Newsletter Term 2, Week 8 10 June 2021

The author coined the term 'Quaranteens' as a descriptor for young people who turned 18 during the pandemic. The article provided a reflection from several students from the Class of 2020. Their experiences had been vastly different, some students found the losses of their final year of school unbearable, whilst others flourished in the remote learning space, away from some of the pressures of the school environment. 

Most reflected that 2020 had disrupted their plans for the future, forced them to re-assess their goals, re-examine their post-school pathway and think more carefully about their career aspirations. The Year 12s at Strathcona did a phenomenal job under difficult circumstances last year. However, the term 'Quaranteen' won't be exclusive to the Class of 2020. In many ways, it is the cohorts following them that are likely to feel the lasting effects of this moment in history. 

The past week's lockdown has been challenging in ways different to previous restrictions. The news of a snap lockdown in February created a degree of panic among the students. There was disbelief that we could be here again after the resumption of a 'normal' Term 1.  This time was different. The lockdown 4 news, received in the middle of the school day Thursday 27 May, was gently received. Students quietly and gracefully accepted their fate and once again bunkered down in their bedrooms for another period of remote learning.  

Yet this time our Quaranteens are exhausted. Exhausted from pivoting, re-adjusting, being flexible and accepting while maintaining a positive attitude. I think our Quaranteens are best described as flat. And that is ok. They are negotiating a moment in history as a teenager. Most of us adults are just hanging on. 

Families are stretched, boundaries are blurred, and your children are likely grumpy, stressed and not wanting your helpful advice. Yet your Quaranteen still needs you. They need the reassurance that it is ok to feel flat, that it's difficult this time around to feel optimistic and that the constant uncertainty leaves us all feeling bereft. Your Quaranteen needs constant reminding that this lockdown and restrictions too shall pass, eventually.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our families for the outstanding support and guidance provided to your daughters over this remote learning period. Thank you for understanding the complicated and ever-changing arrangements for the Year 10 and 11 exam period, Year 12 SAC schedule, and the GAT. The students have worked well with the staff on their revision, and we are currently seeing a good rollout of our revised exam timetable. We look forward to being together back onsite soon. Until then we are encouraging all girls to go gently on themselves, their families and their friends. 

Warm regards, 

Mrs Amber Sowden, Dean of Students 

Read the full article from ABC news here: 'The Quaranteens'. 

Launched this week, the appeal aims to fast-track our sustainability strategy by investing in state-of-the-art IoT technology. This technology combines special sensors with software to radically decrease our energy usage (and therefore our CO2 emissions) by making our assets ‘’smarter’’ and more energy efficient.

The Year 12 girls have enjoyed making the most of the Senior Centre spaces and have loved having the entire campus to themselves. This was further enjoyed by a theme day this Monday where the girls dressed in their pajamas for the day. It was a great way to celebrate the arrival of winter and in between classes there was a chance to enjoy an episode or two of the television series Friends. 

This week the Head of House team has also overseen the Year 11s in their examinations. We have all been proud of the strength and courage of the girls as they started off their exams with English on Tuesday morning. Since then the girls have had a number of other examinations which will continue next week. In between the winter rain, the girls gathered outside Featherstone Hall and were in good spirits. The girls came out smiling after their first few exams. Ms Herft and Mrs Sowden have also been present to oversee the wellbeing of our Senior girls during this period of the school year.  

We are thrilled to be welcoming back the Year 10s onto campus tomorrow. During online learning, the Senior Mentors and the Head of House team conducted many calls and emails with the girls in Arnold, Gilbert, Grenfell and Findlay. I hope our students felt very supported and we cannot wait to be back on campus together again as we prepare for Semester 2.

Ms Fields, Mrs Gazis, Mrs Ward and Mrs Boyd, Heads of House  

Items in this edition include:

• News from Federation University
o New Courses on Offer in 2022
o Bachelor of Education Studies
• Bond University Year 12 Entry for 2022 - Early Offers
• Army Support Gap Year 2022
• STEM Hub
• News from Australian Catholic University
o ACU Guarantee Program
o Studying Nutrition at ACU
• Business Degrees in Victoria in 2021
• Commerce Degrees in Victoria in 2022
• Snapshot of ACU in 2021

Please click here for this week's Career News. To visit the the Careers page or view previous versions of Careers News click here.

