Mackellar Girls Campus Newsletter 5 MARCH 2021

Term 1, Week 6 Meeting the educational needs of girls

P&C Meeting - Wednesday 10 March 2021

Director General’s Award for Turning Potential into Performance Director General’s Award for Excellence in Girls Education

Director General’s Award for Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education Director General’s Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Programs

Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Pacific Islander Programs

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE - Dear Parents, Staff and Students The school has a strong reputation for providing a quality learning environment, a caring welfare structure, fantastic facilities and great achievements. This is further enhanced by the school providing the best education including a focus on academic achievement and excellence. It is not about lessening any focus on the performing arts, sport or a broad curriculum, but rather enhancing what we have to truly cater for the needs of all students. The core of our business in school is teaching and learning, to provide the environment for the best learning outcomes for all students. We need to foster the value of education and learning, and the importance of students giving of their best. We need to prepare students not only for success in examinations, but also for their path after school, whether that be university, TAFE, other studies or work. School Contributions for Years 7 - 12 Parents have received their school fees information that relates to their child / children. This indicated the payments that are applicable to all students, as well as the costs involved in studying elective subjects in Years 9-12. These fees are now due. We really appreciate that Mackellar parents pay these fees promptly. It allows us to purchase teaching and learning resources for use for the whole year. Parents, please realise that the only thing we do with your financial contribution to your child’s learning is spend it on their learning. The General Contribution covers expenses such as the student diary, printing, general school supplies, textbooks on loan, educational materials and equipment. Year 12 and the HSC As we are in the final five months of schooling leading to the HSC Trial Examinations it is extremely important that our Year 12 students develop a focused study plan so they can achieve the best possible results in the HSC. Doing your best and being successful in the HSC provides more options for your future. I ask parents to assist their daughters to allocate their time wisely over the ensuing months so that sufficient time is given to study for these important examinations. Each student should be averaging 3 – 4 hours per night and at least 6 – 7 hours on the weekend. Open Day 16 February and Open Evening 17 February Our Open Day for Years 5 and 6 and their parents and the Parent Information Evening were held recently. Primary students discovered more about the excellence of their local girls’ high school and participated in school activities and parents discovered the high quality education that we provide at Mackellar. Due to COVID restrictions we livestreamed part of the day to parents rather than them being in the school. Applications for Mackellar’s 2022 Gifted &Talented programs were due by 19 February; enrolment forms for Year 7 2022 have been issued by primary schools this week and are due to be returned to them by 19 March 2021.

EMAILING THE SCHOOL - Please use ONLY the nbscmgirls-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au email address for correspondence. DEDICATED SMS NUMBER—Please text 0427 459 133 before 9am to advise late or absent students

Freshwater Community Bank is the proud Community Sponsor

of Mackellar Girls Campus Manly Vale

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Local Catchment Area for Mackellar Girls The Department of Education has determined that now all government schools need to have a local catchment area. This has not previously applied to single sex schools. Mackellar Girls now has a local area, with all girls living within that area entitled to attend Mackellar Girls. There is an online tool to locate NSW public schools and their designated local areas. The School Finder is at www.schools.nsw.edu.au/schoolfinder Adolescent vaccinations Please be aware that free catch-up vaccinations are available for all young people under 20 years of age, including the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine. Full details are available on the NSW Health website at https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/young-adult-vax.aspx. Community Support The Rotary Clubs of Balgowlah and Manly provide wonderful support to the school and our students. Last month these clubs sponsored seven of our Year 10 students in attending a Leadership Camp, virtually. The girls gained skills in leadership, teamwork and communication, and reported that it was a wonderful and new experience. Mackellar is extremely grateful for the ongoing support for our students that is provided in many ways by Rotary. Student Merit Award System At Mackellar we have an extensive award system designed to acknowledge achievement and encourage effort and improvement. Every student is encouraged to give of their best, and every student is eligible for these awards. Personal Best Assemblies Each semester students who are achieving their personal best, as indicated by their School Report, are acknowledged. In Years 7-10, a Gold Merit Award indicates personal best in all subjects on their semester report; a Silver Merit Award indicates personal best in all but one or two subjects. In Years 11-12, a Gold Merit represents 5 subjects of personal best and a Silver Merit all but one subject. Mackellar Merit Certificates Merit Certificates are issued by teachers for academic excellence, sport, school service, leadership and extra curricular programs. Points from 1 - 5 are assigned to each certificate, depending on the excellence of the achievement. Merit Certificates are issued for successes such as outstanding assessment tasks or tests, commitment to homework, excellent organisation, representing the school individually or in a team, school service, consistent punctuality, fundraising, band, debating and community service. Merit Certificates are tallied by the Assistant Year Adviser and may result in the award of Merit Banners, Medallions and Plaques that are awarded at the end of the year on Presentation Day. Upon receiving 3 or more Merit Banners, a student receives a Merit Medallion; upon receiving 6 Merit Banners a student receives a Merit Plaque. Congratulations to: Hanako (Y12), Clea and Evelyn (Y11) for their selection in the NSW U18 Kayaking team and Rosie

and Nina (Y11) in the U16 NSW team Stefanie (Y11) for her 5th in the Australian Beach Volleyball Tournament #3 Keira (Y11) for her selection in CHS Open Softball team Faith (Y10) for her selection in the NSW U15 Hockey team Mali (Y11) for her 2nd in the Open Para 100m and a 3rd in the 200m at the ACT Athletics Championships.

