Thursday 27 October, 2016

Dear Parents and Friends of SGS,

Dear Parents,

Thank you to our whole school community for the support and care

everyone is offering to each other and especially to Sally, Tully,

Alby and Daniel at this terrible time. It was our honour to be able

to support the funeral service in any way we were asked and the

manner in which this was carried out was of the highest standard.

Thank you to all involved. We will continue to support and care for

students and staff over the coming weeks. Please continue to

uphold the O’Regan family in your prayers.

We celebrated Founders’ Day in Chapel on Monday, with Rev Nate

talking about the importance of strong foundations and looking back to our strong underpinnings

as a school.

Tomorrow is World Teachers’ Day and I have encouraged the students today to consider ways that

they can encourage or thank their teachers for all they do for them.

The HSC examinations are finishing next week. Please pray for those who still have exams to

complete, that they will be able to keep motivated and concentrate till the end.

Paul Smart

Principal

Save the Date

Primary News from Mr Feeney

Thank you again for your continued caring and thoughtful support around the school community

throughout this last week. Please contact your child’s class teacher, Rev Nate, or myself, if you feel

there are any ways we can assist the children as they deal with the many challenges from recent

events.

It was a special privilege to accompany the Voiceworx students down to

Newcastle last Thursday. They enjoyed a short tour of the Newcastle

Christ Church Anglican Cathedral and had an opportunity to sing in this

wonderful acoustic space. The students then

enjoyed two practical choral and percussion

sessions with staff from the Newcastle

Conservatorium of Music, as well as listening

to a concert from the students at the Con.

They also learned more about what it means to

‘pull out all the stops’, after a ‘demo’ of the

capabilities of the magnificent pipe organ. The

staff at the Con were most impressed with our students, with their musical

skills and the strength of their performance skills. I would like to

acknowledge and thank Miss Wendy Thomas again for her diligence with

the Voiceworx programme. The students finished their day with some hot chips by the beach, and

worked hard to save these from the marauding seagulls. It was a really wonderful day for all involved.

We have worked hard over the years to ensure our students are not disadvantaged as a result of living

in a regional area, and that they are able to access and participate in activities and opportunities that

enhance and enrich their learning. Last week, our Primary

Debaters travelled to Barker College in Waitara, to participate in

the IPSHA Debating Gala Day. Two teams who competed were

made up of the following students: Camilla Warner, Charlotte

Kelly, Heidi Edlington, and Laura Williams; Bridget Burnett, Hamish

Guiana, Pru Hayes and Alexis Walsh. We lost one debate against

Shore, which was our most challenging debate this year and won

the second debate against Masada. While there was very strong

competition on the day, it was wonderful to see the students really hold their own! Our debaters have

now had 4/5 wins this year. I do want to sincerely thank Mrs Kelly for her support, Mrs Moore who

assisted with adjudication and Mr Tesoriero who drove the students down and back.

Also last Friday, 8 Primary students competed at the HRIS Primary Chess Gala Day at Avondale

School. This was the biggest HRIS Primary Chess competition yet with 240 students competing from 14

different HRIS schools. All students competed with great sportsmanship and with a few novices in the

teams, they learnt a lot from the day. Every student won at least 2 of their 7 games and Scone

Grammar 1 finished in the top 10 with 16 points out of a possible 28. All students represented their

school tremendously and should be congratulated. I do want to thank Mr Holden for his organisation

and constant encouragement of the chess students.

We received notification last week, that Jack Faulkner, has once again won a significant award

following his participation in the Newcastle Permanent Primary Mathematics Competition. Jack

has been invited to a special Awards Presentation to be held at the Hunter Stadium next week where he

will be presented with the Wollemi Division Award for Year 6. Congratulations Jack!

Primary News from Mr Feeney (cont’d) Year 5 Drama Night - Wednesday, 2 November 2016 in St Luke’s Hall, commencing at 6:00pm

It is always encouraging to hear about students who are getting actively involved in the many

opportunities available at our school and throughout our local communities. Bridie O’Neill (Year 4

Blue) recently participated in the New England Zone competition of the Bjelke Peterson School

of Physical Culture, where she earned 2nd Place in the 9 Years Girls’ Division. Bridie will now go

on to compete at the next level of the competition in Sydney. Congratulations Bridie!

Congratulations to Tayla Badenhorst (Kindergarten Blue), Lanni Ryan (Year 4 Blue), Audrey

Pringle (Year 2 Gold), Clio Firth (Year 1 Gold) and Charlie Holden (Year 1 Gold), who are all

celebrating birthdays this week. I do wish each of these students all the best as they enjoy this

special day and share the time with their family and friends.

Kindergarten Music Having fun with all things Music! Kindergarten have been having fun with Mrs Berry learning to sing

The Marvellous Toy song and being creative, making their own toys out of painted boxes and

decorating them with different notes and musical symbols. Kindergarten will be performing at

Primary Assembly, Friday November 4, Week 4– all very welcome to come along and listen.

