From the Principal

Science Fair 

As part of National Science Week our Science Faculty staged an excellent Science Fair last Thursday evening in the DPA showcasing many outstanding projects of our Science students. Congratulations to all those students from Years 9, 10, 11 and 12 who presented their work.

The study of science in schools is of paramount importance, particularly in the face of the myriad of challenges our world confronts in the present and future. As Nobel Laureate Carl Sagan eloquently stated, “science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” This sentiment underscores the fundamental role that science education plays in equipping students with critical thinking skills and tools necessary to understand and address complex global issues.

Science Week is designed to ignite students' curiosity and passion for Science, providing the opportunity to explore various scientific concepts through hands-on experiments, engaging demonstrations, and thought-provoking discussions.

This immersive approach not only enhances their critical thinking and analytical skills but also nurtures a genuine interest in the world around them. As science is an integral part of modern society, cultivating scientific literacy empowers students to make informed decisions and participate actively in discussions on global challenges, such as climate change, healthcare and technology.

During the recent global pandemic, it was the skill and knowledge of our scientists that saved the lives of millions with the invention of the COVID vaccine, and it is due to the vaccine that we have all been able to freely return to the activities we enjoy.

Our Science Fair opened with a thoughtful Welcome To Country from Kymarni Astill, who spoke of Indigenous perspectives on the history of science. I very much appreciated hearing this, thank you Kymarni.

On display at the Fair were assessment tasks from Year 9 Science and Year 11 Chemistry. I greatly enjoyed speaking with many of the Year 9 students about their work and I was impressed with our students' knowledge and understanding of their projects and the concepts that were shown.

There were many very interesting and clever ideas, and every student had made a significant effort to create some tremendous models to explain a scientific phenomenon.

A number of prizes were awarded to students for their excellent projects: 

Congratulations to the winners who received Questacon and Spilt Milk vouchers:

• 1st Katie Lawler (skeleton)
• 2nd Jess Woods (plate tectonics)
• 3rd Liv Ervin (gas laws – hydraulics)
• 3rd Angus Hunt (skin)

Also,

• Will Hoskins (gravity) Junior School Voting Award
• Alice Scholte (DNA) People’s Choice Award

Our Year 10 students produced some excellent individual research project reports that revealed some highly innovative approaches to investigative science.

Year 11 Biology students had posters on display on the larger screens.

And the Year 12 Science Extension Course presented their research projects in the Chapel. Their work covered a broad range of topics from the regenerative abilities of a newly discovered Gaanha Bula - Mt Canobolas planarian worm, through to measuring the effect of physical activity on the happiness of boarders, and gender preferences for different science subjects.

I was delighted to see the success of our first Science Extension cohort, and they should be congratulated on the high standard of their scientific research. Their work is now ready for publication and Mrs Litchfield informs me that a couple of the projects are of sufficient standard to be considered for publication in scientific journals.

Thank you to Mr McLennan, whose vision made our first Science Fair possible and to Mrs Litchfield, our Head of Science, and all our talented Science Staff for their contribution to what was truly a wonderful evening.

I congratulate our students and staff for making such a fabulously interesting evening possible. 

Cadets

Over the past few weeks we have had some visits from two Australian Army Officers, both keen to learn about our Cadet Unit.

On Wednesday 2 August we had a visit from our new Liaison Officer from NSW Cadet Headquarters. Major Steve McClean is responsible for looking after and supporting the NSW regional school-based cadet units. 

Major McClean very much enjoyed meeting the staff and cadets of the Unit. Something which really struck him was the excellent parade performed by the rank following the recent set of Leadership courses. The parade was developed by our CUOs and was a great spectacle. Congratulations to our rank for developing and performing such a quality parade. 

Last Wednesday we had a visit from Colonel Nick de Bont, Commander of NSW 2nd Brigade Australian Army Cadets. This Brigade, made up of school-based cadet units within NSW, forms the largest brigade in the Australian Army. 

Colonel de Bont came to meet with the Unit to better understand how the Headquarters could support us. He was most impressed with his conversation with SUO Claire Nelson, 2IC Charlie Anderson and RSM Zoe Bird, and also commented on the quality of the student-based leadership within our Cadet Unit. 

The praise and acknowledgment by two leading Australian Army Officers responsible for cadet units speaks volumes for the great work done by our Cadets and Officers at Kinross Wolaroi. Well done. 

Round Square

At our Assembly this week we heard some outstanding presentations from our Year 11 Round Square Leaders about many of the wonderful things they are doing and future opportunities for our students to be involved in. Our Round Square Leaders have been superb in their leadership and enthusiasm.

