Term 2, Week 11, 2024 - Unstoppable Learning and Community 27 June 2024

The night highlighted that career paths are rarely direct nor well-planned; instead, they are shaped by experiences both inside and outside the classroom. Opportunities like co-curricular involvement play a crucial role in developing essential life skills such as teamwork, collaboration, punctuality, persistence, empathy, and resilience, to name a few.

The concept of career clusters and the emergence of new careers created an atmosphere of excitement and possibility, making it a wonderful evening of learning and community. We extend a huge thanks to all the panellists and our dedicated Board Member and OSA President, Laura Loftus, members of the Old Strathconians’ Association, and staff members, notably Jo Wilson, for all their efforts in making this event possible. It was an absolute privilege and joy for me to meet with our incredible Alumnae and hear how their education at Strathcona has prepared them for an exciting world of opportunity beyond school.

100 Reasons to Connect - staying connected through life-long learning

From the many reunions and gatherings for our centenary and events to connect our community in general, I have realised that Strathcona is a School like no other. I have met alumnae, parents, and staff well into their 90s who are still connected and contribute to the abundance of our community.

Events like 100 Reasons to Connect are about celebration and, more importantly, building relationships and community. Whether you are new or have been associated for however many decades, you are valued as part of our strong community. Our ties are the heart and soul of Strathcona, and they will continue to inspire and guide us as we venture into the next 100 years.

Events like these often rely on the generosity of our sponsors, and we are deeply grateful to our sponsor and partner for the evening, Driver Bus Lines. Their unwavering support and commitment to Strathcona as a family and a business were instrumental in making the event a reality. Heartfelt thanks to our excellent MC, Alice Stolz, Strathcona parent and Editor at Domain, who guided all present through the proceedings with aplomb. Guest speaker Lisa Keenan, Executive Director of MECCA’s social change initiative, M-Power, inspired and energised all attendees with her courageous and life-affirming stories and reminded us all to stay curious.

Community in Action – Rowing Centenary Reunion

Friends of Rowing hosted a remarkable event last week, the Strathcona Girls Grammar Rowing Reunion, bringing together representatives from the entire rowing community spanning 19 years. Renowned Strathy radio personalities Sam and Davo entertained over 120 guests, followed by an insightful panel discussion with our Director of Rowing, Michael Cornwell, as they ventured down memory lane. It was enlightening to hear the recounts of the journey from humble beginnings, sparked by a few determined, unstoppable students, to a thriving program of over 100 girls today. The vision and contribution of our Head of Rowing, Michael Cornwell, was highlighted on the night; his legacy of dedication, leadership, and passion has left an indelible mark on the program and many lives. His commitment has built a successful rowing team and instilled values of perseverance and teamwork in countless students. The event truly celebrates community and the enduring Strathcona spirit, with many looking forward to next year's 20th-anniversary celebrations.

Our Baptist Community

This week, representatives of our Executive and School Board had the pleasure of presenting to the Baptist Union of Victoria and sharing a meal. This gathering was more than just a formal meeting; it was a warm and celebratory event, underscoring our shared values and long-lasting friendship.

The BUV's commitment to faith, mission, empowerment, respect, hospitality, freedom of conscience, and association aligns seamlessly with our School's ethos. We are particularly excited about future opportunities, such as participating in the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award by engaging with BaptCare through meaningful service projects. Our future planned collaboration with the congregation of Canterbury Baptist Church will further strengthen our community ties, fostering an environment where students can grow in faith and service. Through such partnerships and collaborations, we aim to empower our students to use their gifts for a greater purpose, enriching their lives and the lives of those they serve.

We look forward to building on these close ties and creating new and exciting opportunities for our students and the broader community.

STEAM Week 2024 – Learnings for now and into the future

There was no such thing as slowing down at the end of the term for Years 5 to 8 during STEAM Week at Strathcona Girls Grammar. Students gathered to harness connections across year groups, building a strong sense of community while diving into the fascinating worlds of technology, engineering, science, mathematics, and the arts. Throughout the week, students engaged in vast activities designed to teach key life skills such as critical and creative thinking, collaboration, and teamwork. Highlights included navigating the stars and constellations, designing parachutes for safe landings, and exploring virtual worlds through Minecraft. Students also roved to safety with Sphero, prepared to launch rockets, learned about the contributions of women in STEAM across the decades, created space suits, and imagined living on another planet – Strarthconis! The week was a vibrant blend of learning and community, making education an exciting and fun experience for all involved. Special thanks to our Dean of Teaching and Learning, Ms Kara Baxter, for bringing this experience to life with members of the teaching and curriculum teams.

Warm Wishes for the Holidays

At Strathcona, our current brand embraces the term Unstoppable; as a community, we are the changemakers; we strive to prepare our students for the world ahead with all its challenges and opportunities. For example, our Year 9s have been fully immersed in our Envision Program this week, and our Senior Students have been engaged in Service Learning. Our Early Years students are excited about their move to their new campus, and I loved hearing our choirs from Years 3 to 12 perform at our Choral Concert. It was a very special evening that filled my cup. Every day, we build on the legacy and traditions that shaped our School and propel us into the future.

After a busy semester of learning and teaching, our Academic Reports are ready to be shared through Maple. As we approach the holidays, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks and warmest wishes to each and every one of you for the warm welcome I have received in my first six months at this amazing School. I hope these holidays allow you to rest, recharge, and enjoy the company of your loved ones. I look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready to embark on new adventures in Term 3.

Lorna Beegan
Principal

Leadership is often considered a title or position held by only a few. But we know that every student is a leader in their own way. Perhaps they are a leader of a sports team or church group, or maybe a big sister or cousin…Everyone can influence another person, and leadership begins with how you use your influence. It’s not about a badge or even what we say, it’s about actions, attitude and how we use influence to impact and support others within our community positively. How we conduct ourselves, the way we treat others, and the choices we make can significantly impact how we make others think and feel about us and how we learn.

