2021 Term 4 Week 7 19 Nov 2021

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,

Retirement - Noelene Wright

Today was a significant one in the life of our School as Head of School Operations Mrs Noelene Wright officially completed her last day at the school after announcing her retirement earlier this year.

Mrs Wright has served the School with distinction over the last 24 years in a number of important roles.  A special presentation was made by Year 12 student School Captain Daniel Green and Year 8 student Scout Bee Jones of The Lindisfarne Story an indigenous artwork by past Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School parent and artist Marie Laruffa. Daniel’s words of appreciation on behalf of the student body below and the presentation was streamed to Year 5-12 classrooms.

Good morning everyone. My name is Daniel Green and I am one of the School Captains for 2022.

It gives me great pleasure to stand here to speak on behalf of the student body to recognise the decades-long service Mrs Noelene Wright has given to Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School.

 Mrs Wright has held many significant positions during her time at Lindisfarne, including Head of Mathematics, Head of Senior School and more recently, Head of School Operations.

 However, it is her role as an astute mathematician and exceptional educator I would like to pay tribute to today.

 During her time at Lindisfarne, Mrs Wright has worked alongside innumerable students, helping to draw the best out of each of them in order to reach their potential. Mrs Wright epitomises what it is to be a Lindisfarne teacher.

 On behalf of the Lindisfarne students (both past and present), I would like to wish Mrs Wright health and happiness as she embarks on the next chapter of her life, and thank her for the outstanding contribution to our School.

On behalf of the School Community, I express a heartfelt thank you to Noelene Wright for her incredible service to Lindisfarne Anglcan Grammar School and trust as she walks up the stairs today for the final time in an official capacity that she will do so with the deep satisfaction of a job well done.

Capital Works

This is a very exciting time at Lindisfarne as we plan, commence and complete a number of significant projects.

The Senior Centre

To be submitted for Development Approval in 2022 for completion in 2023.

The rich and interactive learning environment of the Senior Centre encourages higher-level thinking skills, and student engagement that is supported by flexible and adaptive spaces aligned to learning beyond school. The Centre promotes multiple modes of student learning, supporting both individual and group work, providing space for presentation and exploration, promoting interaction and a sense of community, and fostering both formal and informal learning. It includes teaching and learning spaces, an examination centre, amenities, a careers centre and an expanded school gym.

Mahers Lane Junior School

To be submitted for Development Approval in 2022, construction anticipated 2023, occupation 2024.

The Mahers Lane Junior School buildings provide the students with a warm and welcoming environment, striving to take advantage of the site features including significant views and established landscape. The Junior School will include teaching and learning spaces, student and staff amenities, a multifunction covered space, sports field and play space. The design is reflective of this and provides facilities that can change not only with the times but even on a day-to-day basis. 

Sunshine Avenue Early Learning Centre

Development Approval complete, Tenders accepted and awarded. Construction contract to be signed 6 December 2021. Completion in 2022. Occupation 2023.

The Early Learning Centre located at Sunshine Avenue will provide 6 new classrooms - 3 for Preschool students and 3 for Kindergarten students. Expansive outdoor play areas, open classrooms with modern breakout spaces and flexible furniture will future proof this innovative learning space. This long-awaited and much-anticipated facility will transform our much loved and outstanding Sunshine Avenue Campus - the home of Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School.

Mahers Lane - Middle School

Construction finally approaches completion with occupation for the commencement of the 2022 school year.

Whilst this has been at times a challenging project with significant wet weather and Covid-19 related construction delays, the end result will be an outstanding facility, we are now on track for handover of the building. The new Middle School building located in the heart of the Mahers Lane campus is a 3-storey building consisting of 12 large classrooms on levels 1 and 2 with operable walls, expansive breakout spaces onto the external balconies, flexible learning options, staff hub and student amenities, and an extensive landscaped outdoor learning area.

The ground level consists of a large "commons" space which will house entire year group assemblies, provide spaces for STEM and other large indoor activities and events. 

