In my last Thistle I wrote about the concept of what it means to be a truly independent school. Given we are in the throes of a federal election cycle, and in 2017 we will be facing a state election, it is a good time to remind ourselves of the significant role played by schools such as ours and many others across Western Australia and Australia.

Independent Schools in WA (this does not mean Independent Public Schools) educate 28,379 primary students, and 37,052 secondary, which in total represent approximately 16.2% of the WA school enrolment. There are 141 Independent Schools in WA, including 37 Primary, 7 secondary, 88 combined and 9 special schools. Since 2005 across Australia there has been an increase of 36 schools serving 83,881 students with a further increase in 87 campuses catering for 21,747 students. From 2005-2015, independent schools across Australia now educate an extra 105,628 students across 123 schools and campuses. In the same period WA has seen the addition of 20 new schools and campuses catering for an extra 17,885 students.

The most important thing to remember about independent schools is the right of choice for parents. Independent schooling offers different types of schools with varying educational philosophies to meet the social, economic and philosophical requirements of many families. This is why both state and federal governments, no matter what their political persuasion, will continue to support Independent Schools. No government could ever afford to replace the personal or financial commitment of parents who choose an Independent School education. It is our role to make sure all governments continue to support Independent Schools; this ensuring that parent choice is never diminished.

When you are only the 7^th leader of an organisation that commenced in 1897 it is very easy to wonder how the concept of change and renewal can continue to eventuate.

One of my most enriching experiences occurred a couple of months before I formally assumed the mantle of Headmaster; this materialised in the form of a visit to our rural communities with the then Head of Boarding Marilynn Freitag. Why am I relaying this? The answer lies in an event that took place at Scotch on Thursday 26 May 2016.

Our Captain of Keys House Thomas Gooch, who I first encountered as one of his junior football coaches at Claremont JFC in 2011, organised 'Agricultural Day' a seminal moment in the history of our community. Last Thursday our Senior School campus was transformed into all that is great and unique about rural WA.

At Scotch one of our great differentiators is that we value supporting and enhancing our rural roots. We must never lose sight of our role in delivering an educational service to rural WA.

Scotch is now in a special position with the presence of boarders in our Middle School. This expansion has enhanced the education of all Scotch students.

What occurred on Thursday cannot happen without the underlying support of staff. In particular I want to acknowledge Mr Kyle - Head of Keys House and all staff, parents and guests who through their genuine commitment to our boarding community, enabled Thomas and so many of our boarders to deliver a very special day for all of us.

As Headmaster I am incredibly proud of our boarding community and the diversity it adds to Scotch.

When the next history of Scotch is scripted, Agricultural Day will no doubt feature.

There is much happening over the coming weeks across our three sub-schools. Thank you in anticipation of your support and participation.

Have a great fortnight

Dr A J O'Connell

Headmaster

Approaches to Learning

Skills or Content? When considering this question in relation to Teaching and Learning at Scotch College, we need to consider the breakdown of the role of our teachers. Are we teachers of skills, or are we teachers of content?

A quick answer is that obviously we are teachers of both. Yet, within many educational settings the emphasis on content is starting to diminish to be replaced with a refocused approach to teaching students the skills that they will need in order to process any content. As content becomes more readily available and shared, is it the skills used to deliver the content knowledge that has been acquired that will become more desirable?

As an International Baccalaureate World School we are developing our community's knowledge around the Approaches to Learning or the ATL.

The Approaches To Learning are recognised in the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Diploma Programme (DP). These cognitive, metacognitive and affective skills are grouped into the same five ATL categories.

We feel that if we can focus students across Primary-Year 12 to develop these skills by explicitly referring to them and teaching boys how to develop them, whilst maintaining the crucial level of content knowledge, we will be providing them with a repertoire of attributes that will set them up for life beyond the College.

Within the school strategic direction we have set the overarching goal as follows; Through contemporary teaching and learning, all boys will be empowered to achieve their potential and become engaged in the global community. As part of this goal we will work to implement the Approaches to Learning as a framework to develop a common language to use with boys across the College so that they have a consistent approach to learning the skills that fall under the five categories above.

By taking this approach we aim to simplify the language used within teaching and learning so that our community has common reference points to discuss with the boys in relation to their development of these skills.

Mr Peter Allen

Director of Teaching and Learning

Year 6 & 7 Open Morning

Come along 23 June, 9am and discover how 'knowing the boy' benefits your son.

Register now scotch.wa.edu.au/middleschool

Senior School Musical

The Addams Family is an original Broadway musical, which opened its first season in 2010. Scotch College presents this vibrant, family-friendly show from Monday 13 June until Saturday 18 June 2016. It is the first musical produced at Scotch in over a decade and promises to be a great event with over 40 boys involved from Year 8 - 12 and being accompanied by none other than the Perth Symphony Orchestra. Tickets can be purchased via the link on the Scotch College website, or by clicking on this link:

The Addams Family Musical

Synopsis:

For centuries, the Addams Family and their ghoulish ancestors have lived a blissfully macabre existence in their exclusive residence in the dark heart of Central Park. When Wednesday Addams falls in love with the 'regular' Lucas Beineke, two worlds are set to collide. As Gomez and Morticia prepare to host a dinner in honour of the Beinekes, Uncle Fester presses the Addams ancestors into service - to ensure the triumph of love! In one normal night, secrets are disclosed, mystical potions sampled and relationships tested. Can this anarchy be repaired? Or will you all leave feeling vaguely depressed? Let's find out, shall we?

