FROM THE PRINCIPAL TERM 3 2008

Susan Just

Posted CGGS Newsletter 29 - 26 September 2008

FÊTE NEWS   - EXCITING NEW STALLS - - GREAT STUDENTS' RAFFLE PRIZES - Please go to the P&F section of this Newsletter for more details.

Sporting Season

I would like to congratulate all sporting teams who competed in the winter season’s sporting competitions and particularly those teams who reached the Semi-Finals and Grand Finals. Every team member either gained new skills or developed their skills further. All students played to the best of their ability and in a fair and consistent manner. Physical activity is an important element in our general well being and it is positive to note the great number of students who participate in sport. I would also like to offer my sincere thanks to staff members who play a role in the co-curricular sport program and the parents who volunteer their time to offer their assistance and expertise.

I was unable to attend the Sports Dinner due to my attendance at the CGGS Board meeting on the same evening but did hear that everyone had an enjoyable evening.

I enjoyed attending this important social event last Saturday evening. Our Year 10 students looked colourful and lovely in their outfits. I am sure there would have been some sore feet thanks to the stunning but very high-heeled shoes worn by the students. I looked on with some envy at the various styles and colours of shoes worn, but knew that my aged feet require something less spectacular! My congratulations must go to the student committee who organised the Semi-Formal and to all of the students who enjoyed themselves and demonstrated courtesy throughout the evening.

Last weekend it was a pleasure to attend the annual luncheon organised by the Vintage Old Grammarians' Association (VOGA). It was wonderful to speak with ladies who attended the School from the early 1930s. They have vivid memories of the School, its students and teachers. I spoke to the ladies about current developments within the School and felt very privileged to have the opportunity to speak with past students who are an important part of our School’s history.

These end of Term 3 activities are always a favourite for me and 2008 was no exception. Special congratulations go to the House Captains, House Vice Captains and Boarding House Captain and Vice Captain, who put time, effort and enormous creativity into planning their House Music performances. Thanks also to Jenny Hall, Head of the PDHPE Faculty, and the teaching staff for organising the fun House activities.

We have now completed our Term 3 interviews and we would appreciate any feedback that you may wish to offer about the format of these evenings. Each year we endeavour to make improvements so that appropriate feedback about student progress can be given and parents have an opportunity to provide teachers with information about their daughters.

With planning underway for our first major building to begin in 2009 I thought that it would be useful to provide some information on sustainable building design practices which is an important objective for our future building projects at CGGS. This item comes from a recent article in Teacher June/July 2008.

"There are three good reasons to implement good, sustainable building design practices. The building industry accounts for approximately 40% of the world’s energy consumption – 28% in Australia – and also generates 30% of the world’s waste and 30% of the world’s carbon emissions. Clearly, the impact of buildings on our environment is significant and there’s plenty of scope to minimise that impact.

There is another good reason: because school buildings are the perfect choice to do that. They are usually low height, low technology, have plenty of open spaces and access to natural light and often live a very long life.

The third reason? Schools also have a particularly significant impact in that they shape children’s ideas about their built environment, so school architecture is an enormous opportunity to inspire students and help them engage with their natural environment.

Environmentally-sustainable design is more than just saving energy and turning off the air-conditioners. We now have a suite of tools – the Green Star rating tools produced by the Green Building Council of Australia – to help us rate how sustainable a building is. The Green Star rating tools take into consideration energy consumption, water usage, indoor air quality and thermal comfort, materials and furniture, how we dispose of waste, transportation, the ecology of the site and how we manage facilities.

It is important that the buildings are not only sustainable but can become part of the learning resource by displaying the buildings environmentally-sustainable design attributes in a manner that can be understood by its users.

At Williamstown High School, which is situated near Port Philip, some sustainable-building initiatives include:

• An energy metering system that can display water, electricity and gas consumption via LCD screens around the school
• A highly visible non-PVC rainwater collection system, used for toilet flushing and irrigation
• Self-dimming low-energy light fittings
• External landscaping using drought-resistant planting"

Taken from an article written by Jenni Webster, Associate Director of Powers Architects, Melbourne.

Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 29 - 26 September 2008

Posted CGGS Newsletter 28 - 19 September 2008

FÊTE NEWS   - EXCITING NEW STALLS - - GREAT STUDENTS' RAFFLE PRIZES - Please go to the P&F section of this Newsletter for more details.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

I would like to congratulate the students who participated in the Senior Drama Production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Nights Dream last week. The performances of all students involved were excellent and those of us who were fortunate to be in the audience were highly entertained. A significant number of students supported the cast through taking on tasks related to costumes, make up and hair, lighting and sound, set construction, program design, publicity and choreography. They also deserve our thanks and appreciation.

I would also like to thank Drama Teacher, Donna Trucillo and the members of the teaching staff who supported her with the production. It was terrific to see our Senior Hospitality students also supporting the performance through the provision of supper.

National Child Protection Week

I would like to thank the Director of Pastoral Care, Jeanette Widmer, and School Chaplain, the Reverend Paul Harris, for escorting a group of CGGS students to the ecumenical service held at All Saints’ Church, Ainslie. We were joined by students from Daramalan College, Holt Primary School, Holy Family Primary School, Holy Trinity School, North Ainslie Primary School, St Gregory’s School, Rosary Primary School and St Matthew’s School.

Child Protection is an important issue within our community and in Australia. Thousands of cases are brought to the attention of authorities each year and many more incidents remain unreported. Participation in such events raises awareness for our students and the community at large.

Jeanette, Father Paul and our students had the added bonus of meeting with the Governor-General, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, who was attending her first official function.

CGGS P&F Association Awards

I am pleased to announce that the 2008 P&F Award for Teaching Excellence in Memory of Karen Harris has been awarded to Amy Hall from the Senior School English Faculty. The Award for Outstanding Contribution to the School Community has been awarded to Val Field, the Executive Assistant to the Head of Junior School.

Both recipients are most deserving of these awards which will be presented at the Senior School Presentation Evening and the Junior School Celebration Day respectively.