End of Year Events

As communicated last week we are dealing with very difficult circumstances as a result of the New South Wales Government’s recent changes to permissible events. Despite being an Independent School, Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School has to follow the same New South Wales Government directives as all other schools in the State. This means that all visitors/guests aged over 16 years must provide proof of double COVID-19 vaccination or a medical contraindication certificate in order to attend school events including all of our end of year events as per the New South Wales Government Covid-19 response.  This includes school parents. Students currently enrolled at Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School are exempt from this requirement when attending events on the school site.

It is certainly frustrating that New South Wales schools have effectively been backed into a corner - having to require double dose vaccination or a medical contraindication certificate for any school event with visitors over the age of 16 years including school parents. However, this is currently standard practice across all New South Wales schools for the immediate future - certainly up to 15 December or when 95% double dose vaccination is achieved, whichever comes first. I apologise for the distress this has caused some of our families. It is my hope that we will soon emerge from the ongoing challenges of the Covid-19 global pandemic and we can return to a more normal life, albeit a new normal.

In the meantime, we remain grateful that at least all of our students can be part of the end of year events. 

Thank you again for your continued patience and understanding as we navigate the global Covid-19 pandemic and the many challenges of day to day life and work.

Stuart Marquardt
Principal

Dear Students, Staff, Parents and Guardians,

It was wonderful to spend time during the week welcoming 2022 new students and their families, and acknowledging those transitioning from Junior School to Middle School. Thank you to staff and teachers for your assistance in making these events memorable.

We thank our students for staying the course: finishing their assessment tasks and exams, and continuing to learn and mature, despite the challenges of another pandemic year. We continue to pray for our Year 12 and HSC Exam students as they complete their exams and prepare for their rites of passage.

As we journey towards Christmas, I would like to invite and encourage you to join me once again this week in an Advent spiritual pilgrimage of making our hearts a manger where Christ can be born again.

Some Advent Spiritual Pilgrimage Tips: 

1.Instead of asking what am I going to buy for Christmas, ask who am I going to help this Christmas? As Mother Teresa said, it’s Christmas every day when we let the love of God shine on others through us. Please join us in supporting the Tweed Women’s Refuge by donating a gift card. See link here please

2.Christmas is about the joy of Christ’s presence among us. The angels rejoiced at Jesus’ birth. How can I be joyful this Advent and Christmas? Firstly, ask the Holy Spirit to make your life joyful by praying: Come Holy Spirit! Secondly, ``Watch your mind”, admonished Victor M. Parachin in an article, Choose Joy: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is love, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things (Philippians 4:8). Treat your mind like a garden by weeding out thoughts which are hostile, uncharitable and angry.

5.Practice contemplation, which means ‘resting in God’ and God’s tender love for you and for all creation. Contemplation helps us to see ourselves, others and the whole creation the way God sees them -with joy, delight and expectation.

6.Fast from gossip and the tendency to see only the bad and evil things in the world, church, society, school and in others. Instead, be equally open to and recognize all the good and lovely things that are part of our daily lives and the lives of others.

7.Be a thanker: every day, find opportunities to be grateful to God and thank ‘someone for something’. As Br. David Steindl-Rast aptly puts it, it is not happiness that makes us grateful, it is gratefulness that makes us happy.

Finally, thanks to 3NC and Mrs Laurelle Gilmour for having me in your class yesterday and for sharing your work this term with me.

I wish you all a very restful and enjoyable weekend. Thank you for who you are and for all you do for our Lindisfarne school and community.

Rev. Constantine Osuchukwu
Chaplain

The 19th of November is International Men's Day and is recognised around the world to appreciate the great men in our community, celebrate all our diversity, and highlight the challenges men face. In Australia, some of the issues men face include: 

• 77% of all suicides are men.
• 66% of violent deaths are men.
• Men, on average, have a life expectancy six years less than women.
• Boys underperform girls at every stage of education.
• Fathers who want to be more involved in their children’s lives face a range of barriers.

