BUNDARA Magazine
Issue 54 • June 2020
REMOTE LEARNING CONNECTION AND BELONGING Community works together in challenging times.
SCHOOL IN COVID-19, ANIMAL FARM, BANDING TOGETHER FOR THE BUSH
From the Board
BUNDARA Magazine
Issue 54 • June 2020
REMOTE LEARNING CONNECTION AND BELONGING Community works together in challenging times.
SCHOOL IN COVID-19, ANIMAL FARM, BANDING TOGETHER FOR THE BUSH
BUNDARA is the magazine of Central Coast Grammar School. BUNDARA is published biannually. Contact Community Relations Central Coast Grammar School Arundel Road Erina Heights NSW 2260 Australia Enquiries E: info@ccgs.nsw.edu.au T: +61 2 4367 6766 F: +61 2 4365 1860 CRICOS Provider Code: 02261G Website www.ccgs.nsw.edu.au CCGS Social Media facebook.com/centralcoastgrammar instagram.com/centralcoastgrammar linkedin.com/school/centralcoastgrammar Editor Joanne Marston Marketing and Communications Coordinator Print Bundara is printed by NCP Printing (www.ncp.com.au) on Sovereign Silk. Sovereign Silk is manufactured according to ISO 14001 EMS accreditation and is FSC certified. P.2 Issue 54 • BUNDARA Central Coast Grammar School
The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the greatest challenges in the school’s history, since it’s foundation in 1985. The Board has collaborated closely with the school’s professional and cohesive leadership team to ensure the School responded positively during this turbulent period, characterised at times by almost daily changes in government direction and advice. I thank my Board colleagues for the extra time they have volunteered, and I thank our whole community of students, parents and staff for their extraordinary efforts and collaboration. Being a truly independent school, Central Coast Grammar School has been able to consult widely with the AIS (Association of Independent Schools), the Education Department and other Government authorities to anticipate developments and make practical decisions that best serve our unique community and circumstances. As a result, we were able to proceed as an independent school through the COVID-19 pandemic, sustaining face to face learning for as long as possible and when our learning continuance plan was activated on Tuesday 24 March, we switched to a quality remote learning program. At that time, I don’t think any of us imagined that we would start returning to full-time face to face schooling by 11 May - just 21 school days later - with everyone back in class by 21 May. As restrictions are lifting, we must all remain vigilant in managing and minimising the risk of infection in our school and wider community. The School entered the pandemic period in a strong position due to robust governance, leadership, management and strategic planning. The construction of the new K-6 Junior School has continued on budget and on time to open for the 2021 school year. In addition to the $6M State Government grant, we have subsequently been successful in securing an additional $2M from the Federal Government, which will be a big boost towards redeveloping some of our junior facilities for senior students. New senior facilities for early 2021 will include a Year 12 study centre and common room, four senior classrooms and a Senior College administration centre, all at the heart of the campus. We have weathered the initial storm, but we are still in uncharted waters, encountering circumstances beyond our control. The Board is full of admiration and gratitude for our community’s response, and confident that CCGS will emerge from these testing times in a strong position. There is much to look forward to. Stephen Brahams FAICD Chairman of the School Board
From the Headmaster Fire. Flood. Then pandemic. I’m proud to congratulate the CCGS community on responding with resilience, empathy and innovation. In this issue you’ll read about students banding together to help rebuild lives following the bush fire devastation and many other examples of our school values shining through. Values like the care of others, loyalty, responsibility, self-discipline, courage and perseverance have given us the strength and humility to tackle the pandemic challenge together. We were thinking of others as we struggled ourselves. Our response to COVID-19 has been proactive, decisive and ambitious. You trusted us with full cooperation during remote learning and full attendance when we returned to face to face learning. Long term strategic investment in teaching and learning, digital literacy and wellbeing created the structures and culture to support a rapid switch to a connected remote learning community. Our determination to provide the best education for our students brought us back quickly to the classroom in a safe and smooth transition. Many of the learnings from this period have accelerated improvements. More than ever, the characteristics of our next generation learners have been in high demand in this new COVID-19 world. Problem solving, collaboration, confidence, community, creativity, critical thinking, digital literacy - these are the skills and qualities that will help our students meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. Our new junior and senior facilities are designed to accelerate our next generation learners. In times like this we really feel the quality of the team and community we have around us. On your behalf I thank our dedicated, multi-disciplined School Board for the long hours, expertise and decisive governance that is guiding us through such uncertain times. I thank our staff for their ingenuity and sheer hard work, exceeding all expectations in support of our students and families. I thank our families for the sacrifices they are making to support their children and for the confidence they have placed in our management of the COVID-19 challenge. Lastly and most importantly, I thank our students for their diligence and discipline. On behalf of all staff, I extend our best wishes to our community as we move forward together into the next phase of our journey beyond the pandemic. William Low Headmaster/Chief Executive Officer
