Term 2, Week 4 2024
The Torch
Term 2, Week 4 2024
- Whole School Notices
- Junior School Notices
- Senior School Notices
- Sports & Co-Curricular
- Upcoming Events
- Health & Wellbeing
Over the past 9 months, we have been exploring how we might ‘tweak’ our timetable to find more time for teacher professional learning. We know that the quality of the classroom teacher is the biggest in-school factor relating to positive student learning outcomes. Therefore, the more we can invest in our teachers, the greater the benefit for all boys.
Our plans for our review have been communicated to staff. Ultimately, over the past 9 months we have been asking how a review of our timetable can produce an outcome that will:
We are presently modelling several options in order to address these desired outcomes including finishing school earlier for all boys P-12 on Thursday afternoons. By finishing earlier we would be seeking to utilise the afternoons for teacher training. Obviously we are working through what this means for families and how we might provide support or other programs, particularly for our younger boys as a result of this earlier finish.
We are also exploring the potential for moving the Year 7-12 Wednesday after school program into the timetable. One key goal of this change is to develop a stronger service program and again, to provide more time for our busy boys.
Our goal is to have our intentions clearly communicated early in Term 3 this year, to allow any questions and importantly, appropriate time for proper planning to ensure our new timetable is a success.
To this week, please consider what you can contribute to the Goolagong-Cawley Indigenous Scholarship. Launching on Thursday night, this is a significant event in our calendar. Please give generously as ultimately, we seek to provide more opportunities for our First Nations people to thrive at Scotch.
God bless.
Dr Scott Marsh
Principal
The Collegian: Seeking Community Feedback
As part of a wider effort to continue to enhance our communications and publications, we are currently seeking community feedback on The Collegian, the annual College yearbook. Please take a minute to complete the brief survey below on what you love, what you don’t, and what you’d like to see more of!
Action Required: Photography Consent for Students
Thank you to parents and guardians who have completed the online permission form regarding your son/s’ participation in school-related photography and videography that takes place throughout the year.
Forms must be completed via the link below by tomorrow, Friday 10 May. It is mandatory that all parents complete the form to indicate your preferences. Until now, consent has been obtained on an individual basis, however this is now a formalised annual process that will allow only students with updated consent forms to be photographed.
Please note this consent will remain effective for the remainder of 2024.
Goolagong-Cawley First Nations Scholarship: 24 Hour Giving Day
At 8pm tomorrow evening, the Scotch Family kicks off a 24 Hour Giving Appeal to raise funds for additional First Nations Scholarships in the name of one of Australia’s most iconic athletes, Evonne Goolagong.
Evonne shares our same belief that education is the burning light for the future of First Nations Australians. Three students from Evonne’s Indigenous Tennis Academy have now attended Scotch, including last year’s School Captain Dion Whitfield, via the Scotch College Foundation’s First Nations Scholarship Program.
The Scotch Family is challenged to raise $1,000,000 in 24 hours. Every gift made during the 24-hour period will be quadrupled thanks to the generosity of our ‘matching donors’ who are named on the giving website.
Junior and Senior School students – and staff – may wear casual clothes tomorrow (Friday 10 May) in honour of the appeal, and Evonne Goolagong and Roger Cawley will be guests at Junior and Senior School assemblies on the day. We will continue to update our community via email and social media of our progress during the appeal – please email foundation@scotch.vic.edu.au if you do not wish to receive communications.
Read more about the Scotch College First Nations Scholarship Program and 24 Hour Appeal
Please note the following Term 2 dates:
On Monday the boys had the opportunity to hear from Mrs Pavlovski who shared a big secret with them. She was very nervous about sharing it because it has been something she has kept secret since she was in Year 3.
All of the boys know her as their Drama Teacher, and she is known to lots of other people in lots of other ways, but her secret has always been that she is a poet!
Mrs Pavlovski shared the ways in which writing and reading poetry has helped her in so many of the most important moments in her life. Be those the happiest days of her life, like her wedding day, or at sadder times when she might have lost something or someone close to her. The boys heard how writing poetry has been a way in which we can understand the world slightly differently.
Mrs Pavlovski hoped that there might be some budding poets in our midst, who might want to come and share their poems with her or simply to talk more about poetry. It was fantastic for the boys to gain another insight into their teachers and their amazing, unknown, talents and we look forward to hearing from more throughout the term.
This Friday we look forward to the Evonne Goolagong-Cawley Scholarship Giving Day. All boys will have the opportunity to attend school in casual clothes in return for a small donation to the cause. Thank you to all who opt to contribute to support this initiative. Dion Whitfield (2023 School Captain) benefitted from this pathway and he had a significant impact on our Junior School boys during his time in this role.
