THE SOUTHERN STAR

Principal: Mr Andrew Ponsford

www.scg.vic.edu.au Main Reception Ph: (03) 8363 2000 1

Thursday � February ���� - Edition ���

In this Edition Mr Andrew PonsfordPRINCIPAL

*CONTENTS ARE CLICKABLE*

Principal’s Address: Mr Andrew Ponsford � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1

Parents and Friends’ Association � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3

Enrolment Update � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3

Administration News � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3

Teaching & Learning News: Mrs Julie Baud � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

What’s on Next Week � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

Junior School News: Ms Romina Pimpini � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5

Middle School News: Mr David Wildsmith � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6

Senior School News: Mr Joseph Hedditch � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7

A popular speaker began a seminar by holding up a $20 note. A crowd of 200 had gathered to hear him speak. He asked, “Who would like this $20?” All 200 hands immediately went up.

He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He crumpled the bill. He then asked, “Who still wants it?” Every hand in the audience was still raised. “Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” Then he dropped the note on the ground and stomped on it with his shoes. He picked it up and showed it to the crowd. The bill was crumpled and dirty. “Now who still wants it?”

All the hands remained raised.

“My friends, I have just showed you a very important lesson,” he said. “No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, life crumples us and grinds us into the dirt. We make bad decisions or deal with poor circumstances. In such situations it is possible to feel worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special – Don’t ever forget it!”

WELCOME BACK!I say most sincerely how nice it is to have you all back and to offer a very warm welcome to those who have joined us in 2020. I offer a similarly warm welcome to a new year and a new decade. May both be full of excitement, growth, development and fulfilment!

The summer of 2019/2020 will be long remembered. Our state and many parts of our country and its people, flora and fauna

THE SOUTHERN STAR

Principal: Mr Andrew Ponsford

www.scg.vic.edu.au Main Reception Ph: (03) 8363 2000 2

Thursday � February ���� - Edition ���

have suffered immeasurably and many families will commence the new school year without homes, without valued possessions, without jobs, some not even with their school in tact nor schoolbooks to write in. And too many, without a family member.

The cost of the fires to date:

• 2700+ destroyed homes • 33 human lives lost• 100,000+ livestock lost• the likely loss of property and infrastructure totalling $56

billion • an estimated loss of around 1 billion native animals • 20,000 koalas killed on Kangaroo Island• some species lost forever and;• an emotional loss and suffering that cannot be measured

As I watched in disbelief, I was staggered at the sheer enormity of the tragedy, challenge and the significance of the task. If we were to join up all the fire fronts this

would extend from Melbourne to Afghanistan over 11,404 kilometres!

It is human nature to grumble and complain a little, and to think of ourselves and to focus inwardly. However, we should feel lucky and grateful that the impact has been minimal for us. It is on that basis that I offer you all a very hearty welcome to the 2020 school year.

Similarly I was amazed by the response, the spirt shown and the generosity; the huge sums of money offered and donated, the use of the Internet to amazing effect by Celeste Barber and the international support extended to us. The spirt shown and the generosity of Australians was also phenomenal through:

• the giving of clothes • lending families a home • free rent of cars and housing • gifting of presents and food • kids baking cookies and selling them on the street to

raise money • neighbours helping each other rebuild

In spite of the devastation, I still subscribe to the theory that we live in the lucky country, yet we are experiencing an unprecedented crisis of loneliness, isolation, disconnection and depression. The actions shown are a powerful way of demonstrating to others that: they are not alone, they are not forgotten, and that we remember and that we care.

I really do hope that we can replicate a little of that spirit here at SCG in 2020.

If there is one thing challenges do, they bring forth some remarkable and truly inspirational responses. I sincerely hope that you have been inspired to replicate some of the inspirational actions observed.

This section of Dorothy McKellar’s 1904 poem, My Country, resonates with me:

I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror The wide brown land (SCG and Australia*) for me!

* with sincere apologies to Dorothy McKellar

The elders of the Kimberley describe their Country in a very similar way. They talk of the harshness of the land and its beauty. The Bardi people often use the oyster shell to explain this situation. On the outside, an oyster shell is uninspiring and ugly, yet inside it reveals real beauty. Seek that in others and share your beauty with others!

My very best wishes to you for 2020.

TERM 1 CALENDARI wish to advise families that our 2020 Term 1 calendar of events is now live on our website. View it here.

THE SOUTHERN STAR

Principal: Mr Andrew Ponsford

www.scg.vic.edu.au Main Reception Ph: (03) 8363 2000 3

Thursday � February ���� - Edition ���

LET’S GO TO THE MOVIES AT SCG! Our first event for 2020, the PFA are offering all our families a night of fun and quality time together in the best cinema in town: the School oval. There will be lots on offer including food trucks and drinks before our twilight screening of The Lion King!