Uniform for Learning and Community Building

When our students wear their uniforms correctly, they make a statement about their attitude towards their learning. How they show up each day demonstrates to their peers and teachers that they are proud to be a part of the Strathcona community and are here and READY TO LEARN.

When students arrive at school and in class wearing the correct uniform, they are signalling to their teachers that they are prepared to get the most out of the day ahead and show respect for our school's values and expectations.

The concept of a "Uniform for Learning" fosters a sense of equality and belonging, eliminating distractions of who is wearing what and creating a level playing field for our community. If our students play their part to contribute to a positive and focused learning environment, their teachers can concentrate on what truly matters—supporting our students, their wellbeing, and their education.

Uniform Changes

As most of our community knows, we have been in a conversion phase with our school uniform for the past 18 months, transitioning away from gold and towards white and coral.

At the beginning of 2025, all students will be in the ‘new’ uniform.

Our PE and Sports Uniform

Some subtle changes include the white crest on the PE and housetops and the new shorts and track pants with the white crest.
Some changes are more obvious, like the hoodie, vest, and sports jacket with coral and white.

From next year, these will be the only items students can wear for PE and Sports. This means there will be no yellow hoodie, sports jacket, or vest next year.

Our Winter Uniform

• The winter uniform remains very similar, with pants or skirts, a white shirt, a pullover, and a blazer.
• The blazer should be worn as the outer garment when travelling to and from school, particularly if students are on public transport, excursions, or when representing the school.
• The pocket on the blazer will remain gold for now and be phased out over the next few years.

Community Wholebeing - Wellbeing Wednesday – Trial in Term 3

Student voice and agency are very important to our community and learning culture at Strathcona. We have been listening, we have heard feedback from the students, and we are excited to let our community know that we will trial a Wellbeing Wednesday next term. This school-wide initiative will be on strengthening house culture, connection and belonging. There will be house challenges, house choral and student-led activities, including the ‘Strathlympics’ organised by the Student Executive.

To enhance House Spirit, every Year 7, 8 and 10-12 student is invited to wear their House T-shirt and PE uniform on a Wednesday throughout Term 3. We hope that this is a welcome addition.

This is a trial, and students are expected to be in the correct academic uniform on all other days.

Uniform Expectations Term 3

Years 7 and 8
Students in Years 7 & 8 can wear PE uniform:
- On the days they have a timetabled PE class
- On Wednesday with House T-Shirt
- On Thursday, if they are playing GSV Sport
- Any other day, they should be in Academic Uniform (including blazer)

Years 9
Students in Years 9 can wear PE uniform:
- On the days they have a timetabled PE class
- On Wednesdays if participating in GSV Sport
- On days they are participating in scheduled co-curricular physical activity
- Any other day they should be in Academic Uniform (including blazer)

Years 10
Students in Year 10 can wear PE uniform:
- On the days they have a timetabled PE class
- On Wednesdays with House T-Shirt (if participating in GSV Sports, please remember also to bring the School PE Top)
- Any other day they should be in Academic Uniform (including blazer)

Years 11 & 12
Students in Years 11 & 12 can wear PE uniform:
- On Mondays, if they are playing GSV Sport
- On Wednesdays with House T-Shirt
- Any other day they should be in Academic Uniform (including blazer)

N.B. Changes may occur from time to time due to school events or excursions, so please check your child’s year-level parent page on Maple.

Only the official school shorts should be worn as sports shorts. There should be no additional hoodies, no long-sleeve tops under t-shirts that we can see, no TC fleece (Year 10-12), and no black track pants.

It’s a team effort

As a school community, we will continue to encourage each student to take responsibility for their actions and approach to learning. This includes wearing their school uniform correctly, with pride, and understanding their role in our community.

We are so fortunate to have passionate and committed teachers guiding our students daily. They are here to support and challenge them, help them get the most out of themselves, and not spend time conversing about uniforms, which takes time away from teaching, learning, and building relationships.

All our teachers will be monitoring this, but this is a collective effort, so we ask our parent community to help support your child in wearing the correct uniform on the appropriate day and being here at school, ready to learn.

We hope that everyone has a restful break after a long and busy term and look forward to welcoming everyone back to school for Term 3.

You can access the uniform brochure here

Megan Boyd 
Dean of Students

This year is all about the spark, light the legacy. As our semester ends, and we all take time to rest and reset for the rest of the year to come, think about what you still want to get out of this centenary. Year 11’s, next term is a chance to find your inner leader as you begin Your running for captaincies. Our year 7’s, for those involved, will be working hard on their upcoming performance of Aladdin Junior. I can safely say we will all be tuning into our very own head of sport Tamsyn commentating at the Paris 2024 Olympics. And so much more!

I hope you all enjoy today's assembly, and best of luck for what is to come.

Stephanie Tang – STEM Leader

There have been many sensational clubs, events and competitions stemming from STEM in Semester 1.

From a Voting house challenge which Sarah Le Get, our Issues and Actions Leader, will elaborate on in her section, to STEM and Science Club which have been going on for our younger year levels, we have certainly been remarkably busy.

If you happen to have missed out, do not worry!

STEAM Week is happening during the first three days of next week for Years 5-8. Its theme is: "Igniting Innovation in Space," and it promises to be an exciting and enriching experience for our students. Students will follow a special schedule of workshops. During these three days, students will participate in hands on workshops and hear from guest speakers, rotating through the 6 workshops.

Students will also have the chance to work in mixed-year groups to build connections across different year levels. A special thanks to Ms Baxter, Dean of Teaching and Learning, and Mr Scott for their roles in organising and planning this wonderful week.

