I'm looking forward to sharing our Vision for Scots tonight at our special presentation, This is Scots!

The evening will be a chance to welcome all our new families and say a special welcome to our returning families; we guarantee you are going to have the ride of your life as part of the Scots community.

This year, 155 is a significant number at Scots, in more ways than one.

It is also the number of years we have been providing quality education in Albury through our wonderful founding schools Woodstock Presbyterian Girls School and Albury Grammar School. The two schools amalgamated in 1972 to form The Scots School Albury and as we celebrate all we have achieved throughout our history, we are also celebrating 50 Years of Scots. 

Our strong tradition, beautiful grounds right here in central Albury, being an integral part of Albury’s history and growth will be celebrated throughout the year at our 50th birthday celebrations.

Have we got some great events planned for you this year!

We will kick off with our 50th birthday Scots Fair on Saturday 19 March, follow up with a Black Tie birthday celebration mid year and intersperse these key events with alumni reunions, an Open Day, Carols evening, Grandparents Day and Speech Night.

We often talk about the strength of the Scots community; about belonging to the Scots family. We often attribute a good deal of Scots’ success to the fact that we all feel that sense of belonging. We have a strong history - 155 years of our founding schools, 50 Years of Scots - and that history and tradition proudly determines who we are. 

I want you to share my enthusiasm for the great things we can achieve together for your children. 

• We are planning for our future: new facilities, investing in exceptional teachers, drilling down on our pedagogy.
• We are growing; but we promise that we will never be too big to provide individual attention
• We are a place of opportunity and new experiences - where your child will be given the encouragement to try new skills and uncover talents they didn’t know they possessed
• We are a community; with a strong sense of belonging, not simply a collection of people
• We are a place of high expectations; we encourage our students to have pride in wearing their uniform, pride in their work, in their effort, in their school and its values. 

YOU are part of this and we invite and encourage you to walk beside us and your children to make this vision a reality.

See you tonight!

We are as excited as you will be to hear that COVID-19 restrictions are easing further from Monday.

Some of the important changes which come into effect on Monday 28 February include:

• Students no longer need to be kept in year groups or other cohorts which means we can reintroduce cross-year group activities and events such as assemblies. 
• We can now allow all visitors onsite; this includes parents, carers and families regardless of their vaccination status.
• Masks will no longer be mandatory for students or staff in secondary schools and classes.
• Rapid antigen testing will be required only when a student is displaying COVID-19 symptoms. Students will receive a final allocation of eight tests to support this for the remainder of term.

From Monday 7 March, masks will no longer be mandatory for staff in the Junior School.

We are all looking forward to welcoming you on-site tonight at our ‘This Is Scots’ evening. Anyone who does not know the location of their child’s LM room, please rest assured that we will have staff on hand to direct you to the correct location. 

This week we have had our Year 12 leaders running tag football sessions and dodgeball with the Year 8 & 9 students at lunch-time. Much fun was had by all. This will continue throughout the term.

Our Peer support sessions with the Year 11 and Year 7 students is also underway and it is wonderful to watch these relationships develop and that sense of community being reinforced.

With all of the co-curricular events starting to ramp up we have many of the senior school students participating in after school events. I would like to remind parents that we do offer ‘Extended Day School’ as an option where students can remain at school supervised, receive afternoon tea, transport to their sport, dinner and academic support in Prep. Further details for this can be found on our website. Students who have not registered for this cannot be at the Boarding House after school.

Over the coming weeks many of you will receive information regarding the camp offerings in Week 10. I urge you to please complete the forms for this as soon as possible as venues now require a number of Covid declarations and permission forms well before finalising our registration. It is important to note that classes do not run in that final week for Years 8, 10, 11 & 12 in Week 10 as we assume all students at those level are attending our off-site camps.

All PAT testing has been completed across Year 7 to 12. We are currently in the process of placing this on Scotty so that parents can access their child’s data. You will receive a notification when this information is available. 

Junior School Year 3 to 6 Swimming Carnival

On Friday 18 February, our Year 3-6 students were very excited to represent their house and year levels in this year’s swimming competition. With house colours flying and voices at full volume, the scene was set for a great day of swimming, with many students competing in a carnival like this for the first time. It was also great to see our student engaging in co-curricular activities like this again, after such a long period of interruptions.

Congratulations to Simpson House for taking out the Junior School Swimming Carnival Cup for 2022 and to all our age champions. We look forward to seeing them and their peers compete in the upcoming RAS Competition in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 2 February.

Life @ Scots - Road Safety

The Scots School Albury has had the enviable position of being in the centre of Albury’s CBD for over 100 years. However, as the town has grown, so too have the risks associated with transporting students to and from school. 

