Relay for Life • Saturday 22 October (Birallee Park Wodonga)
Kindergarten 2023 Transition Session 1 • Wednesday 26 October
Year 5 & 6 Rugby Touch 7s • Thursday 27 October (Murrayfield Albury)
Stage 5 Music Recital Evening • Thursday 27 October
World Teachers' Day • Friday 28 October | Mouse Tails Espresso Coffee Van on site from 8am
Year 7 - 9 Girls League Tag • Friday 28 October
Alumni Reunion Weekend • Saturday 29 October & Sunday 30 October (Albion Hotel Albury)
Scots Snowsports Parents Meeting • Monday 31 October
Junior School Road Safety Incursion • Tuesday 1 November
Remembrance Day Education Assembly • Tuesday 1 November
Shrek Auditions Begin • Tuesday 1 November
Kindergarten 2023 Parent Information Evening • Wednesday 2 November
Kindergarten 2023 Transition Session 2 • Thursday 3 November
Junior School 'Internationally Minded Day' (dress up day) • Friday 4 November
Senior School House Mascots Day (dress up day) • Friday 4 November
St David's Uniting Church Service • Sunday 6 November
From the Principal • Mark Geraets
Speech Day will be upon us before we know it and Scots will present its most prestigious academic prize, The Scots School Albury Dux of 2022, to a deserving Year 12 student.
There is often some confusion about how the award is calculated and why a school’s Dux does not, sometimes, yield the school’s highest ATAR.
The reason is simple: they are not calculated in the same way. Let me explain.
Calculating The Scots School Albury Dux Award
Schools continually conduct assessments throughout the year. These assessments track our student's progress and identify strengths and areas for development.
From these assessment results, we average each Year 12 student's 10 best units of study and whoever has the highest total, is awarded The Scots School Albury Dux of 2022. There is no scaling (more about this later) which means all subjects are scored equally.
Calculating HSC Results, ATAR and The Scots School Albury ATAR Medallist
HSC (Higher School Certificate) Results
When it comes to the HSC, the marks of the internal school assessments (mentioned above) contribute 50% of the student’s final HSC results, with the external HSC exams making up the remaining 50%.
A student’s performance in the HSC Exams is initially calculated as a raw mark – that is, literally how many marks the student got out of the total marks available.
Then each school’s relative performance in the HSC exams (vs all other NSW schools) is used to adjust a student’s school assessment mark for each subject; this is known as “moderating”. This is done because schools determine their own method of internal assessment, meaning that School A might give higher school assessment marks than School B but when the students sit their exams, the HSC results at School B might be higher than School A. Moderating school assessments makes them equitable.
The moderated internal assessment result and the HSC exam results are then aligned to performance standards (set by the NSW Education Standards Authority “NESA”) and combined to form the final HSC result that a student receives.
ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank)
An HSC result is a mark reflecting how well a student has done against a set of performance standards, whilst the ATAR is a ranking of their performance relative to all other eligible students in their state. For example, a student who obtains an ATAR of 92.7 has performed better than 92.7% of eligible students in NSW.
To calculate the ATAR, more adjustments are required. Just as school assessment marks have to be moderated to ensure fairness between schools, HSC results are “scaled” to determine what a student’s marks would have been if all students attempted all courses and all courses were marked in a way that produced the same distribution of marks. Scaling allows a proper and fair comparison of students who have studied different courses.
An example of scaling:
Student A studies Business Studies, achieving an HSC score of 85
Student B studies Chemistry, achieving an HSC score of 80
Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) then uses a complex algorithm to determine that - this year - the subject of Chemistry had greater “strength of competition” amongst students than the subject of Business Studies, and therefore achieving 80 in Chemistry was more difficult than achieving 85 in Business Studies. So, the Chemistry results are scaled and Student B ends up with a higher contribution toward their ATAR than Student A, in recognition of their stronger academic attainment.
The final step in determining an ATAR is converting the scaled marks into an aggregate and percentile. The aggregate is the sum of scaled marks in that student's best 10 units of study (including a mandatory two units of English). From this, students are put into a percentile rank of their achievement vs all other eligible NSW students - this gives their ATAR.
The Scots student who achieves the school’s highest ATAR, is awarded The Scots School Albury 2022 ATAR Medal.
So at Speech Day, we will present the Scots Dux award, but the Scots ATAR Medallist won’t be known until after ATAR results are released on 15 December, and will be presented during the ATAR assembly held in Term 1 2023.
Scots has a range of other awards that are presented at Speech Day which acknowledge students for characteristics beyond academic ability. Our Fide Et Literis awards specifically acknowledge students who show outstanding citizenship, character, perseverance and participation.