Another upcoming event is the STEM Invitational day on July 1st. Strathcona is hosting this event, which will involve 48 students in total from 6 other schools. Contact Mr Meston, the Head of Maths, to join!

Finally, congratulations to everyone who has participated in a STEM related competition, such as the Big Science Competition (Years 7-10), and a further congratulations to the recipients of Distinctions and High Distinctions in the competition, who were announced in the Leadership Assembly on Wednesday and presented their certificates by Ms Beegan.

I cannot wait to see you all involved further in STEM, even if it is just in a microscopic way!

Jayna Wang – Debating and Public Speaking Leader

For debating this year, we have already done 4 debates, which includes 2 secret topics, where we prepare for the debate on site an hour before the actual thing. This may seem daunting at first, but we have learned to enjoy the freestyling. Special mention to our undefeated year 9 team, you are amazing!

Year 7 and 8s, please sign up for debating when it is open to you next term! This is a fantastic way to get to know your peers better and to meet people from other schools, and do not worry, all your debates can be prepared for beforehand.

For public speaking, Emily Lu in year 7 reached the finals of the DAV online competition, and Olivia Collett in Year 10 won her heat of the Rostrum Public Speaking competition, and was the runners up in the semi-finals, so congrats to you both!

In term 3 and term 4, we will have various other public speaking opportunities, so look out for notifications and sign up to have a go.

Izzy King & Sophie McIntosh – Sport Leaders

Lots has been going on in terms of sport at Strathy this year so far, with loads of participation and many achievements!

Earlier this year, Genevieve Khaw, Amalia Pontikis and Judy Wang competed in GSV golf.

The GSV Triathlon also had a great turn out, with the teams' event and Aaryn, Hannah and TJ participating in the individual triathlon.

For term one GSV weekly sports, we had some great turn outs, particularly in Tennis which led to the Juniors making the finals in the A and C sections and Seniors making the B finals.

For Softball, we were represented with a team in every age group and the Seniors finished second on the ladder in zone 1, winning all but one match.

In Indoor Cricket, we had amazing numbers in the juniors with 3 teams and one team finishing 2nd in Division B zone 2.

We also had a strong group of seniors who formed a team and played extremely well.

For our carnival sport in term one:
There was an Incredible effort to finish in 3rd in Div 2 for swimming with no year 7 points as they were on camp. Great representation at finals night with Gabby King and Isabella Osborn representing us in the GSV rep team. Also, a shout out to Izzy Osborn who just competed in the Australian Olympic trials in the 100m & 200m butterfly.

In our term 2 GSV weekly sports:
In GSV Netball, we had 16 teams with over 160 students playing for Strathcona, with the Intermediate B and E, and Junior 3 and 4 Netball teams making the finals, with the Junior Netball Team 4 making it through to the semifinals.

And congrats to Lily Douglas who made the GSV rep team for netball.

For Hockey, our junior team had over 20 girls sign up who have been incredible, making the semifinals and finishing 4th

Our Senior Hockey Team was unbelievable, taking to the field with fewer players than other schools, they won all their matches that were played and finished third on the ladder. We are left to wonder what might have been without the first two round forfeits due to lack of numbers.

GSV AFL also had a great turn out this year, where we were able to field two teams every week. Well done to our A team who finished third on the ladder.

This year we had an incredible senior water polo team who fought well to finish 2nd on the ladder in section B.

For our term two carnival sport, we had 55 students participating in our cross-country team. It was strength in numbers that saw our team finish 3rd in division 2, our seniors finish equal first and our intermediates runners up by only 7 points.

The kayakers had a highly successful season, with members of the team competing in the 2024 paddle Australia canoe marathon championships, which took place in South Australia this year, and coming away with medals in many events.

Rowing finished last term after an enjoyable season involving two camps during the summer holidays before the finale of Head of School girls. The senior blacks and blues and inter blacks also went to Sydney to compete in the nationals rowing competition.

Saturday netball is well underway with over 200 Strathcona girls playing now, and we can’t wait to see how the season goes.

There is still much more to come this year for sport at Strathcona.

Coming up next term for GSV weekly sports we have soccer, volleyball, and badminton. Snow sports is also starting up next term.

Running club will still be on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as athletics training, which just started last Tuesday morning, so it is the perfect time to get involved.

We are also in the middle of the push up challenge this year where many students are getting in loads of pushups and raising awareness for mental health! Today, the girls are completing 172 pushups for the 17.2% of us that have experienced anxiety disorder in the last year so make sure to get around them.

There is still time to join and boost your year level team! Remember to donate to your favourite team as well to fundraise for headspace.

Well done to everyone who has participated in sport at Strathcona so far this year and we cannot wait to see you all continuing to take part in sport next term!

Jasmine Harvey & Dilarah Al-Sabbagh – House Challenge Update

We want to begin with a massive thank you to you all on behalf of all of us for your amazing work and participation in the house events this term. It has made for super fun and extremely tight competition.

So far for the major house events this year we have had swimming, PAF, athletics and cross country. We will be starting our last event for the year, house chorales, at the start of next term.

In terms of house challenges this term, we have had the mascot creation competition run by the art leaders where we all got to compete to paint or draw fun and creative mascots in our house colours. We also had the voting house challenge run by the STEM and issues and actions leaders, here everyone got a chance to share their views on which current issues were most important to them.

The next house challenge that is going to be run is a sport and international challenge, so keep an eye out on maple for more information about that. All the house captains would love to see as many people as possible there as it is a fantastic way to try something new and get some extra house points!

