1 April 2021

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Principal’s Report

As term 1 draws to a close now is the time to reflect on what a great start to 2021 we have had. We have welcomed our new Year 7 cohort to school and they have settled in incredibly well. They have certainly impressed us with their good humour, their application to their studies, and with their capacity to make supportive and respectful peer relationships. As we know, these students had a limited transition program to High School in 2021. However, the great work undertaken by Ms Cowper and Ms Hamka has ensured their transition to High School has been truly successful.

In term 4 last year I led a situational analysis of our school to inform our next school improvement planning cycle. This term the results of our situational analysis have borne fruit, and resulted in the creation of our Strategic Improvement Plan 2021-2024. Through a NAPLAN gap analysis, the school has identified system-negotiated target areas in Reading and Numeracy. Other areas for further development that have been identified are effective feedback, teacher collaboration and differentiating learning to cater for a variety of student abilities.

We have identified three strategic directions that will chart our school’s improvement journey over the next 4 years:

Strategic Direction 1: Student growth and attainment
Strategic Direction 2: Staff growth through evidence informed practice
Strategic Direction 3: School community growth in culture

I look forward to embarking upon this improvement journey, undertaking our planned work, and witnessing, sharing and celebrating the success of our labours in the years to come. Our 2021-2024 Strategic Improvement Plan is available on our school website, or can be accessed directly via the link below:

Access upgrades across the school

A three level lift is currently being installed in the Principal's garden so that all levels of Blocks A, B and eventually C will be wheelchair accessible.

The works will continue throughout the year with:

• A lift being installed at the front of the Library for access to the Science laboratories, and the Library
• A lift being installed at the end of the external Hall verandah to access the Stage
• An external covered walkway being built linking Block B Level 1 with Block C level 1
• The reinstatement of the Hallway on Block C ground level, enabling access to C2 AND C3 directly from the 9/10 playground
• The refurbishment of the CAPA staffroom to accommodate the Hallway reinstatement
• An Access ramp built linking the 9/10 playground at the C Block end to the tennis courts
• An Access ramp at the front of the school - accessing the foyer and the A Block entrance near the Clinic

I appreciate how patient our students have been with the noise and disruption. However, when the work is finished it will be truly worth the inconvenience.

This work is being undertaken by contractors for School Infrastructure NSW.

Futsal Field

This year the grass block behind the school’s carpark will be upgraded to a synthetic Futsal Field. This project has been almost 18 months in the planning and will significantly improve our capacity to provide challenging and engaging physical activity programs. The field will be fully fenced, with separate access via Austral Street. This project requires significant excavation and retaining wall construction to make the site level, as well as the installation of drainage systems. Once complete, there will also be tiered seating alongside the field.

This project is currently in the tender process, but I am expecting to see significant progress this year. This work will also be undertaken by contractors for School Infrastructure NSW.

Cooler Classroom Program update

The Cooler Classrooms Program is a $500 million, five-year investment by the NSW Government to improve learning environments in public schools across NSW. Our school was successful in our submission to be part of this program and we were placed in Round 1.

I have been recently advised that the Cooler Classrooms works at Georges River College Penshurst Girls Campus have now progressed into the design phase.

The Cooler Classrooms team have been liaising with Ausgrid, and they have been advised that an upgrade to the electricity network is needed at our school to support the increased electrical demand of these works. As a result, a specialist electrical design consultant has been engaged to further investigate the best solution. This team began their work this term, and Ausgrid will be at the school site over the upcoming holiday period to investigate their design. Dependent on the type of upgrade required, Ausgrid’s certification of the design may add up to 12 months to the delivery of the Cooler Classroom works at our school.

How long will it take to install Cooler Classrooms works at my school?

Once the design phase starts, it is estimated works can take between 6 to 12 months to design, procure and deliver. Once the design and procurement phase is complete it takes approximately 12 weeks of onsite activity to install. We are currently in the design phase.

Large projects of this nature take time, and our school community is looking forward to enjoying healthy and comfortable learning environments in all our classrooms once this project is finished.

I ask for your patience in this matter, and I will be keeping our school community up to date with the progress of the project in our school newsletter.

COVID-19 Intensive Learning Support Program (ISLP)

As we all know, 2020 was a challenging year.

This is particularly so for our students and teachers who rose to those challenges in a disrupted year that included seven weeks of remote learning due to COVID-19. For our students, this was an unsettling time.

The government and department of education have recognised this with the announcement of a $337 million program aimed at ensuring that schools can identify students who would benefit from intensive support. This will be tailored to their requirements to ensure that students’ educational outcomes continue to improve in 2021.

The COVID-19 Intensive Learning Support Program (ISLP) is a government initiative to bridge learning gaps created/caused by COVID-19. Our school has received significant funding for this program for the 2021 school year.

Targeted groups of students (5 in each group) will receive small group tuition for approximately 40 minutes three times a week over a period of 5 weeks. The program will be tailored for each group. The focus will be literacy and numeracy.

Students will be withdrawn from class for this work. They will not be withdrawn from English and Mathematics.

Qualified English and Mathematics teachers will be leading our tutorials. Mrs Sant will focus on Numeracy, and Mrs Berios and Ms Ardati will be focussing on Literacy, particularly Reading and Writing. Our tutors will be working under the supervision of our Heads of English and Mathematics, Mrs Sender and Ms Qiu.

All students participating in the program will be assessed and their progress tracked and measured. By the end of the program, hundreds of our students will have participated in it. The program will cater for students of all abilities, and will be tailored as such. Our ISLP teachers will be feeding progress results back to teachers and parents.

Farewell Ms McGarrity

Our Deputy Principal Ms Oonagh McGarrity is relocating to Singapore.

