PPaarreennttss && CCiittiizzeennss’’

AAssssoocciiaattiioonn MMeeeettiinngg Thursday 25 July

Staff Common Room 7pm

MMootthheerrss’’ CCoommmmiitttteeee MMeeeettiinngg Wednesday 7 August

Library 10am

SStt GGeeoorrggee GGiirrllss HHiigghh SScchhooool Telephone: 9587 5902 Facsimile: 9553 8043 Email: stgeorgegi-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Website: www.sgghs.com.au

The Gazette

Monthly Bulletin July 2013

Vol. 18 No. 6 PPrriinncciippaall’’ss MMeessssaaggee

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome back to Term 3! I hope you and your family had an enjoyable two week break. This term promises to be a very busy and exciting one as we have come to expect at St George. I must however mention some important events which took place late last term.

MMuussiicc EEnnsseemmbbllee SSuucccceessss GGoolldd ffoorr AAllll Towards the end of last term our music ensembles, bands and A Cappella group enjoyed enormous success. The A Cappella Plus and Intermediate Band were awarded highly commended in the Sydney Eisteddfod. This success was closely followed by the Yamaha Music Festival which saw our Orchestra awarded gold and Concert and Intermediate Bands awarded silver. In the Engadine Bandfest all of our ensembles, Stage Band, Concert Band and Intermediate Band were awarded gold.

The Stage Band was acknowledged by the adjudicator as the best Stage Band he had heard in the whole festival.

The Orchestra has been selected to perform in the 2013 Festival of Instrumental Music at the Opera House and the Concert Band has been selected to perform in the 2013 Primary Proms at the Sydney Town Hall.

I congratulate all performers as well as Ms Oyston, Ms Hall and Ms Hamilton for the level of excellence achieved.

GGaallaa MMuussiicc EEvveenniinngg Hopefully many students and parents were able to attend our Gala Music Evening held last Thursday. This night gave all members of our school community the opportunity to experience the performance of our many ensembles as well as piano solos from Julie Wu and Sharon Lam.

This was our 19th Annual Gala Music Evening and, as expected, was a most uplifting and exhilarating evening. Every

year we bid farewell to many of our Year 12 students who are most important members of our ensembles. This year we are farewelling many wonderful musicians who have performed in our ensembles for many years, forging friendships across the grades and giving our whole school community pleasure and joy at many performance nights.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the following Year 12 students for their contribution to our school: Tanya Ali, Amelia Causley Todd, Denise Chan, Roanna Chan, Larissa Chandra, Elizabeth Cheung, Binna Choi, Crystal Choi, Michelle Feng, Felicia Fernando, Faye Flevaris, Jamila Fong Hee, Scienta Foo, Antonia Gage, Sophia Garlick Bock, Renae Goodman, Christabel Hoe, Susie Kim, Sharon Lam, Claudia Lee, Priscilla Li, Sharon Lo, Erica Lu, Alanna Mao, Amelia Mertha, Lisa Pai, Jessica Peng, Emily Peresiper, Jesse Poon, Amy Selvaraj, Bianca So, Ellie Stamatelatos, Anusha Thomas, Michelle Tsang, Alison Wormell, Julie Wu and Yvonne Wu. The ensembles will greatly miss your magical music making!

I also thank Ms Oyston, Ms Hall, Ms Hamilton and our many wonderful music tutors for nurturing the talents of our students.

YYeeaarr 1100 SSuubbjjeecctt SSeelleeccttiioonn PPrroocceessss A most successful and well attended Subject Selection Market and Parent Information Evening was held on the last Monday of last term. I wish to thank Mr Morris, Ms Oyston and Mr Morrison who explained the HSC requirements to students and parents. Year 10 submit their initial subject selection requests early this term. We do our best to satisfy the majority of students’ subject selections. Occasionally a small number of students may find their choices are not available. These students will be assisted to make a second selection.