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Full scale remote learning rolls out CCGS made history on Tuesday 24 March as we transitioned from face to face teaching to remote learning. In response to COVID-19, Central Coast Grammar School, along with schools across Australia, began a very different mode of learning and delivery that was a completely new experience for junior and senior students, teachers and families. Rapidly changing circumstances and advice to schools saw CCGS implement our Learning Continuance Plan. This was the greatest change in one day since the foundation of the school and a fundamental paradigm shift in teaching, learning and student wellbeing. Foundations set for a new wave of change Whilst the speed of this transition was unprecedented, considerable investment in learning management technology, teacher quality and digital literacy, driven by the school’s Next Generation Teaching and Learning Strategic Plan, meant that we had strong foundations to support the incredible commitment of staff. Teachers and students were already familiar with the school’s learning management platform, MyCCGS, and could quickly extend functionality. The Harvard Teaching for Understanding framework had given teachers a common approach K to 12 and they were P.4 Issue 54 • BUNDARA Central Coast Grammar School
able to collaborate in strong professional learning communities to support each other and their students. A long-term focus on digital literacy meant staff and students could confidently use technology for effective learning. Teachers rallied together to create comprehensive remote learning activities from K to 12. They received training on setting up new digital programs and were given help with tools to support a remote learning campus. ICT Curriculum Support staff worked around the clock to scale up MyCCGS with additional pages, classes and functionality. The Information Technology team rolled out Microsoft Teams Education creating almost 1000 new virtual classroom and department teams, a project that would normally take six months plus to complete. Devices were configured and delivered to every student ensuring digital access across the community. Remote learning transcends across every day lessons CCGS went virtual. And we embraced the new with excitement and vigour. Roll call on Microsoft Teams, fun Science lessons via video conferencing, Music lessons, Drama and English, Mathematics and Sport. At the heart of remote education is ensuring learning is more than a set of transactional tasks. Learning needs to continue
As a school we took each moment step by step, learning from others around the world and listening to each other.
Please pass on to all teaching staff our gratitude and thanks for all they are doing for our children. They have been providing our students with such impressive teaching structures and support!
Mr and Mrs Trethewy
to be relational, responding to the needs of each individual learner to address their personalised learning journey and wellbeing. What the future holds There was no blueprint or map to follow on how we could best deal with this challenge. As a school we took each moment step by step, learning from others around the world and listening to one another. Thank you to all our students, families, parents, teachers, staff and the entire CCGS community. Bill Low, Headmaster said, “This has been an amazing team effort under the most difficult of circumstances. We can all feel very privileged to be part of such an innovative and caring learning community. You can go behind the scenes of school life during COVID-19 and follow our journey at www.ccgs.nsw.edu.au/ccgs-remote-action.
After one day of home schooling my level of admiration for teachers has tripled! Thank you very much for making it possible for the kids to be doing it from home, on top of your work with the kids at school.
Mrs J Foganhole
It has taught me to be more accountable for my own learning and has helped me get into a healthy routine although I miss going to school and seeing my friends.
Year 11 student Central Coast Grammar School BUNDARA • Issue 54 P.5
Staying safe and connected during COVID-19 Keeping community united and strong
WELLBEING IN ISO Wellbeing and mental health while remote learning and living in isolation was a key concern early on for CCGS. Our wellbeing team created a one stop shop of resources, information and website references to help support the community. Fitness videos, exercises and board games to stay active, mindfulness apps, boredom busters, journals and more were embedded in a new page on MyCCGS called ‘Remote Learning Wellbeing Strategies’ to help support students and families.
CCGS STORYTIME Head into a Junior School classroom and you’re likely to see one of our teachers reading to a contented audience. Little minds are taken on an adventure as exciting and colourful scenes are painted in growing imaginations. We didn’t want our students to miss out on teacher storytime during remote learning so we brought storytime to you on our very own CCGS Storytime channel on MyCCGS. Teachers chose their favourite books and immersed viewers in tales of adventure and fun. It was just one more way for us to stay connected.