All the house leaders are really looking forward to a great last term as leaders in term 3 and are all excited to see how the points will end up looking. It should be a lot of fun so continue with the magnificent work! Thanks everyone

Sienna Maiolo & Zoe Fotheringham – Service Leaders

In service this year, as leaders, we are focusing not only on fundraising money but also on doing acts of service for our community. To emulate this, we have designed the theme of ‘Strathy Gives Back’ which we hope has been evident in our service initiative this year.

During term 1 this year we had our crazy sock day where we raised funds for Emmanuel and Anne-Marie at Yimba Uganda who some of you may remember came to speak to us.

At the end of the term, we were fortunate enough to partner with It’s the Little Things Community who have a focus on creating meals and doing acts of kindness for women and children within our local community escaping domestic violence, experiencing homelessness, mental health challenges and facing serious illness.

Closer to easter, we had an easter egg drive donated by our Strathy Staff for ADRA where we were able to donate these easter eggs to young children who could not afford easter chocolate. This term we were lucky to have so many Year 12 volunteers who joined us in decorating birthday cakes for young children within this organisation, who are not able to afford them. It was great seeing everyone bring out their creative side, they looked amazing as you can see through the photos above. Currently, we are collecting food donations from each year level for our senior school to create lunch box packs for young children who aren’t able to access them. We are so grateful for everyone's donations so far and we are excited to see the packs come together!

Looking forward, we have a senior school pyjama day coming up next week on the 26th for our years 10, 11 and 12s, our Share the Dignity drive and many more ideas to come so listen out for an exciting semester ahead in service. Also, we want to extend our thanks to the middle school service leaders, Laura and Coco who have been continually helping us throughout this year with service.

We cannot wait to see what the rest of the year brings for service so listen out and hopefully we will everyone at our next service initiative!

Isabelle Chequer & Liza Griffin – Art and Design Leaders

Art and design have been busy this Semester! We have started off the year by making clay birds for our art and design showcase coming up in September, so get excited! You can buy these works of art and all the proceeds will go to charity. We kicked off the house challenges with designing house mascots, the creativity was impressive, and we have some future designers in this school. The year 7’s had an incursion with Lucy Hersey creating their own artworks with dirt pigments which is displayed in the year 7 common room. Our wonderful art club runs each week on Friday so get involved if you can! We are looking forward to the rest of the year getting creative!

Hannah Geary- Information, Technology and Media Leader

One of my main roles is running Kaleidoscope, a library club which runs every Thursday at lunchtime. Some of the activities we do include crafting (such as our kaleidoscope making), selecting books for the knowledge exchange, games, and competitions (like our slightly violent hangman), and heated discussions, so make sure to pop by next term if you have not been already.

Coming up next term in week 2, we have our literature festival. Throughout the week, we will have guest speakers, a scavenger hunt, the launch of the School Writing Competition, and of course, the book trivia quiz, so grab your friends and team up to beat the teachers again this year.

Celia Chen – Overseas Student Leader

Here are some recaps for International this year, we kicked the start of the year by celebrating Lunar New Year with the New Year assembly, we held our lovely talent showcase with year 10-12 students, from guzheng solo, band performances to dances, it was lovely to see everyone dancing together, enjoying the day and starting the school year with happy faces.

Of course, we had enjoyed the amazing lion dance performances on the oval where we get deeper understanding in the significance of the Lunar New Year, and I am sure that the Lion dance has chased away evil spirits and has brought luck to our Strathcona community.

Sarah Le Get – Issues and Action Leader

As a school we recently celebrated Reconciliation Week and came together on the Northern Courts for an assembly where we reflected on the progress that has been made on reconciliation and how we can continue to strengthen our relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. All year, feliciter sessions were participated in reconciliation week focused on the historically significant events including National Sorry Day and Kevin Rudd’s apology to the stolen generations. As the school’s Issues and Actions leader, I also organised a house challenge with STEM leader, Steph Tang which involved students voting for their preferred government climate change solution to help reduce carbon emissions. Students had to fill out one ballot paper correctly by numbering their most preferred solutions from 1 to 4 to earn one point for their house. It was a remarkably close and competitive challenge with Grenfell winning the challenge and just beating Gilbert by 1 point.

Elissa Pomeroy & Izzy Bowtell – Student Executive Update

Our student executive team is made up of 21 leaders from across the school, and our main purpose is to encourage student voice and bring together your ideas and passions for various projects around the school. Personally, working with such a dedicated and creative group has been incredibly rewarding.


This year, we have organized several year-level leadership activities like dodgeball round robins, Just Dance competitions, and team challenges. These events have been fantastic for building community spirit and having some fun together.

We also addressed a practical need with our Taboo project, ensuring that period products are restocked in case of emergencies. This initiative aims to provide support and comfort to all students in need.

Looking ahead, we are thrilled about the upcoming Strathy Olympics. Our team is hard at work finalizing details, and we cannot wait for everyone to participate in what promises to be an exciting and memorable event.

If any of you have ideas or suggestions, please approach your class or year level leaders. We are happy to consider your proposals and hope to bring your ideas to our student executive meetings for discussion. Your input is valuable, and we are here to help bring your visions to life.

Katherine Ma & Eleanor Clayton – Music Leaders

CPAC has been busy in a flurry of many exciting performances so far this year! We kick started the year by stepping in time with beautiful music from Mary Poppins. Girls from all year levels collaborated, whether on stage or in the orchestra pit, to create long-lasting memories and a super show. A special thanks to Ms Johns, Mrs Meachem, Ms Young, and other staff for making this show so practically perfect!

Similarly, throughout term two, students highlighted their hard work at our ensemble evenings. This was an incredible opportunity to see what other ensembles have been working towards throughout this year.

We are all keenly looking forward to our upcoming annual Music Camp at the beginning of next term and cannot wait for more music to be made at our Centenary Music Concert. We hope to see you there!