However, despite all of these issues, men are still told they must live by the stereotypes of the masculine man who doesn't break or have any emotions but rather told, “Man Up” or “Men and boys don’t need help”. This is why International Men's Day is so important. It is a day that celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. It helps to highlight positive role models and raise awareness of wellbeing and the contributions that men make to society for the greater good of all.

Daniel Green and Ronan Green
2022 School Captain and School Vice Captain

Please confirm your attendance via this link.

Welcome to the wonderful world of science! 

Lindisfarne is a wealth of incredible knowledge and Year 3 had the chance to tap into the expertise of two of our passionate Mahers Lane Science teachers, Mr Inksetter and Mr Francis. This dynamic duo spent the day at Sunshine Ave last week, engaging each class in a series of exciting demonstrations and captivating the minds of our budding scientists. We learnt many fascinating facts before making some curious discoveries of our own. Colour changing, bubbling liquid wowed the audience, the transfer of heat was explored with surprising results, bubble behaviour when near dry ice was investigated and water rockets were blasted high into the sky! 

Over the course of the day, observations were made, hypotheses were tested and our love of all things science grew exponentially thanks to Mr Inksetter and Mr Francis’ dynamic, engaging presentations. We cannot thank these teachers enough for creating such a memorable educational experience for our students. 

Year 3 Teachers

Thank you to those parents who attended the Year 7 Orientation Information Session via Zoom on Monday evening. It was great to connect with everyone and share an overview of what students can expect for their orientation and ongoing education as they enter Year 7 in 2022. For those who missed the session, it is available below.

On Tuesday we hosted the students for a day on campus to provide information on what to expect heading into Year 7. It was a great opportunity for current and new students to come together for some lessons and fun activities. A huge thank you must go to the 2022 Senior and Middle School Student Leaders who supported the day with fun activities and shared their own experiences. Of course, thank you to Mrs Julie McDowell for her monumental efforts in making the day as enjoyable and informative as possible and the Homeroom Teachers for their commitment to supporting the students as they undertake one of the more significant transitions during the education journey. It is this true sense of care for our students from our teachers that shines through in these activities.

On Tuesday evening we hosted the Year 5 Orientation Information Session via Zoom, and again we include this recording for your reference.

On Wednesday, current Year 4 students and new students enrolled for Year 5 in 2022 attended a Liturgy in Ngahriyah. Current Year 5 students and staff welcomed the 2022 Year 5 students and presented them with a welcome gift to recognise this important milestone from Junior school to Middle School.     

It was wonderful to have family members attending the service now that revised COVID-19 restrictions are in place for school transition events. 

We continue to work and learn together right up until the last bell on the last day of school and thank parents for their support in upholding our school’s expectations and standards as we wrap up the 2021 school year.

Jeremy Godden
Head of Middle School

On Wednesday, our current Year 4 and Year 5 students, students new to Lindisfarne in 2022, parents, friends and teachers had the opportunity to gather in Ngahriyah to celebrate the incoming Year 5 2022 cohort. Reverend Constantine led a beautiful service and positive and welcoming messages were shared by Mr Godden and Mr Marquardt about personal growth and seizing opportunities. The current Year 5 students were delighted to be able to present each Year 4 with a gift of offering. The gifts included a customised pencil case, a handball, pencil and a notepad, in order to help them prepare for the new year.

After the formalities of the Liturgy, the Year 5 2022 students joined Year 5 for morning tea, before meeting some of our Year 8 leaders who took them on a ‘selfie hunt’. This was an opportunity for the new and current Year 4 students to take another tour around the school and become just that little more familiar with the grounds. Particular highlights included seeing the woodwork room and watching some of Mr Smith’s Year 8 practical science lesson.

Another activity that was enjoyable was the ‘Question and Answer’ session. Approximately six students from each Year 5 class were selected to be a part of a panel to answer questions about what life in Year 5 was like. There were a lot of questions about sport, the buses and perhaps the most curious topic of all- homework! 

The general consensus from Year 5 2021 was that they thoroughly enjoyed seeing people they knew from the Junior School, as well as meeting new friends who will be new to Lindisfarne next year. Most of all, they are extremely excited to be able to help them find their way around.