These are determined via a thorough collaborative multi-step process involving all the teaching staff. It’s a rigorous process that takes many hours, but it ensures the winners are thoroughly deserving - and I can’t wait to reveal them to you at Speech Day.
From Head of Senior School • Kelly McKay
The final term of 2022 has begun with a focus on student leadership. Our 2022 Leaders were in on the first Monday to complete their Prefect Training. Our leaders will be inducted at the start of next year at our Opening of the School Year Academic Assembly. 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.
I would like to thank all parents for attending our Years 7 to 10 Parent Teacher Interviews. Please be sure to reach out to your child’s LM if any follow-up is required.
Our HSC students have commenced their exams and we wish them all the very best and look forward to celebrating with them at their Graduation Ball in a few weeks.
If you are still experiencing difficulties accessing Scotty, please contact our Reception and we will ensure that IT support is provided. This tool enables you to monitor your child’s progress closely and it is key tool for communication.
A reminder to Year 9 and Year 11 parents to please complete the forms in Parent Lounge for the upcoming school camps.
Our thoughts are with any families who have been impacted by the current flooding. If there is any further support that we can provide, please be sure to reach out.
From Head of Junior School • Matthew Boundy
Life@Scots - International Mindedness - a lens to view the world around us
The International Baccalaureate defines international mindedness as:
'International-mindedness is a view of the world in which people see themselves connected to the global community and assume a sense of responsibility towards its members. It is an awareness of the interrelatedness of all nations and peoples, and is a recognition of the complexity of these. Internationally minded people appreciate and value the diversity of peoples, cultures and societies in the world. They make efforts to learn more about others and to develop empathy and solidarity towards them to achieve mutual understanding and respect.' (Oxfam 2105; UNESCO 2015)
The Scots School Albury has had a long-standing tradition of valuing the beliefs, cultures and traditions of our global community and more recently, the Junior School has celebrated these through a special event called ‘I am I.M. Day’. This year, as a culmination of the learning in the Who We Are inquiry unit, students in Year 5 have started planning a fun event to share their learning with the school community and voted for a name change to ‘We R one, We R many.’ We love student voice and agency!
There are 12 groups in total with 2, 3 or 4 students in each group. The groups are Vietnam, Iraq, Japan, USA, Germany, Kenya, Italy, Scotland, Poland, Britain, France and Spain.
On Friday 4 November 2022, they will be presenting their inquiry research in the form of a ‘market stall’ where they will teach the Kindergarten - Year 6 students about why their chosen migrant group migrated to Australia and the impact they have had on Australia. The group’s ideas are growing by the day. Some are planning to share food samples, traditions, music, clothing, culture, dance, games, language and so many more interactive experiences! This is great practice in preparation for their Year 6 Exhibition.
On the day, all Junior School students will be allowed to come to school dressed in clothes that represent a culture close to their heart. They will have an opportunity to parade these in our morning assembly and take part in the marketplace experience between 11.15am and 1.15pm. We look forward to this event creating greater understanding and appreciation for diversity in our community and the world around us.
Tuning in to Kids - Emotion Coaching is a free five-week program which aims to help parents and carers understand their child's experience and connect with and support their child.
This is a free program hosted online via Zoom and runs from Tuesday 1 November - Tuesday 29 November @ 6pm - 8pm
For enquiries and to register your attendance, contact the Gateway Health Intake Team on 02 6022 8888
Tuning in to Teens - Emotionally Intelligent Parenting is a free five-week program which aims to help parents and carers of teenagers to understand their child's experience and connect with and support their child.
This is a free program hosted at Gateway Health, 155 High Street Wodonga, every Friday from 4 November - Friday 9 December @ 10am-12pm.
For enquiries and to register your attendance, contact the Gateway Health Intake Team on 02 6022 8888
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Aristotle
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is one of the 6 Cs that we are embedding into all our learning at Scots. Critical thinking skills are ways of thinking about particular things at a particular time. It involves a student being active in their learning and not just a passive recipient. Students using critical thinking skills are not accumulating facts and knowledge but skills and understandings. These understandings are not something that you can learn once and then use in that same manner forever, such as the nine times table. Studies indicate that critical thinking skills are among the most highly valued attributes that employers seek in job candidates.
As part of Deep Dive Learning we are looking at critical thinking through the following five dimensions:
Evaluating information and arguments
Making connections and identifying patterns
Meaningful knowledge connection
Experimenting, reflecting and taking action on ideas in the real world
Leveraging digital.