EASTER HAT PARADE GOES VIRTUAL It’s a long standing tradition at CCGS. Kindergarten students create egg-travagant Easter hats and join their first-ever House Service as part of our Easter celebrations and parade. The school is abuzz with excitement as students and teachers can’t wait to see the magnificent, inventive and sometimes very flamboyant creations on little heads. Sadly this year, for the first time ever, we were unable to hold our traditional Kindergarten Easter hat parade and egg hunt. But that did not stop us from making sure that Kindies and the rest of our students P.6 Issue 54 • BUNDARA Central Coast Grammar School
had an extra special Easter and perhaps the most memorable one yet! We called on all students (and their parents) from Kindergarten all the way up to Year 12 to make their own wacky and wonderful Easter hats using materials and supplies from around the house or garden. We received over 200 entries which was fantastic! Students of all ages embraced the new and different, exploring kitchen cupboards, craft drawers and garages to see what they could create. Congratulations to our winners.
The importance of gratitude School values in action Each and every day, people across our community have been going the extra mile and more to help us get through the coronavirus pandemic. Head Prefects and House Captains asked students from K to 12 to come together and think about someone who has helped them or our community. Whether it’s the farmer who is toiling away to keep us fed, the health care workers who are on the frontlines, or the local supermarket checkout staff, students united and said thank you for keeping us safe and healthy. According to Headspace showing gratitude can also provide a boost to your own mental health. It allows us to recognise the things that others have done for us, rather than focusing on what we have or don’t have. Mrs Jacki Lynch, Deputy Head of Middle School said, “Saying thank you is one of the simplest, yet most powerful things we can do as human beings. It was wonderful seeing students embrace the concept of gratitude and share their thanks with others.” Students made signs and displayed their appreciation via photos or videos to doctors, nurses, grandparents, aged care workers, teachers,
parents, researchers, cleaners - the list of those thanked was endless. Here’s a glimpse of some of the thank you messages: • I’m thanking all the doctors, scientists and researchers for trying to find ways to treat, cure or vaccinate COVID-19 - Year 11 student • Daddy and mummy for looking after me at home - Year 1 student • Delivery people for still working so we can get food without going out - Year 3 student • Thank you teachers for continuing to teach us through this tough time - Year 4 student • I am thanking my family because they have made this tough time fun and a great way to spend quality time with them - Year 8 student
• Everyone for their cooperation in this pandemic as without their help, it would take much longer for us to return back to normal and it puts less stress on essential workers - Year 11 student We are very proud of the CCGS community spirit. Thank you to every student who was involved and shared their thanks with others.
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An ANZAC Day like no other CCGS students pay respect to those who have fallen Clutching flags and candles, as the night turned slowly into day, Central Coast Grammar School students and staff across the region stood in their driveways, balconies and living rooms for a very different ANZAC Day commemoration.
An African proverb states, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” CCGS students went far. In streets and suburbs across the Central Coast, we came together to carry on the tradition of ANZAC Day.
Despite not being able to attend the normal dawn service and other memorials across the Central Coast, this did not stop our school from sharing in the ANZAC Day spirit and remembering all those who fought for us and gave us the country we have today.
ANZAC Day was not forgotten, nor those who served and died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. ANZAC Day was celebrated by young and old.
Taylem Barnard, Head Prefect said, “Today we think of those who served. Those who joined together to fight and support the Forces that Australia was, and still is, proud of today.” Robert Bacon, Head Prefect added, “We salute their fellowship and courage. We think of the families, those who stayed behind. We salute their endurance and strength.” Students marked the day with poppies, rosemary, candles and torches. Each took a moment to pay respects and honour those who had fallen and those who continue to serve our country. Many students picked up instruments from trumpets to violins and played ‘The Last Post’ or wore the war medals of generations gone before.
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Taylem added, “On ANZAC Day, we honour those who died for us, for our nation Australia and for our peace. We do not celebrate victory or glorify war - we celebrate the human spirit - the spirit of ANZAC!” Lest we forget. A full photo gallery of student commemorations can be found on MyCCGS in the House Spirit page.