We hope that the Year 5 2022 students had a wonderful time joining us and we can’t wait to see them all again!

Amy Williamson
Year 5 Coordinator

Careers and VET

The National Skills Commission (NSC) has recently published its Skills Priority List for June 2021. It has the responsibility for providing trusted and independent information on Australia’s labour market. The Skills Priority List provides a detailed view of shortages as well as the future demand for occupations across Australia. It may be interesting to explore and discuss with your children as they investigate future pathways and careers. Please find a link to the report here. While this information is useful for growth within an occupation does not guarantee more job opportunities because the number of people seeking work may outnumber the job openings. Even occupations with declining job prospects can offer job opportunities as people move across jobs. It is difficult to accurately predict long term job prospects. Unexpected events such as the pandemic can have an enormous impact on the labour market. Consequently, when making career decisions, a job's prospect is just one piece of information to consider. Other information includes interests, skills, values, aspirations, work preferences, education and training requirements.

For those who may be considering a university pathway, the Good Universities Guide has published their top performers in their 2021 rating results. These rankings and insights into Australian universities can help when deciding where to study. Click here for the ratings in the following categories:

• Characteristics
• The educational experience
• Graduate outcomes

Lauren Ward
Director of Careers and VET

Club Netball

The Lindisfarne Lions Netball Club Presentations will now be held on Friday 26 November. We will celebrate the 2021 season in teams during School hours. 

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 this occasion. Netball Colours for Year 9 - Year 12 players will also be awarded. 

Managers and Coaches have been invited to call in and meet the Parent Support Group at the Terranora Pavilions between 3.45pm and 6pm on Wednesday 24 November, so we can personally thank them for their dedicated time and efforts for the Lindisfarne Lions Netball Club this year.

Team Photographs were taken of the Cubs, Pink, Purple, Crimson and Orange Lions teams at Sunshine Avenue this week and catch-up photos of some of the senior players who were absent on the Mahers Lane photo day.

All Middle School Netball players will be invited to play in a Round-Robin tournament in elective time on Wednesday 1 December at the Mahers Lane courts. The season fizzled to a finish and we would like all of the Lions to have the opportunity to erase that disheartening memory and replace it with a better one!

Tweed Netball Association are hosting their Saturday Netball Presentation Day on Saturday 4 December at Arkinstall Park from 8.30am to 10.30am. This is for ALL of our teams, our NETSETGO 5s and 6s and our 7s/8s Pink and Purple Lions. 

TNA will also be presenting the Meg Grace Award, The Nicole Cusack Award - to ex-student Tahlia Evans, Junior and Senior Umpires of the Year and the Rep Winners. 

Please let your manager know that you are able to attend this morning - in your Lindisfarne dresses please! I will send more information closer to the time.

Netball Centre of Excellence 

It has been fabulous seeing the netball players back at the Arkinstall Park courts. It has been equally fantastic meeting some new faces and we welcome them into our netball family. The workshops have been so well attended with over 90 players joining in the skills, drills and game sessions run by Club Ambassador Nicole Cusack, Head Coach Suzanne Evans, Alumni Netball Captain Georgia Maynard and Opens Coach Lauren Brake. The teams will be named before the end of the year. Thanks also to Ramesh Sivabalan who supplied us all with ice lollies on Tuesday!

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 School Sport

Jump Rope for Heart

Just an update for the Jump Rope for Heart program prize winners from Term 3.

I have been following up about the prizes, last week I was contacted by the Jump Rope for Heart team to let me know that there has been a backlog of prizes for the program. They have assured me that prizes will be sent out in the next week. Once we receive them we will distribute them to the prize winners as soon as possible. I do thank you all for your patience with this as it is out of our control. 

Spotlight on Students

Isaac Lloyd 3A competed in the Yamba nippers surf life-saving carnival representing Cabarita SLSC over the weekend. He competed in the:

• Flags
• Open Water Swim
• Individual Beach Sprint
• Beach Sprint Relay

Isaac won Bronze in all 4 events. A fantastic achievement for him, Congratulations Isaac. 