Mr Bennet Andrews

Arts Teacher

Community and Service

Uniting Church Schools Student Forum

The annual Uniting Church Schools Student Forum was held recently at Penrhos College. A group of Year 10 boys took part. This is their report:

"The theme of the forum was 'Be The Change', looking at social injustice and educating us about our responsibilities as the youth of the community. We took part in activities, team challenges and listened to public speakers who had personal experiences with these issues. Students attended from Uniting Church schools all across the Perth metropolitan area.

Since attending the Student Forum we have all taken away many valuable lessons, especially the importance of ensuring a community for all. We learnt that as fortunate people, this gives us a responsibility to help others in the community dealing with issues of homelessness, domestic violence and many other social issues.

Education is the first step towards achieving an equal society and hopefully a society without social injustices. All those who attended learnt important lessons about these issues and took those lessons away to their own school communities. The Uniting Church Student Forum was a valuable experience and we are sure all schools involved will take action to 'Be The Change' and make a difference to those around them."

Romily House

The following is a report by a group of Year 10 boys who visited Romily House, located at Shenton Road just down from the College.

"Community Service at Scotch went down Shenton Road to visit Romily House located in Claremont to socialise and meet the people who stay for long periods at the care centre. The people who we visited were going through severe mental illnesses. This was definitely an eye opener for our service group as we got to meet and listen to the people's stories and how they got to that stage of their illness.

Romily House has been around for 25 years and provides residential care for sixty people. Most of people who are there are permanent residents and regularly get visits from friends and family. The house advocates for people who suffer from mental illnesses such as, schizophrenia, PTSD and bipolar disorder. The house supplies accommodation for those who cannot find it themselves. Romily House also holds a psychiatric facility.

While we were in the centre we played games of scrabble and other board games with the residents.

The benefits for the people who live there is that they are free to go anywhere and are not permanently confined to the property and can socialise with other people who have mental illnesses, as well as visitors from outside. For the community, Romily House provides a valuable service in caring for and looking after these vulnerable members of our society."

Friday Afternoon Year 10 Service Activities on May 20

Clockwise from Top Left:

• Akram Azimi and boys in 'MAD World': Social justice and advocacy.
• 'Tranby' group in East Perth rolling Street Swags for the homeless
• 'Habitators' working with 'Friends of Lake Claremont'
• 'Paraquad Rec' boys at the Paraquad Centre in Shenton Park
• Tuende Pamoja (ICEA) group discussing reconciliation.
• 'Stablemen' working at the Therapeutic Riding Centre.

Year 10 International Exchanges

There will be an Information Evening for parents of boys currently in Year 9, to be held in the Bunning Resource Centre on Monday 30 May from 6.30pm. There will be an opportunity to ask questions following a short presentation. Boys and parents who have been involved in recent exchanges will also be present to respond to any queries. (The photos above are of Stewart Wallace (Year 10, Keys), currently on exchange to Jordan).

Mr Bill Cordner

Director of Community and Services

Music Department

On Thursday 19 May Middle School and Senior School musicians joined students from many other schools who attended at West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra's Concert for Schools, which was hosted by Scotch College. The audience had the privilege of hearing elite student performers from WA playing the history of jazz which included music from New Orleans street beat to recent compositions for Big Band. Many Scotch performers were thrilled to hear WAYJO's rendition of Victor Goines 'Second Line' this repertoire has been performed by several Scotch ensembles in recent years.

Perth's premier Drumline led by Scotch music staff member Mr James Chong the 'Perth Thundercorps' performed at Senior School Assembly. This performance demonstrated the precision and power of the US style marching percussion ensemble to senior students. Boys currently playing percussion in the Music Department and Pipe Band have the chance to perform in a Drumline at Scotch; they are invited to contact the Music Department if they would like to be a part of this ensemble.

Parents are welcome to attend upcoming concerts on the School's performance calendar including; the Vocal Showcase on Tuesday 31 May in the Dickinson Centre Foyer, which will feature the School's vocal ensembles and senior vocal soloists; and on Wednesday 8 June the Junior School and Middle School Concert will be held in the Memorial Hall, which will showcase the talents of boys from these schools.

The Friends of Scotch Music (FOSM) will meet in the Senior School Music Department on Tuesday 7 June to organise preparation and presentation leading into these showcase performances.