From the Chaplain

This week has been a difficult one for our SGS community. This week has been a week in which many have felt

the need to pray to God for assistance; to cry out, amidst real suffering and bewilderment, in hope that their

prayers would be heard. Prayers for themselves and prayers for others whom they know are in need. What a

blessing to know that when we know Jesus and when we pray to Jesus, we have an advocate who does hear our

prayers. The one who represents us; the one who is thoroughly acceptable in heaven. In fact, the Father once

said of Jesus: 'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased'.

Not only does Jesus have the right of access to the heavenly throne; He occupies it! Heaven's doors open gladly

to Him. There can be no doubting His access to the Father. By becoming human, Jesus ensured that He knows

what it is like to be human. It says in Hebrews 9:24 that ‘Christ entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in

God’s presence.’

Through Jesus our every heartbeat is registered in heaven, our every need and cry. God cannot remain distant

from our needs with an advocate like Jesus Christ to speak for us in times of need. In Christ, this broken, earthly

existence is given strong representation in heaven. In Christ, the heart of God never ceases to be touched with

the feeling of our weaknesses. Be encouraged. Jesus is our great advocate in times of need. Be encouraged… God

is with us!

In Prayer this week:

Reflect on: Romans 8:38-39

Give thanks for: God’s goodness in sending us Jesus, the resurrection and the life, so we can have a way to be

friends with God; Parents, teachers and supporters who truly care for us; God’s hand upon Year 12 as they sit

HSC Exams

Pray for: The O’Regan family; For the school building project; For families and students who are ill or struggling at

the moment: Year 1 and Year 7 students; For your son or daughter’s teacher/s! (specific prayer requests can be

sent to prayers@sgsnsw.edu.au to be prayed for by our weekly prayer group- not published in newsletter)

Rev’d Nate

natkinson@sgs.nsw.edu.au

Tales from The Yellow Cottage

The Magic of Make Believe…… .

Some of the most memorable and insightful play experiences we witness at The Yellow

Cottage take place when children are engaged in dramatic play – sometimes referred to

as pretend play or make believe. Children need opportunities to engage in dramatic play,

create dramatic worlds and be allowed to pretend and make believe. It not only

stimulates their learning and is a powerful form of play, it also reminds adults of the

magic of children’s imagination and the wonder of how they interpret their world.

Curriculum Corner

Year 9 Elective History Bishop Essay 2016

Continuing in the long tradition of students studying History at Scone Grammar School, this year’s Year 9

Elective History class worked hard during Term 3 to complete individual research on topics chosen by the

students themselves. This research was a school-based assessment task and then students re-edited their

work and submitted the essays into the Bishop Essay competition. All essays were praised for their strong

connections to Scone and the history of the Upper Hunter. Results are now available. The reading of the

essays and presentation evening will be at Scone Historical Society at 7pm on the 9 November.

1st Place: Emma Saunders Alister ‘Pop’ Saunders

2nd Place: William Price The Stewarts Brook Valley and its Farming Practices

3rd Place: Lisa McPhee Scone’s Civic Theatre

4th Place: Mackenzie Wood A Brief Examination of Malcolm Campbell’s Impact on Muswellbrook and

Surrounding Communities

Congratulations to all the students who completed Bishop Essays this year!

Ms Gibson

Scholarship Awarded

Engineering Summer School

Year 11 student, Elizabeth Croaker, has been successful in her application to attend an Engineering

Summer School in January 2017, at UNSW. She is a keen student of Science and is interested in possibly

studying at UNSW post HSC. The application process was challenging, requiring Elizabeth to focus upon

her goals and in particular her interest in the Sciences. The scholarship will enable Elizabeth to be a

resident at UNSW for the school, which is in early January. It will allow her to live on campus, participate

in interesting activities and workshops, and meet like-minded students who will work in teams on

engineering design challenges. Congratulations Elizabeth!

Honeywell Engineering Summer School

Three Year 11 students have been successful in their applications to the Honeywell Engineering Summer

School, which takes place in December 2016. The students are Elizabeth Croaker, Justin Heng and

Mackenzie Barker. They will be attending a week long live-in programme alongside other Year 11

students from NSW and the ACT. The students will visit 5 engineering universities, experience industry site

tours and will have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with engineers at a Careers’ Expo. They will be living

on campus at Dunmore Lang College at Macquarie University. Congratulations to these students!

Ms Gibson

Sport News

HRIS Softball

On Thursday, 20 October our Open Girls’ Softball Team travelled to Stevenson Park, Mayfield to

participate in the HRIS Softball Gala Day. The team consisted of Captain and Catcher – Abby

McDonald, Pitcher – Isla Folpp, 1st base – Natasha Holz, 2nd base – Lily Dunn, 3rd base – Aspyn

Tanner, Short Stop – Nickola Holz, Right Outfield – Rosie O’Brien, Centre Outfield – Ilaisipa

Holaafolau and Right Outfielder and backup Pitcher Sophie O’Brien.

The girls had trained well and most had experienced the Tournament last year however, we had two

girls who had never played a game of softball before. Due to varying circumstances we had no reserves

but this did not make a difference for us on the day.