On behalf of our school community, I sincerely thank Ms McGarrity for the work she has undertaken for our school, first as Head Teacher Welfare, and then in the critical role of the Deputy Principal. Ms McGarrity has always supported all students and their families, often in complex and challenging time in their lives. Ms McGarrity has also been instrumental in supporting our staff in their practice, as well as ensuring the smooth day to day running of the school. Suffice to say, Ms McGarrity has been outstanding in the role, and she will be more than sorely missed.

I thank Ms McGarrity for her professionalism, her dedication and her unwavering commitment to the students and staff of Penshurst Girls, and I wish her all the very best for the future.

Welcome Mr Craig Marland and Ms Gail Kennedy-Webb

As is often the case in schools, as we farewell some members of our school community, we welcome others. It is with pleasure that I announce that our new Deputy Principal is Mr Craig Marland. Mr Marland comes to us with a wealth of experience as an educational leader. Mr Marland was successful, via a merit selection process, in being appointed to our school. Mr Marland is currently the substantive Deputy Principal at Auburn Girls High School, and I know he is keenly looking forward to joining our school community.

In Term 2 we will also welcome Ms Gail Kennedy-Webb as our new Head Teacher HSIE. Ms Kennedy-Webb has come to us as an experienced Head Teacher HSIE from Northern Beaches Secondary College Mackellar Girls Campus. Ms Kennedy-Webb was also appointed through a merit selection process. Ms Kennedy-Webb has a range of experiences and leadership skills that will see her well placed to successfully take up the leadership role within our HSIE faculty.

It was this time last year when we began to feel the serious effects of COVID-19. Looking back on the past 12 months, as a school community and a wider community in general, we can genuinely celebrate all we have achieved in such challenging times.

I wish you all a festive Easter and restful and safe school holiday break.

Ms Noeline Ross
Principal

From the Deputy Principal

What a happy start to 2021! As is the same at the start of every year, school life is just like a hive of busy bees, every day buzzing around trying to get as much done as possible. And so, by the end of Term 1, we may have a bumper crop of honey but we’re all pretty tired.

It has been a pleasure to have a new cohort of Year 7 students join us and watch all that they’ve been up to in making their transition to High School a successful one. It’s been superb to watch the Year 7 students interact and bond with our Year 10 students through Peer Tutoring and also Peer Support.

I write my Term 1 article with a heavy heart however. The unexpected onset of the Covid pandemic on the world has meant that I have been separated from my family for over a year now. And so, after much deliberation and waiting on Australia’s borders to re-open, I have decided to relocate to Singapore and have been successful in gaining a position at the Australian International School there.

I started my journey at Penshurst Girls in April 2014 and I have treasured my years with the Penshurst family since. Some of my highlights include the school’s 60th celebration in 2015, the many talent quests which showcased the vast array of talent, the staff rendition of a Justin Bieber song in 2016, is still my personal favourite when our school community came together and celebrated all that embodies happiness at Penshurst Girls. I have loved every school event including Swimming Carnivals, Cross Country Carnivals, Athletics Carnivals and some favourite whole school events such as our annual NAIDOC Assemblies, Presentation Days and Graduations. It is safe to say, I relish events and nothing does my heart more good than to see our school community coming together to celebrate the success of others.

Over the years I have gotten to know countless families and successive siblings come and go through Penshurst and I will hold all of my memories from here very dearly. I thank everyone in the Penshurst community who made my time here so enjoyable and I hope to visit as often as life and travel permits moving forward. Penshurst, as I told all our girls over the past few days, is a terrific school and they should feel proud of where they are and how cared for they are.

For now, I wish our entire school community all the very best and I hope you all have an abundance of luck and happiness in your lives.

“May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back, and may the sun shine warm upon your face” (Irish Blessing).

Ms McGarrity

English Faculty

The year 2021 has begun and as I reflect on my thoughts, I remember this time last year. As educators, we were challenged teaching and delivering the curriculum to our students via remote learning, yet through teamwork and with determination we made the best out of a difficult situation and ensured that learning continued. This year I continue to have the privilege of leading and supporting a group of enthusiastic and dedicated teachers who always strive to promote language and a love of literature in our students. The English faculty will continue to have the students at heart and will do all they can to deliver quality learning opportunities to enrich and maximise students’ learning experiences.

It was pleasing to see our students in Years 8, 9 and 10 back from the summer holidays rejuvenated and ready to embark on the next stage of their educational journey. We also welcomed our new Year 7 cohort to GRC Penshurst Girls Campus, and we wish them all the best learning and enjoying English.

All year groups are well underway in the study of English language and literature. Year 7 commenced high school studying a unit of work on My World. This unit allows students to introduce themselves to their peers and teachers. Students presented information about themselves, learnt about the principles of autobiography and looked at different ways writing is presented through the study of a variety of autobiographical texts. Year 8 students have been reading a variety of novels and related texts which centre on the strength of female characters. Our Year 9 students have completed studying a unit of work on Adolescence with a focus on adolescent issues. They have been demonstrating their macro skills through activities centred on their class novel and related texts, and we are looking forward to the students delivering their speeches on adolescent issues early next term.

Impressive is the positive mindset of our Year 10 students, who have shown exceptional engagement in studying a unit of work on the Representations of Justice. Within this unit, students created a multimodal text in which they blended written text with visual text with audio and/or oral text to offer a representation of issues relating to justice as presented in their class text. Accompanying their multimodal presentation, the students reflected on their work by analysing the choices made, and by identifying and discussing their strengths and weaknesses. By reflecting, the students are focusing on the process of learning, justifying language choices and what they can do to improve in the future.

In addition, Year 9 Drama Elective students have been highly engaged and busy researching and preparing individual performances in which they utilise Stanislavski’s set of given circumstances to establish character roles. Similarly, Year 10 Drama Elective students have also been researching and preparing individual performances based on Political Performance Theatre.

