2021 Term 4 Week 9 3 Dec 2021

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Year 12 Eucharist and Farewell Assembly

Last night and again this morning we gathered to give thanks for and celebrate the class of 2021.

I have nothing but admiration for how this remarkable group of young people have faced and responded to the complexities of the last two years supported by an equally committed staff and the love of family and friends.

Today we recognised the start of the final steps our Year 12 students will take as they complete their educational journey at Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School and indeed their days at School.

With pushed back HSC exams now completed, and having shared in the Year 12 Eucharist last night, our attention turned to the Year 12 breakfast this morning,  embracing the Farewell and Final Assembly, planting the Year 12 tree, and taking that long-awaited walk of honour up the stairs of Mahers Lane. What a joyful occasion and celebration this morning was for the class of 2021, surrounded by the amazing staff and loving families who have journeyed with this much-respected group of young people.

We look forward to the joy of the School Formal on Saturday evening, sharing in the Christmas service Sunday afternoon, and the celebration of learning and achievement at our Senior School Speech Day on Wednesday 8 December, marking the culmination of what has been a year like no other for the longest serving Year 12 class in the history of the School!

It’s certainly a busy and rewarding time; a time of joy, a time of sadness, as one door closes and another door opens, every ending bringing a beginning to a new season in the life of each member of our graduating class.

Retiring Staff

As previously advised we are farewelling some of our long-serving staff who have given so much to the Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School Community over the years.

This week our attention turned to honouring the service of Library Technician Michele Turner (21 years) and Junior School-Reception/Administration Donna Ayers (23 years). Once again our students led the tributes.

 In recognition of Mrs Turner, 2022 Service Captain Thomas Leach shared the following words:

‘Thanks to your wonderful work and caring presence, our school library is a sanctuary for all those who need a quiet place to read or relax or a productive space to work. You’ve generously helped me so many times over the years, and have always been very kind and giving with your time and guidance. Thinking about the number of students you must have aided similarly, it’s humbling and an enormous credit to you. So, Mrs Turner, on behalf of the students, I’d like to wish you a very happy retirement, and I’m honoured to be able to present this gift to you.’ 

In recognition of Donna Ayers, Year 4 students Isabelle Daniel and Myah Duckett shared the following words;

‘As Year 4 students who started at Lindisfarne as Preschoolers, we would like to thank Mrs Ayers for the huge contribution she has made to the Junior School in the past 25 years. As she enjoys her final days here at Lindisfarne, we would like her to know that she holds a special place in all of our hearts.

Thank you for;

Welcoming us on our first days of school and giving our parents cups of tea while we met our classmates and settled into our new classroom,

Lending us spare hats if we forgot them, so we could play with our friends at playtime out in the sun and

organising our excursions and booking buses so that we could have special learning experiences,

Stamping our diaries with late stamps and helping us to feel calm and settled if we arrived late.

Patching up our scraped knees, giving us ice packs and ringing our families if we were hurt or unwell

Schools are special places, full of curiosity, wonder and fun and we thank Mrs Ayers for the tremendous contribution you have made in making the Junior School such a special place to be. We are sure we speak for all of us when we say how lucky we are to have had you supporting us during our time here at the Junior School.

We will miss you dearly and wish you all the best as you begin a new chapter of your life with your family.’

School Fees

Earlier this week I wrote to School families in relation to School Fees for the 2022 School year and provided both background and context to the School Fees increase and the 2022 School Fees Schedule. You can access the full correspondence here.

Speech Days

As we approach the conclusion of the 2021 academic year, I remind parents of the Speech Day arrangements and restrictions.

We continue to work within the COVID-19 venue capacity restrictions as required by New South Wales Health, and in order to celebrate and acknowledge significant student achievement, our School Speech Days will run with restricted numbers as follows in Ngahriyah:

Junior School:Tuesday, 7 December at 9.45am - 11.45am
In attendance: Years 1 to 4 students and Year 4 parents only - maximum two family members per Year 4 student.

