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OCTOBER

Week 2B

Wed 24 Year 1 Open Morning

Thurs 25 Year 3 Open Morning

Fri 26 Visual Arts excursion, Elective

students Years 9 – 11

Kindergarten Orientation

morning, 9am - 11am

SUN 28 OXI DAY CELEBRATIONS,

Compulsory Church

attendance all students K-11

and staff, All Saints Church, 9am

Week 3A

Mon 29 English excursion, Years 7 and 8

PK 2 Day Group Open Morning

Year 5 & 6 Open Morning

Wed 31 Year 2 Open Morning

BYOT Year 2 Parent Information

Session, 10am, Library

NOVEMBER

Thurs 1 PK 3 Day Group Open Morning

Tue 6 Co-curricular Concert,

Gymnasium, 6:30pm – 8pm

Thurs 8 Year 7 Vaccinations (HPV)

Fri 9 HSC Exams conclude

Year 12 Graduation Dinner, Beta

Bar and Gallery, 7pm

Tue 13 Technology, Creative and

Performing Arts Exhibition,

11am -5pm

Thurs 15 Whole School Liturgy, 8:30am

NB: Please check dates regularly as

changes may be necessary

All Saints Grammar would like to thank our parents for their ongoing support and interaction across our social media. We have received great interest from our parents about sharing some of their images and been so overwhelmed with the volume that we have not been able to share every snapshot. Please note that although we cannot post everything, if you wish to share some images with our community about school life, we would greatly appreciate your contribution.

To share your images we kindly request that you send them along with a short blurb to marketing@allsaints.nsw.edu.au

Welcome to Term 4. I trust you enjoyed your time with your

children at home. It’s great to be back! Term 4 at All Saints is going

to be very busy. We have so many wonderful events taking place

this term. I encourage you to keep up to date by visiting our

website and checking our calendar regularly. Don’t forget to check

your Flexibuzz App to ensure you are informed of all the activity

that will be taking place during this term.

HSC Examinations

Our Year 12 students began their examinations on Thursday 18

October. The exam periods will continue for the next four

weeks or so. We are keeping our students in our thoughts and prayers. It is important

that parents do everything possible to provide a comfortable and reassuring

environment at home for students to study and for them to feel

supported throughout this period of high pressure and stress. We wish our students

the best of success in the exams!

St James Liturgy

Year 10 students attended the annual St James Liturgy today, Tuesday 23

October. This was a wonderful opportunity for our three Greek Orthodox Schools

to come together to participate in this important liturgical event.

Year 11 Parent/Teacher Conference

On Monday 22 October, parents and students of Year 11 had an opportunity to

discuss their academic progress with their teachers. Students have been given ample

opportunity to discuss their course progress and changes as they begin their HSC

course now in Term 4. Parents have taken advantage of this chance to discuss HSC

expectations and strategies for improvement for their child from this point forward.

October 2018

OXI Day

The ‘OXI’ Day’ will be commemorated on Sunday 29 October. All students K-11 are asked to attend from 9am and

are to assemble in the Primary Campus playground for a 9:30am entry into the Church. Following the Liturgy, the

school will undertake a short march from the Primary Campus playground along Cecilia Street and into the Gymnasium

where they will assemble for the ‘OXI’ Day Commemorative Service. Parents can move directly from Church into the

Gymnasium to take their seats. The expected conclusion time for this service is 12:00pm. Parents are requested not

to take their children until the proceedings have concluded. …continued over page

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This is a significant event in our community and as such it is COMPULSORY. It is pleasing to know that we

have the support of a significant number of families in our community who will be in attendance. We know

that our parent body values this unique aspect of All Saints Grammar, as this is one of the reasons you have

chosen our school for your son or daughter. We ask for your support in this matter, as we would prefer

not to be placed in a position where we need to administer consequences for non-attendance.

Opal Card: Tap on and Off – Bus service

The company running the bus service to our school has asked us to remind parents and students of the

importance of tapping ON and tapping OFF when using the bus service! Please see the attached letter

from the bus company.

