It’s been wonderful to see so many happy, smiling faces every morning and I extend a warm welcome to the 120 new students who joined us for the start of term. It has been wonderful hearing the many holiday stories from students, young and old, and watching them greet their friends and teachers with such excitement after the break. 

Our teachers are experienced in helping students settle into school life but sometimes, students find the transition to Junior School or Senior School a little challenging. If you are looking for a little extra guidance, please speak to your child’s teacher/Learning Mentor, to me, or have a look at this article on navigating the first days at school.

HSC - Class of 2020

As we begin the new year, it is fitting to congratulate our Class of 2020. Our HSC students achieved some wonderful results amid a year of pandemic like no other in living memory. Nearly 40% of our students were included on the prestigious NSW Distinguished Achievers list; they scored a total of 26 Band 6 and 100 Band 5 results, 16% of the cohort achieved ATARS 90+ and four students recorded scores above 95 in individual subjects.

The Scots School Albury ATAR Medal winner Luke Marsh earned an ATAR of 97.65, narrowly missing All Rounder status. Luke led the way on the Distinguished Achievers list and other students to be recognised were Alex Freire, Claire Stanley, Sigrid Bahr, Sarah Collie, Tabitha Cross, Maddison Geddes, Freya Giles, Olivia Hearn, Kate Kingsell, Claudia Kirwan, Ziggy Lamond, Desna Ramjee, Sophie Standish, Will Tomkins, Shelby Vincent, Thomas White and Jake Wright. Congratulations all.

Agricultural Learning Space

Over the holidays, our Agricultural Learning Space started to take shape with the help of many volunteers from our amazing community. The site was levelled, market garden beds and irrigation was installed and the Luff Pavilion was transformed into a multi-purpose learning space. The chickens are on their way and the plant production areas are marked out so Stage 1 is almost complete. We wish to express sincere thanks to all who have pitched in to get the project off the ground, particularly Michael Butko and the team from JC Butko Engineering, Bede Hutchinson from Hutchinson Civil, Will O’Neill from O’Neill Earthworks & Landscaping. Andrew Baxter and the crew from Baxters Concrete,  AP Delaney & Co, Richard Harrington from The Rock Yard and Sam Pincott from Holbrook Paddock Eggs. These wonderful people have given tremendous amounts of support, time and resources to our project. Thank you!

New staff

As we welcome 120 new students including an additional 20 boarders, we also welcome new staff members. Kelly McKay has joined us from Wesley College in Melbourne as our Head of Senior School and I’m looking forward to working alongside her this year. Kelly has some wonderful experience in regional and city schools and will be a huge asset at Scots. 

Please make sure you embrace these additional new staff members into our community: Ella Arnetz (PDHPE/Science), Rebecca Bosch (Reception), Melanie Davies (PDHPE), James Dawson (Maths), Madeline McLean (Junior School), Peter Schneider (HSIE), Shirley Slade (D&T), Emily Spargo (Pre-school), Shontell Toohey (English) and Jenny Zielinski (Junior School), Priya Gray (Teacher assistant) 

In addition to new staff, we are happy to announce new positions. Thomas Hartshorn is our new Learning Area Leader for the Investigating Department (Science, Math, Ag., PDHPE), Brad Murphy is the Coordinator for the new Technology and Innovation Co-Curricular stream, and Georgie Parker is our new PYP coordinator.

And, there will be some staff you won't see this term, either due to maternity leave or long service leave. They include Emma Carter, maternity leave, Semester 1; Karlen McDonald, maternity leave, Alison Mitchell, long service leave, Term 1; Sarah Spiteri, extended leave and  Belinda Cottrell, long service leave, Term 1.

Scholarships

Our Fide et Literis scholarships are open for new and existing students, which means I’m going on a bit of a regional road trip next week to spread the word. Meeting current and prospective families is always one of my favourite parts of the scholarship process. Scholarships are offered to exceptional students in academics, sport, performing arts and boarding; and our information sessions will kick off at the School next Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. We then embark on a road trip of regional visits, starting with Leeton next Thursday at 4pm before Griffith the same day at 7pm. We head to Deniliquin on Wednesday 17 February and Tocumwal on Wednesday 24 February. Keep an eye out in your local newspapers and on social media for ways to register for your nearest event. I encourage you to share this information among your friends and consider attending one of the information sessions yourself. 

Fortnight of activity

Now that the school app is being used much more operationally this term, our newsletters will move to fortnightly on the Friday of even numbered school weeks. If you haven’t downloaded the app, can I suggest you do so as not to miss out on anything. Click here for instructions on how to download the app and personalise your notifications.