Middle School: Tuesday, 7 December at 1.00pm - 3.00pm
In attendance:Years 5 to 8 students and Year 8 parents only - maximum two family members per Year 8 student.

Senior School:Wednesday, 8 December at 11.30am - 2.30pm
In attendance: Years 9 to 12 students and Year 12 parents only - maximum two family members per Year 12 student.

In line with the current  New South Wales Government mandates and the current Public Health Order, all adult guests must check-in using the QR code and if aged over 16 years, provide evidence of double COVID-19 vaccination or a COVID-19 medical contraindication certificate. Please note that this includes school parents/guests, this does not apply to students currently enrolled at Lindisfarne, thus allowing all students to attend as the Speech Days are an important and essential part of the culmination of their education. 

Please do not hesitate to contact your respective Head of School should you have any questions. 

Senior Staffing Appointments

This week I shared the appointments of Mr Jeremy Godden as Head of Junior School (P-4) and Mrs Cathy Cox as Head of Middle School (5-8) from the commencement of the 2022 School year. These are significant appointments as we prepare in earnest for the 2022 academic year and Mr Godden and Mrs Cox are looking forward to leading their respective Subschools and working with Head of Senior School (9-12) Kate Cornell as we continue to develop our ‘three Subschools, two Campuses, one School strategy. My correspondence to the School Community can be found here. 

Year 10 Dinner Dance

There was great excitement at the School on Wednesday evening as our Year 10 students gathered for the Year 10 Dinner Dance - an important tradition and ‘rite of passage’ in our school. The Year 10 Dinner Dance marks an important midpoint in the Senior School years for our Year 10 students. The first steps were taken two years ago as the students commenced Year 9 and the Rite Journey program.

The next steps will include Year 11 and Year 12, completion of the HSC and preparation for life beyond school.

The final steps will include the walk of honour up the stairs at Mahers Lane two years from now.

I want to thank all the staff who made this event possible and all the parents who supported the School with the changes we needed to make given the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

We were proud of the respectful way the Year 10 students approached the evening and this important celebration.

Stuart Marquardt
Principal

Dear Students, Staff, Parents and Guardians,

Farewell to the 2021 Cohort

It’s been an eventful week culminating with the Graduation Eucharist, Breakfast and Final Assembly for our wonderful Year 12s, the 2021 cohort. It’s with great joy tinged with sadness that I join our Lindisfarne School community in wishing them every success and blessings for the future. Every ending is always a new beginning, and so we thank God for this ending and pray that He will guide and direct the exciting journey that lies ahead for our departing students: “May you find kindness in all that you meet in life.”

Happy Hanukkah -Hebrew for “dedication”

I extend a very ‘Happy Festival of Lights' greetings to members of the Jewish community in our School and wider community who are celebrating the feast of Hanukkah.

Advent Season - A Time of Giving and Sharing

In the Christian calendar, we are now in the season of Advent, a four-week preparation before the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Advent comes from the Latin word, “Adventus' which means “coming” or “arrival”. It reminds us that Christ comes to us not just at Christmas but at the end of time when He will return to make all things new, and every day when God meets us in the events of daily life.

An important part of our Advent spiritual journey is to think about the less fortunate and how we can meet and serve Christ in them. This year we are thinking about the homeless and those who are impacted by domestic abuse. Thank you immensely for your support of these most vulnerable members of our community.

I thank our staff members who shared in an ‘Ubuntu Lunch’ during the week to provide a Christmas meal to 35 homeless people in the Tweed Shire. I thank Hayley MacDonald and Year 11 Hospitality students for cooking the scrumptious jollof rice. 

Please remember to join us for our Community Christmas Service on Sunday, 5 December in the Mahers Lane Chapel. Refreshments begin at 4.00pm and then Service at 5.00pm. All are welcome. Please reply your attendance via this link.

I wish you abundant Advent blessings and Christmas full of joy, peace, hope in every way.

Thank you for who you are and for all you do for our School and community.