The Award for Excellence in Teaching is in memory of Karen Harris who was a member of staff in the Junior School. She was a much loved and valued member of the School community. Karen is remembered as a dedicated and committed teacher who was passionate about her profession. She made a significant difference to the lives of the children who were in her care. As a teacher, Karen exemplified the qualities which this award recognises.

All of the nominations for the 2008 awards were assessed by a panel consisting of the Principal, Head of Junior School and Head of Senior School, the Chaplain, two members of the Parents and Friends Association and a member of the Senior Council.

Hearts and Minds

I would like to provide an article written by psychologist, Andrew Fuller, about how parents and teachers can most effectively guide the education of teenagers.

"In recent times we have learned more about how the adolescent brain ticks. This is great news. Even better news is that this knowledge can be used by parents and teachers to create improved outcomes for teenagers.

Adolescence is a time when two major processes are changing the brain and making it a much more sophisticated instrument. Understanding these processes can help to facilitate a calmer household and a more productive classroom.

The first of these processes is synaptic pruning. Synapses are the connections between brain cells, and we build trillions of them during our first nine years of life. Then the human brain does something really weird - it gets rid of most of them. During adolescence, more than half of the synapses vanish.

In a way, this is biology’s way of saying, ‘Ok, we’re going to provide you with all the synapses you could ever need and from then on it’s up to you. We now will only keep the ones you use.’ This means that the activities of teenagers affect the structure of their brains.

Most of the synapses that are lost during adolescence are in the frontal lobes, where planning, forethought, impulse control and consideration of long-term consequences occur. This explains why, when you ask teenagers what they are thinking, they look dumbfounded and say, ‘What?’ or ‘Dunno.’

The second main process that changes the brain is myelination. Myelin sheathing wraps itself around the axons and neurons of the brain. This process occurs throughout our lives, but accelerates in adolescence. Myelin sheathing turbocharges thinking, causing the brain to think up to 100 times faster. For a time, it’s a bit like putting a Rolls Royce engine in a clapped-out Datsun 120Y. The adolescent brain can think extraordinarily quickly in some areas (consider privacy, embarrassment and arguing with parents), and exceptionally slowly in others (household chores and, in many cases, homework completion). One of the important things to know about myelin sheathing is that it isn’t laid down just anywhere. It is laid down where the brain is used.

What this all adds up to is that experiences that we give adolescents in homes and in schools are incredibly important because those experiences shape their brains. For the first time, we have research that shows that by immersing teenagers in high quality experiences we can help them become smarter. For anyone raising or teaching teenagers, this is incredibly exciting news. The discussion about exactly what experiences we should be immersing teenagers in is likely to have a significant impact on schools and parenting within the next few years.

We live in the age of interruption in which continuous, undistracted thoughts and conversations are a bit of a rarity. In order to address this, slowing things down a bit can be of benefit to adolescents in both school and home environments. Teenagers love the high-action, high-impact world, but it doesn’t always love them. Parents and teachers can steer adolescents towards better outcomes by slowing down their world from time to time, and providing pause points and times for discussion, debate and reflection.

In families, this means putting back the small rituals of life. These are the seemingly mundane, but regular, events in family life that might include having a conversation over dinner, the Sunday lunch or walking the dog together. These rituals are highly protective and foster conversation and reflection.

For schools, this means stepping away from rushing the curriculum and planning learning experiences that have rhythm and repetition. Some schools are frenzied factories where the teachers seem hurried, the kids seem frazzled and the parents look anxious. Other schools plan for helping students to learn well and to have a sense of mastery and understanding. One of my favourite schools has a gong that sounds out at about midday, signaling a time for all the people in the school to have 10 minutes of silent reflection.

Education has, in recent years, become too much about things of the head and mind and not enough about the heart and hands. Childhood has become an indoor game, resulting in many adolescents being information-rich but experience poor. For adolescents, learning needs to be social and to involve movement. Stimulating adolescents’ brains through problem solving, music, hands-on history, drama, theatresports, camps and sport can be extremely beneficial.

For families, facilitating hands on learning involves getting kids out and about exploring different aspects of life, and planning family holidays and outings, so that teenagers can acquaint themselves with a wide range of life experiences. Adolescents need to learn the life skills and street smarts to cope in a variety of situations and these can not be learned from books. This means thinking about the social situations that we want our teenagers to experience, putting in just enough safeguards so that our anxiety does not fly through the roof, and then handing over responsibility. Giving teenagers responsibilities helps them to develop judgement.

However, it’s also important not to overload teenagers with activities. We know that if teenagers work at a part time job more than 10 hours a week during their final two years of secondary school their marks suffer. Using that rule of thumb, adolescents should not have more than 10 hours per week of extracurricular activities. Parents can help preserve the sanity of their family life by ensuring that there is one weeknight which everyone is at home and the pressure is off.

Teenagers thrive when parents and teachers have high expectations of them, believe in them and support them in gaining a sense of success. For parents, this means going on a treasure hunt for their adolescents’ skills, abilities and competencies, and thinking about ways to develop them further. Success is contagious. Once you get a whiff of it, you are likely to feel you can achieve more.

We hear a lot about different personality and learning styles of young people these days, but it is rather less fashionable to talk about the development of character. It is during adolescence when many elements of character are laid down. It is when you are a teenager that you start a lifetime voyage of working out who you are. These aren’t vague ideas, values or concepts, but rather the guiding principles of how young people will live their lives.

Parents and teachers can plan for teenagers to gain experiences that build character. The first of these is curiosity and a love of learning. We need to be in the business of sparking minds and igniting passions in young people. Adolescents are ready to solve the big questions of life. We need to be discussing and debating big philosophical and social issues with them.

The next aspect of character is the way in which we interact with the community at large in ways that demonstrate loving kindness. Underpinning this is the concept that the world’s main religions agree upon; treat other people as you would like to be treated. By involving teenagers in acts of helping others, schools and parents build in them a sense of compassion and the ability to contribute to a better world.

Related to this is the ability to be kind to oneself. In the times of hardship and unhappiness that adolescents inevitably face at some stage, it is critical to know how to be kind to themselves. Parents can help their teenagers understand that life is rarely, if ever, completely happy. Learning to persist in the face of adversity and to be kind to oneself, as well as seeking out help if needed, are enormously useful skills.

