The Arts - great for the brain, the soul and personal wellbeing

We are not far away now from entering the part of the year where an education of a boy, and the success of his school, comes down to being measured by a single measure which we all know as an ATAR. Before we become engulfed by this annual feeding frenzy, it would be remiss of me not to reflect on the celebrations last week at Scotch; a week that clearly highlighted just what a comprehensive offering can do for boys, especially given that it was Arts Week for our community. Our slogan sent a powerful message for Arts Week:

"Arts Week - it's all about the right brain"

Last week provided an exposé of our multi-talented boys from across the whole College. Whether it was in fine art, drama, film, graphic design, photography or music, our boys showcased just how important it is to pursue something from the Arts; not just for academic reasons, but also for the development of life long skills and their personal wellbeing.

Interestingly last week's Senior School Chapel focused on RUOK. Having an outlet in some form of the Arts has shown to have a very positive effect on anxiety and depression in adolescents and adults. In a world that puts so much pressure on econometric success, it is critical that we pursue things for the betterment of the heart and soul.

One of the greatest challenges I find as an educator is changing what appear to be very entrenched choices and beliefs when it comes to subject selection in schools; this is especially the case in Senior Schools when it becomes even more pronounced in the final two years of school. In my 34 years of working in education, not to mention my own schooling, we still appear to have a limited view on choosing an Arts related subject. While the subject choices and opportunities have definitely expanded over time, our attitude to the pursuit of the Arts appears to be very similar. While the old 'core subjects' may have changed their names, little has changed when one looks at the subjects that students choose at Year 11 and 12. We all have a critical role to play in ensuring that our boys pursue a balanced course of study.

You do not have to be working in education to realise that a lot of the current government policy focus and rhetoric surrounds Science, Engineering, Technology and Mathematics (STEM). This is a good thing and as a College we are currently redesigning what we offer in these areas to ensure our boys graduate having received sufficient and relevant exposure to STEM. However, there is an inherent danger that the role of the Arts may be lost in this debate.

Mitchell B Reiss, President and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, was asked to reflect on the question below. Barbara Prey in the Huffington Post, Nov 9 2014, records his response:

What are your thoughts on STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) vs STEAM (inserting the Arts)?

We need both. And ideally, we need STEM grads who have integrated the arts into their scientific studies and artists who understand the sciences. This is one reason why we are promoting greater interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teaching and learning; it is a complex world and we need to understand the interconnections between and among science, the arts and humanities.

For example, Steve Jobs loved to talk about the intersection of technology and the humanities, which include the arts. In 2010, while introducing the iPad, he said "It's in Apple's DNA that technology alone is not enough. It's technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that make our hearts sing."

Throughout history, our greatest inventors and scientists have merged scientific knowledge and discovery with artistic creativity. For example Albert Einstein studied piano and violin as a child and, when he was an adult, music helped him think things through. When he was having trouble with a scientific theory, he would strike a few chords on the piano or pick up the violin and play, and that would often free up a constructive thought or solution. He stressed the importance of the creative mind, once saying, "I'm enough of an artist to draw freely on my imagination, which I think is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."

I do not believe the answer is to add the letter 'A' to STEM, which appears to be proposed by some educators. The Arts must be able to stand alone and viewed as a priority in its own right.

Thanks to all of our staff, students and parents who did so much to make Arts Week another very special time at Scotch.

To finish off on the topic of balance and opportunity, I would like to congratulate both our JPSSA and PSA Athletic teams for the way they represented our College with distinction last week. As we now all know our PSA team won their fifth title in six years - an amazing achievement. In particular I would like to thank and acknowledge our Year 12s who represented their College for the last time.

To all of our other athletes, staff, parents and many other supporters, thanks for making last week another one of personal achievement and collective celebration.

The celebration of Arts Week, coupled with our PSA success reinforces that culture wins out every time. Now more than ever, it is important to remember that not everything that can be measured is worth measuring or for that matter important. Sometimes the things that really make a great school are the hardest to measure or not valued by those who choose to profess they have measured what makes a great school.

Our job is to reinforce what really matters for our boys and our community.

Have a great fortnight

Dr Alec O'Connell

Headmaster

Parent Feedback Requested

As part of the College's 2020 Vision within the Teaching and Learning area, objective one is to build upon and enhance differentiated, relevant and rich learning opportunities for all students.

One strategy within this is to review our academic extension and academic support to develop a K-12 programme.

We are doing this to ensure we have a consistent approach in these areas across our sub-schools. We recognise that our approach will differ slightly depending on the age of the student, however, we want to clearly articulate how we will enrich and support boys across the College.

In order to conduct the review, we have engaged the services of Associate Professor Dianne Chambers, the Coordinator of Special Education at the University of Notre Dame who has prepared this survey for our parents to complete:

Parent survey - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Scotchparentsurvey

If you have more than one son at the College, please feel free to complete the survey multiple times to provide individual feedback.

Please note that at the end of the survey there is an opportunity to become part of a parent focus group and I encourage you to consider joining this group if you would like to participate further in the review.

I thank you for taking the time to complete this survey to ensure we can continue to offer high quality academic programmes to the boys at Scotch College.