Important Dates:

Autumn Term

Week 6, Tuesday 31 May, Vocal Showcase, 6.30pm Dickinson Centre

Week 7, Wednesday 7 June, FOSM Meeting, 7.00pm Senior Music Department

Week 7, Wednesday 8 June, Junior and Middle School Autumn Concert, 6.00pm Dickinson Centre

Week 9, Wednesday 22 June, John Morrison (Drummer/Band Leader) and Jacki Cooper (Vocalist) visiting artists

Week 9, Friday 24 June, Music Department Jazz Night, 7.30pm Dickinson Centre

Contact Details

The Instrumental Programme is administered by the Senior School Music Department and all queries should be directed to the Music Administrators, Julia Robinson (Monday to Wednesdays) and Donna Ranauro (Thursday and Fridays) via phone 9383 6841 or email music@scotch.wa.edu.au.

Alternately, please contact Mr Tim Simpson, Acting Head of Music, via email TMSimpson@scotch.wa.edu.au or phone 9383 6824.

If you wish to become more involved in supporting the Music Department, please contact FOSM@scotch.wa.edu.au.

Mr Tim Simpson

Acting Head of Music

Parenting Ideas

The great irony - for many parents is that when we need to be at our parenting best - when responding to poor behaviour or genuine cries for help - we're at our parenting worst. For ideas as to ways to stay calm in challenging situations rather than overreacting you may want to take a look at the attached article "The trick to being at your parenting best".

To access the Parenting Ideas Magazine visit the following link: http://www.parentingideas.com.au/Parent_Magazine.html

Good luck with your parenting!

Ms Shauna Lipscombe

Psychologist

Uniform Shop

Opening Hours

The Uniform Shop will be closed for the Mid-Term Break and Public Holiday (ie Friday, 3 June).

Supporter's Tops

Supporters' tops are available in the Uniform Shop. We have a warm polar fleece vest, a rugby jumper and a new softshell jacket and vest - all ideal for those cold winter mornings next to the playing field!

Important Dates Autumn Term

Head of Junior School

On Wednesday 18 May, the Junior School held its annual Inter-House Cross Country event. Once again the weather gods smiled on us and provided a wonderful day for running. The commitment of our boys to do their very best was clear for all to see.

Having taken part in four Cross Country events in my time at Scotch, I have witnessed the efforts of the boys as they have challenged themselves to complete the course. This year I saw our boys run better that I had seen before. Out of the six year-levels that ran, four classes had no boys walk during the event and only a few boys overall walked during the race. This is an outstanding achievement, as being able to finish without stopping in a long distance event is the most important goal for most participants.

We inducted our Pre-Primary boys into our Inter-house competition when they ran their first race. The 16 boys ran the 500m course with a determination that defied their young age. They did wonderfully and were brilliantly supported by boys from Year 5 who ran with them and from their parent(s) who cheered them on.

The day marked several acts of kindness and support that illustrated the wonderful characteristics our boys possess. MK (Mikhael Djauhari) in Year 5 gave up his spot in the race to go back to assist a classmate who had fallen. Other boys were encouraging and cheering their classmates to do their best during the races, while some chose to run with their friends and assist and encourage instead of seeking higher finishing places.

Many outstanding performances were witnessed. In Year 5 the record set last year by James Spadanuda was beaten by Jack Cook (7.38.81 for 2km). In Year 3 a new record was set by Rafferty McDonald, beating the previous record by 15 seconds (6.40.19 for 1.5km) and Charlie Warden set a new Year 2 mark (4.22.37 for 1km). Finally, Angus Noble set the first Pre-Primary record of 2.22.35.

Despite these amazing results, the day was not about winning or losing, how fast the boys ran or even about how their House did. It was about challenging themselves to do their very best. The boys as a whole should be very proud of themselves. They performed wonderfully, tried their best and allowed us all to see that they can have a go at the hard things and come out better for it.

Mr John Stewart

Head of Junior School

Important Dates to Remember

Art News

As we draw close to the end of glorious Autumn and with the imminent change of the season, Monday's crisp but dry morning was the perfect opportunity to take the pre-primary class to visit what has become known as 'Bush School'.

Students fully prepared with raincoats, gumboots and enthusiasm as lady luck and the Autumnal sun was shining upon us.

The current central theme of emotion lead the students' focus upon the feeling of happiness. The boys gathered much of nature's finest treasures; green, gold and brown. Working collaboratively in small groups and as a whole class, the boys created ephemeral artworks to represent the idea of happiness. Directed by their own thoughts, the boys chose to create the image of a smiling face. I am enchanted by the idea to create art which belongs to the land, with the possibility of leaving behind for another to discover.

We shall continue to be inspired by the British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy, who produces site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings.

Jane Roche

Junior Art Specialist

Performing Arts News

The Performing Arts room has been turned into all kinds of locations and filled with all sorts of characters whenever the Year 4 boys have been around this term. They have been immersed in a drama unit and have been considering and experimenting with ways in which to use movement and voice to build the action of drama. Many of our activities have been improvised, with the boys using some meditation techniques to visualise their actions before jumping into a scene. The boys have truly had to be thinkers and develop not only awareness of themselves in space, but also awareness of others. To visitors from outside, it may seem a little chaotic, but the boys have shown incredible focus and dedication to their roles! Here is a photo from a warm up activity where the boys had to bend, stretch and shape themselves into melting candles!

