2021 Term 4 Week 1 8 Oct 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I was delighted to commence Term 4 with all Queensland and New South Wales staff and students back at School for face to face learning.  As per the end of Term 3, we start the final term of the School year under level 3 restrictions resulting in some of our usual events and activities remaining on hold or being rescheduled.

As we start this new term of learning, please continue to be vigilant in following any New South Wales and Queensland Health advice. The Chief Health Officer for New South Wales Dr Kerry Chant has clearly outlined high levels of vaccination as essential to preventing further lockdowns and a return closer to normal life over time. Vaccinations for Australians 12 years and older have now been available to the Australian public for many weeks. At a recent meeting that I attended via Zoom with Independent School Principals from across New South Wales and the Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant, the importance of Vaccination was once again stressed. In that context for those still considering or progressing vaccination for Covid-19 now would be an excellent opportunity to book an appointment or consult your medical professional. Furthermore, the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) are strongly recommending Year 12 students pursue vaccination in the lead up to the 2021 HSC Exams.  A New South Wales Government Fact Sheet on Vaccination can be found here

As of Monday 11 October, New South Wales will begin the process of reopening across the state. As vaccination levels increase more opportunities become available. Please see the Road Map for reopening  New South Wales below.

NSW Road Map

Currently, there is a Public Health Order in place requiring all School staff to be fully vaccinated or hold an approved Medical Contraindication Exemption by November 8. I’m incredibly grateful to our staff who have moved in earnest to meet the compliance requirements of the Public Health Order by the due date. It makes an incredible difference as we work together to ensure continuity of learning, a gradual return to more normal school operations and community life, and play our role as a School by supporting Public Health initiatives to keep our community safe.

Yesterday I wrote to our School community to outline that our Head of Junior School Mark Douglas will return to Western Australia earlier than expected and commence a six-week relocation to the State. Mr Douglas has been an outstanding Head of Junior School and we thank him for his service to the School community. Mrs Laura Gallagher will be our Head of Junior School through to the end of the 2021 school year and we look forward to working with Mrs Gallagher and the Junior School team. You can read my communication to the community here. 

Finally, congratulations to Jemma and Chris Jacks who were drawn as the winner of the MG 3 car from Victory MG, the major prize in the Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School P&F FunFest raffle for 2021. I wanted to particularly thank the P&F for their ongoing support of the School and Mr Steve Cornell who as the convenor of FunFest has overseen the raffle with great commitment. Thank you also to Director of Community Engagement Simon McKinley for his tireless efforts to support the work of the P&F. The raffle has been a great success and for that I thank the School community who sold and purchased tickets and in turn contributed to ongoing investment in our students. Full raffle results are available in the P&F article below.

Stuart Marquardt
Principal

Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff and Students,

Welcome back to Term 4! It’s fantastic to have our Lindisfarne school community back together learning face-to-face, albeit with some Covid-19 restrictions. Let us pray that it’ll be a good term for all of us, and particularly that our Year 12s, who are missing out on their usual rites of passage, will continue to rise to the challenges of these times with the help of our support, prayers and encouragement.

Professor Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, activist, Nobel Prize winner, author, and master teacher always said to his students: “ We are here to learn together…As much as you will learn from me, I will learn from you.” He saw education as a shared endeavour of contemplating the fullness of truth, ideas and knowledge.

Our shared journey of learning this term will no doubt be full of twists and turns due to the global pandemic; but if we work together and support each other, we will have a productive and fruitful term irrespective of the challenges we face.

Let us then set out together on this journey with open hearts, open minds and clear thinking.

Let us bring an attitude of kindness, love, compassion, respect, hard work, dedication, mindfulness and gratefulness in all we do.

Let us dream big and courageously pursue these dreams because they reveal our life’s desires, and determine the future we are creating for ourselves and others.

Let us remember to make each day count and live it to the fullest because life is short, fragile, uncertain and unpredictable.