Mr Peter Allen

Director of Teaching and Learning

Community and Service

Service Action in Senior School

Over the last two weeks some Year 10 boys have been working with Tranby Centre and Manna organisation, investigating the problem of homelessness. At Tranby, the boys listened to a homeless client tell his story about how he came to be living rough on the streets of Perth. The boys then distributed water bottles, provided by Scotch College to the homeless at a Manna food distribution point at a park in Northbridge. It is a tragedy that so many people in our community have to resort to these services.

Shortly after the Paralympics concludes, the Wheelchair Basketball Association will be visiting the College at the invitation of graduating Year 12 boys from Anderson and Brisbane houses. The Houses will compete in a game of wheelchair basketball at lunchtime on Thursday 13 October - the day before March Out for the Year 12 group. Not only will the boys compete on the court, they will also compete in the fundraising stakes. Entry to the gym will be by gold coin donation and split between the Houses. However, further money can be donated to each House separately using the links below.

• Anderson House
• Brisbane House

All monies raised will go towards the Wheelchair Sports Association.

Service Action in Junior and Middle Schools

Boys in Middle School recently held a Willy Wonker Chocolate bar raffle and fancy dress day raisung $121 during Book Week. All proceeds will be going to Princes Margaret Hospital. Boys in the Service Club are in the process of researching and building bird shelters suitable for the red-capped plover. Human activity and dogs along our beaches threaten these shoreline-nesting birds and the simple shelters provide some protection.

Junior School boys are holding a paper plane flying competition in the last week of this term. Entry will cost $1 per plane entered. Money raised will go to Alice Springs Uniting Church Youth Centre. This is a drop-in facility for local indigenous children and at present needs more equipment. A lot of the young people in Alice Springs (average age 15-18) who don't go to school often meet there socially and also to do some cooking, artwork and other activities.

Year 10 Community Service Personal Projects

At the end of this week, Year 10 boys will be exhibiting their Personal Projects in the annual Showcase. Among the many outstanding projects are some that focus in on community service.

These boys will be available in the Dickinson Centre during the Showcase on Friday evening to talk about their projects.

Mr Bill Cordner

Director of Community and Service

Music Department

The Junior and Middle School musicians were busy rehearsing in ensembles and sectionals throughout Monday 29 August and Tuesday 30 August at the annual Music Festival. This two-day event ended with a concert presented by vocalist/trumpet player Mr Adam Hall and his band. Highlights of this concert included Junior and Middle School boys 'scat' singing with Adam Hall and Year 8 students performing Joe Avery Blues with the band.

On Monday 29 August WAAPA staff member Mr Jamie Oehlers and WAAPA students gave a workshop to the Senior Jazz Ensemble. Perth born Jamie Oehlers rose to prominence in the jazz scene when he was the winner of the World Saxophone Competition held at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Mr Oehlers gave a world-class demonstration of how to change the feel and style of jazz standards and he also held a workshop on jazz improvisation for the Scotch musicians during the afternoon.

The Senior School performance season came to a close during Arts Week last week. This was a celebration of student performances throughout the year with lunchtime performances each day in the Senior School. Lunchtime performances in the Dickinson Centre under croft from the Jazz Combo, Percussion Ensemble, Chamber Strings and Year 10 and 11 rock bands were well received by staff and students alike.

The Arts Week concluded with the traditional Spring Concert on Friday evening in the Dickinson Centre. All the senior ensembles were featured in this concert, which included highlight performances from the Scotch Philharmonic with the Pipe Band 'A' Team's performing of the "Game of Thrones" and the Senior Concert Band with Drum line performing "Brickhouse."

During the Spring Concert the Will Upson Award for the most outstanding Year 12 student was presented to the 2016 Captain of Music Angus Warman (Year 12, Brisbane) for his piano performances in the Senior Recitals earlier in the term. Angus was recognised for performing with exceptional musicality and technical precision, he should be congratulated for receiving this prestigious award.

The Year 11 and 12 Music Dinner will be held on October 12. At this dinner, awards will be presented to senior students and the handover of student leadership positions for 2017 will also be announced at the dinner. The Music Department would like to thank all Year 12 musicians; it has been a privilege being a part of their musical journey through Scotch. Hearing them develop as musicians and seeing each of them contribute to the School music community in their own way throughout their senior years is rewarding for all involved in the music programme.

Important Dates - Spring Term

Week 1, Wednesday 12 October, Year 11 and 12 Music Dinner, 6.30pm venue TBA

Week 2, Monday 17 October, Musica Viva Performance, 11:30am Junior School

Week 2, Tuesday 18 October, FOSM AGM meeting, 7.00pm Senior Music Department

Week 3, Thursday 27 October, Junior and Middle School End of Year Concert, 6.30pm 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 Tim.Simpson@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

Annual Scotch College Kawai Piano Sale

Uniform Shop

Normal term opening hours apply until the shop closes at 11.30am on Thursday, 22 September.

The Uniform Shop will be open during the holidays on Tuesday, 11 October only.