Having a range of friends is one of the powerful promoters of resilience. A young person doesn’t need to be the most sociable, outgoing person on the block, but having a few social options so that if they fall out with one bunch of friends they can hang out with another, is really helpful.

We also want teenagers to develop character as leaders and citizens by taking on roles that create positive change in schools, clubs and communities. Wise schools extend opportunities for leadership for all students.

While this is not intended to be an exhaustive list, another part of character to be developed is that of judgement. Involving adolescents in experiences in which they are required to demonstrate self-control, prudence and humility develops their brain functioning, especially in the limbic system and the frontal lobes.

Adolescence is a time when two important neurochemicals decrease in the brain. Serotonin is a natural anti-depressant and it decreases for a time during adolescence. Dopamine is associated with motivation and attention and it also declines for a while during adolescence. This means that teenagers are often grumpy and feel as if their get-up-and-go has gone.

To some extent, the antidote to this is the sense of belonging that we can give young people. The sense of belonging that teenagers have to both their families and their schools, is powerfully protective.

Parents can also build belonging in teenagers by reminding them that they are loved.

HOW TO BE HAPPY

The art of making yourself happy is something that we can all learn and practice. Life will have its ups and downs. Even so there are some ways to increase happiness.

1. Do not wait to see if you are having a good time. Instead of going to places and seeing if it is fun decide in advance to have fun regardless of the circumstances. Enjoy the day regardless of the weather. Make the most of the occasion regardless of the company.

2. Go outside and play. You were told to do this as a kid and it is good to do it again. Go for walks, throw a dog a stick, sing loudly. Make a promise to play more.

3. Develop deep friendships. Friends are our true wealth. We should value them and see them regularly. Let them know how important they are.

4. Increase the closeness of extended family. Keeping in close contact with family gives us a support base for difficult times and strengthens our sense of where we come from.

5. Play to your strengths. We need to make a commitment to develop our skills, talents and abilities as much as we can.

6. Seek out groups where your unique attributes are valued. Finding the niche where our abilities are valued is the basis of success.

7. Avoid social groups where your unique attributes are not valued. Not everyone is going to like us and value us. We need to accept this and get out of their way.

8. Live in the dreamtime. We should find and follow our passions. We should dream big dreams and make a promise to live a wonderful life.

9. Laugh a lot more. We should find people, shows, books, films and situations that make us laugh and surround ourselves with these things.

10. Have something bigger than yourself to believe in. We should think about the contribution we can make while on this planet and do it."

Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 28 - 19 Septemebr 2008

Posted CGGS Newsletter 27 - 12 September 2008 

Family and Friends’ Chapel Service

We welcomed the Vicar-General, Bishop Allan Ewing to our Confirmation Service on Sunday. It was pleasing to see our students undertake their confirmation in front of their families, relatives and friends. As Bishop Allan pointed out, this was a once in a lifetime action for our students, so it was important to celebrate the day.

During last week I attended the Parliamentary Forum organised by the Independent Schools Council of Australia. The Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Julia Gillard, made a presentation and I would like to share this with you.

"Many of Australia’s independent schools are achieving excellence, and in some cases, simply stunning academic results. I want to thank you for your great contribution to the nation’s future.

This is a Government committed to learning excellence and there is much to learn from the schools, including so many independent schools, which are examples of high standards, academic rigor, pastoral care and innovative use of information and communications technology.

I want your great work to continue". Click here to access Ms Gillard’s speech in full : http://www.isca.edu.au/html/PDF/Gillard%20Speech%20September%202008.pdf

The Deputy Prime Minister was followed by Mr Paul Kelly, Editor-at-Large for The Australian. In his presentation, he stated that the Rudd Government wants to terminate the government versus non-government schools debate and develop a new consensus model. He further stated that the review of current funding to schools may extend to government schools. The government is seeking more data from both government and non-government schools. A focus of the funding model will be to address disadvantage in schools.

Ms Lisa Paul from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, also stated that in the 2011 review of government funding to schools that there would be a shift to a government and non-government schools model based on need. She also indicated that under the new Schools Assistance Bill there would be further funding for disadvantaged schools and for the development of quality teachers.

The Parliamentary Forum provided me with considerable information for the future intentions of the government in relation to non-government schools.

Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 27 - 12 September 2008

Posted CGGS Newsletter 26 - 5 September 2008

Senior Council 2009

It was with great pleasure that we announced the 2009 Senior Council last Friday. I would like to offer my congratulations to all students who applied for positions. In my interviews with the students, I found them to be well spoken and committed young women. Each one wanted to make a contribution to the School and I am sure that they will during the course of 2009.

School Captain	School Vice Captain	SRC Chairperson	Boarding House Captain
Lane Sainty	Beatrice Tapp	Uma Ranjan	Eliza Patterson
Burgmann House Captain	Deakin House Captain	Glebe House Captain	Kilburn House Captain
Charlotte McArthur	Nicole Lancaster	Clair Phillips	Jessica White
Robertson House Captain	Waverley House Captain	Sports Captain	Drama Captain
Caitlin Court	Ady Elmitt	Catherine Wild Taylor	Lauren Jenkins

Debating and Public Speaking Captain	Music Captain	Chapel Captain
Sarah Bradbury	Rochelle Dew	Kirsty Nitschke

The 2009 Student Leaders will participate in our Orientation Day for new Year 7 students which will be held later this year and they will have a role to play in our 2008 Senior School Presentation Evening. In 2009 the Senior Council will be involved in a Leadership Weekend prior to their induction as leaders of the School.

Social Justice

One of the Strategic Plan Actions which we are working on this year is the development of a social justice program for students. In the latest edition of Principal Matters I came across an article by Duncan Reid and Jarrod O’Neill about a social justice program run at Camberwell Girls Grammar School. This will offer some information about the type of program we would like to develop at CGGS.

"The Camberwell social justice model goes beyond older social service models of involvement in the community because it is intended primarily as an educational program. Its focus is not on ‘helping those less fortunate than ourselves’ but on raising consciousness of injustices in the world and empowering students to take action to redress these inequities.