Above all, let us not forget, as St Mary MacKillop, Australia’s first canonised Saint, reminds us that “We have a dear God watching over us always”.

My prayer for each and everyone of us is that we may be enriched by our shared journey of learning and development this Term, and in doing so grow to become more, not less, human.

I wish you Godspeed in all your Term 4 endeavours. Thank you for who you are and for all you do for our School and community. It’s very much appreciated!

Rev. Constantine Osuchukwu
Chaplain

Thank you to all of the Lindisfarne community for their support of the FunFest Raffle. Whilst FunFest was postponed until August 2022, it was great to be able to celebrate with the raffle.

Congratulations to the winners:

1st Prize and taking home the MG3 is Jemma and Chris Jacks, one of our Preschool families.

2nd Prize and $2,000 worth of Flight Centre vouchers Deborah Brisley.

3rd Prize and a Mantra Package valued at $1,000 is The Clucas Family

Also the winner of our PS5 lucky draw went to Charlie Paul and his family.

Well done to all our winners.

From left: Jason Mannix from Victory MG, Chris and Jemma proud new owners of the MG3, Ramesh Sivabalan P&F President, Natalie Howard P&F Treasurer and Stuart Marquardt Principal.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Lindisfarne P&F is on Tuesday, 26 October at 6.30pm NSW local. Due to the current restrictions, it is on-line and as always everyone is welcome.

Meeting Zoom Link

Thank you again for all your support.

Ramesh Sivabalan
P&F President

Returning to school this term has been a bit up and down for both parents and students.  With such long breaks away from school last term and uncertainty around how long they will actually get to be here. Children are desperate for social contact but also uncertain about managing the new COVID rules at school and getting back to learning with their teachers.  Parents are tired and finding it difficult themselves with all the uncertainty, helping their anxious children is just another layer of worry.

School TV have updated their Special Report on Transitioning Back to school. Please take a moment to click the link below and watch this informative 9 minute clip that has some ideas to help ease the transition.

SPECIAL REPORT: Transitioning Back

As lockdown restrictions are slowly being lifted to varying degrees, we are entering a time of transition and adjustment. The circumstances of this situation have significantly impacted us all. For some it has been an opportunity to reflect on what is important, whilst others have embraced the opportunity to learn new things.

Many young people may be excited at the prospect of restrictions being lifted, whilst others may be feeling mixed emotions. Reactions will differ depending on how well they cope with stress and change. Keeping a check on your child’s mental health and wellbeing as they adjust to new routines, will be vitally important.

There is still a lot of uncertainty ahead of us, so focusing on the things you can control or enjoy doing, can help establish predictability and familiarity for the whole family. Adult carers need to provide young people with reassurance by acknowledging any concerns and fears they may have at this time. Consider this to be a normal reaction, however it may be best to focus more on their feelings and emotions, rather than the practicalities at this stage.

In this Special Report, we share a few ideas about how to help ease this time of transition. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the  school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report https://lindisfarne.nsw.school...

Julie Henry
Junior School Psychologist  

Welcome back to Term 4. 

ICAS 

Next week we will continue to complete ICAS examinations postponed from Term 1. Please view the schedule for next week here. 

Examinations week 4 and 5 

As part of the assessment schedule for the year, some subjects will be having in-class timed assessments. The dates and times of these tasks can be viewed on the links to the year groups below and are also available on student kiosk and parent lounge.

• Year 7
• Year 8
• Year 9 
• Year 10

Year 11

In week 4 the current Year 11 cohort will start their Higher School Certificate Courses.

Students who have expressed an interest to complete extension courses will receive further information next week about when these courses will be timetabled.

Higher School Certificate 2021 Revision

It was good to see students take the opportunity to engage in tutorials during the term break as they continue to prepare for the upcoming examinations. 

Year 12 students and accelerated students were sent information last week about how to access the HSC support package from InspireEd which provides them with additional revision resources. The students also have access to ATOMI which has provided the students with some excellent revision timetables to follow. 