Nathan Croft

Mahers Lane Sport

Duke Of Edinburgh

The roll out for the Duke of Edinburgh Award has begun this week with Year 8 having a short introductory presentation in Home Room Wednesday.  Lindisfarne’s introductory letter that was sent to the Year 8 cohort with some general details about the award can be sourced - here.

Damien Clucas will be running a parent information evening (online) next Wednesday 25 November - at 5.30pm, which will last around 45 minutes. If you would like to register your interest - please sign up here and we will send you the meeting link.

Some further information about the award:

• Flyer from Duke of Ed - here
• Short video with brief overview of the award - here

We look forward to getting some solid numbers across this cohort and building this program across the school community.

Athletics

The NSW All Schools Athletics is being held in Sydney from 9 to 12 December (please see here for more details on registration and event times). Although parents and students will make their own travel arrangements if they are competing, Dr. Joseph Coyne will be supporting students going to the carnival with training sessions at the school and coaching at the event. If you would like more details, please contact Dr. Coyne here. Also if you have not already, please let the Sports Department know as soon as possible if you intend to compete, as you will need to borrow a Lindisfarne competition singlet prior to departure.

Basketball

The Lindisfarne Lions Basketball program for 2022 will involve games for boys and girls in 1st V, U17, U15 and U13 teams across the full school year. Please register your interest if you or your children would like to be involved in the program through please register through parent lounge or student cafe.

Parent Lounge:

> Extra Curricular

> Sign up now and “sign up” for

> Basketball Lindisfarne Lions

> Verify

> Sign up 

>Submit to school

Student Cafe:  

Please see a short instructional video here for student cafe sign up.

 If you would like more details, please contact Dr. Coyne here.

Rugby

We have launched the inaugural Lindisfarne Lions Rugby Union program for 2022 during senior and middle school assemblies this past week. This program will involve games in both XV and 7-a-side for 1st XV/7, under 15 and under 13 teams across the full school year. The program will also consist of 3 training sessions per week made up of a contact and individual skill session, a strength and conditioning session and full team session.  We also had a wonderful message from our alumni and current Australian Rugby Union  7’s squad member, Lily Dick in support of the program. You can watch this message here. More information can be found here and if you or your children would like to be involved in the program, please register through parent lounge or student cafe.

Parent Lounge:

> Extra Curricular

> Sign up now and “sign up” for

> Rugby Program 2022

> Verify

> Sign up 

> Submit to school

Student Cafe:  

Please see a short instructional video here for student cafe sign up.

Tennis

The annual Lindisfarne Tennis Championships are being held during the day next week on Thursday 25, November. Nominations are closed for this, however if you are interested there is a small window for you to register your child  in the competition before the draws are finalised. 

Spotlight on Lyla Williams

Lyla had a successful trip to Sydney last weekend winning the 3000m Race Walk in a time of  14.57.34 at the Athletics NSW 2021 Championships at SOPAC. She would appear to be in very good shape heading into the looming NSW All Schools Championships. Well done Lyla!

Spotlight on Olivia Kane

Olivia Kane was awarded with the Technical Directors Athlete Award -  out of a pool of all the girls that play for Souths United Football Club in National Premier League - Womens. Super effort Oliva, you have a bright Footballing future ahead of you.

Spotlight on Jack Kane

Jack Kane (sibling of Olivia) received player of the year for Gold Coast United U8 SAP program. Brilliant work Jack - amongst some very talented opposition vying for that award no doubt. 

Damien Clucas
Head of Sport

B.E.E presents Lindisfarne Online Marketplace

This year the Business, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise faculty is launching our first-ever online marketplace. This is the culmination of this year’s Middle School Business, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Club and Year 9 Commerce. Our students have created a range of wonderful products including Christmas cards, bath salts, surf wax, digital prints, dog bandanas and peanut butter. To create these products students have gone through the entire process of bringing an idea to market, including design, manufacturing, and marketing. All proceeds go to charity, making this the perfect opportunity to support our students and their charitable endeavours.  A perfect opportunity to pick up the perfect Christmas gift for a loved one.