Throughout the end of term break, I do recommend that students continue to read quality literature daily and explore the imaginative world of authors. Students are encouraged to participate in this year’s Premier’s Reading Challenge, and they can do this by logging on the student site and updating their online reading record regularly. The books they read after the challenged closed last year can be counted towards this year’s challenge. The Premier’s Reading Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. Research suggests that reading widely improves literacy and learning outcomes. Students can use a broader vocabulary and it also helps with understanding the nuances of language. The books students read after the challenge closes can count towards next year’s Challenge.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go!” – Dr. Seuss

I wish all our students a Happy Easter and a restful break!

Mrs Sender
Relieving HT English

Mathematics Faculty

Students have had a great start to the year for Mathematics at GRC Penshurst Girls. They have already completed their first assessment task for the year and most of them have received good results. It is encouraging that sixteen Year 7, ten Year 8 and three Year 9 students achieved perfect score in their tests. The top achieving students are:

Year 7 – Erynn Roberts, Jessica Thiel, Amelie Battye, Lana Khanafer, Elisa Ly, Avaani Dhungana, Chloe Gao, Taskiya Gould, Bella Harcombe, Katarina Ivesic, Tanjirah Kongchang, Tara Kulthonthong, Kelly Liu, Tanvi Shukla, Ziling Song and Phoebe Sun.

Year 8 – Linda Chi, Hannah Han, Kelly Huang, Yina Jin, Krystal Lin, Alice Ou, Tehzeeb Rahman, Rhianna Versola, Sisley Zhuang and Karen Pang.

Year 9 –Hadiah Aghaei Zanjani, Kitty Huang and Prachi Shekhalia.

In Term 1, Year 7 have been learning Operations of Positive and Negative Integers and Angle Relationships. Year 8 has been studying Measurement and Pythagoras Theorem. Year 9 have been learning Financial Mathematics and application of numeracy in real life contexts. Year 10 Stage 5.1 and 5.2 has been studying Financial Mathematics. Year 10 Stage 5.3 has been learning Measurement and Probability. The Year 10 Mathematics Extension class has been learning Year 11 Stage 6 Advanced and Extension 1 Numbers and Surds and Year 10 Stage 5.3 Non-Linear Relationships.

Year 7 have settled in well and have learnt to cope with the demands of high school, developing important organisational skills, completing assigned homework and an assessment task for Term 1. This term they have been working on improving their numerical skills with the assistance of Cambridge Go as a learning tool.

The Maths Faculty has been using Cambridge Go as a learning tool to enhance understanding and consolidate learning outcomes in Maths. It is a web-based program which can be done in school and at home allowing the students to consolidate mathematical concepts and practise for fluency.

Students have also been invited into Google Classroom where they can view and make posts to other students or to their Maths teachers. They can access myriad of resources in Class Work. Those resources include textbooks and/or worksheets etc.

The Maths Faculty has started the COVID Intensive Learning Support Program in Term 1 Week 7. Fifteen Year 9 students and five Year 7 students were selected to participate in Round 1 of the tutorials for 5 weeks. Through the small tutorials, Ms Kerrieann Sant is ensuring that students’ mathematical knowledge and skills are on track. Round 2 participants will start in Term 2 Week 2.

Maths Club has started this year and this semester students are entering a Mathematics and Statistics Research Competition hosted by the University of Melbourne. Students will start their research project in Term 2 after the topics are released in April.

Ms L Qiu
Head Teacher Mathematics

Science Faculty

It's been a busy start to 2021 and students are nearing the end of studying their first topic in Science or beginning their second topic. Year 7 have been studying the chemical world and how scientists work. Students have been doing plenty of experiments and developing their practical skills as well as developing their report writing and numeracy skills. Year 7 recently demonstrated their scientific knowledge and understanding by completing a practical assessment.

Year 8 students have been studying the Living World by learning about Australian ecosystems. Students recently demonstrated their scientific knowledge and understanding by completing an Australian ecosystems assessment task.

Year 9 students have been studying the living world with a focus on human body systems, particularly those systems responsible for co-ordination, control and body defences against disease. Students have recently studied an infectious disease and evaluated the effectiveness of the body’s defence systems.

Year 10 students have also been studying the living world focusing on Genetics and Evolution. Students have recently evaluated an impact of genetic engineering on society and the environment.

Marine Studies students have been studying marine ecosystems and snorkelling and they’ve recently demonstrated their knowledge and understanding by completing assessment tasks.

On behalf of the Science faculty, I wish everyone a happy and safe holiday.

Mr Anthony Adams
Head Teacher Science

HSIE Faculty

ANZAC DAY 2021

Next term we celebrate Anzac day on 25th April. Australia celebrates Anzac Day on the 25th April annually to commemorate the sacrifice of our soldiers.

They were brave civilians who fought to save our country, giving us nowadays freedom to walk, talk and live without fear.

“They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn,
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them”

How can you join in on ANZAC day celebrations?

• Attend an Anzac day memorial service or watch the national broadcast on television
• Remember the minute of silence
• Bake, share Anzac biscuits
• Wear a poopy on your shirt on Anzac day

LEST WE FORGET

By Olivia Roberts Year 9

HSIE- Year 7 History sharing their personal histories

Class 7I have been studying a topic entitled “investigating the Ancient past. As part of their learning they were given an opportunity to share their personal histories by bringing in a personal “history box” filled with artefacts and sources of evidence relating to their personal, family and cultural identity. They were enthusiastic about sharing their personal history boxes and giving all other Year 7 students in the class the opportunity to learn more about them!

Ms Mouratidis

TAS Faculty

TAS students have been busy building skills in all our elective areas of Information and Software Technology, Food Technology, Design and Technology and Multimedia. Our students are already demonstrating that they are problem solvers, creative thinkers and innovative designers!

2021 will be an exciting year for our Technology Mandatory students also, and years 7 and 8 are busy cooking, sewing and creating iMovies and websites using google sites.

The TAS faculty would also like to welcome two new staff to our faculty this term, Ms Amne Assaad and Mrs Cheryl Wetsi.

