Welcome back to an exciting final term of school.

Our Year 12s are closing in on their final days of schooling after 13 years of formal education. This year’s Year 12 cohort has had some of the most challenging challenges of any cohort in our long, distinguished history here at Scots.

There is no doubt a lot is riding on these final exams which start on November 9 and the students are under an immense amount of pressure as they navigate the last 10 days - ever - of their school career before they go into study break and then exams.

But, while we are doing everything we can as a school to ensure our students put their best foot forward in the exams, it's worth remembering that each student is so much more than their ATAR score. 

Each student has developed from a little child of five or six years old who ventured into the school gates, either here or at another school, 13 years ago. They will leave us as well rounded young adults who have much to offer the world and many will find, as time goes by, that some of the things the ATAR doesn’t reflect are some of the most important traits that will serve them well in life.

That includes kindness, humility, a can-do attitude, the willingness to try new things no matter how embarrassing it might seem at the time and the courage to stand by their beliefs.

School Captains Dylan Forge and Ziggy Lamond reflected on this in our Spring Edition of The Drum.

Dylan commented that his favourite memories of Scots were the broad range of co-curricular opportunities which unlocked passions for hiking, music and theatre that he never knew he had. 

When asked what legacy he hoped to leave, he wrote: “I hope people remember my kind and understanding attitude, but also my drive to do well in everything I tried….Those experiences have given me my passions that I will continue far beyond my schooling life.”

Ziggy conveyed her hope to be remembered for her willingness to speak up about things. She wrote: “I hope that I will be remembered as having used my position to make Scots a place that both accepts and promotes diversity.”

That is the beauty of an education at Scots. We provide fantastic academic rigour, which is reflected in acknowledgement by the Better Education guide as the top academic school on the Border. And we provide amazing opportunities to challenge, expand and nurture each individual through our award-winning Co-curricular Program.

So when you see our Year 12 students over the next few weeks, of course wish them well for their exams - but remind them of the wonderful people they have become and that these traits are not tied to an ATAR score.

Better Education Ranking

We hope you see plenty of Scots in the paper, on social media, on television and on the radio over the coming weeks as we launch our marketing campaign around our Better Education ranking. 

Scots was ranked by Better Education as the top academic primary school and the top academic secondary school when compared with other schools in Albury and Wodonga. 

Scots was ranked No.1 in the area with a national overall score of 98 in the primary school section and 97 in the secondary school section.

You can view the results at www.bettereducation.com.au 

This acknowledgment comes on top of our national Excellence Awards for Regional School of the Year and Best Co-curricular Program as recognised by the 2021 Australian Education Awards.

Winners of these two categories will be announced in December during an online gala awards night.

Online Safety

Many in our community expressed concern and disappointment when our email system was misused by a student last week. The cyber attack on a couple of teachers and students is not acceptable and was extremely disappointing to see. 

However, I am pleased to say the response from parents and students has been one of overwhelming support and concern for those targeted. Teachers have met with all students in the cohorts impacted and provided support and guidance around appropriate online behaviour.

Our service provider, 5G, has moved to implement safety parameters to ensure such an incident cannot happen again.

Additional Items
Please see additional items in the newsletter relating to our vaccination policy, fee policy and information about Term 4 events.

Scots now has a policy on COVID-19 vaccinations for staff. 

In summary, from Monday 8 November 2021, all staff working at Scots, including tradespeople and service providers, will be unable to enter the school grounds unless they are double-vaccinated. 

We also encourage eligible students to get vaccinated to help keep our community safe.

You can see the full policy HERE.

We welcomed 13 new students to our school community this term and we are experiencing strong demand for places throughout the school for next year. We are already immersed in planning for timetabling and staffing to accommodate this growth.

In order to accurately reflect our staffing needs and to understand our capacity to accept new enrolments into certain year levels, it is important that families who know they will be leaving our community let us know as soon as possible.

Withdrawal of a student must be notified in writing to the School - either to the Principal or Enrolments Officer Robyn Smith. A term’s notice is required. If a term’s notice is not received, a term’s fees may be charged in lieu.

Alternatively, if you have younger children not yet enrolled, please get your applications in as soon as possible. Or if you know of other families looking to enrol, please let them know that places are filling fast.

Scots remains under Level 3 restrictions as mandated for schools by NSW Health and therefore we are unable to hold events on site or off site.

We are hoping restrictions will ease on 1 December (or earlier) enabling us to have families attend the Year 12 Graduation, Year 6 Graduation, Grandparents’ Day, Carols Evening and Speech Night in early December.

The Presentation Ball has been cancelled for 2021.

We are planning for all our events to be on site and in person as we are aware everyone is keen to get back to normal. But ultimately, we will be guided by the mandated restrictions.

Stewart Lucy joins us as Head of Performing Arts this term as well as Senior Drama teacher. Stewart comes to us from Trinity Grammar School in Melbourne where he has been Producer and Director of the School’s dramatic productions, a teacher of Drama, Film and Media, Physical Education and Head of House.

