Message from
the Principal

Term 2 | Week 2

“No Spring nor Summer beauty hath such grace, as I have seen in one autumnal face.”

John Donne

Welcome back to the new Term and I hope you have all had a lovely Easter break. Autumn is such a beautiful time of year in Orange as we see the vast array of deciduous trees provide blazes of red, yellow gold and orange. With the change of season comes many new and exciting opportunities for us all and it has been fabulous to feel the positive energy and enthusiasm of our students as they return.

I was delighted to receive a great deal of encouraging feedback from staff and members of the community regarding the positive and constructive way our students embraced the various experiences undertaken in Camp Week at the conclusion of last Term.

Camps provide an important opportunity to face challenge, demonstrate responsibility and trust, to show care for others and to build friendships. They are an important part of what we do, where we offer a broad and enriching experience deliberately structured to build character, confidence and friendships, to broaden horizons and take our students out of their comfort zones.

We had 350 cadets on Annual Camp with over 50 staff involved in the operation including those in the field, catering, logistics, medical and liaison staff. Cadet Camp is a huge logistical exercise and all are to be commended for the great success it was. The unit encountered a number of unplanned challenges, all of which were handled superbly.

104 Year 11 students were involved in the Work Experience program where we saw placements from Orange to as far afield as Abu Dhabi. Students were flying planes; on the road with our local member; at News Corp in Sydney; assisting with ‘Orange 360’ and Food Week. Placements were also at Orange and Dubbo Hospitals; various medical and dental practices; with architects; accountants; solicitors and computing and engineering firms – just to name a few.

The Volunteer Community Service Program was a huge success and we received considerable feedback from organisations where our students volunteered their time. Organisations within Orange and in our Boarders’ home communities have praised the way in which our students conducted themselves, represented the School and for the valuable assistance that they have provided to the community.

Highly successful camps and experiences also included the Year 12 Retreat; Year 7 Camp at Lake Burrendong and Music Camp in Katoomba.

Our Cattle Team made its first appearance at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in four years and performed very well winning a number of places in the various categories contested. The team came home with some impressive ribbons that will be presented in an upcoming School Assembly.

Camps and activities take a great deal of organisation and careful management. I wish to express my sincere thanks to staff for their positive and caring approach to the students and for the enthusiastic and constructive way our students engaged in the plethora of experiences available.

Safe use of Technology

I strongly recommend you read our Head of Teaching and Learning, Mrs Serena Lewis’ newsletter article this week titled ‘Technology-Servant Not Master’.

It is vitally important that the device usage of our children is carefully monitored and regulated. Devise usage does contribute to learning but they are simply a tool to facilitate some types of learning.

It is not healthy for your child to be glued to screen or being totally dependent on their device. Gaming and social media can be addictive and have negative social and emotional impact upon your child.

It is crucial as a parent you manage this. Mrs Lewis outlines strategies we have in place for our Boarders and highly recommends you to listen to the ABC podcast of an Interview with David Gillespie titled ‘How the iPhone Rewrote the Teenage Brain’. Mrs Lewis describes it as ‘enlightening but terrifying’.

Staff Movements

I have great pleasure in warmly welcoming some new members of staff to the Kinross Wolaroi community.

Mr Ben Doyle – Mathematics Teacher

Mr Doyle has been a teacher for 15 years in both Australia and the UK. Mr Doyle comes to KWS from Orange Anglican Grammar School where he has been a Mathematics Teacher and the K-12 Sports Coordinator. Prior to that, Mr Doyle was with St Vincent’s College, Potts Point where he held various roles, including Head of House, Head of PDHPE and teacher of Mathematics. He has enjoyed being involved in a variety of co-curricular activities throughout his teaching career.

He has a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) specialising in Mathematics and PDHPE, a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Technology Queensland and a Masters of Education (Honours) from University of New England.

Mrs Anne Brown – School Psychologist – K-12

Mrs Brown is a Registered Psychologist and has worked with children, adolescents and families in a variety of settings, including schools. She comes to us from Oakhill College in Sydney where she has been the Senior Counsellor/Clinical Lead for the past 9 years. Prior to Oakhill College, Mrs Brown spent many years working in the area of Child and Adolescent Mental Health. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Master of Psychology from the University of Sydney.

Please join with me to welcome Mr Doyle and Mrs Brown to the KWS Community.

Staff Leave

Mr Paul McRae and Mrs Annie McRae head off to Germany for 6 months of LSL, commencing in Term 2. Mr McRae’s classes will be covered by Mr Eric Morris. Mrs McRae’s classes will be covered by Mrs Jennifer Roberts and Mrs Joanna Lenton.

Mrs Michelle Thompson takes over Mr McRae’s Brown House duties.

Congratulations

A baby girl

Mrs Sophie Fardell has recently given birth to a baby girl – Quinn. Sophie will take two terms of Maternity Leave. Her classes will be covered by Mr Eric Morris and her netball co-curricular will be covered by Mrs Bridie Brideoak. I’m sure you will join me in wishing Sophie, Harry and Poppy all the best as they welcome Quinn into their lives.

Rowing - Henley Royal Regatta

We are delighted that our undefeated Schoolgirl Quad Scull from the 2018/19 rowing season has been seeded and invited to compete at Henley Royal Regatta (HRR) in the UK from July 3-7.

The crew were winners of the School Girls Head of the River and won the State and National Championships. HRR is quintessentially British, and a sporting and social highlight of the British summer calendar. The regatta was established in 1839 and is regarded as the most prestigious rowing regatta in the world, and prized by school, university, club and elite rowers alike.

Our crew will be the first to compete for Kinross Wolaroi School at HRR, and is comprised of Freya Neville (Y10), Isabella Scammell (Y10), Lucy Jenkins (Y11), Bridget Yeomans (Y11), and coxswain Jetta Kennett (Y11). The crew will be competing for the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup, against other Junior Women’s Quad Sculls from all over the world. The winner of the event in 2018 was a very strong crew from Y Quad Cities in the USA.

The regatta is broadcast live on the HRR YouTube Channel, and you can follow the crew’s progress on the HRR website; https://www.hrr.co.uk/

Swimming

Incredible success was enjoyed by KWS at the Swimming Age Nationals in Adelaide. It was a big week for the KWS team with six swimmers having individual swims and an additional four swimming in relays.

Collette Lyons – 3 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze medals at national level!

Personal Best’s recorded by Collette Lyons, Mercede Cornelius-Feltus, Ethan Crisp (even though he was injured), Zac Lewis, Oliver McLaughlin. Elly McMiles missed out on PB’s but swam strongly in her first National event.

The KWS team hit a PB rate of over 65%. Congratulations to Kim Taylor and his assistant coaches Jane Gillham and Jason Crisp.

Polo

Archie Dowling, Year 8, was selected in the Australian schools polo team during the holidays and played a test match against NZ . Australia won 4-3.

Dr Andrew Parry