2021 Term 1 Week 03 12 Feb 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I’ve greatly enjoyed getting out and about this week especially attending our Senior School and Middle School/Junior School Swimming Carnivals as St Barnabas House, St Cuthbert House, St Stephen House and St Andrew House battled for House supremacy and points for the coveted House Shield.

Thank you to Head of Sport and Activities Mr Damien Clucas and all of the staff for their work to facilitate this important annual event for our students. Thank you to all students who resplendent in House colours demonstrated admirable House spirit.

It was good to see parents taking the opportunity to attend our Years 5, 6 and 8 Meet the Homeroom Teacher evenings during the week. We look forward to our Year 7 Homeroom Teacher evenings next week.  Thank you to the parents who engaged in our Elevate Study Skills Parent Information session on Thursday night - a recording will be made available.

This week, I was able to join the Middle School students and staff for the announcement of the 2021 Middle School Captains and House Captains. Congratulations to all students who stepped forward for the election and to our elected candidates who will be inducted into their respective roles at a ceremony to be held on 23 February.

A reminder of some very important events next week.

The first Parents and Friends meeting for 2021 will be held on Tuesday, 16 February commencing at 6.30pm at the Junior School. All are welcome to attend.

The Calling and Departure Ceremonies will be conducted for our Year 9 students and are an important component of our year-long pastoral and personal development program ‘The Rite Journey’.

An Online Guardian Parent workshop will be held for Year 5 and 6 parents on Thursday, 18 February at 6.30pm. Details have been sent to all Stage 3 parents. This workshop centres on sharing important information with parents of Year 5 and Year 6 students around Cyber Safety, Digital Citizenship and Drug and Alcohol Education. As such, I strongly encourage parents to attend the workshop as a priority.

Our Principal’s tours commenced this week albeit out of school hours. If you know of families considering enrolment at Lindisfarne please encourage them to register for a Principal’s tour by clicking this link.  Principal's Tour Bookings.

Last night, I was able to attend the Griffith University series, ‘A better future for all’, at the Home of the Arts (HOTA) on the Gold Coast. The session featured master Australian Broadcaster and Journalist Kerry O’Brien in conversation with the Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk MP Premier Of Queensland. Whilst I would personally hold a different view on border closures, it was insightful to gain an understanding into the approach to leadership in these extraordinary times and the range of complex contemporary issues and policy decisions faced by State and Federal Governments. I would commend the Griffith University series to you.

Our latest advice under the COVID-19 Safety Plan for Schools encourages us to use the Service NSW QR code for visitors. I would ask parents and guardians to take some time to review this link in preparation for scanning the QR code when required at school events. Your support is greatly appreciated. 

Stuart Marquardt
Principal

Please find the link for the Parent and Student Guide 2021 below. 

2021 Parent and Student Guide

This important document explores the history, philosophy and aims of the School whilst outlining our expectations of students towards their academic learning, their environment and each other. 

The most recent version of the Parent and Student Guide 2021 will always be available via Parent Lounge (School Links/General Links options), under the Resources section of the Lindisfarne website and via Student Cafe (School Links/General Links) for our students.

Whilst 2021 started without the ability to run the 'Welcome' event, I am very pleased to report that restrictions for community events for our school have eased enough that we can plan confidently for our Parents and Friends Trivia Night and Golf Day, so save these dates.

P&F Trivia Night - Saturday, 27 March 2021

P&F Golf Day - Friday, 18 June 2021

Keep an eye on the newsletter next week when tickets will go on sale for the Trivia Night.

First Meeting

Our first P&F meeting will be this Tuesday, 16 February 2021 at the Junior School commencing at 6.30pm. All are welcome and please be reminded that you will be required to sign-in as per the COVID-19 guidelines. 

I hope that all students have enjoyed their start to 2021 and we all have a successful year.

Ramesh Sivabalan
P&F President

Learning Enrichment is looking forward to welcoming the students back to Homework Club on Wednesday, 24 February. Our Homework Club is open for students in Years 5 to 12 and runs from 3.30 to 4.30 every Wednesday. Students are required to bring homework, study or assignments to work on during this time. Parents are to collect students from the carpark (near main administration) at 4.30pm.

Jodie Duggan
Director of Learning Enrichment (5-12)

2022 Enrolments - Sibling Priority

As demand for places at Lindisfarne continues to grow, it is more important than ever for current families to ensure that all siblings are enrolled well in advance of their start year. The cut-off date for sibling priority for 2022 is Friday, 5 February 2021. Sibling applications received after this date will be wait-listed according to application date as per non-sibling applications. Applications can be made on-line via this link.