Ella Holzer & Alec Marsland – Drama Leaders

As Drama Captains, it gives us immense pleasure to reflect on our theatrical journey this semester. It has been nothing short of spectacular, highlighting the incredible talent and dedication of our students, and setting a high bar for what is to come.

Following the magical 'Mary Poppins', the VCE Drama class presented their devised performances exploring the impact of AI on humanity. Set in the not too-distant future, these performances asked the audience to reflect upon the ways in which they engaged with technology now and to consider the ways in which AI could affect us in the future.

We travelled back in time to the 1800's when we ventured into the gothic world of 'Dracula'. This performance was a remarkable success and we are looking forward to collaborating with Scotch College again next year. More information about auditions for the 2025 Scotch & Strathcona production will be made available in Term Four. 

In addition to performing in 'Mary Poppins' and 'Dracula', our Year Ten Drama students presented 'Girl Who Cried Wolf', a contemporary Australian Gothic play which retold the classic tale with a contemporary twist. This thought-provoking performance highlighted the talent of our Year Ten students who also explored the directorial and technical skills involved in the play making process. 

Next semester promises to be just as exciting, beginning with the Middle School Musical 'Aladdin Jr.'  in August. The cast began rehearsals this term for a production that will transport us to the bustling streets of Agrabah, filled with magic, adventure, and unforgettable characters. Tickets go on sale next term and will sell out quickly, so check Maple for updates. The Year 8's have also been preparing for Live 8, an event that brings together music, drama and dance in a dynamic performance and encourages students to collaborate across different disciplines. 

In Term Four we will continue to highlight the creativity and talent at Strathcona with The Year Nine Play, VCE Solo Evening and PAF.  Let us continue to encourage each other, work hard, and most importantly, enjoy every moment of these incredible opportunities. 

We are looking forward to seeing you all at these performances!

Naomi Atalla – Faith Leader

Beyond the usual prayer appearances in assembly, as Faith Leader and with the help of countless students whether in assemblies, services and events, our faith portfolio has grown over these 2 terms.

If you are interested in forming a community within our school or learning more about Christianity, our weekly Mustard meetups would be perfect for you. Over this term, we have watched movies, hosted questionnaires to get to know each other and interviewed some special guests. The most notable being our very own Principal! Even more, these events have taken place in our newly refurbished chapel, customised just for us students. To add to the list, special donations by students and parents have been made to help our faith group grow beyond what this school has ever seen! We feel honoured to be valued in our school.

As a faith team, we have been making connections and getting ideas from all around Melbourne. For example, last term, we represented Strathcona at the prayer breakfast which holds about 150 students keen on their faith and to help their community.

At next terms Faith Assembly, we are also working on organising several special guests to come do a panel for all questions related to Christianity, so do not forget to use our question link if you need answers! More so if you are keen on jumping in, come to Mustard Tuesday lunchtimes in the chapel, come make new friends, learning more about Christianity or come talk to us if you have any ideas.

Big Science Competition Winners

Year 7

Year 8

Year 10 

DAV Junior Online Public Speaking Competition

They took the students on a walk and talk tour and followed with afternoon tea. They enjoyed a long chat about each others schools, subject choices, house system, colours, co-curricualr programs and leadership opportunities. It was great conversation and they made instant connections.

Megan Boyd
Dean of Students

STEAM Week: Sparking Innovation and Collaboration

Our first STEAM Week for Years 5-8 was a resounding success! Students engaged in various hands-on activities across Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, designed to ignite curiosity and foster innovative thinking. The energy in the classrooms was palpable as students collaborated on workshops linked to the theme of space ranging from coding spheros, creating sustainable worlds in Minecraft and designing space suits to survive on Strathconis.

Students and staff reflected on the great opportunity these sessions provided for collaboration. Our students were able to successful work with students that they may not have previously had the opportunity to work with and find connections while also learning about topics related to space and STEAM. This week, our students truly embodied this spirit “What a child can do in cooperation today, they can do alone tomorrow.”, working together to solve problems and create new possibilities.

VCE Students: Rising to the Challenge of the VCAA General Achievement Test

Our senior students have demonstrated remarkable resilience and dedication as all Year 12’s and many of our Year 11’s undertook the VCAA General Achievement Test (GAT) last week. This critical assessment tests a broad range of skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, and writing.

Our senior students have shown great resilience as we finish this term through, balancing their study commitments, SACS, sport, music and performances and house events, with self-care and mutual support. Their perseverance during this demanding time is truly commendable.

Year 12 Students-Holiday Study Sessions: Embracing a Love for Learning

As we approach the school break, we encourage our Year 12s and students undertaking a ¾ subject, to continue their learning journey. The Knowledge Exchange will be open next week from Tuesday to Thursday, 10 am to 4 pm, providing a quiet space for study and access to a wealth of resources. Students will be required to sign in.

Whilst it is important that students take the opportunity on the holidays to enjoy time with their families and time with friends, it is important in Year 12 to reflect on the quote that “education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” We believe that learning is a lifelong pursuit and that our student's commitment to their studies during the break exemplifies this philosophy. Whether preparing for the upcoming SACs and exams or diving into new topics of interest, our students are encouraged to continually expand their knowledge and skills.

Academic Support: Ongoing Guidance for VCE Students

To further support our students in Years 7-12, academic tutors will continue to be in the Knowledge Exchange after school next term. We encourage all VCE students to check their roster at the start of the term to see which tutors will be supporting their VCE subjects. This ongoing guidance is a valuable resource to help our students achieve their best.

Additionally, the library will extend its hours next term until 5:30 pm Monday-Thursday to support our girls' study needs.

Academic Reports-Celebration and Growth

We are pleased to announce that student reports across Junior School and Senior school will be released this week. This is an excellent opportunity for both students and parents to reflect on the progress made throughout the semester.