To purchase go to the websites below and complete a google order form through the links provided. Purchases in most cases are made by preorder, following your order you will receive details on payment and how to collect your goods when they are finalised.

Please contact the students through their websites for specific questions and contact me at bmalone@lindisfarne.nsw.edu.au with any questions.

Gyotaku 魚拓 “Fish Printing” Cross-Curricular Activity

Japanese Calligraphy and Culture Crush Club and Marine and Aquaculture Students

This week, students from Japanese Calligraphy & Culture Crush Club joined with Year 10 Marine & Aquaculture students to attempt the ‘maiden-voyage’ of gyotaku fish printing, as a cross-curricular activity. 

What is gyotaku? 魚拓とは何ですか。

Gyotaku (魚拓, from gyo "fish" + taku "stone impression") is the traditional Japanese method of printing fish, a practice which dates back to the mid-1800s. This form of nature printing was used by fishermen to record their catches, but has also become an art form of its own.

The gyotaku method of printmaking uses fish, sea creatures, or similar subjects as its 'printing plates'. Prints were made using sumi ink and washi paper. It is rumoured that samurai would settle fishing competitions using gyotaku prints. This original form of gyotaku, as a recording method for fishermen, is still used today, and can be seen hanging in tackle shops in Japan.

Gyotaku: The ancient Japanese art of printing fish - K. Erica Dodge

Why Calligraphy Club + Marine Studies?

Ink + Fish

This was a fantastic opportunity to bring real-world meaning to content connecting history, biology, art, language and cultural understanding, to teach transferable skills, increase engagement and rigour, and best of all for students to learn from each other! 

Students from Years 5 through to Year 10 took on the roles of learner and teacher at different stages of the activity, which culminated in the creation of some impressive gyotaku prints and even a demonstration of fish-filleting and dissection by Brodie McDowell.

ありがとう！

Thank you to Ms Alborough and Mrs Sands for the work done ‘behind the scenes’ in preparation and assistance in running the gyotaku lessons, and Mr Marriott for his keen interest and backing. It was a great success thanks to your support!

Click 'expand article' to see the photos.

ゴデン先生

Louise Godden
Japanese Teacher

This week, a peek into a year 7 class might show year 7 students embarking on the LAGS Amazing race. The challenge involved students planning a trip around the world visiting various different landmarks and time zones. They were required to research real flight times and perform calculations with a $20K budget. Students also had to take a “selfie” of themselves at the famous landmark. Much fun was had with this activity and also a little consolidation of managing a budget and virtually booking flights, not to mention the upskilling in Photoshop!

Other spotlights into maths classrooms might reveal Year 9 students on a geometry scavenger hunt as they consolidate learning around properties of angles. Others were learning how to work like an architect or a drafter (a drafter is an engineering technician who use scale to make detailed technical drawings or plans for machinery, buildings, electronics, infrastructure, sections, etc.) They are also exploring how to interpret and perform calculations with scale on real maps. An important skill not just for cartographers but any one interpreting a map. 

Caitriona McCann
Teacher

Students hitting the high notes

This week we received confirmation that three students from the Class of 2021 have successfully gained entry to prestigious Conservatoriums across the country following a rigorous performance audition process.

Jemma McNicoll, Georgia Sweetnam and Gabriella Hill will all be continuing their musical development at a tertiary level next year. Jemma and Georgia have both gained entry to the Brisbane Conservatorium to undertake a Bachelor of Jazz Studies, whilst Gabriella has successfully auditioned for Monash University in Melbourne and the Sydney Conservatorium for her Bachelor of Music.

All of the students have not only completed elective studies in Music at Lindisfarne, they have all been dedicated members of our school ensembles, performed at countless school and community events and acted as role models to younger students.

The competition is fierce to gain entry to any of these courses due to the limited places on offer each year, with only a handful of positions available based on instrument/vocal balance of the courses.

We congratulate the girls on this momentous occasion and wish them every success in their future musical endeavors.

