Senior School
Abstract Art Adventure
Visual Arts students in Years 9 and 11 have been exploring the complex world of abstract art in their studio practice this Term. Normally the domain of experienced conceptual artists, abstraction has a rich tradition in Australia, with prominent female artists like Janet Dawson and Margo Lewers making their mark in the global art scene.
Kambala's fledgling painters have spent the last two weeks splashing their way through ink and acrylic compositions, enjoying the freedom of this loose creative expression. Ms Mekerpeled took Year 9 through a journey of 'abstraction in blue' and Mr Bickford's Year 11IB girls tackled large-sale, non-representational portraits.
The Visual Arts studios are awash with colour. Stop by for a look!
Mr Drew Bickford
Head of Art & Design
Setting Students for Success
As we head towards the mid-way point of Term 1, the Senior School is buzzing with students involved in a myriad of activities, clubs, activities and rehearsals throughout the day. There are often times when I wonder how the young person, I pass at 7.30am on their way to a band rehearsal has the energy for Touch training at 4.30pm. How amazing are our students I often find myself exclaiming.
Our aim is to support students as they go about their busy days and as previously advertised through The Whole Girl, to set them up for success, all students have been given a House coloured lanyard that they can store their student card in, allowing for increased security and ease of use. The student card is used for a number of important functions throughout the day, including (but not limited to), releasing printing, signing in and out of school late or early at the SSO desk and for making payments at the coffee cart and canteen. All students in Years 7 - 12 have now been issued a lanyard and a new student card for 2024. If your daughter is yet to receive either of these, could you please remind her to visit Ms Hancock at the Senior School Student Services desk who can assist her with this.
I wanted to remind our community that parents and carers can also support students throughout the day through their Student ID card by accessing the ‘Canteen’ tile through the Sundial parent portal. Selecting the ‘Canteen’ tile will take you through to a second screen and you should select the ‘Canteen Orders’ tile. It is on this page that you perform a number of functions such as:
- Recharging the balance on your daughter’s account.
- Order her lunch.
- Check her canteen order / purchase history.
- Managing the funds on her account.
This last function of Managing funds, can be found on the Canteen Orders home screen (see picture 1). If you select the arrow next to ‘Manage’, this will take you to a second screen, on this page you have access to many functions that allow you to manage your daughter’s account. You can top up the balance, enable automatic payments (if the balance becomes low), prohibit purchases of certain items (these can be selected individually), check the history of her purchases, set up automatic payments to top up her account total (picture 2) and set a daily spending limit (picture 3).
Should you require any assistance with any of these functions please don’t hesitate to contact the IT Helpdesk or myself and we will be happy to assist you.
Ms Julie Laytham
Head of Student Life
Chau Chak Wing Museum
On Monday 19th February, the Year 7 Latin cohort went on an exciting excursion to
the Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney. As we are
studying Ancient Rome (specifically Ancient Pompeii), this museum was a great
experience to boost our knowledge of not only Ancient Rome, but also Ancient
Egypt and China. My favourite thing in the museum was the Lego Pompeii
construction, which had amazing detail and was fun to study. My favourite activity
was studying and handling some ancient artefacts that the museum provided for us to look at and draw. We sketched the artefacts and made assumptions about the objects’ purposes and original owners. Overall, it was a fun and educational trip.
Zahara Gregory, Year 7 Latin
The Chau Chak Wing Museum excursion was an exemplary experience as we witnessed historic artefacts that dated back to the Roman Empire, Ancient Egypt and Ancient China. A Lego set provided a visual representation of Pompeii and its history, as we were exposed and encouraged to analyse artefacts from these eras; whilst the skill of drawing conclusions from primary sources gave us further insight. Overall, the Chau Chak Wing Museum excursion gave us a deeper understanding of the past, specifically the Roman Empire, helping us to engage and make connections with our studies.
Anastasia Botros, Year 7 Latin
The Metropolitan Orchestra
On the 20th of February, all elective music students from Years 9-12 had the opportunity to attend an incursion where The Metropolitan Orchestra (led by conductor Sarah-Grace Williams), performed select movements of ‘Degustation’. This incredibly creative and expressive piece, inspired by a tasting menu, is a recent composition of Mr Grandison, to be premiered the following weekend. The students developed their artistic skills by collaborating with wonderful professional musicians.
After an informative Q and A with The Metropolitan Orchestra, the year groups competed against each other in a jelly-bean-motivated quiz, where students rushed to answer questions on musical notation, meanings and performing techniques.
