HEADMASTER'S REFLECTIONS

Welcome back to Winter Term. Fortunately the weather conditions during our first week back helped us to take on board the true meaning of the word "Winter". As a college with a strong history in the provision of a boarding education for the rural community, my sincere hope is that some of the rains we have experienced in Swanbourne somehow make their way through to the rural communities which are in desperate need of more rain.

Speaking about rural communities and boarding, Scotch College currently has 21 Indigenous students on scholarships through a number of government and private programmes. As part of our commitment to reconciliation and the provision of high quality indigenous programmes at Scotch, we take week two of Winter Term to celebrate NAIDOC Week. This is a celebration for the whole community and provides our boys and staff with a great opportunity to experience cultural diversity and develop an even deeper understanding of the need to live as one no matter where we come from or the racial background we have. Given the last couple of weeks in the public cauldron, which we refer to as political leadership, never before in our history is there a greater need to sit back and take on board that humanity is what the drivers should be, not point scoring.

Our progress towards completing the new Middle School continues to occur at a rapid rate. As promised, Shenton Road was opened on 21 July with the exciting news that the underpass is now a physical reality. While the underpass is not quite ready for use, once again I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Scotch community and the wider community of Swanbourne for their understanding and support of our project.

As with each term it is vitally important that all of the boys from Years 1 to 12 settle back into their regular school routines in order to ensure the opportunities we provide throughout the teaching and learning programmes are maximised through the boys' commitment and effort.

In closing I ask you to particularly keep our Year 12s in your thoughts and prayers as they face a very busy term in preparation for their final exams which are not that far away.

Dr A J O'Connell

Headmaster

BEGINNING TERM

Both teachers and parents have experienced a rich start to the term with a busy 'student free' Monday on July 22. All parents were invited to hear an outstanding presenter Dr Andrew Martin in MacKellar Hall in the evening. This date was specifically chosen in the hope that parents returning boys to boarding may be able to stay over to attend. Unfortunately the date for the Year 10 subject course selection was chosen for the same reason which meant that Year 10 parents had a difficult choice to make. Dr Martin's work is widely published so those who would like to learn more about the motivation strategies around boys' learning may access that information in his publications.

Dr Andrew Martin addressed the staff in the afternoon, focusing on the concept of 'academic buoyancy' which he defined as the ability to deal with setbacks at school, academic challenge and schoolwork pressures. He discussed the impact of effective teacher relationships on learning. He focused on how the teacher can guide the boy towards being adaptable in their thinking, behaviour and emotional responses so they can take greater control over their study programme.

There are several presentations that are well worth listening to on his website. This includes a podcast interview about student motivation on ABC radio.

http://www.lifelongachievement.com/

Teachers also met together as a whole staff to share a Chapel led by Rev Anne Wright who reminded us of the Uniting Church heritage, history and values and what these mean to us as a whole community regardless of our personal faith systems. Headmaster Dr O'Connell welcomed all staff to the new term and outlined the school strategic direction and the exciting building developments that have taken place over the holidays. Very soon we will be able to walk through the tunnel that will not only serve the practical purpose of making the wonderful playing spaces more accessible to the Senior School and Senior School facilities more accessible to Junior and Middle Schools but will also be symbolic of the connectedness of our learning as the boys transition from Junior School to Middle School to Senior School.

As part of the launch of NAIDOC WEEK at Scotch, Mr Andrew Beck, Indigenous Programme Coordinator at Guildford Grammar and originally from Esperance, made an Acknowledgement of Country and addressed staff on cultural awareness and ways of knowing and learning. Ms Felicity Byres, as Indigenous Student Program Coordinator at Scotch, outlined an exciting programme of events for Week 3 that will include a collaborative Sand Art Mural in the Junior and Middle Schools, damper making and other bush tucker, a football match against Clontarf, indigenous tool making and guest speakers and performers.

Year 9 and 10 Examinations

These were completed towards the end of last term prior to students and teachers undertaking the Year 9 Civics programme in Canberra and Perth and the Year 10 Outdoor Education Expeditions. The examination invigilators commented on how impressed they were by the boys' behaviour throughout the examination period. They were punctual and well prepared and undertook the process in a responsible manner. Teachers are now in the process of finalising the grading of the papers and moderation meetings. Some results will have been released to the boys and by the end of Week 2 all boys should be able to access the results of the examinations on Student Coneqt.

Jan Skidmore

Director of Teaching and Learning

SUBJECT SELECTION FOR 2014 ACADEMIC YEAR

Parents and boys are reminded that boys currently in Year 10 and 11 (11 IB excluded) should have selected their subjects online and returned the signed receipt to Mr Frusher by Friday July 26. If these are still outstanding, please attend to this ASAP.

Boys in Year 8 and 9 should have completed their elective selection online and returned the signed receipt to Mrs Turner by Monday July 29. Likewise if these are yet to be submitted, please do this ASAP.

Mr Brad Watson

Curriculum Administrator

LIBRARY

Late last term the Scotch Libraries put forward a submission to the Parent Association to help with the implementation and further resourcing of the College eBook system from Overdrive.com. It is with sincere gratitude that the library received a sum of $20,000 to purchase additional eBooks and Audio books to support our students in their drive to access resources both in print and in digital forms.

As part of this funding the library has been targeting fiction resources for the Middle School students as we prepare for our transition in October to the new building, and our temporary home until the new Junior/Middle School library is completed in the Stage 2 of the building process. Students will start to receive in the coming weeks a letter for parents with instructions on how to access the new eBooks and audio books from anywhere in the world. It is important that parents sit with their son and work through this process, as they will require permission to create of an adobe ID, a requirement to protect the publisher's copyright.

An important part of this resource is that parents will also have access to the eBooks and audio books. Simply log in with your normal credentials to start downloading.

As always, if you have any questions please contact any of the library staff or email library@scotch.wa.edu.au.

Mr Tyrrell

Head of Library, Information and Research Services

CAREERS INFORMATION

UNIVERSITY INFORMATION

Year 12 Parents and Students

The applications for further study at either TAFE or University have NOT been requested by the respective tertiary institutions at this stage. In August students will be given the 2014 TISC Guide that will outline all the procedures and dates that are relevant to the application process and beyond. Mr Frusher will also be talking to the students as a group and explaining the TISC Guide, together with the application process. In August/September, Mr Frusher will be conducting one-on-one interviews with all Year 12 students to check each application and to offer advice prior to applications being sent on-line.

At this stage Year 12 students should have received a Prospectus from each of the WA Universities and a Year 12 WACE Information Handbook 2013. Following on from the Scotch Careers Expo, students are encouraged to attend university and TAFE Open Days throughout the month of August.

As a parent, what can your son and you do together?

Ø Discuss various courses in the prospectuses that may be of interest to your son.

Ø Gather more information by visiting university websites, or requesting further information from universities.

Ø Attend university Open Days that are advertised in each prospectus and in this newsletter.

Ø Be positive; don't panic (yet) and communicate with as many people as possible.

University Open Days

July and August are the months during which universities will be conducting their Open Days. This is an opportunity for all students from Years 10-12 to visit universities to gain an understanding of what courses are offered, what subjects at Scotch are preferred and to talk to both lecturers and students about specific courses. It is essential that Year 12 students attend and I highly recommended that Years 10 & 11 also visit to gain valuable information about tertiary options.