ACER Scholarship Examination

Each year the School participates in the ACER Cooperative Scholarship Testing Program. Students in Year

5 and Year 9 2018 can register to sit the annual examination in 2019 to apply for a scholarship commencing

in Year 7 and Year 11 in 2020. The examination will be held on Saturday, 23 February 2019 at the

Secondary Campus.

In addition to the ACER CSTP Examination, please note that scholarships will be offered to existing students

as outlined in our Scholarship Policy. This policy outlines the various forms students may achieve a

scholarship. The policy is available on our website at: www.allsaints.nsw.edu.au.

If you feel your child will benefit from sitting for the ACER CSTP, you are invited to register for that

examination by completing the online registration form. To access the form, follow the ‘Scholarship’ link

under the Enrolment page on the school’s website at www.allsaints.nsw.edu.au. Online registrations will

close at midnight on Monday 4 February 2019. The Registration Fee is $115.00 and payment by credit

card is required.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Director of Enrolments on 9704 6433.

From the School Chaplain Very Reverend Father Apostolos Trifyllis In the late spring of 1943, Nazi ships of death were making stops in the ports of the Ionian Islands. The

mission of the SS squads was to round up all the Jews of the region and transfer them to concentration

camps.

A couple of days before they arrived at Zakynthos, the commandant called Bishop Chrysostomos and Mayor

Lucas Carrer to his office and told them they had 24 hours to submit a list with the names of all the Jews

who lived on the island.

They returned with an envelope before the deadline expired. The commandant opened the envelope but the

paper within contained just two names: the Bishop’s and the Mayor’s. “If you harm these people,”

Chrysostomos said in reference to the island’s Jews, “I will go with them and share their fate.”

The Nazi commander was stunned. He sent an urgent message to Berlin requesting new orders. Meanwhile,

the Bishop and the Mayor had prompted a massive operation to hide the island’s Jews in villages, farms and

the homes of Christians.

In the months that followed, and until the departure of the German troops, no one betrayed them, no one

confessed to knowing where they were hiding, and thus not one single Jew of the 275 that lived on Zakynthos

was deported to concentration camps.

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Do you know what the Jewish people call Zakynthos? The island of the just. In elementary school history

classes, children are taught how the Christians there saved 275 Jewish souls.

This is the essence of the fight that begun on the 28th October 1940: A nation – the Greek nation – did not

cower away, but fervently fought, showing humanity to every person in danger of being devoured by the

monster of fascism, irrespectively of race, religion, or culture. Let us not forget that OXI Day is always a

point of reference for people ready to water the tree of freedom with their blood!

Teaching For Learning Mr J. Rodriguez The Importance of Feedback in the Learning Process

As we start Semester two, and as our Year 11 students start their HSC, it is important to remind ourselves

of the importance of receiving feedback. As we get towards the end of the year, it is often the case that

students are faced with a significant number of assessment tasks and assessment results that at times affect

them at the emotional level.

For the purpose of learning, assessment tasks are ways in which teachers gather information about the

progress students have made in the learning expected of them. Teachers use the information gathered,

interpret it and then offer feedback to students about how they are going and what they need to do next in

their learning journey.

I’d like to share an extract from John Hattie’s work on the topic of feedback. Hattie is one of the world’s

best known and a most respected researcher and educator. Hattie suggests that feedback is one of the most

effective ways of helping students improve in their learning. I would suggest that at home, parents can use

the processes and questions in this extract to assist their children in their process of improvement.

The Three Feedback Questions (Hattie & Timperley 2007)

Where am I going? Knowing the end Goal!

The first question relates to goals or ‘Where am I going?’ While there is much research about the power of

goals in the management and psychological literature, it is not as common in the education literature. When

students understand their goals and what success at those goals look like, then the feedback is more powerful.

Without them feedback is often confusing, disorienting, and interpreted as something about the student not

their tasks or work. Most school age students’ goals are more sport or social rather than academic and most

academic goals relate more to completion of work, being on time, and trying harder than on the quality of

the academic outcomes.