I express sincere thanks to the Mother’s Day Stall Auxiliary Group for their work to enable boys to purchase a small token of appreciation for their mums this weekend. Excitement for today’s stall has been palpable amongst the boys.
We look ahead to next week and the annual House Cross Country event. The boys have been in training and look forward to earning points for their Houses. Every boy who participates earns points towards the total and every boy is looking to race against their own personal best, not necessarily the boys in other Houses. We look forward to welcoming families to the events over the course of the day.
Tom Savill
Head of Junior School
Photography Consent for Students
Thank you to all parents and guardians who have submitted their preferences with regards to photography and videography of the boys participating in school-related activities. We are required to obtain parent consent before taking and sharing photographs or videos that include students and to date we have been seeking this consent on an individual basis.
As we have now formalised this into an annual consent process, we cannot share photos in publications such at The Torch unless parents have indicated their preferences via the online form. Please complete the below form by tomorrow Friday 10 May so we can continue to share and celebrate the daily activities of our Junior School boys.
Junior School Dates
View the key dates on the Junior School calendar this term.
House Art Competition
During Term 1 the boys in Years 3 to 6 participated in the House Art Competition. Each year level was tasked with drawing a different piece of architecture located around the school.
The winners for each year level were as follows:
Year 3: Kiaan Chandrajit, Waller
Year 4: Ben Gaidzkar, Waller
Year 5: Anson Zhang, Campbell
Year 6: Hamish Lowndes, Healey
The overall results were:
First: Campbell
Equal second: Bradshaw and Waller
Fourth: Healey
Year 6 Leadership Update
Term 1 provided a platform from where the Junior School’s new leadership framework was launched, and each Year 6 boy has had opportunities across a range of contexts around the school to demonstrate their leadership skills through acts of service.
Staff have already observed that many boys have stepped up and are ready to be formally recognised as Year 6 Leaders. The boys have been very patient adapting to this new process and, in the upcoming weeks, we will have our first group of boys receiving formal acknowledgement.
As the Year 6 boys continue their fantastic work around the school serving others and supporting each other, more boys will be similarly recognised.
Year 6 Information Night: Transitioning to Year 7
On Monday 27 May, the Senior School will be hosting a Year 7 information night for current Year 6 parents. For now, please save the date and look out for further information that will be shared with parents directly.
Music Making in Term 2!
The Year 5 and Year 6 boys are full steam ahead in their preparation for the Years 5 and 6 Concert at the end of this term. All boys in Years 5 and 6 will perform as a massed choir and other selected students will perform in the String Orchestra, Concert Band and Glen House Choir. This is a concert not to be missed.
This week the Years 3 to 6 boys were privileged to attend the Waller House Chapel. Well done to all the Year 6 Waller boys for their role in leading the service and a particular ‘well done’ to Callum Chiu (Year 6) who performed beautifully on the clarinet. He was accompanied by Seung Paik on the piano.
There are a number of woodwind, brass, voice, guitar and piano recitals coming up this term. Please check the Music Dates for all the times and venues and come along to support your sons.
In two weeks, the Junior School Orchestra (Years 5 and 6 students) will head to Blampied (near Daylesford) for two days of intensive rehearsals. Good luck to all boys involved and we will look forward to hearing their repertoire.
Piano Festival
The biennial piano festival began this week and will conclude on Sunday 12 May. It has been a huge success and our thanks to Head of Keyboard, Elaine Chin, for her hard work putting this festival together.
There are still more events to see this weekend, so please book your tickets below to join us at one of the concerts.
Click here to view the Piano Festival brochure | Book Tickets Here
For any enquiries, please email Elaine Chin at elaine.chin@scotch.vic.edu.au
House Cross Country
House Cross Country will be held this Monday 13 May and there have been plenty of ‘personal bests’ this week in preparation for the day. Every boy who completes the course receives House points, and every time a boy beats his best time in a PE class, he also receives House points.
The emphasis is on personal best efforts and competing only against ourselves. Good luck to all the boys and their House teams on Monday. We look forward to seeing parents and families come and support the boys on the day.
The top eight times at House Cross Country will qualify the respective boys for the APS Cross Country Championships on Wednesday 29 May. The top qualifiers at APS then move to Regionals on Thursday 13 June. House Cross Country runs by year level while APS and beyond run by age group. The top Year 3 times at House Cross Country will be compared to the Year 4 times to select our U10 team. Please note most Year 5 boys are U11 (unless they turn 11 this year) and Year 6 run in the U12/13 at APS.