2022 Scholarships Open

Each year Lindisfarne offers a limited number of scholarships to students who meet the eligibility requirements. Students eligible to apply for scholarships for the 2022 school year will be commencing in one of the following; Years 5, 7, 9 or 11. All students will be required to sit an academic test on Saturday, 20 February 2021. Scholarship Categories:

• Academic – Based on a high-level of academic merit. (Years 5, 7, 9 and 11).
• General Excellence – For students who demonstrate strength in a range of areas as listed below. (Years 7, 9 and 11).
• Music – High level of music capacity is required combined with satisfactory academics. (Years 7, 9 and 11).
• Sport – For students who are competing in at least one sport at state level or above combined with satisfactory academics. (Years 7, 9 and 11).

Scholarship applications can be made on-line via this link. Scholarships close on Friday, 12 February 2021.

For any queries related to enrolment or scholarship please email enrolments@lindisfarne.nsw.edu.au

Simon McKinley
Director of Community Engagement

Change of Elective Subjects Years 9-11 

Just a reminder that any student who wishes to change their elective needs to complete a Change of Subject form which is available on Parent Lounge under the School Links tab - Student Forms. Changes in electives after the end of Week 4, are unfortunately not permitted, due to the requirement of curriculum hours.

Assessment Policies and Schedules  

Assessment Schedules for 2021 for Years 7-12 are available on Parent Lounge under the School Links tab - Assessment Schedules. 

HSC Minimum Standards Tests

During Week 6 students in Year 10 will sit HSC minimum standards practice tests. These tests are done online and will allow the students to experience the format of the tests before they complete the tests the following week.

Below is a link to the information provided by NESA about the minimum standard test

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/11-12/hsc/hsc-minimum-standard

Stage 6 (Year 11 and 12)

As students progress into their senior years of schooling the amount of time spent studying time starts to increase in fact the NSW Education Standard Authority (NESA) recommends at least 3 hours a week per subject.  Studying does not just mean working on assignments but instead it is consolidating student knowledge by reviewing the content covered to date, another important component is the completion of practice questions. To add students in their study they are provided with access to online platforms. Year 11 and 12 students have access to ATOMI - which covers the majority of the senior courses this is an online platform made up of short videos and quizzes which is great for students to use as part of their study review. ATOMI also has a series of videos on study skills which link into the work they have done on study skills with elevate. 

There are a number of subject tutorials which take place during the week which students can utilise as part of their study routine. These tutorials are designed to help students review the content and work on examination techniques. Please continue to encourage your child to attend. As the year progresses there will be HSC tutorials which will take place in the term breaks - these timetables are published towards the end of each term.

NAPLAN Years 3,5,7,9

On Thursday 25 March students will take part in a coordinated practice test online. This practice test is designed to give students exposure to the test format before the formal testing window in May. 

If you have any concerns or questions about any curriculum matters please contact me at cjeffries@lindisfarne.nsw.edu.au

Caroline Jeffries
Dean of Studies

Like many people, as a child, I found trips to the library a little bit daunting. Whether it be the school library or the public library, there was always an element of trepidation no matter how much I loved the books. Always wary of the resident librarian stalking the aisles ready to tell off anyone who whispered louder than cricket, I found the books amazing but the environment less than relaxing.

How times have changed. Not only is our Junior School library a place of discovery through lessons with Miss Affleck but, at lunchtime, it transforms into a centre of art, craft and personal challenges. Each day, a large group of students eagerly await the games and activities provided by Miss Tammy. My favourite thus far was the Lego Master challenges of last year — that was until Miss Tammy, inspired by the television show Holey Moley, created her own putting green and story challenge for each hole.

This week’s theme was ‘Oops, I dropped my books’, and if the smiles on our children’s faces were anything to go by, it has been hugely popular. I would like to thank Miss Tammy for her creative efforts in providing some unique games for the students.

In your home, if a golf ball and putter have mysteriously migrated from the garage to your living room, rest assured this encouragement and motivation has been provided by Miss Tammy. As for her next library challenge, I have always wanted a bowling alley!