There are two major elements of goals – these are challenge and commitment. Challenging goals relate to

feedback in two major ways. First, they inform individuals “as to what type or level of performance is to be

attained so that they can direct and evaluate their actions and efforts accordingly. Feedback allows them to

set reasonable goals and to track their performance in relation to their goals so that adjustments in effort,

direction, and even strategy can be made as needed” (Locke & Latham, 1990, p. 23). These levels of attainment

can be termed success criteria. These are goals without clarity as to when and how the student (and teacher)

would know they were successful and are often too vague to serve the purpose of enhancing learning. Second,

feedback allows students (and/or their teachers) to set further appropriately challenging goals as the previous

ones are attained, thus establishing the conditions for ongoing learning. By having clear goals, students are

more likely to attend to reducing the gap instead of overstating their current status, or claiming various

attributions that reduce effort and engagement. Goal commitment, which refers to one’s attachment or

determination to reach a goal, has a direct and often secondary impact on goal performance.

How am I going?

The second question is more related to progress feedback ‘How Am I Going?). This entails feedback (about

past, present or how to progress) relative to the starting or finishing point and is often expressed in relation

to some expected standard, to prior performance, and/or to success or failure on a specific part of the task.

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Feedback information about progress, about personal best performance, and comparative effects to other

students can be most salient to this second question.

Where to next?

The third question is more consequential – Where to next? Such feedback can assist in choosing the next most

appropriate challenges, more self-regulation over the learning process, greater fluency and automaticity,

different strategies and processes to work on the tasks, deeper understanding, and more information about

what is and what is not understood.

Wellbeing for Learning Mr T. Psomas Student engagement and growth mindset Are there kids that don't "get" school?

Are there kids who don’t see the point or the purpose of sitting at a desk and doing assignments that have

never motivated them in the past?

Or are there kids who are always assigned tasks that perpetuate the notion that they simply are "not that

smart?"

The good news is that these students can be reached by the right kind of mindset. There is a sweet spot in

education, where educators provide the optimal environment, support and standards and students find the

motivation and purpose to own their education and work hard for success. This is especially important for

disengaged students. These are the students who most need schools that will help them experience school

differently and overcome doubts about their own abilities. They need schools, in other words, that encourage

"the growth mindset."

Carol Dweck describes research, done by her and by her Stanford colleagues, which highlights the factors

making a difference for all youth. Schools can help these students succeed by promoting, by design and via

daily instruction, messages that tell students:

Your intelligence is something that can and will develop, with effort, good strategies, and support

from this school.

You have a purpose. You are "doing school" so that you can contribute something to your family

and to the world.

We, as your teachers, will set high standards for you, and we will give you what you need to

succeed.

When these messages are communicated well, educators can transform a student's experience of learning

from disengaged to engaged and excited. Schools that respond to students' needs by giving them relevant and

meaningful work and by developing strong, positive, and productive relationships with them will produce

graduates with strong growth mindsets.

From the School Counsellor Ms G. Stafford Building Grit

Welcome back! You’ve probably heard the word grit mentioned several times in recent years in the context

of raising kids who go on to fulfil their potential. While the word grit may conjure images of Rocky Balboa,

in the past decade or so it has taken on a whole new meaning that has stolen the attention of parents and

educators alike. That’s because according to University of Pennsylvania psychologist and Ted Talk sensation

Angela Duckworth, grit, defined as a child’s “perseverance and passion for long-term goals,” is a better

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indicator of future earnings and happiness than either IQ or talent. Today’s mounting research on grit suggests

that your child’s ability to work hard, endure struggle, fail, and try again may be the key to determining his

or her long-term success and happiness.

So, ‘What Is Grit’ and ‘Why Does it Matter?’ When we are in pursuit of a lofty goal, we don’t know when

or even whether we will succeed. Until we do. “Grit is a distinct combination of passion, resilience, determination,

and focus that allows a person to maintain the discipline and optimism to persevere in their goals even in the face of

discomfort, rejection, and a lack of visible progress for years, or even decades. “So as caregivers, what can we do

to provide that support? How do we teach our kids to push themselves? What can we do to help our kids

be receptive to these tough lessons? Here are a few ideas from the “grit” about how to be intentional in our

quest to build grit.