BBeesstt WWiisshheess YYeeaarr 1122 I extend everyone’s best wishes to our Year 12 students who begin their Trial HSC examinations on Friday 26 July. This is an intensive and stressful time for students and their families. For some students these examinations will be followed by HSC examinations in languages, drama and music. Students will also be submitting their major works in courses such as visual arts, English extension 2 and textiles and design. I assure all Year 12 parents of our commitment to support your daughters through this time and ask you to contact the school if we can assist in any way.

SSttuuddeenntt SSuucccceessss As illustrated by the many successes mentioned previously in my report, we really do educate the ‘whole girl’ at St George Girls High School. Although we have only been back to school for three days at the time of writing, I have had communication about many individual students who have experienced success recently and I would like to acknowledge them. This list is in no particular order but simply illustrates the talents our girls possess in a wide range of fields. Veronica Tsang won second prize in the ‘Young Composer’ section and was the youngest finalist in the performance section of the Sutherland Shire and St George Youth Music Awards. During the term two holidays, Jacinta Liew competed in the recent National Rythmic Gymnastics Level 8 International at Olympic Park. She came 9

th nationally

and also helped the New South Wales team to win the gold medal. Elisa Tran entered the Written Portraits 2013 National Creative Writing Competition and her short story was chosen from over 400 entries to be published in the ‘Written Portaits 2013’. Taciane Jondral, Imogen Yeomans and Eleni Carydis also submitted entries with the judging panel thoroughly enjoying reading their stories. Well done. Also, a number of our students participated in the Australian Government’s Youth Advisory Group on Cybersafety and have made an important contribution to the very current and relevant issue of Cybersafety. Thank you to Joyce Chau, Yuvashri Harish, Yatha Jain, Taciane Jondral, Deeksha Koul, Hannah Lee, Christine Pang, Yixiu Tan, Jasmine Lu, Anna Gu, Ria

Mehrotra, Rabiba Pervez, Lisa Poon, Mandy Wong. These girls received a Participation Certificate from Senator the Honourable Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. This is just a sample of the many awards and successes enjoyed by our wonderfully talented students.

Well done girls!

AApppplliiccaattiioonnss ffoorr YYeeaarrss 88--1122 EEnnttrryy Each year a small number of vacancies may occur in Years 8-12. The application package is now available from the school. The selection is determined by a panel comprising staff and parent representatives. The closing date is Tuesday 30 July and applications must be handed in to the school office by 3.00pm on this day.

KKooggaarraahh CCoouunncciill IInnffrriinnggeemmeenntt NNoottiicceess School Zones are regularly patrolled by Council officers to ensure that parents are picking up their daughters in a patient, courteous manner while adhering to parking regulations. This is to ensure the safety of students and other road users. Please adhere to all road and parking regulations when picking up your daughter. Schedule of offences are attached.

SScchhoooollKKiiddss BBoonnuuss The second instalment of the Schoolkids Bonus will be paid to eligible families in July. It is important that your daughter’s education details are updated with Centrelink. This bonus cannot be claimed through the income tax return. Parents should check their eligibility by visiting australia.gov.au/schoolkidsbonus.

RReelliieevviinngg SSttaaffff PPoossiittiioonnss Mr Morris will be on extended leave from the beginning of term 3. During his absence, Ms Oyston will be relieving Deputy Principal and Mr Moncrieff will be relieving Head Teacher administration.

SSttuuddeenntt BBeehhaavviioouurr oonn TTrraaiinnss I have recently received complaints from members of the public about the behaviour of some of our students on the train. It has been reported that students are blocking the aisles, stairs and doorways with their bags or by sitting on the floor. It is an offence to block these areas. Another complaint being made is that excessive noise from the students is an annoyance to other passengers. I ask all students travelling on the trains between Redfern and Kogarah to be considerate of other public transport users. This could involve moving to another carriage if there is insufficient room in the carriage they are occupying.

CCoonnggrraattuullaattiioonnss I would like to congratulate the following student for achieving a Gold Certificate indicating that she has received thirty Merit and/or Participation Certificates:

Fiona Pyliotis of Year 9. I would also like to congratulate the following students for receiving Principal Certificates: Elicia Au Duong of Year 7.