Mark Douglas
Head of Junior School

Three weeks have flown by incredibly fast in Year 5 and there has been much to celebrate. The Year 5 teachers are pleased with how well the students have adapted to life at the Mahers Lane campus. Just to name a few, here is a snapshot of their achievements to date:

• Adjusting to a different campus and new classrooms 

• Discovering appropriate places to play and where to hang out with friends

• Learning about and understanding behaviour expectations

• Meeting and working with specialist teachers

• Adjusting to different procedures re canteen, student admin, library, assembly, chapel, garden

• Being part of the Middle School voting process to elect Year Eight leaders

• Communication of notices and information via email

• Sport and Middle School Electives

• Formal uniform and Sport uniform being worn on different days

In particular, we are proud of how well the students have been meeting new friends and working collaboratively in groups. You will see some examples of this in the photos. They are also becoming more proficient at using their diary to record upcoming events, reminders and private tuition lessons. 

Monday evening provided us with the opportunity to meet the Year 5 parents and guardians. It was wonderful to have parents back in the classroom as well as via Google Meet, and I thank everyone for their time to connect with the homeroom teacher for this important event. A few key points the teachers raised included the importance of navigating Parent Lounge, as well as keeping abreast of important information through channels such as the Parent and Student Guide and the weekly newsletter.

Finally, Year 5 were thrilled to welcome back Nathan Verinder from Online Guardians who spoke to them on Wednesday about the importance of online safety. The students were extremely engaged and asked a lot of questions.

Here is a snapshot of the students’ thoughts about the session:

Online Guardians was very helpful and I know it will help me to be safe online. Padric 5C

I have now learnt how to make my accounts private on social media. Eve 5C

I had no idea that WhatsApp was rated 16 + . Finn D 5D

Online guardians taught me not to talk to strangers online and if you have an online account make sure it is set to private. 

Arlo 5A

To delete Instagram or Snapchat you have to type ‘How to delete …..’ into a search engine, then press on a link. The apps try to persuade you not to delete them. Peyton 5B

Amy Williamson
Year 5 Coordinator

Swimming Carnival

In my first Newsletter article for 2021, I referenced an article that was published in the Chicago Tribune 24 years ago. One of the famous lines that came from this piece was “do one thing everyday that scares you.” I couldn’t help but reflect on this sage piece of advice as I saw some of our students get up on the blocks against the prolific talents of Flynn Southam and Lily O’Sullivan. Knowing that winning against either of these Year 11 students was a far-fetched possibility, Lindisfarne students stood tall and raced for valuable House points. It was so pleasing to see such spirit from all students on Thursday.

Many thanks to Damien Clucas, Cherie Montford and the rest of the team for running such a successful carnival.

Year 9 The Rite Journey - Calling and Departure Ceremony

As part of the Rite Journey program for our Year 9 students, we have organised the first event of the Hero’s Journey - The Calling and Departure Ceremony.  This will consist of a two day experience at the School, Fingal Head and Kingscliff. 

This ceremony is a significant step in the program and an important element of that process is the public affirmation and recognition of the commitment to the path ahead. Part of the intentional approach to this journey is having family support present during meaningful milestones along the way, so we would appreciate you making the Departure Ceremony a priority.   

Year 9 parents have been emailed the relevant information, please see the invitation below. Please RSVP via this link. 

Our Year 10 program under the Faith Formation framework is called “Mission in Action.” The rationale and structure for our fortnightly sessions is to equip our Year 10 students with some practical, mental, emotional and spiritual skills and tools which we hope will enhance the altruistic part of their development as citizens of a global community. 

To start the term our “Mission in Action” sessions have consisted of our students hearing from guest presenters from a number of volunteer and community service organisations.  We wanted our students to hear first-hand about some of the wonderful work which goes on in our community through the passion and dedication of some inspiring altruists and philanthropists and to determine how they too could contribute to our community. We had the privilege of hearing from both in-house and external presenters. Thank you to Luximi Sivabalan who presented about the Birthing Kits Foundation, Patrick Brabant who presented a strong environmental action initiative in Beach Cleanup, Elaine Johnston who presented about a partnership between Team Lemonade and Lindisfarne to help community members with disabilities andBrett Canningwho spoke of the charity work in the Recording Studio. We also looked at some on-site activities to help in our school such as volunteering in the Junior School, Gardening initiatives, using our Creative Gifts, developing and deploying our STEM projects, creating educational murals for our science department and Outdoor projects which build our resources. 

This week we divided straight into our volunteer work around the school. Some new COVID rules meant that we had to be adaptable with our arrangements, but as always this didn't dampen our enthusiasm. Ten different placements were on offer to our students and they selected how they could best use their strengths to help others. As we progress through the year, this newsletter article will showcase the different projects.