Mali has also been invited to compete at the AIS in the Coles Super Summer Series High Performance Championships

The NSW Nippers Championship winners: Alessandra (Y7) – 1st U12 Beach Sprint, 2nd in U12 Mixed Beach Sprint relay; Luana (Y8) – U13 2nd in Mixed Beach Sprint Relay, 3rd in Flags and 4th in Beach sprint; Jemima (Y8) – U13 2nd in Mixed Beach Sprint Relay

Mia (Y10) for her 2nd in the CHS Cricket Championships Luana (Y8) for her selection for Long Jump in the Athletics Youth State Championships Selected for the NSW Arts Alive Combined Bands and Instrumental Music Ensembles –Matilda (Y11) Selected for the Arts Alive Dance Ensembles – Hanako - Senior Ensemble (Y12) Elise (Y10), Hilton (Y9), Simone and Ava-Monet (Y8) for their competing in the NSW CHS Individual

Tennis Championships, following a 2nd for Ava, 3rd for Elise and 5th for Hilton in the Regional Open Tennis Championships

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Hanako and Heidi (Y12) for their selection for Lions Youth of the Year, and Hanako winning the Public Speaking Award

Lauren (Y12) and Rachel (Y9) for competing in the NSW Surf Lifesaving Championships Abby (Y9) and Rylee for competing in the Regional Triathlon The School Swimming Champions:

17 yrs Lauren 16 yrs Emily 15 yrs Millie

14 yrs Annika 13 yrs Eryn 12 yrs: Rylee and Sarah

The Yr 10 girls selected for the RYPEN Leadership Camp and sponsored by Balgowlah Rotary – Olive, Cora, Ella and Sienna , and sponsored by Manly Rotary – Sofia, Ashley and Daisy

Student Representative Council Members Years 8-10: Olive, Maisy, Anika, Anneke and Ella (Y10), Cara, Nara, Jemima, Lola and Elani (Y9), Lily, Camila, Sophie, Molly and Poppy (Y7)

Peer Mediators 2021: Olive, Maisy, Cora, Chloe, Chiara, Natasha, Amirah, Izabella, Ingrid, Ella, Pimala, Zaria, Aden and Sienna (Y10)

Christine Del Gallo, Principal

W@M Report This term has been very successful for the prefects and students so far, featuring the launching of the Mackellar Open Handball tournament during Week 5. The initiative was conceived with the hopes that it would highlight the importance of staying active during break times, and giving students the opportunity to spend lunchtime off their devices and with each other. It was a great week, with teams from every year group competing during Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday lunchtimes, along with teams from the English, Maths, History and PE faculties. Congratulations to all of the girls who participated and won, and especially to the Maths staff who won the teachers competition! The Prefects had such a terrific time organising and running the event, and are looking forward to holding another competition in the following weeks. Thank you to everyone who joined in and to the PE staff for providing the equipment. This term we also helped to coordinate the Year 12 event at the Swimming Carnival. It’s such a pleasure to celebrate our final milestones together, and we think we did a wonderful job of our theme, ‘Under the Sea’! Congratulations to Heidi and Hanako, who competed in the Lions Youth of the Year Public Speaking competition. Their speeches, about the power of dance in uniting the world and the importance of volunteering respectively, were inspirational and well presented. Hanako won the Public Speaking Award on the night, and both were a credit to the school. Thank you to Lions for their continued support of our students. Coming up on 7 of May (Week 3, Term 2) is the Year 8 Sleepover, which the Prefect team is organising and running, with help from Year 8 Advisers, Mrs Kelsey, Ms Grasso-Aiello and Ms Drane. The night will include some exciting group activities and games, a movie and pizza. It’s a fantastic chance for the year to spend some time bonding outside of school time. International Women’s Day is also approaching on 8 March, which is an important day for the school to celebrate, especially in correlation with our unofficial school motto that “Mackellar girls can do anything”. As a Prefect body we are looking forward to acknowledging the achievements and challenges overcome by women: fellow classmates, ourselves, teachers and all women who we look up to and by whom we are inspired. On Friday 26 February the Prefect body participated in a leadership afternoon with schools from the Northern Beaches Secondary College. The Mackellar Prefects were joined by student leaders from Cromer Campus, Balgowlah Boys Campus, Manly Selective Campus and Freshwater Campus where we presented our initiatives so far, and also discussed upcoming initiatives for connection between campuses. It was a great day and an amazing opportunity to connect and spend time with leaders from the Northern Beaches. It has also been to our delight that ourselves, accompanied by Mackellar’s devoted SRC, have been tasked with brainstorming wall-mural designs for the upcoming renovation of D Block’s bathrooms. Over the last week we have put our heads together to come up with some engaging, aesthetic and refreshing ideas such as female empowerment, literacy, and local nature. We cannot wait to finalise a concept so that once completed, students can enjoy! The Prefects