In recent years, the school has responded to parent feedback and worked with local authorities to ensure we provide safe options for peak times of the day, including:

1. Appropriate use of the kiss’n’drop zone
2. Access to the school grounds for car parking
3. Dedicated pre-school carparking
4. Road Safety initiatives to educate students and families 

In the coming weeks, we will be receiving further updates from Transport NSW regarding Road Safety Programs and funding to support schools in this area.

We would like to thank our community for your support in maintaining and modeling safe driving and pedestrian practices. Our students all look up to those closest to them and we need to ensure we continue to model the correct road safety habits. 

Congratulations Mrs Carter!

We are excited to announce that long time Junior School teacher and now member of the Inclusive Learning Team, Mrs Emma Carter, is expecting her second child. Mrs Carter will continue her support of students across the school until the end of Term 2. We wish her and partner Andy all the best for this exciting journey. 

The new hockey season starts on the last weekend in March, with training to start at the beginning of the month. We will also be welcoming the Hockey Albury-Wodonga roadshow to the Junior School on Friday 4 March to kick our season off. This year, we are looking for expressions of interest for Under-12s and Under-14s (age as of 1 January 2022). Can you please as a matter of urgency complete the appropriate form below if you have not done so already? This is essential so that we can confirm team entries with HAW.

Years 6-9: https://forms.gle/PyHeKZTfYY3TdJ5Y8
Junior School: https://forms.gle/QcXT586cxpNwzb6i9
Any questions to Mr Agar (SS) or Ms Dickins (JS).

New Hockey Staff
We are also looking forward to welcoming our two new overseas hockey (and boarding) staff, Pippa Best and Justine van Lathem. These two players have extensive experience of playing hockey for their countries at underage level, as well as in a number of different countries on university scholarship and at a professional level. The opportunity to be coached by players of this pedigree is unmatched by any other club in the region, and will put our hockey program on par with any other school in the country. Even if you have not played hockey before, I would strongly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity.

2022 Senior School Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to each of the individual winners and to Robertson, the winning House.

1st  Robertson
2nd  Sellars
3rd Wilson
4th Simpson

Cricket

Congratulations to Sam Williams, Year 7, who received his “Baggy Blue” at the Australia vs Sri Lanka game at the MCG last Sunday as a result of his selection in the Victorian State cricket team. 

He also recently represented CAW Under-13 in cricket country week where he was captain and was awarded the following:

• Highest run scorer across all age groups (under-12 to under-17) across all represented teams
• Named in the Team of the Year across all age groups and all represented teams. 

The library enjoyed a special event last week on Valentine’s Day. Invites went out to come into the library and “Have a Blind Date with a Book”.

All of the “dates” were lovingly wrapped up in brown (with a bow), pink or red paper. Students could select their date and then keep the book, choosing it for themselves or as a gift to give someone else. We had about 50 dates which was fantastic!

The library staff has continued to be busy barcoding, labelling and covering new books. Mr Stephen Orr (new to our English faculty) donated a copy of The Lanternist, a book that he has written and it is now on the shelf to borrow.

We have also had some ex Scots parents visiting the library: Jane van der Vliet, mother to Thomas, Georgie and Will, and Sue Reynolds, mum to James and David generously gave their time to help cover our books. They will both be back to help again in the coming weeks.

A few reminders:

• Chess Club every Thursday's at lunchtime due to Choir – Please bring your lunch
• Homework club Monday – Thursday 3.30pm – 4.30pm (Years 5 and 6 only)
• Various portfolio meetings at recesses – look out for emails

Information for Junior School Parents:

We have a subscription to Britannica for use from Years 3 – 6. Our teachers are readily using this resource in their classrooms and students are free to access this at home the way they do at school. This is particularly good for when working on Units of Inquiry, General Knowledge areas or just for reading.
- Alley McGhee

The Scots Fair is coming! Get ready for the action of awesome carnival rides, exciting competitions, loads of market stalls and plenty to eat and drink, all hosted by HIT104.9's Tim and Jess!

Save the date: Saturday 19 March from 3.00pm-7.00pm.

We have secured several high-profile carnival rides to thrill and excite:

• Dodgem Cars • For all ages, solo for riders over 1.3m
• Sizzler • For riders over 1.2m
• Big Blue Jumping Castle • Recommended for 10 years & under
• Giant inflatable slide • Suitable for all ages
• Giant Atomic Rush Obstacle Course •  Suitable for all ages
• Atomic Rush Obstacle Course •  Suitable for all ages
• Mechanical Meltdown/Wipeout •  Suitable for all ages

For the rides that are suitable for all ages, younger children will be separated from older children. 