(University of Melbourne,Parkville and Southbank campuses www.openday.unimelb.edu.au)

Australian students and their parents visiting from interstate or overseas as well as students visiting from New Zealand are invited to join us for a special information session on Open Day. Lunch will be provided following the information session.

Come along and learn more about:

· Undergraduate degrees and graduate pathways at Melbourne

· Entry requirements and how to apply

· Scholarships

· Residential colleges and housing options

· Stories from current students who have moved to Melbourne to study

· Student support services.

This is a free session, but registration is required. For more information, go to:

www.futurestudents.unimelb.edu.au/open-day-interstate-lunch

Notre Dame University Early Offer Program

Students who are contemplating choosing Notre Dame for tertiary studies in 2014 and have a predicted ATAR of 90+ are invited to nominate for an early offer at the University. The Early Offer Program acknowledges and rewards the achievements of outstanding Year 12 students and allows them to face the final examinations with reduced stress and added confidence. All nominations must be forwarded through Mr Frusher and must be submitted to Notre Dame by Friday 2 August 2013. Please note that if a student accepts an early offer, it will in no way prohibit them from applying and accepting an offer from another university.

Scholarships

Scholarships applications to most universities are now open and students need to start preparing their applications as soon as possible. Scholarships information can be accessed on individual university websites and also by contacting Mr Frusher at Scotch. There are many different scholarships available with different criteria attached to each. Applications for scholarships are made direct to the university concerned but some are made via a nomination by Scotch and students will be notified of these in the near future.

Mr Frusher

Careers Adviser

DEFENCE FORCES

Australian Defence Force Academy

Year 11 students who may be interested in entering the Defence Force Academy at the completion of Year 12 are encouraged to apply for an ADFA Education Award. This award is presented annually to Year 12 students in recognition of leadership potential, and academic and sporting achievements exhibited in Year 11. The award comprises a laptop computer and certificate for the student and a recognition plaque for the School. There are 120 awards offered and there is no obligation for the student to attend ADFA.

The application process comprises the ADFA entry aptitude test, medical testing and a series of interviews including an Officer Selection Board. These are conducted in Canberra during April/May 2013 with all fares and accommodation provided.

For further details contact the local Defence Force Recruiting Centre on 131901 or visit www.defencejobs.gov.au/adfa or contact Mr Frusher at Scotch College.

The Royal Military College

The Royal Military College (RMC) in Duntroon, ACT, is one of the world's truly outstanding military training institutions. Every course at RMC focuses on bringing out your best qualities and equipping you with the confidence and skills to make decisions, think quickly on your feet and motivate others in any situation. At RMC, you'll learn all the skills and knowledge you need to turn from a regular civilian into a world-class officer in today's Army. Your training will focus on bringing out your best, and the leadership courses offered are second to none. Training in everything from infantry tactics and strategy, to military technology and communication, will ensure you're ready to lead.

To find out more or start your application, please call 131901 or visit www.defencejobs.gov.au or see Mr Frusher for more information.

Wednesday August 7

Trades in the ADF Information Session

There's no better way to start a trade career than in the Australian Defence Force. And with the huge range of different trade careers available, it's a sure bet there will be one for you. You'll start off on a great wage while you train to become an expert in your chosen field, receiving nationally recognised qualifications. You'll get great travel opportunities and be working with some of the most technically advanced hardware in the world. Some of the awesome benefits include competitive salary packages, guaranteed job security, free healthcare and subsidised accommodation. Plus, with physical activity included in a typical days work, you'll find plenty of time to kick a ball around with your new mates. Speak to serving trades people at this information session.

Wednesday August 7

Submariner Information Session

Being a Submariner is a role like no other. It takes a unique individual to operate such advanced technology at these depths. It's not the job for everyone, but if you are up to the challenge, it'll reward you in ways you never knew possible. You'll wear your Submariner's badge with pride, knowing you are able to go where few can and do what few dare. Find out more about working on a Submarine from a serving Submariner at this information session.

Take note of the following sessions scheduled at 6.30pm at 66 St Georges Terrace, Perth :

Tuesday 20 August - Army Reserve Information Session

Tuesday 17 September - Careers in the ADF Information Session

Tuesday 17 September - Officer Information Session including the Defence University Sponsorship

To book your place please email cptwa@dfr.com.au or phone 08 9488 7180. To find out more about jobs in the Defence call 131901 or visit www.defencejobs.gov.au

ENGINEERING INFORMATION

WA Science and Engineering Summer School - Murdoch

Having spoken to a number of students recently who already have an eye on studying Engineering in particular, but also other Science courses at University, I would like to draw your attention to the following opportunity offered by Murdoch University.

The WA Science and Engineering Summer School takes place from 12 - 17 January 2014 at Murdoch, and is open to students entering Years 11 and 12 (ie students who are currently in Years 10 and 11). It is a 6-day residential science experience for up to 80 students from around WA, providing an opportunity to explore a range of areas in Science with the view to foster their interest and further their career plans.

The closing date for applications is FRIDAY, 30 AUGUST 2013.

Further information and application forms can be obtained from Mr Iwanowski at school, or by email/phone (TPIwanowski@scotch.wa.edu.au / 9383 6800). In addition, more information about the aims and organisation of the event can be found on the Murdoch University website, or by following the link below.

http://www.murdoch.edu.au/School-of-Engineering-and-Information-Technology/WA-Science-and-Engineering-Summer-School/

'Make it so I can be an engineer' student night

Tuesday 6 August at Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre 6.00-8.30pm

For Year 9-12 students and parents. Come along and hear practical first-hand knowledge from young engineers about what it is like to be an engineer, how they got started and prospects for the future. Universities and other technical institutes will also be on hand to talk about the various learning pathways.

https://engineersaustralia.wufoo.com/forms/australian-engineering-week-student-night-2013/

Becoming an Engineer with UWA

An information evening will answer all your questions about studying engineering at UWA, including discussion on UWA's Engineering Science undergraduate major and the Master of Professional Engineering postgraduate studies, types of engineering, entry pathways and prerequisites, how to apply and career options.

Wednesday 31 July, 6-7pm and Wednesday 18 September, 6-7pm. For more information and RSVP:

http://www.ecm.uwa.edu.au/community/engineering-info-evenings

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Scotch teachers continued their professional development programme just prior and throughout the holiday period. These included: an Aspiring Leadership workshop; a Drama PD & Network Day; two of our librarians attended an IB Workshop on Inquiry and the Librarian across the 3 programmes; two teachers attended the 2013 Gifted & Talented Conference in Sydney.

Ms Skidmore

Director of Teaching and Learning

Scotch Canteen

The Senior School canteen

The Senior School canteen is situated underneath the Music department adjacent to the swimming pool.

The canteen provides snacks at recess for all Senior School boys and lunches for Senior School Day boys. Click for a Senior School Menu.

The Junior and Middle School canteen

The Junior and Middle School canteen is situated in the Junior School Quadrangle. Boys order their lunches before school by writing their order on a paper bag (supplied by the canteen) and enclosing the money. Click for a Junior and Middle School Menu.

