Monday 23 May • Junior School Athletics Carnival, Alexandra Park (spectators welcome) Tuesday 24 May • Senior School Athletics Carnival, Alexandra Park (spectators welcome) Thursday 2 June and Friday 3 June • Year 5 & 6 Production of Aladdin (booking required) Wednesday 8 June • Todd Woodbridge Cup (Years 3 & 4), Albury Tennis Centre (spectators welcome) Thursday 9 June • Year 7 Boys Football Gala Day, Lavington Sports Ground (spectators welcome) Friday 10 June • Pupil Free Day (report writing day) Friday 10 June - Monday 13 June • Boarding Exeat Weekend Monday 13 June • Queen's Birthday Public Holiday Wednesday 15 June • Football Grand Final Day, Lavington Sports Ground (spectators welcome) Saturday 18 June • 50 Years of Scots Gala Dinner (booking required) Tuesday 21 June • Scots Giving Day & Whole School Birthday Party (all students can wear casual clothes) Tuesday 21 June • Scots Music Festival (booking required) Friday 24 June • Final Day of Term
From the Principal • Mark Geraets
As the Federal Election looms, we can be grateful that we live in an invested country where voting is compulsory. Australians are in a unique position on the global stage - compulsory voting is not as common as you might think in many other countries around the world.
So, the party that wins a Federal Election in Australia should truly be the party the majority of people want as their Government.
Tomorrow’s election looks like going down to the wire and, as I see it, the major issues on which the two leading parties are focussed include the cost of living, housing affordability, supporting women and bolstering our defence and national security.
Sadly, education does not really feature in either of the leading party’s main policies.
There seems to be a growing sentiment that the more affluent should pay the price for education, which would mean less funding for independent schools.
But in this election, both major parties have said they won’t change the funding. That’s something, but there are few carrots from the two leading parties on Education, either.
The Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia has addressed the Federal Election and its impact on education in an article online. You can read the article here. And I recently came across this excellent comparison article, also from AHISA, which I thought I’d share with you to help you understand what impact both parties will have on education ahead of you casting your ballot tomorrow.
This week began with students in Years 7 to 9 being involved in sessions with our local Police Liaison Officer Amy Epstein. These sessions focused on cyber-bullying and cyber-safety. We are currently in the process of organising her to return to run a parent session this term. This is a space that is constantly evolving in its use as well as the legal consequences of misuse so we are keen to ensure that both students and parents are as informed as possible.
Congratulations to all of the students whose work and performances were showcased on Thursday night at the Artistix – Art & Music Showcase. It was a wonderful evening and I would like to recognise one of our leaders, Lara Lambert, for her role in bringing it all together.
A reminder to all parents that we have our Athletics Carnival coming up soon. After a number of years without parents we encourage anyone who would like to attend to please do so.
Congratulations to Luke Pendlebury who received a Merit Certificate in English this week for being a Positive Learner.
We are again starting to see a number of students absent due to Covid and illness now that the colder weather is upon us. All staff post weekly on Scotty their class outlines and resources for the week for each subject. Your child has access to all of this information. We will be running a Parent Workshop for those parents who would like to know more about our Learning Management System.
From the Head of Junior School • Matthew Boundy
Aladdin Update
A focus on performing arts has been a long standing tradition at Scots and this continues as our Year 5 and 6 students put the final touches on our 2022 production of Aladdin. With less than two weeks until showtime, rehearsals are heating up! Costumes, props and stage sets are looking amazing and the students are working really hard on their collaborative skills to ensure the show will be a huge success. Many thanks to our production team, led by Mr Stewart Lucy and Mrs Catriona Byles, who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes supporting students through the process. We wish everyone involved good luck for what is sure to be another amazing Scots performance.
At Scots, we are fortunate that therapy dogs play a key role in our student (and staff) wellbeing programs. In recent years, Cinders (Junior School) and Fabio (Senior School) have provided amazing support to our community and have confirmed the research that highlights the benefits in having animals, and in particular dogs, in a caring capacity in schools. The benefits in reducing anxiety and stress while improving the overall mood of those who come in contact with them couldn’t come at a better time, as we continue to battle with health-related absences.