We encourage you to review the reports together, celebrating achievements and identifying areas for growth. We encourage our senior school students to use these insights to set new goals and develop strategies for the next semester. In feedback sessions in their classes last week we reminded students that every challenge is an opportunity to learn and improve.

We look forward to seeing the ongoing achievements of our students and celebrating their hard work and dedication throughout next semester.

Kara Baxter 
Dean of Teaching and Learning

Our Year 10s have had the chance to engage with key staff and started their discussions with Ms. Chen, our Careers Advisor, about their future options. They’ve explored various career pathways and begun mapping out their academic plans. Earlier this week, they had a valuable opportunity to interact with two panels of current Year 11 students, asking insightful questions about their subject choices and the transition from Year 10 to VCE. We thank these Year 11 students for giving up their study time to give back to the Year 10 students who will soon be following in their footsteps.

Looking ahead to Term 3, we have an exciting lineup of events to support our students in making informed decisions about their future studies. The highlight will be our 2024 Subjects Expo, where both students and parents can engage directly with teaching staff to understand the expectations and content of different subjects. This event will be complemented by key information sessions, including a VCE Information Session, a Year 10 Information Session, and a Maths Pathways Session. You can register for the session here

Additionally, we are thrilled to welcome representatives from over 10 universities and organisations who will be available to provide guidance and answer questions directly. Following these events, our students will begin their subject selections, setting the course for their academic journey towards 2025.

We look forward to another dynamic, busy and enriching term ahead!

Keira Wills
Dean of Learning Futures

This week we have been busy preparing for our move into new classrooms and of course the new Early Years Campus. A lot of learning has taken place when figuring out how many boxes we might need, what might fit in each box and deciding on what we could donate to schools and children less fortunate than ourselves.

Please keep an eye out for communication towards the end of the holidays that will provide further details regarding entry and exit points to the Junior School and Early Years Campus.

I wish you a wonderful and safe break with family and friends.

Lisa Miller
Head of Junior School

The mission for our budding entrepreneurs was “to pitch an innovative idea that makes our world a better place”. This challenging and inspiring task has brought out the best in our students, showcasing their potential to make a real impact.

As part of the program, we were privileged to host a line-up of extraordinary women who shared their entrepreneurial journeys with our students. Their stories of perseverance and success have been truly inspirational. A special thank you goes out to two of our parents who graciously came in on Monday to talk with our Year 9 students. Bec Majernik from Hello Yoga Kids and Susan Beardsley from Style Bundle shared their experiences and insights, offering invaluable advice and motivation.

We also had the honour of welcoming Angela Driver, an ex-Strathy girl, who spoke about her social enterprise, Wajoli Foundation in Uganda. Her foundation’s mission is "providing opportunities to vulnerable families to create self-sustainable living through quality education, strengthening communities, and empowering women." Angela's dedication to making a difference is a powerful example for our students.

Our final speaker for the week was 22-year-old Issy Koh, who shared her inspiring journey of starting her business, Rocks and Soul, while still in high school. When asked by one of our students if she had faced any challenges, Issy shared that this year she’d been battling breast cancer, a journey of challenges yet one that had made her stronger. You could have heard a pin drop in the room as Issy shared her story with our Year 9 girls.

Concluding the four-day workshop, students came together for a “shark tank” style event and had the opportunity to present their ideas and pitch to our esteemed panel of judges, including Mrs. Lorna Beegan and Mrs. Marion Cape. This was a moment for our young entrepreneurs to step up on stage, present their ideas and receive valuable feedback.

Looking ahead to Term 3, students will continue to develop their ideas (or perhaps explore new ones), in preparation for our Envision Marketplace Day to be held on Thursday 5th September. Mark your diaries – it promises to be a FABULOUS evening at Tay Creggan – a celebration of our ‘unstoppable' students’ hard work and creativity.

The Tay Creggan staff could not be more proud of all our students for their enthusiasm, creativity, and dedication during the Envision Entrepreneurship workshop. What a way to finish out Term 2! The TC team look forward to seeing the amazing ideas they will continue to develop and these being shared with you at the Envision Marketplace in Term 3.

Jen Buchanan
Head of Tay Creggan

We have all looked forward to this special evening with families and there has been a great sense of excitement in the ELC. To bring light into the celebration the children in the Wattle Group created their own lanterns drawing from their investigation of light and colour using light boxes and coloured inks. In the classroom, they investigated what the shortest day meant, through discussions and experimentation.

Closer to our event, the children planned the walking route and designed their own maps for everyone to use. They also carefully prepared a BIG pot of pumpkin soup as part of our kitchen garden program, to warm us after the walk. (Which was delicious and not a drop left in the pot!)

We could not have asked for a more perfect evening as we set out on our walk.

Walking through the local streets surrounding Strathcona was so enchanting, seeing the world in a different way. We returned to an ELC festooned with lights, lanterns and even a ‘winter village’ scene in the windows of the Banksia room for the children to enjoy as they walked past. The steaming mugs of soup waiting for us were well earned after our walk. It was so lovely to see families sitting together, chatting and enjoying the pumpkin soup prepared by the children.

Jo Dowling
Director of Early Learning Centre

There is nothing more powerful than the deep connection of women supporting women. Last night we held our Women's Series event, “100 Reasons to Connect” at Longsong (Longrain).

Lisa Keenan from Mecca M-Power captivated us with her inspiring life story and personal brand journey. Our MC, Alice Stolz, brought warmth, humor, and curiosity to the event. Principal Lorna Beegan spoke passionately about our heritage, future, and the impact of our Centenary Scholarship for girls at Strathcona. Alumnae Angela Driver, representing Driver Bus Lines, shared her incredible humanitarian work with the Wayjoli Foundation in Uganda.