The TAS faculty purchased a food preparation system this term to give access to all students in working safely in the classroom.

Technology mandatory students have made a good start on their projects and we can’t wait to see them all completed mid Term 2.

Ms Rajab
Head Teacher TAS

Year 9 Food Technology

Year 9 Filo pastry rolls assessment.

Year 9 have been studying Food in Australia. It has been an exciting introduction to bush foods and traditional recipes such as Anzac biscuits. Girls have cooked with wattleseed and kangaroo fillets and have even tasted Mrs Wetsi’s delicious Lilly Pilly jam! We have finished off this term making a healthy version of the Aussie hamburger, beetroot, BBQ sauce and all!

The students focused upon working safely this term and had to complete an assessment making rolls using filo pastry. Well done on completing your first practical assessment year 9!

Year 10 Food Technology

Year 10 students have been studying bread as a staple food source around the world. Bread has been a focus of our “Food for Special Occasions” unit. Students have tasted food products including, Lebanese donuts, Greek fried bread (Tiganetes) and made bread dough, pizza, choux pastry profiteroles and red velvet cupcakes.

Students planned food solutions for a special occasion as part of their cupcake assessment task. They were required to produce a series of themed cupcakes. The results were outstanding as girls took on the challenge of decorating five cupcakes within 60 mins – Well Done Girls!

Ms Wetsi
TAS teacher

Wool 4 School Design Competition 2021 WOOL ON THE GO

Wool4School is an annual student design competition that encourages budding fashion designers to show the nation what they’re made of. It is open to all students from year 7 to 10.

This is purely a design competition; you don’t actually need to make the outfit. The sketched design should be creative, innovative and original. The sketch should be fully labelled with the functional and aesthetic design features and wool properties.

Year 9 and 10 students are also required to submit an end user profile and creative statement.

The Design Brief

Do you catch a bus to school or skate to a friend’s house, or use an electric scooter to meet up with family on the weekend? You may not have realised the clothing you wear could help you on your commute.

There is a growing trend for people to change the way they travel across their towns and cities, choosing more eco-friendly modes and reassessing the clothing they wear. This may be clothing to provide protection from the weather, embedded with technology to track health and performance, or versatile, comfortable fabrics allowing a transition from the commute to the destination.

This year, the students are to design an outfit which is versatile, protective, dynamic and functional to aid your commute as you travel. Wool should be the hero fibre, making up at least 70% of the outfit, comprising up to 4 pieces.

Entries Close 22nd July 2021 and Winners Announced 19th August.

If you are interested in participating in this competition, please see Mrs Harrison in the TAS faculty for further information and supporting notes.

Why not have a go!

Mrs Harrison
TAS Faculty

PDHPE Faculty

Term 1 is always a bustling term in PDHPE at GRC Penshurst Girls as we set out to organise and prepare for whole school sports programs and carnivals. This year was no different! School Grade and Recreational Sport was up and running by week 3 and students have enjoyed getting back into competition and visiting local sports centres after last year’s hiatus. Can I remind all parents that even if they do not leave the school grounds for sport they are still required to return the permission note that went home at the beginning of the term. These notes can be returned via our school’s SkoolBag app.

In PDHPE students in Year 10 this term have been very dedicated to practising and refining their modern dance routines for their assessment task. It has been great to see so many students organising practice sessions at recess and lunch to ensure they were ready to perform.

In Week 4 we had our competitors only School Swimming Carnival. We had approximately 40 students attend and while they were small in number they were not small in spirit! They raced hard and cheered each other on. Congratulations to all our competitors and to our Sports House Captains - who were instrumental in ensuring the success of the day.

A big congratulations also goes to this year’s age champions! They were as follows:

12 Years - Serena Li
13 Years - Natasha Cameron
14 Years - Ocean Biag
15 Years - Emelia Verteouris
16 Years - Lila Lansang

Congratulations to Curie House who were the clear champions of this year’s carnival – in the lead by 69 points!! This year’s hours points were as follows:

1st - Currie - 255 points
2nd - Austin - 186 points
3rd - Chisholm - 126 points
4th - Browning - 55 points

We will finish off the term with the competitors only Cross Country Carnival at Olds Park. I look forward to sharing with you the results from this day in next term’s newsletter.

Have a wonderful Easter break.

Mrs E Iskander
Head Teacher PDHPE

Duke of Ed

The Duke of Edinburgh award has begun again at GRC Penshurst. It was great to see many Year 9 girls wanting to join this prestigious program and begin working towards their Bronze Award. We also had most girls who completed their Bronze Award last year, return to embark on their Silver Award this year. I would like to remind all parents and students that payments and paperwork should have already been returned to school so that we can begin the award.

Mrs E Iskander
Duke of Ed Award Leader

U15s Knockout Netball 2021

The following students were selected to represent GRC Penshurst in Round 1 of the knockout competition this year – Temalesi Qimanavanua, Amber Parker, Besseta Hijazi, Layla Sleiman, Laisa Qoro, Noor Beydoun, Seruwaia Naqoli, Danica Chan, Alisa Bosnjak, Joylyn Kumukthy, Yve Waetford.

In the first round we were unsuccessful against a very tall Rose Bay Secondary College, 28 – 15. After a nervous and fast start to the game our side settled into the game and showed determination until the final whistle. Well done on a great game girls.

Mrs Prue Griffiths
PDHPE

A Knockout Day for our Year 10 Volleyballers!

After a victory in the first round of the Knockout Volleyball competition against The Jannali High School, our GRC Penshurst Girls’ team proceeded to Round 2 of the competition (and Central Venue Day) held at Menai Indoor Sports Complex earlier this term, on the 16th February.

Not even the rainy weather could dampen the spirits of the team who put forth a valiant effort in their opening match against St George Girls’ High School. Despite their best efforts, they were knocked out in this round, but were able to participate in a couple of friendly matches against other schools and watch the semi-finals, grand final, and the selection process for the Sydney East Volleyball team (with one of our very own, Katrina Li, selected to trial!).