This phrase, originally printed as a slogan on 2.5 million posters in 1939 by the British government was never used in World War Two. Officials, after printing, had doubts about the slogan's tone, where to hang them and what they might suggest in the dark days of war. It wasn't until 2000, that a bookseller found some of the posters lying around in a box of books he had purchased at auction, put them up in his shop, and, as they say, the rest is now history.

Whilst "Keep Calm and Carry on" may arguably sound trite or patronising, I like that it is measured and assured.  These attitudes have been in evidence in Lockdown 4 with the Year 9s online, who have calmly gone about their learning, have continued to ask questions, participate, seek help and complete their work.

On Wednesday, this was particularly evident. We had nearly every student log on for a multitude of study skills sessions on their "offline" day. Many have accessed templates to assist with revision, some have told me that they organised their study space and made lists, others made times to meet with their teachers.  This attribute of intentionally managing one's own learning is exceptional. I know that it will hold the Year 9 cohort in good stead for their exam day next Tuesday 15 June.  By now, all Year 9 families should have received the exam day timetable.  Your support of this learning experience is appreciated.

I hope that you enjoy exploring your 25km over the long weekend, keeping calm and carrying on!  

Mrs Karyn Murray, Head of Tay Creggan

Online learning should go on forever

So relaxing! You want to live in paradise and be educational? I strongly believe that online learning should go on forever. You could wake up later, spend more time with your families, have hot lunches and even have more exercise. Fascinating and interesting facts are coming up.

Firstly, online learning should go on forever because waking up late is good for your health. You can sleep late, get things done during the daytime and above all, you are able to have a good sleep without your parents getting rid of the blanket. Wouldn't that be nice? Picture it in your head, you sleeping on a comfy bed while your brother goes to school and you could have a full breakfast and still not be late for an online class.

Secondly, online learning should go on forever because you could spend more time with your family. Talking, laughing, smiling and all that positive stuff comes up in family time. Knowing your family better is always a good sign and you get to share more stories on the comfy couch! Is that paradise? Of course, that is paradise! Spending more time with family can also build up your education because what the families know they pass on to you but it is not possible if you do not spend enough time with them.

Another reason why online learning should go on forever, is because delicious hot lunches always are very important. When you go to school at lunch all you get is a sandwich and that is very boring right? At home you get fried rice, pizza, noodles and even McDonald's. What else could you possibly want? Hot lunches are also good for your health and "your health is the most important thing in the world" said scientist Vanessa. See even she agrees!

Finally, online learning should go on forever because you can do more exercise. Without exercise, you will lose muscle mass and your joints may become stiff and weak. How awful!

Some exercise examples are running a marathon, skipping 100 times, riding your bike for 6km, playing netball, basketball, soccer and these are only a few compared to the many sports you could play anywhere and anytime.

In summary, I strongly believe that online learning should go on forever. You could wake up later, spend more time with your family, have hot lunches and even do more exercise! What are you waiting for? Time to persuade your teachers!

Vanessa Liang, Year 5N

I am really looking forward to seeing you all again on Friday. Thank you for all of your support during this lockdown, it is always very much appreciated.

Ms Lisa Miller, Head of Junior School

This month's edition is ‘Friendship & Belonging’. It is a great edition for parents and adult carers with children across all year levels. 

Read the special report here.

Learning how to make new friends and keep them involves a number of skills every young person needs to understand and develop. For some these skills will come very naturally, allowing them to easily move between different friendship groups, sharing their experiences and opening up to new people. For others, this can be much harder to navigate. Belonging to a group that is like-minded with similar interests is highly beneficial to a young person’s wellbeing. It gives them a sense of security helping them feel valued which in turn builds their confidence.

SchoolTV is an online resource designed to empower you as parents with credible and sound information with realistic, practical ongoing support strategies. Click here to access the website.

Tomorrow at 7.15am is Strathcona's Green Evolution Breakfast. We hope that you can join us for what is going to be a very informative event. 

Hear from our panel of experts about climate change and rising sea levels, and be inspired by stories of action from local sustainability heroes. Learn about Strathcona’s own "Green Evolution’’ and commitment to a better Earth for girls and families everywhere.

Click here to register for this event.