War on waste and the Archibald There’s no such thing as an uncreative Art teacher and in Ms Judith Price’s case, she is certainly no exception. Judith is well known locally for combining two major passions in her life, art and the environment. Her studios on the Central Coast are jam-packed with rubbish she has found on her walks along the beach and kerbside. She transforms the disposable into incredible sculptures and artworks prompting viewers to look again and question our environmental impact on the planet. Through several mediums Judith has long embraced her quirky take on the issue of waste and the effect on ecosystems. So it came as no surprise when Judith’s latest artwork, was entered in the Archibald Prize, featured none other than Craig Reucassel, presenter of the ABC TV series War on Waste. “War on Waste was a real inspiration to me. It inspired me to contact Craig and start the process of painting his portrait specifically for the Archibald. My artwork revolves around environmental concerns, namely rubbish and sustainability, so working with Craig was a perfect fit.” said Judith.
My artwork revolves around environmental concerns and sustainability.
Judith started work back in June last year. She had live sittings, a photo shoot and conversations with Craig to truly understand and unpack his passions and concerns in the world so she could reflect this in her portrait. “Originally I had in my mind that I would make use of all the plastic cutlery and other single use plastic items that I have collected over the years. I thought I would incorporate these items physically into the painting. However, the more I got to know Craig the more I discovered that his biggest concern is food waste, and in particular bananas.” A study done by Karlstad University showed that seven products account for almost half the fruit and vegetables wasted by retailers and bananas are one of the worst food waste culprits. “They’re one of Australia’s top-selling foods. But every day, millions of good bananas are thrown away because they aren’t yellow enough or don’t have the right shape for the supermarket shelf. Craig shared with me his horror when he watched supermarket workers using measuring tapes to assess fruit. Of the 80 million bananas grown each year, supermarkets discard more than 30 million.
It is one of Craig’s biggest concerns - we are throwing away perfectly good food when our country is in drought,” explained Judith. The portrait, painted in acrylics and watercolour on a piece of discarded cardboard Judith retrieved from a recycling skip, is almost 2 metres in width and features an incredibly detailed background scene highlighting all the packaged waste we discard each day. As you look closely, viewers recognise takeaway cartons from fast food companies, bottles and wrappers. Then you notice the vibrant, bright yellow of discarded bananas that Craig feels so concerned about. Judith added, “It’s been an honour working with Craig to represent him and have the opportunity to enter his portrait for possible selection in this year’s Archibald. He is an inspiration to me, particularly his grit and humour when getting his point across. I’m thrilled to be able to share his story.” The Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait of a man or women distinguished in art, letters, science or politics. Judith Price has been an Art teacher at CCGS since 2007 and teaches junior and senior school students.
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Top of the class over five years We are proud to announce that our Year 5 students rank amongst the State’s very best in an independent study of five years of Year 5 NAPLAN results 2014-2018, published by the Daily Telegraph on Friday 6 December. The Daily Telegraph ranked the best performing Year 5 schools by combining every school’s Year 5 results across the five different NAPLAN subjects (reading, writing, spelling, grammar & punctuation and numeracy) and calculated the yearly average score. “Excellence in numeracy and literacy is all part of the balanced education our students receive on their journey to achieving their academic potential,” said Headmaster Bill Low.
“We’ve invested heavily in our learning culture and infrastructure to deliver the most innovative next generation learning experience for our students and we’re excited to move into our new K to 6 junior school facility opening in 2021.”
Number 35 in the Year 5 Top Performing Schools
“Literacy and numeracy skills remain the building blocks for learning in all curriculum areas, playing a key part in a comprehensive education that includes diverse cocurricular and wellbeing programs.”
15th ranked non-selective school
“This external benchmarking of our Year 5 students’ consistently excellent NAPLAN performance demonstrates the strong foundations laid in our Junior School over a number of years.”
Only K to 12 co-ed school in the top 35
“These results reflect a systematic and explicit approach to the teaching of literacy and numeracy throughout the school and they are a tribute to our students and the expertise of our teachers. A further important factor is the strong family support for learning that our students receive from home.”
Only non-metropolitan school in the top 50
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SWIM RECORD BROKEN
REACHING THE FINAL STAGES
Congratulations to Year 12 Taylem Barnard who swam the fastest 50m freestyle by a female ever in the history of our school.
Eight CCGS teams made it through to the ISA summer and local Junior Cricket finals with two teams taking out the Premier title.
Her time of 27.40 was faster than the previous record held by Skye Bloffwitch (Class of 2002) in the same age category. AND it was faster than Anna Windsor (Class of 1993) who held the record in the 16 year age group back in 1992. Anna actually went on to become an Olympian.