Prior to Trinity Grammar, Stewart was working in Kenya, where he was born, with his family running a horse safari company. His involvement with horses has enabled him to fill a niche role as an extra/stunt rider in a few Australian bushranger films as well as representing Kenya in an international polo tournament.

Stewart has moved to the area with his wife Monique and their baby girl Matilda; a return to country living for both of them. These days the horses have been replaced by bikes and the trails in the region have been attracting them here on holidays for the past few years.

A particular focus for next year will be the school production. With such a strong tradition of musical theatre at the school, Stewart is looking forward to the challenge of living up to the high standard set by Liz Heitmeyer.

Belinda Crothers is excited to be back working in a pre-school environment as our Director of Pre-School after a career in Early Childhood Education in different fields for nearly 30 years.

She has been involved in long day care settings, community-based pre-schools and early intervention under the NDIS scheme. She has enjoyed her first weeks in the pre-school this term and is excited by the all the building refurbishment and renovation that is happening in her area of the school

Belinda lives locally with her husband of 26 years, Phil, and one of her two children. Her eldest has flown the coop and now lives in the Northern Territory - an absolute bonus for tropical holidays when the borders weren’t a concern! She is crossing her fingers for a family Christmas.

Belinda has a strong social justice ethic and values inclusion in an education setting. She has learned many skills in supporting development through play from working alongside a team of Educators, Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Behaviour Support Practitioners and Psychologists in earlier roles. She hopes to share that knowledge with the team at Scots and in her daily interaction with the children. She is in her final few units of a Masters Degree in Special and Inclusive Education through the University of Newcastle. Belinda has an interest in what STEM looks like in a pre-school environment and how she can foster early literacy in the years before they come to primary school.

Outside of work, Belinda likes to explore local bushwalks (when it’s not magpie season) or catch up with family and friends over coffee and cake. She has a gym membership that she never uses and a lot of active wear that doesn’t see the light of day. But her goal post Covid is to move more, even if it’s just to keep up with the four year olds she teaches!

Petra Barber joined us last month in the key role of Community Relations and Advancement Manager, heading up the Marketing and Enrolments team.

Petra comes to us with a wealth of experience in key roles at McDonald’s Australia and New Zealand, including National Marketing Manager, where she was involved in all aspects of traditional marketing and liaised with franchisees across the country.

She then became Director of Innovation and Menu and joined the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa innovation team. In these roles she was tasked with identifying concepts of future growth, identifying trends and analysing current data to drive expansion and growth across the region.

She has come to Albury with her husband Keiran and three children - Charlie, who is in Mr Carr’s Year 5 class, Georgie, who is with Mrs Cooper in Year 2 and Rosie, who will join Scots in the Pre-School program next year. It has been something of a homecoming for both Keiran and Petra. Keiran grew up in Culcairn and his parents still live in the area. Petra’s family moved to Culcairn when she was 12 and she completed her schooling there before moving to Sydney for University. While this is Petra’s first job back in the region, her father was a teacher at Albury Grammar and both her parents now live in Albury. 

Petra took time out of the corporate world to raise her children, but was an active volunteer in enrolments and promotion at her children’s Sydney school. She’s looking forward to establishing a strong connection with other parents at Scots and is excited to be driving enrolments and the prosperity of the school her children are attending.

Petra will play a strategic marketing role, providing advice to the School Executive and Board.

The final term of 2021 has begun with a focus on student leadership. Our 2022 Leaders have been inducted and have been very busy preparing for the year ahead. They have already started with their weekly meetings and it has been wonderful to watch their enthusiasm and eagerness to make Scots the best place it can possibly be.

While there is no doubt it was disappointing that we had to have our parent teacher sessions over the phone, I would like to thank all parents involved for working with us in trying to plan around covid restrictions. Of course, we look forward to welcoming families back on site as soon as it is possible.

I would like to remind everybody that when students are unwell or there are plans for students to leave school for appointments, that this is organised through Reception. We have had students contacting parents directly when they are unwell and some students who have left school without signing out. It is so important that we are aware if a student is unwell so that we can assist and then we can contact parents. I thank you for your support in assisting us in this area.

I appreciate there is some frustration at the moment with school events and knowing whether you will be able to attend or if they will be live-streamed. We are delaying making decisions on this so that if there is any chance at all we can run events with families in attendance, we will be well-placed to do so. I thank you for your patience. We are very conscious that our students are experiencing this for a second year and we want to be ready to run events as normal if we can.

Life@Scots - A very busy Term 4

It has been wonderful to have students back on campus to start Term 4 and see their enthusiasm for learning, playing and generally making the most of their time at school every single day. And despite the restrictions, Term 4 will yet again prove to be a very busy term, full of special activities and milestones. 

Assessment and Reporting: Each year, teachers work through a special assessment schedule to ensure we are meeting the needs of all students and tracking their progress from year to year. In Term 4, end of year assessments are carried out in Week 3 and 4. These summative tests complement the ongoing assessments undertaken throughout the year and help to inform our formal reports at the end of Semester 1 and 2. As always, if you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s learning, don’t hesitate to contact the classroom teacher.

