Senior School

AI Education at Kambala

Recently teachers across the school engaged in further professional learning and conversation around the use of AI in education. Interestingly, statistics show that the use of ChatGPT hit a high in May of this year with a decline in users in June, this being the most recently reported statistic. Surely ChatGPT has not run its course but potentially populations across the world have done their initial exploration and now it is time to utilise diverse AI tools with considered intent.

At Kambala, as teachers we have explored how AI can be utilised when designing lessons, ie. how it might support scaffolding tasks and also altering text to different language levels that are appropriate for diverse learners in a classroom. To ensure engagement of learners, that is your daughters, teachers need to regularly alter the format of content being explored. For example, AI can provide an alternate text to presentation mode or create an infographic. Learners of today are used to stimuli that are different to learners of the not-so-distant past.

As teachers we continue to reflect upon our practice and how we can best support learners. Irrespective of what grade is being taught, research suggests any classroom will have learners of multiple grade levels in the classroom. Students all learn at different paces, in different ways with different content, hence the cognitive load of a teacher trying to accommodate this in any given lesson. Of course, we are also focused on ensuring students reference AI where appropriate however our approach remains the same in that academic integrity is expected and supported whether using AI or otherwise. Interestingly those in this field suggest AI will become such a norm that it will be no different from how we currently do google search… time will tell.

Click here to read some interesting facts:

Ms Carolyn Gedling

Deputy Principal - Academic

Kambala IGSA Archdale Debating Success

The Kambala debating program continues to excel in the IGSA Archdale Debating competition with two of our teams debating in the Semi Finals of the competition on Tuesday 29 August. 7A and 8A both demonstrated outstanding performances in their Semi final, which was hosted at Presbyterian Ladies' College, Croydon.

Congratulations to our 8A team who unanimously beat Queenwood in their Semi Final. The team will now debate in the Grand Final as the aim to bring the IGSA Debating Shield back to Kambala. Despite a valiant effort, our 7A team narrowly fell short in their debate against SCEGGS Darlinghurst, with the panel of three adjudicators delivering a 2-1 split decision.

Ms Barlow ‘I would like to commend both teams for making the last four of the competition, their dedication and unwavering focus have propelled them to this impressive achievement. I also would like to wish 8A the best of luck in their Grand Final debate against Tara.

The IGSA Teams:

7A Semi Finalists team: Luella Yim, Ellie-Rose Heimans, Ivy Hammerton, Chelsea Paleologos and Abby Leibman.

8A Grand Finalists team: Georgianna Botros, Alissa Song, Hania Skimin, Skye Wells and Alice Livingstone

Ms Leigh Barlow

Debating

Year 9 Geography Excursion to Barangaroo

Excitement filled the crisp morning air as Year 9 boarded the ferry at Rose Bay Wharf, about to head to our Barangaroo fieldwork excursion on a scenic ride across the Sydney Harbour. This was a wonderful opportunity for our year group to explore the area and appreciate its beauty, and at the same time consolidate our coursework knowledge by observing the unique geographical features of the area first-hand.

After a quick briefing, we were allowed to freely explore and roam around. We noticed many natural elements - vertical gardens, plants and greenery. We visited many modern and accessible recreational public spaces, which we learnt was part of the architects’ goal of giving back to the public. We learnt how the architects restored the natural beauty of the area through building the iconic sandstone steps by the sea.

After a quick stop at various local eateries, we gathered again to learn about the history of the area, from the pre-colonial times until now. We analysed how the landscape has changed over time, and how the economy, job opportunities, and the purpose of the area has evolved. We also learnt about the unique eco-friendly engineering of the nearby carbon neutral buildings, including its unique cooling system, and its multicoloured fins and louvres which move to follow the sun and optimise the lighting and temperature without using much energy.

The Geography Barangaroo excursion was an excellent opportunity to bring our learning to life and put the research we did in class to practical use. Overall, the new experiences we had, the information we learnt and the fun moments we shared on the excursion will be some of my favourite memories from the Year 9 course.