In our inaugural year of Girls Touch Football, 3 out of 4 teams played in the semi-finals with 3 teams progressing to the Grand Final. Congratulations to our CCGS2 team who were crowned Premiers of Senior Division 4.
We have high hopes for your swimming career Taylem.
PI WEEK 14 March was World Pi Day (and also Albert Eistein’s birthday). To celebrate the number that keeps on giving, we held a week full of mathematically themed activities and games. From kahoots to mathematical scavenger hunts, students embraced the world of number theory, algebra and mathematical analysis. The library lecture theatre erupted with the sound of mathematical brains being set alight when a lunchtime kahoot brought together students from Years 5 to 12. In our Pi Recitation competition, Year 12, Ethan Gilder recited Pi to 220 decimal places! Janine Southwell, Year 7 took out the Middle School champion spot with Pi to 122 and Diesel Parletta, Year 4 was crowned Junior School champion with Pi to 30.
8 out of 9 Girls Basketball teams played in the semi-finals with 4 teams moving on to the Grand Finals. The Open C and Junior A Green teams took out the Premier title. Well done to Softball, Boys Basketball and Junior and ISA Cricket teams for reaching the finals.
HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW Year 7, Abbie Smith is a true inspiration to us all. She recently spent a week at Westmead Children’s Hospital undergoing some fairly major surgery. Whilst Abbie was there, she witnessed many other children having a very tough time with life threatening diseases like leukaemia and cancer. Abbie didn’t want to sit back and do nothing. She wanted to help. Abbie joined the World’s Greatest Shave raising funds for the Leukaemia Foundation. Her friends rallied to support her each taking turns to take a snip of hair. Abbie raised over $1800. The Leukaemia Foundation described Abbie as a ‘Superstar’. We think she is too!
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Children and technology: is there too much? Tik Tok. Coding. Snapchat. Robots. iPads. Laptops. Green screen. You Tube. The list goes on. Today’s ‘screenager’ is never too far away from a device. In fact for some families the struggle is real. ‘Put your device down!’ ‘Stop watching that rubbish on You Tube!’ Add to this, during the Coronavirus lockdown, there weren’t many periods of the day that someone wasn’t on a device - whether for online learning or catching up with friends. The pros and cons From managing privacy, security and cyber-bullying to digital footprints and reputation, technology can sometimes feel like a never-ending battle. Yet the way our children learn today and how we integrate technology in society and education can produce amazing results. Technology can make ideas come to life, connect us to the world around us and provide access to learning environments that would otherwise not be available. During remote learning, technology gave us a platform and foundation to keep education going. It allowed students to engage in classroom P.12 Issue 54 • BUNDARA Central Coast Grammar School
discussions via Flipgrids, teachers to deliver lessons via Microsoft Teams and year groups to stay connected on the MyCCGS class pages. The school may have shut in a physical sense but it remained open and ready for education in a virtual remote world. Getting the balance right Today’s families find themselves having to balance all the pros and cons. We’re concerned about the impact of digital on our wellbeing but we realise it can provide a range of benefits as well, not just for learning and staying connected but the modern school environment and workplace too. Digital natives vs digital immigrants Children of today are digital natives. Parents and carers are digital immigrants. We grew up in a world without the internet - a world where classrooms were rows of desks and chairs with exercise books and pens. Today’s 21st-century learner heads into the classroom armed with a laptop, completing homework online, launching investigations on the world wide web or creating scripts using video.
Parents and carers are digital immigrants - we grew up in a world without internet.
It can be hard for parents to connect to the screen saturated world our children live in and we’re struggling to keep up. Empowering families If knowledge is power then knowing what kids do and say with technology is key to modern parenting. In CCGS’s latest podcast, ‘Do children have too much technology or too little?’ experts in innovative learning and digital wellbeing give you practical tips and advice. They share where they stand on children using technology, including access to and the use of technology at school. You’ll walk away with a unique insight into the world of our ‘screenagers’ as well as getting practical tips on how to help the whole family achieve that technology balance. CCGS Director of Innovative
CCGS PODCAST SERIES: LET’S ASK BETTER QUESTIONS The new Let’s Ask Better Questions podcast series from CCGS aims to provide families in the local community, and beyond, with sound advice on hot school topics. Available on iTunes, and direct from the school’s website at www.ccgs.nsw.edu.au/podcasts, CCGS takes a deep dive into some of the issues facing young people and families in today’s increasingly fast paced and busy modern world. Is there a right age to start school? A kindy mum, school psychologist and Kindergarten teacher help you decide if your child is ready to start school. Simone, Ros and Tracey explore the importance of age, skill-set and emotional development in school readiness, as well as the do’s and don’ts when it comes to preparing your child to start Kindergarten.
