Senior School
A Term of Rich Experiences
What a wonderful term full of rich experiences for all our girls. We celebrated our Foundation Day and also inducted a new group of outstanding student leaders. They are already well on their way with preparations for many school events and ready to make their mark. Gurney kicked us off with a fantastic fundraiser of strawberries and chocolate. They certainly set the bar high.
Science was really on show this term with science week and many girls participating in Olympiads for Biology, Physics and Chemistry along with Book Week. We had a lovely opportunity to listen to a student panel in assembly reveal the books that have inspired them and also hooked them into reading.
Trials and IB Mocks took place amongst Angus Cup House Debating and Interschools Snowsports. It was wonderful to see so many girls participate and especially audience members ready to support their friends and House.
I was fortunate to watch our Hockey A's play Pymble in the grand finals this week. What a marvellous game, it was a real nail biter going into extra time and a golden goal. Kambala became runner's up in the final 2 minutes of the game. Bravely fought.
This week is camp week for Years 10 and 11. Year 10 have ventured to Tasmania and some to Coffs Harbour coast. Activities include surfing, hiking, kayaking and learning from others. Year 11 are at Collaroy enjoying their last school camp with sessions focusing on leadership, values and personal development along with some fun activities outside. It will be a wonderful time to bond together and set the time for the year ahead of them.
Next term 10 October is World Mental Health Day and we will host an evening with Prof Ian Hickie. 100 tickets are available at $20 donation for a ticket to hear him speak about tweens and teens and their mental health during this important time of their lives. We would love to see you there. Tickets available here.........
We can't wait to share Term 4 with you starting back at school on Tuesday 10 October in summer uniform with hat and shirt length on the knees.
Reminders:
Appointments for your daughter should be sent to senior reception 48 hours in advance. All absences and lates require a written explanation within 7 days. Requests for leave should be sent to the Principal with at least 2 weeks notice.
Mrs Joanne Sarmiento
Deputy Principal, Wellbeing and Boarding
UTS Year 9 STEM Day
Year 9 enjoyed a taste of university life this week on an excursion to UTS. Throughout the day girls explored the campus on a university tour followed by investigating the Protolab and Robotics Lab. This allowed students to explore the possibilities of 3D printing for university courses, examining different materials, sizes and complexities of objects. The robotics labs allowed students to examine projects current students are working on from a robot that scans cows to look at their health to a robotic arm that scrapes rust from boats.
After lunch, students were able to attend a workshop to code a robotic arm or learn to fly drones, allowing them to problem solve and put STEM ideas into practice. Students were also able to quiz the student facilitators about their courses, opportunities and university life.
Overall the experience was a wonderful opportunity for year 9 to explore the world of universities ahead of their subject choices in Year 10.
Ms Freya Campion
STEM
Life & Death: Vanitas in Visual Arts
Year 11 Visual Arts students have recently completed a stunning series of creative projects that explore Vanitas as a genre of art. Vanitas works originated in the Netherlands in the 16 Century and can commonly be identified by their use of symbolic imagery to suggest transience of life and certainty of death. Skulls, dying flowers, insects and rotting fruit are often seen in these works and Year 11 sought to create their own Vanitas-inspired works in Term 3.
Through photography, drawing, painting and printmaking, students explored Vanitas with an appropriately theatrical level of drama and agitation. From the subtle to the extreme, each Visual Arts students found their own entry point into this compelling tangent of art history. Bringing a contemporary edge to a classical artform, Year 11 have produced an outstanding suite of works.
Mr Drew Bickford
Head of Art and Design
R U OK? Day Picnic
"Showing up" and thinking about how we want to support ourselves and others has been a key theme of the Senior School this year. This message was reaffirmed as we came together to highlight the importance of R U OK? Day last Thursday.
Students in Years 7 – 12 were invited to join their peers on the oval for a picnic to connect over conversation, games, music and enjoy some sweet treats. Under warm spring weather, students in all year groups enjoyed games of giant Jenga, Connect Four and the opportunity to show up for their friends and start a conversation to listen and check in and support each other.
A special thank you to the Year 10 students who helped to organise and lead the lunchtime activities, Minty Welsh, Harriet Walsh, Ava Charalambous, Hilary Guilfoyle, Ava Purvis, Gemma So, Georgina Happ, Isabella Moore and Sophie Alexander.
Ms Julie Laytham
Head of Student Life
Year 8 Mandarin Excursion - Customs House and The Rocks
The Mandarin Background excursion was a fantastic adventure that we will never forget. Our class travelled with Ms Chen and Ms Tamminga to Circular Quay, where we were met by a tour guide who had a binder of historic newspapers and articles about the Chinese in the gold rush.
