Around the Senior School

Study HUB 

It’s been wonderful to see so many new faces at Study HUB this term. It’s been a busy time for students with exams and assessments rolling in, and it’s been great to see so many students using the expertise of the Science and Maths teachers who offer their time (Wednesday and Thursday respectively). Every Monday to Thursday afternoon 3.30-5pm, we have staff available to guide students through their homework or simply to provide a quiet environment for them. Snacks? Yep, they’re still provided!

See you there! 

LET (Learning Enhancement Team)

 The Indigenous Dance Groups

The Kinross Wolaroi boys and girls Indigenous dance groups have been busy to start the year. Both groups performed at the Windermere Farm Open Day, being the first dancers to dance in the dance/yarning circle. 

The boys group opened with a Welcome dance and finished with a Wambuwuny (kangaroo) dance. The girls performed their dance welcoming the young migay (girls) to the community. Uncle Neil Ingram performed the Welcome to Country on the day. 

On Saturday 20 March, both groups performed at the Orange City Council Harmony Day which was held in the South Court near the town library. Throughout the event, hundreds  of people attended to experience all the different cultures of Orange. Our school's Indigenous dance groups represented the Indigenous culture. They were the first group to perform on the day and did an amazing job. The boys group were down in numbers due to other commitments so were joined by Indigenous Support Worker Corey McLean’s two sons. 

Both groups were awesome during both events and were wonderful representatives of the school, themselves and the culture. 

Lions Youth of the Year Success

Congratulations Eleanor Armstrong, Year 12, for being awarded Orange Lions Club Youth of the Year. After a long and difficult two stage application process, Eleanor wowed judges in her interview and at a public judging dinner attended by Lions Club members and guests. Amazing work, Eleanor! You can read her award-winning speech below.

Speech by Eleanor Armstrong

Good-morning, my name is Eleanor Armstrong.

Last week, I was given the opportunity to speak about something that is really important to me. So I decided to, talk about neurodiversity, and more specifically the struggles neurodiverse students face within modern schooling. This, I know, is a complex issue. So, I would like to begin, by asking everyone here, to imagine. 

Imagine you have been asked to read a passage in class, but to you all the words are floating. They dance across the page as you try to tie them down into neat and comprehensible sentences. You look around and know no one else sees things the way you do.

Or you’re trying to finish homework and your brain is overcrowded, like there are three parties going on all at once. Each party is playing different music, each party is discussing different topics and each party has a different set of friends and yet you are at all of them. Can you imagine?

Neurodivergence, what is it? Technically speaking it is “divergence in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal”. Basically, it is anything that causes the wiring or the hormonal aspects of our brain to perform differently, in turn affecting a person’s everyday life. Everyone in this room would have heard of: autism, dyslexia, ADHD, OCD, to name only a few.

Neurodivergence greatly impacts education and schooling life. As someone with ADHD, I can personally attest to this. Our education system is not designed to support neurodivergent people, but is instead targeted at and structured around, what is called the “neurotypical” majority. 

Kids with learning challenges are often left behind by the education system. Can you imagine being called lazy, slow or Stupid when you’re trying so hard? Harmful words like these cause self-esteem to plummet, leaving kids unmotivated to even attempt a system not designed for them. 

Awareness and the diagnosis of these conditions is growing, and so too is the need to address this issue. Teachers are being faced with classrooms full of kids with diverse learning abilities, and it is crucial we arm them with the resources and knowledge to handle it. 

Don’t get me wrong. Some schools do attempt to provide support. Readers, writers, extra time, separate rooms. And yes, they do help in exams, but they can often add to the stigma around neurodiversity and not address the real issue. 

The real issue, I believe, is that there is little to no effective targeted programs to assist neurodivergent kids due to a lack of funding and specialised education. This can cause twelve years of struggle and often lead to mental illness.  Let’s look at the stat's: People with autism are four times more likely to have depression. People with ADHD 47% more likely to have a generalised anxiety disorder. 

And why? Because while kids like me are struggling to figure out and exist within our own brains, we also have to adjust to and attempt a system not made for us. 

The current educational paradigm in this country, although espousing their commitment to diversity, are seemingly unwilling to adapt to support this growing issue and create a system that does not leave us behind, but instead encourages and assists us to succeed. 

Now I have a little sister, and she has dyslexia. Thankfully in Year 3 her teacher spotted her struggling and helped my parents get her tested and diagnosed. My baby sister tries harder than anyone I know. At the many schools we have attended, in the many countries we have lived, I have never met anyone who tries harder than her. 

I have also never come across a school that provides all the necessary support she deserves. It is simply not fair that she, and every other neurodivergent child, has to try so hard just to achieve the same as our classmates when often IQ is not the issue. 

I like school but the system needs to WAKE UP.  

So, this is a love letter of sorts. From one neurodivergent teenager, who has tried so hard, and sacrificed so much to achieve what I have; to the system that was never designed to help me succeed.  

This is a reminder that we are still here, and we deserve the exact same chance; kids, like me, like my little sister, like young people you know, want to enjoy school, want to learn, and want to ultimately feel like we are a valued part of each and every school community. 

Thank you 

Year 12 Advanced English

On Thursday 9 March Year 12 Advanced English students were able to take part in a wonderful learning opportunity that was offered through the Orange Civic Theatre. 

We were able to attend two HSC Symposiums on Module A: The Tempest/Hagseed and Texts and Human Experiences: The Crucible run by the esteemed theatre company, Sport for Jove. 

Our students experienced nearly five hours of intensive and interactive student lectures interspersed with dramatic performances from works class actors. It was an enriching and invigorating day that offered our HSC students new insights into their prescribed texts and should be immensely helpful as they prepare for their HSC examinations. 

A very big thank you to Mrs Lewis, Mrs Holland, Mr Smedley and Mr Jones who were all in attendance and supporting our students on the day.