As you read this, Victorian’s have come out of Covid lockdown and life has returned to some sort of normal. I would like to thank our Victoria-based families for the resolute and positive way you reacted to the sudden change and the support offered to your children as we moved into a hybrid education framework for the duration of the snap lockdown. 

I would also like to thank our teachers for their effort over the weekend and three days, and their flexibility and commitment to student support as they adapted classroom lessons to accommodate online learning.

We have weathered everything Covid has sent our way with strong resilience and while it is great to see the restrictions ease, we are all aware that COVID is here for a while yet and we must be prepared for changes on a daily basis. Most importantly we need to keep safe, healthy and aware. 

Masterclass in Sydney

I attended a Child Protection Masterclass in Sydney earlier this week and am pleased to say it reinforced to me that Scots is in a great position, with a robust reporting framework and stringent due process guidelines in place.

Run by the AIS, Police and legal input, the Masterclass provided School Leaders with updates on the legalities around reportable conduct and highlighted areas that required extra vigilance.

It’s imperative that we keep abreast of any changes to legislation but from my perspective, the most reassuring aspect of the Masterclass was that our procedures are child-centered, correct, robust and legally compliant. 

Strategic Plan

Our Strategic Plan is almost ready to be launched! I have outlined some of the draft concepts during various Year Group parent information sessions, but I’m looking forward to launching the completed document soon.

The plan is with the Board for final approval and I hope I can reveal it in its entirety to our whole community next week.

The Strategic Plan was drawn from parent, student and staff  surveys and input and based on data from academic results, financial systems and school performance. It is very specific; very focussed and it’s beauty is in its simplicity. We have drilled down on how we want Scots to look in four years’ time and how we expect to achieve it. There are four key values and four key goals that will underpin everything we do.

4 values: Respect, Curiosity, Determination, Connection

4 Goals: Academic excellence, Community, Innovation, Growth

Teachers, students and parents will be clear on how they fit into the Scots community and what they need to do to ensure we reach our common goal.

Caught Doing Good

You will have now heard about our Respect Triangle that provides a framework for the way we act and interact at Scots. As part of this, I am implementing a Caught Doing Good recognition at assembly where teachers will nominate a student/s that they have observed doing something above expectation in one of the three areas of our Respect Triangle: self – others – environment. One student will be selected each month.

The recipient of this accolade will be featured in our photo spot at reception and receive a voucher. Our thanks to MONUMENTAL Ice-cream, Harris Farm Markets and to Regent Cinema for the donation of vouchers.

Harris Farm traffic

The opening of Harris Farm across the way from our Junior School has prompted an increase in traffic and parking congestion, particularly around pick up time. I would urge you all to be mindful of this and allow a little extra time when visiting the school. 

Patience and a little extra planning will ensure all our students can be collected promptly and safely.

Murals in the Library

I love celebrating the excellent work our students do in class - like these wonderfully colourful art murals in our library. 

Congratulations to our artists: Madeline Steer, Year 10, for her work Hands; Lylah Ellao, Year 10, for Kaleidoscope of Colour; Tia Frazer, Year 12, for the work Ferris Wheel, and Jericho Ellao, Year 8, for Abstract Seascape. 

If you get a chance to have a look in the library, I highly recommend it.

Parent Teacher Student conversations

Over the next few weeks, many of you will have the opportunity to meet your child’s teacher in our specific Parent-Teacher-Student conversation evenings or at Year Group parent meetings.

While our teachers are always available with some notice, to discuss your child’s progress, these conversation sessions allow parents a designated time to learn more about what is happening in the classroom and how your child is coping. I encourage you to take the opportunity to make a booking or attend the meetings as they open up.

Junior School parents will already have received information and booked their time slot for the three-way conversations next Monday and Tuesday. If you have missed the communication, please call the Junior School.

Year 11 parents have their session scheduled for Monday, 1 March, and parents of students in Years 7-10 should look out for booking details for the sessions which will be run at the start of Term 2, on Monday, 19 April.

Camps

I can’t believe that I’m already talking about activities for the end of term, but our Senior School camps in the last week of Term 1 are only five weeks away. 

Year 8 will head to Cape Otway, Year 9 will go to the Grampians, Year 10 will enjoy scuba diving and bushwalking near Merimbula, Year 11 has a camp near the beach at Anglesea and Year 12 will visit universities as part of its urban experience visit to Melbourne. 

Camps are an excellent way for students to move outside their comfort zone in a controlled environment and to forge friendships beyond their usual school groups. Costs for school camps are already included in your fees so there are no additional expenses for parents to incur for these rewarding experiences.

Reading Time

Reading Time in the Senior School is progressing well. You may remember we shared with you our plan to introduce a 25-minute reading session for all students after lunch three times a week.

With the rise and rise of all things online, our philosophy behind Reading Time was to re-introduce our students to the simple pleasure of reading a book and giving them the time to do it uninterrupted. So far, I can report that teachers and students are enjoying the quiet solitude and are reading a great variety of literature. 