Rev Constantine Osuchukwu
Chaplain

The School has recently completed the P&F funded off-grid project at the Lindisfarne Boathouse. This project is intended to provide students with inspiration through a real-world example of an off-grid building. The Boathouse has no connection to the grid, and runs entirely from solar and battery power.

On Thursday this week, Mrs Dowker and I took the class of 6D on an excursion to the Lindisfarne Boathouse to learn about the off-grid system. Students were able to see how the solar panels, inverters and Tesla battery all connected together to provide the Boathouse with energy from the sun.

6D are currently involved in the SolarBuddy initiative, so were able to see the similarities between the SolarBuddy light, and a full residential off-grid system.

In Term 1, 2022, there will be a student-led project to take the Grounds and Maintenance shed off-grid using DIY style batteries, inverters and recycled panels from the Lindisfarne Chapel. Many of the 6D students expressed interest in being involved in this project, and will join with students from other classes and year levels to complete this project themselves.

This is just another example of the opportunities that Lindisfarne students have to get real-world, hands-on experience with sustainability initiatives.

Gavin Kennedy
Director of Information Services, Infrastructure and Facilities

Higher School Certificate

What a journey it has been for the Class of 2021 but finally the last written examination Dance was completed on Thursday. 

Congratulations to the Class of 2021 who have now completed their Higher School Certificate Examinations. 

The school community should be so proud of the way the students conducted themselves during the examination period. They were outstanding under very trying circumstances.

I would like to thank Presiding Officer Belinda Seaton who oversees the examination process on behalf of the school and all the supervisors who helped during the last 4 weeks. It was wonderful to have so many members of our school community involved in the supervision process including past students and current parents and grandparents. 

Reports 

Reports will be available to view on Parent Lounge next week. 

Caroline Jeffries
Deon of Studies

Each year, students from Year 5 and Year 6 come together to present a live performance showcasing their achievements in Performing Arts.

This concert is an important event on the Lindisfarne calendar and is a celebration of Drama, Music and Dance.

This evening at 6.30pm, we will premiere the 2021 Stage 3 Showcase, to access the performance please follow the link below.

Performing Arts Team

“The days are long but the years are short.”

I first heard Mr Marquardt mention this at a school speech night many years ago and it's always at this time of year when I resonate with those words. In a blink of an eye Year 7 is prepping for Year 8. No longer the newbies but now the leaders. How does time go so quickly and literally where does it go?

On one hand it appears to have disappeared in the blink of an eye and on the other hand I reflect on all that has been achieved, even in a Covid year, and I'm truly blown away. From early orientations, to camps and Kokoda, academic pressures and assessment schedules, online learning and google meets, old friends, new friends, friendship dilemmas and so much more. It has all been and gone in literally nine months. 

I encourage all of our Year 7 parents to step back and reflect on the growth of 2021. Not just the physical growth but the social and emotional growth that your children have undertaken. In that moment please give yourselves a silent high five as you have been an integral part of the process. You have wonderful children who will, in time, be so very grateful for all the opportunities they had.

Thank you for your immense support in 2021. It has been a pleasure and an honour to guide your children through their Year 7 journey and I look forward to watching them grow, flourish and thrive in the coming years.

Julie McDowell
Year 7 Coordinator

On Monday this week, we acknowledged our Year 8 Students completion of Middle School and transition to Senior School in 2022. It was wonderful to welcome parents to Ngahriyah for the Liturgy to celebrate this important milestone with their children. 

I would like to acknowledge Jesse Starling, Jarrod Eriksen, Cameron Davis, River Robinson, Elke Clauson and Zephyr Togo for being part of the service. Thanks also to Molly Matkevich, Nika Feldshtein, Scout Bee Jones and Asher Drury for sharing their gifts through some wonderful musical performances. 

We are finalising preparations for the Middle School Speech Day next Tuesday, 6 December. The event commences at 1.00pm and all Year 5 to 8 students are required to attend in full formal uniform (ties included). An invitation has also been extended to Year 8 parents and carers and we look forward to celebrating this final event for 2021. As with all invitations to parents during the current COVID-19 restriction period, evidence of double-vaccination and checking in via the QR code will be required upon entry.