But as Cinders nears the end of her career, we are fortunate to have Maurice, a 14-month-old therapy dog join the Junior School Wellbeing team. The Victorian Guide Dogs Therapy Program has just been relaunched and we are fortunate to have been selected to take on one of their new recruits. Maurice is settling into the Boundy household and will be introduced to the Junior School community over the coming weeks. In the meantime, students will be provided with "training" to understand how to work with Maurice, care for him and ensure that we, too, provide a safe and enjoyable environment for him.
Lego Master competition
In preparation for the inaugural Junior School Lego Masters, the Junior School is seeking Lego donations from families who have outgrown this childhood classic. Initially, the Lego will be used in an interhouse Lego Master competition (coming later Term 2) then will supplement our STEM initiatives and winter lunch time activities program. If you wish to donate any Lego please contact, Nash Clark at nclark@scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au
From the Director of Boarding • John Hill
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle
Happy National Boarding Week! This is a week to celebrate all the things that are great about boarding. It also is a week to take the time to understand the challenges and benefits of living in a community setting. Scots boarding provides a home-away-from-home for around 90 boarders from various regions and backgrounds. The overwhelmingly positive and friendly interaction between these different students is one of the greatest strengths of a boarding school. I truly believe that these boarding students provide the heart of a school like ours; they are a wonderful group of young individuals and a credit to their families.
I, personally, can’t believe we are at the end of Week 4 already; time is certainly flying by! I would like to congratulate the boarding students on the manner with which they have begun the term. I have been particularly impressed with their resilience in the face of some changes that I have implemented into the boarding community. I would like to congratulate the following students on their election into the Boarder Representative Group (BRG):
Will Devere – Year 12 Charli Cooper – Year 12 Charlotte Brodley – Year 11 Jono Cotter – Year 10 Madeline Perkins – Year 10 Anastasia McFarlane – Year 9 Joshua O’Brien – Year 9 Jimmy Sides – Year 9 Matilda Hollins – Year 7
These students will be meeting with me once a week to discuss the boarding operation. They have taken on a great responsibility as the voice of their peers and I am looking forward to some stimulating conversations moving forward.
Boarders' achievements I would like to congratulate Harry Purcell (Year 10) for winning the RAS Cross Country. He will now represent the school at CIS where he will come up against some of the best runners in the State. Congratulations Harry!
Congratulations, also, to the Senior Girls and Senior Boys Footy teams who went down in a tight contest, just missing out on progressing to the finals last week. Well done to all the boarding students who played.
Farewell to David Edwards
It is with great sadness that we will farewell David Edwards after 17 years at Scots.
David is relocating and will leave at the end of May. His work in the Technological and Applied Studies department has been outstanding with his students producing some breathtaking work. David has held a plethora of roles including; Boarding House Supervisor, Year and Stage Coordinator, Work Placement Coordinator, Subject Leader – Design & Technology | STEAM and has led trips to Japan.
He also will leave a strong legacy of outdoor education through his long and excellent leadership in the Duke of Edinburgh award program.
Last year, when we were promoting our DoE program to prospective students, we highlighted David's contribution through the following article.
David Edwards - Duke of Edinburgh Leader The Overland Track is Australia's premier alpine walk. But when the weather turns foul, visibility is limited and all around you, helicopters are rescuing hikers from the treacherous conditions you want Scots teacher and Duke of Edinburgh Award leader, David Edwards in your corner.
A recent group of Scots hikers impressed Cradle Mountain Park rangers when they safely completed the Overland Track amid appalling conditions last year. The snow and rain had been incessant; and rangers had been rescuing lost, wet and cold hikers for days.
But the Scots group was, as always, prepared for all conditions and were challenged but unconcerned by all the fuss.
“I’ve hiked that track many times and as a group, decisions were made to ensure everyone was safe and navigation was correct,” David said. “I think the kids felt like they were in good hands. The rain was relentless and when it wasn’t raining it was snowing but they were in good spirits, up for the challenge and had the appropriate gear. We were fine.”
The Duke of Edinburgh International Award is a youth development program, empowering all young Australians to explore their full potential and find their purpose, passion and place in the world. It has been running under David’s leadership at Scots for 16 years.