Year 5 & 6 APS Sports
Follow the links below for:
Years 5 & 6 Term 3 APS Sport
Year 5 and 6 boys have now chosen their Term 3 APS Sport from Hockey, Soccer, European Handball and Basketball. Scotch has entered the following APS teams, based on the choices the boys made:
Soccer
Basketball
Hockey and Handball
Cordner-Eggleston Cup Update
The Cordner-Eggleston Cup is an annual football game played between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School (MGS). It began on 7 August 1858 and is thought to be a pivotal influence on the beginnings of the AFL as we now know it. The first match is commemorated by a bronze statue depicting the game outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
This year, we begin a new tradition, when the respective Junior Schools will play a curtain raiser to the main game between the 1st XVIII’s. A combined team of Year 5 and Year 6 will be announced in the coming days to compete on Friday 24 May at Scotch College before the main game. Selection priority will be given to Year 6 if ability levels are similar. Game time is 12.00pm and the boys will play 4 x 10 minute quarters. The Senior School game begins at 2.00pm and Junior School families are welcome to attend. The game will be played on Main Oval at Scotch. Luke Daffy will coach the team.
Sports Queries
Sporting queries should be directed to our new Junior School Sport email address juniorschoolsport@scotch.vic.edu.au These will be responded to by Lucia Thompson, our Junior School Sports Administration Assistant.
Snowsports
View important dates for Snowsports events this year.
If your son is interested in getting involved or you have any further queries, please email juniorschoolsnowsport@scotch.vic.edu.au. We will add you to the mailing list to receive all further Snowsports content for 2024.
A Message from the JSPA
The Scotch Junior School Parents’ Association wishes all mothers, special friends and carers a wonderful Mother’s Day on Sunday. Thank you to all who supported the Mothers’ Day stall held at the Junior School this morning.
We are delighted to be hosting the Melbourne Grammar School First Footballers and their supporters at the Cordner-Eggleston football match on Friday 24 May. This is a traditional Friday afternoon game between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar.
All members of the Scotch Family are welcome to attend. The afternoon begins with a Junior School (Year 6) “opener” game, with the Seniors (Firsts) game commencing at 2.00pm.
Arrangements for Senior School boys are as follows:
As always, we expect high standards of behaviour from our boys on the day and will be reminding them about representing their school well, and showing consideration, awareness and respect for others at all times.
This is a big day for Scotch, with an OSCA lunch and attendance by many past students and families, as well as current families and students. It is an alcohol-free event, and we have guards on duty, staff supervision and plans in place for the day to run smoothly and safely.
Parents are very welcome to attend. Please note parking is limited on the day and it is strongly advised all attendees take public transport where possible. As we will have limited cover, please bring umbrellas for inclement weather. There will be toilets available and a coffee cart.
We are looking forward to an enjoyable day for the entire Scotch Family, celebrating a friendly rivalry and excellent sportsmanship.
Katrina Brennan
Head of Senior School
The Collegian: Seeking Community Feedback
As part of a wider effort to continue to enhance our communications and publications, we are currently seeking community feedback on The Collegian, the annual College yearbook. Please take a minute to complete the brief survey below on what you love, what you don’t, and what you’d like to see more of!
School Photos
Annual individual portraits and class photos will take place on the below dates:
Students are reminded to wear full winter uniform, with trousers (no shorts). This includes the candy coat blazer for Year 12 students. Please ensure you have completed the required consent form for your son to be photographed. Please refer to the Whole School Notices page for further details and to complete the consent form.
Principal’s Art Prize
Senior School students are reminded to finalise their artworks and submit their entries for the Scotch College Principal’s Aquisitive Art Prize. There are some great prizes for the best entries.
Entries close Friday 24 May.
View the entry form (also located on Scotch Streams) or contact your Art teacher for more information.
International Chemistry Quiz
Year 9-12 Chemistry students are invited to participate in the International Chemistry Quiz run by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. The competition tests students’ general knowledge in Chemistry against more than 95,000 students across the world.
Interested students should email Renee Hill renee.hill@scotch.vic.edu.au with their name, House and Year Level to register their interest before Thursday 20 June. The quiz will run after school on Thursday 22 August.
No After School Activities Wednesday 22 May
Please note there will be no after school activities on Wednesday 22 May, due to an all staff meeting being held that afternoon.
Boarder Parents and Carers Annual Hill Cocktail Party 2024
The venue for the Annual Hill Cocktail Party has been changed to a wine bar close by. It is a great opportunity to support a Scotch family that owns the venue. The start time will remain at 7pm and the price will still include beverages and food.