The discipline and dedication of this team, generally and in the lead up to this day, has been outstanding. From voluntarily training in the school holidays, as well as during break times throughout the school day, it’s safe to say that this will not be the team’s only opportunity to secure a victory in future Knockout Volleyball competitions over the next couple of years as senior students.

For your persistent effort, teamwork, excellent sportsmanship, and ability to gracefully shoulder a loss - well done to you all!

Miss Reid

GRC Penshurst Cross Country Results

Our competitor’s only Cross Country event took place on Wednesday 24th March at Olds Park. It was fabulous to have 35 students nominate themselves to compete. The results (1st, 2nd and 3rd) for each age group are below. The first place getters in each age are our Cross Country Age Champions for 2021:

12 years – Gracie Fonseca, Dakota Smith, Mariam El Zein
13 years – Alia Matar, Aisha El Nacher, Patpicha Pongnamjit
14 years – Imogen Davidson, Aliyah Malas, Christin Hong
15 years – Emelia Verteouris, Seruwaia Naqoli, Amelia Vaughan
16 years – no competitors

The St George Zone Cross Country will be held on Tuesday 4th May.

House points were tallied on the day. These were awarded for participation and also placings 1st through to 10th. Browning was the clear winner with 118 points. The final tally:

Austen – 57
Browning – 118
Chisholm – 59
Curie - 71

A huge thank you to Mrs Tour, Mrs Laverance and Maria Amvrazis (Yr 10 House Captain) for their efforts and assistance on the day.

Mrs Prue Griffiths
PDHPE

CAPA Faculty

Term One has been very busy, yet productive and exciting where all students have immersed themselves in the world of Visual Arts, Photography and Digital Media as well as Music. They have been provided with an array of opportunities to showcase their creativity and talents and they have shown nothing but enthusiasm and a thirst for more knowledge. Keep it up girls!

Visual Arts

Year 7

Year 7 were welcomed to Visual Arts in term 1, with an introduction to the Elements and Principles of Art, practicing mark making skills and techniques and analysing what makes an artwork. These skills and techniques were then put into practice for the term’s topic of Fantastic Animals. Students investigated mythical creatures from different cultures and created and drew their own mythical creatures, accompanied with an imaginary name for the creature, the story behind the creature and included any special powers it possessed, and whether it was good or evil. This theme was continued and expanded to use a range of learnt mark-making techniques and different coloured pens to complete a Fantastic Animal pen drawing. Students were also introduced to the concept of the Frames and the Conceptual Framework as an approach to interpreting art, which they then put into practice when analysing the contemporary artist Jeff Koons and his installation sculpture “Puppy”. The girls thoroughly enjoyed this unit of work, building their art making techniques, using new materials and learning how to analyse an artwork.

Year 8

Year 8 commenced the year investigating the controversial Urban Artist Banksy, focusing on the themes of social, political and environmental issues relevant in contemporary society. Students explored Urban Artists’ practices and selected a societal issue they felt passionate about to represent and create a mixed-media artwork consisting of collage and drawing techniques. Using symbolism and satire, students impressed with the creation of some highly sophisticated and meaningful artworks, facing modern-day challenges and invoking thoughts for positive global change. Students also revised the Frames and the Conceptual Framework from their learning in year 7, to interpret and analyse the artwork of Banksy in preparation for their Presentation Assessment Task due early next term. Without doubt, the future is bright with such discerning and creative minds forging the way ahead for social justice, equality and environmental change.

Year 9

Year 9 have been on a journey of discovery, learning about the diverse ways of how to create highly expressive artworks, using a vast array of techniques and materials to challenge themselves. Students have viewed and learnt about the practices of key Expressionist artists and identified the techniques and mediums used to evoke strong emotional communication to art audiences. Artists such as Henri Matisse, Franz Marc, Pablo Picasso, Max Beckman, Marc Chagall, Robert Dickerson and other focus artists were used to inform student artmaking tasks throughout the term and to analyse and interpret key artworks applying the Frames and Conceptual Framework. Encouraging experimentation and extending boundaries to leave their comfort zone, students participated in diverse artmaking activities to expand their repertoire of skills and to prepare for Assessment Task 1 – Collection of 3 Expressive Artworks, due mid term 2. Observations of work to date shows promise for some very expressive artworks for their 1st assessment.

Year 10

During term 1, Year 10 have explored the art form of Installation, an art form requiring creativity, strong problem-solving skills, collaboration and engineering considerations. Moving from predominantly 2-dimensional art forms during year 9, students quickly discovered that Installation art engages different problem-solving abilities, logistics and construction considerations. Working both individually for lead up activities and then collaboratively for their Installation Art Assessment Task, students thoroughly documented their concepts and planning, recording progress, materials choices, construction methods and any changes made along the way as part of the learning process. In addition, students created individual artist statements to accompany their Installation pieces, outlining their concept and how their work symbolized that concept. As a precursor to art making, students were introduced to a wide variety of Installation artists, investigating different art making practices and motivations and analysing artworks of personal interest using the Frames and the Conceptual Framework. Studies throughout the term culminated in the creation of some very conceptually strong Installation pieces to challenge students and utilise newly learnt skills.

Photography and Digital Media

Year 9 Photography and Digital Media students began their studies with the basic elements of photography and the principles behind capturing striking images. Using this knowledge, they explored ways of capturing ordinary everyday objects with the aim of making them much more visually interesting. The girls also started to become much more aware of their surroundings, developing the knowledge of how to capture the area around them in a striking and dynamic way. Further through the term, year 9 began studying the genre of Still Life Photography in both a practical and theoretical context. They analysed and discussed different elements of photography in several different still life photos, all representing different visual styles and purposes from ‘traditional’ still life to photos used for advertisements. In a practical setting, the girls produced a diverse range of photos using different compositions and lighting. They also started to incorporate digital manipulation of their photos, creating a vast array of moods from a single photo. This led the students into their studies of the Australian photographer and artist, Robyn Stacey. Through this study, the girls developed a much more intimate understanding of the subtle references and nuances present throughout Stacey’s photographic style. They also had the opportunity to create their own digital images inspired by Robyn Stacey’s digital artworks.