As you may have heard and read this week, I will be concluding my tenure as Head of Middle School at the end of the school year to take up responsibility as Head of Junior School in 2022. It has been an amazing four and a quarter years as we have worked together to build an amazing Middle School. Whilst there are many aspects of the Middle School and Mahers Lane campus that I know I will miss, I am looking forward to joining the great team of dedicated educators at Sunshine Avenue as we further the educational and developmental opportunities for our youngest students. I am also excited about the opportunity to continue to unite our sub schools and campuses to create an amazing, seamless journey for our students from three years of age right through to graduation.

My best wishes go to Mrs Cathy Cox, who will no doubt excel in her new position as Head of Middle School. Our students in Years 5 to 8 are in very good hands. I look forward to working with Mrs Cox as we transition to our new roles while maintaining stability and consistency for our students.

Jeremy Godden
Head of Middle School

Year 6 

This week Year 6 students were able to share their learning on our current Science unit- States of Matter with all students across the cohort.  Their task was to create a product that required a change in state in its components, to be viable. The students were very creative and produced products such as scented candles, flavoured ice cream, surf wax, slime, to name but a few. The students needed to design, test and produce their product for display. They needed to articulate their understanding of the state of matter used in their product development. Here are some images of the outstanding work that the students achieved.

Amy Williamson and Kylie Thompson
Year 5 and 6 Coordinators

As work experience was unable to proceed due to the COVID-19 restrictions, Mr Bryan Malone arranged a careers and entrepreneurship seminar at the School. As part of the school's career and DisruptEd Entrepreneur programs, The Young Change Agents offered an interactive all-day workshop where students learned about entrepreneurship, design thinking and how to start their own business. Students addressed the common challenges associated with financial wellbeing for young people including engagement with financial education and intergenerational understanding of finance. Their entrepreneurial ideas included a hybrid card game inspired by Monopoly that would engage young minds in the challenges of earning, saving and investing money, apps that used rewards-based systems to encourage regular saving and budgeting and family education programs using simple tools such as a three jar save, spend and invest strategy. Students had to pitch their ideas in front of their cohort and practice their communication skills. While many students find working in unfamiliar situations and in groups challenging, these skills prepare them for the workforce where group assessments are frequently used as part of the recruitment process. 

We thank Mr Malone for all his hard work in organised this opportunity for our students.

Lauren Ward
Director of Careers and VET

Club Netball

It gave me great pleasure to present the Mahers Lane Campus Lions Netball players with their “trophies” on Friday. Thank you Mrs Williamson who acknowledged the Sunshine Avenue students in their assembly on Wednesday. Thanks also to Mrs Kate Cornell who addressed the senior players and Mrs Laura Gallagher for giving us the opportunity to recognise our talented Junior School teams.

The Lion Cubs, Pink, Purple, Crimson and Orange Lions all received actual trophies but the rest of the players were given practical, branded merchandise. The Lindisfarne Netball Club drawstring bag contained a drink bottle, an ice towel and a photo of the team. (Photograph of Lily Hodges, Ebony Richards and Jamie Mifsud)

The individual awards were presented as follows:

Lindisfarne Pink Lions
Best and Fairest = Lyndsay Patterson
Coaches Award = Edie Warren

Lindisfarne Purple Lions
Best and Fairest = Amazhon Colburn
Coaches Award = Avery Warren

Lindisfarne Crimson Lions
Best and Fairest = Islabella Hazelman
Coaches Award = Sari Heta

Lindisfarne Orange Lions
Best and Fairest = Zahli Bruhn
Coaches Award = Jasmine Cooke

Lindisfarne Lime Lions
Best and Fairest = Kayla Mupunga
Coaches Award = Freya Smith

Lindisfarne Yellow Lions
Best and Fairest = Chloe Rosser
Coaches Award = Chloe Bull

Lindisfarne Bronze Lions
Best and Fairest = Asha Hargrave
Coaches Award = Charlize Hedger

