What another busy fortnight it has been in our Gawura School. Camps, special visitors and even an upcoming ensemble concert. Please make a point of the Dates to Remember for this term as there are a number of events that we celebrate being another successful year.

Year 3 and 4 have just returned from Kirrikee camp where the students had a wonderful time. Well done to all students who conquered the various challenges. Well done to Jenarose, Annie and Tilly who took it upon themselves to make ochre and paint their schoolfriends while away last week on their first ever camp with our school. Very young and proud Indigenous women. Well done girls!

Our St Andrew’s Cathedral Gawura School is getting recognised for the work that we are doing within the space of Indigenous Education. We will be receiving an award from the Australian College of Educators which will be formally announced next Monday 11th November. We are also having a number of other schools coming in to see our space and how we integrate curriculum, culture and even health services into the learning environment for our Indigenous children.

Last Wednesday 30 October we were delighted to have the NSW Minister for Indigenous Affairs the Hon Don Harwin come and tour Gawura. He was most impressed with our students and especially how we teach Wiradjuri language, not just to the 32 Indigenous students in Gawura, but to over 300 non Indigenous students in our Junior School as well. It turns out that his aide called Ric who also attended on the day went to high school with our own Mr Michael Kirk in Moree. We are hoping that the Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs the Hon Mr Ken Wyatt (the very first Indigenous Affairs Minister who is actually Indigenous himself) will also come to visit our Gawura School sometime in the near future.

We are pleased to officially announce that our new Gawura bus driver on Mondays has been appointed. Mr Pati Cook (who is also Kallarah’s poppy) will now do the Gawura bus run each Monday while Neal will reduce his days to only work on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s from now on. Pati is also Indigenous so we now can proudly say that we have 10 Indigenous staff members working for St Andrew’s Cathedral Gawura School.

I have been given another 5 Code Camp Vouchers for any parents wishing to enrol their children into Code Camp these upcoming school holidays. Although there is a cost to enrol in this camp this fee has been waived for our Gawura parents. Please just text me or email me and I will send the code directly to you so that you can register your child for free.

Finally next Tuesday 12 November we will be holding our third Reconciliation Action Plan Meeting in the Community Hub from 3:30-5:30pm. We hope to have a number of you attend this meeting and we look forward to seeing you then.
Have a safe and enjoyable fortnight ahead.

Mr John Ralph
Head of Gawura

Australian Cricket Champion Ellyse Perry coaches our girls

On Tuesday 29 October, twelve girls from our Stage 3 Cricket teams attended a special coaching session with one of the world’s greatest cricketers, Ellyse Perry. Though the youngest person to represent Australia in cricket and the first to ever appear in both football and cricket world cups, Perry was very approachable and showed a great interest in our girls. She very quickly learned their names and assisted all the girls in improving their bowling, batting and catching during some skill-based drills.

To end the 90-minute session Perry posed for photos and even signed students’ homework! A special thanks to Katie Comyn and her family for organising the face to face clinic with Ellyse Perry. What a delightful privilege it was for our Stage 3 students. I wonder what impact it will have on their games to come.

Craig Collier
JS Teacher

Year 3 Camp Reflection
Year 3 had an amazing time at camp. When we got there, we unloaded the bus and got a bag (not particularly our own) and walked to a shady tree. After we put the bags down, we got our hats and water bottles and played three games of ‘Octopus’. As we finished, we ate lunch. It was delicious. We had hotdogs with onions, if you wanted, and cordial!!!

After playing for a bit and finishing lunch, we sorted our bags and tents. It was fun doing this, and a bit exciting. With bags and tents sorted, it was group time. There were so many different activities like jungle vines, kite making and mini raft making. We had the opportunity to do all three activities.
For dinner, we ate chicken schnitzel and for desert, we were served ice cream with a big choice between toppings and sprinkles. Tummies all full, we played night games, worked through our journals and then we went to bed. Night was extremely cold!