Scotch College uses the FlexiSchools system to provide a new cashless way to pay for school canteen services. This system allows parents or students in Year 1 to 7 to place Online Orders for Canteen purchases from home, work or school at any time via the internet, including an iPhone/iPad "app". Senior students (Year 8 - 12) can use their Student/ SmartRider Card to purchase items over the canteen counter.

JULY/AUGUST TRANSPERTH DISRUPTIONS

We have been advised all train lines will be shutting down during parts of July and August (Friday 12 July - Wednesday 17 July and Wednesday 31 July - Sunday 4 August). Some of the dates fall in school holidays. There are bus replacements but you can refer to the link below to see how it will affect your travel journey to school.

http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/ServiceUpdates/ServiceDisruptions/MajorTrainDisruptionJulyandAugust2013.aspx

PARENT - TEEN CONNECTION COURSE

The School Psychologist, Shauna Lipscombe, has arranged for a parenting course (3 sessions in total) to be held at Scotch College in The Residence, held on Tuesday evenings (13, 20 and 27 August).

This course is aimed at parents of teenagers and will provide practical skills and suggestions to deal with problems and situations such as moodiness, money, clothes, leaving home, sexuality, stealing, drinking and drugs. Parents of teenagers often question whether they have the necessary parenting skills to deal with the many issues and conflicts that arise during their child's teenage years. Parent-Teen Connection combines relevant information with opportunities for parents to discuss their difficulties and concerns with other parents.

Cost per person: $25.00 for 3 sessions

Please note that due to the popularity of this course, bookings are essential! Places are limited.

For further information or to reserve a place, please contact Cherie FitzGibbon at cafitzgibbon@scotch.wa.edu.au.

TRANSPERTH SHUTDOWN

A second shutdown will take place from 3pm on Wednesday, 31 July to last service on Sunday, 4 August. For more information regarding the shutdown click here or visit:

- Transperth website

- InfoLine 13 62 13

- Or to find out why - Perth City Link

STAFF MOVEMENTS

Autumn 2013 - Resignations

Autumn 2013 - End of Contract

Winter 2013 - On leave

Winter 2013 - Returning from Leave

Winter 2013 - Permanent New Staff

Winter 2013 - Temporary New Staff

Winter 2013 - Internal Changes

FRIENDS ACROSS THE INDIAN OCEAN

As an Indian Ocean Rim country, Australia is well positioned to engage with our neighbouring countries across this body of water. This is particularly true of Western Australia and Perth. At Scotch College we have identified that this geographical position provides us with opportunities and also responsibility to assist some of our less economically developed Indian Ocean neighbours.

Tanzania is one of the countries we assist through the work undertaken in Matipwili village - jointly with PLC since 2008. During the recent holiday period a number of Scotch Staff joined a group of architects under the auspices of CEFPI - the Council of Educational Facility Planners International - to visit Tanzania and offer service to both Matipwili village and the Tanzanian government more broadly.

This group visited seven schools in Tanzania including rural primary and secondary schools, large government schools in Dar es Salaam as well as independent schools such as St Jude's in Arusha and the International School, Moshi. The group gained a good insight into the educational facilities available in Tanzania. Overwhelmingly, the facilities in government schools are stretched to beyond their capacity and students struggle to learn. It was heartening to meet some inspirational young people who, despite the hardships, have managed to excel and now want to make a positive and lasting impact in their communities.

Scotch now works in three countries overseas - two of which border the Indian Ocean. While these are significant to the College - and tend to feature prominently in our publications - for the majority of our students, there is a much greater impact on their lives through providing service to the many agencies we support locally. All boys have access to organisations doing wonderful work in Perth and elsewhere in Australia, including in remote communities.

One example of this in the work done at Tranby Day Centre by groups of Year 10 boys on Friday afternoon. The boys who go to Tranby in East Perth assist to run the services for the over 120 homeless people who regularly attend for meals and counseling. Just before the last break, the boys prepared bark to be used for paintings during NAIDOC week. Scotch has been a long-term partner with UnitingCare West, the agency that runs the Tranby Centre.

Joining Round Square

Scotch College has applied to join the Round Square organization. This is a network of over 100 schools around the world who adhere to the philosophy of Kurt Hahn, a prominent educator who established well-known programmes such as Outward Bound, the Duke of Edinburgh Award. He was also instrumental in establishing schools such as Gordonstoun, Atlantic College and the United World College - the first International Schools. Scotch College shares many of the ideals of these institutions. Indeed, the IDEALS acronym used by Round Square - which derives from: Internationalism; Democracy; Environment; Adventure; Leadership; and Service - are the core principals of the Round Square organization and also feature prominently at Scotch. We are a good fit with Round Square.

Membership of Round Square will bring many opportunities to our boys and staff. Perhaps the most significant of these is will be the ability to organize exchange opportunities for boys with other member schools relatively easily. We currently do not offer an exchange programme. Membership will also make available international conference for boys in both Middle and Senior Schools. The 2013 Round Square Conference is being held in St Andrews College in Florida, USA. Boys and staff will also have the opportunity of joining international service tours - in addition to those already offered at Scotch.

Round Square has been around for a long time and proven to be effective in promoting academic excellence within the framework of the IDEALS. Our alignment with this organization will allow us more exposure to international programmes and opportunities for collaboration with schools around the world. Many IB schools are also Round Square schools. Rather than duplicating the role of the International Baccalaureate Organisation, Round Square compliments the IBO programmes by illuminating the cross beams which give strength to Scotch and go a long way towards to 'Preparing Boys For Life'.

For more information on Round Square, please go to: http://www.roundsquare.org

NAIDOC WEEK

NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day of Celebration) week activities are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Indigenous Australians. This year, the theme is "50^th Anniversary of the Yirrkala Bark Petitions". The petitions protested the Commonwealth granting mining rights on Yolngu people's traditional land.

Scotch College will celebrate NAIDOC from July 29 -August 2, the second week of Winter Term. Some of the events for this week include a Collaborative Sand Art Mural in the Middle and Junior Schools, Traditional Tool Making and Kimberley and Noongar bush tucker tasting. The week will end with an Assembly featuring a traditional smoking ceremony and a guest speaker. Parents, friends and past students are welcome to attend.

INFORMATION LEARNING TECHNOLOGY

It's that time of the year when the booklists are being considered by our teaching staff. Over recent months we have investigated a range of eBooks and how they may be utilised in our teaching programmes.

The interactive, multi-touch nature of an eBook, the inclusion of rich video and audio media, and interactive quizzes, to name a few, all serve students with widely differing learning modes. eBooks are considerably cheaper than their printed counter parts, lighter and easier to transport. They are searchable and can contain links to websites and other resources. Many dictionaries, both English and foreign, and the Classics are often freely available. eBooks also have a lighter environmental footprint. Estimates have printed books requiring 3 times the raw materials, and 78 times the amount of water to produce.

The announcement that an iBook reader will be available in the new Apple Mavericks OS later in the year means the boys will be able to use their laptops to read iBooks. We are exploring the inclusion of eBooks in the booklists for 2013/14 in areas selected by curriculum leaders.