In the past, Year groups were required to choose a charity or organisation and, under the guidance of their Year teacher, run an activity to raise money for it. There were three fundamental problems with this model:

• it was teacher-centres and the teachers themselves were not fully equipped to coordinate the activities;
• there was little education of the student body, other than the Year group who ran the activity;
• too often, these activities were ad hoc at best and achieved little in raising consciousness.

Defining social justice: At the outset, we had to address the philosophical question: what is social justice and how does it differ from social service? While this might seem, on the surface, to be a relatively straightforward question, we found it took some time for staff to agree on what we meant by ‘focusing on injustices in society’.

While we respect the many charities that support the needs of our community, not all of them take ‘action for justice’ as their focus. We have, for example, tried to highlight that it is unjust that we, as Australians, have access to clean water, gainful employment, a safe environment and exceptional health services, while many people in Third World countries are unable to enjoy these basic necessities.

The key goal of our new program is educational. We aim to educate our students, encourage lifelong empathy and empower them to take action. The hope is that each student will continue to have a social conscience well beyond her time at school. The program has been supplemented, within the formal curriculum, by the introduction at Year 10, of a new Global interactions unit. After completing this, students should be able to:

• read, and comment on, in an informed and critical way, current events as presented in newspapers, current affairs journals and websites;
• articulate and defend a considered opinion on current events; and
• initiate, or lead, a campaign for social improvement.

Issues addressed in the Global Interactions unit are migration, multiculturalism, trade, work, economies, NGOs, globalised culture, climate change, environmental degradation, overpopulation, ethnicities, religion, gender and terrorism. These correspond with the eight millennium goals of the United Nations.

Although the unit includes a program of planned lessons, this is frequently paused to give immediate attention to newsworthy world events as they occur during the semester. The unit thus follows a ‘cool’ rather than a ‘hot’ curriculum style. This demands a high degree of flexibility from both teachers and students with regard to subject matter.

Integrity, commitment and respect: The School has decided its social justice priorities with reference to its mission statement of ‘educating tomorrow’s woman’, that is, a person who will base her life decisions on the School’s core values of integrity, commitment and respect. This means our social justice program supports agencies and projects that are linked to the welfare, education, health and dignity of women; and that are inspired by the ecumenical movement of which the Anglican Church is a part. This twin focus allows the program to select certain agencies and projects over others.

Each Year level is allowed to choose an organisation or project with a particular focus, in keeping with the School’s guidelines, priorities and overall philosophy. Students then collectively decide on how best to respond to the needs expressed by their chosen organisation or organisations. Their goal is to increase awareness within the School community of the circumstances surrounding the organisation or organisations they have chosen. Fundraising is only undertaken if money is a priority requirement of an awareness-raising project. An example would be if a project requires students to make something, the basic materials for which need to be bought. Each Year level organises and leads a school assembly to bring their project to the attention of the whole School community, before organising an event for the benefit of the project. They later organise a follow-up assembly presentation to report to the School on the success of their project. The goal of this is to ensure that students are able to take the next step in their social justice education, by further understanding the impact their actions have on others. All students are encouraged to become involved in their Year level project and have the opportunity to work on whole school projects.

There are three student social justice captains who assist the Year level coordinators in coordinating the various projects. These students are also responsible for whole school responses to one-off emergencies. Some situations, such as natural disasters, require flexibility and immediate action rather than long-term planning and commitment, so the program also allows for a response to the immediate needs of the individuals affected, for example, by natural disasters.

Two forms of ethical concern: The model recognises two forms of ethical concern. On the one hand, there is the justice that treats everyone equally. On the other, there is recognition of the uniqueness of each person, whose particular needs cannot be subsumed under some general set of ethical principles. These two principles may seem to stand in opposition to one another: how are we to reconcile our local obligations to family, friends, neighbours and neighbourhood, with the universal demands of abstract principles. Indeed, social justice is itself one such abstraction. Are we to desert the immediate and the local in favour of abstract principles? The various social experiments of the 20th Century have demonstrated the folly and, in the end, the potential evil of this path. Too much blood has been shed in the name of very worthy abstract ideals.

But are we then to let charity start at home and never move beyond this? That would leave use ensnared in the bonds of favouritism of the worst sort, with no social conscience whatsoever. The unique other person, the distant ‘other’, must be personalised for us to interact with her or him. In other words, contacts of friendship need to be established. With this in mind, the School is beginning a letter writing exercise for Year 7 students, who will communicate with students at a partner school in Rwanda. At Year 8 level, there are visits to and from a school in Central Australia. Creating relationships is thus one of the elements in the program. We consider it important to build an environment where long lasting connections are made, allowing a deeper understanding of the complexities of social justice issues. Continuity in the School’s social justice commitment is guaranteed by the adoption of a five year social justice plan, in which the raising of awareness is always the main aim. It is therefore a strategic program, aiming at long term outcomes.

The hope is, in fact, that students will have become sensitive to issues of social justice by the time they leave school, and will have the courage and energy to continue to initiate action for social change throughout their lives. This courage and energy cannot emerge simply from a theoretical knowledge about injustice. Bare knowledge of the problem or problems can have the effect of overwhelming and paralysing practical action. Accordingly, imagination is an equally important component in the social justice program. We need to be able to see the other person as unique and uniquely valuable.

Expanding student consciousness: Existential questions plague us. As a school, we find ourselves in a unique position - we are able to address the human need to want to help others. Better still, we are in a position to influence and expose many bright minds to the needs of others and the injustices penetrated against them. Education is the key. Previous piecemeal social service activities were little more than a drop in the ocean. If we are able to expand the consciousness of our students, and encourage them to identify injustices in the world, then the drop in the ocean can become a wave of change. We view the first year of the program as developmental. We expected problems which is why we limited how much we did.

In the long term, we want to ensure that what we do is thoughtful, practical and sustainable. We need to address where we want the program to go. Practical proposals now include expanding the social justice leadership program, dedicating an entire school week to social justice initiatives and expanding our exchange program to send students to places they have been working on."

This type of program will offer some ideas for the development of our own CGGS social justice program.

Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 26 - 5 September 2008.