Throughout the evening, connections were both formed and strengthened. The event's magic and future visions were captured by a graphic artist, with a photographer taking LinkedIn photos.

Thank you to our generous sponsor Driver Bus Lines for an unforgettable night.

Stay tuned for future networking events.

The sun was on full show throughout the day as was the effort and enthusiasm. Team spirit, respect and support for one another was certainly the highlight of the day with the relay events concluding the day with teams cheering loudly and smiles certainly largest as Liv McInnes crossed the line ahead of Mr Wyatt in the staff vs students’ relay.

The GSV sports on offer for the term were Senior Water Polo and AFL, along with Junior, Inter and Senior Hockey and Netball. The numbers we had participating certainly were high, especially in netball where we fielded 16 teams consisting of 160 netballers! Netball captains Julia Glenn and Holly Lewis said, “It’s been great to see so many girls on the netball courts this season, the netball community has flourished, and we are so proud of everyone who got involved.” Four teams made the finals of GSV, and we were very proud of the Intermediate B and E teams along with the Junior 3 and 4 teams who represented us proudly in finals week. Saturday Netball has provided a great pathway for those wanting to continue to play netball whether to improve their skills or as a social activity. Saturday Netball currently has 23 teams of 205 Strathcona students participating.

GSV Hockey had two teams representing our School with a Junior team and a Senior team that included a few of our talented intermediate players. We strengthened our relationship with Camberwell Hockey Club and lunchtime training on their pitch was certainly popular and helped with team spirit and skill development. Our Junior team had 22 sign up, many new to hockey, and they made the A finals which was certainly a highlight of our Term 2 sport results. Seniors were brilliant to watch, winning many of their matches- even when they had far fewer players than their opponents. Our Hockey captain, Emily Fukumura proudly saying “Hockey was a great experience this term, despite limited numbers the Senior/Inters pushed through and played an incredibly good season, with the Juniors playing exceptionally, finishing 2nd in their zone and heading to the finals”

AFL was also popular, with the uptake meaning we could field two teams for Friday afternoon football. The comradery was evident amongst both teams and our captain Dilara Al-Sabbagh commented “We had a great season of AFL this term only dropping 2 games to MLC and Genezzano, finishing the season winning every game after those two. We had lots of people participating from all year levels from Year 9 – 12 which was great to see. Good luck to everyone doing AFL next year.” Our other Year 9 – 12 sport was water polo with our 11 players really building a fabulous team rapport under new coach Millie, who certainly motivated the squad to some great results. Water polo captain Jolene Lim said this of the season, "We had an amazing time in water polo this term, with all players leaving with a smile on their faces after each and every game and training session. "

The Cross Country Carnival also took place this term with the 24 GSV schools gathered for the Championship Carnival held at Cruden Farm. Strathcona was in Division 2 and with a strength in numbers and attitude, it was fantastic to see 55 team members come together for a lolly salad and run. Our captains Hannah Taylor and Sophie McIntosh were fantastic in their leadership and said about our team “For the championship carnival, the pinnacle of the season, Strathcona performed very well in Division 2 thanks to many girls participating and giving it their all. Intermediates finished in second and the Seniors amazingly came equal first which Strathy has not managed to do in Division 2 since 2007. Overall, we ended up third which was a huge success and reward for all our efforts.”

The GSV Senior Basketball Tournament was met with enthusiasm with our team of 8 playing some great basketball through-out the day. The team was coached by Mr Parker and Year 11 student Hannah Crow, who really had them working so well as a team by the end of day, finishing off a fabulous tournament with a big win over MLC.

Rhythmic Gymnastics hosted the Strathcona Cup on Saturday 15th June in the School gym, which was a successful day of competition for all participating and spectating. Kayaking has also had a great term with the Paddle Victoria City Singles event in Essendon showcasing our Strathcona Kayaking squads’ determination and endeavours as many went outside of their comfort zones to have a go at singles, new distances and more ‘tippy’ boats.

Junior School also had a busy term of sport. With regular 5/6 sport on a Tuesday afternoon being eagerly participated in, and the students enjoying the chance to learn new skills and implement them in a match scenario. House Athletics was a fun event for the Junior School, with plenty of cheering and wonderful team spirit displayed throughout the day. We had students representing Strathcona at District Cross Country and Basketball this term who were brilliant in their endeavours.

Finally, we had some fabulous individual results come through with Lily Douglas making the GSV rep team in Netball and Esther Cheng in Soccer; an incredible result and they will be playing their GSV Rep matches in Term 3. Izzy Osborne was also fantastic in competing in the 100m and 200m butterfly at the recent Australian Olympic Swimming Trials and Sophie McIntosh made her debut for Collingwood VFLW and scored her first goal at that level.

As you can see, Term 2 was full of wonderful sporting achievements and I am sure Term 3 with an Olympic Games for motivation, will have our sports program producing more fantastic results and opportunities to participate and perform in sport for Strathcona.

Tamsyn Manou
Head of Sport

Game of Loans was set up to recognise and reward wide reading. The benefits of reading both fiction and narrative based non-fiction are well-recognised. It encourages deeper concentration and inductive reasoning. It supports the development of memory and is linked to benefits across the academic curriculum. As young people read about the world through a range of genres, they evaluate the actions of others and compare them to their own. In this way, reading supports social and emotional learning, and provides an important arena for younger readers to explore the world and their place in it. It also gives them an opportunity to see people like them reflected in literature. To support these benefits, the Library and English Department are keen to maintain the momentum of the Game of Loans reading challenges and to continue recognising the importance of wider reading.