Caroline Jeffries
Dean of Studies 

Integrated Studies In Year 5

Throughout Term 3, Year 5 studied Forces and Energy as part of Integrated Studies. This topic invited students to explore and explain how energy is transformed, describe the difference between contact and non-contact forces, and investigate how electrical energy can control movement. Through research and hands-on experiments, Year 5 further developed their knowledge and understanding of forces, energy and the properties of materials and their behaviour. The culminating activity was to design and create an ‘arcade style game’ for the FunFest. The students began their design process during off campus learning last term, and were thrilled to get the chance to share their final products onsite once school returned. 

Presenting and playing our games was really fun. Paddy

It was engaging and creative. Hannah

I enjoyed the fun of developing our ideas and making them come to life. Willow D

Sharing our arcade games was a great way to learn from each other. Ivy

Amy Williamson and Kylie Thompson
Year 5 and Year 6 Coordinators

Welcome 

The start of a new term brings with it the thrill of fresh starts and renewal. It was wonderful to have our Senior School students back at the Mahers Lane campus this week, fresh from holidays and ready to finish the academic year well. 

Year 12

Our Year 12 students are beginning to feel an increased sense of certainty as dates for their end of year celebrations firm up. I was pleased to be able to speak with the Year 12s in person during their lunch break this week in order to give them some clarity about their formal, Speech Day, final assembly and Eucharist. These are important events in the life of a soon-to-be Lindisfarne graduate, and it is important that these rites of passage are honoured appropriately.

Vaccinations

NSW Health is urging all students aged 12 and older to get vaccinated with either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible. Whilst the impacts of sustained lockdowns hasn’t been felt as significantly as a number of Sydney schools, it is my hope that many Lindisfarne students and their families will see the benefits of “getting the jab” in order to help our School continue with face-to-face learning. This could prove to be particularly important as we approach the HSC Examinations.

Kate Cornell
Head of Senior School

Our Year 12 students have been setting up their applications for University and considering their pathway options for next year. While University is a desired option for many students it is important to consider all options and what may suit some students and their preferred outcomes. TAFE NSW and QLD both offer heavily subsidised study for school leavers in a range of fields which can lead to qualifications that significantly enhance employability and may cater to different learning styles. Apprenticeships also offer a direct pathway into the workforce, where students generally receive subsidised study as well as pay and, most importantly, practical knowledge and skills. Students looking to commence employment straight out of school are encouraged to register at My Future Workforce which will contain advertisements for opportunities in the Northern Rivers. Year 12 students and parents have been emailed an update this week about University offers for NSW students.

Year 10 Careers students have commenced working on resumes and looking at the world of casual employment as the extended break at the end of the year draws nearer. There are a number of Christmas Casual positions being advertised currently so I encourage students considering casual work to begin applying as many employers look to fill these positions well before the holiday period. Due to current government restrictions, school facilitated work experience is not currently an option therefore gaining employment in the school holidays can be a great way for students to learn some new skills. Many are advertised on websites such as SEEK.

Lauren Ward
Director of Careers and VET

We are still taking registrations for our Annual Lindisfarne Tennis Championships on Wednesday, December 1. This event also needs the Level 3 restrictions to be removed for it to proceed. 
Entries are now open, follow this link to register.

Saturday Netball

Tweed Netball Association has decided to call an end to the Saturday season. So disappointing, but there was no other option but to name the Winners and Runners without Round 12 or finals series. We should be very proud of our pride of Lions for the manner in which the whole season was approached. We showed determination, resilience, sportsmanship and talent at training and on game days.

Congratulations to:

Winners of the Junior C Division - Lindisfarne Aqua Lions 

Players: Ella Agolley, Isabella Arghyros, Matilda Daniel, Eve Francis, Anna Haubek, Eden Jocumsen, Eira-Grace McGilligan, Ava McIntosh, Lyrah O’Brian, Charlotte Slack-Smith

Thanks to Coaches: Deb Arghyros and Samantha McGilligan

and Manager: Nat Gemmell

Eden is missing from the photograph as she had a broken arm during the season.