Normal opening hours will resume on Tuesday, 11 October:

Opening Times

Year 12 Blazers

The Year 12 blazers have arrived in the Uniform Shop. They are stocked in a selection of youth and men's sizes. There are a limited number of blazers per size. Because of the unknown nature of the overall size of Year 12 boys and to avoid disappointment, it is recommended that you come in for sizing as soon as possible.

Head of Junior School

Protective Behaviours: Skills for Life

Children are vulnerable simply because they are vulnerable. Our role as parents and educators is to prepare them as best we can to navigate the world around them and the life ahead of them. We need to be able to empower children without ruining their innocence.

In their daily lives, children will interact with a range of other children. They will overhear conversations and words we may think they would not hear. They have an understanding of areas like 'sex' that is based on conversations in their friendship groups but they do not have the knowledge or maturity to deal with these. These skills do not simply develop they need to be taught.

Research shows that some form of unwanted sexual contact will offend one in four mainstream children. For children with special needs, it is one in two. We need to provide children with the skills to resist and to protect themselves. Children are told from an early age that stealing is wrong. Parents and relatives, books and media reinforce this. They need to be given the knowledge to say 'no' if someone asks them to steal. We need to do the same to help children protect themselves.

On Tuesday 20 September, the Junior School is hosting a keynote presentation from Protective Behaviours WA. This organisation provides a prevention and education based programme that teaches life skills that can be applied to any unsafe situation but specifically sexual abuse. It teaches parents how to teach their children about their right to feel and to be safe.

The Protective Behaviours Programme is child-focused and informed by a fundamental belief that children have a right to physical and psychological safety at all times, and that we as individuals, parents, communities and governments must play a part in protecting children of all ages and from all walks of life.

Protective Behaviours WA is primarily committed to strengthening the capacity of individuals, parents, communities and governments to protect children from bullying, child abuse and domestic violence. Their programmes have been designed to equip people with the knowledge and tools to shield children from harm.

The Purpose Of This Workshop

1. To provide parents and carers with a basic understanding of child sexual abuse and other unsafe situations.

2. To provide specific personal safety training skills, techniques and examples to use with your children.

3. To lessen your anxiety about your children's safety, so you can allow them the freedom of movement they need as they grow up.

I encourage parents to join us for this important and informative talk. Tickets are available for $10.00 each on the Scotch College website via the 'Book a Scotch College Event' icon.

Mr John Stewart

Head of Junior School

Important Dates to Remember

Week 6 - Excellence Awards

Teaching and learning goals

In 2016, the Scotch College Junior School staff focused their teaching and learning goals around three areas: assessment for learning, trans-disciplinary learning and inclusivity. Below, I have provided further information on the first of these three goals and I will elaborate on the other two goals in following newsletter articles:

Assessment for Learning:

This was the focus of our professional development and planning programme in 2015, however, in 2016 we fully imbedded these practices into our teaching and learning programme as well as into our written curriculum. Assessment for Learning incorporates:

Learning Intentions: A lesson, or series of lessons that tell students what they should know, understand and be able to do.

Success criteria: Helps teachers to decide whether their students have in fact achieved the learning intention. Importantly, the success criteria also answer the same question from the point of view of the student: How will I know whether I've achieved the learning intention?

Formative Assessment: (clear, concise and immediate) feedback provided for successes and areas for improvement, referenced against the Success Criteria. It is important to align supportive comments with the Success Criteria and the Learning Intention so the focus remains on the learning.

Differentiation: A differentiated curriculum is a programme of activities that offers a variety of entry points for students who differ in abilities, knowledge and skills. In a differentiated curriculum teachers offer different approaches to what students learn (content), how students learn (process) and how students demonstrate what they have learned (product).

Mr Warwick Norman

Junior School Dean of Teaching & Learning

Friendly Schools and Families

When considering your child's responsibility as an active and engaged member of Scotch College Junior School, consider the language of the PYP learner profile attributes as mentioned below.

They align with the social and emotional learning areas of the Friendly Schools Plus programme (Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship skills and Social Decision-Making).

By ensuring the same language is being shared between home and school, we are all helping to empower our students and children with the necessary social skills for life:

• To treat others the way they would like to be treated.
• To be caring toward peers;
• To be principled about what is right and wrong;
• To communicate their feelings when they feel sad or scared;
• To be reflective about other people's feelings;
• To be open-minded about other people's ideas.

Mr Warwick Norman

Friendly Schools and Families Coordinator

Art News

Week 7 showcased the original talents of our developing artists at the annual Inspirations Art Exhibition held in the Scotch College Gallery. On display, we saw a wide variety of exceptional artworks created by Scotch students from the Junior, Middle and Senior School for 2016.

The selected artworks demonstrated a highly skilful, exciting and diverse range of mediums which included; sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, painting and drawing.

These works presented the students' own personal journey into the wonderful world of Visual Arts. There was particular evidence of a global awareness, an influence inspired by works of many different genres and cultures.

The collection of works, themed together, enabled the boys to question and reflect upon their own approach to each subject matter, valuing the importance of the continuum of the Visual Arts throughout the College.

This year's exhibition truly captured the boys' individuality and highlighted the wide variety of mediums offered to all Scotch students within the Visual Arts programme. The boy's enthusiasm for Visual Arts was highly evident. Not only do the Visual Arts induct valuable skills, they give the boys a valuable lens through which to see and enjoy the world around them throughout their lives.