Junior School Volunteering - COVID rules

Our Students who elected to help at the Junior School were unable to travel there this week because of COVID regulations. However, they adapted and were able to connect with our preschoolers online for storytelling time. Reflection on this activity from our Year 10 students says it all:

Charlie Kirkwood: What does Service Learning mean to you? Meeting new people and learning new things 

Gabriel Plesser: What does Service Learning mean to you? It means to do something for the community to help someone complete a task to do something that will positively influence someone without expecting them to repay you in any way. Basically an act of kindness that will improve someone’s day, month or even year

Hunter Yeats: What did you enjoy about your activity? I think it was a great opportunity to connect with younger students (even though it was online). In the quick 30 mins, I could understand more how they behaved and what they enjoyed doing; it allowed all of us to adapt and do things to spark the most interest. So in my opinion, the ‘student - student’ connection and the constant change was what I enjoyed the most about the activity. 

Indiana Grey: What did you enjoy about your activity? I enjoyed dancing with the Preschool Koala’s and getting to know them one by one 

Mia Bantoft: What does Service Learning mean to you? Service learning to me means to volunteer my time and help to people, a place, or a project. In this case we are helping to form a relationship with the younger students that they can look up to. We will be able to help the younger kids with their education and let them have fun too! 

Kate Cornell
Head of Senior School

Bridge Testing

This week saw the annual Year 12 Engineering Studies students test their balsa bridges. Rev Dway from St Cuthberts parish, as an ex Civil Engineer, was a special guest to provide support and advice. Zach Archer’s 84g bridge had the highest strength to weight ratio, holding over 23kg.

Well done boys!

Allions Sands
Teacher - Engineering

Swimming Carnivals

We enjoyed two fantastic days of competition at TRAC Murwillumbah. A massive thank you to all the staff who assisted throughout the day — without them, there would be no competition. The students epitomised our Lindisfarne culture with their high participation rates and competitive spirit. 

The Sports Department will be releasing a mailout early next week with all the results, NCIS qualifiers, Age Champions, House Champions and records (and any other necessary information).

NCIS Hockey

Lindisfarne is hosting the NCIS Hockey trials on Tuesday, 16 February at Murwillumbah. Best of luck to all the boys and girls trialling. 

Extracurricular Sport 

Here is a video guide as to how to enrol for any of the extra curricular activities you hear in homeroom — for either teams or Individual entries.

The students that register through this process will appear on our rolls for further information via email. Most of these sports will be training this week:

These sports are up and running so, if you’re interested, please join with haste.

AFL - AFL Queensland Schools Cup games

• Primary Division (Years 5 and 6) - boys and girls

• Junior Division (Years 7, 8 and 9) - boys and girls

• Senior Division (Years 10, 11 and 12) - boys and girls

Football (soccer) - NCIS, CIS Cup, Tobias and Marquardt Cup and Bill Turner Cup

• Open - boys and girls

• U15 - boys and girls

• Primary - boys and girls (Year 5 and 6 at Mahers Lane)

Rugby -  Gold Coast Schools Cup

• Year 10 and under BOYS

Hockey - NCIS Hockey Trials

• U16 - boys and girls

• Open - Boys            

Registrations may be completed through Student Cafe for Years 7 to 10 and Parent Lounge for Years 5 and 6. Please click here for instructions.

Tennis

The annual Interschool Tennis Challenge is this Sunday, 14 February 2021 at Queens Park Tennis Centre, Southport. Best wishes to the team as they take on a variety of Gold Coast schools. Please click here for Round Robin Pools and information.

Swimming Pool Partnership

We continue our partnership with Oasis Pools at Banora Point — further details can be read here. The bus shuttle service is starting again for those who are interested.

Bookings for the bus are an up front payment of $3.00 per trip for a specific day (morning or afternoon) for the entire term, there are 23 seats maximum. Please note: there are no refunds if you have booked the service, but do not utilise it on a given day.

Bus shuttle bookings are to go through our Sports Administration Assistant, Cherie Montford. Please complete the registration form here.

Cross Country

Our Cross Country training starts next week for any student from Years 3 to 12. We meet at the Mahers Lane gymnasium from 7.15am to 8.00am every Wednesday and Friday.