Posted in CGGS Newsletter 25 - 29 August 2008

Parents and Friends Association Trivia Night

I would like to congratulate the P&F Association for organising a successful Trivia Night. The Trivia Night provides a great opportunity for parents and staff to meet together in an informal atmosphere.

I am aware that the plans for the CGGS Fête are progressing very well. There will be a number of new stalls and the organisers have been working with our Senior School students to plan new activities which will appeal to the older students. I would encourage all parents to get behind the Fête which is the most significant fund raising activity planned by the P&F Association.

Debating

I would like to offer my congratulations to Grace Elliot (12B), Nicole Lancaster (11D) and Sarah Bradbury (11B) for winning the ACT Douse Debating Final last week. The team defeated Radford College and overcame a number of hurdles during the week to compete as a team on the evening. Sarah Bradbury also received a new award for the student who had given the most to debating during the season and demonstrated the fairest approach in competition. We are very proud of the students and will present their very large shield to them during at an upcoming Assembly.

I very much enjoyed this ‘first’ for CGGS and congratulate Anna Trundle, Drama Captain, and Lauren Jenkins, Drama Vice Captain, for organising this special fundraising event for the Westmead Children’s Hospital. We were entertained with monologues, songs and scenes during the evening. We are fortunate to have many talented students who are also community spirited.

Music at the Movies

On Saturday afternoon I saw a nun grappling a bottle of alcohol from a rather under the weather pirate, a chef conducting an orchestra and another conductor who had taken on the persona of a character from Star Wars. The Spring Concert proved to be a highly entertaining event with terrific music from a range of movies. The costumes worn by the students and staff added to the colourful musical and the antics of our teachers provided much humour. It was clear to those of us in the audience that the students and staff enjoyed themselves and we enjoyed watching and listening to them.

My thanks to Mary Tatchell, CGGS Director of Music, Craig Woodland, CGS Director of Music, and the Music Faculty staff who arranged the Spring Concert. This is an enormous undertaking and it was a great pleasure to see approximately 400 students on the stage during the Concert. I was particularly pleased to see our Junior School musical groups joining with the student musicians from the Senior School. It was also wonderful to see so many parents, relatives and friends attending the Spring Concert.

Wireless For All As Generations Collide

I would like to offer an excerpt from an article in the recent Education Review by John Ross. In the article he uses comments made by Garry Trinder, Director of the Knowledge and Information Technology Service Centre at Edith Cowan University.

Please click here to return CGGS Newsletter 24 - 29 August 2008

Posted in CGGS Newsletter 24 - 22 August 2008

Year 6 Father/Daughter Dinner

In last week’s CGGS Newsletter I spoke about the Father/Daughter Dinner which marks the transition of our Year 6 students into the Senior School. I would like to offer a section of the speech made by Alan Behm, father our of Junior School Head Girl, Phyllida, on the evening.

Our daughters have self-esteem: they are comfortable in their own skins. "Know thyself" is usually attributed to Socrates. In fact, "Know thyself" was one of two inscriptions above the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, the home of the Delphic Oracle – a woman, of course. The other was "Nothing to excess". Together, these define what it means to be at home with oneself, to be proud of who we are, to value how we are, and to acknowledge the worth of others without envy. And if there is one thing that these remarkable young women have in abundance it is this: they are confident – they know who they are and they like who they are."

(Alan’s full speech can be viewed here:
http://www.cggs.act.edu.au/pages/images/Y6%20Father%20Daughter%20Dinner%2008%20A%20behm%20speech.pdf)

Student Leadership 2009

I particularly wanted to highlight Alan Behm’s speech because I am currently interviewing students who have applied for leadership positions within the School. I have been impressed by the resumes provided by the students and their ability to articulate their reasons for seeking a student leadership position within the School.

In my interviews with the students, the themes of making a contribution to the School and developing positive relationships between all Year groups have become evident. It is evident that all students who have applied for student leadership positions are enthusiastic and articulate young women. During Assembly this week, the students made presentations to their fellow students and staff. I am confident that our Student Leaders of 2009 will make a valued contribution to the School.

Women as global citizens in the 21st century

At this year’s Alliance of Girls’ Schools Conference, Susan Ryan AO, Chair of Human Rights Act for Australian campaign, delivered the following address. The theme of the conference was Broadening the horizons for girls and the speakers provided much food for thought.

"This new century has seen renewed debate about the meaning of citizenship in Australia. At the same time, our responsibilities to the rest of the world have come into sharper focus with wars, famine, dictatorial regimes and civil unrest.

When such things occur, women with children suffer most.

Young Australian women can consider and participate in our debates about Australian citizenship. They could actively consider if a human rights charter could strengthen citizenship. How could girls and women contribute to such a charter?

As we work harder recognising and protecting human rights at home, young Australians could make links with world bodies dedicated to human rights protection everywhere.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the document which is the foundation of all modern human rights laws. An American woman, Eleanor Roosevelt, was largely responsible for the declaration. An Australian woman, Jesse Street, was also directly involved in developing this seminal document. What similar actions are available to Australian women 60 years later?

You are all involved in a unique experience in the history of the human race. You are teaching girls at a time when the circumstances of the lives of women and girls, particularly in first world countries like Australia, are different and better than they have ever been. You are teaching the first generation of girls who will move into a society where discrimination based on sex has been illegal for a quarter of a century. In the 21st century in Australia as in the rest of the developed world, women are not officially barred from any occupations, professions, courses of study or training.

The range of lifestyles for women acceptable to mainstream society has never been wider. Women can marry, remain single, live in a same sex relationship, have children, or remain without children. None of these actions provokes societal outrage, or excludes them from jobs or community life. Women now live longer than at any time in recorded history and in better health. Economic independence can be enjoyed by most women and is certainly available to all your students as they move into adult life.

The full range of career options is quite visible to schoolgirls, should they choose to look. They can see females in political leadership, at the top of all professions including as judges in the High Court. They can see a woman who is a police commissioner, a woman who is the CEO of a major bank. They can see female school principals, professors and university vice chancellors. Women artists, writers, film producers are no longer trivialised. When they watch television your students can see female journalists reporting from war zones and other areas of crucial importance to all of us.