Learning and Digital Literacy, Mr Gavin Summers, shares the role schools can play in teaching students about responsible technology use and how CCGS uses technology to change the way our students think, add value to conversations and enhance learning. Dr Kristy Goodwin, an expert in technology and children, adds to the conversation by giving families realistic, research based solutions to help kids, teens and adults develop healthy digital habits. She encourages us to focus on the what rather than how much technology, setting boundaries for when and where and teaching children to use technology in healthy ways. If you’re looking for resources to help you re-establish boundaries that keep your children safe online, visit www.esafety.gov.au/parents.
Do school children have too much or too little technology? Experts in innovative learning and digital wellbeing give you practical tips and share where they stand on children’s access to and use of technology at school and at home, with practical tips for every parent out there. Gavin Summers and Dr Kristy Goodwin, who are also parents of school-aged children, are joined by a student as they delve deep into the complex impact of technology on our everyday lives. Teenage Anxiety - Catchphrase Or Crisis? School wellbeing leaders and students open up about what teenage anxiety looks like for girls and boys, what signs to look out for and where to go for help. Psychologist Dr Kylie McIntyre is joined by teachers and students who share their experience and advice.
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Communication and compromise Preparing students for a fast changing world. COVID-19 has changed workplaces dramatically. Massive shifts in technology and globalisation are transforming the way we work, play and socialise. The next generation will be working in an exciting future. How can schools help prepare students for success? At CCGS, under our Next Generation Teaching and Learning Strategic Plan 2015-2020 we recognise the importance of developing soft skills – the winning combination of people, social and communication skills as well as character traits. We want to help students navigate their environment, solve problems, work with others and perform well to achieve success. We stepped into the Middle School to discover just how our English and Commerce students are developing these skills for the future. From one student to a collaborative team of scriptwriters Year 8 English students were given a scriptwriting task. But there was a catch. The script had to be written in collaboration with others and part of the assessment would be how well they worked together. Three English classes joined together with teachers and a teaching aide on hand. Students who had never worked with each other before were given the opportunity to mix outside of their normal English group. P.14 Issue 54 • BUNDARA Central Coast Grammar School
Initial lessons were dedicated to thinking about how to collaborate, communicate, encourage and plan. Students were given various team building exercises. For example, one hula hoop was given per group. The aim was to float the hoop up and down while students rested their fingers under the hoop trying to keep it balanced. It proved harder than it looked. Students could be heard saying, “Do it like this”, “Watch me”, “You’re wrong”, “No, no, no”. The students struggled to keep the hoop afloat. Focusing in on skills Mrs Mandy Vickers, English teacher said, “It’s easy to make statements and judgements. Without even realising it some students became overpowering. Subconsciously they thought others had nothing to contribute. Some students became too timid to contribute or overwhelmed. That’s not how groups work.” “We encouraged students to reflect on the exercise. Think about positive language, how to compromise and negotiate. It’s these skills of listening, communication and often compromise that help them realise actions can be more powerful when they work together.” Teachers shared what they had heard and brainstormed with students better ways to communicate and encourage. Students soon realised that it worked much better when they talked to each
other and respected different points of views. On the second hula hoop attempt, all groups applied their new collaborative skills and were successful. These essential skills underpinned the assessment. Each lesson that followed started with a masterclass – a small workshop to help improve skills required to write an effective script together. Students would then need to work together to ensure consistency across each scene, the characters, language and emotion used. At the end of each lesson, teams reflected on what worked well, what didn’t work well and what they could take into the next session. The skills taught - communication, focus, compromise and reflection - as well as an awareness of the way they speak to each other and the words they use - helped deliver incredible results and some truly amazing pieces of collaborative writing. There was a significant improvement in student engagement, organisation and input throughout this task, and students reported positively on the process at the end of unit evaluation. Enterprise in action Year 9 had a real world opportunity to hone their entrepreneurial skills developing a product for Year 9 Market Day. Commerce students were given a challenge: create a product or service to deliver to Years 3 and above. Market research helped students identify a target market. Learning through experience Student Jodi Haseler described her product, “We sold brownies with cookie dough and oreo with an added extra of a milkshake on the side. They were fast and easy to make so we could serve lots of people really quickly. We didn’t want to keep customers waiting otherwise we would lose their business.” Setting the sale price was a careful balancing act. Teammate Chelsea Vernon-Elliot added, “It was really challenging thinking about what price we should set our product at. We wanted to secure the best possible profit but we had to balance that with what people would actually be prepared to spend.”