Tags: ILT, eBooks, booklists.

PARENTING IDEAS

To further support the Scotch community the College has subscribed to Parentingideas, a leading provider of parenting education resources to Australian schools. Scotch parents can access parenting advice on a wide range of topics and themes such as;

· Life skills for children

· Kids, school and learning

· Social challenges and

· Children and behaviour.

We encourage parents to have a look at this exciting resource. For further information visit the following link:

http://www.parentingideas.com.au/Home

To login as a school member;

User name: scotchcollege

Password: 6010

One of the latest articles is entitled-The Language of Resilient Families

Also available is the Parenting Ideas Magazine; please visit the following link:

www.parentingideas.com.au/Parents/Parenting-Magazine

HOW TO BOOST YOUR SON'S MOTIVATION SEMINAR

On Monday 22 July, 90 parents across the sub schools attended a seminar on how to boost their son's motivation at school. The speaker, Dr Andrew Martin, is a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and, amongst numerous awards, has been named one of the top 25 most productive Educational Psychologist Internationally.

Dr Martin identified factors that embrace, constrain and reduce motivation and engagement (boosters, mufflers, guzzlers) and shared tips for reducing anxiety, increasing self-belief, persistence and sense of control. He encouraged parents to build authoritative (not authoritarian or permissive) relationships with their children and to adopt a growth approach, helping boys develop a "courageous and constructive" view of mistakes. He encouraged home and School to work in partnership to emphasize effort over marks.

For more information please refer to the attached handouts or visit Dr Martin's website: http://www.lifelongachievement.com/

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

Welcome to Winter Term - a very busy and exciting musical term! There are many events scheduled for everyone to enjoy throughout August and September and I encourage you to take a note of the dates for your diary. The first event to be held early next term is the magnificent Jazz Night "Sounds of the 70s", presented on Friday, 2 August. This event is always a fun, relaxing, toe-tapping night of musical entertainment and I encourage everyone to gather a table of friends together and get tickets! Please click on the attachment flyer for more information. Tickets are selling fast!!!

The following week, on Thursday, 8 August, the senior musicians from Years 11 and 12 will present a range of solo and small group performances at the Senior Recital and Upson Award Performances held at 7pm in the Dickinson Centre. This is a newly styled event that is designed to showcase the musical talents of our older boys as they approach their end of year performance exams. A new event not to be missed.

Three days later, on Sunday, 11 August, the Combined Symphony Orchestra and the various Big Bands and Jazz Combo are performing at the WA Schools' Jazz and Orchestra Festival held at Churchlands High School and John Septimus Roe Anglican Community College. Tickets for these events are extremely inexpensive and everyone is welcome to attend as audience members. This is a great opportunity to see Scotch musicians side by side with their peers from across the state of Western Australia. Further information can be found by following the link found at the end of this newsletter.

On Wednesday, 21 August, the Scotch College String players are performing at their annual Strings Soiree, "Con Brio" at 7pm in the Memorial Hall. This free event is open to all who enjoy high quality string music performed by students from our Junior School through to our senior musicians in Year 12. A great event that highlights the pathway available to our string players across our three sub-schools.

The term concludes with the "finale" performances of the 2013 academic year, the Scotch College Senior Spring Concert, held at 6.30pm in the Dickinson Centre on Friday, 6 September, and the PLC Senior Spring Concert, held the following day on Saturday, 7 September. These free performances which are open to the whole Scotch College community, are an opportunity to celebrate the work of all performers in the senior ensembles and to farewell our senior Year 12 musicians who give so much of their time and energy supporting the musical life of the school.

A final performance, held on Thursday, 12 September in the MacKellar Hall, is the Junior School Strings Soiree, an opportunity to enjoy the work of our youngest string players - the Year Three string programme musicians.

The Music Department holds a variety of performances for the Scotch College community throughout the year plus events for Scotch College boys and the girls from PLC who participate in Combined Ensembles. A more detailed version of the Music Department's Newsletter can be found by following this link.

https://ishare.scotch.wa.edu.au/groups/thevmdthevirtualmusicdepartment/wiki/a583e/Music_Department_Newsletter.html (Please use your Scotch Parent login.)

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY

Help needed please!

The Friends of Lake Claremont have been offered an Open Garden day at Tania Young's Garden in Dalkeith early in November. This is a 'one off' opportunity for the FOLC to raise a substantial amount of money and continue the magnificent work which we all enjoy around our local lake. The Friends are looking for volunteers who have had some experience with fund raising and catering to help us on the committee to organise this event. If you feel you could contribute somehow, please send a return email to Claire Brittain on folc.wa@gmail.com

INDONESIAN COUNTRY STRATEGY

Last month, Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd launched the Australia in the Asian Century Indonesia Country Strategy. The strategy outlines how Australians can harness and develop the skills needed to deepen and strengthen our engagement with our important northern neighbour. The strategy identifies a range of specific pathways to 2025 including the role of Indonesian language and cultural studies. As a school that teaches Indonesian from Year 6, has a partner school in Jakarta and offers annual study tours to Java, Scotch College was approached to be involved in the consultation phase and features in the strategy paper, which can be accessed from http://www.dfat.gov.au/issues/asian-century/.

The wider Scotch College community also has access to learning Indonesian. Parent and friends can study the language through the evening classes held on Tuesday evenings. The College, in partnership with the Balai Bahasa Indonesia Perth (BBIP), offers evening Indonesian Beginner Level 1 and 2, and Conversation classes. Winter Term 8-week courses commence on Tuesday, 30 July from 6.30-8.30pm and are available to students, staff and parents, as well as members of the wider community. All lessons are delivered by native speaker instructors from the Balai Bahasa and are held in the Kennedy Block on the Senior Campus. The cost of an eight week course is $191 and includes BBIP membership. Conversation classes are free to all current Scotch College students and staff.

To enrol in any of the Balai Bahasa classes visit: http://www.balaibahasaperth.org and follow the links to the online registration.

For more information about any of the courses please contact Kate Reitzenstein on 9383 6854 or kreitzenstein@scotch.wa.edu.au.

UNIFORM SHOP OPENING HOURS

Tuesday - 8am to 5pm

Thursday, Friday - 7.30am to 11.30am

The Uniform Shop is closed on Public Holidays and Boarders' Long Weekends.

Being balanced in ones approach to life has been a quest for many. It has not always been easy to find. The pressures and pulls of life's commitments can make it challenging at times.

The IB learner profile identifies ten key traits they believe a life long learner must demonstrate. One of these is Balanced: They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

I have been most impressed with the balance many of our boys have in their life in and out of school. They are able to achieve well academically while excelling in the arts and/or sports. This is no small feat. The pressure to succeed and prepare for a long term goal can weigh on even the youngest boy. At Scotch we offer a balance to the boys' education. We scaffold and differentiate their learning to assist all boys to succeed. Through our approach to inquiry learning, we cater to the diverse range of learning styles and interests. Cultures are explored and languages learned. We provide an enriched curriculum through classes and clubs, providing opportunities in visual arts, performing arts, instrumental lessons, sport coaching and competition for both individuals and team pursuits.