Lindisfarne Aqua Lions
Best and Fairest = Isabella Arghyros
Coaches Award = Charlotte Slack-Smith

Lindisfarne Blue Lions
Best and Fairest = Lara Marshall
Coaches Award = Chloe Edwards

Lindisfarne Green Lions
Best and Fairest = Ruby Lynch
Coaches Award = Chloe Nagle

Lindisfarne Red Lions
Best and Fairest = Summer Wardle
Coaches Award = Maya Fairweather

Lindisfarne Silver Lions
Best and Fairest = Amy Porter
Coaches Award = Jemma Limbourn

Lindisfarne Lavender Lions
Best and Fairest = Eden Smith
Coaches Award = Eva McDonald

Lindisfarne White Lions
Best and Fairest = Sienna Phelps
Coaches Award = Jamie Mifsud

Lindisfarne Navy Lions
Best and Fairest = Ella Mitchell
Coaches Award = Yasmin Scott

Lindisfarne Gold Lions
Best and Fairest = Abby Pirotta
Coaches Award = Samantha Harvey

Thank you to the coaches and managers who managed to join us in the Chapel to recognise their teams. They were presented with a thank you card, potted plant and a photograph of their team. 

Scarlett Ojiako-Pettit was recognised as the Junior Umpire of the Year Award and Lily Hodges received the Gay Maynard Senior Umpire of the Year Award.

Our Ambassador, Nicole Cusack assisted in presenting the major awards. Ruby Sullivan received the President's Award for her outstanding contribution to the Netball program this last year.

The Passing the Pride was an emotional affair culminating in the graduating Netball Captain, Samantha Harvey, announcing Poppy Burdekin as her successor. Poppy will share the role with continuing leader Ebony Richards. 

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. The Navy, White, Green and Aqua Lions will all receive their trophies for finishing the season on the podium!

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 support this event in your Lindisfarne dresses please! I am so sorry that I can’t be there as I am HSC marking. Just a reminder, as per the current NSW Public Health Order, all attendees aged over 16 must be fully vaccinated to attend.

TNA is hosting Monday Night Social Netball again starting Round 1 on Monday, 31 January. The sign-up will open on January 24th so please let me know ASAP if you are interested. Thanks to those of you who have expressed an interest already!

Sign-on day to play in the Saturday competition in 2022 will be in mid-February with March 26 as the Round 1 season start date. We will be calling for registrations very early in Term 1, but we have to wait for Netball Queensland to set up the league before we have anything to register for! 

Netball Centre of Excellence 

We are very close to being able to name the 2022 Netball Centre of Excellence teams for Year 7 - Year 12 players. We are so excited about the strength of our squads! A letter of acceptance will be sent before the end of the year. Club Ambassador Nicole Cusack, Head Coach Suzanne Evans and TNA rep and this year’s 15 A’s coach Mel Groves were the selectors. The Stage 3 Emerging Talent teams will also be finalised ASAP.

The Netball Centre of Excellence teams will train in Sport time in Terms 2 and 3. Players can choose netball in Term 1 but it is not compulsory. Training in Term 1 will be on a Thursday after School at Arkinstall Park.

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

Basketball

The Lindisfarne Lions Basketball program for 2022 will involve competition games for boys and girls in the Gold Coast Junior Basketball League (GCJBL) in their Winter League. This begins in late February so please register your preliminary interest now if you or your children would like to be involved in the program for next year. You can register through the parent lounge or student cafe.

Please see the communications sent to the 2022, Year 3 to 12 cohorts during the week - here. Please complete your preliminary registration for the 2022 season by Monday 6, December.

Rugby

Registrations are now closed for the 2022 Lindisfarne rugby union program. We will be organising a one-day training camp on the 24th January 2022 to begin training and trials for the games in Term 1 next year. Further details will be communicated soon for all players that have registered. 

Football - Junior School Term 1

Lindisfarne Anglican Grammar School in conjunction with Total Football Academy are pleased to be running the after-school program for soccer enthusiasts again in Term 1 2022 at the Junior School oval, Sunshine Avenue on Monday afternoons from 3.15pm to 4.15 pm.

