four steps of a conversation which students focussed on during R U OK day last week, as they learnt ways to be a good friend to those around them. These simple principles are ones which we explored with students in age-appropriate ways from Kindergarten right through to Senior College as well as across our whole school staff.  It is also a simple approach which parents and caregivers can use in conversations with their own children and young people to take action early, open conversations about mental health and wellbeing, and discuss possible supports. To find out more this SchoolTV report provides guidance on how to talk to your child about mental health and engage in meaningful discussions.

R U OK? is an initiative that focuses on building meaningful, personal connections and helping grow informal support networks to recognise the signs of distress. It encourages people of all ages to build strong personal relationships and in age appropriate ways to notice those around them, then Ask, Listen, Encourage action and Check in (ALEC). Gavin Larkin, the father of alumni Josie Larkin (OA 2019) established the charity in 2009 and his extraordinary story was brought to life by Australian Story in 2011.  There is great value in genuine human relationships and reminding everyone to ask the important question, "Are you OK?".  Why not take some time to watch this SchoolTV report and boost your skills in asking R U OK?

Understanding grief and loss

Grief and loss is a devastating experience which comes to us all at different times, and our school community knows this deeply.  As parents and carers, it can be especially hard to know how to support our children and young people as they move through their grief and experience these difficult emotions. This upcoming webinar draws on the expertise of the Quest for Life Foundation, who recognise that unexpected and unthinkable things can happen to any of us. They take a whole-person and recovery-oriented approach to wellbeing, and seek to encourage, educate and empower people to improve their resilience and peace of mind during times of grief and loss. The session is designed for both parents and young people (Years 7-12) and you may choose to watch it together.  All who register will be sent a recording link for the session, to allow for those who may not be able to participate at the time and for follow up viewings. We hope it is a support for you as you seek to care for your children and young people well.

Thursday 19 September, 5pm: ONLINE
To book, scroll to this newsletter's 'What's On' section.


Mrs Bronwyn Wake
Head of Character & Wellbeing (K-12)
Junior School & Gawura Psychologist/Counsellor

Our students supported 15 charities across Sydney

Well done to these wonderful Junior School students who participated in meaningful ‘giving back’ activities at Kids Giving Back during Term 2 and the July school holidays.

Aidan Wong
Bella Greenhow
Christopher Haoui
Elliot Delmond
Ethan Campbell
Jaydan Smith
Liam Smith
Olive Haoui
Oliver Delmond
Pella Robson
Rose Coleman
Sophie Kent  

These students were part of an extraordinary group of 900 young legends who provided over 6,800 meals, snack packs and care packages and wrote heartfelt messages to support 15 charities across Sydney. Their leadership, compassion and commitment to making a difference are a credit to the values our families and this school instils in them.

Research conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies underscores the importance of youth volunteering, stating that "young people who engage in volunteering are more likely to develop strong social networks and a greater sense of community belonging, which are crucial for their overall well-being and development."
 

Bookings now open for the October School Holiday Community Programmes!

The inaugural Kids Giving Back Cook4Good Mega Marathon encourages forming a school team. This major annual fundraiser on Sunday 22 September invites families and school teams to prepare 2,000 nutritious meals for vulnerable communities through activities and cooking sessions available 9am-11.30am or 1.30pm-4pm. This event is a fantastic opportunity for students and their families to engage in meaningful community service.

Mrs Rhonda Robson
Head of Junior School

We had ‘Lunch with the Stars’

On Tuesday 3 September a group of 16 Year 5 and 6 reading enthusiasts attended the annual ‘Lunch with the Stars’ event, organised by Children’s Book Council of Australia’s (CBCA) Northern Sydney Branch at Dee Why RSL Club.

Attended by approximately 40 children’s authors, this event aims to provide a small group experience for students to lunch with an Australian author and hear about writing and illustrating directly from these ‘stars’.

Emily R is one of our Junior School and Gawura Library Monitors and she also participated in the CBCA’s Shadow Judging this year. Emily was one of the students who attended ‘Lunch with the Stars’ and she said:

Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) Great Book Swap

The Junior School and Gawura Library’s ILF Book Swap has changed! Now coinciding with the Secondary School’s Book Swap, this will be held in Term 4 on Thursday 7 November in the Level 7 Open Area before school and at lunch time.  