Christine Azer, Libby Chen and Fiona Pyliotis of Year 9.

Celina Aston and Melanie Tran of Year 11. Well done to all of these girls and to all who have experienced personal success this term. Yours sincerely Graeme Ponder

DDeeppuuttyy PPrriinncciippaall’’ss RReeppoorrtt

YYeeaarr 1122 ear 12 will be commencing Trial HSC exams on Friday 26 July and parents should ensure that their daughters do not do ‘all night’ study

sessions. They are more likely to optimise their outcomes by sitting an exam rested and alert. Last minute cramming is rarely effective and often counterproductive. If your daughter is ill, contact the school, obtain a medical certificate and get her to organise an alternate exam time. Do not send her to school with a certificate and request us to take her illness into consideration. This cannot be done. She must either present for the exam or have a legitimate excuse and doctor’s certificate. We cannot retrospectively cancel or moderate an exam once sat.

YYeeaarr 1100 The process of subject selection for the HSC is now under way with girls having made their initial choices and the school now needing to decide which subjects run and how subjects are placed against each other. Please be assured that we do everything we can to ensure the majority of girls get what they want but also be aware that no system will ever be able to guarantee that every student gets her subjects. Ms Oyston

SSttuuddeenntt WWeellffaarree

ince the issue of the last Gazette, the following students have been presented with Dragon Badges:

Ruisi Chen, Vivian Fan and Neha Priyadarshini (2) of Year 7.

Rachael Yu of Year 9.

Lisa Jia (2), Ama Qian (3), Elisa Tran (3) and Tina Zhu of Year 10.

Sarah Huang, Chandana Narayan, Lucy Wu (3) and Linda Zeng of Year 11.

Priscilla Li (2) and Philippa Meikle (3) of Year 12. The following students have been presented with Super Dragon Badges: Linda Zeng of Year 11. Sharon Lo and Philippa Meikle of Year 12.

LLaanngguuaaggeess

n May, 43 French students from Years 10, 11 and 12 participated in the Language Perfect World Championships.

This competition involved over 1000 schools from around the world and was held over 10 days. Students were tested on their vocabulary and earned points for correct responses. Our girls were very successful in the competition, earning 28 awards overall: 7 Credit, 8 Bronze, 7 Silver and 6 Gold awards. They answered 163, 700 questions altogether and earned a combined total of 56 621 points. In addition, our school was placed 1

st in New South

Wales for schools with less than 50 participants and 4

th in Australia out of 66 schools in the same category.

The Gold award recipients scored in excess of 3000 points and were placed in the top 2% of 225 000 competitors from around the world: Year 10 Clare Cao Sophia Huang Taciane Jondral Jessica Kwong Year 11 Laurie Mac Madeleine Rudder Silver award recipients scoring over 2000 points were: Year 10 Emily Ge Thuylinh Nguyen Megan Sun Catherine Tuazon Year 11 Ria Chatterjee Kellie Tang Jeanne Yang Bronze award recipients scoring over 1000 points were: Year 10 Pratiksha Chuttar Jenny Gu Elizabeth Melkonian Ama Qian Annie Yuan

Y

SS

II

Year 11 Leah Kramer Mimi Lee Year 12 Whitney Wang Certificates of Credit for over 500 points were awarded to: Year 10 Vicky Chen Anita Cui Louise Li Jessica Shao Selina Su Year 12 Sharon Cheung Tracey Wu Laurie Mac of Year 11 answered the most questions correctly, scoring over 4000 points. For this amazing effort Laurie also received an Ipod shuffle.