In September of this year, they will see a distinguished Australian woman, Quentin Bryce, become the first woman to hold, as Governor-General, the top role available to an Australian citizen under our Constitution.

As I list these instances of female progress, I do not have to point out to this audience how recent these developments are, how even one generation ago, girls faced much more restricted opportunities in education, work and lifestyle. Very few of the examples I have just listed would have been available. Discrimination in the workforce, in the provision of services, in education and training was legal. It was widely practised and accepted by society as normal, acceptable and the way things were. Many women, especially if they were mothers, were of necessity dependent on a husband or on the state. Women who sought childcare services for their infant children were accused of gross maternal negligence. All that has changed, overwhelmingly for the better, for women themselves, and for the entire society.

Of course I could, and maybe should qualify this optimistic presentation of what is possible for young women today by noting that poverty, inflexible work demands, popular culture with its oppressive stereotypes about body size and shape, and the persistence of male prejudice can and do make the lives of many younger and older women miserable.

But my purpose here is to project forward, to discuss some of the ways in which the girls you teach can become effective citizens. I would like to refer to the new challenges for your students, accepting for the moment that most of the old ones have been tackled with some effectiveness.

It is a truism to say we live in a global world. It means, in practice, that your students are likely to live and work in societies all around the world. None of the big issues facing Australians are restricted to our national borders. Climate change has made even the most parochial of us aware that we live in one world, as has international terrorism. Issues of human rights have become much closer to home. As a consequence of wars and civil disturbances on the other side of the world, our ideas about citizenship are challenged.

It is relevant to my theme that we are having a big public conversation about citizenship now, more than a century after the states of the colony federated and we became a nation. Throughout all the last century, refugees, asylum seekers and regular immigrants came to Australia. With little public controversy or discussion, most of them became Australian citizens. Now suddenly we have a new citizenship test, and lots of controversy around this notion.

Why? It seems that in recent years, we have tried to redefine and make new rules about citizenship, not to help those who want to become citizens, but because we want to exclude some from this benefit. Those we want to exclude are culturally very different from us, and usually victims of horrific circumstances in their land of birth. I am referring to Muslims from the war zones of the Middle East and to refugees from places like Darfur and other parts of the Sudan. I suggest we need to reconsider our national tendencies to exclude these human beings. We should, I suggest, consider their circumstances in the context of human rights, overseas and here in Australia.

If today’s schoolgirls focus on the proposed new citizenship rules, they could consider the arguments against these rules by successful immigrants of previous generations. Vast numbers of Greek and Italian migrants, for example, became outstanding citizens without knowing anything about Donald Bradman.

What has changed? The world has, in that we are all trying to deal with global terrorism, and rightly trying to find effective ways of protecting our own society from it. But does the Don Bradman test help us here? What other notions of citizenship would better reflect the world in which our students live? Already the are part of a society made up of people from every culture, race and religion in the world. Some of these adapt to our system readily and thrive. Others find huge difficulty and experience rejection and discrimination. Their human rights are not recognised.

What does such behaviour mean for 21st century notions of Australian citizenship? Can we do better? Can we define citizenship in ways that will help everyone feel included and enable everyone to make a positive contribution? I hope your students become involved in such considerations, and when they do, make their suggestions to those who are making the rules.

In Australia we have no national law defining and protecting human rights. In 1948, when the world community was struggling to recover and rebuild after the horrors of the second World War, it was an Australian Foreign Minister Dr Bert Evatt who, as first president of the United Nations, presided over the securing of the International Declaration of Human Rights. The driving force behind the declaration was Eleanor Roosevelt, and she was assisted by Australian activist Jesse Street. Since that historic Declaration, all advanced democratic countries have introduced human rights laws based on its principles. Australia has not.

The Rudd Government has announced its intention to hold a national public inquiry into questions about a human rights law or charter. Such charters are already in place in the ACT and Victoria.

It is extremely important that young Australians get involved as they will, if such a national human rights law is enacted, live all of their adult lives under it. If there is no such law, then they will live all their adult lives in a society vulnerable to the many conflicts and problems that develop when human rights are violated.

If we look to the world’s trouble spots, we see that women and children suffer most in wars, famines and dictatorships. It may be easier for young Australians to feel distress about the vicious oppression of women by the Taliban than examine the treatment of Muslim or African women in some parts of Australia. Human rights are universal, and their protection should be a top priority of every civilised society.

My own view is that as Australians we would enhance our democracy if we achieve a national charter of human rights. I remind you of what Eleanor Roosevelt said: "Documents expressing ideals carry no weight unless the people know them, unless the people understand them, unless the people demand that they be lived."

Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 24 - 22 August 2008

Posted CGGS Newsletter 23 - 15 August 2008

Year 6 Father and Daughter Dinner

I would like to thank the Year 6 fathers and daughters, as well as our Year 6 teachers, for attending the Father/Daughter dinner on Thursday evening. This is an important event on the School calendar, marking not only the imminent transition of our Year 6 students to the Senior School but the important connection between fathers and their daughters. I would like to give a particular thanks to our guest speaker, Alan Behm, father of our Junior School Head Girl, Phyllida. Alan offered an eloquent speech about the special relationship which a father has with his daughter. Another highlight of the evening was a photo slideshow of our Year 6 students and their fathers.

The results of this survey were published in two reports in January 2008. Around 20,000 teachers and school leaders were randomly selected to participate in the study.

The survey highlighted that about 80% of teachers indicated they were satisfied or very satisfied with their current job. The highest level of satisfaction was noted in relation to teachers’ working relationships with their colleagues and their working relationships with parents/guardians. The areas of least satisfaction were the value society places on teachers and the amount of non-teaching work teachers are expected to do.

Although most school leaders expressed a high level of satisfaction, only about 50% believed that school leadership positions were attractive to qualified applicants.

Career intentions were found to be somewhat fluid and difficult to predict with certainty. The majority of teachers said that schools had difficulty retaining teachers in the profession. This was believed to be the case by 66% of primary teachers and 73% of secondary teachers.