We work to provide a balance of opportunities for all who attend Scotch College. I applaud the boys who have, in their first five years in the College, been able to find a balance in their learning and life. Being able to find areas to develop their talents, skills and intellect while exploring their passions is something to celebrate. The support of parents and extended family is key to this success. The encouragement that goes along with this and the value placed on a balance to life greatly assists our boys in working towards this goal.

Mr John Stewart
Head of Junior School

The new Studio is finally in action! Boys have started to bring their Art Folders and Visual Diaries over, ready to share their learning in Week 2 for Student Led Conferences. By walking in your son's shoes, as they move between classes like French, PE, Performing Arts, Visual Arts and classrooms you can experience the links between the areas of learning. I look forward to welcoming everyone into the new Studio, as we prepare for a busy Term with a number of exhibitions including:

• The Clay House Exhibition on Wednesday 14 August, showcases the work of the Year 2 students making authentic links between science, art and technology. It takes the learning in and out of the classroom and allows boys varied opportunities for exploration and inquiry.

• The Year 1 to 12 Inspirations Exhibition on Wednesday 11 September, offers a snap shot, showcasing the range of artistic opportunities offered to boys at Scotch College from Year 1 to 12.

• PYP Exhibition Wednesday, 18 September, showcases the work of Year 5 students, representing a celebration of the five years of inquiry learning with transdisciplinary links developed throughout the PYP Programme.

Karen Sabitay
PYP Visual Arts

WEMBLEY BRIGHT BLUE JUNIOR DISCO
Police Commissioner's Fund for Sick Kids

Ages 4 to 10 years

Time: 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm

The Junior Disco will incorporate games for the kids, music, prizes and more.

Free Face Paining with Famous Rosie O.

Parents encouraged and welcome to stay, have coffee and watch their kids have fun. This event will have full canteen facilities.

Any queries, please contact Senior Constable Rita Di Stefano on her mobile or email: rita.distefano@police.wa.gov.au

Tickets will be available at the Community Centre on the day of the disco. Purchase tickets on the day to avoid missing out!

Cost: $7.00 per child, including gst.

It is going to be an exciting term in Year 2. Our Year 2 cross-collaborative iPad project with PLC begins with the introduction of our shared unit of inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme of 'How we organise ourselves'. The central idea being Public spaces provide people with opportunities to make connections and establish a sense of community.

Our students will utilise a variety of iPad resources to enhance their unit of inquiry in the classroom and allow for greater communication between campuses. Some of the wonderful applications we will be road testing include:

• Edmodo for communication;
• Explain everything for reflections on activities; and
• Popplet for mind mapping.

This is a very exciting opportunity which paves the way for further collaboration and networking within the global community.

We look forward to sharing our journey along the way.

Amanda Ritchie
PYP ILT Coach

During Winter Term, the Year 4 classes will have the opportunity to record a French story using the programme Garage Band on their laptops. The boys will be placed in groups of five with each assigned a part in the play Les Trois Petits Cochons. This process will require the boys to exhibit many of the PYP attitudes during their work. Cooperation and respect will be key elements as the boys complete the project and work together as a team. The finished projects will be available on the Junior School Year 4 Language B wiki by the end of Winter Term.

Kim Edwards
Language B Teacher

We have another exciting Term ahead in which we will start and finish with two very different performances. The Year 4 boys are rehearsing a 'thrilling' piece ready to perform at the Junior School Assembly in Week 3 - don't miss it! At the end of the Term we will welcome Adam Hall and the Velvet Players who will be taking us on a journeyback to the 50s to capture the spirit of American Jazz. Encompassing the three Performing Arts areas of Music, Drama and Dance, Years 3 to 5 will prepare for the incursion by engaging in an array of activities to explore styles including swinging jazz, rocking rhythm and blues and good ol' boogie woogie from artists such as James Brown, Ray Charles and Harry Connick Jr.

Phebe Samson
Performing Arts Teacher

On Wednesday 24 July, the final collection of Winter Woollies was taken to Uniting Care West from both Middle and Junior School. Earlier last term a large load of materials were packed off to Uniting Aid at Nollamurra. Thank you to everyone who donated to the collection of winter warmers for the poor of Perth. The Giving Tree will announce its next project for Winter term after consultation with its members.

Rev. Anne Wright
Chaplain

We are pleased to announce that Mrs Anna Clancy is expecting her second child. She will continue to teach Year 2C boys until the end of the year and then take maternity leave. The College will seek to employ a suitable teacher to fill her role while she is on maternity leave in 2014. We will update parents with more information at the end of this year. I'm sure you will join us in congratulating Mrs Clancy and her family on this delightful news.

We would also like to offer our congratulations to Mr Jason Caniglia upon his recent engagement to Ms Lana Scorer, a teacher in the Middle School.

Mr John Stewart
Head of Junior School

Congratulations to the following Junior School boys:

Year 1

Jack Cummins

Charlie Gray

Year 2

Jack Cook

Campbell Houliston

Mehki Lucerne-Knight

Year 3

Gianluca Mastrocinque

Thomas Ostergaard

Lucas Ralls

Thomas Ruefli

Henry Vaughan

Year 4

Oliver Constantine

Zavier McGillivray

Mr John Stewart
Head of Junior School

Talk with your children about bystanders

Bullying involves more than the students who are bullied and those who bully others. Bullying often continues because people who are involved do not talk about it and seek help. This includes people who observe bullying - the bystanders. A bystander is someone who witnesses the bullying or knows that it is happening to someone else.

Bullying Situation Chart

Contributor / Witness / Supporter / Ringleader

There may be bystanders who are afraid they may be bullied next and this may influence their decision about what they will do if they see bullying happening.

There are different types of bystanders and in this model, they are described as:

Contributors - This group offer support to the person bullying, either by helping the person to bully the other person or by encouraging the bullying. This group might gather to watch the incident. Sometimes from concern for the person being bullied or to see what will happen and sometimes for enjoyment.

Supporters - This group dislikes the bullying, is concerned for the person being bullied and actively tries to help the person being bullied.

What can bystanders do?

If students see another student being bullied they should:

• Ask a teacher or support person for help
• Let the person doing the bullying know that what they are doing is bullying and is wrong
• Refuse to join in with the bullying and walk away
• Support the student who is being bullied
• Support their friends and protect them from bullying (children who are alone are more likely to be the target of bullying, so encourage your children to be aware of children who are left out or on their own in the schoolyard).

Mr Warwick Norman
Friendly Schools Coordinator

Hello from the Library. I would just like to say a very big thank you to Jenny Palmer, Alison Bateman and Susan Boyd for helping Jenny Lightfoot and myself in the Middle School Library during Autumn Term. Their expertise in covering books, cooking yummy cakes and keeping the conversation highbrow were gratefully appreciated. If there are any other mums or dads who would be interested in covering or mending books this Term, please come and join us in the Middle School Library on Thursday's from 8.30am - 10.00am (no experience necessary).

This Term we are also celebratng Book Week, which is a very exciting time for the boys and the Teacher Librarians (sad but true). The theme is 'Read Across the Universe' so encourage your boys to get involved in lots of reading and to start thinking about their costumes for the Book Week Parade in Week 5. The Parade will be held in Mackellar Hall, straight after lunch and boys are encouraged to dress as their favourite character from a book that can be connected to the Book Week Theme.