Miss Phebe Samson

Performing Arts Teacher

Friendly Schools and Families

How can families help create a supportive school culture?

We can help children to feel safer and happier at school by demonstrating that families and schools work together as partners. The support of families is very important in creating a friendly and supportive school environment.

How can families help create our supportive school culture?

• Get to know our school's behavioural policies that address bullying/cyber-bullying and discuss these with your children.
• Maintain regular contact with your children's teacher.
• Try to attend school functions, for example assemblies and/or volunteer at school to demonstrate your support for your children and the School.
• Read The Thistle and discuss items of interest with your children.
• Model a positive attitude toward school and encourage your children to see the positive aspects of School life.
• If there is a problem with your children at School, try to work together with the school to overcome the problem. This shows a committed partnership between families and the school to work towards positive solutions.

Mr Warwick Norman

Friendly Schools and Families Coordinator

French News

Bonjour! In Week 5, our Language B Captain, Arnaud McVicker, organised the "Label your Class" competition for the Junior School. Every class was invited to label as many classroom items as they could by the end of the week. Arnaud provided a poster for inspiration and a collection of post-it notes to every class so that they could label everything easily. I included a 15 minute session at the start of my lessons, so that each class could begin the process but after that, it was up to the boys to find the time and vocabulary to decorate their classrooms with post-it notes. The response was great, the boys were excited to label items and were very inventive in finding more unusual and different things to label, such as 'charger', 'vent' and 'craft table'. I wonder, do you know the French words for those items? Bravo Arnaud for making French an exciting and enjoyable pastime for our classes - may the best class win!

Au revoir.

Madame Vinton

French Specialist

Physical Education News

The Junior School boys have been training incredibly hard these past few weeks for their annual Inter-House Cross Country Carnival that took place in wonderful conditions on Wednesday 18 May. It was great to see all the boys from Pre-Primary to Year 5 run and compete in this event. A special mention to all the Pre-Primary boys who ran the first race of the day and led the way for the older boys with their enthusiasm and determination to finish the race without any walking. Bruce House took out the overall honours on the day, beating Andrew and Robert House who tied for second place. Bruce have been on a bit of a roll recently after winning the Swimming Carnival in Summer Term, they also took out the Inter-House European Handball title on Wednesday. This competition has been running for the past 7 weeks during lunchtimes and, after many close games in the lead up, they pipped David in the final, 10 - 7, to continue a fine run of form in the overall house points competition. Soccer is the next Inter-House lunchtime competition and I encourage all the boys to sign up to this.

Mr Scott Whiston

Head of Junior School Physical Education

Junior School Resource Centre

Each fortnight when the boys visit the library I encourage them to borrow:

• A picture and/or chapter book that they can share with their family or read independently.
• A book from the non-fiction collection on a topic of interest or a new skill they would like to learn.
• Only one "hot topic" book so these popular resources are shared around. These include Minecraft, Lego, Star Wars etc. or multiple books from the same series.

An important component of this process is the boys sharing their reading with their parents. Your support in discussing your child's reading, sharing their books with them, discussing what you enjoy reading, will enhance their reading experience.

By following this process hopefully the boys will expand their choices, think about their interests and not always borrow the same type of book. The boys are welcome to come and change their books at any time during the week - they don't need to wait until their next library session.

Mrs Kathryn Salt

Junior School Teacher-Librarian

Head of Middle School

Thank you for your support and attendance at the Middle School Cross Country Carnival last week. To see the Gooch Pavilion and grassy bank covered with spectators just added to the colour and excitement of the day. Congratulations to Bruce House in breaking an 8 year Inter- House competition drought with their win!

As we head toward the mid-term break, a weekend I am sure your sons are looking forward to, staff will take a long look at the assessments boys have returned recently and begin to prepare end of semester reports. I draw your attention to the following topics I have simply titled Demystifying Life in Middle School. One offers a question and answer session around the MYP and reporting, the other some reading on a topic that may be of relevance in your home. I hope either or both are useful.

Demystifying Life in Middle School

The MYP

One of the significant transitional aspects of arriving at Scotch College is coming to grips with the International Baccalaureate curriculum and in Middle School this means the MYP, the Middle Years Programme. Many boys find the move to criterion based assessment a new challenge, others the idea of being assessed on the process of learning and the application of new learning versus a steadfast focus on content retrieval their new challenge. For parents the absence of letter or numerical grades, assessment results that are reflected in bands is new, along with the talk of concepts, profile traits and internationalism takes some time and explanation to understand.

Next week Thursday 2 June from 8:45am we offer an information session for parents titled 'Demystifying the MYP'. Two 20 minute presentations, one on the MYP as a curriculum, the other on Assessment and Reporting in the MYP will be followed by a question and answer session. Presenting will be Mrs Charlotte Cook-Casey, Scotch College's MYP Coordinator and Ms Anna Eriksson, Dean of Teaching and Learning in Middle School. The session will be held on the top floor of the Middle School building. For parents new to the MYP this is an excellent precursor to receiving and comprehending the Semester 1 student report.