Runners-up of the Junior A Division - Lindisfarne Green Lions

Players: Bridie Condon, Emily Daniel, Mia Gist, Sarah Hodges, Jessica Irving, Ruby Lynch, Chloe Nagle, Scarlett Ojiako-Pettit, Shelby Osborne and Amber Sullivan

Thanks to Coach:  Brooke Magnum and Manager: Narelle Hodges

Runners-up of the Intermediate B Division - Lindisfarne White Lions

Players: Claudia Arghyros, Tiggi Groves, Lily Hodges, Molly Matkevich, Jamie Mifsud, Sienna Phelps, Bonnie Starling, Ava Taylor and Seannah Weston

Thanks to Coach: Mel Groves and Manager: Kylie Starling 

Runners-up of the Intermediate A Division - Lindisfarne Navy Lions

Players: Edie Arran, Poppy Burdekin, Annie Hammond, Keeley Hughes, Mia McKinley, Ella Mitchell, Yasmin Scott and Olivia Sweetnam

Thanks to Coach: Lauren Brake and Manager: Amanda Sweetnam

Annie is missing from the photograph.

Monday Night Netball

The Summer Season 2 Competition has also been cancelled. It was due to start in Term 3 and with Community Sport restrictions not lifted until later in October, there would not have been time to have a full league. However, we can keep our fingers crossed and hope that we will return to the courts early in 2021!

The Lindisfarne Lions Netball Club Presentation Evening will now take place on Friday 5 November. 

How this will look will depend on the pandemic measures, but we are hoping we can have all of the Netball Community join us in the Ngahriyah to celebrate the 2021 season. The Passing the Pride, when the 2022 captain is announced to work alongside Ebony Richards, and we thank Samantha Harvey for her outstanding contribution to netball at Lindisfarne, will also take place on Presentation Evening.

Netball Colours for Year 9 - Year 12 players will also be awarded. Players will have to have represented the School for 2 consecutive years to receive half-colours and for full-colours they need to have been involved in Netball at Rep level also.

Netball Coaching 2022

Anyone who is interested in, even looking forward to, coaching a Lindisfarne Team in 2022, please contact Head Coach Suzanne Evans for an information pack. Suzanne is running courses for all levels of coaching on:

Saturday 30 October - 9am - 12noon

Saturday 6 November - 9am - 12noon

You may also like to gain accreditation for your netball coaching expertise. If so, then please could you make sure you have your current WWCC and have completed the Foundation Course. The course costs $65 and will be refunded when you are a Lions Coach next year. 

Netball Centre of Excellence 

In November, we will conduct some after School and Saturday training workshops for all players who wish to trial for the 2022 Centre of Excellence and the Rep squads. Players may attend all of their age appropriate sessions but this is not mandatory. The workshops will be run at Arkinstall Park by some of our present coaches who will assist in selecting the squads. The teams will be named before the end of the year.

The Netball Workshop dates and times are:

Thursday 28 October - 4.30pm - 6.30pm for Year 7 - Open (Boys included) Formal

Thursday 4 November - 4.30pm - 6.30pm for Year 4 - Year 8

Saturday 6 November - 9am - 12noon for Year 4 - Year 8

Tuesday 9 November - 4.30pm - 6.30pm for Year 7 - Open (Boys included)

Thursday 11 November - 4.30pm - 6.30pm for Year 7 - Year 10 (Boys included)

Tuesday 16 November - 4.30pm - 6.30pm for Year 4 - Year 8 (Year 7 Orientation Day)

Thursday 18 November - 4.30pm - 6.30pm for Year 7 - Open (Boys included)

Congratulations to Tahlia Evans! A member of our Gold Lions Division 1 team and the TNA’s Under 19’s squad, Tahlia has been recognised for her talent on the “bigger” court:

NCAS hosted an online Presentation evening during the holidays and Tahlia was “sent” the Niki Taylor Memorial Award. This accolade was awarded for her absolute dedication to the Netball Program and being such an asset to the NCAS Squad.