Every year level is involved in running a stall or activity and we have loads of interest from external vendors, and we are adding more all the time. There will be something to eat, drink, do or watch from start to finish. 

Something to do: Giant Guess Who  (Scots Staff edition), Tug of War, Guess the number of jelly beans in a jar, Lucky Dip, Decorate Your Own Cupcake/Biscuit, Slime Making, Hair colouring and plaits/beads, Beat the Bandit (vs Bailey Lloyd), Egg toss challenge, Wipe-out pole challenge, Whacky Races, Teacher and Yr 12 Dunk Tank, Chocolate Toss and Hay stacking competition, Army obstacle course, Climbing Wall, Laser Tag and Pony Rides. 

Something to eat or drink from Scots stalls: Fairy Floss and Popcorn Stands, Chocolate / Lolly bags or jars,, Hot Cross Bun Drive, Drinks, slushies,  Lemonade stand.

Something to buy: Scots Merchandise, Second Hand Books stall, White elephant stall, Hamper raffles, Bake Stall, Jams, preserves & sauces stall, a stall featuring items made by Scots Students.

External stall holders will include those selling: Organic skincare & soap, Baby goods, Local handmade bags, Prints, silk scarves, beeswax wraps, Upcycled womens and childrens clothing, Hair clips, bags and earrings, Quirky earrings, Recycled steel plant stands and garden ornaments, Handmade kids clothing, Linen and cushion covers, Handmade candles & soaps.

Food vendors: Monumental (ice-cream), Boost Juice (fresh juices), Purely Delish (jacket potatoes and nachos), Scotsonian's BBQ (burgers and sausages).

In the Alumni Hospitality Tent: Essence of Harrogate, Pfeiffer Wines, Bridge Road Brewers, Saludos (paella)

The fair will be held in conjunction with the Time to Shine Dance Competition, involving more than 200 dancers in our Alistair Todd Chapel Hall, and a Pipe Band Competition, involving more than 20 Pipe Bands from across Victoria and NSW.

Save the date in your diaries now.

Radio's Tim and Jess from HIT104.9 will be our hosts at the Scots Fair!

Tim and Jess will be doing interviews with fair goers, hosting the whacky races and drumming up support for the magnificent Hamper Raffles. 

They will keep the atmosphere moving along at a rocking pace and provide a few laughs along the way. 

Scots has partnered with Saludos, Pfeiffer Wines, Essence of Harrogate and Bridge Road Brewers to offer Fair goers drinks and paella in our al-fresco licenced Alumni Hospitality area.

What could be more enjoyable than sitting at one of our tables on the beautiful grassed area, under an umbrella and enjoying a drink with your paella while the kids are happily entertained by carnival rides and fun activities?

We welcome all parents and alumni to join us in the Alumni Hospitality Tent, serving alcohol from 4pm until close at 7pm. 

Bridge Road Brewers: The Bridge Road story began in the year 2000 when young Beechworth native Ben Kraus, packed his bags for Europe to learn more about the world and the art of making wine. Along the way, he got distracted on the ski slopes of Austria, met his wife Maria and ended up working at a traditional microbrewery in Innsbruck. Winemaking quickly took a back seat. In 2005, the couple opened the first iteration of the brewery but it quickly outgrew its original location and in 2006, the doors opened at the current home in Beechworth. Now you’ll find Bridge Road beer gracing taps, fridges, and eskies from Bermagui to Bangkok - any place that sells great beer, including the Alumni Hospitality Tent at the Scots Fair!

Essence of Harrogate: Melanie and Anthony Baker love the connections made over a Gin and Tonic. They believe it’s the little things that create connections, bring about laughter and memories with those we love. They brought the premium Gin label Slingsby to the border less than a year ago, after discovering it while travelling in 2019. They wanted to connect the local area with the Yorkshire community where the label has its roots and we are proud to partner with them to bring their Slingsby Gins for Fair goers in our hospitality tent. Based in Wodonga, Essence of Harrogate also offers its premium Slingsby Gins through its online shop and order forms will be available at the Fair. 

Pfeiffer Wine: A love of wine as a hobby turned into a passionate career for Rutherglen wine-maker Chris Pfeiffer (OAM) who worked alongside wine industry buffs before venturing into his own wine making business thirty-six years ago when with his wife Robyn purchased the “Old Distillery” winery in Rutherglen. Drawn to an agricultural degree after leaving high school, Chris discovered an interest in wine where he then chose to specialise in viticulture with further studies in winemaking while working at Lindeman Wines where he became the chief fortified winemaker. In 2000, the couple's younger daughter, Jen Pfeiffer, come home to the winery to join her Dad as a winemaker. Jen now makes the wine and runs the day to day vineyard and winery operations. 