When we arrived at Customs House, we learned about all the goods that were imported, how the house was started, and how the Chinese immigrants at the time faced language barriers and challenges in importing illegal items. We then walked to a narrow path between two buildings where there were many artifacts on the walls. One of the pieces of art was created by an Aboriginal man, he covered parts of the wall in oysters to symbolise how people used to make cement (by mashing up the oysters and mixing them with water to create a cement-like substance).
Shortly afterwards we headed to Macquarie Place and Bridge Street. We walked around Circular Quay with the tour guide, who talked to us about how the Gold Rush began. We found the story of the gold rush fascinating as we learned things out of the school curriculum. Afterward, we took a walking route to the Tank Stream Fountain and First Fleet Park at the base of The Rocks. There we learned about the working class immigrants that came from all around the world to the gold rush.
As we were walking along the sidewalks, there were many structures along George Street, which we soon learned were structures of thieves from the historical times. These thieves would lure innocent people who were new to the area and steal their possessions. We also learned about those with connections to the original Chinese community of the area such as The Orient Hotel, Unwin's Stores and cellars, Suez Canal, and a famous Police Station.
We visited Cadman’s Cottage, and the Argyle Cut and finally our tour finished near Campbell’s Cove where we said our farewells and thanked the tour guide. We ended our day eating at Din Tai Fung, drinking bubble tea, and talking amongst ourselves about all the new things we learned that day. Overall, we had the best time and loved every minute of the experience.
Adriana Becarevic and Chloe Choi
Year 8
Kambala's 2024 Senior Production
Definition : halo effect, error in reasoning in which an impression formed from a single trait or characteristic is allowed to influence multiple judgments or ratings of unrelated factors.
Kambala’s 2024 senior production will be a premier Australian play, commissioned especially by Kambala, called The Halo Effect, by playwright Catherine Zimdahl.
As a writer for performance Catherine has had scripts produced around Australia and internationally. Her accolades include the Griffin Playwriting Award, Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, New Dramatists Exchange and AACTA Awards for Best Short Film and Best Screenplay. She studied screenwriting at the Australian, Film, Television and Radio School and was the recipient of the Qantas Travel Award graduate prize. She is a member of 7-ON PLAYWRIGHTS.
What is the play about?
The Halo Effect is set in Morton. Morton is famous for nothing but a bit of space junk that
crashed there in the 70’s. It is the story of three girls, Holly (16), Michelle (15) and Chloe (13). It is the summer holidays and Holly is back from boarding school. Holly is either wildly imaginative, bored out of her brain or the “disruptive influence” her school report alleges. But whichever the case, Holly is magnetic, charismatic and fun. She soon befriends Michelle, the terrorised daughter of the Local Mayor and with Chloe who has just lost her Mum this past winter.
To cheer Chloe up Holly and Michelle decide to take her off down the river. They find the old cubby that they built when they were younger and spend the day telling stories. Holly tells them about her experiments with astral travelling, how you can leave the body and go back in time. She shows them how this can be done, she pretends to go into a trance and makes up an ancient language. Holly gets the younger girls into a state of awe and fear.
She convinces them to look into the sun, even though it’s dangerous, she says to them “Can you see it? Look there’s a lady coming out of the sun. Can you see it?”. Michelle wills herself to see it and Chloe becomes easily convinced of the vision of “a great lady”. Holly tells them it’s a secret, their secret.
The Halo Effect is the story of what happens when this “secret” gets out and it is not long before the cubby becomes a haloed shrine. The grieving Chloe returns time and time again to the shrine and draws great comfort from the vision of the Great Lady. Michelle starts to thrive in her new position as seer and her visions become more and more elaborate. Holly initially wants to just ride the wave because it’s hilarious. The Catholics think it’s the Virgin Mary, the New-Agers are convinced she is an angel, the paranoid UFO conspiracy theorists think it’s a beacon from out of space and on it goes...However the Aboriginal members of the town are very disturbed as this is a sacred site that is now being over-run and harmed.
What kind of roles will there be?
The play will have a large cast with great roles not only for the central three young women but also for the majority of the cast. The ensemble will embody the town’s people, the ‘seekers’ drawn from the city, the press, the Aboriginal community and the Church.
The Halo Effect auditions will take place in Week 7, Term 4, on Monday 20, Tuesday 21 and Thursday 23 November, 2023. More information about venues and times will be forthcoming. Auditions will be open to girls and boys currently in Year 8-11.
