A very big welcome back to all of our returning families and a special welcome to the 6 brand new Kindergarten students and their families joining our wonderful Gawura School. Gawura has the largest enrolment ever in our school’s short history. We have a total of 39 students across our K-6 primary school.

This year we are progressing with our Reconciliation Action Plan and Gawura Strategic Plan. We have employed the services of an Aboriginal consultancy firm called 2 Point Co who will help deliver this. There will be extensive consultation with all stakeholders who wish to participate. Please see this link for information about who 2 Point Co are and what they hope to achieve this year and what to do if you wish to be involved.  

Preparations are already under way for this year’s NAIDOC Event to be held on Thursday 22 June this year with the theme For Our Elders. Please put this significant date into your calendars now. The NAIDOC Assembly will commence at 9.30am in the Cathedral followed by Morning Tea immediately afterwards.

A very big congratulations to all students who participated in our school's annual swimming carnival last Friday 3 February at Drummoyne Pool. It was a lovely day and it was wonderful to see so many parents present plus the amazing Year 2 students who participated in their very first intra school sports carnival. Well done to all the students!

Finally our first GPAC meeting for the year will be held on Tuesday 7 February in the School Council Room on Level 6 from 2.00pm. All Gawura families are invited to attend.

Please reach out to myself or your class teacher if you have any queries around the term ahead. We are delighted to have all the children back at school and look forward to having a wonderful term of learning in front of us.

Mr John Ralph
Head of Gawura

Most people agree that the wellbeing of their child is important, but have you ever wondered how we can actually teach the skills of wellbeing?  At St Andrew's Cathedral School, there are many ways in which we approach this complex task, including our weekly classroom Social & Emotional Wellbeing (SEW) lessons. These lessons focus on the development of our SACS Character Strengths, emotional regulation, attention and awareness, positive relationships, coping and resilience, habits and goals.

Our classroom SEW programme integrates a wide range of evidence-based programmes such as Zones of Regulation, Social Thinking, Grow Your Mind and URSTRONG. Please click on the links if you would like to find out more about these resources. In addition, our SACS Character Strengths come to life with visual icons which are displayed across our classrooms and open spaces, and perhaps you may even notice “strength spotter” stickers on our students as we spot them living out our character strengths through everyday school life. We seek to intentionally teach wellbeing, so students have their toolkit ready to use whenever they need it.
As 2023 begins we look forward to a wonderful year of growth in wellbeing with hearts that love, minds that grow, and lives that give.

Bronwyn Wake
JS&G Wellbeing Coordinator

Ensembles

Please note all Ensembles in the Junior School start in Week 3. Please refer to the co-curricular booklet or the Parent Portal, or email music@sacs.nsw.edu.au for more information.

Exam success

Congratulations to the following students on their achievements in their Music examinations:

• Montgomery Norris: A in Grade 2 Piano Repertoire
• Frances Li: achieved Grade 3 Piano for Leisure
• Sam Cobb: A in Preliminary Violin
• James Yeung: A in Grade 3 Violin
• Declan Wu: B+ in Grade 3 Piano and Level 2 Suzuki Violin

Congratulations also to Tristan Lau who achieved an A+ in Preliminary Music Craft and Matthew Ting who achieved an A in Grade 4 Piano for Leisure (Repertoire)

In the January school holidays some of our string players (and teachers!) were busy participating in the Sydney Youth Orchestras Summer School 2023. This week long programme was held at Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, and culminated in a performance in the Sydney Town Hall on Saturday. Congratulations to all students involved on their excellent music making!

Kate Robertson
Head of Music K-6

Inspire me

Welcome to a year of Inspiration in the Library, where the theme for the year is “2023 Inspire Me”. Hold tight for a year of soaring to new heights in reading, new depths of understanding, new areas for curiosity to bloom and new inventions, inventors and activists to be inspired by.