Please see the attached flyer for full information. This will be capped at 60 students so it will be first in best dressed.

Sign up is available for students from Kindergarten to Year 4  (2022 school year) through Parent Lounge under Events and Payments.

Spotlight on Riley Johnston and Jack Sewell

Riley Johnston and Jack Sewell recently competed in the Lismore Annual Qualifying Swimming Carnival on the weekend with some fantastic results and dominated the pool in their favourite events. This is the first swim meet for both the boys with the many restrictions that have been in place in NSW and not being able to compete in QLD swimming events. This swim meet was great for the boys to get back into racing.

Results as follows:

Riley Johnston  - (U11) swam a new Personal Best time in the 100m Breastroke Event in a time of 1.29.69 to win the gold medal. Riley finished the carnival with two gold, one silver and one bronze medal.

Jack Sewell  - (U8) swam a new Personal Best time in the 50m Freestyle Event in a time of 37.40 to win the gold medal. Jack finished the carnival with one gold and three silver medals.

An awesome effort from both boys in what has been a very challenging few months - fantastic effort boys!

Spotlight on Elliot Cleary

Elliot Cleary participated in the Karting KA3 Jnr - Canberra Cup held at the Mark Webber circuit and finished in 2nd place.

He also participated in the Rotax pro-tour Junior performance  -  NSW State title, held at Coffs harbour and also finished in 2nd place. 

At the KA2 Junior NSW Premier state championship held at Newcastle, Elliot secured 3rd place. 

Over the school holidays he will race at the SA national Karting Championship. 

Fantastic work Elliot, congratulations on being consistently on the podium.

Spotlight on Matilda Daniel

Matilda has been selected to play in the 13 Girls North East Tennis Team to compete in the Queensland State Teams Event to be held in Brisbane on Tuesday 11th to Saturday 15th January 2022.

The top six boys and girls of each age group from the region have been selected to compete against players from all over Queensland, giving them the opportunity to play the best Juniors that Queensland have to offer.

Well done young lady and good luck! Matilda is a very dedicated and accomplished player, as we all witnessed at the recent Lindisfarne Tennis Championships.

Damien Clucas
Head of Sports and Activities

On Tuesday of Week 9, Year 7 HSIE students enthusiastically took part in an Escape Room Challenge as part of their ongoing investigation into the unit Water in the World. 

In small groups, students raced to complete a series of challenges. Each challenge involved viewing a challenge poster and using it to answer questions. Topics included the geographical distribution of water scarcity, the economic and physical causes of water scarcity, the impacts of water scarcity, and the advantages and disadvantages of technology such as desalination. For the culminating challenge, students wrote a PEEL paragraph explaining their solution to a hypothetical scenario in which NSW had been in drought for over ten years... There were several creative answers!

Each time students completed a challenge, they submitted their work to a teacher to receive a key. The key opened a box continuing a puzzle or a riddle that, once solved, would reveal the code word for that challenge. If a team collected all five correct code words, they were able to open the final box and “escape the room”! 

Teachers were impressed with the behaviour and effort of students on the day and would like to again congratulate those teams who successfully completed the challenge. It was wonderful to see the students working with such genuine excitement and collaborating in their teams. The remaining classes will complete the challenge on Friday. 

Tarley Jones 
Teacher of HSIE 

努力は必ず報われる

“Effort is always rewarded.”

Food

This sentiment expressed by Sadaharu Oh, a former Japanese baseball player, had relevance for our Year 7 Japanese students this week. An earnest effort was made to cook Sanshoku Dango三色団子🍡 This was both a success and an ‘opportunity for improvement’. The success was the hands-on collaboration between students and learning about a traditional festival food. Opportunity for improvement became apparent when it was time to taste-test...they looked good but were lacking the right flavour and texture. 