Triathlon Specificity Training

For any students wanting to train and participate in the sport of triathlon, Mrs Tracey Foyster (Year 6 class teacher) is offering spin bike and running training at the Middle and Senior School Campus at Mahers Lane beginning Wednesday, 3 February. Any students from Years 5 to 12 are encouraged to come and train every Wednesday and/or Friday morning from 7.15am to 8.15am. 

There is a Kingscliff Triathlon on Sunday, 28 March and we would like to submit teams from Lindisfarne. 

We also encourage interested students to attend Twin Towns Triathlon Club on Saturday mornings (Mrs Tracy Foyster is a committee member), where students can experience Triathlon in a safe environment. For any swimming training needs, we have the Oasis partnership as a pathway. 

Please contact Mrs Tracy Foyster for more information.

Rowing

Lindisfarne has a partnership with Tweed Heads and Coolangatta Rowing Club and we highly encourage any Year 7 to 12 students who wish to pursue this incredibly rewarding sport to make contact with Head Coach Garry Annand via garry@tweedcoastrowingcentre.com.au or 0412 344 826. 

Term 1 represents the perfect time to start training up for the regattas which are scheduled over the cooler months. The squad training days are Monday and Wednesday afternoons, Saturday mornings and potentially Thursday Sport time slots.

Our Rowing Captain, Jordan Nichols (Year 11), is also available for any students wishing to have a chat directly with her.

Rhythmic Gymnastics 

We are very fortunate to be able to offer the opportunity for any Lindisfarne girls to join a

Rhythmic Gymnastics program at Lindisfarne for this year.

The club will be on Mondays at 4.15pm to 5.15pm and Thursdays after school from 4.15pm to 5.15pm, starting 8 February 2021 and continuing all year in Ngahriyah. The class will cater for beginners to competitive levels.

Lindisfarne students can attend one or all sessions per week at NO COST.

The coach, Stacey Bech, is a National Level Silver Advanced Coach with an impressive history. If you are interested, please complete the registration form here and email Stacey Bech directly.

If you have any questions, please contact Stacey on 0418 640 200 or via email at stacey.bech@gmail.com.

Spotlight on Jordan Nichols

Congratulations to Jordan who has been selected in the QLD Pathways team. This is the U19  QLD Junior/QLD schools team. 

She will go into camp for the QLD team in April and will then potentially be in the mix for the selection trials for the Australian team.

Best wishes, Jordan.

Spotlight on Giselle Smith

Giselle competed at regional Little Athletic Championships on the weekend and received the following results:

• Gold in Javelin (with a personal best)

• Gold in Shot Put

• Gold in 300m Hurdles ,

• Gold in 100m Hurdles and 

• Silver in 100m Sprint .

She is off to State Championships in March. Best wishes, Giselle.

Spotlight on Liam Reardon

Liam also competed at the Gold Coast Regional Athletics Championships and took home:

• Gold in the 100m
• Gold in the 200m
• Gold in the 200m hurdles
• Silver in the Triple jump
• Silver in the 90m hurdles

Awesome work, Liam! 

Spotlight on Owen Reardon

Owen Reardon, older brother of Liam, also has an incredible Gold Coast Regional Athletics Championships:

• Gold in the 100m
• Gold in the 200m
• Gold in the Triple Jump
• Silver in the Long Jump

Both boys are heading to the State Titles with these qualifying results, congratulations.

Spotlight on Ben Dickens

Ben Dickens competed at regionals Athletics Championships last weekend. He competed in five events and received:

Silver for shot put
Silver for Discus
Silver for High Jump
Gold for 60m hurdles. 

Given the exceptionally hot weather, this was a fantastic effort. He goes on to compete in the State Championships in Brisbane in March. Best of luck, Ben.

Damien Clucas
Head of Sport and Activities

CIS Cricket Trials

On Monday, 8 of February, five Lindisfarne Students travelled to Sydney to compete in the selection trials for the 16 and under Combined Independant Schools (CIS) Cricket team. 

The students were Gabe Leitch Year 9, Kai Croft, Rupert Fahy, Tate Marquardt and Brodie McDowell Year 10. 

The trial was held at the Norm O’Neill Indoor cricket centre at Penshurst. All five boys performed admirably and to the best of their abilities at the trial. They were a credit to themselves and our school, showing fantastic competitive spirit with humility and good humour. Unfortunately, none of the boys were selected in the CIS team for 2021. The level of the trials was incredibly high, and our students were not far off the pace. Although they missed out on selection this year, they are all excited by the prospect of travelling back down to the trials again next year.
 