Library lessons

This year, each class in our Junior School will have one lesson per week in the library where they will be taught Information Fluency skills and will have the opportunity to borrow books. Our Information Fluency programme links with core history and geography syllabi and equips students to solve problems or make decisions by using information. Students also learn essential skills that enable them to evaluate the reliability and trustworthiness of the information they access – especially digitally. As students gain confidence, they grow in independence as capable learner-researchers.

Book clubs for Stage 2 and Stage 3

As part of St Andrew's Cathedral School Junior School co-curricular programme, on Thursday and Friday mornings, the library hosts Book clubs for Stage 2 and Stage 3 students respectively. Spaces are limited and parents should sign up through the co-curricular portal when it opens.

Library monitors in 2023

It is wonderful to have responsible and helpful Stage 2 and Stage 3 student leaders in the library as Library Monitors. Application forms will be available in the library in Week 2 and students are encouraged to explain the particular strengths and enthusiasm they would bring to the role. Library Monitor positions will continue for the whole school year (Semester 1 and 2), so we ask students to consider the significant commitment involved. Our Library Monitors add so much value to the library. Their caring leadership, their faithful service and their creative additions to the workings of the library not only make the space their own but make it so much more wonderful!

Looking forward to a year of inspiration!

Nicole Cotter
Coordinator Information & Digital Literacy – Junior School and Gawura

The United Cup

The United Cup is an international hard court tennis tournament featuring mixed-gender teams from 18 countries.

The first event was held in December 2022 through January 2023. The tournament is played across three Australian cities over 11 days in the leadup to the Australian Open.

Jamie Cosmetatos was selected to participate in the United Cup Tennis coin toss for the Tsitsipas vs Berrettini (Greece vs Italy) semi-final match.

When Jamie was selected, he was ecstatic, however then quickly set about practising tossing a coin.

Once Jamie mastered the skill of coin tossing he had a fantastic time and got to meet Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) and Matteo Berrettini (Italy) bringing Good Luck for Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) who won the match.

Well done Jamie!

Welcome to the first edition for 2023 of Parenting Tips

I am Joy Rohrlach and I teach Year 5 at St Andrew's Cathedral School. I am a parent of two children, Michael and Jackie and a grandmother of three, almost four, gorgeous children, Jonathan, Lucia, Zara and baby for my daughter, on the way.

Every two weeks I write an article in the newsletter about situations, articles I’ve read or seen, or fascinating ideas that have captured my interest and maybe even share some of my conspiracy theories for you to think about – the full moon’s effects being my favourite!!

I offer ideas to try when bringing up your children, interesting strategies to use in your home or thoughtful scenarios that may get you thinking. Not for one minute am I suggesting I am an expert nor that I know all the answers. I certainly don’t and I have made many mistakes in my journey as a parent and grandparent… that I may occasionally share!! What I am hoping though, is to present ideas for you to think about, discuss with me or others, and hopefully we may help each other along this road called parenting.

I look forward to meeting you and sharing ideas and helpful hints.

Mrs Joy Rohrlach
Year 5 Leader

Winners of the 2022 Young Andrean Artist of the Year awards

We are proud to highlight the Winners of the 2022 Young Andrean Artist of the Year awards, as judged by Mrs Cheryl O’Mara and Ms Bronwyn Zucker from our Senior College Visual Arts Department and announced at our End of Year Awards Ceremony last year. The theme for 2022 was 'EGYPT', to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the extraordinary tomb of treasures in the Luxor Valley, Egypt. Students were asked to consider the ideas of exploration, discovery, mystery, curses or adventure in either ancient or modern Egypt, or indeed, other ideas fired in the imagination in relation to Egypt!

The winning entries are followed by an array of other excellent entries from Year 4-6 students. We will highlight other excellent entries from K-3 in the next edition of our newsletter. Enjoy the gallery!

