St Andrews College Marayong eNewsletter Term 4 Week 4

Dear parents/guardians,

The St Andrews College uniform ordering process has changed from the QKR app.

Orders are to be placed on the below website using the password provided.

standrewscollege.uniforms4u.com.au  

Password: sac2148

When placing an order on the website, you will receive an email confirmation once your order has gone through and then another email once your order has been processed with either the tracking details or delivery date to the school (please check your junk email the first time you place your order). 

The last day to order uniforms is 4:00pm Monday 4th December 2023, with Wednesday 6th December 2023 the last delivery to the school for 2023.

Please note that the online warehouse closes during the January holidays, therefore all orders need to be placed by the end of the year. 

The first delivery for 2024 is Wednesday 31st January.

Please place your uniform order as soon as possible to ensure you will be able to exchange uniform sizing if necessary.

Please note: Oz Fashions in Granville does not sell your uniforms in store.

The last day to purchase bags, caps and hats from the school office is Wednesday 6th December 2023. The office will be opened for purchasing on Monday 22nd January and Tuesday 23rd January from 9am to 2:00pm. 

Normal office operating hours will resume Wednesday 31st January 2023 from 8:00am to 3:30pm on the Junior Campus and 8:00am to 3:00pm on the Senior Campus

Thank you, 

Melissa Welch 

College Business Manager 

End of 2023 school year.

The end of the year is approaching quickly. The last day of lessons are as follows.

Year 10 - Wednesday 29th November. Year 10 students continuing to Year 11 and Year 12 at St Andrews will be starting their transition program on the Senior Campus which will conclude on Tuesday 12th December. Students receiving major awards will be invited to the Prize giving ceremony on Wednesday 13th December.

Year 7, 8, 9 and 11: Classes will conclude on Tuesday 12th December. Students receiving major awards will be invited to the Prize giving ceremony on Wednesday 13th December.

Camps for Year 8, 9 and 10.

In week 9 Year 8, 9 and 10 are attending their annual camps. This is a great opportunity for students to do activities that are sometimes out of their comfort zone and challenge their normal expectations. It is a great opportunity to interact with other students in the year group and develop teamwork skills, cooperation skills and have some fun. Best of luck on the camps

Expectations as we finish the year.

It is expected that all students are engaged in learning and are cooperating every lesson until the end of the year. Learning will be happening and there will not be down time or time for movies etc, there will be structured lessons every day. 

What is in the Planner?

Key ideas are “Meaning and Purpose”

Sorting out issues

There are many reasons why we have conflict with others. It could be misunderstanding, actions or words that are used or a disagreement. Sometimes this conflict or issue can cause friction in the relationship/friendship. The conflict or issue could threaten others feelings of being connected, respected or protected. If this is the case it is essential to “sort it out”

The first thing you need to do is identify the cause of the issue/ conflict. What were you thinking? What have you thought since? Who has been affected? What could have been done differently? What would you do now? and what are you going to do or say to make things right? Having clarity after answering these questions will give us the meaning and the future purpose to resolve the conflict/ issue.

Wellbeing

One of the most important attributes we can have is curiosity. Curiosity is a skill that can help us grow in our learning and our future careers. Once we have the curiosity for something then the next step is the bravery to do something with the curiosity. 

Growth mindsets are about believing, understanding and accepting that you can grow your brain's abilities by lifting your efforts to learn and try new approaches. We must learn to look at everything in a positive way. Adding yet to statements about learning or growing help develop this growth mindset. “I’m not good at Math-YET”. This ensures us that if we work on the task we have the possibility of mastering it. If we see learning as an opportunity from growth we will develop a love of learning. 

Once we have the right mindset, we need to develop GRIT, which is long term persistence and self-regulation. People with grit also enjoy self-determination, competence, autonomy and relatedness. They believe others matter and understand relationships underpin anything worth achieving. 

God bless

Mr Nick Thrum

Assistant Principal

Wellbeing for Learning - Pivot Pilot for Years 7, 8, and 9: Update

Students are now completing regular “Check-Ins” that provide useful data regarding the 5 Wellbeing Factors. This quick online survey which is completed during Learning Group allows our Wellbeing Leaders of Learning, and Learning Group Teachers to monitor levels across Years 7-9.