As always, the start of the school year runs on a hectic schedule and the next two weeks are no different.  We have our Junior School parents welcome on Monday, Year 12 parent teacher interviews the following Monday, both our junior and senior swimming carnivals in that week, our regional visits and our Learning Mentor parent evening on 18 February. Please keep a close eye on the calendar.

Students in the Senior School have made a great start to the 2021 academic year. The year began with all students spending a day working closely with their Learning Mentors. There has been great emphasis on our Respect Triangle and all classes have developed this further in establishing their classroom norms.

Students have responded well to our Sustained Silent Reading Program and I thank all families for their support of this literacy initiative.

Last night, we welcomed our Year 7 families at the Year 7 'Meet the Learning Mentor' evening. Thank you to the many families that attended. It was wonderful to meet so many and to be able to gather as a larger group together. Our Year 7 students will head off on their first camp of the year on Wednesday and we wish them well.

Over the coming weeks we will have our 'Meet the Learning Mentor' evenings for other year levels and our Year 12 and 11 Parent, teacher and student interviews. I would also like to thank our Year Parents for volunteering this year. We will be having our first morning tea on Wednesday at 9am in the boardroom. We will ensure all families are regularly updated on our community events.

Many thanks for the warm welcome I have received from the Scots School Community. I look forward to getting to know you all over the coming months.

Welcome! New spaces, new students and a new year! We are all very excited to see the safe return of our students, face-to-face and all eager to begin the school year at Scots. To our new students and family, we hope it has been a smooth transition and that you are starting to feel a great sense of belonging to our amazing Junior School learning environment. To everyone else, we trust that you have settled into familiar routines well while looking forward to new challenges in 2021.

While there is still some modification to programming due to COVID restrictions, we hope to see everyone on campus soon through a variety of activities and events. In the meantime, know that students will experience the full list of classroom, co-curricular and adventure activities on the Scots calendar! 

Classroom Agreements and the Respect Triangle

A key focus at the start of every year is the establishment of new routines and expectations within the classroom and school environment. This week, all classes took part in activities reflecting on the respect triangle and PYP learner profile attributes to help with the process. Respect for self, others and the environment, the ‘triangle’ of respect, will play a vital role in developing our school community as we support the growth of strong, resilient and empathetic learners for the future. 

Many classes established Essential Agreements:

Year 1

Be caring and helpful
Respect others and their belongings
Be principled and make good choices
Be a risk-taker and try new things
Communicate with a nice voice
Ask questions to learn new things
Be organized and responsible
Listen to other people’s ideas
Be inclusive
Be enthusiastic and always try your best
Stay safe

Year 3 

Using Oliver Jeffers’ picture story book, ‘What we’ll build’, as a provocation, Year 3 developed their classroom agreement through group discussion and the idea of how to build a healthy classroom agreement. 

Year 4M

We take responsibility for the toys and equipment we bring into school.
Be safe in the playground.
Follow reasonable teacher instructions.
When a teacher says no, we respect that decision.
We listen when our teachers are talking.
We play appropriate games at school.
We are inclusive in the playground and the classroom.
We tuck in our shirts.
We wear our hats or blazer.
Walk inside and on the concrete.
We show respect to the buildings of our school.
Good vibes only - Helping others, speak kindly to ourselves and others.
We do our homework to the best of our ability.

Mobile Devices in the Junior School

We are very fortunate that our students have access to technology to aid their learning in the Junior School. With school-supplied iPads and Bring Your Own Device used across the school, our students have access to the essential tools they need for now and into the future. With the increased use of mobile devices, including phones and now watches in the Junior School, we ask all families to discuss how these devices should be used to and from school. While at school, we ask you to remind them not to contact parents directly during school hours. This communication should be handled through the class teacher and/or reception. Likewise, we ask that parents do not contact their children via phone or watch during school hours. If you have any questions, please refer to our mobile phone policy, found in the student diary or on Parent Lounge.

On the first day for our new students in the senior school, we held a special chapel service just for those who were joining our community for the first time. One of the great strengths of our 155-year-old school is our great sense of tradition. We have inherited rituals that lend an air of formality and gravitas to those important moments; like beginnings and endings. At their final chapel at Scots, our year 12s are given a candle and led out by our kinder students. So this year at their first chapel service, our new senior school students were given a candle and welcomed into the Scots community. The candle was chosen to be the symbol of welcome because light has strong symbolic value across different faiths and for those of no faith. It’s a symbol of hope that transcends all divides.

This symbol of light and hope bookends your time as a member of the Scots community, reminding you that you are strengthened by the power of the holy spirit, and by me and everyone here who is praying for you.