In the morning I heard a leader singing, ‘Country Road’. Breakfast was delicious! We had pancakes and cereal. Afterwards, all the groups had their final activities, lunchtime was amazing (hotdogs and burgers), we boarded the bus and left. I can't wait for next year!!

By Bridie Hansen 3D

Year Four in Action at Kirrikee

I really enjoyed the two-day-one-night-long Year 4 camp at Kirrikee. Some of the best moments were the activities. Everyone had such a great time doing a scavenger hunt, bush survival, riddle rogaine and crate climbing. Some people found crate climbing a challenge because the crate tower wobbled more the higher you got.

Another great moment for most people was the crispy chicken schnitzel. I remember Arthur even said the thing he was looking forward to the most at the start of the year was chicken schnitzel at Kirrikee!

We experienced some really cold weather throughout the night. It was still so cold in the morning that I was going to spill my cereal if I shivered anymore!

In the evening when it was dark, we played a really fun game. Within the camp grounds, teachers hid amongst the trees, on the roof of the dining hall, lying on the ground and sitting on crates. At the beginning of the game, we were given a code word, which we had to repeat to the teachers. If you said the correct code word, they’d whisper the next code to you, otherwise they’d shake their heads. The last code word was “WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER”, and the chicken dinner was definitely a winner!

When we had to leave, we were a bit sad. Everyone had a great time at Kirrikee. So, if you haven’t been to Kirrikee yet, and if you’re ever staying the night there – bring warm clothes!!!

By Ella McHugh 4S

This year, my highlight was undoubtedly Year 4 camp. It was a one-of-a-kind, spectacular experience, full of action-packed challenges and memorable moments. Unlike any year before, this year was more organised and fun.

One long-lasting memory was the image of my friends and I eating the delicious food and chatting about our different groups and tents.

Another one of my cool experiences was making a fire and cooking damper. It was tasty and a flavour I’d never tired. Activities were lots of fun, like riddle rogaine, where my team and I, and other teams, had to spot and solve riddles scattered in the bushes.

A challenge I faced was my fear of heights. Crate climbing made me gulp nervously several times, until I had a go. Gliding down with four levels of crates collapsing beneath me was real fun.For the future Year Fours going on camp, I recommend you to eat a lot, give everything a go, and mostly, have the most fun you can.

By Kittiruj Somchit 4S

Love me or Lose me

Books fall out of favour and it’s usually the library staff who decide when they come off the shelf but not this time.  This term we’ve started a love me or lose me display where we are inviting students to put a love heart bookmark into the books they still want in the library collection.  Comments like “I can’t believe no-one else loves this book” and “You can’t get rid of this one” are commonplace in the library now as students rediscover old favourites that have been long forgotten.  All the unclaimed titles will find new homes in the morning D.E.A.R. collections around the school.  If you haven’t had your say yet the books will be coming off display soon to make way for International Games Week.  New titles to love or lose will go on display in week 5.

International Games Week

Week 4 is games week.
We have a theme for each day so come in and have fun with your friends, join a team, challenge yourself and you might even be lucky enough to win the daily lucky door prize!
    • Monday is new games day
    • Tuesday is play-doh day
    • Wednesday is card game mania
    • Thursday is BYO favourite game day
    • Friday is Mini Movie and popcorn day

We will have Wii Mario Kart out every lunchtime from Monday-Thursday so come in and challenge a friend to a race.

Library bags for sale

The Junior School and Gawura library is an active member of K.O.A.L.A. (Kids Own Australian Literature Awards) and they have just released new cotton tote library bags for sale.  They are $5 each and all proceeds go directly to K.O.A.L.A. to help ensure kids have a voice in the world of Australian literature.  If you’d like to order one bring $5 to Mrs Paul in the library.