Together with a vast array of other co-curricular choices, the Duke of Edinburgh Award has helped catapult The Scots School Albury on to an elite list of Australia’s top co-curricular programs. The school won the national award for Best Co-curricular Program at the Australian Education Awards this year.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award was founded in 1956 and is about individual challenge, variety of activity, duration, support and teamwork and recognition in four categories: Voluntary Service, Skill, Physical Recreation and Adventurous Journey. Scots supports all four aspects and David is ably assisted by other Scots staff, primarily Ms Sue Mitchell, to provide a rounded experience. Challenges differ for each individual, but they should require persistence and determination to overcome – traits which are viewed favourably by employers later in life.
La Trobe University Vice Chancellor, Professor John Dewar is a big fan of the Award program and said students who completed the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award arrived at university with a head start on their peers.
“We can be confident that these students are not only the type of people we want as part of the La Trobe community, but they will be strong candidates for future employers,” he said.
David mentors the Scots students through the three levels of the award – bronze, silver and gold - by monitoring, discussing, encouraging and motivating them to reach their goals.
He plans about six expeditions a year. He’s trekked the Overland Track five times, been to Annapurna base camp in Nepal with school groups, and regularly hikes the Alpine National Park, Feathertop, Bogong and Jagungal Wilderness tracks in Kosciuszko National Park with students attempting bronze, silver and gold levels. The majority of the trips are over a weekend; an introduction to the Adventurous Journey component of the DoE award. And some of them are much more arduous. The Overland Track is 65km of hiking over six days. Almost half of the track is above 1000 metres in elevation on exposed plateaus in a remote area. 2022 will see an extended adventure on the Jatbula Trail in the Northern Territory. Thorough preparation and good gear is always essential.
David runs briefing sessions for each trip; students plan equipment, understand the route, pack and carry their own food and water and make most of the decisions on the ground. They build up from weekend adventures in all kinds of weather to longer, more arduous treks that require months of planning and meticulous preparation.
David’s passion for the outdoors makes him the ideal leader of the DoE program. He gives up his weekends and school holidays to take students on expeditions, allowing countless students over the years to complete the Adventurous Journey component of the award.
But in truth, David loves it. He rarely hikes alone and enjoys the total experience of hiking in remote and rugged wilderness areas: the challenge, the solitude and the physical benefits. But what really drives his passion for the Duke of Edinburgh is witnessing students accomplish what they never thought they could.
“We are taking young adults on an adventure,” he said. “The overarching aspect is that these kids are capable of so much more than we ever give them credit for. And to see them when they experience hard-earned success, well that’s enough for anyone.”
In 2021 and despite COVID restrictions and lockdowns, four expeditions were undertaken to assist participants achieve award success.
Those who complete their Gold Award join an elite group of young adults who receive their Gold Award Certificates from the Vice-Regal Patron of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award – Australia (NSW Division), The Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC QC, at Government House.
David couldn’t be prouder of all who step up to the challenge!
Principals join us for 50 Years of Scots Gala Dinner
We are thrilled to confirm that former Scots Principals Alistair Todd, Warren Howlett and Heather Norton will be joining us to celebrate 50 wonderful years of Scots in the Albury Community at our 50 Years of Scots Gala Dinner. Mr Todd was Principal at Scots from 1978 until 1998, Mr Howlett was head from 1999 to 2007 and Mrs Norton reigned from 2008 until 2013.
Doors open at 6.15pm and the evening kicks off at 6.30pm, with the official party being piped in by our Scots Pipe Band at 6.50pm. Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy a fantastic meal and drinks package, all topped off with a giant birthday cake.
An evening of great entertainment and a trip down memory lane is assured. Guests will be treated to On the Couch interviews with past Scots Principals, guest MC Ian Cover from the Coodabeen Champions and performances from Scots Alumni and current students. Music from Sons of Motherless Goats will enable guests to dance the night away!
This week in the Library, our mindfulness rug-hook project was completed. Thank you to all of the students who spent time on this during first term. It is now on display for everyone to admire.
Our Junior School students have been delving into the works of Andrew Plant. Andrew is an author and illustrator and he also is designing and creating the sets for Aladdin and The Drowsy Chaperone. Year 1 is reading Andrew’s book, The Perfect Leaf and during Autumn, is on a quest to find, draw and colour a “perfect leaf”.
Finally, Year 12 celebrated 100 days to go until they finish school with a party!