Netball Queensland also announced Tahlia as a member of their 2022 U17s squad. They recognised her work throughout the year, playing in the Hart Sapphire Series and also being MVP at the last State Titles in 2020. Tahlia was not able to compete at the State Titles due to the lockdown.

Unfortunately, all of our Lions, who play for Tweed or South Coast, were unable to attend the State Age Championships for the second year in succession due to COVID-19. Most of the players had enjoyed a successful carnival season … and will hopefully have more luck and opportunities next year.

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

https://docs.google.com/forms/...Welcome back folks, hopefully we are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel with regards to ongoing lockdowns and the like. We are expecting restrictions to continue to limit our participation in events for the next few months, however we are very optimistic about the resumption of increased sport opportunities in 2022. 

We do however have a few good news stories, thanks to our QLD contingent who have been able to continue participating in competitions.

Spotlight on Flynn Southam 

Flynn Southam has created waves again with his scintillating times at the QLD Short Course meet in September. 

He was supposed to swim at the Junior World events that were cancelled this year in Kazan (Russia). After that was cancelled, there was an event that was to be held in Mackay - that was cancelled as well and moved to Brisbane, which was eventually cancelled as well! 

So the QLD Short Course meet was what the Junior kids had to swim for. 

Flynn swam in the Opens this year which was the first time ever competing outside of his Age group. The time he swam at 48.05 surpassed previously quickest 16 year olds; Kyle Chalmers at 48.65 and Ian Thorpe at 48.74. 

For the swimming or athletic purists out there, it was a near even split - 24.01/24.04. 

Watch the 100m freestyle - here  and the related SwimSwam magazine article here.

He also swam the 100m Backstroke and dropped a couple of seconds there - this was a huge negative split at 53.6. Watch the 100m backstroke - here

 These times are unbelievable, and those words aren’t typed out lightly on my behalf. He is on the radar all over the world as potentially the next big deal in swimming coming out of Australia. Case in point the Swimming World magazine article -here.

Spotlight on James Letters

Despite the restrictions, the National Schools Futsal Championships took place during the school holidays -  albeit COVID modified to the “Queensland Invitational Futsal Championships”, with only one or two other states able to send teams. Based in Queensland, James Letters (Year 6) represented Lindisfarne in a hastily rejigged U12 squad. Also selected (back in June) by the Australian Futsal Association for the 2021 National School Futsal Championships, and initially training in the squad with James, were Lucas Greaves, David Wallis and Evan Williams. It is unfortunate that these NSW based players then missed out on the tournament, it is a great achievement for all Lindisfarne players who were selected to play at national level.

James Letters was thrown into a ragtag team – called South Coast Maroon – who didn’t know all of each other’s names when the four-day tournament began. Yet, after all nine league games, they conceded the fewest goals of any squad and finished second on the ladder of 10 teams. James’ team squeezed through the playoff semi-final 3-2 and, in the final, lost 7-4 to the academy-based team that had topped the table.

Playing mainly from the back, James scored 9 goals and provided numerous assists and plenty of positivity. The tournament ended with a presentation night at Dreamworld, where the South Coast Maroons took to the stage on Main Street to receive their runners-up medals. Afterwards, James was invited to represent Queensland U13s on a tour of Fiji next June.

Student Cafe sign-ups available - Instructional video here

Please note that we want to roll these events out for trials and training as soon as we get clearance from the NSW Health directives.

The Australian Schools Volleyball Cup is now played on the Gold Coast

We are taking registrations now for Lindisfarne's inaugural entry in the Australian Schools Volleyball Cup (a 5 day competition that runs in the last week of school in December on the Gold Coast). The tournament operators of this event are determined to proceed - even if it is just for QLD schools.