“The way a man plays a game shows some of his character. The way he loses shows all of it." – Uncredited

Svetlana Paul
Information and Digital Literacy Coordinator JS and GS

Student Success

Congratulations to Hiroki Takahashi-Zhong who was awarded 2nd place in the Grade 5-6 category and to Jonathan Liu who was awarded 2nd place in the Grade 3-4 category of the Music Teacher’s Association Festival, both playing piano

Congratulations also to Miah Graves who won the Under 10 years Musical Theatre Solo Section in the  "Time to Shine" Eisteddfod. Miah also came third in the Under 10 years Musical Theatre Duo Section and her musical theatre scholarship group received second place and highly commended for each of their performances.  Miah’s dancing troupe group performances were also placed first and second for their performances.  Well done Miah!

Alison Ahn participated in Central Eisteddfod and won first place for various events including, Woodwind solo for 14 & under, Woodwind solo 16 & under and also woodwind solo 20th & 21st century (16 & under) sections.

Congratulations to Bianca Zhu who attended the 3-day Sydney Symphony Orchestra fellowship orchestral workshop, following a successful online video audition in term 3. More than 90 Year 5 to Year 12 students from 58 different schools participated, and SSO principal violist Roger Benedict is the director and conductor of this workshop. Bianca was also lucky enough to play in a masterclass with the SSO viola fellow Beth Condon.

Bianca also sat for her grade 3 musicianship exam and achieved full marks! Well done Bianca!

Ensemble Concert

Information has been sent to families regarding the Ensemble Concert. All students in ensembles should be in attendance in the Heath Centre, Level 5, from 5:30pm on November 15. The concert will commence at 6pm.

Kate Robertson
Leader of Learning - Music (K-6)

It’s Term 4 which means the Primary Theatresports School Challenge is in full swing. To misquote the Elton John song, Friday night’s a great night for impro and so it was that our Junior School team of Darius Hopwood, Thea Scholl, Joe Scott & Edie Swibel were one of the seven teams at Woollahra Public School for what was an fantastic evening of competitive comedy.

SACS came out of the gates at full speed, scoring a 5/5/4, just one point off a perfect 5/5/5, with an I Love You scene where an irascible Southern lumberjack played by Joe Scott fell head over heels in love with the sappy tree he was cutting down, played by Thea Scholl. Round 2 had the team going to the beach in a Stunt Doubles scene and Round 3 saw the team trying to build the pyramids in the style of a soap opera. Darius Hopwood brought the house down when he told Pharaoh (Joe Scott) that he couldn’t work with his over-demanding ex played by a delightfully scornful Edie Swibel.

In a tight-scoring night SACS came a close 3rd behind the Cranbrook School (1st) and the host’s Woollahra PS (2nd), an excellent result for a team with only one player to play competition Theatresports before. The team now has two weeks to prepare for their final at Knox Grammar on November 19. A big shout out too, to the family and friends who came along to cheer the team on. It always inspires a team to know they have support in the crowd. We hope to see you at Knox on November 19.

David Callan
SACS Theatresports Coordinator

Simple Solutions to Stop Screens Sabotaging Sleep

It is so easy isn’t it, to take beautiful photos of our children and then in an instant post them on social media? I must admit I have been guilty of doing that until our son asked us not to as he had some concerns over our grandchildren being easily identified by not so savoury characters.

Dr Kristy Goodwin, Digital wellbeing & productivity researcher, speaker, author, consultant and mum, has written this excellent blog on this very topic, in July this year. I think it is great advice for us as parents and grandparents!

“It’s amazing that we can video call our children’s grandparent’s on the other side of the world. That we can have group chats with our parent friends so we have someone to connect with at 2am when our sick child won’t sleep. We can google ‘My toddler hasn’t eaten anything but sultanas for 5 days’ and find a forum full of parents who overcame the same problem and we can find a moment of peace in the unpredictable world of parenting.
With these benefits, there are also drawbacks and a few things we need to be cautious of when we’re sharing our children online.