Congratulations to all the girls who participated in the competition and especially to those who received achievement certificates. Ms K Dooner French Teacher

PPaarreennttss aanndd CCiittiizzeennss’’ AAssssoocciiaattiioonn

ur Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on 27 June 2013. All committee positions were declared vacant and nominations sought from

attendees. May I take this opportunity to thank the out-going committee, representatives, parents and community members for their efforts this past year. The incoming P&C office bearers for 2012-2013 year are:

President – Mark Yan

Vice President – Katia Vardakis

Treasurer – George Mak

Secretary (Minutes) – Jan Poay

Secretary (Correspondence) – Henry Tam

Finance Committee – Andre Flamer-Caldera The next meeting of the P&C will be held on Thursday 25 July 2013 in the Staff Common Room from 7pm. There is plenty of parking on Victoria Street and entry to the school is via the front gate. Tea/coffee and biscuits will be available on arrival. Our guest speaker for the meeting will be Ms Oyston, Head Teacher Administration/Music. This presentation starts our meeting and concludes before 8pm.

I look forward to seeing you at our July P&C meeting. Mark Yan Katia Vardakis George Mak Henry Tam Poay Jan President Vice President Treasurer Secretary 0410 665 198 0422 322 525 0422 300 008 0410 325 426 0408 299 819

OO

FFoorr tthhee DDiiaarryy::

ttwwoo iimmppoorrttaanntt PP&&CC ddaatteess ffoorr TTeerrmm 33:: Father Daughter Dinner at St George Sailing

Club on Saturday 31 August ……… so start organising your table of 10 now ! (see attached flyer)

Next fundraiser BBQ at Bunnings Rockdale on Sunday 8 September

****** FFuunnddrraaiissiinngg NNeewwss …… the Sydney Entertainment

TM Book 2013-2014 is

now available. Be quick, only a few copies available. Order online:

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orderbooks/203j324 ******

SScchhooooll ZZoonneess

MMootthheerrss’’ CCoommmmiitttteeee

LLaasstt MMeeeettiinngg:: NNoo JJuullyy mmeeeettiinngg dduuee ttoo tthhee

SScchhooooll HHoolliiddaayyss ope the school holiday break was enjoyable for all and we look forward to meeting some new parents in Term 3 at our monthly meetings.

Involvement with the Mothers’ Committee through our monthly meetings is a rewarding and worthwhile experience, should you be able to reschedule or take a couple of hours out from your work or other commitments. Our meetings are a great way to be involved with the school community, meet other parents and find out what is happening at school from the Principal and Guest Speakers. The Committee holds nine meetings each year and you will be made most welcome whenever you are able to attend. Our major fundraising functions are the management of the Uniform Shop and organisation of the annual Mother Daughter Dinner. Our members also serve as parent representatives on staff selection and review panels. All funds raised by the Mothers’ Committee are used to purchase necessary items for the school with $12 432 contributed in early 2013 to meet Faculty Requests for a variety of resources. Our Mother Daughter Dinner held in May this year was a great success thanks to the efforts of our committee members and Year 12 girls in bringing this event together. Thank you to Michelle Feng, Claudia Lee, Amelia Mertha, Janice Mung and Renae Goodman and our apologies for this omission from our June article.

UUnniiffoorrmm SShhoopp NNeewwss The Uniform Shop is open every Wednesday at lunchtime during term from 12.45pm to 2pm (please note that the girls’ lunch break commences at 1.10pm). Payment is by cash or cheque only (No EFTPOS facilities). The Mothers’ Committee always meets the first Wednesday of the month (except during school holidays).

Next Meeting: Wednesday 7 August at 10am in the Library Our Guest Speaker will be Mr Turner – Head Teacher English. Lisa Tulau Meryle Chandra Marthese Girgis Donna Kwong President Vice President Treasurer Secretary 0407 007 211 0400 167 003 0410 411 452 0407 319 222