This term, parents of students in Years 7 -9 may have noticed an additional task on students’ class pages. This is the reading hurdle task which requires students to provide evidence of having read one book that is not prescribed reading on the school curriculum each term. The book is one of their own choosing, as the research shows that reading what you enjoy at an appropriate level provides all the benefits. This term, evidence was supplied through their Game of Loans entries, but different methods of assessing this, such as journaling, reflection and reading interviews will support this program in the future.

The English teachers regularly provide time for their classes to visit the library, interact with new books in the collection, borrow and enjoy some personal reading. Teachers and adults modelling reading helps to foster a love of reading. The library staff continue to develop the collection to reflect students’ interests and current trends, and to read and recommend books to students. We encourage you to continue supporting you children’s reading at home, both by providing the space and time for reading and healthy discussions around the dinner table.


Individual Year level winners

For most books read:

Year 6
Genevieve Meehan
Hanna (Qihan) Zhang

Year 7
Charlotte Lal

Year 8
Chantal Lowrie

Year 9 
Zoe Wong

Year 10
Sharon Zhou

Year 12
Hannah Geary

Awards for the most interesting and well-written responses to:

Year 6 
Elise Looker

Year 7
Diana Miao

Year 8
Sarah Slaney

The overall results for the Senior School competition

Gilbert – 112
Arnold – 185
Findlay – 203
Grenfell - 258

Penny Roberts
Director of Library and Research

The Strathcona community is well served by our volunteers from the various committees and sub-groups, including the Strathcona Family Association, the Old Strathconians’ Alumnae Association, our class reps and Friends groups who contribute to the wonderful community that we share. We thank you for your support and involvement.

Enjoy the holidays and I look forward to seeing you in Term 3 for another busy term.

Jo Wilson
Director of School and Community Relations 

It was a highly entertaining night with all dads enthusiastically joining in the Trivia games and challenges presented throughout the evening to secure the many prizes on offer.

Judging by level the huge number of pizzas, pastas, and ice creams consumed, in record numbers, and by the continuous laughter and buzz all evening, the night was a huge success.

It was pleasing to see all year levels, from ELC to year 12 represented, a true reflection of the Strathcona’s community feel.

Special thanks to our highly proactive and supportive Dads’ Committee for their enthusiasm and drive behind this successful family event.

Next Dads event ….”Dads / Daughter / Dog Walk Sunday August 18th” …..details in Maple early Term 3.

Chris Howell
SFA Dads’ Committee

Strathcona has a proud history of families helping to host students as far back as 1992. Beautiful ongoing friendships have been formed across our global network of Korea, China, France and Japan

Strathcona is urgently looking for Host families in 2024 (Term 3) and 2025 to warmly welcome students from overseas who complete their final years of study with us.

Renumeration is provided by AHN our Homestay provider who assists us with onboarding Homestay hosts.

For any enquiries or additional information please contact Marion Cape, Director of Advancement mcape@strathcona.vic.edu.au

Stepping out of their comfort zones, they took on singles competition and new distances with determination and skill. It was a fantastic effort by everyone involved, and we are excited to watch them at future events. 

A great effort by all our team listed below.

Oliva Ma 12km Singles

Yuxin Yang - 12km Singles

Matilda Noonan - 12km Singles

Maddy Martin/Julia Zhu - 12km Doubles

Abigail Wilson/Rayna Weng - 12km Doubles

Chloe Peng/Lunar Cui - 12km Doubles

Rachael Huang - 6km Singles

Dora Sun - 6km Singles

Alyssa Bromwich - 6km Singles

Genevieve Khaw - 6km Singles

Elizabeth Lee - 18km Singles

Serena Lee - 6km Singles

Ruby Laughlin was also a great contributor to the day working with the Paddle Victoria adjudicators recording all boat numbers and times throughout the competition.

20,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, so the more support we get, the more people BCNA can help. Philippa was proud to share her story in the media and speak at a function before the match, all in the name of ensuring no person feels alone in their diagnosis. All BCNA Ambassadors were honoured by having their names displayed on the Melbourne FC training jersey and joining the team on the ground in a guard of honour.

All students and families in Year’s 9, 10 and 11 are encouraged to attend our Subject Expo. This is a great opportunity to explore what’s on offer as you plan your subject pathways in the senior school. We will also have various universities and TAFE institutions present to discuss their courses and opportunities

Register here

Secondly, we will review evidence linking disturbed sleep to next day problems. Third, we introduce the particular reasons for the ‘epidemic of sleep deprivation in adolescents’. The primary causes of this problem are well-understood scientifically, but not well appreciated by the general population. Finally, we turn to solutions at the social level (e.g., delaying school start times) and particularly at the individual level. The talk will include opportunities for interaction and questions and is sure to be engaging.

Professor Greg Murray is currently the Director of Mood Disorder Research and Practice at Swinburne University of Technology and a practising Clinical Psychologist. His primary research interest is the link between sleep, biological rhythms and mental health. He has published more than 200 scientific papers on these topics and received more than $33 million in funding to support his research work. Greg has received individual awards for research, teaching and community engagement, and has a long-standing interest in adolescent sleep. His article on sleep in The Conversation has been read more than 1.2 million times, he has had regular mental health sessions on ABC Radio National and has provided dozens of talks on adolescent sleep to secondary school students, teachers and parents.

Register your attendance to the free seminar here

The Open House Melbourne Weekend celebrates good design by opening up buildings, places and spaces, inspiring public engagement in conversations about the future of our city.

Tour one of Victoria’s finest examples of unique architecture, Tay Creggan, also known as “the house on the rocks,” in our centenary year. Get involved in activities that complement the unique Year 9 program Tay Creggan offers its students, teaching life-ready skills through a journey of leadership and entrepreneurship.

To book a tour of our magnificent Tay Creggan during the Open House 2024 weekend, please click here #GirlsUnstoppable