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From the Deputy Head
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19 October 2001 No. 29
From Head of the Junior SchoolWhat a fabulous day we shared on Saturday at the combined Family Day and Athletic Carnival. I was so pleased to see such wonderful support from so many families and friends and I know the boys also appreciated this support. I congratulate every boy on his efforts during the day. A team event such as this meant that every boy who competed earned points for his House. In doing so, the results were extremely close all day, however special congratulations are extended to Healey House who were narrow victors. All boys should feel proud of their efforts! The staff all completed jobs ensuring the success of the day and, without their contribution, our carnival would not have been so memorable. My thanks are extended to each one. Mr Hawkins spent many hours behind the scenes organising every aspect of the day's events and I thank and congratulate him for his efforts. On Wednesday afternoon, a number of our athletes represented Scotch at the APS Athletic sports, which leads successful competitors to the State Championships. Several boys were successful during the day, with details of the results being found elsewhere in this newsletter. I do however, congratulate every boy who competed. Yesterday, the Prep class of 1989 returned to the Junior School as Year 12 students in their last days of their secondary education. It was a thrill to see our Prep boys 'all grown up' and I know they enjoyed their return visit. Best wishes are extended to every Year 12 student who is preparing for his final examinations. Prep-Year Two enjoyed a special Chapel service yesterday. I congratulate Mrs Robertson and all boys who participated in providing such a meaningful worship service. Years Three to Six will share their service next Thursday. In last weeks newsletter it was noted Stuart Watson (6G) achieved (with distinction) his practical section in the Cello. There was a slight typing error. It should have read he achieved (with distinction) his practical section for his 'A Mus A' in the Cello. Apologies to Stuart and congratulations once again. Our Mosaic Wall Project (outside of the Access Unit) has finally been completed, with every boy in the Junior School being represented in some form on the wall or around the birdbath. Mrs Ferres has led this wonderful project and I am sure everyone will agree that it is a wonderful addition to our school entrance. A more formal opening will occur a little later in the year. Well done, Mrs Ferres and boys!! A Deepening Roar, the history of the school was launched last week and I highly recommend this production as an informative and interesting read. An order form and flier is attached and would make a wonderful Christmas present for a young Collegian. A CD-Rom containing lists of every boy, staff member and a host of other 'lists' is included at no extra charge. At the end of last week, Miss Raymond advised me she has accepted a classroom teaching position at Caulfield Grammar from the beginning of next year. With Miss Raymond's departure, the pending retirement of Mrs Kimber and Mrs Dawe, and the granting of 12 months leave without pay to Mr Murdoch, I am pleased to announce that four very talented and capable teachers have accepted my offer to join the staff next year. Miss Rebekah Harvey taught at Scotch for two weeks whilst on exchange from New Zealand in Term Three. A very talented young teacher who greatly impressed during her short visit to Scotch, Miss Harvey was most interested in experiencing an overseas teaching position and, as such, I had no hesitation in appointing her to teach one of our Preparatory classes. Miss Harvey currently resides in Auckland and teaches at the King's School. Miss Pennie Lord will teach the other Preparatory class and joins the staff from Ballarat Grammar. Miss Lord is a young teacher who has been teaching Prep for two years. With outstanding references and personal recommendations, I am confident that our new team at Prep will be able to further enhance the standards and expectations that have been in place for many years. Mrs Connie DiNatale currently teaches Prep at Korowa Anglican Girls' School and will bring a wealth of experiences to the Junior Primary area, when she joins the staff in Year One next year. Connie has two sons of her own and is eagerly looking forward to joining the staff. Mr Gareth Smith will join the Upper Primary Department and comes to us from Haileybury College (Berwick). Mr Smith has a variety of experiences and will be a valuable contributor across many areas of the school. As a talented teacher and cricketer, I know he is very keen to be involved in the broader aspects of the school curriculum. The Junior School is also currently seeking a teacher of Christian Education and I will advise parents once an appointment has been made. My theme this week has been 'Steadiness'. With the final term now well on the way, I encouraged the boys to continue the final part of this school year with a steady attitude to all that is presented. The boys were encouraged to consider their commitments, to pace themselves and keep a rate at which they can maintain; to not let doubts and obstacles blow them off course, and, to ask God for His help in keeping them on track. I leave you with the following Chinese proverb as my thought for this week.... If there is light in the soul, Guy B MasonFrom the Deputy HeadBike Education, Drama workshops, String Recitals, House and Interschool Athletics Carnivals, Chapel Services, Music Camps and a Year Five Excursion to the Zoo were all part of this week's activities