What is ‘sharenting’?
Sharenting is parents’ use of social media or blogs to share content (photos and/or videos) of their children, such as baby pictures or details of their children’s activities, accomplishments and/or ‘failings’.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with sharenting, there are just a few things you should be aware of when it comes to the sharing of your child on social media platforms.

1. There are safety risks involved – There are valid concerns that social media and blog postings could be used to identify a child’s home, childcare/school or play location. In particular circumstances, such as child custody disputes or domestic violence cases, disclosure of identifying information could pose a significant risk, or compromise the validity of a case.

2. You might find some much needed support – Many parents of children with serious medical conditions or additional needs find social media an incredible source of support. Parents are no longer limited by physical boundaries and distance and can connect with other families experiencing similar challenges and have a level of support and connection, not previously possible. Parents report seeking advice about naps, nutrition and behaviour on social media.

3. You might be judged – One of the main benefits of sharenting is that parents can have access to just-in-time advice and tips from other parents. However, this can also be a problem if inaccurate, unsafe or unhelpful advice is shared. This is particularly the case for parents seeking medical or psychological advice online. You might also get some unnecessary and unpleasant feedback you weren’t expecting so be prepared for that.

What to do about it?
The first thing you need to do is start your conversation about your child’s digital DNA early. Have conversations about what kids post online from a young age. Encourage kids to differentiate between posting ‘personal’ and ‘private’ information online.
Also, make sure the boundaries you set within your family unit are firm. Talk to your partner about what your expectations are and make sure your extended family know the online posting rules regarding your child.”
Perhaps have a private What’s App for your family where you can post photos that only allocated family members see.
Just take a minute to think before you post…is this a safe and unidentifiable photo/post?
I think Dr Goodwin has given some excellent advice.

Joy Rohrlach
Stage 3 Leader

Summer Program 2019 - 2020

• Program Times: 7am - 6pm
• Program Dates: Friday 6 Decemeber - Friday 24 January

For program schedules and booking, please visit:
www.campaustralia.com.au/holidayclubs

Please join our school community of parents, friends, family, alumni and staff on Saturday 9 November on the St Andrew’s House Rooftop for a beautiful evening browsing our market, enjoying a dinner with dessert at our Long Table, listening to our wonderful SACS student ensembles and more.

Included in the full ticket price is :

• A welcome drink (glass of bubbles) 🥂
• A hessian shopping bag (you will need one for the market!) 🛍
• Dinner & dessert at our Christmas Long Tables 🎄

On the rooftop there is our curated Christmas Market - a wonderful selection of stalls where we hope there’s something for everyone young, old or in-between - to get your Christmas shopping done early.

We will highlight all our wonderful market stalls, entertainment program and silent auction items on Facebook and Instagram - so please follow us for updates - online shopping is fun - but so is seeing the beautiful wares in person and speaking to our delightful stallholders on the festive rooftop.

Event details:

• Date: Saturday 9 November
• Time: 6pm - 11pm
• Venue: Rooftop, St Andrew's Cathedral School, Sydney Square, Sydney.

Association of Parents and Friends

Term 4 Meetings:

• Thursday 21 November:  8.00-8.45am / 1.00-2.00pm

Join us as we meet, get to know each other and pray for our school community at our Breakfast Meeting OR Lunchtime Meeting in the Community Hub, Level 4 SAH.

Muffins will be provided in the morning and BYO lunch for the afternoon meeting.

Contact: Felicity Brazel 0425 329 432

Wednesday and Friday Appointments Available.

I would like to advise you that we have secured the services of a very generous doctor in the city who is willing to see our Gawura students and their families free of charge (he will bulk bill through Medicare) if the need arises. Dr Shuo (Shore) Zhao is located at Level 1, 70 Pitt St, Sydney. You can book an appointment with him on any Wednesday and Friday morning between 8am – 12pm.The number of the practice is 02 9233 3399.

We understand that many parents already have their own doctor that they use, possibly even through the Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) in Redfern but this is just another option for you to use if you choose to do so and one that is located in the city, near our school.