Mr Warwick Norman
Teacher Librarian

Term 3 is underway and the boys have returned to school enthusiastic and motivated about their learning.

We have been looking at "How the World Works" as our unit of inquiry, investigating weather conditions and natural disasters. All of this lends itself to science experiments that are a real favourite. We have installed a weather station and will collect readings of the winter weather over the next fortnight. High excitement reigns in the classroom with the aid of balloons, styrofoam trays and lots of head rubbing as we try to explore lightning and static electricity. A highlight was the visit from Mr Barry in the Senior School who brought his Van der Graaf generator to demonstrate static electricity and its effects. The room was filled with laughter, mainly at my expense, as hairdos went skywards not to mention a tower of cake cases! Our next big event will be an excursion to Scitech where we can experience the planetarium and learn about the seasons and weather around the world and the galaxy.

Year 1 is certainly a noisy and productive place to be as we explore our burning questions.

Alison Webster
Year 1W Teacher

On Wednesday 3 July, we had an excellent turnout of parents for our annual exhibition presentation. Many thanks to those families who attended - it was great to see you all!

The Exhibition

The PYP Exhibition represents a significant event in the life of a PYP school and students, synthesizing the essential elements of the PYP and sharing them with the whole school community. As a culminating experience, it is an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the IB learner profile that they have been developing throughout their engagement with the PYP.

The PYP Exhibition has a number of key purposes:

• For students to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry
• To provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning
• For students to synthesize and apply their learning of previous years and to reflect upon their journey through the PYP
• To demonstrate how students can take action as a result of their learning
• To unite the students, teachers, parents and other members of the school community in a collaborative experience that incorporates the essential elements of the PYP

This year the boys' inquiries will be guided by the transdisciplinary theme of sharing the planet with the central idea: "Sharing resources can challenge communities to consider different perspectives."

Since returning from the term holiday the year 5 boys have started immersion activities that will help them define their in-depth inquiries. This is a busy but exciting time for all and we look forward to the learning to come.

Please click here for the Kidogo Kids Art Programme and contact details.

For further details, please visit: www.kidogo.com.au

BUILDING MOMENTUM IN WINTER TERM

Welcome back to school and Winter Term. To borrow some sporting terminology, this term is the premiership quarter for our students. It is time to step up a gear. Take it all to another level. Winter Term, if approached in a focussed and committed manner, can set each boy up for a terrific finish to the year. Our boys will have the chance to look toward next year with some positive, confidence building momentum.

Student Led 3 Way Conferences - Building Momentum

Reflective practice and strategic planning has been a significant focus in Middle School classes at the start of this term. Each boy in Year 6 & 7 has been reviewing his Semester 1 Report. In doing so he has identified and selected up to three aspects he will develop as goals to improve on over this coming semester. The goals may have come from Subject Area criteria or from the Approaches to Learning components. He will be discussing and talking these over with his teachers and developing an action plan to achieve each one of them. Your son's Semester 2 Goals document will be the centre piece of the Student Review Meetings we would like to have with you in Week 3A.

Student Review Meetings are conducted with your son's Homeroom teacher only. If you wish to speak with another teacher about a specific learning area please, as is always the invitation, contact that teacher and make time to see or speak with them.

Each Homeroom teacher has made 30 time slots available either before or after school in Week 3A. Online bookings can be made from Monday 29 July. Instructions on how to book your meeting will be emailed to you on Monday. If there isn't a time that is suitable for you please contact your son's homeroom teacher via email to arrange an alternative time.

Handwriting

At the end of last term following the Workshare classroom visit I spoke with a number of parents about the MYP, Student Reports and school in general. One query came up from a number of parents who felt some exasperation over the poor state of penmanship their son displays, particularly in cursive style writing. The question was: Is clear handwriting still important and what could they do to help this?

Whilst keyboarding skills and fluency is a growing area of development, clear, legible handwriting is still very important. Our Year 12 boys sitting their tertiary entrance examinations in four months time will be handwriting in almost all of their exams. Neat handwriting is not a formula or a one off lesson learnt. It is a habit and must be grooved over time.

For anyone interested in putting a handwriting focus on any work completed at home, these are some of the practices and drills we use at school:

• Write, don't print. Writing is more efficient and less stressful on the muscles of the hand and forearm.
• Think of where you want to be in two years time in terms of neatness and legibility and commit to it.
• Use an ink, ball point style pen, not a pencil or fineliner type pen. A ball point pen rolls over the paper much easier and assists in flow.
• Practice. Short but regular sessions, 5 minutes is perfect, with a focus just on letter shape and attention to positioning of a word on the line. Try writing a 40/50 word paragraph, 3 to 4 lines, with a focus just on legibility three times a week.
• Posture, paper placement, pen grip. Gentle, but continuous reminders until the habits are formed.
• Double line spacing. This technique helps student's work appear clearer, cleaner and is much easier to read and to edit.
• The neat and legible presentation of handwritten work is as much about the attitude and the desire to produce neat, legible easy to read work as it is technique.
• A key understanding is that the point of writing something down in the first place, is for someone to read it at a later time. Remember, someone else will see this!
• Simple consumable type Handwriting development/practice texts can also be purchased from Newsagents and Educational suppliers.

Richard Ledger

Head of Middle School

MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORT UPDATE

Welcome back to an event-packed term of sport. We have resumed Winter Sport until the conclusion of Week 4. From Weeks 5 - 8 there will be voluntary Athletics training available to the Year 6 and 7 cohorts leading up the Inter-House (29 Aug) and Inter School (12 & 13 Sep) Carnivals. Boys will not be required to attend training after Week 4 until Spring term and will be accommodated in activities during their allocated sport fixture times. Details of this will come out shortly.

Last term Scotch College hosted the 2013 JPSSA Inter School Cross Country Event on the school campus and Scotch finished a credible 3rd place. In the Year 6 division, the boys won their event with Luca Fry (6C) winning the race.

As a result the following boys have been selected to compete in the State School Cross Country Championships held on Tuesday 13 August at UWA Sports Park:

Year 6: Luca Fry, Jesse McDonald, Matthew Moore, Jacob Jones, Benji Steinberg (Reserve - Cormac Taylor)

Year 7: Cooper Lindsay, Arthur Payne, Connor Enslin, Daniel Walker, Laine Mulvay (Reserve - Matthew Murphy)

Fitness Training: Fitness training is still available for all MS boys on Mondays (3:30-4pm) and Thursday mornings (7:15-8am) at the Gooch Pavillion.

Running Club: Running club resumes training on Monday and Thursday morning at 7:30am.

JPSSA Bring a Family Member Sport Day

On Thursday 8 August we have a Bring a Family Member Sport afternoon for our Year 6 boys. It is the chance for parents to come and mix it with their sons on the sporting field. Relive past glories and regild reputations. I hope you can make it, your sons particularly enjoy this day. We will supply the ice.

Mr Lawrence Felgate

Head of Middle School Sport

FRENCH IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Bonjour!