Kate Wu

Year 9

Year 11 HSC and IB Recital

On Thursday the 24th of August, the Year 11 HSC and IB evening recital was held in the Performance Theatre, showcasing all the hard work and effort of our Year 11 Music students throughout the year. We were inspired to do our best by the Kambala-Cranbrook Soiree that occurred at Cranbrook on Tuesday 22nd of August. A few highlights of the night included the amazing harmonies of Hayley Green and Sophie Scanlon’s duet of Class from Chicago as well as Ammalia Kaufman’s entertaining and impressive rendition of Monti’s Czardas! We thank our wonderful accompanists, Mr Sagar and Mr Schweers. Congratulations to all the performers, good luck to the HSC Music 1 and 2 students for their upcoming performance assessments and of course, thank you to the audience members, private music tutors and music department staff who made this recital possible!

Alana Zhou

Music Prefect

Year 10 Mandarin Excursion

Year 10 Mandarin Continuers and Background students recently travelled to Chatswood to experience the magic of Chinese traditional instruments and some delicious hotpot. We had a unique opportunity to wear Hanfu (汉服) which is the traditional style of clothing worn by the Han Chinese. These dresses were all different and came in multiple colours and styles.

The staff played demonstrations of the different styles of music played with the pípá, 琵琶 which is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments and the gǔzhēng (古筝) classified plucked zither. We learned that the modern guzheng commonly has 21, 25, or 26 strings, is 1.6 m long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale.

As a flute player, learning about Chinese culture through musical instruments resonated with me deeply. Seeing the similarities and differences between Western instruments and Chinese instruments allowed me to understand the culture at a deeper level and broadened my understanding of the diverse musical instruments from around the world.

Afterwards, we had the chance to enjoy some authentic Chinese hotpot at Hai Di Lao. Marinated beef, enoki mushrooms and Chinese cabbage were the popular choices of the group. A meal that included great food, a friend’s happy birthday surprise and a staff member dancing with noodles, it was a very delicious and entertaining experience that will be well remembered by all the Mandarin students.

Isabella Moore

Year 10

Spotlight Year 7- Belonging and Significance

The recent spring weather has made me realise we at ‘this point’ of the year already!

I am certain there are many Kambala families who would be feeling the same way as their daughter prepares for her final year of exams, plays her last round of winter sport, or buys another pair of shoes as they continue to grow.

I remembermy mum saying the years go by faster as you get older and now that I am older, I certainly understand this to be true. So even though we are at ‘this point’ of the year, with the mornings getting lighter and the days warmer, I am reminded that building a sense of belonging and significance for all students at Kambala is at the centre of all we aim to achieve throughout the whole year. We foster this in a number of ways including the environment we create, the interactions we encourage and the attention and care we give to each other.

Analysis of the 2021 Speak Out Survey data shows a strong correlation for girls between belonging at school and having key peer and teacher relationships. As we hurl towards the final part of the year, there have been many key moments for students that develop peer and teacher relationships and foster belonging such as carnivals, the music festival, connection days, excursions, and outdoor education experiences to name a few. However, as the year progresses, we will continue to offer a range of activities to enhance these relationships and strengthen our community.

To highlight the importance of belonging and sense of significance, each newsletter for the remainder of the year, will highlight a different year group. The focus on this issue is Year 7. Most recently, the cohort have enhanced their sense of belonging through their involvement in the Community Day where they loudly cheered on the Kambala Athletics Teams at SOPAC. They have also proudly represented the school in semi-finals sport and are reminded each day of their significance as a member of our community with the mural in the Year 7 locker area. Every student is represented as piece of a puzzle or a flower, gently reminding them of their uniqueness and contribution to our community as they walk past.

So even though we are most certainly at ‘that point’ in the year already, we have much to be grateful for in our community and there are more opportunities to enhance our relationships and school community still to look forward to.

Ms Julie Laytham

Head of Student Life

Celebrating Success: Kambala raises $21,867 for World Vision

Kambala has a long-standing tradition of working with World Vision and their 40 Hour Famine Event, and this year was no exception! Each year, students look forward to the event and feel privileged to have the opportunity to help those in need. World Vision uses the 40 Hour Famine to raise awareness and fundraise for over 25 million children across the world who are on the brink of famine, a cause close to the hearts of our students and staff. This year, both students and staff faced a unique challenge: to engage in a Digital Disconnect spanning 40 hours from August 25th to 27th and managed to raise over $21,000, meaning World Vision can help provide over 400 families with a month of food!

