Firstly I would like to acknowledge how weary we all are of wearing masks while at school. We had hoped after week 5 for the removal of the mandate; the evidence shows that face masks are preventing the spread of Covid 19, so the decision has been made that they will remain a feature of secondary schools at least until the end of Term 1.

We have to remind students throughout the day to wear their mask and to wear it correctly. I am grateful to parents for your support in reminding students why we wear masks. It is non-negotiable when indoors. Teachers have introduced outdoor classes to allow the students a break or a mask break in the middle of a double.

Rowing

Our rowing team has been hard at work competing at Lake Barrington, with more schools competition happening this weekend. Effectively having no day off takes real commitment, and I acknowledge all our rowers and the parents, staff, and coaches who encourage and support their participation.

Clean Up Australia Day at SBSC on Monday 7 March was an initiative our SRC Executive felt passionate about, particularly in light of the extra waste produced by disposable masks. It was encouraging to see the whole school take 15 minutes to care for our school environment, which we take for granted. Led by our Year 12 students and the SRC Executive, each year group cleaned a particular area of the grounds. Taking part in this small exercise, we hope our students have grown aware of caring for our school environment and the natural environment everywhere. We have also taken delivery of four new recycling bins, which have been placed around the playground area to assist students in minimising waste.

On Tuesday, 8 March, the world celebrated International Women's Day. Some may ask why we still need International Women's Day when women have had apparent equality for years, and we still need International Women's Day?

Approximately 130 million girls worldwide are denied access to education.

More than one in three Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence, and one in two experiences sexual harassment. Women are dying at a greater rate than one a week at the hands of their partner or former partner.

The national gender pay gap is 15.3%, and it has remained stuck between 15% and 19% for the past two decades.

On average, women spend 64% of their working week performing unpaid care work.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge the strong women in our community and all who contribute to nurturing the strong women of the future. I was privileged to hear one of these strong women in the making last week speak at the SRC Executive meeting, explaining how members took some time to support a school group or club, such as the Vinnies group or the Chess club. This strong young woman effectively called out her peers, challenging them to put themselves out of their comfort zones, lead by example, and be the change they want to see in our school. I am grateful that we have such a courageous leader in our school.

PE Uniform

This term, to avoid congestion in changerooms, we have allowed students to wear their PE uniform to and from school on days they have PE. Students must wear the correct PE uniform, which does not include bottoms with brand names and other logos. We are noticing an increasing number of students in a version of PE uniform rather than the correct PE uniform. Some Year 9 and 10 students wear PE uniforms three days a week; if the right uniform items cannot be worn, plain blue or black bottoms are required. The PE uniform requirements also apply to senior students. As always, hoodies are not permitted.

Contact

Over the last fortnight, I have particularly been reminded of the privilege to work with parents to achieve the best outcomes for our students. We do not take this for granted. For this reason, I include here a reminder of who to contact when you have a concern. For any query concerning your child's work or progress in a particular subject, please contact your child's teacher for that subject in the first instance. It is always best to direct your query to your child's Homeroom teacher for anything not subject-related. If they cannot answer your question, they will direct your inquiry to the appropriate person. A reminder that an email is a non-urgent form of communication. It is reasonable to expect a response or acknowledgment of an email within 1 to 2 school days. We are human, so if it is urgent, please ring the office.

Kim Walters

Acting Principal

Year 7 participated in activities on Wednesday and Thursday at Camp Clayton this week. Year 7 students had the opportunity to participate in various physical activities, including the flying fox and archery. Students were able to push themselves to engage in activities out of their comfort zone. Most important of all, this was an experience that brought students together.

NSATIS Tennis

The first home games of the season saw mixed results for the NSATIS girls, who could not capitalise on the home-court advantage. Annabell Radcliff had a good day on the court, defeating her opponent 9-2, and there was a fantastic improvement from Chlebie and Chloe Pickering, and Elizabeth Titlow, who all had close games. Final scores were 54-38 to LCGS.

Unfortunately, the boys' game against Launceston Church Grammer was a forfeit as LCGS could not field a team. However, it was a great display of sportsmanship from LCGS and our boys. Two of their players made the trip to Devonport to give our boys some great games and an opportunity to work on their tennis skills. 

Any girls grade 7-10 interested in playing in the High School Girls football competition during term two will have a signup sheet in the gym next Monday and Tuesday. All interested girls need to put their names down.

Parents of students who signed up for touch football next week are reminded that their child will be out all day next Tuesday 22nd of March.

Last weekend the SBSC rowing team competed at Schools Regatta 3 held at Lake Barrington rowing course. The team of 20 raced against other schools across the State in preparation for the Tasmanian Alls Schools Championships. Lake Barrington will host the Championships on the 19th and 20th of March. 

Participants spent two days racing in various weather conditions, with SBSC earning some great results, especially from our U/13 rowers who competed for the first time. Standout performances from the College in Open Girls and U/16 Girls. We hope to consolidate this successful weekend at the Championships! 

Written by Meg Castles and Harrison Nield

The team at Optus Digital Thumbprint team is proud to offer parents and caregivers a free seminar about the challenges of the digital world for young people and how to deal with them. Digital Thumbprint for Parents and Caregivers will provide practical information and resources so that parents and caregivers can support young people to be safe, responsible, and positive online. It covers everything from password security, to gaming, social media, cyberbullying and image-based abuse, online exploitation as well as some time for Q&A.

There’s no cost to attend and we are running two of these over the next two weeks. 

Date: Thursday 17th March 2022 and Tuesday 22nd March 2022

Time: 5:55pm login for a 6:00pm (AEDT) start. Concludes at 7:00pm

Location: Zoom

Cost: Free

Registration: REGISTER HERE for TUESDAY 22nd March 2022

Once registered, the Zoom meeting details become available.