Stage Band Performance

Over the past 3 weeks, our Senior Stage Band has been rehearsing on Wednesday evenings at the Club Tweed in preparation for upcoming Graduation events and to blow off a few cobwebs after an extended break due to restrictions.

Next Thursday, 25 November, the band will have their final rehearsal at the Club, followed by a performance at 7.00pm. This performance will be the final public performance for our current Year 12 students and serve as farewell gig for long-term members Tori Aston, Madeleine Warner, Jemma McNicoll and Gabriella Hill.

Please join us as we “get the band back together” for this final gig for 2021 at the bowlo!

Active Listening 

Active listening skills are necessary for developing an empathetic classroom. In PDHPE lessons, when we endeavour to create an environment in which each student feels safe and encouraged to share their feelings and emotions, we must make them feel heard and express an active interest in what they are saying and feeling. 

As teachers, we do a lot of talking! Generally, we are very good at it! However, we must also invest time in listening. My Nanna always told me that; “God gave you two ears and one mouth so you can listen twice as much as you speak.” 

It is imperative to the health of our classroom community that we have excellent active listening skills and we thought we would share some tricks and strategies to help us all be more connected in our communications.

What Is Active Listening?

When actively listening, you are fully concentrating on what is being said and not thinking about what you will say next. It means listening with a genuine desire to understand the speaker’s feelings and perspective without placing judgment. In addition, active listening involves listening with all your senses. Interest can be conveyed to the speaker by using both verbal and nonverbal cues, like nodding your head or agreeing by saying “yes” to encourage them to continue speaking. By providing these cues, the person speaking will usually feel more at ease and communicate more easily and openly.

What Are the Benefits of Active Listening?

There are many benefits of active listening, including:

• Better relationships
• Reduced tension in communications
• Improved trust in communications
• Positive atmosphere and safe environment
• A sign of respect for what the speaker is saying

Active listening helps growth in the areas of communication skills, social-emotional development, and student confidence. Students are better able to communicate ideas and feelings since they have heard others do so. Those who develop active listening skills are less likely to feel frustrated and more likely to feel prepared and confident in their abilities. In addition, active listening promotes mindful thinking, which can reduce anxiety and depression.

Tips for Active Listening

• Paraphrase

Once the speaker has finished expressing a thought, paraphrase what they said to make sure you understand and to show that you are paying attention. Things you can say are “What I hear you saying is…,” “It sounds like…,” or “If I understand you right….”

• Ask questions

When appropriate, ask questions to encourage the speaker to elaborate on their thoughts and feelings. Try to avoid jumping to conclusions about what is being said. Instead, ask questions such as, “When you say_____, do you mean_____?” to clarify their meaning.

• Use body language

As the listener, show that you are engaged and interested by nodding, facing the other person, and maintaining an open and relaxed body posture. Try to avoid attending to distractions in your environment or checking your phone. In addition, be mindful of your facial expressions. Avoid expressions that might convey disapproval.

• Show empathy

If the speaker voices negative feelings, try to validate them rather than question them. Try to consider why they feel this way and put yourself in their shoes. You could say, “I can understand how that situation could cause frustration.”

• Avoid judgement

Your goal is to understand the speaker’s perspective. Try not to interrupt with your own opinions. Getting emotionally involved, angry, or upset is something you don’t want to do. You are role modelling actie listening.

• Avoid giving advice too quickly

Allow the speaker to finish talking before attempting to give advice. You want to make sure that you fully understand them first. Moving too quickly into advice-giving can be counterproductive.

• Evaluate

After you have fully interpreted what the speaker has said, take a moment to evaluate the conversation.

• Know that just listening is sometimes enough

Sometimes people just want someone to listen to them. As teachers, we tend to want to “fix” our students’ problems for them. But if our minds are busy coming up with solutions for them, we fail to truly listen.

Active listening takes thought, practice, and a desire to put other’s feelings above your own. Using active listening skills can make a meaningful difference and practices empathy. It is something we hope to develop in ourselves … and in our students

Gay Maynard
The PDHPE Faculty

We in the Science faculty make a special effort to acknowledge the “A” in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, ARTS and Math).