Ms Jane Roche

Junior Art Specialist

French News

Bonjour everyone. Back in June, three of our Year 4 boys from the Junior School took part as finalists in the Alliance Française poetry competition. All of the Year 4's entered with a poem called 'Crayons de Couleur' that was allocated to our age group by the Alliance. We incorporated it into our lessons and practiced it every week, and at recess, until it was learnt by heart. Every Year 4 boy submitted a recording of himself reciting the poem to be considered for the competition. Our lucky finalists were James Winch, Nathan Liu and Ryan Wang from 4C. I accompanied the boys to the Alliance in Nedlands for the weekend recital and saw them all pre and post recital. There were a number of Scotch College boys there, as we had many finalists in the Middle School as well. They all did a lovely job and represented our school so well. That was the end of the journey for our three boys, who made us so proud to be finalists in our first Junior School attempt at the competition. However, there were four older Scotch College boys who won their round and will be awarded prizes at the ceremony in November. Bravo to everyone for doing a really superb job, we look forward to entering some more grades in next year's competition. Au revoir.

Madame Vinton

French Specialist

4T News

Who can believe that we are close to the end of Winter Term with time zooming by faster than the speed of light. There's been a bustle and busyness to the term that has seen the remarkable lads of 4T engage with an impressive sense of commitment and caring toward each other and the rigors of their learning.

The boys in 4T have spent the better part of the term ensconced in their unit of inquiry about explorers. This has allowed them to appreciate the scope with which they themselves can discover. They were mathematics explorers when they unraveled the mysteries of puzzling number patterns and science explorers when they visited the labs of Curtin University to perform all manner of experiments.

In considering what constitutes an actual explorer, the boys were given the opportunity for independent research into historical and modern explorers of the land, sea and sky. Their investigations highlighted the remarkable journeys people have made, the courage with which they ventured and the personal risks they each took to achieve a mission, discover something new and add value to their society or the environment.

Inspired by their research and modern day explorers who continue to set new heights, the boys undertook a challenge to create their very own grand and grueling expedition. With a foundation in the realm of the possible, lads sought to explore the new planet Kepler, use submersibles to document hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean, and investigate ocean sink-holes and their impact on marine species. These are just three of the brilliant and amazing ideas designed by the boys. I have no doubt that National Geographic will be knocking down the doors of these future explorers in years to come.

Another type of exploring saw the boys engage in a forensic mission for Science Week. MacKellar Hall became the scene of a crime and also that of an investigative lab. The boys considered the impact of botany, human DNA, fingerprints and general clues to establish a pattern of events and circumstances that revealed the whereabouts of a missing boy. The experience was built around a real life event, which gave the boys a real sense of purpose as they explored each clue and solved the mystery. Fortunately, the missing lad was found safe and sound.

It is safe to say, that the boys have enjoyed a tremendous term filled with opportunity and discovery. They are adventurous souls, every one of them, and they bring to their learning a unique brand of courage. What a joy it is to work with such vibrant, creative and engaged lads. One can only look forward to the last miles of Spring Term, knowing full well it will be an exciting road to the finish.

Mrs Rebecca Turkich

Year 4 Teacher

Physical Education News

The Scotch Year 3 and 4 students have been hard at work in PE the past few weeks honing their Gaelic Football skills, as part of their International Rules component of the curriculum. The boys will also be competing in the Inter-House Gaelic Football competition which picks up next week. A big congratulations to Bruce in Year 3/4 and Andrew in Year 4/5 that won the Inter-House soccer competitions respectively. The Year 5 boys have been actively participating in rugby and enjoying the physicality and tackling that this area of PE has brought them. Some Year 4, 5 and 6 boys travelled to the WA Athletics Stadium on Thursday to compete in the Inter-School Athletics competition. Scotch performed admirably and came fourth on the day. There were some great performances and a fantastic day was had by all the competitors who represented their school with distinction.

Mr Scott Whiston

Head of Junior School Physical Education

Head of Middle School

We are excited about the reintroduction of the Scotch Highland Games. After much research and organisation by Mr Lawrence Felgate, the students of Scotch Middle School will be taking part in a modified recreation of the Games, last seen at Scotch in the 1990s.

At 10:40am, on Friday 23 September, staff, students and parents, will gather on the playing fields for a Pipe Band display before the games commence at 11.00am. There will be the Kiltie Dash, Tug-o-War, spear throw, stone throw, hay bale challenge, Highland Steps and Welly (boot) throw. The OSC have funded two face painters for the day so that boys can be decorated in their House colours.

The boys will be competing in their Houses and with the help of some of the Old Scotch Collegians this should be a fun day, celebrating a past Scotch tradition. The festivities will conclude at end of the school day.

Mr Richard Ledger

Head of Middle School

Middle School Inter-House Athletics Carnival

On a fine winter's day, the Middle School students, staff and families descended to the playing fields for the 2016 Inter-House Athletics Carnival. To begin the day, we had our Middle School Pipe Band students perform for both staff and students in a march around the field. Again, the boys delivered a magnificent display.