During their trip the students were lucky enough to watch a First Class Cricket game being played at Bankstown oval between Bankstown and Randwick Petersham and the final of the Regional Big Bash between the ACT Aces and the Lake Mac Attack played at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). 

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing the Lindisfarne Cricket Coach Anthony Kerchler’s name displayed on the Bowling Honour Board in the SCG. The bowling honour board recognises NSW players who have taken five wickets in an innings playing for NSW at the SCG. The boys were absolutely blown away that their coach and hero was a part of such an amazing feat and tradition. 

Nathan Croft
Junior School PDHPE Coordinator

Monday Night Netball

Happy birthdays to Ruby-Flower and Chloe, who both played awesome games on Monday evening. 

Good luck in Round 3 on Monday, 15 February

Please be at the courts in time to warm-up and sign on.

Netball Dates for the Diary

Team Selections for anyone who would like to play for the School on Saturdays will be held at Arkinstall Park, starting at 4.30pm, on:

• Thursday, 4 March and 

• Thursday, 11 March – for all Middle and Senior School players (Years 5 to 12)

• Tuesday, 9 March and

• Tuesday, 16 March for the Junior School players.

The Tweed Netball Association is running a Beginners Umpiring Course on Saturday, 6 March. Registrations are due by the end of the month. Please email me for registration information (gmaynard@lindisfarne.nsw.edu.au).

Please also note that this will be the only course run for new umpires in 2021 so, if you are thinking of learning more about the game and earning $10 every match (even as a beginner!), please register ASAP.

Netball Centre of Excellence

The Lindisfarne Netball Centre of Excellence Induction Evening will take place on Thursday, 25 February. All Centre of Excellence athletes are expected to attend.

Trials for the Stage 3 Netball of Centre of Excellence took place at Arkinstall Park on Thursday and will again this Thursday, 18 February. It is so exciting seeing such young talent!

Strength and conditioning training with Rory continues on Mondays during School time. 

If you have any questions re: netball, please do not hesitate to email me.

I’m here if you need!

Gay Maynard 
Teacher in Charge of Netball

Junior and Middle School Swimming Carnival 

Well done to all our competitors from Years 3 to 8 at the Swimming Carnival held on Friday, 12 February. It was a great day with lots of positive vibes. The swimming was outstanding as was the House spirit. It was also fantastic to welcome our Year 3 students to a major carnival for the first time. 

Junior School Runners Club - Cross Country Training

Lindisfarne Junior School will start the Runners Club in Week 4 at Sunshine Avenue. The purpose of the Runners Club is to assist in the running development of our school students. Last year the Runners Club was a great success with students and parents joining in to improve their running, fitness or just to spend time with each other doing a physical activity.  Any student in Years 1 to 4 are welcome to attend. 

Runners Club training days will be Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The training sessions will begin at 7.30am sharp and will conclude by 8.30am. Students will be required to bring along their school uniform to change into after the completion of the session. Students will be given time to change and have something to eat before the first bell at 8.45am. Parents and carers are more than welcome to come along and join in. 

Spotlight on Ben Dickens 

Ben Dickens competed in the regional athletics championships last weekend. He competed in five events and received silver for shot put, discus and high jump and gold for 60m hurdles. Ben will now go on to compete in the State championships in Brisbane on 20-21 March. We are very proud of Ben’s achievements and we wish him well with the upcoming events. 

Dates for Term 1

• Total Football Academy starts Monday, 8 February and concludes Monday, 29 March. 

• Runners Club starts Tuesday, 16 February and concludes Tuesday, 30 March. 

• Cross Country Carnival Years 3 to 12 is on Thursday, 1 April.

Nathan Croft
Junior School PDHPE Coordinator

Gold Coast Debating Update

Enthusiastic and articulate students participated in a selection heat in order to be selected for the debating teams that Lindisfarne will be entering in the Gold Coast Debating Competition. Those students, who were selected to represent Lindisfarne in the Gold Coast Debating Competition, are expected to attend the Summer School. Team members will be provided with the relevant information. 