Dr Kathleen McInnes ('79) - CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere 

Kathleen McInnes leads the Climate Extremes and Projections group of the Climate Science Centre in CSIRO's Ocean and Atmosphere business unit. Her work deals with how climate change will affect severe weather and coastal extreme sea levels through numerical modelling and climate model analysis with a focus on Australia and small islands. She has developed climate projections for impact and adaptation assessments to assist local government manage and adapt to climate change. Her contribution to this work was awarded Eureka award in 2003 and 2009. She has published over 200 refereed publications and other reports and articles and was a contributing author on the IPCC second, third, fourth and sixth assessment reports. She was a lead author on the IPCC Fifth assessment report chapter on Coastal Systems and Low-Lying Areas as well as a lead author on the IPCC Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adapation in 2012 and the IPCC Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere in 2019. She currently serves as a co-chair of the World Climate Research Program Grand Challenge on Regional Sea Level Changes and Coastal Impacts. In 2017 she became a Fellow of the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and in 2020 she was awarded the CSIRO Medal for Lifetime Achievement.

Ninna K Larsen, Founder and Director - Reground

"Reground exists to help businesses help the environment and not let coffee, chaff or soft plastic waste end in landfill. Reground creates a community around waste resources to educate us all on how to make our future more sustainable.Reground changes our current waste disposal structure making it more resourceful for our pocket, people and planet.Reground exists to create positive change."Ninna is an expert in behavioural design, marrying her passion for sustainability and practicality to create real change in the waste and innovation space. She founded Reground in 2014 after experiencing the unnecessary coffee waste in Melbourne. Determined to see businesses stepping into the circular economy, she is creating a movement of businesses that puts impact over profit.

Matt Jones, Director - Mamachi

Matt owns and operates a number of Energy and Technology businesses and is driven to accelerate Australia's Energy and Carbon Transition. His passion and experience in Sustainability and Renewable Energy drives Matt to create impact and value for the Education Sector and other large organisations across the country. Through increasingly intelling and automated Building, Asset and Energy Management technologies Matt has delivered large scale programs and portfolio wide data management strategies nationally, achieving meaningful energy, emissions and building outcomes across most sectors.

Hollie Fields - Head of House, Strathcona Sustainability Team Leader

Hollie Fields has taught the Geography curriculum in schools across Victoria and Tasmania. She is committed to giving students on active role in sustainability education by providing them with knowledge and skills to foster change. Currently she teaches at Strathcona Girls Grammar where she leads the Senior curriculum for Geography (10-12). Alongside this, Hollie is a member of the School's sustainability committee, oversees the environment club and participates in the Boroondara Indigenous Network. Having presented at the Australian Geography Teachers Conference in 2019, Hollie engages with an Australia wide network of teachers to consider the best approaches for raising awareness for an ecological mindset. She believes everyone has a key role and that significant change is required to reduce the impacts of modern lifestyles on the natural environment. 

Planning Liveable Cities event is tonight 5.30pm - 6.30pm. Register now! 

You are warmly invited to the Strathcona Centre Learning Futures event – Planning Liveable Cities.Hear about urban planning and the impact it has on lives now and into the future. Madison Robb and Yang Bai from Plan Melbourne will share about their careers in urban planning. We eagerly await their presentation where we will learn something that will have enormous impacts on our futures - the future of Melbourne.

Read more about our guest speakers below.

Madison Robb
Madison has over seven years' experience in urban planning, project management and Ministerial roles in State Government, delivering high-profile, large-scale planning and urban renewal projects, including Docklands and Fishermans Bend in Victoria and Perth City Link and Scarborough Beach in WA. Originally from Perth, Madison moved to Melbourne 4 years ago and took a short break from planning to explore cities as cabin crew for Virgin Australia, before COVID-19 hit the travel industry. Madison now works on delivering Plan Melbourne 2017-2050, the Victorian Government's strategy to guide the growth of Melbourne until 2050, including where people live and work and how we connect people to jobs and services.

Yang Bai
Yang Bai is a strategic planner working on the 20 minute neighbourhoods project in the Planning Department of Victoria. Her passion is in understanding the relationship between people and urban space, and also how we can create quality spaces. She is also interested in spatial data analysis and visualisation to facilitate communication and decision making. She was an engineer before moving to Melbourne to study Urban Planning. She is now also studying Urban Design.

Click here to register for this event.