Infants Production: Our Kindergarten, Year 1 and 2 students have been busy preparing for their end of year performance, but unfortunately, due to lockdowns and restrictions, this year’s show will have to be filmed. Our priority is to ensure that the students have an opportunity to experience the process of learning, rehearsing and performing a theatrical show. I want to thank the teachers involved and in particular, writer and director Miss Regan Stephenson and ‘producer extraordinaire’ Mrs Stacey Cooper, for all their hard work to ensure that this all-important show goes on!

Camps and co-curricular activities: It was disappointing that we have had to again cancel the Year 5 and 6 camp and study tour this term. But as soon as restrictions allow, staff are poised to launch a range of local activities to ensure that our student’s adventurous minds are nourished for another year. Likewise for our co-curricular activities, which have been so sorely missed. Tennis, dance, basketball, swimming and more are ready to begin. And don’t forget the Public Speaking Competition which is always of highlight for Term 4 for our Year 3 to 6 students. 

Student Leadership: While we will soon be farewelling our class of 2021, we will also be ushering in a new group of Junior School leaders. Our Year 5 students are already considering which positions to apply for and how they will share their ambitions for 2022 with our community. 

Student and Community Wellbeing: There is no doubt the past two years have been tough on everyone. If the drought and bushfires weren’t enough, COVID has added an emotional burden to the lives of even the youngest in our community. That’s why in the Junior School, classes spend time everyday unpacking social and emotional needs of students through a range of activities. Guided by the Resilience Project, circle time routines and the need to just have fun, we hope that school continues to be a safe, nurturing environment for all. Never have our students been more active in the playground, burning off energy and revelling in social time as they are now. And with the chance of restrictions easing in the near future, we hope we can continue to offer more opportunities for this very soon.

Junior School Reception and Pre-Kindergarten Room Renovations

The new Junior School Reception is now complete and the finishing touches are being done to the new Pre-Kindergarten room, ready for the green tick from the Department of Early Childhood by the end of the year. We look forward to welcoming parents on site soon to show off our new spaces.

Parent Webinars - eSafety Commissions Guide to Online Gaming (8-13 year-olds) and Digital Technologies and Mental Health (10-18 year-olds)

This term, the eSafety Commission has a number of webinars that provide parents and carers with an understanding of the benefits and risks of online gaming, apps and how we can support the mental health of adolescence. Topics covered include:

• the games young people are using and how they are engaging with them
• the benefits of gaming and how to mitigate risks
• practical strategies to use at home and where to find help and support if things go wrong
• what to do about accidental exposure to content about suicide, self-harm or eating disorders
• using games, apps and social media to support mental wellbeing.

More details about these webinars can be found at:

esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars

The date for drawing the Car Raffle has been changed to coincide with our annual Carols Evening on Thursday 2 December 2021.

We originally planned to draw the raffle at our Country Fair but, as you know, COVID-19 restrictions meant we were unable to hold the Fair in October and it has been moved to Saturday 19 March 2022. We applied for permission to delay the Car Raffle draw so it could coincide with a major school event - and in a period we hope will be largely unaffected by any restrictions.

The Car Raffle is our major fundraiser for the Senior Study Centre, which is due to be constructed next year. We hope you are as excited as we are about the construction of the new centre, especially as we have now unveiled the concept plans. The Senior Study Centre will be a versatile, multi-purpose building primarily for senior students to use for private study and collaborative work. The plans include informal collaborative study spaces, individual quiet spaces and areas for students to relax and mingle, such as a tea and coffee area, relaxed lunch spaces and a deck overlooking Wilson Oval. The design will ensure that it can be converted to an exam space, seating up to 120 students, or used for large group information sessions for students or parents.

Raffle tickets can be purchased by visiting Senior School Reception in Perry Street or using the link below: https://www.scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au/.../1-in-1000-chance...

Parents interested in being involved in the organisation of the Country Fair are invited to attend a meeting this month.

We will share with you our plans so far and we hope to gauge parental interest in helping to organise the Country Fair scheduled for Saturday 19 March 2022. 

Country Fair Parents’ Meeting
Friday 29 October 2021 @ 4.00pm
Sodens Hotel, 459 Wilson St, Albury NSW 2640

Sodens requires patrons to show proof of vaccination.

Congratulations to the Scots-Wombats under-14 girls team for being named Minor Premiers for the season, having gone through the season undefeated in a season that was cut short by Covid restrictions. 

Abi Case also came fourth in the Best and Fairest count, which is a great achievement as a bottom-age player. Our under-12 mixed team finished second in the boys’ grade, with Alistair Merritt finishing second in the Best and Fairest, Archer Warner finishing third and Grace Brown finishing sixth. These were great achievements which will hopefully serve as strong foundations for next season.

To date, we have not yet received enough interest from players to be able to field a team in the local Twilight Hockey competition. If you have not yet done so, please let Mr Agar know ASAP if you wish to play.

 

Our Equestrian Team is getting ready for our biggest event on the calendar - The Scots Equestrian Interschool Challenge - which will run on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 November if Covid restrictions permit.

The team is always ready to welcome new team members, so if your child is a horse enthusiast, has their own horse and would like to be a part of our team, please email Rowena Newcomen at  rnewcomen@scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au for more information.