Mrs​ Miriam Daly
Visual Arts Integrator JS&G
 

1. Junior Andrean Artist of the Year: Ava Chakar
2. Junior Andrean Artist of the Year Finalist: Claire Lou
3. Junior Andrean Artist of the Year Highly Commended: Giorgio Folino-Gallo

Art above by: Isabell Dangerfield, Declan Wu, Isla keeton, Oscar Xu

Art above by: Aadya Dua, Amy Codrington, Annabelle Douglas, Charlotte Sims

Art above by: Meera Joshi and Zac Collins

An Interview with JS&G Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Rebecca Lord

This year St Andrew’s Cathedral School will be welcoming Rebecca Lord as JS&G Gifted and Talented Coordinator, working alongside Emma Clemens. Emma conducted the following interview with Rebecca to provide an insight into her expertise and passion for Gifted Education.

Why are you passionate about Gifted Education?

I am deeply passionate about Gifted Education because I believe that every child should have the opportunity and support to achieve their full potential. Gifted students have unique educational needs, and it is my hope that we can meet these in order to maximise engagement, challenge and learning outcomes. To me, this is of the utmost importance; our students are world changers and need a platform to pursue their dreams, areas of expertise and ideas of interest.

What is your experience working with gifted students?

I have worked with a diverse range of gifted students within both mainstream and accelerated classes during my time as an educator. With these students, I have facilitated student mentorships (with both secondary peers and external professionals), individual projects, gifted literacy and numeracy programmes, real-world inquiry learning, problem-solving groups, extension events and competitions, and an array of evidence-based approaches, such as flipped learning.

I have also completed additional tertiary studies to supplement my work with gifted students, including a Master of Educational Leadership and a Master of Education (Curriculum and Assessment) (Dean’s Scholar List). I am currently completing a Master of Education (Gifted Education).

What are some ways parents can support their gifted children at home?

There are many practical ways that parents can support their gifted children. Here are some of my top tips:

• Encourage your child to pursue activities that they find challenging. Gifted children often experience perfectionism and feel distressed when they cannot complete a task easily. These children need the opportunity to acquire skills of resilience and perseverance, and learn that it’s okay to make mistakes.
• Provide additional opportunities for your child in their area of interest, including co-curricular activities, experiences (such as visits to museums, galleries and sporting games) and external competitions.
• Organise for your child to have a mentor who is experienced in an area of interest to them. Encourage them to explore and research relevant topics alongside their mentor.
• Remember that giftedness goes beyond academic results. Children can be gifted in a range of domains, such as science, technology, language, art, gaming, music, dance, and sport… the list goes on. It is really important to identify and support all forms of giftedness for your child.

Parents, please do not hesitate to get in touch: rlord@sacs.nsw.edu.au. I am here to support you!

Rebecca Lord and Emma Clemens
JS&G Gifted and Talented Coordinators

G&T opportunity: MindQuest 2023

On 1 and 2 April 2023, the 97th NSW Talent Enrichment Weekend MindQuest will be held for primary school students in Years 1-6. Students will have the opportunity to participate in over 33 exciting, fast paced courses within the two-day programme. These include hands-on courses in chemistry, earth sciences, drama, lego robotics, art, writing, and many more.

MindQuest is an enjoyable and fun-filled weekend which encourages students to extend themselves and meet others of similar interests and abilities. Many of the courses for older children also provide the unique opportunity to acquire advanced concepts at a high school level.

For more information and to book, go to https://www.mindquest.net.au/.

Rebecca Lord, on behalf of MindQuest

Wednesday 8 February, 2.30pm

Junior School and Gawura Community Chapel: Beginning again

Parents and Carers of Junior School and Gawura students are warmly invited to join us for our start of year Community Chapel.

• When? Wednesday 8 February, 2.30pm until 3.10pm (doors to the Cathedral will be open from 2.20pm)
• Where? St Andrew’s Cathedral (opposite the School entrance)
• Why? Each week of the school year, we gather together for Chapel to listen to God, to pray to him and to sing his praises. Normally this will happen in the Chapter House for Years 5 and 6 students on Tuesdays and Kindy to Year 4 students on Wednesday.