The events commenced with the Year 6 students competing on the track first. The House spirit was alive with the sideline of the 100m straight lined with both students and parents cheering on the competitors. This year saw the inclusion of the Year 6 Team Games, which was a huge success.

After seeing some fine performances on the track by the Year 6 students, it was now time for the Year 7s. Again, the level of competition and House spirit was fantastic to see and with a sneak peek at the early overall House points, it was a tight competition. A highlight from the Year 7 events was a blisteringly fast run by Max Mumme (7.6T) in the 1500m, along with Sam Barrett-Lennard (7.4A) jumping an astonishing 1.54m in the High Jump competition. Well done boys!

For the afternoon track session, the Year 8 students were keen to get running after completing all of their field events. It was an excellent all round performance by the boys on the track, highlighted by an outstanding run by Will Gordon (8.6F) in the 400m.

The Carnival House Champion results every year are always tightly contested. Congratulations to the winners; Sean Palmer (6.2C), Lewis Crump (7.3B) and Will Gordon (8.6F) on their performances on the day.

The final House points from the day:

Gordon 1711

David 1613

James 1504

Bruce 1424

Andrew 1344

Robert 1295

It was great to see so many parents and family members spectating on the day. A big thank you to the Pipe Band Parents Support Group who provided food and drinks for the spectators.

The Middle School Athletics team representatives will be capping off a very busy four week Athletics season at the JPSSA and PSA Inters. Good luck to all.

I look forward to another exciting 2017 season.

Mr Michael Brinsden

Middle School Sport

Excellence Awards

Student Achievements

UNSW Spelling Competition

Year 6

Year 7

UNSW Writing Competition

Year 6

Year 7

Year 8

Important Dates in Middle School Winter Term

From the Head of Senior School

Last week we enjoyed the creative talents of a large number of boys across Music, Visual Art, Drama and Media through the daily activities organised to celebrate Arts Week. The week commenced with a festival atmosphere with food trucks, live performances and clay throwing occurring on the Top Oval during lunchtime. Each day saw boys involved in art battles and live performances in music and drama. Monday night saw the Year 11 drama students performing in the Foundation Theatre followed by Year 12 boys presenting their original solo performances on Tuesday night. The opening of the student art exhibition, Inspirations, was held on Wednesday night and a large audience gathered in the Dickinson Centre to enjoy the film productions of the Year 9 to 12 Media students at the Director's Cut Awards Night on Thursday night. The standard of film was very high leaving many in the audience in awe of the boys' creative and technical skills. The week ended with the Music Department's Spring Concert. This was a fitting end to a busy Arts Week that involved numerous boys across the different year levels sharing their creative talents and interests.

Creative people take responsible risks and challenge themselves. They are intrinsically motivated and are open to criticism. Each boy who shared his work in last week's exhibitions demonstrated all of these elements in a public forum where others may judge. I left both exhibitions admiring not only the boys' work, but also their courage and creativity. They each revealed a little about their personal interests and motivations. Well done to all the boys involved!

In what was clearly a very busy week, we also celebrated the end of season for a number of co-curricular activities at a special Senior School assembly. The presentation of Colours and Honours awards for Winter Sport, Drama, Music, Community Service and Pipe Band highlighted the diversity, effort and level of achievement so many of the boys give to their respective activities. The assembly concluded with our send-off for the Scotch College Athletics Team that we now know went on to win the PSA Athletics for the fifth time in the past six years. The strong sense of school spirit, sportsmanship and camaraderie that was exhibited by both the athletes and the Scotch College spectators made me, and the large majority of parents in attendance, proud of our boys and this great College.

I wish the boys in Year 11 well for their end-of-year examinations and look forward to seeing many of the Year 10 boys and their families at the Personal Project showcase on Friday evening.

Dr Rob McEwan

Head of Senior School

Senior Leadership Team 2016/2017

House Captains:

Pipe Band:

Boys' Achievements

Hamish McKenzie (Year 11, Ross) has been selected in the WA U17 cricket team to play the Championships in Brisbane/Sunshine Coast from September 24 to October 7.

Jack Cooley (Year 10, Stuart), Ryan Hudson (Year 10, Keys) and Nicholas Crump (Year 10, Shearer) playing for Western Australia received Bronze medals in the recent AFL boys 15's tournament held in Maroochydore, Queensland. Nicholas Crump was also selected in the All Australian team named at the end of the carnival.

Lachlan Vos (Year 11, St Andrews) is currently competing at the FINA Water Polo Youth men's U18 world championships, as part of the Australian team. The team are doing well to qualify for top eight. If they win one of their next two games they qualify for top four which means they could win a medal or worst case fourth in the world. Best result by Australia in 10 years.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

The following boys have achieved their Duke of Edinburgh Awards. It is pleasing to see increasing numbers of boys completing the necessary requirements to be awarded the Bronze and Silver Awards. Two of the 2015 leavers, Graeme Stewart (Shearer) and Tim Andrew (Ross) have recently achieved their Gold Awards and will receive them at a ceremony at Government House in October so congratulations to those boys as well.

