We are excited to announce that an Aboriginal Dance Program has commenced this term. It is open to all First Nations students from K-12 starting every Wednesday morning at 8am in the Dance Studio located in room S539 in SAH. Our Gawura K-6 students started last Wednesday and were very eager to learn various steps. Our First Nations Dance Instructor is Mr Matthew Doyle and he brought with him a wealth of knowledge and not only demonstrated how to do the dance but explained the story and significance behind the meaning of the dance he was teaching them. We encourage all students to arrive at school by 8am so they can engage in this wonderful cultural activity. This will be just one segment of this year’s NAIDOC Assembly which will be held in our Cathedral on Thursday 17 June.

Our next GPAC Meeting will take place this Thursday 6 May from 2-3pm. Dr John Collier will also be attending this meeting and is looking forward to sharing this time with you. With further easing of COVID restrictions this term this Thursday’s GPAC meeting will take place on site. I will also offer the opportunity for anyone wishing to join us online this day as well. I will send a link out today. This will be the first time in over 12 months that we can reconvene in the Community Hub on Level 4 over afternoon tea and a coffee. We look forward to seeing as many of you in person and online on Thursday 6 May.

Also please see the attached flyer below from our First Nations Community Engagement Officer, Aunty Sharon for an event titled Different Colours One People celebrating the upcoming Reconciliation Week through Indigeneity, Truth, Story, Culture, Dance and Song.

Have a wonderful and safe fortnight ahead.

John Ralph
Head of Gawura

A very powerful way to improve your child’s education is for parents to deliberately and intentionally build a positive working relationship with their child’s teacher. Parents are of course a child’s first and most influential teacher. They are there for the whole journey! The early lessons in life, that begin from birth, set a child up emotionally, socially, behaviourally and even academically to succeed.

Parents know their child better than anyone and in many differing contexts. Parents can quickly and effectively identify their child’s strengths, personality, moods and behaviours. They have had years of interactions with their child and know their habits, fears and shortcomings as well.

Teachers can certainly also get to know a child very well through their daily experiences within a stable educational setting, and so can apply their years of professional training and experiences with countless children, to understanding how each child operates within this specialised environment, comparative to the norm. The teacher can provide valuable insights socially, emotionally, behaviourally and, of course academically, particular to the context of the child’s current class or grade. Keep in mind that some children behave differently away from their parents, (in the majority of cases, for the better).

When parents and teachers work together they can support each other, exchange information and can focus on meeting the child’s needs and supporting their development. The teacher will never see the child how the parent does, and nor should he/she. Their relationship will of course be different, their experiences very different. However, they do see the child in a controlled group learning environment with its unique culture and practices.

When a teacher fails to see something in your child that you know about, be patient! Certainly advocate for your child, but appreciate that teachers can never know your child as well as you. Usually, in time, they do appreciate more and more about each child, particularly as the teacher and child develop their relationship through a myriad of differing experiences.

The relationship you have with the teacher is critical. The more you support your child’s teacher, the more you support your child and their learning. If you disagree with the teacher, do not openly display that in front of your child, doing so will only teach your child to distrust this most essential person in your child’s education. Beside the child themselves, the teacher has been shown to be the most influential person in improving academic outcomes (John Hattie, 2003, found a teacher’s influence to be a substantial 30%). When you combine the teacher’s influence with a supportive parent the influence increases up to 40%! That is significant and very powerful. If the parent is at odds with the teacher, this can hinder the positive influence and it is the child who is disadvantaged.

Not that our school has a history of poor teacher and parent relationships, actually quite the reverse! Our experience as a school community is one of very positive and supportive parents and we are truly grateful. In fact of the many schools that I have taught in, this school community has arguably the most supportive parent community by far. We truly feel blessed and this article is my way of acknowledging that, and reinforcing the power of it for the benefit of our students, or should I say your children, no actually…. as a partnership, they are OUR children.

We thank you for your support!

Rhonda Robson
Deputy Head of School (Primary) / Director of Primary Education

Raising Girls

Raising girls in today’s modern world can be a difficult path for parents and carers to navigate. These days, girls are transitioning to puberty a lot earlier than they used to and the physical, psychological and emotional changes they experience are challenging. As a result, by mid-adolescence, girls are twice as likely to develop mood disorders more so than boys.

Some parents and carers may feel uncertain about how best to support their daughter through the ups and downs of life and how to keep the lines of communication open. With the rise of social media and technology, mental health difficulties in girls are increasing as often they are faced with online images that make it difficult to see themselves as acceptable. Ensuring a daughter’s opinions are heard and her views listened to, will go a long way towards making her feel loved and supported as she tries to establish her own identity.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will attain a clearer picture of what girls are needing and how best to support them through their development. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

Here is the link to this month's edition:
https://junior-sacs.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter/raising-girls
You may also want to revisit the article we posted last year on Raising Boys: https://sacs.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter/raising-boys

SchoolTV is a SACS P&F funded initiative to support the parents and caregivers of our students.