• Date: Saturday 29 February 2020• Time: 6:30pm onwards• Price: $15 per student, $20 per adult and $70 per family (up to five people.

Attendees must be on the same Medicare card)

Tickets can be purchased at https://ozevent�com�au/event/southern-cross-grammar/scg-pfa-outdoor-cinema/.

Alternatively, tickets can be purchased through My School Connect (the Canteen ordering system): Click on the My School Event button and follow the Prompts.

For parents without a My School Connect account, head to www�myschoolconnect�com�au to create an account. Please be advised, no cash sales are available or tickets for purchase at Reception.

SCG Community: If you own or know of a business that can support this event, please send them the PFA’s way! This could be connections to food trucks, ice cream vans, catering businesses or kids’ fun such as face painting, glow stick supplies or other activities. We are also seeking volunteers to assist on the night. Please send an expression of interest to pfa@scg�vic�edu�au.

OLD LOGO DONATIONS As we all adjust to the changeover in uniform, you may still find old logo items lurking in a cupboard. There is still an opportunity to donate them to Rotary. Bins are located in Reception to drop off any old uniform.

PFA EVENTS 2020 The PFA have been very busy planning some family fun and student events for this year, keep a look out in the upcoming newsletters for more details!

PFA MEETING The first PFA meeting will be Wednesday 12 February 2020 at 7:00pm in the Junior School Hub. Come along if you want to be involved or find out more about the PFA. For any enquiries, please contact the PFA on pfa@scg�vic�edu�au.

ENROLMENT UPDATESibling Enrolments

Families who wish to enrol siblings of current students at the school in 2021 are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible. The Foundation enrolment program commences in the coming weeks, and the Year 7 enrolment program will run in Term 2.

Whilst sibling enrolments are given a priority, we can only accommodate for those we are aware of. Late submissions may be waitlisted if offers have already commenced.

Early applications for 2022 and beyond are welcome at any time. Application forms are available from Reception, or on the school website: https://www�scg�vic�edu�au/registration-enrolment-process/

ADMINISTRATION NEWSAs part of streamlining our administration processes we have introduced an automated telephone system where families can report an absence direct into a dedicated voicemail box as well as a new dedicated absence email address.

To report an absence for your child, you can call the main line (8363 2000) and select:

• Option 1 from the main menu: Report an absence

• Option 1 from the sub menu: Report a Student Absence

or you can email student�absences@scg�vic�edu�au at any time of the day.

Parents and Friends’ Association News

THE SOUTHERN STAR

Principal: Mr Andrew Ponsford

www.scg.vic.edu.au Main Reception Ph: (03) 8363 2000 4

Thursday � February ���� - Edition ���

Teaching & Learning NewsMrs Julie BaudDEPUTY PRINCIPALHEAD OF TEACHING AND LEARNING (F���)

What’s on Next Week

Friday 7 February

Whole School Assembly, 2:00pm

Monday 10 February

Year 7 Anglesea Camp (10–14 February)**Senior School Parent Information Evening, 6:00pm

** Offsite Event

Wednesday 12 February

Junior School Meet the Teacher

Friday 14 February

Junior School Assembly, 8:45amSenior School Music Excursion, 9:45–11:45am**

The year has started well with lots of chatter and excitement as everyone returned after the holiday break. A special welcome from me to those who have joined our community for the first time. I can’t help mentioning those Foundation students in their new uniforms. We forget how small they are!

Hopefully all students have settled into a routine and are feeling comfortable with their teachers and their learning environments. Don’t hesitate to contact the relevant class or Homeroom teacher if you have any concerns.

With the start of another year of learning, communication between school and families is important. It was wonderful to see so many parents attending the Middle School Information Night on Monday. I hope this opportunity to meet the class/Homeroom teachers and to hear about the year ahead proved to be beneficial.

I would also like to remind families of the importance of attending the Senior School Information Night to be held in the downstairs rooms of the VCE Centre on Monday 10 February, from 6:00pm. Many very important Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) and Southern Cross Grammar rules and policies associated with the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) will be explained so it is advisable to attend if possible.

I look forward to meeting our Senior School families on Monday night; an opportunity to ask questions, seek clarification and explain what our academic program looks like in the Senior School.

THE SOUTHERN STAR

Principal: Mr Andrew Ponsford

www.scg.vic.edu.au Main Reception Ph: (03) 8363 2000 5

Thursday � February ���� - Edition ���

Junior School NewsMs Romina PimpiniHEAD OF JUNIOR SCHOOL (F��)

Ready? Set … GO!

The Junior School was all set for a wonderful start to the 2020 year last Thursday and students were not disappointed.