This term in Year 7 History students have been asked to apply their critical thinking skills to the study of Otzi the Iceman. Students were presented with a crime scene including a life-sized preserved human and all of the evidence with which historians have been presented in the past. Forming hypotheses based on evaluating information and making meaningful knowledge connections will be explored. Students will place themselves on the continuum from emerging to proficient as to how well they apply these skills and then re-evaluate at the end of the unit.
From the Director of Preschool • Belinda Crothers
This week is Early Learning Matters Week. The theme from this week is ‘Learning through play’. There are some great podcasts to learn more about the value of play in the early years which you can listen to here.
Play is at the very heart of all our learning here at Preschool. Play allows us to problem-solve, to experiment, to make social connections and to relax. Our Preschool uses play to build awareness of our connection to an indigenous perspective, to our local environment and to our culture. Play gives a power to a love of learning and that is where we build a foundation for academic learning in primary school. A love of books and storytelling builds literacy, a love of inquiry builds science and an ability to freely express yourself through creativity builds the arts.
This week at Preschool – at a quick glance around our space there are children building bird watch huts for Aussie Bird Count Week, painting sunflowers like Van Gough, new beautiful beach sand in our sandpit, board games that have us counting and taking a chance and hammocks to take 5 minutes to relax in and feel the gentle movement. Each space is carefully curated by an Educator. Selected on interest and development opportunities, we scaffold their play- prompting with questions, offering extra resources or sometimes it's just to be there. To be nearby if you need…
Our current PYP theme is “How we organize ourselves”. This allows us to enquire through play our organisational skills in independence and responsibilities. This can happen in routines where we offer the chance to unpack your own bag or lunch box, to foster connectedness with peers heading to the same school or familiarity with the language of school life. Through play, children can construct their own knowledge about their world.
So next time you want to learn something…PLAY!
Position Vacant • Uniform Shop Assistant
Pickles Schoolwear is currently seeking a Uniform Shop Assistant for The Scots School Albury Uniform Shop to work with our Uniform Shop Manager. Current opening hours are 8am-10am Monday and Wednesday and the last Saturday of the month during school term. Weekly hours vary due to seasonal requirements, for back to school, orientation and stocktake.
To be successful in this position you will need the following attributes:
Deliver a positive customer service experience.
Efficient and accurately process sales on POS system;
Accept deliveries, unpack and replenish stock – lifting involved.
Ensure store presentation is maintained and stock rotated;
Flexibility with hours during busy periods.
Working with Children and Police Check.
Pickles will ensure you are fully trained on our POS system and administration processes.
If you are customer service focused with a friendly, can-do attitude please forward a cover letter and resume to sschilperoort@picklesschoolwear.com to apply.
Student Achievements
Border Music Camp
Oliver Baitch and Billy Stewart were specially recognised at the Border Music Camp held in the September school holidays. They outshone many esteemed participants from larger cities and prestigious schools to be selected for the highest possible ensemble (Davis Orchestra) and then were selected for the highly prized Border Music Camp Jazz Band. The two young boys were also both nominated for awards. Daniel Steer was another high achiever, being selected for the Davis Orchestra in the cello section. Madeleine Steer was tapped on the shoulder for the Jazz Band.
The other ensembles were peppered with Scots students. Zoe Coughlan was awarded first chair violin for one of the string ensembles and Junior School participant Lachlan Baitch made the highest concert band (Alexander), a rare honour for someone so young.
Storm featured in Magazine
Dingo Australia Jazz Journal featured Year 10 student Storm Tanuvasa in the Young Artists section of its latest edition. In the article, Storm explained that he began playing the drums at the age of two and joined a jazz band at 10 years old. He explained what he really likes about Jazz is how the music makes him feel when he's playing it.
Storm joined Scots on a music scholarship last year and has cemented his place as the School's drummer, although he also enjoys playing the piano, steel pans, playing in the Pipe Band and singing.
Storm's top tip for excellence is: Repetition plus proper knowledge equals skill.
Award for artwork
Sahil John received a $30 Dymocks gift card from the Myer Centrepoint management when his artwork won an Honourable Mention as part of their Book Week Art Competition.
Sahil, Year 2, painted a colourful landscape and his artwork was displayed in a cabinet within the Myer Centre for a period of time.
Japanese immersion camp
こんにちは！
More than 40 students and some teachers all the way from Japan 日本, attended a Japanese program run by AYJC Spring Holiday Camp and hosted by The Scots School Albury in the Term 3 holiday.