Round Square is a tremendous network of Schools that are located right across the globe who share a common educational philosophy that believes in the development of the whole person.

The development of character and 'learning by doing' are seen as very important components of the learning experience.

So much of what we do at Kinross Wolaroi aligns greatly with the Round Square philosophy, so it provides an excellent framework for us to further enhance the many tremendous things we do. Programs such as Duke of Edinburgh, TREE, community service, Cadets, leadership opportunities, and international and national student exchanges are examples of this.

There are so many great opportunities here for all our students to be involved in, that provide challenge, great enjoyment, and that will help them grow as a young people.

Our Students are immensely fortunate to have such a rich, challenging and varied range of opportunities. Very few young people in this world do.

The founder of the Round Square movement, Kurt Hahn believed:

“A school should be designed to help students discover their interests and passions, not just prepare them for exams."

Academic attainment is very important, but without possessing soft skills such as the ability to communicate, lead, to be an effective team member, to possess empathy, to be resilient and courageous, and to think creatively and critically, our students will not be prepared to flourish in the every changing world that they will enter.

I strongly encourage every student to be brave enough to have the courage to step out of their comfort zone and have a go, to be involved, to do things to help others, to learn about themselves and others, and to develop interests and passions that will bring them a great deal of pleasure that can be life-long.

Our students need to put themselves forward to lead, to go on exchange, and get involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards program.

I reflect back upon the many great opportunities I had at school may years ago, and a number of those have created life long interests and passions for me. My love of sport, art and history feature prominently. I also loved my involvement in the Duke of Edinburgh program and it was through this that I discovered a love of trekking and walking.

Not long after finishing school I travelled to Nepal and embarked on a pretty demanding five week trek in the Himalayas, finishing at Everest Base Camp 5,500 metres above sea level. The amazing beauty of the mountains, friendliness of the people, and the challenge of a five week trek from the lowlands to base camp was demanding and immensely satisfying. 

Only last holidays my wife, Jo and I undertook a much less demanding walk, but also one with great scenery and landscape for five days along the North Coast of Cornwall in South West England.

I have plans for plenty more walks and this great interest all stemmed from my hiking experiences at School while being involved in the Duke of Edinburgh program.

Don’t sit back and be an observer in life, be a doer, try things, challenge yourself.

If our students can have the courage to do this their life will be far richer and they will discover things about the world, themselves and others that were unknown to them, and they will enable themselves to reach their potential.

And very importantly, they will have a great deal of fun along the way.

Representative Selections

We have a number of Representative Selections that need to be acknowledged:

• Harry Priest and Taylah Hobbs represented CIS hockey in July
• Oscar Cleary was selected to play for the NSW Schoolboys U16s Rugby team.
• Harper Shaw and Maggie Kirby were selected to represent NSW Country in Rugby. 
• Xanthe Staniforth is playing in the CIS netball team in September

Lets congratulate those students on their achievements.

2024 School Chaplain – Reverend Sally Yabsley-Bell

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Reverend Sally Yabsley-Bell as our School Chaplain to commence Term 1, 2024.

Sally is presently School Chaplain at MLC School Burwood and is a great mentor with strong interpersonal and intergenerational skills. She is also the Chair of the Sydney Presbytery Ministry Committee and Period of Discernment Coordinator. Sally has a Bachelor of Theology from Charles Sturt University.

Sally has a passion for social justice and Indigenous social service. Sally runs Hats for the Homeless looming group, is involved in the Duke of Edinburgh program, volunteers for the Uniting Aged Care writing resident life story books, and previously worked in Outreach programs.

Her theology places a high value on inclusiveness and diversity and engages in both contemporary and traditional worship. Sally is an accomplished mentor with a focus on how we can be a loving and reflective community and to listen and learn from each other.

I am immensely grateful to Rev Peter Robinson for his generosity and wonderful commitment to our students, staff and community this year. 

We very much look forward to welcoming Sally and her family to the Kinross Wolaroi School Community early next year.

Interim Head of Loader House - Mrs Hannah Whittemore

With the recent departure of Mrs Fardell, I am pleased to announce that Mrs Whittemore, our Head of Girls Boarding, will take on the leadership of Loader House for the remainder of Term 3. As previously announced, Mrs Jody Haydon will take over the position of Head of Loader House from Term 4.

As the Head of Girls Boarding, Mrs Whittemore has fostered a supporting and nurturing environment and developed strong relationships with all boarding families.

I am very grateful to Mrs Whittemore for her passion and dedication to our students and our Boarding Community.