Rehearsals will take place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (4:30pm - 6:30pm) and Sundays (10:00am - 3:00pm) in Term 1 and 2, 2024. The production will be performed in Alexander Hall, in Week 3 ,Term 2 2024.
It is a very exciting opportunity for Kambala girls to be involved in the evolution of a brilliant new Australian work.
Ms Lisa Moir
Drama
Guest Speakers Needed
On Wednesday the 15th of November from 4.30-6.30, the 2024 Leader of Communications, Ava Grundy will be hosting a special career networking event that will allow her fellow students to meet with guest speakers from a wide range of professions and backgrounds.
We are making a special call-out for any members of the Kambala Community who might be able to give up a couple of hours of their time to provide insights about their own career pathways. We are looking for speakers to cover the areas listed below. Please be aware that speakers will be selected based on the mix for each profession.
The afternoon ‘speed dating’ type event will provide students with an opportunity to hear guest speakers from 3 out of a total 10 possible pathways. The event will be made available to Year 12 students (2024) on a voluntary basis and will have a fundraising element for the charity ‘Sister2Sister’ during the event.
Please contact either
Mr Ian Pettit
Future Pathways Advisor
ian_pettit@kambala.nsw.edu.au
Or
Ava Grundy
Communications Leader 2024
ava_grundy@student.kambala.nsw.edu.au
Pathway Options
Table 1: Commerce/Business
Table 2: International relations
Table 3: Law
Table 4: Psychology/Communications
Table 5: Bio/Med/Health Science
Table 6: Art/Music/Fine arts/Architecture/Fashion
Table 7: Science/Engineering/IT
Table 8: PPE/Humanities (history, liberal arts, etc.)
Table 9: Overseas Study - Harvard, Oxbridge, Education USA - recent Kambala Alumni
Table 10: Australian University - current students.
Sister2sister Foundation
The Sister2Sister Foundation in Australia is a beacon of hope for teenage girls facing profound challenges such as abuse, neglect, poverty, addiction, and parental mental health issues. This charitable organisation empowers these vulnerable girls through one-on-one mentoring and in-school workshops, fostering self-worth, resilience, and vital life skills. By building connections and providing a supportive community, Sister2Sister helps these young girls break the cycle of inter-generational trauma and unlock their full potential for a brighter future.
Mr Ian Pettit
Future Pathways Advisor
Senior Lunchtime Drama Showcase
Last week, Kambala has its first ever lunch time Drama Showcase, which enabled senior school staff and students to see some of the brilliant performances created by Elective Drama students this term.
The following performances were featured from Year 9, 11 and 12.
Year 12 Claudia Williams HSC Individual Performance- Bewildered
Year 11 Mia Deoglou and Annie Geissler's realistic duologue - Roots
Year 11 Sophie Scanlon and Lexie Murray's - Night, mother
Year 9 Madi Kozak and Maiya Griffiths-Green's Commedia Dell Arte duologue - Neon's Watermelon Fiasco
Year 9 Emily Sleep and Chloe Carman's - Vegan Salad Order
The showcase was a fantastic success and we hope the first of many. We love sharing and celebrating the hard work of our Elective Drama students.
Mia Deoglou
Drama Prefect
2022 HSC Student Matilda Guymer-Lightbody ArtExpress Success!
Congratulations to Matilda Guymer-Lightbody, class of 2022, for her body of work exhibited at Glasshouse Regional Gallery in Port Macquarie as part of the ArtExpress Exhibition. ArtExpress is a joint venture of the NSW Education Standards Authority and the NSW Department of Education showcasing a series of dynamic and expressive exhibitions that showcase the considerable creative talent and technical skills of the previous year's Higher School Certificate Visual Arts candidates.
Matilda’s body of work titled ‘Uniformity’ exemplifies these traits to the highest level - working across painting, drawing, laser cut designs, embossment and ceramic casts to explore the theme of self-portraiture under societal conformity. Matilda spoke about her body of work in a previous Kambala Voice podcast. Congratulations to Matilda and we wish her success in her future studies. This ArtExpress exhibition concludes the shows for 2023 and we congratulate the incredible talents and hard work of the nine students who received nominations.
Mr Michael Clark
Visual Arts teacher
MS Golden Butterfly Charity Ball
Last Saturday members of the Kambala Jazz Orchestra and Kambala Big Band played at the pre-dinner welcome drinks at the MS Golden Butterfly Ball at the Hilton Hotel. This was a charity event to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis. Our wonderful singing teacher, Ms Powell sang during the ball, with Mr Karamanos accompanying on trumpet. Year 12 students Siena Williams and Zara Psirakis also sang a duet which wowed the audience.