Saludos: A wonderful mother and daughter duo serving tapas and paella in central Albury! The pair has spent many years researching recipes and travelling through Spain so they can bring authentic Spanish cuisine to the region. Spanish food so often is a  few fresh ingredients put together in interesting and delicious ways. Jan has worked at Arzak, a three Michelin Star restaurant in San Sebastian and Loni has recently finished a chef apprenticeship. They both love cooking and being a part of the Albury community and are excited to partner with us for the Scots Fair Alumni Hospitality Tent! 

We invite Scots families and businesses to be a part of the 2022 Scots Fair by becoming a sponsor. We have two levels of sponsorship available: 

• Amusement Sponsor $500
• Gift a Ride Sponsor $100.

Save the Date: Scots Fair is on Saturday 19 March 2022 from 3.00pm-7.00pm.

AMUSEMENT SPONSOR

Sponsor a ride at the Scots Fair. We have engaged an exciting collection of awesome rides to excite the Border community and you or your business can assist our fundraising activities by sponsoring a ride and have your signage displayed prominently on the fence of the sponsored ride. 

What’s Included?

Group promotion on the Scots Facebook Page • Promotional announcement by MC at event • Business signage placed on fence of sponsored ride.

Advertising material must be supplied by the sponsor.

GIFT A RIDE SPONSOR

Give four students from another Junior School in the region the opportunity to attend the Scots Fair and enjoy unlimited rides. Through your generosity, families outside the Scots community will be able to experience the Spirit of Scots.

What’s Included?

Group promotion on the Scots Facebook Page • Group signage in recognition at event

Please contact Scott Nicolson at snicolson@scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au for more information or to pledge your support.

The Fair is almost here…a day filled with carnival rides, free live music, games, food trucks, pony rides and loads of fun for everyone! Save the date in your diaries and use this link to purchase your wristband for unlimited carnival rides today at 25% off.

Ride Wristbands give children access to unlimited carnival rides at The Scots School Albury Fair including:

Dodgem Cars • For all ages, solo for riders over 1.3m
Sizzler • For riders over 1.2m
Big Blue Jumping Castle • Recommended for 10 years & under
Giant inflatable slide • Suitable for all ages
Giant Atomic Rush Obstacle Course •  Suitable for all ages
Atomic Rush Obstacle Course •  Suitable for all ages
Mechanical Meltdown/Wipeout •  Suitable for all ages

For the rides that are suitable for all ages, younger children will be separated from older children. 

Parents who are required to accompany their child in order to ride, ride free.

Ride Wristbands are available for sale and collection at Junior and Senior School Receptions.

The purchase price for Unlimited Ride Wristbands on the day will be $40.

*Pony rides not included

Pipe Band competition 

12pm-4pm on Wilson Oval. Spectators are free.

If you are moved by the haunting sound of the bagpipes or enjoy the upbeat sound of the pipes and drums in march mode, you are going to love the Scots Pipe Band competition being held in conjunction with the Scots Fair. 

Making its home on Wilson Oval (near the Boarding House) the pipe band competition will host Pipe bands from NSW and Victoria in a seven-event program. Bands will contest the Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4A, Grade 4B and Juvenile classes, each comprising the Strathspey & Reel March and a medley of their own choice, and two Novice Juvenile classes will cater to those students new to the pipes.

Come and enjoy this colourful extravaganza, which features precision marching, accomplished pipers and drummers and our very own Scots students in action.

Thank you to our generous sponsors of this event:

Colin James

Time to Shine Dance competition

9am-8pm in the Chapel Hall. 

Featuring solos, troupes, duos, trios competing in a full range of dance styles.

Thank you to our generous sponsors of this event:

The Wright Group

The Scots Fair is just around the corner and the School is asking for donations from families in each of the following three categories:

White Elephant Stall: We need good quality, undamaged, second-hand goods, such as books, toys, children's clothing and homewares.

Homemade Goods stall:  We need donations of homemade jams, preserves and sauces. Please include a list of ingredients and the date made.

Hamper Raffle:  Please donate vouchers or non-perishable goods so we can compile hampers which will be raffled on the day. Choose one of the following themes:

• Gardening
• Wine and Chocolate
• Gourmet Food
• Summer BBQ Sizzler
• Family Movie Night
• Easter
• Coffee and Tea
• Pamper products

Please send any donations into school or drop off at reception.