Teenage Boys

Do any of the following words describe your son right now? Unmotivated, won't apply himself at school, can't be bothered, disorganised, monosyllabic, struggling with authority, making poor choices, spending ages online or endlessly hungry? These are just some of the descriptors Maggie Dent, a highly regarded commentator on adolescent male development, uses to describe the onset of adolescence in boys. I regularly use the word dynamic to describe this phase, for the boys, confusing or conflicting might be more accurate from their perspective. Maggie talks about adolescent boys putting on masks, masks that allow them to fit in, to be like their peers, a mask that helps them to not stand out or draw added attention to themselves. It allows them to hide who they really are right now and sometimes it disguises the son you think you know. This behavioural mask helps cover the anxiety they feel, triggered in part by the hormonal, physical and brain changes happening to them. Added to this is the tantalising new world that lies online: from chatting on Skype, sharing images on Instagram to battling it out in the gaming world, there is a lot of distraction out there for boys who are not thinking with the full power of their intellects right now.

They need us, parent and teachers, to understand what is going on. Dr Ian Lillicoe, Celia Lashlie, and Paul Litherland are some authors in the area of adolescent male development and their humorous observations and distilled advice in living with them is invaluable. I cannot over estimate the value in reading some of their material, if for nothing else than to reassure yourself that what you are experiencing is situation normal and that you are doing OK.

On the aspect of living with a boy you feel is spending too much time on his screen, possibly at the expense of developing face to face friendships, interpersonal skills, or even muscle tone, Maggie Dent has written this excellent article: Teen Boys and Gaming: the 10 Agreements for Healthy Balance. I think you will like them - I do. Having a teenage son in my house I particularly like No 4. www.maggiedent.com/content/blog/teen-boys-gaming-10-agreements-healthy-balance

Mr Richard Ledger

Head of Middle School

Middle School Visual Art

Autumn Term in Middle School Visual Art sees the continued development of valuable and transferable skills for our boys, with Ms Hill excited to be teaching the boys whilst Ms Walden is on maternity leave.

Having completed their wonderful Steam Punk Masks in Summer Term, our Year 6 boys are enjoying exploring "Australian Identity". Using their experiences of being in places they love in Australia, they are designing a relief print. Inspiration has come from the boys' own awesome photographs. e.g: home garden, underwater scenes from Rottnest Island, our stunning outback and Cottesloe Beach. Developmental Workbook annotations then form the "Artist's Statement".

Creating 3D cane and tissue sculptures is the challenge for the Year 7s. It is a delight to watch the boys work out and draw their "plans to build", translating 2D studies into 3D forms. Who knows, one day a Scotch boy may be designing the next Opera House or Olympic Stadium!

Our talented Year 8 students are exploring the theme "Emotions can be Communicated" by creating a self-portrait of their chosen emotion.

You can see examples of all of these projects in our fabulous Scotch Gallery at the always amazing "Inspirations" Exhibition held in Winter Term, on Wednesday 7 September.

Ms Lucinda Hill

Middle School Art Teacher

Online Learning Tools

The technology available to us and our students is forever expanding and we need a way to keep ourselves and our students skilled up with these various tools that we use. Other than the in class walkthroughs and tutorials we have another solution available to our students, .an online learning website called Lynda.com. Basically this website creates videos and resources to help anyone learn business, software, technology and creative skills. The beauty of this resource is that it can be used either at the teachers direction during a unit of learning, or for your son to simply explore something himself. For example, if your son wanted to learn more on how to manipulate photos using Adobe Photoshop, there are hundreds of tutorials to walk through from very basic to expert level skills. Alternatively, if a boy wants to learn coding using anything from Python to Java to IOS app development, there are online lessons that will assist this. If your son has a passion for videography, photography, coding, drawing, or animation we have many pieces of software and the online learning resources to help them on their way. Please encourage you boys to come and talk with me to find out more.

Mr Jared Faint

Middle School ILT Integration Specialist

Excellence Awards

Student Achievements

Congratulations to Lewis Crump (7.3B), Tony Ghiselli (7.6T) and Joshua Ledger (7.4A) who have all been selected to represent Western Australia in the 12s AFL team at the National Championships in Maroochydore, Queensland in July.

Important Dates in Middle School Autumn Term

From the Head of Senior School

The breadth of opportunity at Scotch College was on show for all to see at last week's assembly. After reflecting on the week just passed with the outstanding Year 11 Dance and the inaugural Agricultural Day we were entertained by a professional drum line, presented Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh awards to boys in Years 10 to 12 and recognised outstanding academic achievement in Year 10 with the presentation of Academic Excellence certificates to boys in Year 10. We were reminded of the College's successful defence of the State sailing title earlier this year when Colours and Honours for outstanding achievements in sailing were presented and the Pipe Band presented the trophies they had won at the Fremantle Highland Championships. The assembly finished with members of the cast of the Addams Family entertaining the Senior School as they promoted the upcoming musical production.