Summer School 2021 - Gold Coast Debating 

The Summer School 2021 will be held at Bond University on Saturday 20 February. It provides the following information (please remember all of the times listed below are QLD Times):

• 9.00am – 11.00am - Introduction to Debating 

• 11.00am - 12.00noon - Show Debate (This demonstrates the structure and procedure of debates)

• 1.30pm – 2.30pm - Advanced Debating (Recommended for Senior Debaters – it covers specific information such as Points of Information, comparative rebuttal)

Adjudicators Needed

For any two debating teams that Lindisfarne enters, we must provide one adjudicator. Therefore, it would be great if interested ‘Year 11 or Year 12 students, high school graduates or teachers’ who would like to adjudicate attend the adjudication training courses being run at the Summer School.

• Level 1 Adjudication Course: 12.00pm -1.30 pm 

• Level 2 Adjudication Course: 1.30pm -2.30pm (You MUST have completed Level 1)

Summer School Administrative Details

The training courses are all free and no prior RSVP is required. All attendees must register their attendance on the day. Whilst Mrs Tracy and Ms Brewer will be representing Lindisfarne at this Summer School, they will also be attending sessions and will not be available to ensure that students are safely collected by their parents after each session. Gold Coast Debating does not provide supervision; this is a parent responsibility.  Lunch will be provided between 11 am and 12 noon QLD time. 

SAI Global Debate

Lindisfarne has entered a junior and senior team in the SAI Global Debating Competition which will be held on Saturday 13 February. We wish Sienna Williamson, Teagan Gilmour, Leo Lush, Tessa Ford, Desiree Mahleka, Ava von Stolzenheim, Jedda McLauchlan and Madeleine Warner all the best as they represent the school in this online debating competition.

Suellen Walker
English Coordinator

Australian History Competition

Keen Yr 7-10  Historians are invited to participate in the Australian History Competition 2021. To be in with a chance of winning $250 and getting certificates for all participating students (it also looks great on your records of achievement), enter now!

Don’t worry if you haven’t done much history yet, or are not studying history this year as the questions are designed to test historical skills and concepts so the content that students have covered is not significant to the way students may perform; plus all the questions are multiple choice. The competition will run in May during HSIE class-time.  Accept the challenge? Email Mrs Newton-Walters directly or give your name to your HSIE teacher this week. 

Please add the logo and photo of the previous winner for the history comp. from here: https://australianhistorycompetition.org.au/ 

Australian Geography Competition 

Keen Yr 7-10 Geographers are invited to participate in the Australian Geography Competition 2021. To be in with a chance of winning prizes (book vouchers and special certificates, and for the highest in Australia, medals), to be selected to participate in Geography's Big Week Out in Perth, Western Australia, and to be selected to represent Australia at the International Geography Olympiad. Questions are all multiple choice and test your general geographical skills and knowledge so don’t worry if you haven't done much geography yet or are not studying geography this year; you can still enter.  The competition will run in March during HSIE class-time.  Accept the challenge? Email Mrs Newton-Walters directly or give your name to your HSIE teacher this week. 

Please add the logo and a photo from the geography website here; https://www.geographycompetition.org.au/geography%E2%80%99s-big-week-out

Nathalie Newton-Walters
Director of HSIE

Friends of the Arts (FOTA) is a subcommittee of the Parents and Friends Association (P&F) created in 2018 for parents and friends interested in supporting the Arts at Lindisfarne. FOTA has actively supported a number of events over the past years including our evening with Darren Percival, Bring It On The Musical, the Senior Art Exhibition and recent Holiday Music Workshop. 

All interested parents and friends are invited to join us for our first meeting for 2021 on Tuesday, 2 March in the school library at the Middle and Senior School Campus, Mahers Lane, Terranora. There will be an Annual General Meeting at 6.30pm followed by our first committee meeting of the year.

Please contact Performing Arts to receive meeting papers including committee nomination form and agendas.

David Keay
FOTA President

For the several weeks, our Year 7 cohort has been involved in a Fundamental Movement Program with Mr Anthony Kershler. As our Lindisfarne Cricket Coach and his involvement with coaching for NSW, “Kersh” has the perfect experience and approach to run the students through some basic fundamental skills. The focus of the program has been:

• Catching

• Throwing

• Striking

• Game sense

The skills form the basis of most games including cricket, baseball, golf, tennis and hockey, just to name a few. Having the ability to perform these skills in a game-setting improves student involvement and the enjoyment of their Physical Education lessons, and gives the added confidence when signing up for a Saturday sport.

The activities have progressed from very simple to more complex movement and, the addition of games in the final lesson, allows students to put these skills into action. It has been really pleasing to see the level of engagement and interest shown by all of Year 7 as they have moved through the sessions.