We will be running hour-long morning or afternoon training sessions for our squads that will be encouraged as compulsory for the selected students. Please register your interest via Student Cafe in the following age divisions and we will be back in touch with further details via email:

Year 7 and 8 Girls

Year 7 and 8 Boys 

Year 9 and 10 Girls

Year 9 and 10 Boys 

**The tournament organisers are intending to run this competition - even if it is just for the predominant QLD schools, or schools that can access the border. However, Lindisfarne needs to see Level 3 directives to be changed to Level 2 or better to be able to compete.  

Australian Schools Basketball Championships

The 2021 Australian School Championships will be held from Saturday 27 November- Thursday 2 December at Carrara Indoor Sports Stadium on the Gold Coast. This is the first year of a three year tenure at the Gold Coast, and a magnificent opportunity on our doorstep for our Basketball enthusiasts - of which there are many here at Lindisfarne! We will be taking player registrations very soon through Student Cafe and running trials. Training will be an hour long block either before or after school to prepare rigorously for this tournament. U15 Boys U15 Girls U17 Boys U17 Girls U20 Boys U20 Girls U15 Division: for players aged 14 years and younger as at 31 December, 2021 – born in 2007 or later U17 Division: for players aged 16 years and younger as at 31 December, 2021 – born in 2005 or later U20 Division: for players aged 19 years and younger as at 31 December, 2021 – born in 2002 or later.

Damian Clucas
Head of Sports and Activities

Throughout Term 3, Year 9 have been engaged in a study of texts 'On the Stage'. For 9A, this included a particular focus on the iconic film 'The Sandlot'. While conversations about how the screenwriters, directors and actors told an engaging story of friendship, coming of age and sporting mythology, the students were also dutifully involved in an analysis of 'Americana'; particularly the text's depiction of the s'mores delicacy. As the comedic sidekick 'Ham' explains, making a s'more is quite a delicate process, but boy do they taste good.

"First, you take the graham. You stick the chocolate on the graham. Then, you roast the mallow. When the mallow's flaming, you stick it on the chocolate. Then you cover it with the other end. Then, you scarf. Kind of messy, but good. Try some."

Kane Bradford
English Teacher / Head-Professional Practice, Innovation and Partnerships

Term 4 is shaping up to be a full and positive term. Students have received their Term 3 results and no doubt are working towards finishing the year strongly.

This term, our students will be involved in the following study:

• Year 7: Thinking Visually
• Year 8: Appropriation
• Year 9: Visual Literacy & Film 
• Year 10: Searching for Truth: Non Fiction
• Year 11 into Year 12 HSC course work: Texts & Human Experience (Tim Winton, ‘The Boy Behind the Curtain’)

Classroom teachers will work with students to prepare for their upcoming examinations (depending on the year level as to whether these occur in scheduled classes or as part of the year level exam block) that will happen around weeks 4-6.

As always, I am here to support all English students so please reach out if I can assist in any way.

Kylie Wharton
Acting Director of English

A look into a Year 9 Maths Lesson

Looking at maths through the lens of a year 9 student this week would show students learning about measurement. Students love to get busy with hands-on Maths tasks that deepen their understanding of difficult concepts.  

Year 12 HSC Workshop - Guest Speaker Stuart Palmer

On Wednesday, Stuart Palmer from Sydney presented a 90 minute workshop to our Year 12 Standard Maths students.  Stuart is an expert on teaching and marking HSC Mathematics. He spoke to our students about maximising their success and common mistakes. He also spoke about the importance of being fluent with the common content between Advanced Maths and Standard Maths. Stuart gave students access to some really good resources. 

Caitriona McCann
Teacher of Mathematics

Welcome back to Term 4 and already temperatures of 30 degrees!

We hope you enjoyed a relaxing and recharging rest during the break from school, and now are ready to strongly finish the academic year.