Although Ms. Beatty and Ms. Peters laid the event’s groundwork, the success of the fundraising effort can be attributed to a core group of student leaders; our recently appointed House Prefects, Georgia Bournas, Elektra Kostas, Sofia Calligeros, Edie Christopher, Grace Hyder, Grace Zhang and Hayley Green, and our newly appointed Advocacy Prefect, Zoe Richardson. Each of these students embraced the event with confidence, surpassing expectations as they undertook one of their inaugural responsibilities in their new positions. Several noteworthy achievements of theirs included encouraging each of their houses to sign up consistently in the months leading up to the digital disconnect, Zoe speaking at the Junior School assembly at the posters the girls hung around the school.

The Senior Leaders were even granted the opportunity to meet with Luiza Levenfus, World Vision’s Global Relationship Manager. Luiza visited Kambala on August 21st and met with the group to discuss effective ways to fundraise, how their contributions will help families worldwide and even shared her own personal insights into how hunger and food insecurity can affect those we least expect. Visitors from outside organisations such as World Vision always provide our girls with a unique insight into the social justice issues that we are working in support of.

As in previous years, our girls upheld one of our core School values: Humanity. Each girl who signed up and accepted the challenge embraced it wholeheartedly. As such, Kambala continued its legacy by maintaining its position as the leading school in Australia for donations. In addition to this achievement, both Roseby and Hawthorne secured spots in the top three highest-earning teams on a national scale. Furthermore, two Kambala students clinched the second and third positions for the highest individual donations, adding to the school's impressive success.

Ms Beatty and Ms Peters would once again like to thank every student, staff member or members of the wider school community who partook in the challenge, donated or encouraged others to take part. While food insecurity and child hunger will continue to be a global issue, the Kambala community can be certain in the knowledge that they have helped hundreds of families worldwide.

Ms Allanah Beatty

Religious Education

Phase Two of Student Cards in the Senior School

As outlined at the end of Term 2, we are increasing the use of student cards for students in Years 7 – 12. A reminder that from the start of Term 4, all Senior School students will begin to use their student cards to release their printing. This will mean that student cards will be used for the following purposes:

To release printing
Sign in late or sign out early from Senior Reception
To pay for items at the canteen
To pay for drinks at the coffee cart

To assist the transition from students in Year 6 to the Kambala Senior School, the printers in the Year 6 will also require students to use their student cards to release their printing from the start of Term 4. To support all students in Years 7 – 11 keep their cards safe, they will be given a lanyard in their House colour staggered over the next 2 terms. Year 11 and Year 6 will be issued their lanyard during the Retreat (end of Term 3) and Test and Quest (beginning of Term 4) days. The remainder of the Senior School will be given their lanyards at the start of 2024 with their new student card.

A reminder that if your daughter has misplaced her card, she will need to email her Head of Year to request a new one, (taking approximately 2 days to reissue).

Ms Julie Laytham

Head of Student Life

Tivoli Heritage Walk - Your Chance to Be Part of History

To honour your personal journey and contribution to Kambala, you have the opportunity to be part of the Tivoli Heritage Walk, by donating a brick engraved with your daughter's name and years she attended Kambala.

The Tivoli Heritage Walk is a joint initiative between the School and Kambala Old Girls (KOG). All funds raised from this initiative are allocated to Kambala's Building Fund, to support future physical enhancements to the school. The cost per brick is $500.00 and your donation is tax deductible. HOW TO ORDER

Simply go to - Our Heritage - Pavers Tivoli Walk and complete the Paver Order Form.

For any enquiries or technical assistance, please contact Donna Kelly-Smith, Kambala Alumni Relations Manager on (02) 9388 6888 or email kog@kambala.nsw.edu.au

Kambala and Cranbrook HSC Soiree

On August 22nd, Kambala music students were treated to the unique opportunity of attending the Cranbrook and Kambala HSC soirée. The event was a showcase of the remarkable achievements and talents of Year 12 music performers from both schools.

Notably, both institutions have gained recognition for exceptional music departments and programs. Witnessing the level of talent displayed by performers at this age is truly inspiring for younger years. We congratulate Charlie Hearne, Zara Psirakis and Hayley Gunsberger for their engaging performances, wishing them the best for their upcoming HSC Performance Examinations.