The PDHPE Faculty

Here at Science Matters we try to love all of our fellow travellers on spaceship earth equally but sometimes it is difficult. Cane toads are a devastating introduced species which have placed intense pressure on our native frog populations and pushed black snakes and quolls to the brink of extinction. They continue to spread at an alarming rate north, west and south of Cairns, Innisfail and Gordonvale in Queensland where they were intentionally released in the 1930’s by the then Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations (now Sugar Research Australia). I know, it beggars belief.

Our students learn from Year 7 that experiments must be risk assessed and conducted under controlled conditions but that is a story for another day. We are now faced with the problem of what to do about this toxic invader and so far there has been little cause for optimism.

However, there have been recent developments that provide a glimmer of hope. A new tadpole trap that uses a pheromone bait derived from the cane toad’s own toxic has proven to be highly effective at trapping the cane toad tadpoles without attracting the tadpoles of native frogs and toads.

The Tweed Shire Council in partnership with Watergum Environmental is holding a workshop on Wednesday, 17 February at the Murwillumbah Services Club to introduce the traps and provide instructions on how to use them. The event is ticketed and bookings can be made online at:

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/cane-toad-challenge-tweed-shire-tickets-138543494321

In the meantime, if you are the sort of person who likes to take direct action when faced with a problem, the most humane way to kill cane toads is to collect them in a bag (use a glove or a plastic bag to pick them up) and place them in the refrigerator for at least two hours before transferring them to the freezer. They can then be put out with the garbage on collection day.

Make sure to wash your hands after collecting cane toads.

This method renders the cane toads unconscious before they are killed. The toads had no choice in being transported to Australia and they have no malicious intent towards our native fauna. The very least they deserve is to be treated humanely.

Cane toads are pretty easy to recognise but can potentially be confused with two of our most endangered and beautiful frogs: The Great Barred frog and the Tusked frog. The images below may help avoid any confusion. Remember, the cane toads are ugly and the frogs are gorgeous!

Above: Cane Toad

Above: Great Barred Frog

Above: Tusked Frog

Our native fauna need all the help they can get so book a place at next Wednesday’s workshop and, in the meantime, get your headlamp on and start your own cane toad control program.

Have a wonderful week in science and appreciate the animals we share the world with.

Hamish Inksetter

This weekend two teams of four students will be participating in the SAI Global Debate. The Middle School and Senior students will be debating against students from 44 schools across 10 countries. The rounds include, For and Against debates, Turncoat and Extempore. We wish them the best of luck.

A reminder too of the upcoming Round Square Virtual Conference from the International School of Kenya.

The theme chosen by our hosts is 'Kustawi Alkebulan' - Thriving in Africa. Kustawi means to thrive in Kiswahili while Alkebulan is the ancient name of Africa. Our hosts say “Mental challenges we face are not unique to Africa or anyone continent but they are similar around the world. We hope that you will join our conference to learn more about how we can speak out, raise awareness, fight stigma, and learn strategies to stay balanced.”

There are a few spaces left so please let me know of your interest by 18 February.

Mike Lush
Round Square Coordinator

Henry Vu in Year 12 has been sharing his heritage and culture with our school community in the past week. Today (Friday, 12 February) is part of the Lunar New Year and the beginning of a 3-day celebration. 

Henry and his parents have kindly put together the display you see pictured which consists of items that represent the Lunar New Year. 

• The Flowers are chosen not just as a decorative item, but as a ‘good luck’ symbol. If the flowers bloom within the first three days, from the 12th of February they are said to bring you Goodluck for the rest of the year.

• The two ‘Lions’ are protectors and are said to ward off evil spirits. 

• A key symbol for Lunar New Year is the circle. Round, plump fruits are displayed to represent the idea of wholeness - the circle of life. 

• The Buddha statue holding a fish represents the ‘Lunar’ celebrations. A carp is released  into a nearby lake so it may swim to heaven to the kitchen god (known as Ông Táo) and report on the happiness and wellbeing of the family throughout the year. 

Thank you to Henry and his family for sharing his background and culture with us all. 

Jeremy Godden
Head of Middle School

As part of a well-earned Facilities Team equipment refresh, these incredibly hard working men took delivery of a brand new Zero-turn Lawn mower. This machine will greatly assist in the mammoth task of keeping over 38 acres (157,242 square metres) of lawns under control all year round - they might even enjoy the process just a little bit more, too!

Gavin Kennedy
Director of Information Services, Infrastructure and Facilities