Bronze Award:

Connor Enslin (Year 10, Stuart)

Auxence Gide (Year 10, Anderson)

Max Locke (Year 10, Ferguson)

Tanay Narula (Year 10, Stuart)

Daniel Paganin (Year 10, Shearer)

Nick Price (Year 10, Cameron)

Fraser Cull (Year 12, Ferguson)

Alexander Perry (Year 12, St Andrews)

Silver Award:

Simon Ferreira (Year 11, Ross)

Matthew Simich (Year 11, Shearer)

Quads Athletics Carnival Results

New Quads records which were set by Scotch students:

U/14 1500m Hugh Plowman (Year 8, David) SC 4:39.00

Old Record: 4:51.99 B Armstrong (Guildford 2011)

U/17 200m Callum Jacobsen (Year 11, St Andrews) SC 22.74

Old Record: 23.90 J Allen (Christ Church 2015)

U/17 110m Hurdles Joshua Pretorius (Year 11, St Andrews) SC 15.31

Old Record: 15.60 G Szalek (Scotch 2014)

U/16 800m Daniel Walker (Year 10, Ross) SC 2:08.94

Old Record: 2:09.71 H Sinclair (Scotch 2013)

U/17 800m Andrew Burvill (Year 11, Shearer) SC 2:05.00

Old Record: 2:10.60 H Sinclair (Scotch 2014)

U/17 100m Callum Jacobsen (Year 11, St Andrews) SC 11.31

Old Record: 11.40 E Ellis (Guildford 2014)

U/17 Long Jump Callum Jacobsen (Year 11, St Andrews) SC 6.61

Old Record: 5.93 T North (Wesley 2014)

U/14 400m William Gordon (Year 8, Andrew) SC 57.13

Old Record: 57.38 N Gale (Scotch 2012)

U/16 400m Taigh van Schouwen (Year 9, Alexander) SC 53.23

Old Record: 54.67 H Sinclair (Scotch 2013)

U/17 400m Benjamin Avery (Year 11, Cameron) SC 53.26

Old Record: 54.90 Z Bowles (Christ Church 2015)

U/16 High Jump Sean Szalek (Year 10, Ross) SC 1.9

Old Record: 1.83 G Szalek (Scotch 2013)

U/ 13 & 14, 4 x 400m relay, SC 4:00.3

Old Record: 4:01.81 (Christ Church 2011)

U/ 15 & 16, 4 x 400m relay, SC 3:40.9

Old Record: 3:45.97 (Scotch 2013)

Personal Project Showcase

The set up for the Showcase will take place on Monday 12 September in the Dickinson Centre and it will be open for viewing from Wednesday 14 September until Friday 16 September during school hours. Please note that the formal Showcase event on Friday 16 September from 5.30pm until 7.30pm is the only time you will be able to observe all projects as the students are unable to leave their laptops set up during the day.

Miss Kate Flowers

IB Personal Project Co-ordinator

Information Learning Technology

Year 12 Laptops

A reminder that parents of Year 12 boys have the option of buying their son's laptop. It is important that boys back up to an external USB drive any files or documents they intend to keep before having their laptop re-imaged for purchase or handing back.

Year 10 Laptop Rollover - October 10 and 11

All efforts are made to ensure that your son has access to reliable and up-to-date technology to complete his studies. Parents who have a son moving into Year 11 at the start of Spring Term are reminded that they must select one of two dates for their son to come into the College and receive his new laptop. Students will be reminded of this during the coming two weeks. Please contact the Tech Centre on (08) 9383 6866 if you have any queries.

Laptop Cases

This is a reminder that your son's laptop case can be swapped out under warranty if the zip breaks. Boys must visit 1Degree in JS/MS School Library or SS Library and they will arrange a replacement. https://ask.scotch.wa.edu.au/faq/97932

Laptop Power Adapters

Please encourage your son to charge his laptop at home. Power adapters that are brought to school can be lost easily which would then result in a charge of $119.00 for a replacement. Should your son's power adapter have splits in the cable, this can be exchanged for $89.10. Please visit 1Degree in JS/MS Library or the Tech Centre.

Mr Brad Tyrrell

Dean of Information and Learning Technology

Association of Spanish Teachers of Western Australia (ASTWA)

Over the past two years there has been a lot going on behind the scenes in the Languages department where Kate Webster-Blythe, Emma Waters and Amy Ward have been working in collaboration with teachers in other WA schools to establish the Association of Spanish Teachers of Western Australia (ASTWA). Although it is on the rise in the eastern states and South Australia, Spanish is not as widely offered throughout Australia as other European languages, and its availability is particularly lacking in WA. Despite the low number of schools that offer Spanish as a subject, people's interest is increasing. ASTWA has already started to bring together teachers of Spanish from various institutions and there have been some exciting developments in recent months.

The need for an association first became apparent in August 2014 at an AISWA Teacher Network Meeting when we realised that almost half of those attending had taught Spanish before they started work in Australia. Feeling inspired, Kate and Emma put the wheels in motion to get ASTWA off the ground by writing a Constitution and confirming with the Department of Commerce that nobody else was using the ASTWA name. Once ASTWA had been advertised in the press and there were no objections, in 2015 the Association was registered as an Incorporated Body and eventually affiliated with the MLTAWA (Modern Languages Teachers of Western Australia) in 2016.

