Junior School 

“It took me a long time to develop a voice and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”

We have had a momentous week as a school as there is much to learn from the courage of young “old girl” Chanel Contos.  It is always such a powerful step to shine a light then keep the conversation/discourse going.  

It is so important to acknowledge, believe and support young women from our schools who are coming forward and understand their reflections and insights.

There has been a huge amount of warranted media attention focused on the safety of women in our community. Education as always plays an important role.  And whilst I feel it is time that we look at the messages our young men receive and go on to perpetuate, I do like to shine a light on the preventative measures we have in place for your daughters.

Since commencing here more than eight years ago, our suite of offerings in terms of personal protective factors and behaviours has continued to expand. Whilst as a school we never “rest on our laurels” it is important to be aware of where we are at in developing your daughters’ voices from a personal protective perspective.

Our URSTRONG Day of Friendship is a cornerstone for our students from Year 1 to Year 6 as it lays the foundation of our girls’ understanding and their understanding of what respectful relationships look and sound like. Whilst this may seem trivial to some, it forms the blueprint for them to understand what respect in a relationship looks like.

Additionally,  we work on a nested set of experiences and learnings commencing in Hampshire House.  The  program is titled “My Underpants Rule” and the children also work on the  Kids Safe Series.  Further learnings are also explored through our Massie House Personal Development Program taught by Deputy Head Kate Moore.

In addition to the Personal Health and Development programs, from Year 4 to Year 6 we step matters up a notch in regard to personal and pubertal development and personal protective behaviours.  We work with expert Judith Krause from Youth Related. 

Judith Krause holds a Masters of Education in Human Resource Development from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a Graduate Diploma in Adolescent Health and Welfare from the University of Melbourne. In addition, she has a Masters in Behavioural Science and Sexual Health from University of Sydney. She also runs a private Sexual Health Counselling Practice. 

Student sessions deal with boundaries, healthy and unhealthy touches, scenarios of appropriate/inappropriate touching, listening to your body, permission to touch, dealing with situations that make you uncomfortable (move away, say no, tell a trusted adult). This includes elements of the Daniel Morcombe Keeping Kids Safe program.

These student workshops are designed to coincide with our yearly parent workshops to support girls and parents engage in open dialogue. This work is also tied in with the work of Brene Brown linked to courage and shame resilience.

As I have mentioned previously, I am also a great proponent of  the work of Elizabeth Broderick who is now the United Nations Rapporteur for Discrimination against Women and Girls in terms of the male champions of change movement. Similarly, I believe as central to this matter are also male narratives and dialogues.

Stuart Coppin

Deputy Principal, Head of Junior School

3U Acknowledgement of Country

3U have jointly created a heartfelt Acknowledgement of Country that embodies their deep respect for the Indigenous heritage of the land we learn on, in Rose Bay. 

Throughout Term 1, 3U embarked on a journey of understanding and appreciation for the traditional custodians of the land on which our school stands. Through insightful discussions, engaging activities, and learning experiences, our students gained an awareness of the rich cultural significance embedded in our surroundings.

Crafted with sincerity and reverence, our Acknowledgement of Country serves as a tribute to the enduring connection between Indigenous peoples and the land. It reflects our commitment to honouring and preserving their traditions, stories, and wisdom for generations to come.

As a school community, we recognise the importance of acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land as a gesture of respect and reconciliation. Our Year 3 students have embraced this responsibility with enthusiasm and sincerity, embodying the spirit of inclusivity and cultural awareness that we strive to cultivate at our school.

Through our Acknowledgement of Country, we affirm our commitment to fostering a culture of respect, empathy, and reconciliation within our school and broader community. We invite you to join us in celebrating this meaningful initiative and continue to uphold the values of diversity, inclusion, and respect for all cultures.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Indigenous peoples of this land for their enduring custodianship and wisdom. May our Acknowledgement of Country serve as a testament to our collective commitment to honour and preserve their cultural heritage.

3U’s Acknowledgement of Country: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SnXi_UDIw1pOpOSe3Z_fA8JyCNZLc_zy/view?usp=sharing

Year 4 - The Children's Opera Project

Last term, Year 4 participated in the Children’s Opera Project. They performed as part of the Children’s Chorus made up of other Junior School aged students in an Opera titled ‘Mulga Bill’s Bicycle’. 

Year 4 learnt 5 songs in their Music lessons. Lachlan Massey from the Children’s Opera Project visited our school and worked with the students. These songs were performed by the Children’s Chorus with artists from Musgrove Opera playing the main parts. 

The performance took place at the Chatswood Concourse Theatre and was a fantastic experience for the students. 

Please see below article by Ellen Wu (4U)

Mulga Bill’s Bicycle—The Children’s Opera Project

The 9th of April 2024 was a day all Year 4 students had been looking forward to for weeks. It would determine if a whole term of hard work in our music lessons had been a total waste or a path to success. After a 40 minute bus trip to the Chatswood Concourse, we arrived at a…church. But our performance theatre wasn’t there, but was the giant building next to it. The theatre was about half as big as the Alexander Hall, filled with flashing lights and laughter. We met the other schools that would be singing with us and the characters in our show. Finally we had an opportunity to have a dress rehearsal and then into the real performance…

Hearts raced, palms sweated, faces smiled. Sitting on a stage right in front of a huge crowd until the lights dimmed was really intimidating, maybe for other schools, but not for Kambala when courage was one of our most important values. Practice makes perfect, we repeated over and over in our heads as we stood up like soldiers, ready to sing our first song. The choir’s notes danced along the stage with the other four actors, making our show perfect. The crowd roared at all parts of the show and we even heard some people humming our best song, I am a Duck, on the way to pick up their children. The whole of Year 4 cheered for themselves, contented with our success and thankful that our hard work had paid off at the end.

Lastly, we would like to thank our con-duck-tor for arranging our performance and helping us reach such a high point, our music teachers, Mrs Muston and Mr Clark, for supporting and encouraging us throughout the process, the actors for doing their best for us and our piano player for playing nonstop for a whole hour. They all put as much effort as they can into this event for our audience to enjoy our music performance. 

Ellen Wu 

4U 

Junior School Mother's Day Breakfast - Thursday 9 May 2024 - 7.30-8.30am

We warmly invite our Preparation to Year 6 Mothers to the Junior School Mother's Day Breakfast.

** PLEASE NOTE - all students attending the breakfast are to wear full Winter Uniform including blazer and Panama hat. If Sport/PE is timetabled on that day, please pack sports uniforms in Kambala Sports bag to change into.