Overcoming last minute challenges Students Bailey Green and Hugh Beresford teamed up for their chosen product, an ice-cream cookie, but the team came across some challenges. “Our original idea was to make ice-cream cookies but the supermarket had run out, so we had to make a last minute decision and think fast. We did ice-cream cones with toppings instead,” said Bailey. Hugh added, “I was the cashier and took the orders. Bailey would prepare the ice-cream. It was a really hot and humid day so our ice-cream started to melt! Luckily we sold out really quickly. We hadn’t anticipated how popular our stall was going to be.” Overall Year 9 Commerce students made a profit of $580. They gained a real-world experience of managing a business and customers and overcame on the spot challenges. Collectively the group made the decision to donate the profits to the Salvation Army Bushfire Relief.
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Students embraced the plots and twists with great vigour confidence and maturity.
Animal Farm “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”
One of George Orwell’s greatest texts, Animal Farm is an allegorical novel commenting on the political shifts of the Bolshevik revolution and its aftermath, a piece of literature in which the characters and events symbolise human truths.
Danielle said, “We used high and low platforms to create an industrial barn feel. Each characters’ costumes reflected their position in the play. For example, the pigs wore formal tuxes while the narrators wore academic gowns.”
When Producer and Drama teacher, Natalie Parsons-Clair announced to senior Drama students that they would be producing a dramatisation of one of the most influential and ground-breaking novels in English literature students were excited.
A cast of 16 students and four stage crew embraced the challenging characters, the plot and the twists with great vigour, confidence and maturity.
Year 12 student, Abbey Healey said, “We weren’t entirely familiar with the details of Animal Farm. Most of us knew it but we hadn’t studied it in great depth. We were excited to dive deep into the characters and messages and really challenge ourselves as actors.” The stage was constructed in a unique way to give an immersive and upfront experience of the play. Danielle Stimson, Year 12 said, “We sat the audience onstage along with the set to create an intimate performance space and build a strong connection to the actors.” And it worked. The minimalist set design meant everything had to come from the actors and the intimate space allowed the audience to feel closely connected to the characters moods, feelings and emotions. The dark toned lighting, shadows and haze added to the mood and atmosphere. P.16 Issue 54 • BUNDARA Central Coast Grammar School
“The most emotional and piercing moment in the production was the final line,” said Abbey. “Clover, a stout motherly mare tells us, ‘The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig again: but already it was impossible to say which was which.’” Abbey said, “The fact pigs could not be identified from the humans truly revealed the extent of their corruption.” While Animal Farm pointed criticism at the Stalin regime the messages are as relevant today as they were in 1940. Abbey added, “We only have to look at our current world leaders to understand the importance and relevance today of Animal Farm. Orwell expresses concern for the future ahead, and the continuing tensions and emerging consequences of power struggles and authoritarian figures ascending to power.” Abbey Healey and Danielle Stimson are Drama Co-Captains.
Bands for the Bush Students band together to help rebuild lives. Australia’s bushfire season 2019-20, also known as Black Summer, was like no other.
Bands for the Bush became a day filled with music and song.
Intense fires devastated communities, destroyed wildlife populations, reduced air quality and left us feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
From the moment students arrived at school, they were welcomed by the sounds of a live brass band and buskers positioned at different entry points. At recess and lunch, the man choir, rock bands, individual performers and teachers lent their voices and their instruments to bring the school alive with the sound of music.
Even before the summer holidays, students were searching for ways they could help. Year 10 Geography students sewed wildlife pouches. Year 11 students organised a gold coin donation for the Rural Fire Service. But when students returned from the summer break, we knew the developments over the past six to seven weeks would have a significant impact on them, particularly those who may have been directly or indirectly exposed to the crisis. A collective and coordinated effort was needed to help children respond and feel they could contribute and make a difference in a time of crisis. Bands for the Bush was born. Building on similar Jamnesty concerts held by the CCGS Amnesty International Group,
Students jammed, strummed and sung together, building up excitement from the crowd and encouraging the ‘clink clink’ of gold coin donations to be dropped into charity buckets. In the evening, the Performing Arts Centre was transformed into its very own club with an intimate gig vibe, lighting and dry ice machine adding to the atmosphere. To say the evening rocked is an understatement. Students blasted out familiar tunes as well as some of their own compilations. The crowd went wild and wanted more!