Year 12 Wellbeing

As the HSC Exams come to an end, it completes High School for the 2023 Graduating Class. The students commenced their Exams with the first English paper on Wednesday 11th of October and the final exam for students was Food Technology on Friday 3rd November. In the beginning there was lots of nervous tension among the students but as the exam period went on and on they settled in for the long grind. The cohort once again conducted themselves extremely well throughout the four weeks and it was pleasing to see the support they gave each other. The HSC supervisors also commended the students for their exemplary behaviour during the exams, which wasn’t a surprise for me.

Now that the exams are over it is time for our students to move on to the next stage of their lives. This will take these young people in a variety of different directions, including the myriad of courses they plan to study at both University and TAFE. For some it will mean employment in a trade and for others it will mean other forms of employment. Regardless of what they choose to do in the future, I am very confident that they will be assets to those around them. They are all good people and they will go on to do good things. 

I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Class of 2023 for the respect they have given me throughout our five years together. I hope they continue to view their lives through the lens of gratitude and empathy as this will greatly assist a positive outlook. Author Roy T Bennett offers the following sage advice; “Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren’t grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more.” 

Kind regards,

David Frankham

Leader of Wellbeing Year 12

Our SAC scientists have been busy learning about various phenomena and conducting experiments to investigate what they have learned and test their hypotheses.

Year 7

Year 7 students have been learning all about forces, the factors that influence forces and conducting the relevant calculations. One experiment conducted involved our SAC scientists to investigate what impacts the amount of friction between objects. Students designed their own experiments where they determined whether or not the surface or the mass of an object increases or decreases the frictional force between two objects. Some students measured the time it took for a toy car to roll down a ramp, landing on different surfaces, others measured the distance the toy car travelled. Each group of SAC scientists were careful in designing their experiments to ensure their methods were valid and reliable. 

Year 8

The SAC scientists of Year 8 have been looking into our solar system, recognising the change in theories over time, as well as the technologies and accompanying discoveries that caused a change in theories. Students have also been learning about astronomical understanding from different countries, cultures and times in the past, including Indigenous Australians, Incas, ancient Greece, early Middle Eastern, that of the Renaissance, as well as early Chinese and Indian understandings and interpretations of the stars. Students have also learned about Earth’s moon, its phases and how it impacts the tides, as well as how the Earth’s rotation, revolutions and tilt determine and influence the timing of one Earth day, one Earth year, and the seasons. Year 8 engaged in an activity representing the phases of the moon by using Oreo biscuits.

Year 9

Our Year 9 SAC scientists have been looking into ecosystems, the different factors involved and how they can influence the populations and species within an ecosystem. Students have learned about the different cycles (water, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus), food chains and food webs, as well as the biotic and abiotic factors within a habitat. Year 9 students have measured some abiotic factors and observed biotic factors to determine whether there is a significant difference in the ‘health’ of a habitat, such as testing the temperature and pH levels of soil, and taking note of the plants and animals nearby. 

Year 10

The SAC scientists of year 10 finished off their Motion unit, which involved learning about why and how things move, as well as factors influencing the movement of objects, including Newton’s laws of motion. Students conducted various experiments testing Newton’s different laws of motion, such as investigating whether the angle of a ramp impacts the speed of a collision trolley, whether mass influences the acceleration of an object, and observing how an object can have an equal and opposite reaction to a force as per Newton’s third law of motion. Year 10 students had the opportunity to create ‘balloon rockets’ which were conducted in the upper Junior quadrangle between B-block and C-block on the first floor, allowing a balloon to travel along a piece of string which was attached to a straw. Students devised different ways to allow the balloon to travel the entire distance between the two buildings, but unfortunately lacked some necessary materials. The investigation was conducted nonetheless with many considerations and logical reasonings as to why the balloons were not able to travel the entire distance, making it a project for the future.

Following the Motion unit, year 10 students are now doing a deep dive into the Universe unit, learning about the vastness of the universe and the many mind-boggling interesting facts about the universe. Students are realising just how huge the universe is, and are considering what else may be understood and discovered about the universe that we currently do not know about - something for our scientists to discover now or in the near future!