Music

Year 7 music classes have been learning about the basic elements of music this term, focussing on their listening and composition skills. Year 8 music have been studying jazz and the blues while working on their composition and performance skills. Year 9 music has been studying Australian music while working on their performance and composition skills.

Wishing you all a safe and well-deserved break! We look forward to having another happy and productive term.

Mrs Elham Gabra
Relieving Head Teacher CAPA

Welfare Report

Student wellbeing at GRC Penshurst Girls is integral to the learning of each student where every student matters and is supported in a caring and nurturing environment. Our school-wide approach to student wellbeing centres on personal and academic growth by strengthening students’ cognitive, physical, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

This term our students engaged in a wide range of wellbeing programs suited to the complex needs of our young people. We have begun the implementation of the ‘Safe on Social Toolkit’ Program as a whole-school approach where students are explicitly informed about online safety and using social media with awareness. This has led to a greater knowledge and understanding of the risks involved in using social media applications and a range of strategies to stay safe online. Closely linked with the use of social media, gaming and other online activities, is the importance of healthy sleep habits and physical activity to maintain a healthy mind and body – this is what we targeted next! Wellbeing Days were packed with activities addressing all things social, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing (which you can read about in the Year Advisor Reports). Students in Years 8 and 10 participated in sessions on sleep, delivered by our School Psychologist, where research on effective sleep and practical ways to improve sleep habits was presented. It was great to see students authentically engage with the content and reflect on their own sleep habits. Students were provided with a sleep diary and we encourage all students to complete it. This will be revisited next term for discussion, evaluation and strategies moving forward.

Our themed year assemblies continued on a fortnightly basis where students were involved in sessions on Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL), International Women’s Day and Harmony Day, all of which were underpinned by the same message; ‘be kind and be compassionate’. I encourage parents and caregivers to reiterate the importance of this message and have all students demonstrate this in their day-to-day interactions with their peers.

This term we started our very own Student Voice Council (SVC) (in addition to the SRC) to improve students’ sense of belonging and advocacy. SVC have already presented some great ideas ready to be implemented from next term onwards, so watch this space!

Peer Support is well under way with Year 7 having participated in their first couple of sessions at school and at camp. Peer support has been an important component in building the confidence of students in a new environment, establishing respectful relationships with peers, making new friends, strengthening bonds, problem-solving in groups and sharing experiences. Our Year 10 Peer Support Leaders have been outstanding in facilitating the sessions and I thank them for their enthusiasm and leadership.

While on the topic of thanks, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Oonagh McGarrity, our Deputy Principal, who has been wonderful in her leadership of the Welfare Team and Learning and Support Team over the years. We understand it is time for Mrs McGarrity to move on. We acknowledge the outstanding service and invaluable contribution Mrs McGarrity has made to students and staff alike, positively impacting the lives of so many over the years. Our sincerest thank you for the support, guidance, advice and the laughs. We wish you the very best of luck in your future endeavours.

The Welfare Team and Learning and Support Team

Ms Hamka
Head Teacher Welfare

Year 7 Advisor

We officially welcomed Year 7 2021 to our school community earlier this year and what a start they have made. They spent the first few days completing an orientation program aimed to equip them with new skills and knowledge to help them flourish during their years as a Penshurst Girl. The year 7 girls embraced this opportunity to get to know one another and their new teachers prior to the start of official lessons.

Peer Support

Year 7 have recently begun the Peer Support program with their Year 10 leaders running a variety of collaborative games and discussions. These activities have centred on building friendships, team building strategies and students socialising and working with their peers. I would like to thank the year 10 leaders for their thoughtful preparation of the engaging activities delivered so far. I witnessed all of the year 7’s thoroughly enjoying themselves. I am sure they all look forward to continuing these sessions throughout the year.

Using Your Diary

All students have been given a school diary and are expected to have it on their desk during every lesson. Used thoughtfully, diaries can help alleviate stress and allow students to be more organised.

Each Friday, during roll call, all year 7 students have their diary checked to see that they have been using them to keep organised and that they have shown a parent or carer and had it signed by them. This enables families to be involved, give feedback and provide some extra help, if required.

Some diary tips:

• Write everything in - write down everything that you need to do within your week. Homework tasks, assessments, after school activities, reminders to have your diary signed on Thursday night, to text a friend or print an assignment
• use colour coding - choose a different highlighter colour for assessments, homework and personal commitments. This will make it easy to see what is coming up in your week and help you to plan the time required to complete each activity.
• get your parents / carers involved - allows for extra help and feedback. Don’t forget to ask them to sign it every Thursday night

Year 7 Camp

After a wonderful first term adapting to high school life, year 7 have just returned from a very successful orientation camp at Stanwell Tops. Over two days and one night year 7 made new, and strengthened friendships, encouraged and supported each other, tried new, challenging activities and made a lot of fun memories.

A huge THANK YOU to the year 10 peer support leaders and the staff that came along - Ms Hamka, Ms Edeling, Ms Reid, Ms Kim, Mr Morgan, Mrs Prestoe, Mrs Jackson and Mrs Huang. It would have been impossible to run camp without the selflessness of the teachers.