We would also like to remind all of the students to be prepared for their PDHPE practical classes with the correct uniform, including a hat, and being sunsmart with suncream and a full water bottle.

This term, Year 7 PDHPE classes will be investigating a range of risky scenarios, with a significant focus on safety. When the students were asked to list the physical activities they thought they would participate in this summer, unsurprisingly a large percentage of the activities involved water.

In the heat of the moment, the teenage brain does not always identify the hazards in a situation or calculate the risk involved with an activity. Consider jumping off a bridge into the creek, swimming in the dam on a cousin’s farm, backflipping into the pool at home or even riding your bike down to the local beach. All of these typical summer time activities need some forethought. We need to help our children to think about factors such as; the paddle boarder coming through from the other side of the bridge, the others swimming below them, the log lying below the surface of the muddy water or even the road safety on the ride to the beach.

Taking risks is part of life and definitely part of the journey into adulthood. However, as we tell the students in class:  "Take a mate with you ... Take a minute to think about it  … and stay safe"!

Please note a date for the diary: Friday, 22 October is Pink and Blue Day.

Students will be invited to wear Pink and Blue mufti (normal rules apply) and donate to the Cancer Council. 

The PDHPE Faculty

Welcome back to Term 4 and the last installment of what has been a turbulent year. This is the exciting time when our Year 11 students become the new Year 12 cohort and begin their final four terms of school. The current Year 12 who are normally on study vacation are back in class for nine more days of preparation before they begin the delayed Higher School Certificate examinations. We wish all of our senior students well as they begin their respective journeys.

This week the Science faculty farewelled Brooke Magnum who is off on maternity leave. We wish her good fortune as she begins the epic, ageless journey of motherhood with all of its difficulties, discomforts, heartaches and rapturous, unbridled joy.

Meanwhile, in a first for Lindisfarne, Brooke is being replaced by her sister Jaye Magnum who comes to us fresh from completing her Masters of Education degree. We welcome Jaye and look forward to working with her for the next four terms in Brooke’s absence. It will certainly be easy for the students who will still be taught by “Ms Magnum”!

In Science news, the Nobel Prize for Physiology has been awarded to two scientists who have worked out the chemical pathways that enable us to feel touch. This is such a ubiquitous sensation that it tends to be taken for granted but no one has ever known how it works. Reflect for a moment on what life would be like without the sensation of sun on your skin, a comforting hug, or warm hands on a cold winter’s morning. Now that the chemistry of touch has been unravelled, the hope is that it may lead to new approaches in fields like chronic pain relief. You can read more about this breakthrough by clicking on the link below: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2021/summary/

And so it continues: Observe, hypothesise, experiment, repeat. The endless cycle of discovery.

Enjoy your week in Science and appreciate the senses you have inherited.

Hamish Inksetter
Science Teacher

During the holidays Daniel and I along with some other year 11 students were fortunate enough to attend the Round Square International Conference for 2021. It was a great opportunity to be a part of and really helped expand our perspectives on the world. Over the 4 days we spoke about different topics ranging from climate issues to ethical leadership. Providing us with the opportunity to voice our own opinions or listen to new ones around these topics. Personally I have definitely grown from this experience as we were able to interact with people that live in circumstances beyond what we see in Australia and I would strongly recommend being a part of it when the opportunity next arises. 

Usually this summit would be held in person but due to the current conditions it had to be changed to an interactive online platform. Throughout the platform there were multiple things to do such as the picnic tables where you can talk to the others online about many different issues such as ethical leadership And culture differences. There was also a cinema for people to display their culture and games and a selfie wall as well. Each day there was a short presentation from influential people such as movie directors and authors who all shared their opinions on the topics. At the end of each session we broke into smaller groups on a zoom meet where we were all given a chance to share our own opinion on the topics and helped to expand our view and understanding on these topics as all the different cultures shared a different experience. It was definitely a great experience to do and really opens up your eyes to the different cultures around the world. 

Abby Pirotta
School Captain 2022