Mrs Carmela Hollero

Assistant Leader of Learning Science

UTS City Campus Visit

On Friday the 20th of October 68 students from Years 9 and10 met at Blacktown Station to board a train to Central Station to visit the UTS City Campus.

The purpose of the excursion was to give students an insight into the various course offerings at UTS and learn about the different admission pathways offered by UTS.

The UTS City Campus consists of buildings in Broadway and Haymarket. One of the most famous buildings is the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building which provides teaching, learning, research and office accommodation for the Business School. Located in the Haymarket precinct, the building is a landmark along the 'cultural ribbon' that extends from the Sydney Opera House down to UTS, taking in Darling Harbour and The Goods Line development. The building is named after an Australian-Chinese businessman and philanthropist Dr Chau Chak Wing, who donated significantly to the project and a scholarship program.

The excursion also gave students an opportunity to learn about the StartUp Entrepreneurial Program offered at UTS. For many years UTS has encouraged and supported their students to embark on Startups. The program develops entrepreneurial skills and business ideas. Students can develop their creative and business ventures with the support of experienced entrepreneurs and UTS academics. Students gain employability skills and build networks across UTS facilities and UTS business and industry partners.

I wish to thank Ms Harwood, Mrs Parker and Mr Nisbet for taking time out of their teaching day to assist me on the day. I would also like to congratulate all the wonderful students for their exceptional behaviour and conduct on the day. It was a pleasure to be in your company.

Therese May

College Future Pathways Leader

Year 9 Fast Forward University Campus Visit

The Fast Forward Program is a partnership between the Western Sydney University and schools in Greater Western Sydney. 

The program encourages students to strive for their personal best and to see tertiary study as a realistic and viable post-school option. During the four-year program students begin to understand the concept of lifelong learning and the benefits of continued education and training has on the success of their career.

On Wednesday the1st of November, Year 9 Fast Forward students visited the Parramatta South Campus of Western Sydney University. 

The students participated in fun games to develop their communication and teamwork skills. Students learnt about the four methods of communication: Verbal; Nonverbal; Written; and Visual.  Students also learnt that there are four ways to improve teamwork: Define each role; Communication is the key; Focus on individual strengths to strengthen the team; Celebrating team success.

A part of the day was spent learning about potential careers and Western Sydney University course offerings. Students heard briefly from the University Student Ambassadors about their university journey and the degree they are studying and the campus they are attending. Students learnt that Western Sydney University has several campuses and not all degrees are offered at all campuses.

After lunch students embarked on an investigation challenge. This challenge involved locating various buildings on the Parramatta South Campus and collecting clues to identify the corporate identity thief. To be successful students needed to use their communication and teamwork skills. Whilst the students struggled at one point to locate one of the buildings they were successful in collecting all the clues and identifying the correct identity thief.

Students are to be commended for their behaviour and wonderful participation in the day’s activities. I would also like to thank Ms Harwood for her attendance and for her help leading up to the excursion.

Therese May

College Future Pathways Leader

Year 9 Child Studies have been learning about how to care for a Newborn baby. Students have had the opportunity to practise caring for a virtual baby for a weekend and to build on this experience, were set the task of planning a stall that would be set-up at the ‘Western Sydney Parenting expo’ (at St Andrews College). The aim of the stall was to educate and inform first time parents, whilst raising awareness about a parenting issue such as wrapping a baby, changing a nappy, settling, burping and/or feeding to name a few.

It was the student’s responsibility to set up the visual display in the classroom, and other students, including those from other year groups, had the opportunity to walk around to each stall and ask questions from our expert stall holders and to participate as prospective parents. 

Students were responsible for preparing and creating their own resources for parents including slideshows to watch, brochures to read and using dolls to practise nappy changing for example. We were very impressed by many of the stalls at our simulated parenting expo and students really enjoyed this practical learning opportunity.

We hope you enjoy our photos.

Mrs Brogan and Mrs Borg

Year 9 Child Studies teachers

This term, Year 7 has been learning about Nightmares and Horror Fiction in our unit called ‘Nightmares’ in English. Tuesday the 31st of October was a very befitting day for their learning of horror stories, with 7.2 and 7.8 lucky to gain the full Halloween experience in their lesson. 