Some reflections from year 7

Camp was really fun. I enjoyed it a lot as this was my first camp ever. I liked all of the activities and bonded and spoke to people I have never interacted with before and made more friends. I really enjoyed my time my and experience at camp.
Sofia Bustamante

At camp I had lots of fun. Trivia night was a lot of fun and I made a lot of new friends there.
Leila Sayed Ahmad

Camp was pretty fun and I bonded with people I had never spoken to before. The activities were enjoyable and exciting. My favourite was rock climbing.
Amelie Battye

I had a great time at camp. The cabins were nice and I made two new friends. Thanks to all the teachers that made camp a great memory and I will never forget this experience.
Bree Pekert

Camp was very exciting and fun. I had the opportunity to talk to other people I didn’t usually talk to and I got to build up my confidence a little bit more. I made some new friends and got to do fun activities.
Kayla-May Perry

My camp experience was one of the most amazing and fun times of my life. I got to make a lot of new friends and I got to try new activities that I would usually be too afraid to try. I would like to thank all the teachers that planned the trip because it was so fun and I enjoyed it so much.
Geraldine Harris

When I went to camp I faced most of my fears, it was super fun I enjoyed it so much.
Armani Moustafa

My camp experience was amazing! My favourite thing about camp was bonding with people that I had never spoken to before. I made lots of new friends.
Zerrin Uzun

Finally, I would like to congratulate the many students who have attained a Year Advisor Certificate of Merit during Term 1. These students have worked diligently in class and have been awarded 10 PBL Merit Awards from their class teachers.

Congratulations to:

Jessica Anderson, Kayla Arasyid, Roji Basnet x 2, Aarjoo Bista, Tiffany Chong x 2, Paris Chraif-Flavell x 2, Celina Daher, Avaani Dhungana, Ella Dong, Sarah El Annan, Aisha El Nachar, Mariam El Zein, Gracie Fonseca, Venice Gavino, Kezia Gilbert x 2 Taskiya Gould, Bella Harcombe, Amy Harris, Emily Helmes, Chloe Hung, Caitlyn Huynh, Jade Issa, Katarina Ivesic, Gina Jia, Lana Khanafer x 2, Serena Li, Crystal Liu, Kelly Liu, Sasha Luangrungvilai, Elisa Ly, Bethany Matthews, Rihanna Mortada, Caelisia Mulyadi, Shamira Nazar x 2, Kassey Nebres, Bree Pekert, Tarsha Phelan, Lily Qoro, Erynn Roberts, Zarah Said, Mia Samaras, Cynfia Shi, Tanvi Shukla, Dakota Smith, Ziling Song, Ziyu Song, Nandika Suramoalli, Hala Tabbara x 2, Maria Francis Vanava, Lily Vella, Zoeanna Warnongbri x 2, Annabella Wu, Amy Zhang, Jacinda Zhang and Vanessa Zheng x 2.

I look forward to the year ahead with year 7.

Tara Cowper
Year 7 Advisor

Year 8 Advisor

No longer the newest kids on the proverbial block, our Year 8 students returned this year refreshed, re-energised ready to conquer all challenges that lay before them! The enthusiasm was palpable as the students were welcomed back, eager to reconnect with old classmates, nervously anticipating their new timetables, and keen to awaken their holiday-dormant brains! Welcoming our Librarian, Ms Jackson, to the role of Year Advisor for 2021, our wonderful Year 8 students wasted absolutely no time before embarking on the next exciting leg of their learning journeys here at GRC Penshurst.

Of particular interest this term, on Friday March 26, Year 8 participated in their first Well-being Day for the year. Taking place during periods one, two and three, the day was divided into four interactive sessions, each designed to offer students a range of strategies to assist in the maintenance of their mental and physical health.

Session One - Sleeping Well for a Healthy Mind – was an interactive presentation during which students learnt all about the psychological and emotional benefits of maintaining healthy sleeping patterns. Led by one of our fantastic School Psychologists Ms Suki Scade, this session encouraged students to reflect upon their own sleeping habits and offered useful techniques to assist them in developing healthy patterns of restful and restorative sleep.

Session Two – In Perfect Harmony - encouraged students to consider the importance of listening and working collectively. Providing a tutorial on how to sing in harmony, the students considered the ways in which different melodic elements can work together to create something beautiful. Bruno Mars has never sounded quite like this! Session Three – Let’s Get Physical – took the students outside, where a sartorially questionable Mr Morgan led them through some aerobics, Penshurst style, in order to impress upon them the importance of maintaining peak physical condition.

After recess, we were all back in the Performance Space for an informative and enlightening Session Four – Staying Safe Online. During this session, students were invited to consider the ways in which their online behaviours can compromise their own privacy and also affect the lives of others. What an action-packed extravaganza of well-being it was!

Now, as Term One draws to a close, we look forward with a keen eye and an adventurous spirit to all that lay ahead. Should this term be any indication, 2021 is going to be an incredible year for the students of Year 8! We hope that you all have a safe and restful Easter break.

Mr. Morgan & Ms. Jackson
Year 8 Advisors

Year 9 Advisor

Term 1 has been an exciting term for the students as they have adapted to exciting changes in their subjects and playground environment. Year 9 have started learning in their chosen electives and Term 1 has been a great introduction to the topics and themes they will be exploring in their 100 and 200 hour courses. Further to this, they have now graduated from the 7/8 playground and have settled in well into the 9/10 playground. They are enjoying the new features around the garden and new furniture and are learning to take responsibility to keep their spaces clean and respectful.

On the 25th of March, Year 9 engaged in a Wellbeing Day during periods 1-3 around different venues in the school. The focus of this day was on safe use of locations on applications downloaded on their personal devices. Students learnt how to turn on and off their location settings and discussed safe ways to keep themselves safe on public apps like ‘Tik tok’. They also engaged in mindfulness activities such as ‘gratitude journaling’ and writing appreciation letters to friends in their cohort.

A huge congratulations to our Star of the Week recipients for Term 1: Autumn Laulu, Emily Chen, Natasha Sedhom and Hannah Elmir. You girls have demonstrated our school values through positive action and words and you continue to work hard in all aspects of your learning. Well done.