In the audience of the assembly were Old Scotch Collegians who had returned for their 30-year reunion. Their comments after the assembly included how impressed they were with the way the School had changed over the past three decades while at the same time preserving its traditions. The changes included the building of the Dickinson Centre and gym where they knew there to be a gentle sloping grass bank down to the side of the pool. Significantly, they also commented on how the boys appeared to have a much stronger presence at assemblies, speaking and presenting and how the diversity of boys' activities and talents are celebrated while at the same time the traditions that make Scotch special, for example the marching to assembly to the sound of the Pipes and Drums are preserved.

In short, boys at Scotch are offered opportunities that were not available when many of us were at school. All that is needed is for boys to try something new, take a risk and seize the opportunities that lie before them. The bands cannot play themselves, the musical production would not happen if boys were not prepared to step up on stage and sing, recite lines and dress in costume and rich international experiences would not be realised if boys choose not to participate in a Round Square exchange. Their time in the Senior School passes quickly; for our Year 12 boys there are only 15 weeks remaining and the boys in Years 9 to 11 will commence the new academic year in less than two terms. The quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin says it all, "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today". With this in mind, I urge all boys who enjoyed the Drum-line performance at last week's assembly to sign up in the Music Department and try something new.

Dr Rob McEwan

Head of Senior School

Boys' Achievements

Ben Marshall (Year 9, Ross) has been selected to represent Australia in the 2001 born squad travelling to Hungary for a training camp and then Serbia for a tournament from 26 July to 7 August.

Laine Mulvay (Year 10, St Andrews) competed at the State Gymnastics Competition and achieved an overall second place at Level 8 open, winning pommel. Laine will be competing at Nationals on 24 May as part of the state team.

Lachlan Vos (Year 11, St Andrews) has been invited to train at WAIS leading up to training camp in Tokyo and Australian Water Polo Youth Squad selections.

James Naylor-Pratt (Year 12, Anderson) won the 85kg U17 state title with best lifts of a 90kg snatch and 120kg clean and jerk at a bodyweight of 79kg. James is training for the U17 Australian Championships on 9-10 July 2016 in Sydney.

Fremantle Highland Championships

Scotch 1^st and 2^nd in Juvenile (Trinity 3^rd) and 1^st in Grade 4.

1^st in Novice Piping - Ryan Hodgetts (Year 10, Brisbane)

1^st D Grade Piping - Lewis Weeda (Year 11, Shearer) and 3^rd Nathan Schaff (Year 11, Anderson)

2^nd C Grade Piping - Charles Barblett (Year 12, Stuart)

1^st in Novice Snare Drum - Sachio Ingrilli (Year 11, Shearer) and 2^nd Harrison Tesser (Year 11, Ferguson)

State Sailing Championships

The Scotch College 'Maroon' team won the State Sailing Championships over the holidays. The event was held at Point Walter and the Ron Tough Perpetual Trophy has been presented to the School.

Andrew Briggs, Captain of Sailing (Year 12, Cameron)

Benjamin Walsh (Year 11, Ferguson)

Adam Brenz-Verca (Year 10, Stuart)

Rory Blackley (Year 10, Ferguson)

Lachlan Norcott (Year 8, Andrew)

Rhys Williams (Year 8, David)

Harry Williams (Year 7, David)

Golf PSA

On Sunday 1 May Scotch College competed in the PSA Golf competition and won the PC Anderson Cup for the second time, with the previous win coming back in 2005. The team included:

Jordan Doull (Year 12, Alexander)

Alexander Allcock (Year 12, Cameron)

Simon Ferreira (Year 11, Ross)

James Gale (Year 11, Ross)

Lucas Ferri (Year 9, Cameron)

Thomas Patterson (Year 9, St Andrews)

Duke of Edinburgh Awards

Bronze Award:

Cole Walker (Year 10, Ferguson)

Joshua Dyson (Year 10, Ferguson)

Conor Patton (Year 10, Ross)

Chris Ramsden (Year 10, Ross)

Jack Bardsley (Year 11, Cameron)

Silver Award:

Andrew Schaff (Year 12, Anderson)

Oliver Benson (Year 11, Ross)

Raghav Khanna (Year 11, Shearer)

Congratulations to the boys for achieving their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Pleasingly, two 2015 leavers, Tim Andrew and Graeme Stewart, will achieve their Gold Awards to be presented at Government House later in the year.

A couple of important points to keep in mind if you are considering the Duke of Edinburgh Award

1 The Award has stood the test of time. It has been running since 1956. It has great name recognition and prospective universities and employers will always recognise it and its prestige.

2 The Award is recognised at a truly global level. It is organised and awarded in 144 of 196 countries.

See Mr Kyle if you would like to get involved.

Colours and Honours Summer 2016

Certificates of Academic Excellence - Year 10 Semester 1, 2016

Year 9 Parent Teacher Student Interviews

Year 9 Parent, Teacher and Student Interviews Tuesday 21 June 2016 at 4.00pm in the Dickinson Centre. Parents will receive information and log in details via email. Please direct queries to Petra Turner PJTurner@scotch.wa.edu.au.