At the end of every chapel service, I offer a blessing to the students and staff; a play on the Aaronic blessing, adapted by a poet and colleague in ministry, Jennie Gordon. This blessing held special meaning when those new students, excited and nervous, cradled their own source of light.

“May God bless you and hold you close.
May God’s light shine for you and from you,
and may God’s love be with you always
and give you peace. Amen.”

 

Scholarships are available for current and prospective families.

Current students should read additional information relevant to them, found here.

Find an information session near you from our list below or visit our website to apply. 

ALBURY INFORMATION SESSION
The Scots School Albury Library
Wednesday, 10 February 2021
6.30-8.00pm

ALBURY INFORMATION SESSION
The Scots School Albury Library
Thursday, 11 February 2021
10.00-11.30am

LEETON INFORMATION SESSION
The Hungry Fox, 14 Kurrajong Ave, Leeton NSW 2705.
Thursday, 11 February 2021
4.00-5.30pm

GRIFFITH INFORMATION SESSION
The Quest, 53 Railway Street, Griffith Nsw 2680 Australia.
Thursday, 11 February 2021
7.00pm-8.30pm

DENILIQUIN INFORMATION SESSION

The Crossing Cafe - 295 George St, Deniliquin NSW 2710
Wednesday, 17 February 2021
7.00pm-8.30pm

TOCUMWAL INFORMATION SESSION
Tocumwal Golf Club - Barooga Rd, Tocumwal NSW 2714
Wednesday, 24 February 2021
6.00pm-7.30pm 

Welcome back

Happy New Year and welcome back to another exciting year of Pipe Band music here at Scots. Individual lessons are now back in full swing so please check the music lesson timetable, available on Student Cafe and Parent Lounge for your/your child's lesson time.
A reminder to all Pipe Band members that practices have moved to Thursday after school 3.30pm-5.30pm for Terms 1 and 2. The shift has been a necessary one to ensure that we maximise attendance while allowing our students to attend Matilda rehearsals on Wednesdays. 

Law Society Ceremony
Congratulations to the small but dedicated group of Scots pipers and drummers that represented our school at St Matthews Church for The Law Society’s thanksgiving and dedication ceremony to mark the opening of the law term. School captains Ziggy Lamond and Dylan Forge were in attendance to represent the school at the event and the pipe band added an extra touch of ceremony to the formal part of the service.

Congratulations to pipers Max Coupland, Johnny Coe and Pipe Sergeant Liam Nicolson; and drummers Rollo Nickols, Shona Donald, Tegan Forge, Maisey Player and Drum Corporal Damon Wright for making the event such a special occasion.

Our Senior Swimming Carnival, on Tuesday, 16 February 2021, is usually a wonderful opportunity for parents to come along and cheer on their sons or daughters but due to Covid restrictions, parents will not be able to attend this year. 

But never fear, we will be taking plenty of photographs on the day and uploading them to facebook so you will still be able to follow some of the day's progress. 

Students are to arrive at school as normal and will leave for the swimming pool with their Learning Mentor group at 9.00am. Students are not permitted to drive private vehicles. 

All entries will be done prior to the carnival so encourage your child to check noticeboards carefully. It is vital that students swim in the event and the lane they have been assigned.

Students are to wear full school PE uniform (including hat) to school. They may change into appropriate house colour-themed clothing. No zinc or hair colouring is permitted.

Students must compete in appropriate swimmers/shorts. If competitors wish to wear aquablades or other racing swimmers, they need to get permission from Mr Smith in person, prior to the carnival.

House swimming caps will be provided by each House Leader. Programs will be available on the day, and/or can be picked up from the front office prior to the carnival.

There is no break in the program for lunch but normal canteen facilities will be available. Please remind your child to pack sunscreen and a water bottle.

Presentations of medallions, trophies and final point scores will be held at school (approximately 2.45pm) in the Indoor Sports Centre. 

Noelle Oke is excited to see 10 years of hard work come to fruition in her new book Faith and Learning: the First 125 Years, which chronicles the history of The Scots School Albury from its humble beginnings in 1866.

The 300-plus pages of photographs, reproductions of memorabilia and narrative based on hundreds of hours of interviews have been collated into this wonderful encyclopedia of familiar and new stories about school life and culture. For instance, did you know it was normal for boarders in times past to have cold morning showers and sleep on a verandah protected from the elements only by a canvas blind. Or that the ‘Woodstock’ building was once a munitions factory owned by the Commonwealth during the Second World War to make fuses for heavy artillery, before being acquired by Gadsden’s who then made ration tins for the troops. So much amazing information, it will surely take you down memory lane!

To purchase a copy head to https://www.trybooking.com/BOENW