Venue: Luton Lane Wine Bar, 8 Luton Lane, Hawthorn
Date: Saturday 11 May
Time: 7.00pm
Price: $100 per person (adults only)
Dress: Lounge suit/cocktail
RSVP Monday 6 May
View the Annual Hill Cocktail Party Invitation | Book Tickets
Year 8 Elephant Ed
Next Thursday 16 May, Year 8 students will participate in a workshop exploring issues relating to pornography, consent and respectful relationships. The workshops are facilitated by Elephant Ed, the same organisation who worked with the boys in Year 7.
Specifically, students will discuss how pornography can distort what an individual considers to be normal gender roles, sexual activity and body image. Parents are encouraged to continue these conversations at home. Having appropriate conversations at the right age and stage of development support our boys’ growth towards becoming young men of character who make informed decisions and life choices.
Year 9 & 10 Victoria Police Assemblies Resources
This week, Leading Senior Constable and Youth Resource Officer Sonia De Filippis spoke to our Year 9 and 10 boys about online safety. Sonia talked about the online challenges facing young people, strategies to deal with unwanted online behaviours, what is and isn’t lawful, and what the boys can do to get help to stay safe.
Below is some further information on what was discussed, so you can continue conversations at home. Students were encouraged to:
Sonia suggested the Delay, Disrupt and Disengage strategy when being approached (unwanted) online:
Some excellent resources on getting help were also provided to the boys, however they were encouraged to speak to a friend or trusted person like a parent, carer, teacher or school counsellor in the first instance.
University Information Nights
A reminder that Year 10 boys and parents are invited to attend the below information sessions hosted by the Future Pathways team at Scotch:
Year 10 Toolbox: Overcoming Procrastination
We are delighted to welcome Toolbox back to Scotch next week for Year 10 workshops on learning how to cope with and overcome procrastination. These sessions provide the boys with invaluable strategies, particularly in the lead up to Semester 1 exams. Sessions will be held as follows:
Year 10 Fathers/Carers and Sons: Wallabies v Wales Rugby Game
The next Year 10 Fathers/Carers and Sons event is the Wallabies v Wales Rugby game on Saturday 13 July at 7.50pm at AAMI Park. There is a special allocation of tickets behind the goals so the Scotch Family can sit together in the Gold Brigade.
Please note this is the last Saturday night of the July school holidays. Tickets are $49.90* Adults, $39.90* Boys. For any queries, please contact Kate Nurse 0417 539 514 or kate.nurse@myer.com.au
RSVP 18 June 2024
View the Invitation | Book Tickets
University Information Nights
Year 11 and 12 boys and parents are invited to attend the below information sessions hosted by the Future Pathways team at Scotch:
Year 11 Mothers & Carers Cocktail Party 2024
Our annual Year 11 Mothers & Carers Cocktail Party will be held at Sidedoor Wine Bar, 72 Willsmere Road, Kew on Friday, 17 May. The event will start at 6.30pm, and tickets are $40.00 per person.
RSVP by Monday, 13 May.
Year 12 ‘Final Fees’ Party
A reminder bookings are still open for the Year 12 Parents and Carers Final Fees Party. Lets celebrate this milestone!
Venue: The Conservatory, Studley Park Boathouse
Date: Saturday, 25 May
Time: 7pm – late
Price: $63 includes welcome cocktail, canapes, DJ and dancing!
Class of 2024 Cardinal Dinner Dance
Bookings for the Cardinal Dinner Dance are now open.
Venue: CENTREPIECE at Melbourne Park (next to Rod Laver Arena)
Date: Saturday, 15 June
Time: 6.45pm – 10.45pm
Dress: Black Tie/Dinner Suit
Price: $180 single / $360 couple
View Booking Instructions | Book tickets
Future Pathways Newsletter
Read the latest issue of the Future Pathways Newsletter.
This edition features:
Talking About Careers At Home
Next week is National Careers week, a great time to start talking about careers at home. Below are a variety of helpful resources to help kickstart conversations. These early conversations are so important, and it is never too early or too late for the boys to start thinking about the kind of future they want to create for themselves.
View this weekend’s APS Sports fixture
Please note this is a live link, and changes are occasionally made on a Friday. You may check back at this link any time for the most up to date schedule.
APS Review
The strategic review of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS) Sport program is underway. Read further information about the review.
SCRUM Club
Read this week’s SCRUM Club newsletter.
Submit Your Sports Newsletter!
We welcome all Scotch sports to share their newsletters via The Torch. Submit your newsletter by emailing a copy to communications@scotch.vic.edu.au by 10am each Wednesday.