Middle School French has been great so far this year. We have very eager students who are learning at a fast pace whilst having lots of fun! Monsieur Hess and I are really looking forward to French Immersion Week at the end of this term when the boys will be partaking in a variety of activities including the 'Tour de Claremont' Cycling Race, mime workshops and enjoying lots of French cuisine. This programme will be a wonderful opportunity for the boys to develop their langauge skills as well as immerse themselves in French culture.

In Madame Tierney's Year 6 classes the boys imagine that they are in France. Madame Tierney is the President and the students take on the role of an Army General and a Captain. The boys enter the classroom with their 'Passports' and they are allocated to a French city (working group) and they score points for their city. I am grateful to these boys for their participation in this fun and worthwhile project.

Cordialement

Madame Tierney et Monsieur Hess

Middle School French Teachers

In this photo Jerry Ventouras, Class General and Tom Ockerby Class Captain are handing over the flag to the new general Jack Saggers.

EXCELLENCE AWARDS

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

2013 Computer Skills Competition Results

IMPORTANT DATES IN WINTER TERM

FROM THE HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

Welcome back and a special welcome to Lorenzo Piattoli who joins us in Year 11 from Italy for the next 12 months and Baptiste Henri, Year 11, who has joined us from France for the first half of this term. I know the boys in the Senior School enjoy having exchange students visit us and will make Lorenzo and Baptiste feel very welcome during their time with us.

During the recent term break, Mr Sterrett and I attended a conference on Gifted and Talented education. A key theme of this conference was the importance of student voice. This message resonated with my own experiences at Scotch over the past semester where students and staff have enjoyed hearing the thoughts and reflections of a number of boys on a wide range of topics. Many of these presentations have occurred as part of our weekly assemblies and while memorable, entertaining and occasionally moving for those in attendance, this important Student voice is not always heard by the broader school community.

As part of the Senior School's initiative to further promote the sharing of students' experiences and lessons, we will be including some thoughts and insights from our Senior School Leaders as part of this newsletter in the future. To this end, I have included some words of advice from Tim O'Donnell, School Vice-Captain to our Year 12 students who have just commenced their last term of timetabled classes at Scotch. For many the coming months will mark the end of many years at Scotch and will be filled with mixed feelings. Tim encourages all Year 12s to savour this time and strike a balance between longer-term goals and enjoying the journey.

Dr Rob McEwan

Head of Senior School

A message to Year 12

With only ten weeks of schooling remaining for the Year 12 boys, it is now a race to the finish. It's time to culminate 12 years of learning into one final burst, to repay the faith bestowed in us by our family, teachers, and friends.

Throughout the year, there have been moments of stress, and moments of happiness. Every boy, in their own fields, has worked to better themselves and everyone around them.

For the next ten weeks, we will, as a team, encounter the toughest period of our lives to this stage. However, it's important to always remember that no matter how difficult it seems, we always have two things - support, and a finish line that is very much in sight.

Amidst the effort, it will be key to find time to relax, and find something to refresh ourselves. It's a step-by-step journey, and by focusing on our process, rather than stressing over the result, we will fully be able to look in the mirror and know that we gave everything we could.

It's applicable for any Year group- by loving every moment we have away from our books, whether it is at sport, with friends, helping out in a community service capacity or sitting on the couch watching the footy on the weekend, we are granted the scope we need to reapply ourselves, and to continue to achieve.

Most importantly, we need to enjoy every moment we get, and love it all, because there's not much time left.

Tim O'Donnell

School Vice Captain

SCOTCH COLLEGE TOURS 2014

YEAR 11 - PC ANDERSON and WR DICKINSON SCHOLARSHIPS 2013

Students currently in Year 11 are invited to apply for the PC Anderson Scholarship or the WR Dickinson Scholarship. The PC Anderson Scholarship was established by the Old Scotch Collegians to commemorate the contribution made by PC Anderson as Headmaster. It is awarded to a boy who is a son or grandson of an OSC.

All other current Year 11 students may apply for the WR Dickinson Scholarship.

The Scholarships are available to boys in Year 11 for their final two years of school and the fees for the successful recipients are adjusted accordingly.

The criteria for both scholarships is based on:

• Academic ability and performance
• Leadership qualities and aspirations
• Interest and success in PSA sports and:
• Involvement and success in a broad range of co-curricular pursuits.

Students who are interested in applying for either of these Scholarships are requested to collect an information package from the Admissions Office located in Collegians House. The package will not be provided to parents, boys will need to collect the information from Admissions.

All applications should be submitted to the Admissions Office by Monday 12 August at 4.00pm, with interviews being conducted on either Tuesday 27 August or Wednesday 28 August. Please contact Ms Di Moran in Admissions 9383 6809 if you have any queries.

BOYS' ACHIEVEMENTS

Douglas Foulkes-Taylor (Year 12, Keys) has been selected in the WA State Cross Country Team to compete at the National Schools Championships (Symmons Plains, Tasmania) from 29 August to 3 September 2013.

Louis Cassell (Year 9, Ferguson) Just before the Canberra tour Louis competed in the WA Under 18 Ice hockey Nationals and they won bronze ! Then a week after Canberra he captained the WA Under 15 Ice hockey Nationals. Louis received the MVP award for WA. Louis has also been accepted into a Canadian Hockey School, Notre Dame. He starts there the beginning of September 2013.

Liam Campbell (Year 9, Brisbane) also played in the WA Under 15 Ice Hockey Nationals team and they also won Bronze. Liam has been accepted into the Ontario Hockey Academy in Canada.

Sailing

The Scotch College 1st VII sailing team travelled to Hobart during the holidays to defend their national title. 24 schools from around Australia competed and again the standard of sailing was very high. For the 2nd year running it would be Scotch College V St Joseph's (SA) to compete in the final. Unfortunately St Joseph's were too good this year and Scotch finished 2nd. The Scotch College team were disappointed not to defend their title but represented their school with pride and were gracious in defeat as they were in victory last year. The team consisted of:

Will Boulden (Year 12, St Andrews) - Captain

Alistair Young (Year 10, Cameron)

Emerson Carlberg (Year 10, Ross)

George Boulden (Year 10, St Andrews)

Conor McMurtrie (Year 10, Shearer)

Elliot Young (Year 7, James)

Adam Brenz-Verca (Year 7, Andrew)

The boys were coached by Doug Campbell (2012) who was the captain of the team last year.

Last term Year 8 Indonesian students competed in the Language Perfect World Championships, achieving a combined score of over 7000 points during the 10 day online competition. Two special awards were achieved by the following students.

Ethan Cassidy (Year 8, Alexander) for achieving a Credit Award

Griffin Mathias(Year 8, Shearer) achieved a Bronze Award for scoring over 1,000 points and being place in the top 10% of the 225,000 competitors from around the world.

Students who took part in the competition also went into a draw for an iPod Shuffle every time they achieved 50 points. The winner of this prize was Sachio Ingrilli (Year 8, Shearer).

AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

During March, Geography students from Scotch tested their geographical skills and knowledge against students from all around Australia in the 2013 Australian Geography Competition. There were a number of Scotch students who performed to a very high level in the Competition this year with 47 gaining high distinctions and 55 distinctions. Around 75,000 students entered the Competition from 720 schools nationwide. The results give Scotch an external benchmark as to how our students are going in certain aspects of Geography. Certificates of High Distinction and Distinction will be issued to House Heads for distribution to students during House assembly in Winter Term. The Geography faculty appreciates the efforts of all the students who tried their best, in what is a difficult competition.