The excitement and atmosphere generated by Bands for the Bush was amazing. There were smiles on everyone’s faces and we knew that together we had created something truly unique and special to support others in a time of need. Bands for the Bush raised over $2,000 which was directed to the Rotary Club of Kariong Somersby who work directly with BlazeAid, a volunteer organisation working with families and individuals to help rebuild fences and other structures that have been damaged or destroyed. A spokesperson from BlazeAid said, “BlazeAid was founded on the premise of ‘mates helping mates’. We thank each and every member of your school community who have literally banded together to raise funds. Every action taken, every dollar raised is driven back directly into disaster affected communities. You are helping not just rebuild fences but rebuild lives.”
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Hello Comrades! We farewell Mr Gill After 39 years of teaching and inspiring the historians of the future, Steve Gill reflects on his time at CCGS, the teaching profession and shares some of the lessons he’s learned.
You’ve been at CCGS since 1987 and teaching since 1981. In your opinion what has changed the most in teaching and what remains the same? The greatest change is the access to, and use of technology, which can be positive and negative. One of the things that remains the same is the importance of establishing a respectful, positive hardworking and engaging environment where the students can grow and learn. The other thing that hasn’t changed is the teacher’s need for detailed knowledge and understanding of syllabus requirements, subject content and skill development. What has been the highlight of your CCGS days? There have been many. The great staff I have worked with over the years, the many students I have enjoyed teaching, coaching and managing different sports and the many laughs with students in my classes. What’s one lesson you’ve learnt from your students? To always keep an open mind and be flexible when needed. What do you think is the most important subject students learn today and why? HISTORY because it promotes critical thinking, detailed analysis of evidence and encourages great writing skills which are all vital in the real world. It allows vibrant discussion and debate where opposing perspectives are tolerated when they are backed up with evidence.
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What advice do you have for new teachers? Be consistent with your behaviour management, give lots of verbal and written feedback, earn respect by being a positive role model, listen and learn from experienced colleagues. Be hardworking, passionate about your subject and most of all, have FUN with your students. Let the students see that you enjoy what you do. What will you miss most about CCGS? Teaching, talking about History, staff banter and engaging with students. What does the ‘next chapter’ hold for you? Many jobs that my wife has for me to do around the house. I’ll go to the beach to bodysurf (where I promise to avoid Japanese whaling vessels) and catch lots of bream, flathead and flounder. I also am looking forward to reading more History books and journals so that when I meet any of my former students I will still be able to converse in ‘History talk’ with them. I would like to thank the past and present CCGS community for so many great memories. I will leave you with my favourite History joke; Q: What do you call Karl Marx’s grave? A: A communist plot!
CLAIRE NESBITT-HAWES (2000) After graduating from CCGS in 2000 Claire studied a Bachelor of International Creative Arts. She then started an independent theatre company before taking on the role of General Manager at the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney. Now Artistic Producer, Claire presents some of the best international plays, well-loved classics and new Australian works.
RICARDO BARDON (2001) CCGS alumni Ricardo Bardon researches, writes and produces some of Australia’s most popular talkback programs on the air. With a Post Graduate Diploma in Commercial Broadcast Ricardo has worked as a radio announcer across regional Australia and more recently as Executive Producer for 2GB.
MATTHEW GRAHAM (2012) This Australia Day, Central Coast Council named Olympic Skier and past CCGS student Matthew Graham as its Citizen of the Year. The silver medal Olympian was acknowledged for his role in the community where he provides tutoring support and speaks with students about how to effectively combine sport and study.
ALUMNI NEWS Want to be in the know with the latest alumni news? Visit the news page at ccgs.nsw.edu.au for more alumni stories. If you’re a CCGS alumni contact Jacqui Raadsma on alumni@ccgs.nsw.edu.au to share your alumni news. You can also visit our alumni page at ccgs.nsw.edu.au to update your details today and sign up to our alumni newsletter.
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Arundel Road, Erina Heights NSW 2260, Australia T +61 2 4367 6766 F +61 2 4365 1860 W www.ccgs.nsw.edu.au E info@ccgs.nsw.edu.au ABN 85 002 839 607 CRICOS Provider Code: 02261G