Year 9 Mother’s Day Lunch
The Year 9 Parent Representatives are delighted to invite Year 9 Mothers and Carers to the 2024 Mother’s Day Lunch. It will be held at the Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club on Friday, 24 May. Tickets are $100 per person, including a two-course menu and welcome drink. For any queries, please contact Alexa Jones by email alexa.jones@mirvac.com.
RSVP Friday 10 May
View the Mother’s Day Lunch invitation| Book Tickets
Year 11 Mothers & Carers Cocktail Party 2024
Our annual Year 11 Mothers & Carers Cocktail Party will be held at Sidedoor Wine Bar, 72 Willsmere Road, Kew on Friday, 17 May. The event will start at 6.30pm, and tickets are $40.00 per person.
RSVP by Monday, 13 May.
Year 12 ‘Final Fees’ Party
A reminder bookings are still open for the Year 12 Parents and Carers Final Fees Party. Lets celebrate this milestone!
Venue: The Conservatory, Studley Park Boathouse
Date: Saturday, 25 May
Time: 7pm – late
Price: $63 includes welcome cocktail, canapes, DJ and dancing!
Boarder Parents and Carers Annual Hill Cocktail Party 2024
The venue for the Annual Hill Cocktail Party has been changed to a wine bar close by. It is a great opportunity to support a Scotch family that owns the venue. The start time will remain at 7pm and the price will still include beverages and food.
Venue: Luton Lane Wine Bar, 8 Luton Lane, Hawthorn
Date: Saturday 11 May
Time: 7.00pm
Price: $100 per person (adults only)
Dress: Lounge suit/cocktail
RSVP Monday 6 May
View the Annual Hill Cocktail Party Invitation | Book Tickets
Snowsports Cocktail Party
Venue: Private Home
Date: Thursday, 23 May 2024
Time: 6.30pm – 9.00pm
Price: $90.00 per person (includes canapes and drinks)
RSVP Monday, 20 May
Piano Festival
Thursday, 9 May – Sunday, 12 May
We are excited to welcome back old boy, Ian Munro (class of 1980), composer and pianist to perform at the biennial Piano Festival next Friday 10th May at 7:30pm in the IRH. Join us for a unique opportunity to hear our own handmade harpsichord in action on Sunday 12th May at 11:30am (presentation) and 1:45pm (recital). There are many more presentations and concerts to enjoy during the Festival, bookings can be made via the QR code in the brochure or school website.
View the Brochure | Book Tickets Here
Scotch Arts – Wilma and Friends
Wednesday 29 May, Tuesday 17 September
Wilma Smith (Concertmaster MSO 2003 – 2014) brings a delicious, predominantly French piano trio program, followed by groups featuring wind instruments, including a Wilma & Friends first, the bassoon!
Book Wilma and Friends Tickets Here
Autumn Concert Festival
Wednesday 15 May, Thursday 16 May, Wednesday 22 May
The Scotch College Music Auxiliary invites all members of the Scotch Family to our annual Autumn Concert Festival.
Book Autumn Concert tickets here | More Information
Dracula: The Vampire Play
Thursday 23rd May, Friday 24th May, Saturday 25th May
Don’t miss the Year 9 & 10 performance of Dracula, a joint Scotch College and Strathcona Girls Grammar production. Get ready for a thrilling performance, held in the Geoffrey McComas Theatre in the James Forbes Academy at 7.30pm.
Winter Concert
Tuesday, 11 June
The Winter Concert is the Symphony Orchestra’s main performance of the year. It typically includes an overture and concerto, followed by a symphony or a large scale orchestral work. In recent years these have included complete performances Beethoven’s 7th symphony, Tchaikovsky’s 5th symphony, Elgar’s Enigma variations and Holst’s Planets.
This Concert is open to the general public as well as the school community.
For more information view the Winter Concert flyer.
Each week in The Torch, our Psychology and Health teams explore a topic related to boys’ health and wellbeing.
This week, we’re talking about sleep.
Young people today have extremely busy schedules, with ever increasing responsibilities at school and at home. Many children, especially adolescents, are going to bed later and later and are at risk of sleep deprivation. This affects three areas of their development: psychological, physiological and psychosocial. All three are essential to a young person’s growth, learning ability and overall wellbeing. Sleep is vital to a child’s overall development and is as important as diet and exercise.
Sleep also strengthens a child’s immune systems and supports their ability to function properly on a daily basis. Children who do not get enough sleep show increased levels of aggressive behaviour, are less attentive and are much less active. Trying to catch up on sleep on weekends is not the answer and can still lead to severe sleep deprivation.
As always, if you have any concerns about your child, please contact the Psychology team for further information or seek medical or professional help.