So many schools had entered the competition this year that we had to play in two pools. The first and

second place in each pool were to play off in semi-finals, the winner of each would play in the grand

final. We beat St Columba in game one 21-1. In game two we had a close contest with Macquarie

College but won 7-6 and we drew with St Philips Ports Stevens in the third game 8 all. This placed us as

the winners of our pool. We needed to beat Central Coast Adventist to be in the final. Their pitcher was

experienced and had a very fast pitch which was confronting for the girls. However, we took advantage

of some great base running due to fumbles made when their catcher could not control the speed of

their pitcher’s pitches. The game finished in a 10 all draw. The count back for each innings were also

tied so we had to play extra time in a playoff situation. The girls were amazing! They got CCAS out

three up three down which meant if we scored one run we would win and advance to the final. Ilaisipa

was able to sneak home and it was all over.

The final seemed to be an anticlimax after what had been such a stressful semi. The girls smashed St

Philips Port Stephens in the final 14-0 to be the HRIS Champions for 2016.

The girls were awarded a trophy as well as an HRIS medallion each.

Three of our girls were selected to represent HRIS at the AICES Tournament in November – Abby

McDonald, Nickola Holtz and Aspyn Tanner. Congratulations to these girls as well as all of the girls

for the way they played and represented the School on Thursday. They were enthusiastic, disciplined

and displayed great sportsmanship throughout the day. They were a pleasure to take away.

Mrs Brennan

SGS Exchange Students Return from India Courtney Brown and Tegan Ferries returned from India last Sunday. They spent four

weeks on exchange at Welham Girls’ School. In that time they took lessons in Hindi, Indian

craftwork and “very complicated maths”. They enjoyed trips to the foothills of the

Himalayas, the Ganges and the Taj Mahal. They also presented to the small primary school,

Kanya Vidalya, the money raised by holding pizza days. I am sure they will give a report

for next week’s Newsletter.

The photos show the girls with some of their Indian friends ready for sport; with one of

the girls who will come to Scone Grammar in November and with some Kanya Vidalya

students.

Term 4 Christmas Kids’ Club and

Explorers What is it? Kids’ club….4 afternoons of fun - games, craft,

activities,

food and finding out more about Jesus

Explorers …For older children

Exploring questions and what the Bible really says,

activities, food and fun.

Who’s it for? Kids’ club is for children in Years K – 3

Explorers is for children in Years 4 -6

When is it? 3.30pm – 5pm on Monday, 7, 14, 21, 28 November

Where is it? St Luke’s Hall, Scone.

Kids’ Club and Explorers have afternoon tea together and share

some activities but will be in separate groups both at St Luke’s Hall.

Children from Scone Grammar School can be accompanied to the

Hall.

Please state arrangements clearly on the Registration Form.

How do I join? Registration Forms are attached to the Flyer. Fly-

ers are available at and should be returned to the Primary School

office. There are limited places available. These are allocated in

date order when completed forms are received. All children must be

registered in advance by Thursday,

3 November.

How do I find out more? Phone Jenny on 0409 818977

Community Notices & News

For Your Diary Week 3 (A)

Thursday 27 October

HRIS Secondary Touch 15s Gala at Tomaree Sports' Complex, Nelson Bay

HSC Exams – Studies of Religion 2 Friday 28 October

Belltrees Horse Sports

HSC Exams – Business Studies

Week 4 (B) Monday 31 October

HSC Exams – Physics, English Extension Years 7 – 10 Exams

Tuesday 1 November

HSC Exams – Visual Arts Years 7 – 10 Exams

Dance Workshop Upper Hunter Teacher Librarians’ Meeting at SGS

Wednesday 2 November

Years 7 – 10 Exams Year 5 Drama Night

School Council Meeting Year 11 GRIP Leadership Conference

Thursday 3 November

HSC Exams – Chemistry, Drama Years 7 – 10 Exams

Friday 4 November HSC Exams – Design & Technology

Special Literacy Programme for Schools Scone Literacy Weekend to 6 November

Week 5 (A) Monday 7 November

Swim & Survive to 22 November Wednesday 9 November

Schools’ Celebration Day, Cathedral, Newcastle

Thursday 10 November Volunteers’ Thank You function

Choose Maths, Year 8 Friday 11 November

Year 7 2017 Orientation Day

Canteen Roster

Week 3 (A) Thursday 27 October

Fiona Bailey, Kristy Brooks Friday 28 October

Fiona Bailey, Kylie Odgers, Erryn Day

Week 4 (B)

Monday 31 October Jenny Crackett, Di Gillett

Tuesday, 1 November Jenny Crackett XXXXX

Wednesday 2 November

Jenny Crackett, Debbie Sadler Thursday 3 November

Pip Bishop, Michelle Singleton Friday 4 November

Karen Yelverton, Sally Devenish, Michelle Singleton

XXXXX Urgent, help needed please

Week 5 (A)

Monday 7 November Jenny Crackett, Tanya Dart

Tuesday 8 November

Jenny Crackett, Amelia Wilkinson Wednesday 9 November

Jenny Crackett, Acey Firth Thursday 10 November

Fiona Bailey, Trish O’Brien

Friday 11 November Fiona Bailey, Emma Sharpe