The jazz band consisted of students ranging from Year 8 to Year 11. The venue included dinner and a range of displays the guests would later bid on to raise funds. Many of the girls have never been a part of a professional performance in a public space before, it was a completely different environment than the usual concerts we perform at, however this made it especially memorable.
The jazz band had a set list of songs for the welcome drinks which included many nostalgic, enjoyable pieces. They were well received by the evening guests, many stopped to listen and acknowledge our performance which was encouraging. All in all it was a rewarding and very satisfying experience for everyone through the simple contribution of our time, which helped the organisers of the evening towards raising money to fund more research to hopefully find a cure for the debilitating disease that is Multiple Sclerosis.
Thank you to everyone involved in the evening, especially Mr Karamanos, Ms Lewis, Ms Powell and Ms Grace.
Hannah Worthington and Ella Wylie
Year 9
Write a Book in a Day
Last Thursday a group of Year 7 Kambala girls entered a competition to create, write and illustrate a book in a day!
The Kambala Superstars (Ivy Aboud, Eoise Cowper, Apple Cui,Malia Dyson, Abby Leibman, Sophie Ponder, Tahlia Tbachnik, Liliana Zhang, Angie Zhang,Clair Zhang and Mingu Wu) took part in this amazing day and produced a fabulous story all about a chimpanzee who escapes from a zoo!
This challenge not only developed collaboration skills, creativity and time management skills but made a massive difference in the lives of kids with cancer.
Every book written by students all around Australia will be made available for kids in hospitals around the country suffering from cancer. They can watch the books via an online library. This will help brighten their day during this very hard time in their lives.
The Kambala Superstars did an awesome job and raised some much needed funds for a great cause all at the same time!
I was so proud of the way the girls communicated, allocated roles, completed a checklist and for their enthusiasm, effort and hard work on the day!
If you wish to read a copy of their amazing creation there are copies available in the Senior Library.
Ms Suzanne Toomey
Teacher Librarian
Speed Dating with a Book
This week in the Library a very special event occurred! The girls were invited to “Speed Dating with a Book!’
This was an excellent opportunity for the girls to “meet” a new book and see if they wanted to “date” the book! There was a number of genres available for them to engage with including: Australian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery Box, Around the World and New Books.
The girls sat at tables with various genres and were invited to read the blurbs of a number of books to see which book would spark their interest! They then had an opportunity to engage with these books for five minutes before rotating to the next genre to “date” some more books!
The girls greatly enjoyed the opportunity to connect with books they might not usually choose to read. With the holidays fast approaching it was exciting and rewarding to see the girls borrowing books from various genres that had ignited their interest.
I’m sure they will enjoy their break even more with some “book dates” to enjoy!
Ms Suzanne Toomey
Teacher Librarian
Our Year 8 Latinists
In Term 3, our Year 8 Latinists completed a multi-disciplinary cultural project about the ancient Vindolanda Tablets. Here’s what Georgianna Botros and Tara Chen had to say about it:
“We were required to write a report about the tablets including the languages used, the authors of the tablets, the information found and the insights provided about the daily lives of the Roman civilians, slaves and military personnel as well as the tablets’ significance in the Roman Empire. We then had to investigate one specific tablet, selected from the wide range, and write about their contents and what this might mean in the context of Roman Britain. Part of this included recreating the tablet with any materials we wished to utilise. This was probably our favourite part of the assignment as it allowed a lot of creative freedom where we were able to explore different mediums of art including wood, clay and cardboard. We were also able to choose our own tablets, so we selected ones which we personally found interesting.
Throughout the project, we learnt that Vindolanda was a Roman fort that was created for protection against native British tribes and potential attackers. The tablets were found in 1973 and contained daily routines, religious practices and social interactions through reports, administration records, personal letters and even shopping lists. We delved into the history of ancient Britain, exploring various forms of writing, language and formality and were even able to discover personal messages dating back to the 1st and 2nd century AD. One particular tablet which stood out to us was an invitation of a woman inviting her close friend to her birthday as we recognised the similarity to our present day writing and communication. All in all, we really enjoyed this project as it not only allowed us to connect to the language components of our learning, but it was also a very fun experience overall!”
We are so glad that they engaged so fully with the project and the analysis of their importance in Roman history, especially in hearing a woman’s voice (one of the earliest examples) from the past. The time and effort that they put into their replicas was phenomenal as you can see for yourselves.
Miss Jennie Mitchell and Ms Hannah McNelly
Languages