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MUSIC We have had a great start to the year with the girls learning a new repertoire for the upcoming concerts. MUSIC NIGHT: Monday 8 March –7pm - Student arrival 6:30pm. Concert, Performance, Stage and Big Bands, Orchestra and smaller ensembles will perform. As we cannot yet have parent and caregivers attend, students will perform to each other while the concert is videoed. The video will then be made available for viewing after the concert. Other Music Nights are May 31 and August 23. There will be a Jazz Night on May 10th for the jazz ensembles. There will be a collaborative concert for the Mackellar Concert Band with Manly West Primary School and the Northern Beaches Youth Symphonic Wind Ensemble on Tuesday 30th March at 7pm in the School Hall. The Big Band will also perform. The Performance Band will be collaborating with students from Pittwater High School, playing the same music in a concert on Sunday 28th March at 3pm with the Northern Beaches Symphonic Wind Ensemble at Pittwater High School. REHEARSAL DAY Monday 19th April- 9:15am – 10:45am Concert Band, 11am – 12:30pm Performance Band, 1pm – 2:30pm Big band. The other rehearsal Day is Monday 12 July. 2021 Music Camp Term 2 Week 1 6pm April 21 – 8pm April 23: All large music ensembles. This is one of the most celebrated events on the music calendar for Mackellar Girls. Please return the permission slip and fill the online forms.

Dates for Diary for 2021 – Please note in diaries

Vanessa Patterson, Band Director

Week 7 Monday March

8, 7-8:30pm

Music Night #1 All Instrumental Ensembles.

Student audience. Concert

Video for parents/caregivers

Hall

7pm Concert, arrive 6:30pm

Week 9 Sunday March

28 3pm Concert

Collaborative

Music Experience

Performance Band with

Pittwater High plus Northern

Beaches Symphonic Wind

Ensemble

Pittwater High School Hall

Rehearsal prior 1pm TBC

3pm Concert

Week 10 Tuesday

March 30

Combined

Concert with

Manly West and

NBSYB

Concert Band and Big Band Mackellar Girls Hall

6:30pm Arrival, 7pm Start

Week 1 Term 2 Monday

April 19

Rehearsal Day Concert Band 9:15-10:45am;

Performance Band 11am-

12:30; Big Band 1-2:30pm

Performance Space

Week 1 Term 2 -6pm

Wednesday 21/4- 8pm

Friday 23/4

MUSIC CAMP Concert & Performance

Bands, Orchestra. (Vocal

Ensemble TBC)

Narrabeen Academy of

Sport and Recreation

Week 4 Term 2 Monday

May 10 7pm-8pm

Jazz Night Stage Band, Big Band, Jazz

Improvisation, Rock Band

Hall

Week 7 Monday May 31

7pm

Music Night #2 All Instrumental Ensembles Hall

7pm Concert, arrive 6:30pm

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SPORT NEWS Well done to everyone who competed at the swimming carnival on Friday the 12th of February. It was a great day with some amazing results. Congratulations to the following girls who broke records: Pipi who broke the record in the 13yrs 200m Freestyle and 100m Freestyle Eryn who broke the record in the 13yrs 50m Freestyle Annika who broke the record in the 14yrs 200m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke and 100m Butterfly And Emily who broke the record in the 16yrs 100m Backstroke Congratulations to Gullary, the winning House The following girls were age champions:

Mackellar Students in Sport Mali, in year 11, won a silver medal in the ACT Athletics Championships in the Open Para 100m and a

bronze in the Open Para 200m. She has been invited to compete in the Coles Super Summer Series High Performance meet back down at the AIS. We are looking forward to hearing results.