Bronwyn Wake
Wellbeing Coordinator & Counsellor

National Simultaneous Storytime

In the library, things are gearing up for National Simultaneous Storytime which will happen in Week 5. This year, the featured book is Give me some Space! by Philip Bunting and amazingly, the book will be read by NASA Astronaut Shannon Walker from space! Our school will be celebrating this event with an entire week of STEM activities in the library during lunchtimes and on Wednesday 19 May at 11am, the whole Junior School will gather to watch the book being read from the International Space Station.

The space theme continues with a new planet added for every student (or teacher!) who successfully completes the Premier’s Reading Challenge. We are well over 60 planets to date. Parents can encourage their child to keep reading and please feel free to contact me if you are experiencing any difficulties uploading your child’s reading log to the PRC website.

In anticipation of all the wonderful that’s still to come.

Nicole Cotter
Coordinator of Digital and Information Literacy – JS & GS

ASISSA Netball

On Thursday 29 April, eleven of our top Year 6 students went to the ASISSA Netball Gala Day at Heffron Park, Maroubra. After five very competitive games of netball, six girls were selected to progress to the probables/possibles match at the conclusion of the day for potential selection to attend the NSWCIS tournament. Unfortunately no one made it through this time around, but they all did us immensely proud. The girls had a great day enjoying the sun, playing and witnessing some exceptionally high caliber netball. Well done to the following students for demonstrating excellent SACS pride and sportsmanship.

Ruby Keeton
Lucy Freedman
Harper Dance
Ingrid White
Christine Phoon
Mira Forstner
Ayla Badger
Jessica Duke
Antonia Sarcasmo
Isla Verges
Roxy Formosa

Tony Dunseath
PDHPE Teacher, Head of Co-curricular K 6

Helping Children Grow into Their Best Selves by Michael Grose

“The main task for parents is to help their children grow into the best version of themselves.”

This response can be challenging for parents who want to raise their kids in their own image. Sure, parents want to share the best parts of themselves with their children but that doesn’t mean we should raise them in our own image.

If excellence is a strong value, then in all probability this is a value you may like your child to share. That makes sense. However, if sport is your strength and your child doesn’t share that interest it’s wise to assist your child to develop their own strengths and interests rather than push them down a path of your making.

The following ideas may help your child grow into the best version of themselves both socially and academically.

1. Encourage exploration
Young children are great explorers of territory, ideas and behaviour. Their curiosity shows no bounds and can lead them into trouble. The socialisation process that we undertake as parents is designed to keep kids social and safe. But that shouldn’t mean that we discourage the curious spirit that children possess. As kids move through primary school into the identity formation years of adolescence, stimulate their curiosity and exploratory activities and interests, discuss a variety of ideas and topics and form relationships with different children and diverse generations.

2. Require self-control
Does your child react or respond to a difficult situation? Does your child spend all their pocket-money on them self or are they encouraged to save some of their allowance for later? Lack of emotional control and an inability to delay gratification until later will generally hold most kids back from reaching their full potential. Self-control is like a muscle that gets stronger with practice, so encourage your child or young person to take a breath when angry, be patient and wait, and look forward to receiving gifts at special times of the year rather than getting them on demand.

3. Model empathy
The ability for children to empathise with others in difficult circumstances is an underestimated skill. Sensitive children generally have empathy in spades, while bullies lack the ability or willingness to put themselves in the shoes of others. Parents, grandparents and carers are well placed to model empathy. When a child comes to you with a problem or worry, validate their concerns with a response such as, “Ah, I see you’re really worried by this.”  Such a response teaches a child the empathetic language they can use when siblings and peers experience difficulty.

4. Convey compassion
Compassion and caring are encouraged in education and parenting circles as prime values to instil in children and young people. Perhaps this comes as a result of greater community awareness as a response to COVID-19. By developing compassion and caring in kids we lay the foundation for not only a strong sense of community but also for individual happiness that comes from contributing to something bigger than the individual.

5.Embed wellbeing
If there is a lasting legacy that schools are making to the current generation, it’s their recent focus on children’s wellbeing practices and principles. As a community we are just coming to grips with the fact that good mental health and wellbeing is central to a person’s long-term happiness, work and relationship success. You can assist by embedding wellbeing habits of healthy eating, exercise, sleep, relaxation techniques, regular time in nature, gratitude and mindfulness into family-life.

In closing, helping kids grow into the best versions of themselves requires parents to focus on character development, capacity building and personal wellbeing. A broad focus with a solid understanding of what it takes to look after their mental health will help kids become productive and community-minded young people.

As always Michael Grose suggests some excellent and practical ideas to try and help families grow and flourish. I hope you found this article of interest.

Joy Rohrlach
Year 5 Leader

Perform with Pride Music and Drama Competition

Our Music and Drama Captains are running our Perform with Pride competition again this year with the exciting news that it will now feature a Drama competition section. Please see Schoology for all details. Entries videos are due at 8:30am on May 13 with the live final to be held in Upper Chapter House on Wednesday 16 June (Week 9).