SStt GGeeoorrggiiaannss

ur meeting on Thursday 25 July is the Annual General Meeting, and we’d love to see any interested parties come along. We meet at the

school (details below) and would love to see some new faces at our meetings. We have a great group of ladies, and it's a fun, relaxed atmosphere if you are interested in joining. Our main priority is to organise an annual reunion for all ex-students and staff, as well as support the school through fundraising efforts. With the school’s centenary coming up in 2016, we are now more than ever looking for new members to join our group and assist in this historic milestone. No need to take on an executive role, we are looking for regular members as well as volunteers to help out. Two of our loyal ladies have recently spent time in hospital, and we send our very best wishes to them both. But they insist on soldiering on, and after coming to meetings for a combined total of well over 80 years, they refuse to be thwarted by such trifling matters as poor health! We love our wonder-women. There is a new Theatre Party outing coming up, “Over the River and Through the Woods” on Wednesday 21 August. Tickets are only $20 – it’s a great night out. The play, about a young man dealing with his two sets of overbearing grandparents, is a witty and poignant family comedy that addresses issues of family relationships and generational differences. Promising once again to spark some lively conversations amongst our multi-generational members! Proceeds of Theatre Party trips go to the school. Use our details below to get in touch if you'd like to join us. The St Georgians meet in Room 5, at 7:00pm on the fourth Thursday of each month during school term. Our next meeting will follow the Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 25 July 2013. We are always keen to meet new members, and look forward to seeing you there! TheStGeorgians@hotmail.com Melissa George Diana Renton Secretary Treasurer 9522 2527 9580 3282 (leave message)

HH OO

SStt GGeeoorrggee GGiirrllss MMaakkee NNeewwss!!

CCoommiinngg EEvveennttss

Tuesday 23 July Gazette issued on school website and emailed to parents and students Year 11 Australian Biota Study Day, City, 9.15am – 3pm Year 10 History Incursion Year 9 English Incursion Wednesday 24 July Opportunity Class Examination Year 11 Japanese Excursion, Kirrawee, 9.30am – 2.30pm Junior Chemistry Competition Year 12 Drama Trial HSC Showcase Evening, 6.30pm Thursday 25 July Senior Chemistry Competition Year 9 Commerce Excursion, City, 8.15am – 3pm MUNA, Sydney University, 9am – 4pm Parents and Citizens’ Association Meeting, Staff Common Room, 7pm St Georgians Meeting, Room 5, 7pm Friday 26 July – Trial Higher School Certificate commences Friday 9 August Friday 26 July – Sunday 28 July Ski Trip Wednesday 31 July UMAT Year 12 Stuvac Thursday 1 August Mathematics Competition Regional Athletics Carnival Friday 2 August Regional Athletics Carnival Monday 5 August – Friday 9 August Year 10 Work Experience Monday 5 August Year 9 PD incursion Wednesday 7 August Mothers’ Committee Meeting, Library, 10am Thursday 8 August Year 8 French Excursion, Darling Harbour, 11.10am – 3pm Wednesday 14 August Year 10 Winning Edge

It is important that payment for excursions is made to the Finance Office on the days as designated by classroom teachers.

Saturday 31 August 2013

St George Sailing Club, 2 Riverside Drive, Sans Souci

(next to Captain Cook Bridge)

7pm till midnight

Including: Elegant 3-course sit-down dinner

Live entertainment – 3 hours guitar solo Breathtaking Botany Bay views

Warm chats with other dads and daughters Lucky door prizes

Tickets – $45 per head

Dress – neat casual

The P&C is asking for donations for the Lucky Door prizes. If you are able to donate any gift or money for the draws, please leave it at the Front Office and label it ‘Father Daughter Dinner Prizes Donation’.

Enquiries – Mark Yan at 0410 665 198 or email: ye.yan@det.nsw.edu.au

RSVP by Thursday 22 August – Please tear off and return with payment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SGGHS P&C Association – Father Daughter Dinner 2013

I will be attending the Father Daughter Dinner. I would like ____________ tickets

I enclose my donation of ______________________ / $______________ for prizes draw

Contact Name and Phone Number: ________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________ Daughter’s name and roll class:

_____________________ ____________ Enclosed is Cash/Cheque of $ for persons

(Cheques made payable to “St George Girls High P&C Association”)

Be in it to

experience it!

dfgdgdgdg ©2013 Entertainment™ Publications of Australia Pty Ltd

SStt GGeeoorrggee GGiirrllss HHiigghh SScchhooooll

is pleased to announce the Book fund-raiser!

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