Four times a year however, we gather for Community Chapel in the Cathedral as a whole Junior School and Gawura community. Our four Community Chapels mark

• the new school year Wednesday 8 February,
• Easter Wednesday 5 April,
• ANZAC Day Wednesday 26 April, and
• our Christmas celebration Thursday 7 December.

We hope you will join us for one, if not all of them!

For further information or to contact the Junior School and Gawura Chaplain please email Rev Emma Newling: enewling@sacs.nsw.edu.au

Rev​​​​ Emma Newling
Junior School & Gawura Chaplain

The Student Diary explains the ways that students should wear their uniform correctly – follow the link: https://parentinfo.sacs.nsw.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2022-JS-Uniform-Guideline_DIGITAL_FA.pdf

If a student does not wear their uniform correctly, they may receive an infringement from a teacher. In the Junior School, three infringements in a term may result in a lunchtime detention.

• Girls’ hair, if it is longer than shoulder length, needs to be tied back with a plain band or plain white or navy ribbon or school ribbon. Jewellery for girls is limited to a simple single pair of stud or sleeper earrings. No make-up or nail polish is allowed. All girls’ dresses must be at least knee length.
• Boys' hair must be off the collar, ears and eyebrows and is not allowed to be tied or pinned back. No mullets or shaved sections of hair. Boys must have the top button done up and shirt tucked in.
• School shoes must be black leather lace up with low heels and no coloured stitching. Velcro permitted for Kindergarten only. No Mary Jane style shoes.

Mobile phones, personal devices and headphones

Students are not permitted to use mobile phones during School hours. If a parent/carer needs to contact their child, they should call the School reception (9009 5442) for a message to be sent to the class teacher. Students using a mobile phone at School will have their phone confiscated by the Grade Leader until the end of the day. Students cannot use personal devices from home (e.g., iPads) at school.

Aerosols
Students are not to bring aerosols to school as they cause respiratory problems for certain students. Students using aerosols will have them confiscated and other disciplinary action may result.

Mr Selwyn Wu
Deputy Head of Junior School (Pastoral Care & Educational Admin)

Uniform Shop news

Back to School NSW Vouchers

The Uniform shop in now accepting Back to School NSW vouchers. You must apply for your vouchers through Service NSW. Vouchers can ONLY be used in store. Unfortunately, you cannot use them with our online shop or to make a payment on your school account. Remember the store has a large range of ROC school shoes available.

 
Uniform Shop hours

To access the Online Uniform Shop, please visit the St Andrew’s Cathedral School Parent Portal.

The Uniform Shop is located on Level 6 of St Andrew's House and is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8am-3.30pm – Term time only.

Mrs Larissa Taylor
Uniform Shop Manager

P&F Wine and Cheese Welcome

Parents and carers are warmly invited to join the P&F for an informal wine and cheese night on Tuesday 21 February.

This relaxed evening is a great opportunity to find out what is happening at the school and meet others in the St Andrew’s community. You can chat with the P&F Executive, key members of the school staff, year conveners and other parents while enjoying a glass of wine and a plate of cheese.

Come along and find out a bit more about the P&F plans for this year and hear the latest report from a senior member of the St Andrew’s staff.

Tuesday 21 February, 6pm – 7.30pm
The Community Hub, Level 4, SAH

Please RSVP for catering purposes.

Parents and carers are invited to meet their child's class teacher

Join the other class parents to hear about expectations for homework, class work, camps, communication etc in 2023. It is an opportunity to ensure a great start to the year for your child. This is a group meeting and an opportunity to network with other parents. Please register your attendance for the appropriate session below.

Wednesday 8 February

• 4.30pm (Years K-2)
• 5pm  (Years 3-4)
• 5.30pm (Years 5-6)