Grace Zhang

Music Committee

Paideia: A Cultural Odyssey: "Miss Saigon"

Kambala's Paideia initiative strives to create lifelong learners by providing students with immersive experiences in various cultural domains. In late August, a group of 35 culturally curious students, accompanied by five dedicated teachers, to attend the mesmerising musical "Miss Saigon" at the Sydney Opera House.

Students found the musical artfully portrayed Saigon as a pulsating city that thrived even amidst the chaos of conflict. Particularly captivating was the depiction of Saigon's "golden age," a period celebrated for its flourishing South Vietnamese music and arts scene. The re-enactment of the Fall of Saigon through helicopters and the depiction of its aftermath presented stark visuals that could easily mirror real-life scenes from Afghanistan and Syria in recent years. The students' excitement over the technical aspects of the production, highlighted by imposing sets, majestic lighting, choreography, and strong performances, speaks to their eagerness to engage with the arts on multiple levels.

Prior to attending "Miss Saigon," students engaged in a lunchtime session where they critically considered the historically fetishistic, orientalist, and exoticified portrayals of Asian communities. This thoughtful discussion set the stage for a more nuanced understanding of the musical's context.

This recent visit to "Miss Saigon" is just one of the many events offered to students in Years 9-12, aimed at fostering an appreciation for theatre, arts, cross-cultural interactions, lectures, films, and festivals across Sydney. Upcoming events include Sydney Theatre Company's production of "Is God Is" and the Sydney Opera House’s "An Evening with Fran Lebowitz.”

Ms Himmi Cheruvu

English

Kambala STEM and Business Immersion Program

We are looking for an Investment Capital or Global Technology company/s who can host talented Year 10 students in an expansion of the Kambala STEM and Business Immersion Program.

The immersion takes place for one or two weeks and students are required to complete a workplace-based project in negotiation with their mentor. We would appreciate any organisation/s who would consider hosting a student/s. This is an invaluable opportunity for students to gain workplace-based experience.

Pictured is Ava Jensen (Year 11) who has been recently accepted into the highly competitive Young Women’s Leadership Academy at UBS. A great example of an immersion opportunity.

Please contact Mr Ian Pettit

Future Pathways Advisor Kambala

ian_pettit@kambala.nsw.edu.au

Kambala Book Week 2023

Book Week was yet another exciting and very busy week at Kambala. The highlight for the Senior Library’s lunchtime activities was definitely the Kahoot Literature Quiz where students across the Senior School enthusiastically competed for a book voucher prize.

Throughout Book Week, Senior School teachers visited classes in Hampshire House and Massie House to read much loved stories from picture books to our youngest students. Some teachers even dressed up for the event which added to the festivities! Our young audiences were captivated by the novelty of having visiting teachers and loved hearing these very special stories.

On Thursday of Book Week the Year 9 girls had a lot of fun at the Teddy Bears’ Picnic held in the Massie under croft. With bunting, signage and balloons provided by the Junior Library to set the atmosphere, the Senior girls happily read picture books to Kindergarten or Year 1 girls at lunchtime. Lots of Year 9, Kindergarten and Year 1 students had brought their very precious teddies with them to hear the stories too which was fabulous!

The Senior School Book Week Assembly began with a brilliant drama solo performance by Zara Psirakis. In this performance Zara played the role of an actress auditioning for roles in plays or films and with her talented singing voice Zara captivated the audience of senior students and staff. This was followed by an enthusiastic, student-led panel hosted by Katie Fan (Yr 10) who interviewed Ivy Aboud (Yr 7), Jacinta Cortis (Yr 10) and Mia De Oglou (Yr 11) about their love of reading and favourite genres. This event was very well received by the Senior School audience and the fact that these amazing girls stepped up at late notice to fill in for the Visiting Author was very much appreciated by the Senior Library staff.

Ms Celeste Fisher

Library

Consent Laid Bare - the Book

Join author and advocate Chanel Contos OG15, in conversation with Cheek Media Co. founder Hannah Ferguson, for an unmissable conversation that we wish wasn’t necessary, but we know is absolutely critical. Consent Laid Bare is a book exploring the complexities of sexual consent in this new age of entitlement.

Consent Laid Bare continues the discussion Chanel ignited with the movement started in 2021, Teach Us Consent. Book tickets here for Chanel's Sydney book launch at 7 pm on Wednesday 13 September at the UNSW Roundhouse.

Ms Donna Kelly-Smith

Alumni Manager