High Distinctions

Distinctions

CANBERRA TOUR

Australian Government Assistance for National Capital Excursion

Students from Scotch College have recently undertaken an educational tour of the national capital. While on this tour, they participated in a variety of educational programmes focused on Australia's history, culture, heritage and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit their national Capital as part of the Civics and Citizenship education. To assist you in meeting the cost of the excursion, the Australian Government is contributing funding under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) programme toward the travel expenses incurred. This contribution will be paid directly to the School upon completion of the excursion. Once this has been received by the School, it will be refunded to you and shown as a credit on your fees statement.

We would like to thank the Australian Government for their support of this programme.

The Canberra Tour was a rewarding experience for all students, with over 146 boys and 123 girls from PLC attending.

THE GROVE LIBRARY CREATIVE WRITING AWARDS

"Now and Then"

Boys who are residents of Cottesloe, Mosman Park or Peppermint Grove are invited to enter this competition. The theme of the award is the life, the land, the people of Cottesloe, Peppermint Grove and Mosman Park. Boys can write a poem or short story (no more than 2000 words) about their local community and tell the stories of the past or the present. The closing date is 17 August, 2013. Last year we had two prize winners in this competition. See Dr Weeda in the English Department for conditions of entry.

YEAR 9 SOCIAL

Friday, 9 August, in MacKellar Hall

The Scotch/St Mary's India tour group is running a Year 9 Social on Friday August 9 in MacKellar Hall. It runs from 7pm to 10pm and we have invited girls from Year 9 from St Mary's and PLC to the function. A DJ is in place and it should be a lot of fun. We are inviting all boys from Year 9 who want to come to buy tickets ($10) through their parents at the trybooking link below. Pizzas will be served during the night and dress is neat casual. There will be a large group of staff there on the night to supervise to ensure the evening goes well. It is a great venue so we encourage you to get your son along to it!

http://www.trybooking.com/DGGS

SOUTH AFRICA 2014

The Science Department is planning to lead a two-week Expedition from Scotch College to South Africa from 6 December - 19 December 2014 for students who will be 15+ at the time of departure. Below are some preliminary details.

This will be our First Expedition with Operation Wallacea (OpWall), an organisation specialising in biological research programs that operate in some of the most diverse environments in the world.

OpWall has the express aim of aiding the development of effective long-term conservation strategies that benefit both wildlife and local communities. The research is run by large and experienced teams of university academics from a wide range of academic disciplines supported by trained medical staff and qualified and experienced expedition leaders. OpWall is a global institution with a unique ethos, whose program will stretch the potential of students, by expanding horizons through direct and relevant experience. Not so much a holiday as a transformation!

Planning has to begin early, so at this stage the costs and itinerary can only be provisional. The entire cost should fall around $4,300 - $5,000 and will include flights, transport, food, accommodation, insurance, training, the services of Operation Wallacea support staff, medical staff and scientists. We are well aware that cost is often the one factor that inhibits students' and parents' involvement, but we believe that no one should feel excluded on financial grounds. Money-management, with the aim of achieving a long term once in a lifetime goal such as this, is a very valuable life skill in itself. There are several things that can be done and fundraising will form a key focus for the team once it has been formed.

We would like you to make the right choice for your son and appreciate that you will need some time to consider your options before making a firm decision. For more information visit the Operation Wallacea website: www.opwall.com

Places on this Expedition will be limited to around 30 students. Participants may come from all subject areas and are not limited to Biology, Geography or Science students, however, there are clear curriculum links in these areas and students of Biology can use their research in their Year 12 Extended Experimental Investigation or in their IB Diploma. The data gathered can be particularly useful in putting together an IA (internal practical investigation) for students taking the IB Diploma.

We are hosting an evening information session with an academic travelling from the UK head office on Monday, 26 August at 6.00pm. This is a key opportunity for you to hear about the expedition to South Africa and to ask questions.

A clear commitment will be required by around 23 September (exact dates will be confirmed at the information evening), where a non-refundable deposit of $185 can be paid either directly to OpWall, or through the school.

The things students will need most are commitment and a sense of adventure! If you have any questions in advance of the information evening, please feel free to contact me by email or phone: TPIwanowski@scotch.wa.edu.au or 9383 6800. I would also be very grateful if any families who are interested in attending the evening could contact me in the next few weeks, so that I can get an idea of numbers attending.

Tom Iwanowski

Science Teacher

2013 Year 11 Parent Function

Year 11 parents can still obtain tickets to this function which will be held on the 16th August 2013 at the Blue Duck Café function area.

For further information please contact Raymond Weeda rweeda@tpg.com.au or go to book a Scotch College Event on the Scotch website to purchase tickets

PA Annual Golf Day

To all golfers and non-golfers here is a heads up that the PA Annual Golf Day will be held on the 26th August 2013. Further details will be available in the next Thistle.

Mothers' Auxiliary

The City Country Picnic is on Wednesday August 7th, bookings are open and can be made through "Book A Scotch Event" on the website.
Tickets are selling quickly for our Picnic at the Martins property in Bindoon. $38/person for transport, lunch and a glass of champagne. Any enquiries email clairstanley@iinet.net.au

Year 10 Mothers' Sleepover at Moray is on AUGUST 10th. Please join us for a chance to get a taste of what our boys have being enjoying at Moray.
$40 includes afternoon tea, diner and breakfast. There are limited numbers so book ASAP through "Book An Event" . Any queries email Danielle Newman at moose115@bigpond.com.au

The next MA meeting is on Monday AUGUST 12th in the GOOCH PAVILION, not the Dining Room as previously indicated. Our special guest speaker is Mr Richard Ledger, so please come and welcome him.

MA is still seeking a Vice President, any interested parties please contact Clair Stanley.

Our web page is up to date, please check it often for any upcoming events, any updates and reports of functions.

Clair Stanley

President Mothers' Auxiliary

WEMBLEY BRIGHT BLUE DISCO FUNDRAISER

Wembley Bright Blue are holding a Junior and Senior Disco on Friday, 2 August 2013, to raise funds for equipment at the cancer unit of Princess Margaret Hospital. See here for more information.

HOLY ROSARY PARISH

The Roman Catholic Parish of Holy Rosary Nedlands will be commencing catechetical instruction for the sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) for students of families whose parish is Nedlands, on Wednesday 7 August at 4pm. Parents wishing to register a child to receive this sacrament are asked to complete a registration form, and an enrolment form, for the programme. For more information and to download registration and enrolment forms go to www.holyrosarynedlands.org.au or call 9386 1870.

BEHAVIOUR TONICS

Behaviour Tonics are running the following courses for parents at their rooms in Wembley, see details here.

• 1-2-3 Magic and Emotion Coaching Parent Course
• Growing Your Kids Socially (3 to 7 yo),
• Bullying - Don't Just Stand There
• Protective Behaviours
• Engaging Adolescents (11 to 16 yo)

Private Consultations Available

To enquire/register call 9382 1182 or go to www.behaviourtonics.com.au