#1 Find an engaging activity/foster a passion

As children grow older, pursuing a particular interest of their own choosing can help them to identify a

passion and understand that practice, hard work and perseverance are the surest way to achievement. One

of the characteristics of “gritty” people is that they are “especially motivated to seek happiness through

focused engagement and a sense of meaning or purpose,” (Duckworth Lab Research Statement), so letting a

child find his or her own passion is necessary in the long term.

#2 Recognise That Frustration, Confusion and Practise Are Par for the Course

According to the Duckworth lab, those who believe that diligence and perseverance pay off beat out their

less optimistic, and often more talented, counterparts nearly every time. In a 2013 TED Talk, Duckworth

said the “best idea” she has heard about how to increase grit in children is to teach what Stanford professor

and author of the highly acclaimed book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck, calls a

“growth mindset.”

Dweck has found that people with “growth mindsets” are more resilient and tend to push through struggle

because they believe that hard work is part of the process and they understand that failure is not a permanent

condition. Those with “fixed mindsets” on the other hand, believe that success stems from innate talent and

tend to give up easily—why work hard at something if you don’t believe you can change anything? The

Duckworth lab’s recent research, undertaken in partnership with classroom teachers, shows that students

become less frustrated with the learning process and put forth more effort when they understand that even

experts struggle to learn their craft. It’s not that we should never let children change interests or shift

activities as they grow—they are kids after all—but understanding the value of practice, hard work and even

struggle may be the thing that carries them across the finish line.

#3 Share stories of gritty people

Encourage your child to study famous people (and their failures) Like Michael Jordan or J.K Rowling. These

examples will show your child that perseverance through failure can lead to great success. Share the times

in your life where you have had to work hard to overcome adversity.

#4 Ask your child, what is the hard part?

When your child feels discouraged or wants to give up, try asking them what the hard part is? After you have

both identified the challenge, ask what your child could do to overcome the problem?

5# Follow the “Hard thing rule”

The rule has three parts: 1) Each member of the family has to try something hard. 2) You must finish what

you start and 3) Everyone gets to pick their own hard thing.

These are just a few suggestions to help further develop Grit. If you would like to read more on Grit please

see the attached resources:

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Grit the power of passion and perseverance

https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_grit_the_power_of_passion_and_perseverance?language

=en

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-31/growth-mindset-grit-and-resilience-key-to-success/10055608

Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance.

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/family-life/social-emotional-learning/social-skills-for-kids/power-defeat-

how-to-raise-kid-grit.html

Clubs and Programs

Duke of Edinburgh The Duke of Edinburgh Award provides students with an individualised program that encourages participants

to develop new skills, increase physical activity, involve themselves in service to the community and step

outside of their comfort zone on camp. The program allows participants to develop skills such as leadership,

time management, resilience and problem solving (just to name a few). At All Saints Grammar, we are proud

to offer this opportunity to our students.

During the holidays, our Silver Duke of Edinburgh students completed their Silver Practice Journey. The

journey consisted of 7km of canoeing and 28km of hiking over three days. Our students demonstrated

courage, grit, determination and teamwork as they worked together to overcome adverse weather

conditions and a challenging hike.

Having already completed their Bronze Practice and Qualifying Journey, the students were able to build on

their knowledge, showcasing their navigation and leadership skills. Students will now work towards preparing

for their silver Qualifying Journey, which will prove to be more challenging, but promises to be more

rewarding.

In addition to our Silver Duke of Edinburgh students, I would like to make a special mention to Mark Ullman.

This young man completed not only his Bronze Practice Journey, but also his Bronze Qualifying Journey in

the holidays with an open award unit. Meaning that unlike our Silver students, Mark completed his journeys

with students from differing schools. We commend Mark on his courage and determination in the completion

of both camps.

Mrs McPherson

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