Save the Date - Showcase Concert 2021 – Thursday 10 June

It is with great pleasure that we will return to Sydney Town Hall on Thursday 10 June (Week 8) for our annual Showcase Concert. More details will be published in due course, but in summary all students in senior Music Ensembles and Year 7 students will be involved.

Dr Christian Watson
Director of Performing Arts

The ICAS series is a competition designed to assess students' ability to apply classroom learning in new contexts, using higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills.

This year all ICAS assessments will be sat in Term 3 during August. An email will go out to parents and carers before the end of Term 2 with details on how to register your child for one or more tests. In the meantime, please save the below dates.

Students who perform exceptionally well on the ICAS assessments will be recognised in a school assembly in Term 4.

Lucy Birts
Gifted and Talented Coordinator, Junior School & Gawura School

The National Assessment Program

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

Our school will be participating in NAPLAN Online between 11 and 21 May, 2021.

In preparation for NAPLAN online, our school will also be participating in practice tests in Week 9. The practice test is a trial-run and key preparation activity for NAPLAN Online in May. It is not an assessment of student ability and the tests will not be marked.

Excessive preparation for NAPLAN Online is not recommended. Students can use the public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in the NAPLAN Online tests.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN Online, please contact our K-6 Curriculum Coordinator Mrs Susie Moffatt: smoffatt@sacs.nsw.edu.au.

Susie Moffatt
Curriculum Coordinator K 6

Sports tracksuit and raincoat

New tracksuit

Introducing our new sports tracksuit for K-12.

These new tracksuits jackets provide wind protection and are waterproof and fleece lined for those cold Sydney mornings. They are light weight, breathable, durable and comfortable. They also have zipper pockets for safe storage.

The new tracksuit pants provide wind protection, with a comfort stretch for being active during the winter months.

NB. The old-style tracksuit will continue to be part of the regular school uniform with a changeover period of 2 years.

New winter jacket/raincoat

This new jacket is design for those wet winter mornings to go over your children's blazers. They are fully lined and waterproof.

All items are available from the uniform shop in store or from the webstore.

Second Hand uniform sale

Event details:
Date:    Monday 10 May
Time:    7.30am-9.30am
Venue: Sydney Square

It’s that time again! The Andrean Writer, Artist and Composer of the Year for 2021 has begun. This year’s theme is a choice between four character strengths (Hopeful, Thinking, Persistent and Caring) – to celebrate our new Character Strength images around the school. Please click the SACSConnect link here for more details. Students have been communicated this through their classes and on Schoology. Competition closes 11 October.

The Middle and Senior School Eco Club have just started the MobileMuster campaign, to get people to recycle old and broken mobile phones and accessories.

Inside the St Andrew's Cathedral School foyer and at BBC reception, the Eco Club has placed a green MobileMuster box. In this box students, staff and parents can place their used phones, chargers, other tech accessories e.g. smart watches and headphones.We accept all kinds of phones and these phones do not need to be dismantled.The collection runs until Monday 7 June (Week 7, Term 2), and we hope to collect as many items as possible so please bring in any old or broken phones you can.

Middle School Eco Club
Elizabeth Skipsey and Tara Ball

All Kindergarten parents are warmly invited to come and join us for ‘Coffee in the Hub’ to meet other parents, key Junior School staff and members of the Parents and Friends Association.

Event details:
Date:    Thursday 6 May
Time:    8am-9am
Venue: The Hub
Bookings: https://sacsevents.ptly.com/event/coffeekindy

This Sunday Mother's Day will be celebrated across Australia. We want to celebrate all our SACS mums, aunties, godmothers and all the wonderful women who support our students by inviting you to come and join us on Monday in Sydney Square to enjoy a barista made coffee.

Event details:
Date: Monday 10 May
Time: 7.30am
Venue: Sydney Square

Join the P&F on Tuesday 11 May at 6pm in The Hub, St Andrew’s House or online.

This informal meeting is a wonderful opportunity to hear more about what is happening within the schools, the curriculum, pastoral care, sport and more. Our panellists will chat briefly about this and then open the floor for your questions.

The expert panel is comprised of:

- Rhonda Robson - Deputy Head of School (K-6), Director of Primary Education - Head of Junior School

- John Ralph - Head of Gawura

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

- Cathy Dangar -SGS Specialised Learning Coordinator, Coordinator of Learning

The panellists will give a short presentation which will be followed by a Q&A session. Come along to meet these key members of school staff, the P&F Executive and other parents. Numbers are limited to 50 onsite. 

Event details:
Date: Tuesday 11 May
Time: 6pm – 8pm
Venue: The Hub, Level 4 (an online link will be available shortly)
Registration: sacsevents.ptly.com/event/pfpresentsjsgs
To join online: https://youtu.be/huGPLpfCYIE

All Year 5 and 6 parents are warmly invited to come and join us for coffee in our new Chapter House space to meet other parents, key Junior School staff and members of the Parents and Friends Association.

Event details:
Date:   Thursday 20 May
Time:   8am-9am
Venue: Chapter House
Bookings: https://sacsevents.ptly.com/event/coffeeyear56

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 8.00am – 12.00pm. The number of the practice is Ph: 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.