ASTWA held its first symposium at the MLTAWA Biennial State Conference in August 2016 where some 150 language teachers from across Australia came together to share ideas and discuss the future of languages in the Australian curriculum. We were incredibly lucky that the Honorary Spanish Consul, Enric Tarraso Letang, was able to attend and speak at the symposium. Nathan Schaff (Year 11, Anderson), also gave up his time to share a student's perspective on the importance of studying Spanish and his own experience.

The main objectives of ASTWA are to promote teaching and learning of Spanish within the community, provide a support network for teachers and students and facilitate the provision of Spanish language courses in the community. Given that more than 560 million people around the world speak Spanish, it is the third most used language in the media and one of the six official languages of the United Nations, it is impossible to deny the importance and relevance of the Spanish language in today's world. The University of Western Australia has recognised this by announcing that it will offer Spanish studies at tertiary level from 2017, which is extremely encouraging for students who wish to pursue their studies when they finish school and particularly exciting because being able to communicate in Spanish opens doors to many career paths such as interpreting, commerce and diplomatic services to name but a few.

ASTWA is a fledgling association and there remains plenty of work to do, but we are delighted to be able to share the progress we have made over the past two years and feel confident this will continue in years still to come. Ultimately, we hope that ASTWA will enable schools to offer Spanish language classes as readily as other European languages. If you are interested in learning more about the Association, please visit and like our Facebook page or feel free to contact us. If you wish to become a member of ASTWA or know somebody else who might be interested, please join MLTAWA and select ASTWA from the list of affiliated associations.

Miss Amy Ward

Modern Languages Teacher

Careers Information

Year 12 Information

University Equity Programmes

All universities offer a variety of entry programmes for students who have experienced disadvantage and disruption during Year 12. Please see Mr Frusher for further information and application procedures.

WACE Examination - Sickness/Misadventure

If a student's performance in a WACE examination is affected by a temporary sickness, non-permanent disability or unforeseen misadventure suffered immediately before or during the examination period OR a student is prevented from attending an examination due to illness or misadventure, a SICKNESS/MISADVENTURE APPLICATION FORM can be obtained from Mr Frusher or downloaded from the SCSA website for completion and forwarding to School Curriculum & Standards Authority. There is a long list of reasons that will not be accepted by School Curriculum & Standards Authority but if a student is unsure he needs to check with Mr Frusher.

Curtin Enabling Course in Science, Engineering and Health

Curtin University and Canning College have partnered together to offer you a one year Enabling course. This course is HECS free and is designed for students with little background in science or mathematics. You will be enrolled as a Curtin student and will have access to the facilities at Canning College. Successful completion guarantees a place in Curtin University's School of Science. A set number of places are available on a competitive basis in Engineering, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Medical Imaging and Health Science.

Contact Mr Sheldon Smith at Curtin University on (08) 9266 3529 or email Sheldon.Smith@curtin.edu.au

https://www.canningcollege.wa.edu.au/coursesCurtinEnabling.html

TISC Guide

The printed TISC Guide contains a misprint in the table of important dates on page two. Final closing date for you to apply, or add/re-arrange preferences for main round offers is Thursday, 5 January 2017. Between the hard-copy TISC Guide going to print and the release of offers, there can be a number of changes to the availability of courses. Changes to course availability - both new courses and cancelled courses - are listed on the TISC website, under 'Updates to Undergraduate Courses for 2017 Admission', accessible from the home page. Any students affected by the cancellation of courses are notified by TISC and/or the institution concerned, and provided with information on alternative programmes for their consideration.

http://www.tisc.edu.au/static/guide/courses-update.tisc

Gap Medics International Medical Work Experience

Shadow doctors, nurses, midwives or dentists in hospital for 1 - 8 weeks.

http://www.gapmedics.com.au/

Scholarships

SAE Institute Scholarship Programme

Applications close 19 December 2016

SAE Creative Media Institute offers scholarships to outstanding creative media applicants. SAE Scholarships are awarded to recognise creative talent coupled with academic excellence and outstanding leadership.

http://sae.edu.au/admissions/scholarships/

C.A.S. Hawker Scholarship

The C.A.S. Hawker Scholarship is awarded to Australian students, usually those entering their first year of university. It is awarded based on personal qualities, demonstrated leadership and academic ability.

Applications for the 2017 scholarship open 5 December 2016 and close 6 January 2017.

http://www.hawkerscholarship.org/

General Careers Information

Defence Careers Information Sessions

21 September Perth: Defence Careers Information Session

27 September Perth: Army Reserve Information Session

https://www.facebook.com/DefenceJobsAustralia/events

WA Police Info Sessions

4.30pm, 15 September & 13 October at WA Police Academy

https://www.stepforward.wa.gov.au/information-sessions/

Holiday Programmes

UWA

UWA is planning an initiative for Year 12 students in the September school holidays.

They understand that this time of year is challenging and demanding for Year 12 students, so they have organised a series of events to help them relax and recharge ahead of WACE exams. These events will include yoga, zumba, brain training, a campus tour, course advising, a session on the value of sleep and a twilight movie screening.

The schedule for these activities is available online at bit.ly/uwa-wellness-2016 .