Our Great Book Swap supports the Indigenous Literacy Foundation with its work in providing culturally-relevant books, resources and programmes to support remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to create and publish their stories in languages of their choice. 

Each participating school is allocated a language house and our school’s house is Girrgani. This means brown falcon in Bunuba, one of the four main Aboriginal languages from the Fitzroy Valley area.  

You can help us support the ILF in three ways: 

Donate used books: Donate books to the library to be sold at the Great Book Swap. These books should be in good used condition, please. 

Buy used books at our Great Book Swap: Buy books for a gold coin ($1 or $2 each) at our Great Book Swap on Thursday 7 November.

Donate to our Book Swap page: You can make a donation online to our Book Swap page here.

A Great Book Swap drop box can be found outside our Library on Level 7 for all book donations to be placed.

Mrs Rachael Cosentino
Junior School and Gawura Library Coordinator

HICES Gifted and Talented Camp

From Monday 2 to Friday 6 September, eight students from Year 6 attended the 2024 HICES Gifted and Talented Camp in Douglas Park. The students joined over 150 other students from 18 HICES schools across New South Wales to explore a range of subjects and activities in an enrichment setting, including archeology, astronomy, coding, engineering, robotics, oracy, mathematics, poetry, art and authorship. The students thoroughly enjoyed learning new concepts in their choice of core and elective classes, as well as developing friendships with peers from other schools. When they weren’t studying, the students got to enjoy a range of fun activities, including the gorge swing, high ropes course and a disco with DJ Kit Kat!

Below are some reflections from three of the campers about their time away:

Well done to Aiden Bhuyan, Lily-Rose Finemore, Bligh Jordan, Tristan Lau, Genevieve Williams, Isabelle Wood, Declan Wu and Vanessa Yang on a fantastic week of learning and collaboration.

Mrs Rebecca Lord
Gifted and Talented Coordinator Junior School and Gawura

The school holidays are the perfect time to clean out your closets!

The Community Service Team are running an Anglicare Clothing Drive in Week 4 of Term 4!

Students and families of St Andrew’s Cathedral School are encouraged to donate used clothes in good condition to our Anglicare Clothing Drive. The clothing drive provides a great opportunity to clean out your closets and for every item you donate, you are helping a member of the community who is in need.

Across Sydney, thousands of people and many families are struggling to support themselves amidst a brutal cost-of-living crisis. The sales of donated clothes helps to fund Anglicare’s vital community services which help those in need, such as free food pantries, youth support services and financial assistance. Your donations are essential in supporting these services.

The clothing drive will take place in Term 4, Week 4 (4-8 November) outside the foyer of St Andrew’s House from 7.45am-8.25am.

Student lolly jar competition this week! – Raising funds for Anglicare Christmas Hampers

Also, look out this week (Term 3, Week 9) for the Year 10 students from the Community Service Team who will be running a lolly jar competition to fundraise for Anglicare Christmas Hampers. For $2, students can guess how many lollies there are in the lolly jar and the person who guesses closest will win the jar!

Year 10 representatives from the Community Service Team will be in the SAH and BBC foyers before school (7.50am-8.25am) and during lunchtimes.

Hanna Jones, Andrea Trahana, Keet van de Zande
Our Clothing Drive banner was created by Pyari Qureshi.

IPSHA girls Saturday sport Round 7

Round 7 was the second last week of girls Saturday sport for Term 3. Our two girls' touch football teams went up against Abbotsleigh (Year 5) and Kambala (Year 6). The Year 5 girls came away with a 15-3 win in an impressive display of skill and teamwork. The Year 6 team went down to Kambala in a narrow 5-3 loss.

IPSHA girls Saturday sport Round 8

The last round of the term saw the Year 5 girls' touch football team take on Kambala and the Year 6 girls up against PLC Sydney. The Year 5 girls finished the term of touch football undefeated with an impressive 7-1 win. The Year 6 girls narrowly went down in a thrilling 5-3 loss. Well done to all the girls on an awesome term of touch football – a great display of talent and teamwork across the term. We look forward to Term 4 with girls' basketball, cricket and hockey teams in action.