Enjoy your well-deserved holiday and I look forward to seeing you all in Term 2.

Miss So-Hee Kim
Year 9 Advisor

Year 10 Advisor

Term 1 began on a positive note with students in Year 10 focused on the year ahead. It is an important year as Year 10 students will be working towards achieving their RoSA credentials as well as transition to the senior campus.

We would like to welcome the new students who joined us this year and we look forward to what this year brings.

The Swimming Carnival was held in Week 4 this term for competitors, House Captains and Vice Captains only. We would like to congratulate all our Year 10 competitors for outstanding performances in all the events. We would also like to thank our sports captains for supporting and encouraging their peers.

International Women’s Day was celebrated in Week 7 on the 8th March, a number of Year 10 students assisted the Social Justice Committee to help celebrate the event. Year 10 also had the opportunity to view part of the International Women’s Day Event online which was held in Sydney. The students heard from Janelle Weissman, the Executive Director of UN Women Australia. She spoke about the number of women in high level positions in Australian and the world. She also talks about gender equality. After that, Year 10 watched an interview with Eloise Hall and Isobel Marshall, two young South Australians who talked about their charity called Taboo. A charity aimed to end period poverty.

In Week 9 Year 10 attended a wellbeing session on the importance of sleep. The session was delivered by one of our school counsellors. The students were issued with a sleeping plan and sleep diary to complete. Suki, our School Counsellor gave some facts about sleep and spoke about the importance of having a regular sleeping routine.

In Week 10 the Year 10 Peer Support Leaders attended the Year 7 camp. It was an opportunity for them to develop their leadership skills and make connections with the Year 7 cohort.

As Term 1 comes to an end, I wish all our students in Year 10 a restful end of term break and all the best for the rest of their final year at GRC Penshurst Girls Campus.

Congratulations to the following students:

Star of the Week Award Recipients for Term 1:

Yve Wateford
Shanaya Thurling
Aisha Al-Shebani
Nabiha Fatima
Fatima Reslan
Dana Hijazi

Ms Verchiani
Year 10 Year Adviser

SRC Report – Term One, 2021

With the arrival of 2021, we welcomed a new group of enthusiastic and committed student leaders into our GRC Penshurst Student Representative Council and Prefecture. Sacrificing their own time to meet multiple times each week, these students wasted no time in their efforts to address important student issues, propose thoughtful and effective solutions, and devise exciting new initiatives to enrich the experiences of all students.

With our Student Representative Council and Prefecture eager to get down to the business of raising student voices and addressing concerns, we needed to find some equally committed and enthusiastic Year 7 representatives to complete the team. During week 5, our Year 10 Prefects and Captains visited each Year 7 English class in order to facilitate the electoral process. One representative was elected from each class, with each candidate delivering a speech in front of their peers and being chosen via anonymous ballot. All candidates spoke with eloquence and sophistication, each offering a compelling argument for their selection. The competition was certainly tough, with only a handful of votes separating the successful candidates. It was wonderful to see so many future leaders in our midst!

With restrictions now easing, this term also saw our student leaders embark on an exciting excursion to the Halogen National Young Leaders’ Day conference at the International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour. The sun was shining brightly upon us as we, accompanied by Ms Hamka and our Year 10 Peer Tutors, all donned our masks and boarded the early train to the city for a day of inspirational and enlightening speeches, team building activities and inter-school leadership networking. It was a fantastic day, with our leadership team gaining valuable insights into just what it takes to be a successful leader.

Returning to school more motivated than ever, our Student Representative Council and Prefecture continued working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the wheels a-turning and the furnaces a-burning. Gathering each Thursday during recess, our committed student leaders continued to eagerly roll up their sleeves, shovel the coal and set about planning exciting new initiatives to promote student wellbeing and promote student voice.

A fantastic and productive term, with an exciting year to come!

Mr. Morgan

Social Justice Term 1 2021 Report

The Social Justice Committee is a group of dedicated students motivated to raising awareness regarding local and global issues. This year we meet every Tuesday at lunch in the Library Annex to talk about various social issues. We also discuss our fundraising ideas so we can continue to support our two sponsor children, Mary from Zambia and Patrick from Burundi.

We had a number of new students join our group this year and we would also like to welcome Ms Ardati who has joined the committee.

This term the Social Justice Committee supported International Women’s Day. As a group, we discussed the main theme of this year, #ChooseToChallenge. We talked about what this means to us. On the day, we held a cake stall to raise money for our sponsor children. We also had a stand with #ChooseToChallenge selfie cards. This is where students could show their support and commitment by helping accelerate #ChooseToChallenge and encourage others to do the same. We managed to get a lot of support, had a lot of fun and took many great photos. On that day we raised just over $500.

We would also like to thank Ms Jackson and Mr Morgan for their support on IWD through their live musical performance at recess. It was a special treat for all the students.

We would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support.

Ms Verchiani and Ms Ardati
Social Justice Coordinators

Skoolbag App

This is just a reminder to all families that GRC Penshurst Girls Campus has its own school app, developed by Skoolbag. Once installed, you will be able to receive the latest news, newsletters and push notifications from GRC Penshurst Girls Campus.

The app is free to install with no in-app purchases and is available on the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

One of the key features of our app is the ability for us to send you alerts directly to your smart phone. You can customise your app experience by choosing which content within your app you wish to receive as a push notification.

Installing the app

• Open the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store and search for and install ‘SkoolBag’.
• Open the SkoolBag app and Click ‘Sign Up’.
• Enter your email address, create a password and click on ‘Sign Up’.
• Open the confirmation email and confirm your account.
• Open the app, Click ‘Add/Remove’ and search for ‘Georges River College Penshurst Girls Campus’.
• Click ‘+’ to add our school, now you can see our school, under My Schools & Services
• To customise the app, click on the 'Groups' tab and select which year group information you'd like to receive.