Students analysed the use of musical motifs to provide unity to various movements, whilst being varied for contrast. After waiting in anticipation, we then heard a few of Degustation's movements; an entrée, escargots, teriyaki salmon, beef bourguignon, finishing with petits fours for dessert.
In order to put what they had learned into practice, students harnessed their innovative skills to collaboratively create in real time their own short composition: ‘Burrata’, inspired by the soft texture of cheese.
Students were grateful not only to hear an inspiring piece of music by Mr Grandison, but also interact with the talented performers of The Metropolitan Orchestra. On behalf of elective music students, we would like to deeply thank all those who made this incursion possible.
Elsie Paton and Zoe Leibman Year 10
Year 11 Advanced English - Archives Tour
In Search for Origins: Kambala Students Explore Historical Letters
In a world where history often tells the stories of the powerful and privileged, there lies a realm of untold narratives, waiting to be discovered and given voice. Year 11 Advanced English students at Kambala embarked on a journey into this realm as they delved into the Archives, seeking to illuminate the lives of individuals from the past, much like Anna Funder did in her celebrated text "Wifedom".
"Wifedom", a unique blend of biography and speculative fiction, challenges the traditional narratives surrounding George Orwell by focusing on his wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, whose voice and experiences were often overshadowed or erased. Similarly, students were tasked with uncovering the voices hidden within a collection of historical letters discovered in the Kambala Archives.
Visiting the Kambala Archives, students delved into a treasure trove of historical artefacts, from personal records to school memorabilia, under the guidance of archivist Laura Carmichael. Established in 1987, the Archives hold a rich collection preserved by the Old Girls' Union and professional archivists.
Inspired by Funder's method of dissecting historical narratives, students analysed the letters, aiming to uncover voices often silenced by conventional history. Through creative interpretation and postmodern perspective, they sought to fill in the gaps and give voice to the forgotten.
In this process, students honed their research and writing skills while gaining a deeper appreciation for the power of storytelling. By amplifying marginalised voices, they contributed to a more inclusive understanding of history.
Departing the Archives, students emerged as storytellers, underscoring the significance of resurrecting forgotten voices. Indeed, Scout Abood made a serendipitous discovery as she found traces of her own mother within the archive's depths. This unexpected encounter underscored the profound significance of uncovering forgotten histories, highlighting how they not only shape our collective understanding of the past but also connect us to our own identities and heritage.
Example of Student Work - Raabiya Sharma
Mabel Cater Browning Letter Collection: Monday as a rule is the most disgusting day of the week. There's only one thing that can set me right, and your presence I cannot have tonight. Yet I am awful glad Monday has come - it means one day nearer to you. I can only wish to be able to fit all that I pen in an envelope. How I feel, what I wish to say. But I must neither worry you, nor give away to such feelings.
Eunice Andrada, in her poem (Because I am a daughter of a diaspora) captures the Diaspora Blues 5 accentuating the enigmatic feeling of being unwanted in a new country, / of being unneeded in your own homeland. Everyone is confronted with an epiphany at least once in their life in the middle of a class that permanently alters their perception towards the world. Sitting through a Geography lesson, watching the entire class browse through websites marqueed “Top 10 Least Developed Countries” with my home being on every single one of them was quite life altering. Having to reidentify your own home to not see it through a Western lens that tends to delegitimize the beautiful aspects of your own ethnic phenomenology is something no class prepares you for.
Life here feels foreign. Talking about home with people feels foreign. “I'm from Nepal” feels like a cold press of metal against my tongue. If only I could see you for a moment and be myself again.
Belonging, Connection and Diversity Celebrated
The Advocacy Committee and Chameleon Club organised a connection activity in week 5 to highlight that everyone in our School community is unique and celebrated. This combines with the message of the Pride Festival in Sydney which ran from (16 Feb - 3 March). Students had the opportunity to select a coloured piece of paper to represent themselves and then connect it to form coloured paper chains. These larger chains were displayed in areas around the Snr School on Thursday and Friday.
Thank you to Year 12 students Zoe Richardson (Advocacy Prefect), Lexie Murray, Annie Geissler and Mia De Oglou who organised this activity as well as the students in Years 8 - 12 who assisted to run the activity. Also, a huge shout out to everyone who added to the paper chains, supporting the activity and celebrating with pride our School community's uniqueness, diversity and connection.
Ms Julie Laytham
Head of Student Life