High proportions of early career teachers were unsure about how long they would keep teaching. On the other hand, by the time teachers reach their fifties, it appears that few intend to leave before retirement.

Of those teachers who felt that schools were having difficulties in retaining teachers, over 90% either agreed or strongly agreed that more support staff, smaller class sizes, fewer student management issues and a more positive public image of teachers would help to retain people in the profession.

The most important factors in the decision to become a teacher were largely intrinsic and often altruistic, such as personal fulfillment, desire to work with young people and making a worthwhile social contribution.

Teacher pay is currently a topic of considerable policy and media interest. When asked for their views on a number of possible financial strategies for attracting and retaining teachers, the three most highly ranked were extra pay based on higher qualifications, extra pay based on years of teaching service and successful completion of professional learning activities.

The retention of excellent teachers is a current Action in the CGGS Strategic Plan. We are currently reviewing and developing an extended strategy for retaining teachers and attracting quality teachers to the School. CGGS has a number of benefits which attract teachers, some of which include:

• Sufficient support staff to assist teachers and Heads of Faculty with administrative and practical tasks
• Fewer student management issues and an excellent network of staff to support teachers, students and parents
• A high proportion of students who value learning and have career goals which include further study
• Extensive professional development opportunities for staff to attend external and internal activities
• Opportunities to develop leadership skills and career goals. Staff are currently undertaking a Diploma of Leadership which is offered only at CGGS. Staff with positions of added responsibility have also been participating in a series of Think Tank professional learning activities which enable them to reflect upon the responsibilities of leadership
• Over a number of years the School Board has generously offered a number of benefits to staff members which are generally not available in other schools
• Provision of resources to enable teaching and learning to continue and improve.

Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 23 - 15 August 2008

Posted CGGS Newsletter 22 - 8 August 2008

Sunday Concert Series

It was a pleasure to attend the Concerto Concert last Sunday. I would like to offer my congratulations to the soloists: Colette Lipp who performed Concerto in D Minor for Piano, First Movement by WA Mozart, Lydia Dobson who performed Concerto in G minor for Violin by M Bruch, Rochelle Dew who sang Mi Chiamano Mimi from La Boheme and Tom Azoury who performed Concerto in E flat major for Clarinet by C M von Weber. The student performers played with the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. My thanks to the Symphony Orchestra who finished the afternoon with pieces from The Nutcracker.

The Concerto Concert provides a unique opportunity for our students to perform with an orchestra. The students certainly value this and it is terrific that the Co-curricular Music staff are willing to provide this experience.

Student Leadership Seminar

On Tuesday evening of this week, 46 students who are considering nominating for a 2009 leadership position attended the compulsory seminar. The students developed a better understanding of leadership and their responsibilities as Captains or members of the Senior Council. We were impressed by all of the students who attended and believe they all demonstrated a commitment to the School and a desire to lead.

During the seminar we spoke about the Five Key Habits of Mind for Student Leadership:

1. Speak up: When I speak others will listen. Public speaking is an essential leadership skill that enables anyone to become an effective leader.
2. Step up: I will step up when the going gets tough. Leadership involves taking responsibility for your own actions and having faith in your ability to influence others. Leaders need to continually step up and make decisions or initiate action. The notion of personal responsibility needs to be promoted within the individual.
3. Have a go: When I overcome my fears it will be easier next time. Lack of confidence holds many students back so a positive frame of mind is essential if as a leader you are prepared to take risks and extend yourself.
4. Think team: Others will help when I lead. Leaders delegate activities and plan ahead but first they need to think team rather than about how an individual would tackle a problem.
5. Show the way: I need to be the friend I want others to be. Much has been written about the influence of role models on behaviour, particularly concerning leaders and followers. As a leader you will need to consider how best you can be an appropriate role model for all students.

We also discussed a code of conduct for student leaders. As a role model, a student leader should act with:

1. Care: Show empathy towards others and act as a good friend.
2. Courtesy: Use manners and basic good grace when dealing with other students and with adults.
3. Respect: Treat others fairly, honestly and keep their dignity intact.
4. Self-discipline: Show self-control of your feelings and your actions.

School Fête

The Parents and Friends Association are well advanced in their planning for the CGGS Fête. There remain some stalls which need conveners and I would encourage parents to assist, if this is possible.

I would particularly like to commend our Fête conveners for including staff and students in their planning. The members of the Student Representative Council have provided ideas for various activities which would interest the older students in the Senior School and we are now working towards implementing some of those ideas at the Fête.

The CGGS Fête offers an excellent example of the School community working together and we are looking forward to a most successful Fête.

Traffic and Parking

At the Parents and Friends Association meeting this week, parents expressed concern about the difficulties associated with dropping off and picking up students at both the Junior School and Senior School campuses.

It is imperative that parents follow road rules related to speed and parking. No one would want a serious accident to occur because the road rules have not been followed.

Please click here to return to CGGs Newsletter 22 - 8 August 2008

Posted CGGS Newsletter No 21  -1 August 2008

Senior School Athletics Carnival

I would like to congratulate all students and staff for their participation in our Senior School Athletics Carnival during the first week of Term 3. While the morning was brisk, the sunny weather prevailed, and each House cheered loudly and looked extremely colourful in their themed costumes.

I would like to offer my congratulations to the competitors in both field and track events. I would also like to congratulate Jenny Hall, the PDHPE staff, Heads of House and all staff members who officiated in some way or supervised Houses during the day. There was a very positive atmosphere throughout the day.

Leadership Positions for 2009

We will shortly begin our preparations for Student Leadership voting. The first phases will be an explanation of the voting process to the students, a presentation to the students by the current Senior Council and a Student Leadership Seminar which all students who wish to be considered for leadership positions must attend.

Over the last three years, the Senior School Management Team and Heads of House have given attention to developing criteria which will assist students in the voting process. The criteria also provide a valuable source of information for students who are considering nominating for a student leadership position.

Becoming a student leader at CGGS will require students to consider their own attributes and skills. It is important to remember that a Student Leader must uphold the Behaviour and Uniform Guidelines of the School at all times. Our Student Leaders are role models for the students during the School day, when out of the School on excursions and activities and when participating in co-curricular activities. A Student Leader can expect that her behaviour will also be under scrutiny when she is participating in recreational activities with her friends.