Mathematics is a natural, in fact essential, match for Science, Technology and Engineering but the importance of the Arts is easily overlooked or consigned to a peripheral role and given token acknowledgement at best. Last year the Year 10 Visual Art students created a stunning mural depicting the story of life on Earth. This is now permanently displayed in Lab 1 and continues to impress when people see it for the first time.

This year, in a continuing collaboration, the Visual Art staff asked if their students could do another project on a science theme for the Year 10 Community Art assessment task. The science faculty was more than happy to oblige and the decision was made to commission a physics themed mural for the S11 Laboratory depicting the history of flight.

Like last year, the project began with a concept provided by the science faculty which was developed by the visual arts staff and the students themselves. Work is now underway and, once again, it is rewarding to see how enthusiastically the students have embraced the project. They are presenting the history of flight in pictures starting with the legend of Icarus (the chap who got carried away with the joy of flight and flew too close to the sun) and progressing through the very first flying vehicles (ornate hot air balloons from the 18th century), flight theory based on observations of bird’s wings, the controversy over who made the first successful powered flight, the vicious WW1 dogfights, Zeppelins, development of the Spitfire, helicopters, jet engines, breaking the sound barrier and the modern phenomenon of spacecraft and pilotless drones.

Science Matters will keep you up to date as the artwork progresses and we look forward to having it displayed in S11.

As the Great Man himself once said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” We would not have modern aeroplanes today without the imagination of people like Leonardo DeVinci who dreamed of flying centuries before it was even possible. Have a wonderful week in science and never, ever let go of your dreams.

Hamish Inksetter

Year 7 students have been bringing home carefully wrapped packages to share with you! They have been working on their clay face designs, inspired by their studies of Cubism. Students have been creative and patient as they have worked on this project around the various lockdowns and holidays. We do a bisque firing after construction and a glaze firing to add the colour. Thanks to our wonderful Art technician, Karen Hughes for caring for student work while we were in lockdown and firing over 220 masterpieces, twice! 7E have been exhibiting their work in the Library this week.

Mrs Bronwyn Dann
Acting Director of Visual Arts

Lindisfarne Digital Art Gallery Space and Year 12 Visual Art Showcase Exhibition

Year 12 Visual Artwork has been professionally photographed by James from JOG media this week. Due to current restrictions, we are unable to host our regular showcase exhibition at school and will launch a virtual gallery space on Friday 26 November. We are excited to invite parents, friends and the wider community to experience the work of our talented students. Please look out for the gallery link in next week’s newsletter.

Mrs Bronwyn Dann 
Acting Director of Visual Arts

Homework Club

With only two Wednesday remaining until the last day of the year,  this week was our last week of Homework Club. Thank you to all of the students who have attended this year and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in Term 1 2022.

Ad Astra Advanced Academic Program

We have received an overwhelming number of applications to our Ad Astra program for 2022, which is fantastic. The team will be working through the data over the coming weeks and will notify students and their families when places have been finalised.

Jodie Duggan
Director of Learning Enrichment

Last week was National Recycling Week. This is an annual event that is put on by Planet Ark to help educate Australians about the importance of recycling correctly and what actually happens to our waste once it has been collected. Last week our Junior School participated in National Recycling Week with students taking away knowledge on how they can improve their recycling habits. Students watched a number of educational videos and played an online Kahoot! quiz. The week was finished off with a school clean-up. It was so great to see our students actively participating in the activities. 

The videos that our students viewed can be watched below for anyone interested:

• Where Your Recycling Goes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEQZ6oiE94M

• Tips For Reducing Waste & What Can Be Made From Recycled Items: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9dl8VyKO10&list=PLN6q_1UaRZU4xE3fPYZhH-EuxBXX4khQl&index=3

• What Happens To The Bread Tags From The Recycling Hub: https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/adelaide-charity-recycling-bread-tags-for-a-good/13031710

Patrick Brabant
School Assistant - Sustainability