To our great surprise, our effort was rewarded when the very next lesson our class member Sara brought Mitarashi Dangoみたらし団子 to class for everyone! Sara and her mother got up early and prepared fresh authentic dumplings so the students could experience what a dumpling should really taste like. They were delicious! ご馳走様でした！

Games

Effort also led to reward when students had the chance to play and build skills with Japanese traditional games and toys. The games began with Janken  ジャンケン ‘Rock Paper Scissors’, followed by Koma  独楽 wooden spinning-tops and finally Kendamaけん玉. Champions emerged in ‘knockout’ Janken, Koma spinning with a top time of 1 minute and 51 seconds, and Kendama with 5 and also 7 ‘catches’ in a row. There is a fine art in Kendama play to successfully catch the wooden ball - tama, on the cups or spike of the ken. Physics, hand-eye coordination, perseverance and effort are all at play. From simple beginnings through effort perhaps the students could one day use a kendama like this!

ゴデン先生

Mrs.Godden

2022 is shaping up to be a busy year for the school recording studio and Germinate Records. We have many exciting recording projects and community events locked-in and ready to go.

In February next year, we will be recording an episode of the Storykids podcast here at the school recording studio. Storykids is a podcast featuring celebrities who read stories written by school students. The podcast is presented in conjunction with The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation. 

The producers of Storykids are looking for a story from one of our talented young writers aged 9 - 14. The lucky author who is selected will have their story recorded by a local celebrity here at school. The episode will be filmed and will feature on the Storykids website & social media as well as our school social media and websites. Young authors are usually interviewed via zoom and are asked questions about their story and how they wrote it. 

 The project will also provide opportunities for students interested in the process of making a podcast. Students interested in taking part in the production of the episode should contact me directly (brett@germinaterecords.com).

 Here is a Channel Nine feature on the podcast as well as an episode featuring Tim Minchin.

 For details of how to enter, please see the information below. Students should be sure to mention that they are from Lindisfarne when entering. Good luck!

Brett Canning 
Recording Studio Producer

The Year 10 Physical Activity and Sports Studies students have been studying Australia’s sporting identity throughout Term 4. Australians have an innate passion for sport which makes this unit incredibly interesting and relevant for the students. We have looked at how different sports have shaped Australia; how sports have developed and changed in our nation; and in a fun class task had a debate about what we each classify as a sport and therefore how we define “sports”. 

Once we had spent some time investigating sport in Australia we started discussing specific sports which are or have been particularly significant. Australian Rules Football, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Tennis and Cricket have all been considered. Perhaps the most significant sports and activities in the land are water sports. With a huge percentage of the population living near the coast, including all of the Lindisfarne students, we listed the various sea, river, creek, pool and lake activities we could enjoy locally: Surfing, swimming, surf life-saving activities, sailing, kayaking ...

Both classes then ventured to Oasis Pools at Banora Point in Weeks 7 and 8 for a practical session playing Water Polo. We also set some underwater challenges and swimming races which were enjoyed by all students. It was a great experience … and what the photos don’t show is that the games were quite intense and the rivalries were fierce!

The PDHPE Department

If you are sick or injured, your instinct would be to seek out a doctor. If you want a new aeroplane design, you would engage an aerospace engineer. Need a new engine? Google “Mechanical engineers”. This is how our society works. But how would you build an aeroplane if you didn’t know what one was? How could you build a new engine if there was no such thing in existence to learn from? How could you cure the sick or develop vaccines if you didn’t even know what disease was? The answer is, of course, by following the process of scientific investigation even if you didn’t know what that was either! 

Way back in the 18th Century, an uneducated farmer wiped a needle in the erupting sores on one of his sick cows and proceeded to stick the needle into his wife and children. Not a practice to be recommended but, still, his family didn’t get smallpox and we remember Edward Jenner as the father of inoculation. Our modern science of vaccination honours his rustic experiment with its odd spelling which refers to the cows from Jenner’s farm.

How about aeroplanes? When Santos-Dumont flew the first powered, heavier than air machine he had no background in aerospace engineering because the field didn’t exist nor did the word “aeroplane” for that matter. There was simply no such thing. He needed to use observation, hypothesis and experimentation until he got a result. He then would have made observations about his result (most likely a painful crash into bushes), altered his hypothesis and bravely done another experiment until he got a successful flying machine.