Important Rowing Dates in Spring Term 2016 and Summer Term 2017

Albany Rowing Camp

Thursday 6 to Monday 10 October 2016

A camp for Year 11 and 12 boys (as per Spring Term) will be held again in Albany. This is a valuable preparatory camp - more information to follow in August. The camp is held in the latter part of the October holidays.

January Rowing Camp

Thursday 19 to Wednesday 25 January 2017

For all rowing boys Years 9 to 12. Year 11 and 12 - residential camp. Years 9 and 10 attend on a day basis. Year 9 boys will train from the Scotch Boatshed, Year 10 to 12 will train at Champion Lakes.

Mr Grant Ford

Head of Rowing

DP Global Politics Class Attend Ambassador's Dialogue at UWA

On Wednesday 11 May the Year 11 DP Global Politics class was fortunate to attend the Perth USAsia Centre's Ambassador's Dialogue. The event was run in conjunction with the Australian American Leadership Dialogue and the Ambassador's in discussion were Cynthia Schneider, former United States Ambassador to The Netherlands, and the Honourable Kim Beazley, former Australian Ambassador to the United States.

The discussion was frank and insightful and we were fortunate to watch two highly respected and knowledgeable diplomats speak with such freedom. The discussion was meant to centre on cultural diplomacy as the preeminent example of soft power but was largely hijacked by discussion around the Trump phenomenon and Australia's relationship with the United States. Following the discussion both Ambassadors stopped to speak with our students and took questions. The students had much to say and it was an enriching experiences with leaders of such distinction.

Mr David Kyle

SOSE Teacher

Languages in Business Breakfast for Year 10s

Boys from Year 10 who are considering Languages for Year 11 were invited to attend a breakfast with the General Manager of the Novotel Perth Langley - Monsieur Jean-Philippe Lagarde. He kindly agreed to host a breakfast for Scotch students and presented his career pathway within Hospitality. We were amazed by many languages he had picked up on the way and their use in his career. Those who attended were pleased with the conversation and provided useful questions for the discussion, but they were even more pleased with the fabulous breakfast we enjoyed.

Mr Jonathan Rugg

Curriculum Leader, Modern Languages

Scotch College Tours 2017

Please see here 2017 tour dates and destinations for 2017 for your consideration.

Careers Information

Scotch College Combined Schools Careers Expo

This annual event will be happening again on Wednesday 15 June from 5.00pm - 7.00pm in the Dickinson Centre at Scotch College. Year 10, 11 and 12 students are invited to attend with their parents to gain valuable information regarding university courses, apprenticeships, TAFE courses, Defence Forces and many other further study and career opportunities. Year 10s in particular can still make changes to their subject selection for next year if they discover a particular university course that has specific prerequisites. More than 50 exhibitors will be attending so come along and get informed.

University Information

University of Western Australia: Guided Tours of the Crawley Campus

Monday 6 June, 10.00am at UWA, Mt Crawley

The Prospective Students Office invites future students and their families to join them on a guided tour of UWA's Crawley campus. The tour runs for an hour and provide the opportunity to collect course information books and other brochures.

http://www.studyat.uwa.edu.au/about/events/year-12-students/campus_tours

University of Western Australia

Learn how to make the most of your WACE results and achieve your study and career goals.

For Year 12 students and their parents, applying for university can be a daunting process. UWA information sessions will provide advice on UWA courses, admission requirements and key dates for 2016. The Future Students team will be available to answer any questions you may have following the presentation.

Tuesday 7 June, 6.00pm Social Sciences Lecture Theatre

Curtin University Parent Information Sessions

Parents of Year 12s: Tuesday 7 June 2016

Parents of Year 10s: Wednesday 8 June 2016

Expo and refreshments on arrival at 5.00pm

Formal presentations from 5.45 pm to 7.00 pm

Building 210 Elizabeth Jolley Lecture Theatre

Curtin University, Bentley Campus

Parking and Campus map

Study in the UK 2017

Searching for 2017 courses

Your son or daughter may want to start their application journey by looking at available courses in our search tool. There are over 37,000 courses for them to choose from, so taking their time to find the right course is of paramount importance. For help on narrowing down their choices, encourage them to look at the advice on how to find a course.

Do as much research as possible

Reading about a course online can only give your son or daughter so much information. Try to attend open days with them to really get a feel for what the university is like and what facilities are available. Take a look at our open days search tool to find out if the university your son or daughter is interested in has an open day coming up that they can attend.

Apply for 2017 courses

Our online application service, Apply 2017, will open on 24 May, allowing your son or daughter to start their university or college application. Here's what they will need to do.

1. Register - it is free and only takes about 15 minutes. Once registered, there are seven sections to complete, but these don't have to be done all at once.
2. If applying through their school, your son or daughter will have been given a buzzword that they will need to enter before they begin their application, to link them to their school.
   They can start their application but they can't submit it to us until September. Before they start, advise them to watch our short video about filling in your application and read our step-by-step guide.
3. In the personal details section, there's a 'nominated access' question, where your son or daughter can provide details of anyone they want to be able to contact us on their behalf. If they choose to nominate you, you will need to have their Personal ID to hand, and be able to answer any basic security questions when you call.
4. It is important your son or daughter remembers their Personal ID and password as well as the answers to their security questions to sign back in throughout the year - especially on exam results day!