Scots riders braved the wet conditions last Saturday to attend the Scots Equestrian-hosted Campdraft & Horsemanship Clinic at Dom Shanahan's property in Barnawartha.
Accomplished campdrafter and Scots parent Jim Hiscock led the group through horsemanship skills, how to work the mechanical cow and then introduced them to working a steer in the "camp" and out on course. We were glad to extend an invitation to St Pauls’ riders, who also enjoyed the day.
Many horses and riders had never experienced the mechanical cow or worked cattle so it was a huge learning curve for some. Big thanks to instructor Jim Hiscock and also to Dom Shanahan, who not only allowed us to use his excellent facility but provided the stock.
Any Scots riders who would like to be part of the Equestrian community are invited to contact coordinator Rowena Newcomen on rnewcomen@scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au
AFL Football
The Senior boys & girls AFL teams competed last week at the AFL Carnival hosted by Xavier High School.
Bill Taylor Cup (Senior Boys) Game 1: Scots 9.9.63 def. James Fallon 0.0.0 (Goal kickers: Baxter Golden 4, Oscar Clelland 4, Alex Smythe 1) Game 2: Scots 0.4.4 def. St Paul’s 0.1.1 Game 3: Scots 3.4.22 def Corowa HS 0.0.0 (Goal kickers: Oscar Clelland 1, Eligh Houston-Damic 1, Harvey Correll 1) Game 4: Albury High 6.2.38 def Scots 3.2.20 (Goal Kickers: Clelland, Golden and Charles Ledger) Albury High progressed through to the final versus Xavier.
Xavier Tanner Shield (Under 15 Boys) Game 1: Xavier 10.6.66 def Scots 0.2.2 Game 2: Scots 3.8 drew with St Paul’s 4.2.26 (Goal kickers: Oscar Bayne 2, Dom Dunstan 1) Game 3: Scots 5.0.30 def Trinity 1.3.9 (Goal kickers: Jimmy Shannon 1, Taylor Brown 1, Fred Jackson, Oliver Hutchins 1)
Xavier progressed through to the final versus Billabong HS.
Thanks to coach Peter Dean for his efforts to train the boys and coach on the day.
Ross Henshaw Shield (Senior Girls)
Game 1: Scots defeated James Fallon High School 45 to 7 Game 2: Scots defeated St Pauls College 25 to 0 Game 3: Scots defeated Corowa High School 17 to 0 Game 4: Scots lost to Albury High School 0 to 39
The girls team wore black arm bands in memory of Amelie Borella who was a 2021 team member who sadly passed away not long after winning the final of this competition last year.
Japanese
Our Year 11 and 12 Japanese Students, together with six students from other schools in the region, gathered in the Cultural Centre for a full day of intensive Japanese conversation practice on Saturday 7 May. This wonderful opportunity was thanks to their teachers and the many volunteer Japanese speakers who gave of their time to attend and support our students. The day was broken into three major one-on-one speaking sessions, with language games and activities designed around group work throughout. Opportunities like this are important for building confidence and strengthening skills prior to final oral assessments. Well done to all those in attendance.
Agriculture
Our Year 11 and 12 Agriculture students were hosted by Ash Fraser and Ed Harrod from Baker Seeds at Rutherglen on Wednesday, the 4th of May.
The students learned about the process of designing and conducting plant trials and the importance of following the rules of control, replication, randomisation and standardisation. It was a great opportunity for students to understand the value of plant trials and their impact on the agricultural industry. The Year 11 students have just started their Plant Trial Assessment, while the Year 12 students are coming to the end of their major Assessment, a Plant or Animal Trial.
The Year 12 students also gained further understanding of private versus public funding sources and Plant Breeders Rights, which is a part of our Farming for the 21st Elective Unit.
Scots community news
Stars of the Border Peoples Choice Awards
Scots parent, Ruchi Chandra, is seeking support for her cause in the Stars of the Border Peoples Choice Award this weekend. A small donation of $5 will send your vote in. Or you can be as generous as you’d like towards this fundraiser for Cancer Council NSW.
Text RUCHI at 0476000111 and follow the donation link. Find out more here. Lines are active until Friday night, 15 minutes after the last dance performance for this year's Stars of the Border Dance For Cancer 2022.