CIS Athletics

On Friday 6 September, eight Junior School students represented the ASISSA association at the CIS Primary Athletics Championships at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre. All the students represented both the association and our School very well. A special mention to the following students for top 20 placings in their events:

Maya Hughes (Year 6 Gawura) 

• 100m – 9th Place
• 200m – 16th Place
• High Jump – 14th Place
• Long Jump – 5th Place

Esther Davis (Year 6) 

• 800m – 19th Place

Nyarala Gordon (Year 6 Gawura)

• Shot Put – 17th Place

NSW PSSA Rugby 7’s Championships

Maya Hughes (Year 6 Gawura) and Nyarala Gordon (Year 6 Gawura) competed at the NSW PSSA Rugby 7’s Championships, 9-10 September at Camden Rugby Union Club. Both girls were representing the CIS team at the tournament and displayed their talents in nine games across the two days. While the CIS team was unsuccessful in getting to the finals, they still had some impressive games and four wins across the tournament. A special mention to Maya who was selected to attend the NSW PSSA Development Team for a training camp in Daceyville, later in September for final team selections.

NSW State Gymnastics Championships

On the weekend of 7-8 September, two Junior School students competed at the NSW State Gymnastics Championships at Sydney Gymnastics and Aquatic Centre. 

Kamilla (Year 3) competed in the Category 1 Quad Senior division and the Category 1 Group Senior division and won two bronze medals! 

Vera (Year 4) achieved two silver medals in her categories!

Well done to both girls! We are very proud of your achievements.

Mr Oliver Denny
Head of Sport Junior School

Join us for the 2024 Celebration of Bands Concert!

We warmly invite you to experience a memorable evening of music at our annual Celebration of Bands Concert. Our talented students in the Year 3 Band Programme, Junior Concert Band, Concert Band, Wind Symphony, Jazz Band and Jazz Orchestra are excited to showcase the pieces they've been refining throughout the year.

Don't miss this opportunity to support our young musicians and experience some excellent band music.

Tuesday 17 September, 6.30pm
St Andrew’s Cathedral

Webinar: Understanding grief

In this practical and informative session we will explore the natural grief cycle and the ways in which this can impact on our children and young people.

Strategies for self care and growth will be explored by the expert presenter from the Quest for Life Foundation. We have designed the content to be suitable for our whole school community and especially for parents and carers to watch together with their young person (Years 7-12).

All who register will be sent a recording of the session.

Thursday 19 September, 5pm-6pm
ONLINE

Join us for Choirs in the Square

Come along for a delightful morning of music as the Senior Choir and Middle School Choir present "Choirs In The Square" on Wednesday 25 September from 7.30am to 8.15am. Don't miss this special event where our talented students fill the square with beautiful harmonies to start your day on a high note!

Wednesday 25 September, 7.30am
Sydney Square

Join us for an afternoon of creativity!

We would love you to come along for a fun afternoon of knitting/crocheting for the 140 Year Celebration Community Yarn Art Installation. We welcome all parents, students, grandparents other family members and friends. Let’s get knitting together!

Whether you’re a seasoned knitter or crocheter or someone who’s just starting out, all skill levels are welcome. If you are brand new to it, someone will help you out!

What to bring: Your enthusiasm and a pair of knitting needles or a crochet hook if you have them. Light snacks and drinks will be provided. We will also have some yarn, spare needles and crochet hooks!

Wednesday 25 September, 3pm-6pm
Community Hub

It’s Free Family Fun at NSW Parliament!

Visit Australia’s oldest Parliament to learn about democracy in NSW, and join in the fun for young citizens, future leaders and their families.

What will be happening?
An open day packed with free, fun activities for families with children aged from 4 to 12 years. 

Friday 11 October, 9.30am-3pm
NSW Parliament House, 6 Macquarie St, Sydney

Register for Code Camp!

The Code Camp holiday programme is avaliable for parents to book for the Term 3 break.

For more information visit the Code Camp website www.codecamp.com.au.

Entries close Monday 21 October!

The 2024 Andrean Awards: Andrean Writer, Artist, Composer and Designer of the Year competition

Light
Inspired by our school crest, Via Crucis, Via Lucis (“the way of the cross is the way of light”), this year's Andrean of the Year theme is Light. Find more information here.

Entries close Monday 21 October. Don't miss your opportunity to participate in an original art, literature and music competition!

Judging and prizes
Entries will be judged on creativity, skill, audience engagement and originality in exploring the theme. Entries must be created in 2024 and no group entries are permitted.

Junior Andrean Awards First prize $100, runners-up $20.
Apprentices receive certificates.