Use this checklist with your son or daughter to make sure they provide the right information and complete all the steps on their application. They will then be able to submit their application from 6 September.

Study in the USA

PSAT Testing

The PSAT/NMSQT (or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is a preliminary version of the SAT. Not only does the PSAT help prepare students to take the SAT or ACT, a great score on the PSAT can also open the door to National Merit Scholarships and other awards. With $180 million dollars in scholarships awarded to students that achieve high scores on the PSAT, how students perform on this exam can help them earn scholarship dollars that change the direction of their college planning. The PSAT is much more than a practice test, it is seen as an essential preparation tools for students who are considering future study in the USA.

The PSAT is fully aligned with the new SAT debuting in March 2016. The new PSAT, launched in October 2015, is 2 hours and 45 minutes long and tests skills in Reading, Writing, and Maths.

Scotch College is now a registered test centre and will be offering students the opportunity to sit this test on Saturday 15 October 2016. The cost is $30 per student which includes preparation material, personalised feedback on test results and a suggested custom SAT study plan.

If students and/or parents are interested in finding out more about this test please contact Mr Frusher at Scotch College.

To purchase tickets please visit the Scotch College websitewww.scotch.wa.edu.auand click on the 'Book a Scotch Event' icon. Registrations will close on 24 June 2016.

Chartered Accountants: Cadetships

The Chartered Accountants Employment Guide 2016 contains information on firms offering cadetships to Year 12 leavers. If students are interested, they should apply for cadetships as soon as possible.

Download the guide: http://charteredaccountantsanz.com/guide

Police Entry Information Session

Thursday 23 June, 4:30pm at WA Police Academy, Joondalup

The session includes a presentation from police recruiting about entry pathways followed by an opportunity to speak informally with presenters. Registration is essential.

Tel: (08) 9301 9607 or Email: Police.recruiting@police.wa.gov.au

https://www.stepforward.wa.gov.au/information-sessions/recruit-information-session-23-jun-2016/

Career Tips

Tips for note-taking

http://this.deakin.edu.au/study/students-take-note-and-ace-your-exams

Jobbydoo

Jobbydoo is an online jobs board advertising job vacancies from all over Australia.

https://www.jobbydoo-au.com/

Mr Peter Frusher

Careers Adviser

Parents Association

Upcoming Joint Parents Association/Scotch Auxiliary Functions

If you are a Year 8 or Year 12 parent we invite you to come along for a fun and social evening with other parents of your cohorts.

Tickets can be purchased via 'Book a Scotch College Event' on the Scotch website.

Thursday 9 June - Year 8 Parent Evening - The School Gallery

Friday 10 June - Year 12 Parent Evening - Boulevard Hotel

Mid Year Parent Evening

The Scotch College Parents Association invites all Parents (Pre-Primary - Year 12) to the:

Annual Midyear Parent Cocktail Reception

The focus of this function is to promote and encourage friendship between parents of all years in a relaxed and informal manner in the lovely surrounds of the Scotch College Gallery.

Please wear your parent name badge!

Tickets include canapésdrinks

RSVP: By purchasing tickets via 'Book a Scotch College Event' on the Scotch website by Monday 27 June 2016.

Enquiries: Melissa Harkins: herbh@iinet.net.au or 0401 671 849

Funding Approval

At our last Committee Meeting the Parents Association were very pleased to approve the purchase of four new table tennis tables for the Junior School. We know that they will get a heavy workout during recess and lunchtime.

Until next Thistle.

Mr Ian Knobel

President, Parents Association

Scotch Auxiliary

The Year 11 "Hollywood Glamour/City Lights" Dance was held on Saturday 21 May. The evening was thoroughly enjoyed by all; not even the stormy weather could dampen the fun! Thank you for the huge team effort from Jo Gale, our Dance Coordinator, the Dance Committee, staff and parents who delivered a memorable night for the boys and their partners.

Also thank you to the parents who attended the Year 9 Parent Evening held at Steve's. By all accounts parents had a very enjoyable time catching up and meeting new parents.

Upcoming Events:

Year 8 Parent Evening - Thursday 9 June *Combined function with Parents' Association

Year 12 Parent Drinks - Friday 10 June *Combined function with Parents' Association

Junior School Parent Quiz Night - Friday 17 June

For more details on these events and to purchase tickets please visit the Scotch College website www.scotch.wa.edu.au and click on the "Book a Scotch Event" icon.

Save the Date:

Year 11 Fathers' Sleepover, Moray - Saturday 25 June

Details to follow soon.

Next Meeting:

Monday 20 June, Gooch Pavilion

Parents please join us from 8.30am. Tea and coffee provided.

Meeting commences at 9.00am.

As always, all welcome.

Mrs Carissa Paganin

President