Scholarships and regional visits

Our senior leadership team has been on the road over the past couple of weeks to visit our regional communities for scholarship information sessions. We went to Griffith and Leeton last week, Deniliquin this week and head to Tocumwal next week.

In addition to prospective families, I had the pleasure of meeting some of our current families in Griffith and Leeton last week and thank them warmly for spreading the word among their friends. It’s always nice to visit families in their hometowns and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the country.

If you know of anyone who would benefit from our information session in Tocumwal next Wednesday, please encourage them to register through our website.

Following strong interest in our Albury information session, we have decided to run an online Zoom session for families who couldn’t attend on the night. This session will be on Thursday, 25 February 2021 at 7.30pm. 

Scholarships are open to current and prospective students for Years 7-11. Applications close on Wednesday 3 March.

Important Upcoming events

Senior School Swimming Carnival - Thursday 25 February 2021
Duke of Edinburgh Expedition - Friday 26 February 2021
Clean Up Australia Day - Sunday 7 March 2021
International women’s day breakfast - Monday 8 March 2021 

There has been an amazing buzz around the Senior School as co-curricular events have launched and rehearsals have begun in earnest for ‘Matilda’. Learning Mentors have been busy working through Assessment Schedules with their groups and ensuring that students stay as organised as possible.

While the beginning of this week started with a sense of de ja vu, it was lovely to wander around Monday morning and visit classrooms where our teachers had so rapidly adapted to our hybrid model of flexible learning. If 2020 has taught us anything it is to be ready for anything and it is a credit to staff and students that we were able make this accommodation so readily. 

Our Swimming Carnival has been rescheduled to next Thursday. Year 7 and 10 vaccinations will now be on Friday of next week. It is disappointing that we are unable to have parents at the pool this year. Fingers crossed for 2022.

It was lovely to meet families at the Year 8-10 Meet the LM evening last night. It was a great opportunity to discuss the Pastoral program of the school as well as the end of term camps which are fast approaching.

PAT testing occurred this week and students who missed these will have an opportunity next week to complete the tests. You will receive results in the coming weeks and we will also be running workshops that will assist in the interpretation of data. As I have already outlined, this data is used by staff to enable effective differentiation in the classroom and to better inform our teaching.

There has been a heightened interest among the students to hold the Presentation Ball. Last year, as a result of COVID, Year 12s were unable to participate. We are currently exploring having a combined Year 11 and 12 Presentation Ball for 2021. A survey has been sent to the senior students seeking their input into how they would like this event structured. Once we have collated these results we will provide everyone with further information.

Sign-up, Sign-up! Co-curricular Activities are up and running

There are so many high quality, co-curricular activities on offer at Scots that it is impossible for one child to engage in all of them. The beginning of the year is also a difficult time when students (and parents) feel a great sense of FOMO (fear of missing out!), trying to sign-up for anything and everything they can get their hands on. 

We are very proud of our co-curricular offering. We plan to improve it yet again in 2021, so please look out for an overview available soon to help families prioritise throughout the year.

While taking on extra activities throughout the week above and beyond the normal demands of the classroom can be lots of fun, it can be also challenging for our students, especially our youngest. Although written in the context of pre-teen and older children, the following article is a great guide to how you can help your child manage their co-curricular activities and as a family, assess the benefits of them. 

https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/entertainment-technology/free-time-activities/extracurricular-activities-for-teens

Canteen Orders - FlexiSchools Update

As we all settle into new school and home routines, it’s a timely reminder to get your lunch orders in early through our FlexiSchools App. We are aware that there have been some issues when using the app. We have been in contact with FlexiSchools and they have alerted us to some key data:

• Friday’s are their busiest days
• Last Friday morning, they were receiving over 700 orders a minute
• Parents are encouraged to order the day before to avoid technical issues

Information about the school’s ‘Cashless Canteen’ can be found via the Link section of our school App. We encourage all Junior School students to order their lunch through the App, however, students in Year 4-6 are able to access the canteen at recess using their cashless student card. 

Uniform Shop Orders

Recent feedback from parents indicates that the supply and quality of uniform products have not met our expectations at the beginning of the year. The school and our suppliers, Pickles, are reviewing our processes and management of the uniform shop and how this can be improved. In the meantime, we encourage parents to order items well ahead of time, even considering winter uniform needs now, to avoid issues with supply leading into Term 2. ANZAC Day is a very important day for the school and we pride ourselves on the appearance of our students while marching down Dean Street on 25 April, let’s make sure we are ready for that. 

School Captains Update

A new initiative for our Junior School Newsletter in 2021 is to include updates from our School Captains and Prefects about what has been happening both in and out of the classroom. We look forward to hearing from them throughout the year:

• Year 6 Golf

Year 6 students were delighted to have representatives from the Thurgoona Golf Club come along to school to show us some golf technique and skills. It was great to see how quickly we all improved, and they ended up driving the ball a fair way! We hope that in the future we can all chip away at our handicaps. 