From light up lanterns, giant pumpkins, skulls, cobwebs lacing the whiteboard, desks and TV, and 7.8’s new mascot…a rather large spider, the students’ eyes gleamed in awe as they walked through the door to C5. It was such a beautiful sight to see; no matter if it was Periods 1 and 2, or Periods 5 and 6, these normally tired eyes were now brimming with excitement to start the lesson! It was made even better with halloween accessories, silly faces, and spooky music to get us all into the Halloween spirit! Needless to say, there were lots of spooky smiles all round!

As part of this unit, students have been learning a wide range of skills including analysis and creative writing. This required them to identify conventions of horror used in the visual and written texts they have been studying, and apply this to their own horror stories or their own original monster. Students really embraced their work in this lesson, which definitely fits their conscientiousness throughout the term. 

They demonstrated respect, engagement and copious amounts of enthusiasm. To reward them for their studious efforts, amazing ideas, and wonderful collaborative skills, they even got a Trick or Treat… minus the Trick! 

The Year 7 teachers are so proud of the growth you have shown throughout the year- keep it up, Year 7!  

Stay safe, stay smiling, stay shining,

Miss Webb and Mrs. Samperi

Year 7 - Pop Art Sculptures & Documented Forms

Inspired by artist Claes Oldenburg, students collaboratively created their own large scale sculptures of a popular packaged product. Learning skills in paper mache construction including assembling an armature to create stability before applying newspaper to form the shapes needed for their particular product. Students painted these sculptures, mimicking the colours of the particular packaged product. Students then learnt about the expressive form, documented forms. Using Photography techniques to create a narrative within a site specific location within the Junior Campus. 

Year 8 - Fantasy Creatures using Metamorphosis 

Artists in year 8 have been exploring features and characteristics of Surrealism, and terminology associated such as metamorphosis and the subconscious mind. Artists then chose 3 existing animals to break down and reconstruct creating their own surrealist fantasy creature using metamorphosis. Studying textures and characteristics of their morphed animals, they then applied skills in watercolour to paint their creature in a habit which emphasised personalities and quirks highlighted in their creature profile (creatively created by the students). 

Year 9 - Patterns in Nature (ceramics)

Over the past few lessons and professional workshops students have been constructing their Ceramic vessels. It has been an insightful experience, learning skills before constructing, during and after construction. Students have recently completed the underglazing and glazing upon their designs - choosing one of the two options provided. 1) Iron Oxide, underglaze then clear glaze, OR 2) White glaze, underglaze then Iron Oxide. It is astounding to see such diversity in their choices in applying these vast array of techniques and skills learnt in such a short amount of time. 

Mrs Claudia Harris

Leader of Learning Visual Arts

STEM: F1 Cars in Schools – State Finals

F1 in Schools STEM Challenge provides an exciting and engaging experience for students through the captivating appeal of Formula 1. Through the program, teams of students use Computer Aided Design (CAD) to design, analyse, manufacture, test and race model F1 cars manufactured from a block of balsa wood. The miniature F1 cars race down a 20-meter racetrack powered by a canisters, reaching speeds of up to 80 km/h. 

On the 19th of October, two students from year nine, Evie Brignell and Monique Richardson competed in the ‘F1 Cars in Schools - State Final’. The competition took place at Sydney Motor Park in Eastern Creek. 

Overall, the students performed well on the day and ranked 15th in the State. This is a tremendous achievement for the students and for the school as it’s the first time that the school has participated in this competition.

As the teacher who has facilitated this competition within the school it has been amazing to see how much Evie, Monique and all of the students who partook in this program this year have learnt this year. It has also been amazing to see how well they were able to support each other and work together as a team. 

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Evie and Monique on their achievements and I can’t wait to see our achievements in next year’s competition! 

Acknowledgement and appreciation also goes to Miss Mifsud for her help, dedication and assistance throughout the program.

Miss Serbin

College Leadership Team

Leaders of Learning - Wellbeing

College Leaders of Learning - KLA

College Leaders of Learning