Senior School News
Reconciliation Shield
Mr Corey McLean
Saturday 29 May was the annual Reconciliation Shield match between KWS and St Gregory’s. 2021 saw this match played during National Reconciliation Week which was the first time since this fixture was introduced.
To acknowledge the importance of this game and of Reconciliation Week our Kinross Wolaroi Boys' Indigenous Dance Group were given the privilege to lead both the KWS and Greg’s 1st XV out to the field into the ‘corroboree’ circle formed by the crowd. The KWS boys, along with Year 12 Indigenous student and KWS 1st XV rugby captain Fletcher Doyle, then performed their Welcome dance which depicts Wiradjuri country and the important things Wiradjuri people would do on the land, which include walking, hunting and dancing. The St Gregory's Boys Indigenous Dance Group performed their own War Cry dance in response.
Local Wiradjuri Elder Uncle Neil Ingram, with the KWS Indigenous Boys standing by his side, performed a Welcome to Country, in both English and Wiradjuri, and explained the significance of a Welcome to Country. As this event coincided with National Reconciliation Week, he also said some words about Reconciliation and why this fixture was of note.
This was followed by the 1st XV rugby match where both teams wore Indigenous themed jerseys inspired by both areas' totems, Gugaa (goanna) for KWS and Wiradjuri and the Lyrebird for St Greg's and the Dharawal people.
We would like to thank Uncle Neil and Gillian Ingram for participating in this event.
The KWS Boys Indigenous Dance Group included Blake Dwyer, Logan Knight, Will Oriel, Elijah Thaiday-Shinn (Year 9), Lincoln Robinson (Year 8), Keiran Vernon (Year 7).
English News
From the Head of English, Mrs Serena Lewis
The KWS English Faculty has had a busy and exciting Semester with all year levels being involved in a range of interesting and engaging activities inside and outside of the classrooms:
Year 7:
Year 7 have studied poetry and picture books, honing their knowledge of literary and visual techniques. New skills have included analytical and reflective writing and they have had many opportunities to put this learning into practice. The students were thrilled to attend a highly engaging performance of ‘Unlocking the Poetry’ by Poetry in Action. In Term 3, Year 7 will be studying Fantasy and the play ‘Harry Potter and The Cursed Child’. This is quite a long text, and students should start (and aim to finish) reading it over the holidays.
Year 8:
Year 8 have studied issues of social sustainability through the novel Trash, and poems, songs and speeches. They have developed their imaginative and persuasive writing and speaking skills. At the end of term they spoke passionately about issues and ideas close to their hearts. In Term 3, Year 8 will be studying Shakespeare. Students should take some time over the holidays to read the book of Shakespeare stories that they have purchased as part of their textbook list.
Year 9:
Year 9 studied The Power of One and explored life-writing, before turning their focus to powerful poetry. The students also attended a Bell Shakespeare school production of Romeo & Juliet, which starred Eleni Cassimatis, a former KWS student. In Term 3, Year 9 will be working on personal interest projects related to our local community as part of TREE. Areas of investigation will include topics like Paddock to Plate, Agricultural Innovation, Regional Wellbeing and Viticulture.
Year 10:
Year 10 have been studying texts related to identity and politics including film, poetry and the classic novella, Animal Farm. The cohort travelled to the Orange Civic Theatre to see Shake and Stir Theatre Company’s stage dramatisation of Animal Farm, which was fantastic and gave them a much deeper understanding of the story. In Term 3, Year 10 will be studying Shakespeare’s Macbeth and should familiarise themselves with the story (even if they don’t read the play itself) over the holidays.
Year 11:
Year 11 are now two-thirds of the way through their preliminary course! All students worked on improving their reading and writing skills in Term 1. While imaginative, analytical and persuasive writing were already familiar areas, they expanded their repertoire by refining their discursive and reflective writing skills. Second term saw a focus on ethical issues, with the Advanced students studying Shakespeare’s Othello and the Standard classes the 2017 film, The Circle. The English Studies students studied representations of issues and events in the media. All students created a multimodal presentation. In Term 3, Advanced English will undertake a critical study of Yeats’ poetry, while the Standard students will study the novel ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’. Students should read their texts over the holidays. The English Studies students will be preparing a portfolio of work.
Year 11 Extension students have been studying post-colonial texts including Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart. They are currently working on preparing an Independent Research Project which they will present to their peers next term.
Year 12:
Year 12 have almost finished their HSC course content. The focus now will be on refining their knowledge and skills. Mrs Lewis has created an MS Teams page for Year 12 students to use to supplement their study over the holidays. It contains past papers, recorded lectures from the English staff and other useful resources. We have also arranged for a subscription to IGNITE HSC’s English resources and each student has been sent log-in details. There will also be number of drop-in workshops during the break where students can come and work individually or in small groups with access to a teacher for advice and assistance.
Faculty:
Learning doesn’t stop when you leave school! A quick survey of the KWS English faculty revealed all sorts of ongoing formal and informal professional learning in diverse areas. Here are just some of our teachers in their own words…
Mrs Lewis: “My TPL includes the formative assessment in Stage 6 that we have been doing with the ETA. Additionally as my first year in this role, I am learning about how best to serve the needs of my Team; the students and the KWS community!”
Mr Smedley: “I have been working on retrieval practice within the classroom to build the knowledge that students will need in their senior years. There has been a greater focus on using different types of recall to create longer lasting memories from the students. I have used different quizzes, questioning, glossary and writing tasks to help their knowledge. This has all come from a podcast series called the Learning Scientists and Jarred Cooney Horvath’s books.
Mrs Suthers: I have been doing the Stage 6 Assessment course with Mrs Lewis. It is giving us lots of good ideas about designing learning experiences that help our Year 11 and 12 students develop the question attack skills they need for the HSC. This course has also reassured us that the KWS English faculty is a place of best practice! Meanwhile, I am completing an English Leadership course and the Youth Mental Health First Aid Certificate.
Miss Bowman: “My TPL this year has focused on Literacy Progressions and Wide Reading". Miss Bowman has also been driving our Year 7 & 8 boy boarder literacy program.
With the aging of the teaching workforce, it is also important that we mentor and nurture pre-service teachers, and this term we had the pleasure of welcoming Simon Finch, a Sydney University Masters of Teaching candidate for a practicum. Simon immersed himself in the school community, working in boarding, assisting with Rugby and he demonstrated excellent teaching skills. We wish Simon all the best for a long and successful career in Education.
***STOP PRESS***
Do you love English? Do you wish you could read even more novels, poems and plays? Do you long to spend time discussing and debating the big ideas of life and how they are represented in Literature? Do you desire to read the classics? Do you have lots of creative ideas just bursting to be released? Are you about to choose your Year 9 electives? If your answer to all the above is a loud and resounding “YES INDEED!!” then you should seriously consider the new elective subject ‘English Scholars’. It will be all that and more! Talk to your teacher or Mrs Lewis to learn all about it!