• Swimming Carnival

All Junior School students from Years 3-6 had the opportunity to compete in the annual Scots Junior School Swimming Carnival today. All students were encouraged to have a go and it was an opportunity for students to qualify for the next level of competition at RAS.

Junior School Prefects Update

• William P - Reflections on learning from home

The past few days have come straight out of the blue; It was 3 o’clock on Sunday when we heard the news that we were going back into homeschooling, and my brother and I weren’t too thrilled. Of course, it was only going to be for a few days but we still felt a little isolated from the rest of the class since we didn’t get to see them. I must say it will be good to go back to school, I've felt my eyes going square from the amount of screen time I've had. I’ve also learnt that I work more efficiently without time limits and distractions. On the whole it has been an interesting experience.

What can you put down for Lent?

You’re walking down the street with your arms full of boxes and someone comes up to you and offers you a gift. It’s a good gift, and you are definitely interested. But in order to receive the gift, you need your hands free. You need to put something down. This metaphor describes the season of Lent. Lent began this week on Ash Wednesday and continues for 40 days (not including six Sabbath days) until Easter. There is a gift on the horizon during Lent: the gift God has given the world of a path to eternal peace. Through the cross, God has already given the world that gift, but we still need to hold out our hands to receive it. And this is why the season of Lent exists. It’s a time of preparation to receive a gift.

Traditionally, Christians have fasted in their Lenten preparation for Easter. In more modern times, people give up a ‘vice’: chocolate, alcohol or social media. More creatively, you can give up gossiping, anger or entitlement. All of these sacrifices are a process of putting something down, freeing up our hands in order to receive a gift. Other gifts may come as a result of the process: more time, money, health or happiness, and these can be reinvested into your preparation as well. I have signed up to a Lenten bible study from Common Grace (commongrace.org.au), using the theme “Jesus + Justice” as a framework for walking with Jesus throughout the season of Lent. If you would like to follow along, feel free to send me an email. For anyone who is putting down something for Lent, my prayers are with you as you empty your hands in preparation. By the end of the 40 days, when the greatest mystery of our faith arrives, we are ready.

 

We hope you are all becoming familiar with the Scots App and finding it useful to keep up-to-date with the latest news and information around the school.

It is important to regularly check the Notices message board in addition to the Co-Curricular message board. Notices which are relevant to the whole school and individual year levels can be found in Notices whereas those regarding Co-Curricular activities are found under the relevant Co-Curricular message board.

Subscribing to Notices

To ensure that you are not inundated with notices, we recommend that you personalise your notification subscriptions to your needs. By subscribing to your relevant interests, you will only receive notifications in those areas. For instance, if you have children in Years 4, 6 and 8 who participate in Dance, AFL and Technology and Innovation, you would subscribe to the three separate year levels and three separate co-curricular activities.

To change your subscriptions, which you can do at any time, head to the homescreen of the App. In the bottom right hand corner is a cog symbol which takes you to Settings. Within Settings, select Subscriptions. Within Subscriptions select or deselect the relevant areas you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to. If you need further guidance, check out our video walk through here.

Please note that, at the beginning of each school year, you will need to amend your subscriptions to the updated year level/s of your child/ren.

 

With the 2021 hockey season almost upon us, Scots Hockey Club is proud to offer free Come and Try sessions for the remainder of Term 1. These are aimed at all Junior School students and any Senior School students who have not played hockey before. These will be run in a similar format to last year’s very successful program. They will run every Monday from 3.30-4.30 on Scots Hockey Courts, starting on Monday, 22 February. There is no need to register for these sessions.

• Team nominations

We will be nominating teams for the local competition in the next few weeks. This competition is run at 10s, 12s, 14s and 17s levels. We are especially interested in entering teams in the lower age-groups. For further information please email Mr Agar (Hockey Coordinator) at dagar@scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au or Ms Dickins at mdickins@scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au for queries related to the Junior School/Come & Try in particular.

If you have not yet replied to the Expression of Interest sent out last week by Erin O’Brien, can you please do so as soon as possible? 

We are excited to share with you the latest edition of The Scots Drum. The 2020 Scots Drum is a celebration of all the things we hold dear about The Scots School Albury – our alumni, our current students and our plans for the future. Delve into the pages to find stories and successes of our alumni accompanied by extra features of the community we are fortunate enough to share through Scots.

Click the link below to read this years Drum online. If you have previously requested a printed copy, it is on its way to you.
If you would still like to request a printed copy of The Scots Drum mailed to you, please email your name and address to marketing@scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au. Alternatively, you can pick up a copy from the Senior School or Junior School Receptions.

https://www.scotsalbury.nsw.edu.au/why.../scots-publications