Faith, of Year 10, has been selected into the NSW U15 Field Hockey Team. Mia, of Year 10, played in the NSWCHS Cricket Championship out in Bathurst. She was a member in the

Sydney North Cricket team and placed second to Sydney West. The following students played in the Sydney North Tennis trials and qualified to attend the NSWCHS

Individual Tennis Championship later this month: Ava (year 8), Hilton (year 9), Elise (year 10). Our junior, Ava, played up into the senior division and placed 2nd in the trials, well done! Congratulations to 5 of our Mackellar kayakers, who have been selected for State Teams to train with the

NSWIS coach in preparation for Nationals in Kayaking this May. U16 Nina (Yr 11) and Rosie (Yr 11) U18 Clea (Yr 11), Evelyn (Yr 11) and Hanako (Yr 12)

12 years Rylee & Sarah

13 Years Eryn

14 Years Annika

15 Years Millie

16 years Emily

17 years Lauren

UNIFORM SHOP NEWS - Thank you so much to all the regular volunteers who pop in to help in the shop. If you are interested contact me at uniformshop@mackellarpandc.com- we still have some vacancies for March, April and May. Don’t forget Years 7-9 change over to Winter Uniform for Terms 2 and 3. The girls can come into the uniform shop on Monday 29th March 9-2pm or Wed 31st March 9-2pm to be fitted for a skirt and blue blouse. We highly recommend that they come for a fitting to get the correct size and length. Remember if you order online we are only there to process and pack the order on Monday’s and Wednesdays. You will be sent an email when it is packed and your daughter or your self can pick it up.

Leigh McPherson, Uniform Shop Manager, uniformshop@mackellarpandc.com

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LIBRARY We have had another great start to another school year at Mackellar! Year 7 has completed their Library inductions. Each class had 2 double lessons to learn the ropes about borrowing books, finding resources and utilising all that the Library has to offer. They finish the lesson by working in teams to solve a puzzle box with the aim to reinforce their new knowledge of their Library. Due to COVID restrictions in 2020, the Library was unable to deliver a lot of the lessons we usually would. We are delighted in 2021 to be able to resume the delivery of these lessons. Year 9 and Year 10 Elective History classes have come in to learn about the research process as they undertake their first assessment task of the academic year. During the first few weeks of the term, the Library celebrated Library Lover’s Day. The day is an annual opportunity for people to celebrate the valuable role that libraries play in their lives. In conjunction with our Library Lovers Day promotion, the library also held its annual Blind Date with a Book. In a system akin to a lucky dip, a variety of books are selected and wrapped up in paper, ensuring the student gets a true blind date with a book. The Library also played host to the Year 9 History Enrichment Day. Whilst the Tutankhamun Bus occupied the basketball courts, the Library was transformed into the tomb of Tutankhamun. Giant vinyl print outs of the walls of Tutankhamun’s tomb were erected in the Library, which allowed the students to experience the tomb for themselves. In the Library Fiction Room, students learnt about the development of writing. From the earliest forms of writing through to the development of the alphabet, students were given an overview of not only how writing developed, but why writing developed. Finally, the Library Seminar Rooms were used for the students to engage with ancient mathematic games, utilising their numeracy skills. As we approach the middle of the term, the first assignments of the year are starting to be due. We encourage students to remember the Library and the vast array of resources on offer here to assist them. Referencing guides, digital resources, online databases, hard and software information and even the traditional tangible book are all on offer at the Library to help students with their studies. Students are also able to participate in the Premier Reading Challenge. Students who are interested in participating can ask the Library team for information about the challenge which started on the March 1st. Ms Reed and Mr Bailey

P&C NEWS -

Dear Parents and Carers, The Annual General Meeting of the P&C will be held on Wednesday 10 March 2021 at 7:00pm in the Staff Common Room, upstairs in A Block. The Term 1 P&C General Meeting will follow at 7:30pm. All parents and community are warmly invited to attend. Covid Safe procedures will be in place. Kind regards Cristina Anderson—P&C Regional Representative

LANGUAGES: Native Speaker Volunteers The Languages faculty is seeking native speaker volunteers to work with our Language classes (French/German/Japanese and Spanish) practicing speaking skills. If you are a native speaker of these languages and can donate an hour or two of your time please contact Ms Bianchin HT Languages to talk about your availability and how you can assist groups of students to gain confidence in their speaking.

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Mackellar Girls Campus Campbell Pde Manly Vale NSW 2093

T: 9949 2083 F: 9949 3028 E: nbscmgirls-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

W: www.mackellargirls.nsw.edu.au

Director General’s Award for Turning Potential into Performance Director General’s Award for Excellence in Girls Education

Director General’s Award for Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education Director General’s Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Programs

If you email us at nbscmgirls-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au we can email the school newsletter directly to you. It can also be accessed online at www.mackellargirls.nsw.edu.au

Director General’s Award for Turning Potential into Performance Director General’s Award for Excellence in Girls Education

Director General’s Award for Excellence in Gifted and Talented Education Director General’s Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Programs

Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Pacific Islander Programs

in the container on

the A Block quadrangle office wall.