Students must be aware of the responsibility which the School gives to them during the voting process. Prior to exercising their right to vote, each student must consider the qualities of the candidates and consider whether they will be good leaders and positive role models. While it is appropriate to consider the personal qualities of the candidates, it is essential to determine the ability of the individual student to take on a variety of leadership tasks and maintain their efforts as a leader throughout the year. Student Leaders must be able to demonstrate that they will be good team members and effective communicators. Student Leaders need to have creativity, but they also need to solve problems and follow through to ensure that tasks are completed. Student Leaders must be able to inspire the students, but they must also be prepared to speak to the students when they choose to wear the uniform incorrectly or fail to follow the Behaviour Guidelines.

Our student leaders play an important role in the School, therefore those students and staff who vote must consider whether the students can meet the criteria for leadership.

Criteria	Year 11	Year 12
Leadership	A student who routinely completes assigned tasks to a high standard.	A student who demonstrates a very high degree of leadership ability.
Teamwork	A strong team player whose contribution is highly regarded.	A student who appreciates the value and contribution of everyone in the team, and whose presence in the team enhances the outcome.
Values	A student who shows a strong regard for the values of the School and our community.	A student who demonstrates the application of high values in all facets of life.
Problem Solving	A student who can be relied on to produce workable solutions to problems.	A student with excellent problem solving ability who can think creatively.
Resourcefulness and Organisation Skills	A self-starter who can act independently and complete tasks in an organised and competent manner.	A student who takes the lead in achieving tasks and utilises excellent organisation skills.
Communicator	A student who effectively communicates in a clear, concise and articulate manner.	A student with excellent communication skills.
Co-operator	A student who works hard to ensure harmonious working environments.	A student who is willing to listen to other points of view and incorporate them where necessary.
School/House Involvement	A student who actively engages in school and/or House activities.	A student who engages in and will take the lead in school and/or House activities.
General Behaviour	A student who consistently follows the Behaviour Guidelines and has received no serious consequences for infringements.	A student who consistently follows the Behaviour Guidelines and has received no serious consequences for infringements.
Presentation	A student who consistently follows the Uniform Guidelines and has received no consequences for infringements.	A student who consistently follows the Uniform Guidelines and has received no consequences for infringements.

Click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No 21 - 1 August 2008  

Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 20 - 25 July 2008

I would like to welcome members of the School community back for Term 3. During the winter break we undertook a number of maintenance tasks and it is pleasing to note that new carpet has been laid in some of the Junior School classrooms and the administrative and staff areas, as well as maintenance being completed in the play area of the Early Learning Centre. The Boarding House Dining Room has been completed and the Canteen should be ready for its opening in August.

I would like to offer a special welcome to new students and their parents. We hope that you settle quickly into the School and enjoy your academic studies and co-curricular activities.

Athletics Carnival

It was a pleasure to participate in the Athletics Carnival held at the AIS this week. My congratulations go to all students who won their events and all those who participated. Each House looked most colourful and it was good to observe the excellent House spirit throughout the day.

Congratulations to Rochelle Dew

During the winter break Rochelle Dew (11D) participated in the McDonald’s Performing Arts Challenge in Sydney. She competed in the Intermediate sections and achieved third place in the categoris of Russian Art Song, Female Voices and Art Song in the English Language. Rochelle also achieved second place in the Australian Art Song.

Rochelle has been invited to sing as a finalist in the Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge Vocal Scholarship. We would like to congratulate Rochelle on her excellent performances in the McDonald’s Performing Arts Challenge and wish her well when she performs for the Vocal Scholarship.

Positive Psychology

You may remember that I wrote about Positive Psychology in a Newsletter last Term. During the vacation, I undertook some reading about the Happiness Institute in Sydney which is run by Dr Timothy Sharpe. In this Newsletter, I would like to offer some information gained from my reading. Developing a positive attitude to life and being happy is something that we all need to reflect upon and undertake actions to achieve.

Happiness is something you choose:

C = clarity (of goals, direction and life purpose). Happy people set clear goals and determine clear and specific plans to ensure their goals become reality.

H = healthy living (activity and exercise, diet and nutrition, and sleep).

O = optimism (positive but realistic thinking). Happy people think about themselves, others and the world differently. They search for more positives.

O = others (the key relationships in your life). Happy people have both more and better quality relationships.

S =s trengths (your core qualities and attributes). Happy people spend more time identifying and utilising their strengths.

E = enjoy the moment (live in, and appreciate, the present).

Twenty-one Simple Tips to be Happy Now:

1. Make happiness a priority. Happiness must take precedence or other things will interfere with efforts to feel good.
2. Make plans to be happy.
3. Set happy goals. Planning requires effective goal setting (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timed).
4. Do things that make you happy. Do things from which you gain pleasure.
5. Set yourself tasks from which you will gain satisfaction. Plan for activities from which you will gain a sense of achievement.
6. Play and have fun. We have responsibilities but can approach much of our lives in a playful manner.
7. Identify where your strengths lie.
8. Utilise your strengths. There is much to be gained from focusing on maximum utilisation of your strengths.
9. Be curious. Constantly search for new ways to be happy.
10. Be grateful and appreciate what you have.
11. Learn to like, and ideally to love, yourself. We must love before we can be loved.
12. Invest time and energy in to your key relationships. Happy people tend to be more supportive of other people in their lives.
13. Socialise and interact with others as much as possible.
14. Weed out unhelpful thoughts. Dalai Lama: The central method for achieving a happier life is to train your mind in a daily practice that weakens negative attitudes and strengthens positive ones.
15. Plant happier, optimistic thoughts.
16. Live a healthy life.
17. Ensure you gain adequate sleep and rest.
18. Manage your time and priorities. Happy people tend to believe they are more in control of their lives. Take an active approach to solving problems.
19. Control what you can control.
20. Live in the present moment. The only moment in which we can truly be happy is the present moment. The only moment over which we have control is the present moment.
21. Make happiness an integral part of your life. Develop happiness routines and make them part of your every day life.