at Scotch College Junior School! The wide variety of activities and experiences that our boys can participate in in a normal week at Scotch continues to impress me. It was terrific to see so many parents attend the combined Family and Athletics Day on Saturday and congratulations once again to all staff involved in the organization of this event. This week, I was able to attend my first Junior Primary Chapel Service. Mr Buchanan's message of Caring equals Loving, Accepting and Sharing was certainly an important message for the boys to hear and supported the work of both the staff and parents of the boys in Junior Primary. His demonstration of Caring was a visual reminder to the boys of how we can care for each other both at home and at school. I wonder how many boys cared for their parents by tidying their rooms that evening! Next week, the program includes a Percussion Concert on Monday evening, whilst during the day Year 4K commence their Bike Education program. Preps will travel to Chesterfield Farm on Wednesday, while Year Six will be smiling brightly on this day for their Graduation photograph! Year Three will finish the week with an excursion to Point Cook to complement their classroom work on Wetlands. Please have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend with your famiy. Rodney McKinlay Family Day House Athletics Carnival - results 18 October 2001.Despite the threat of clouds overhead, it was a fantastic day of athletics and fun around the Lower East and Main ovals last Saturday, as the Scotch College community joined together at the Senior and Junior Schools House Athletic and Family Day, part of the 150th celebrations. Congratulations to all boys on their wonderful efforts and on the way they cheered and supported each other. Thank you also for the wonderful family support which was around the track and amongst the gum trees. Results were as follows: JF Rusden Cup - for individual track events.
The Marshall Baton - for team relay events.
The N L Emerson Cup - for field events.
The W T Davies Challenge Cup - for overall winning House.
Peter Hawkins - Head of Junior School Sport APS Athletics Zone ChampionshipsOn Wednesday, 17 October, the Scotch College Junior School Athletics Squad participated in the APS/VPSSA Zone Athletics Championship at Sandringham Athletics Track. This is a very high calibre athletics meeting and all of our students participated very well. In the track events there were heats and the finals, if you were good enough. If you came 1st and 2nd in track finals, then you qualified for the State Championships to be held on 11 and 12 November at Olympic Park. First in relay events and 1st in field events qualified for State Championships. Ages are taken from 31 December of this year. Scotch had a clean sweep of the 4 x100m Relays in 10, 11 and 12 and 13 years. Excellent effort boys! JSPACombined Family DayThe Combined Family Day with Senior School last Saturday was a lot of fun. Well done boys for participating in the various competitive events! Congratulations to Healey for winning the house trophy for 2001. I'm sure each boy tried his best for his particular house! Campbell did come a very close second and showed great teamwork in the relay events. Thank you for your kind donations to the cake stall and also your patronage at our JSPA Fairy Floss/Popcorn cart, as well as the coffee and donut stand. The aromatic whiff of Dome coffee proved irresistible and the satisfaction on the faces of the Dome coffee drinkers reassured the coffee queue that the reward was worth waiting for! I would like to acknowledge and thank the generosity of Jeremy Wardle, the proprietor of Dome coffee (located both at High St, Armadale and the Chadstone Shopping Centre) for very kindly offering to invoice JSPA for cost only, which translates to a very healthy profit at the coffee stall for the JSPA. Thank you also to all helpers who were wonderful and so patient, you have made our day so much easier as always. Class Representatives 2002I am seeking interest from the parent community for the position of class representatives for 2002, for Prep through to Year Six. The class representative's predominant role is to run functions for a particular year level and is complementy to that of the JSPA committee. Reps are responsible for organizing year level functions, welcoming new parents to the year level, assisting class teachers when they require parent involvement and ,importantly, supporting the JSPA functions and encouraging others to do so. We typically have about four class representatives for each year level, although this number is flexible. The active role of voluntary class representatives this year and in past years in organising various year level functions has certainly contributed to a warm and welcoming school community of which we are all proud. An 'orientation' meeting will be held at the end of this year and class rep guidelines will be distributed. Taking on a class rep position is a great way to meet other parents and the boys just love it when their parents are involved. Please do consider if you would like to be a class representative next year and ring your current year level convenor, whose number is listed below, to register your interest by the 26 October 2001:
Spring Fashion LuncheonThe Spring Fashion Luncheon will be in full swing when this newsletter goes to print so stay tuned for a commentary on the glamour and glitter with which the JSPA is indulged the ladies..... Alice Chan - President, JSPA Scotch College Junior School Parents AssociationNotice of Annual General Meeting Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Forthcoming Events
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