Thomas Watt stared at the lid of his mother’s tea kettle and wondered if the force making it rise and fall could be harnessed to do useful work even though he was not a mechanical engineer and no such device had even been contemplated. The primitive steam engine that he developed propelled us into the industrial revolution and changed our society forever.

What all of these historical events have in common is the process of inquiry, experimentation and discovery. They are examples of the raw materials of science being put to use. From Year 10 we encourage our students to come up with “inquiry” questions and design experiments to investigate them. It is a crucial skill in an age where we live under an illusion that all information is available to us on Google, YouTube, Wikipedia or any of the other myriad platforms out there. In fact, the scientific method in its most unsophisticated, raw form is under threat as we depend on fewer and fewer individuals in ever more specialised fields to deliver solutions to our problems.

The scientific method remains the only way to verify an observation or confirm a hypothesis and it is the most important lesson we can teach our students in Science. The Science Faculty at Lindisfarne is committed to producing sceptics. Young men and women who will not just believe what they are told but will look for evidence that the scientific method of inquiry has been followed correctly to arrive at the proposition being placed before them.

You will hear the term “inquiry based learning” from time to time and it is a phrase we should  not only be familiar with but embrace in every aspect of our lives.

Have a wonderful last week in Science and hold those who would have you believe in their message accountable to the scientific method.

Hamish Inksetter
Science Coordinator

Year 6 students have been extremely lucky to have worked with Year 11 Student and Artist, Cate Roberts, to create their collaborative artworks project for a fundraising auction to take place in 2022. Cate’s artmaking practice demonstrates mastery in Abstract Expressionism. She displays technical skill in mark making and understands how to layer medium to build a surface. Cate’s unique subject matter creates  dynamic visual relationships between organic and geometric shapes and contours. Her contemporary practice is underpinned by vigorous and energetic transformations of form. Cate  is an emerging, inspiring artist who is actively engaged in the local art community.

Cate volunteered her valuable time to demonstrate, teach and guide each Year 6 class in their collaborative artworks. This experience enabled students to explore new techniques and application of mixed media. Students engaged in a mark making activity that allowed them to contribute subjectively to the surface. This layering process built texture and added to the overall resolution of the works. Cate then further developed the existing compositions adding and refining the subject matter to produce highly resolved and technically accomplished paintings.

Thank you to Cate for the unforgettable practical experience she provided for the Year 6 Students and also to Miss Belinda Hope for her support, knowledge and guidance.

Tracy Foyster 
Year 6 Visual Arts Teacher

Last week, we launched our Virtual HSC Art Exhibition. Due to level 3 restrictions this term and the uncertainty of being able to exhibit the work at school, we chose a virtual gallery format to share the remarkable work of our large cohort of 28 students with you, our school community.

The work showcases the variety of expressive forms our students are able to explore in Visual Art. The concepts they investigate through their work demonstrate what engaged and creative young citizens our artists are.

It's been an honour to work with Year 12 on their creative journeys and wonderful to have the option to curate student work in this gallery. We could not be prouder of them and would like to thank students for their continued effort in a very tough year and families for your dedicated support of your children in Visual Art. If you have any questions about how to navigate the space (full screen is best!), please be in touch and feel free to let us know what you think! 

Gallery Link: https://lindisfarne.artsteps.com/view/61956fa1c34011a56d15a60f

Bronwyn Dann
Acting Director of Visual Art

This year has seen an increased interest in our Ad Astra program and we would like to thank all of the students who have applied. Email communication will be sent next week to notify all applicants of the results.

Jodie Duggan
Director of Learning Enrichment 

Lindisfarne is seeking expressions of interest from experienced and hardworking grounds and facilities workers to join our busy Facilities team. We have the following positions available.

• General Hand - Full Time Permanent Position - Commencing Immediately
• General Hand Lawnmowing - Full Time Permanent Position - Commencing Immediately

Click here for more information.