Classroom teachers and specialists have been busy personalising learning spaces and preparing activities for friendships, futures and fun to thrive!

It was lovely to see our Junior School students well-dressed in their SCG uniform and ready to learn.

Thanks you to parents/carers and families for your support in helping your child(ren) prepare for the new academic year and making our first full week of the 2020 academic year a successful one.

A few reminders for all:

• The SCG uniform in 2020 should reflect the new logo only. All old logo branded items are no longer acceptable in accordance with our uniform policy.

• All students should wear their SCG hat when outdoors (during breaks and PE lessons).

• Personal items must be clearly labelled with your child(ren)’s name: drink bottle, uniform items, lunch box/bag, containers, etc.

• School commences at 8:30am, so student arrival prior to this is important.

OUTSIDE HOURS SCHOOL CARE (OHSC)An OHSC program is available at Southern Cross Grammar. Students from Foundation to Year 6 are welcome to attend. This is operated in the Junior School Building by the Camp Australia group.

Children enjoy a variety of activities including cooking, art, craft, games, drama, dance and indoor and outdoor play, both structured and unstructured. There is open, supervised access to all facilities including the Junior School Learning Resource Centre (Library), computers, playground and sports field.

The program is available from 6:30am to 8:30am and 3:05pm to 6:30pm each school day.

Any student from Foundation to Year 6 who arrives at school prior to 8:15am must attend OSHC. Students who are not collected from school by 3:30pm will, for their own safety, be placed in the OHSC program.

To find out more or register for OHSC go to https://www�campaustralia�com�au

This term, we’ll be running a chess program in the Junior School every Monday afternoon with K.U. Zone at 3:15–4:15pm. Places are running out quickly with only six spots left! Click here to secure your child(ren)’s booking. Each booking is $128.57 per student.

IPADS IN THE JUNIOR SCHOOLiPads will begin to enhance student learning in the Junior School as each day unfolds.

All students are required to supply their own iPad for use during class time. The following iPads are compatible with school requirements:

• iPad (Generations 5–7)• iPad Pro (1–2, 10.5/9.7/11 inch

current generation)• iPad Mini (Generation 4)• iPad Air (Generations 2–3)

Students are encouraged to use iCloud, Airdrop and have camera capability. The preferred storage option is 32GB or 64GB due to apps, usage and imagery captured throughout the year. For more information about the School’s iPad requirements, click here.

These devices will be used under supervision by staff during various learning times and are not to be used during recess and lunchtime.

Teachers at each year level will shortly communicate the preferred list of Apps to have loaded on iPads. If parents/carers could help us by installing these in a timely manner, this will ensure we are ready for learning.

We thank you for your support in this matter.

JUNIOR SCHOOL ASSEMBLYNext week we will host our first Junior School assembly on Friday 14 February, commencing at 8:45am in the Junior School Hub.

We will be announcing our Class Captains for Term 1 across Years 1–4, as well as our 2020 Portfolio Captains. These important leadership roles will really have an impact on student voice and participation in the Junior School throughout the year.

Of course, leadership is not just at school and can certainly start at home. Parents/Carers might like this read to kick-start the year.

Wishing everyone a super start to the year and many successes along the way!

THE SOUTHERN STAR

Principal: Mr Andrew Ponsford

www.scg.vic.edu.au Main Reception Ph: (03) 8363 2000 6

Thursday � February ���� - Edition ���

Middle School NewsMr David WildsmithHEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL (���)

Welcome back to 2020! What a great start to the year it has been. From our new Year 5s who are experiencing Middle School for the first time, to all the new SCG students and our returning students, everyone needs to be commended on a wonderful start to the year. Students and staff have dived straight into the new academic year, working together and independently in their classes. It has been a pleasure to watch all our Middle Schoolers arrive at School each day eager and prepared to learn, engage in their work, and foster meaningful relationships with their peers.

A big thank you to all families who joined us on Monday evening for the Middle School Information Night. It was great to see many families engaged in the evening as they met Homeroom teachers and received information about processes within the Middle School. Families who wish to discuss anything further with Homeroom teachers are more than welcome to organise a meeting time.

Student Leadership for 2020 is getting finalised over the coming weeks. All students from Year 5 through to Year 9 are welcome to apply for either Portfolio Captaincy (Arts, Sports, NGL, Social Justice and Sustainability) or Class Captaincy roles. I would encourage all students to apply for any position that interests them, as great opportunity beckons for all students in leadership this year!

Finally, our Year 7s depart for camp next week. We wish them the very best for what promises to be a great chance for some fun, to build some friendships, and try out a bit of surfing on the side!