The program was split into three different groups, Ichigo (strawberry), Sakura (flowering cherry tree) and Hanami (watching flowers bloom). Our group was Ichigo. On the first day, we learned more useful words in a language games class, calligraphy painting, which we made into a fan with our choice of kanji, and Dango making (dumplings on a stick). Then, at the end of the day was a Undokai うんどうかい sports carnival. This is where groups of people were split into team colours and competed for the winner's title. It led to a lot of laughs trying new Japanese sports styles - including spinning around in circles while facing down and holding a bat, then we had to try and hop, and this ended up with people falling over from dizziness!
Dinner was held in the dining hall and we ate fried rice, salad, and a chicken teriyaki curry. This was so good! Desert consisted of banana fritters with ice cream, fruit salad, or castella cake with whipped cream. The first day was so cool and it allowed everyone to make new friends and try something new!
After sleeping in the boarding house, we went to have breakfast which was a western style breakfast: pancakes, bacon and eggs. Our first activity for the day was wearing and dancing in a summer kimono, called Yukata ゆかた. This was a fun experience and we got to try dancing in Japanese style! Next, we did Origami with Keiko Sanderink. Most of us made paper balls with up to 30 different pieces! Then, we went into the dining hall because it was time for lunch, Onigiri! Onigiri is small rice balls shaped into triangles with seaweed around the outside. Our group made them with tuna on the inside, and they were so tasty! Finally, to finish off the camp we did the Amazing Race but in Japanese style. We were put into random groups of 4-5 people, and there were 10 groups. Each group had to run around the school and find different stations, some of the stations were writing activities and others were speaking or problem-solving.
Ten Vex Robotics teams competed in the first competition of the season in our Region at Galen Catholic College, Wangaratta, on Saturday 10 September.
Our school entered five teams: two from the Senior School and three from the Junior School and were supported by Mr Casey and Mr Murphy. It was the very first in-person regular competition any of the students or staff from Scots had attended as previous competitions were marred by COVID-19 restrictions. All the students did very well and should be proud of their efforts.
One of our Senior School teams, comprising Gabriella and Angus, won a Judge's award for perseverance and finished fifth overall. The other Senior School team, comprising Ammar and Joshua, scored the highest joint score in co-operation with a team from Galen Catholic College. Overall Ammar and Joshua came third in the qualifications round and, once the finals were completed, finished in second place. Their score was good enough for them to qualify for the national competition in December.
Here is a link to the news story in The Wangaratta Chronicle. The next competition is in Wodonga early this term.
Twelve enthusiastic students made up the three Junior School teams in the Wangaratta competition. While all the robots started the day looking identical, the three teams collaborated well, took some risks and redesigned their robots in between rounds to be more effective on the competition field. The teams all gained valuable experience, both in teamwork and robot competitions and we are all looking forward to our next competition.
- Mr Murphy and Mr Casey
The Aussie Bird Count
‘Two birds with one stone’ – Year 9 contributed to national data collection and developed their geographical skills.
The Aussie Bird Count
This week Year 9 Geography classes participated in the ‘Aussie Bird Count’. As a year level, we are focussing on developing our geographical skills, and this activity gave us an opportunity to practise data collection and analysis. A national initiative by BirdLife Australia, the Aussie Bird Count aims to identify trends in avian populations across the country and the wider international community. This data has real-world implications, as it allows the organisation to recognise species that have both declining and increasing populations. - Oliver Baitch
From the Library
Welcome back to the Library for Term 4!
We have a new Library Captain in the Senior School. Congratulations to Emily Borrell who is very keen to take on this portfolio and bring some wonderful new ideas to the Library. I am looking forward to working with her.
Have you ever wondered why the Australian colours are green and gold? Or why the golden wattle is our national floral emblem?
The Prime Minister, The Hon. Anthony Albanese, sent our library some gorgeous information resources explaining Australia’s national symbols. Pop into the Library to check out our new Australiana display.
Good luck to the Year 12 students who are currently studying for their final exams. Many are busy in the Library each day squeezing the most out of the time they have left.
Scholastic Book Fair reorders will be here at the end of next week.
- Ms Alley McGhee
Body Kind Youth Survey
Student Voices Can Make a Difference
Butterfly Foundation is inviting all young people aged 12-18 years to have their voices heard about body image. This is a chance to complete the first national survey on body image, Body Kind Youth Survey, so the Butterfly Foundation can better understand the body image experiences of young Australians. The foundation will collate young people's views on what needs to change to create a more Body Kind Australia and advocate to the top levels of Government.
The online survey is voluntary, anonymous, has ethics approval, takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, and requires parental consent for under 15s. By participating, students can help Butterfly help more young people to be kinder to their body. Encourage your child to take part. They can enter the draw to win a gift voucher when they participate. The closing date is Friday 21 October.
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Aristotle