If you have any questions on our wellness activities, please contact the team at wellness.week@uwa.edu.au.

Perth Zoo

School holiday programme for 14 - 18 year olds

Registrations are now open for .

Students who want to develop their animal healthcare knowledge, students thinking about a future animal related career or just someone who would like to spend the day doing some really cool behind the scenes Zoo activities?

The following sessions will take place this month:

Ever wondered how you weigh a giraffe or how you give a reptile a routine health check? From the dangerous to the unusual, find out how we care for Perth Zoo's animals.

Get to spend the day with an experienced Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarian and discover what it takes to work in one of the most challenging and rewarding careers around.

Wild Vets covers a range of activities and animal encounters focusing on animal health care.

To register for Wild Vets for this holiday period, please follow this link to the registration here http://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/learn/wildlife-programs-for-everyone/wild-vets/ and return it to discoveryandlearning@perthzoo.wa.gov.au .

If you have any questions contact Perth Zoo via the email address above or on (08) 9474 0365.

Codemaster Institute is running a FREE Introduction to Coding workshop

Year 11 and 12 studentsare invited to attend a workshop on teaching HTML and CSS basics.

The course is open to all with no prior knowledge needed.

It is a great introduction to computer programming for many students who have not had previous exposure to the field.

• When: Saturday 24 September
• Time: 10.00 am to 3.00 pm
• Where: Spacecubed, ground floor, 45 St Georges Terrace
• Students Book FREE but hurry, space is limited: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/coding-101-free-web-dev-workshop-in-perth-24-sept-tickets-27005039801

Mr Peter Frusher

Careers Adviser

Colours & Honours Winter Part 1 2016

Please see here for recipients.

Senior School Important Dates

Parents Association

A final reminder about the Year 10 Celebration Reception for the boys' Personal Project.

The Scotch College Parents Association and the Scotch Auxiliary invites all Year 10 parents to the Year 10 Parents Function at Barrack Street Jetty to celebrate the end of the boys' Personal Project journey. To ensure parents also have a chance to celebrate this important milestone, we invite you to spend a pleasant evening overlooking the Swan River and Elizabeth Quay whilst enjoying finger food, drinks and excellent company. The Bells Function Centre is also located at the Barrack Street jetty and the evening has been scheduled to finish at 10.15pm, allowing parents to collect their sons from the jetty when the cruise ends at 10.30pm.

Expressions of interest in joining the 2017 Biennial Ball Committee

We are seeking interested parents to join our Biennial Ball planning committee.

If you would like to help please email your contact details to ianknobel60@gmail.com.

We will have our first meeting before the end of the term.

Mr Ian Knobel

President

Scotch Auxiliary

Our Junior School boys had a great time with their dads at the traditional Fathers' Day Breakfast, on Friday 2 September. The boys and dads were lucky to have Ross Lyon, coach of the Fremantle Dockers and Scotch College parent, as their guest speaker. Thank you to the parents who assisted and to the dads who were able to attend, making this event a fun and enjoyable way to start the day.

Upcoming Events

Year 10 Parents' Celebration Reception - Friday 16 September

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

Year 9 Dads' Drinks - Thursday 15 September, Albion Hotel, from 6.30pm. Please refer to email for more details.

Year 11 Mums' Lunch at Steve's Hotel, Saturday 17 September at 12:30pm. Please refer to email for more details.

Coffee Morning

Year 12 - Wednesday 21 September from 8.30am.

The Shorehouse, 282 Marine Pde, Swanbourne.

Next Meeting

Monday 19 September, Gooch Pavilion

Please come along for an update on our potential merger with the Parents' Association.

Doors open 8.30am, tea and coffee provided.

Meeting commences at 9.00am. All welcome.

Mrs Carissa Paganin

President

Self-stigma in Parents of Children with Behavioural and/or Emotional Problems

Researchers at the University of Western Australia are seeking parents of children aged 4 - 12 with a behavioural and/or emotional problem (eg ADHD, depression, anxiety disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, or an eating disorder) to fill in a short survey. The survey takes about 20 minutes of your time. Please click on the links below for further details.

Participant Information Letter

Invitation to Participate/Survey

Fremantle Ports Maritime Day

The Company of Master Mariners of Australia and Fremantle Ports in association with the Department of Transport Marine Safety Business Unit will once again celebrate Maritime Day with a special open day to highlight the role of the maritime industry in Western Australia on Saturday 12 November. The expo is an opportunity to learn more about the employment, training and educational opportunities available within the maritime industry.

Adolescent well-being and family functioning

We are seeking parents of adolescents to participate in an online questionnaire.

We are conducting a study to better understand adolescent mental health, why some adolescents deliberately harm themselves and the impact that this has on the family, in particular, parental wellbeing.

The questionnaire will take an hour and can be completed at any time.

Your responses will be confidential and no identifiable information will be used.

If you would like to participate, or you would like more information about the study, please contact one of the researchers: Penelope.Hasking@curtin.edu.au or Henry Booth henry.booth@student.curtin.edu.au or go directly to the questionnaire at https://curtin.au1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bgBiw5PNhmKGTIN.

By participating, you can receive information about self-injury and maintaining good mental health.

Explanatory Statement for Parent Participation