MIDDLE SCHOOL CAPTAINSAs your 2020 Middle School Captains (the

best that are yet to reign), we welcome all new students and staff, as well as all those returning to Southern Cross

Grammar. We can’t wait to return to our classes and learn new things. A huge

thank you to those who attended Monday night’s Middle School Information Evening, we hope you learnt something new about the way around Middle School. We expect everyone has their swimmers on and are ready for the Middle School Swimming Carnival in week 4, as well as the other

sporting events at SCG. As the first term of school has begun, we hope that every

student, older and younger, have met new people, made new friends, and have

settled into their homerooms well.

A quick congratulations to all who received awards or leadership positions, we are looking forward to working with

you this year. Here’s to the best 2020 Middle School!

Sienna Sleman, Sahib Tokhi, Sophie Salomon-Best, Thomas Pham

SCIENCE NEWS“As part of the Year 9 Forensic Science course students have studied the development of fingerprinting and their recognition as a major aide in the identification of suspected persons and their presence at crime scenes. As part of their studies, students have examined the fingerprints of identical twins, Hannah and Olivia Green. The examination showed a close and almost identical comparison of the main fingerprint ridge characteristics of arches, loops and whorls. This was in agreement with the literature which states that the fingerprint characteristics will be close but non-identical. Clearly this rules out any future line of alibi should one of the twins seek to blame her sister in the future!” Mr Howard Lacey, Science Teacher

THE SOUTHERN STAR

Principal: Mr Andrew Ponsford

www.scg.vic.edu.au Main Reception Ph: (03) 8363 2000 7

Thursday � February ���� - Edition ���

Senior School NewsMr Joseph HedditchACTING HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL (�����)

As we commence our 2020 school year, I take this opportunity to welcome all new families to the school as well as our new Senior School Homeroom teachers: Brylee MacNamara, Mairead Sweeney, Michael Jolly and Ravinesh Chandra. It is fantastic to have each of you as members of our school community.

It has been a very busy, yet very positive start to the year at SCG and I wish to extend thanks to all of the students, staff and families for making this happen. We saw amazing results from our graduating class of 2019 and I have faith in our current Year 12 cohort that with the current level of commitment and application to their classes I have observed over the first week, 2020 will be no different.

YEAR 12 RETREATYear 12 students recently attended their annual retreat, prior to the academic school year commencing. The purpose of the retreat is to come together and commit to actions that support the unity, growth and success of the Year 12 team for 2020.

Students spent time reflecting, preparing and setting goals ready to embrace the challenges ahead and experience success. Themes explored related closely to building relationships with key support networks, elements of the VCE program, as well as the power of positive thinking.

The notion of embracing a positive mindset was explored in detail and resonated strongly with the cohort and with this in mind, I encourage all students in the School to consider this quote from

the great Winston Churchill that correlated perfectly with our Retreat program:

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM As many of you saw, last December we had a team of 13 students and two staff travel to Peru as members of the Ambassador Program. The team was made up of: Chloe Baillie, Chanelle Baldevia, Barath Baskaran, Paris Ekladious, Taylah Erhart, Paris Lapsas, Joshua Macpherson, Kasey Mercieca, Andjela Micic, Grace Muneretto, Damien Razmovski, Maxine Shettigara and Joanne Vu.

The objective of the Ambassador Program is to provide opportunities for personal development, discovery and challenge through safe, professionally organised experiences. Students involved also develop and acquire skills that will assist them in their future careers whether it is further education, training or employment.

The team worked exceptionally hard on the trip and contributed greatly to some local communities which will have a lasting positive impact on both the communities and the team. Highlights of the trip were Lake Titicaca, Moray, hiking the Salcantay trail through the amazon and Machu Picchu.

Congratulations to the team on an amazing experience. A huge thanks to Cynthia Drossinis for her leadership and support during the trip.

SENIOR SCHOOL INFORMATION/MEET THE TEACHER EVENINGOn Monday 10 February at 6:00pm we will host our Senior School Information Evening in the VCE Centre. We will start the evening as a whole Senior School with a presentation involving general school matters, before we break off into our different year groups where each family will have the opportunity to meet and greet the Homeroom teachers and ask any specific questions regarding 2020. We look forward to seeing you all on the night.

LADY SOMERS CAMP “During the school holidays, we were lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to attend Lady Somers Camp. This involves 100 girls from all over Victoria coming together to be challenged physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and socially.

The camp gave us many opportunities to grow as an individual and learn more about ourselves, whilst making many new friends on the way. The camp was an opportunity of a lifetime and we both would like to thank Peter Birkwest from the Caroline Springs RSL for providing us with a sponsorship to attend. Both of us had an amazing time and would go again in a heartbeat.

Stay tuned for more details about how you can get involved in an upcoming assembly.” Maxine Shettigara and Megan Tolson, Senior School students.