Week 5, Winter Term 2019
Another week flies by as we edge closer to the September holiday break. Towards the end of last week there was still a number of boys who did not have leave entered for the long weekend just gone, and as we approach the end to this term, we would certainly appreciate the leave starting to be entered from now. It will be a very messy end to the term with the Year 11’s and 12’s on exam break and the Year 10’s either heading off for the last of the Year 10 expeditions or an early holiday break so your help with entering leave early will certainly assist us.
After speaking with a number of families at Dowerin this week we hope you get some of the rain that is coming through over the next week just to finish off the crop and set yourselves up for a good end to the year.
Interhouse Athletics Carnivals
Over the past few days the school has seen all three sub schools complete their interhouse athletics carnivals, Wednesday was a very hot day for the Junior School, Thursday a wet day for the Middle School and today proved to be pleasant, although windy day for the Senior School. As usual the days ran very well and there were some great performances by the boys.
Dowerin Field Days
We had contrasting days at Dowerin and this was mainly due to the differing weather conditions. Hot and sunny on day one followed by windy and wet on day 2. Both days conditions played into our hands as we were kept fairly busy across the two days catching up with current and past families as well as talking to a number of potential new Scotch graduates. Thank you to all who stopped by, we really enjoyed the chat and insights that you provided us with.
Newdegate Field Days
The 47th Newdegate Machinery Field Days are being held on September 4th and 5th. Marcus Wilkinson and Richard Hales will be back again to say hi to new and old Scotch families, OSC and anyone else who happens to drop by. There will be Machinery, technology and research, animals and livestock, outdoor and camping exhibits, art and photography, fashion, show bags, food and wine, local produce, live entertainment, and much, much more, making this two day event one not to missed.
Marcus and Richard are staying at the Grand Olde Dumbleyung Inn while they are attending the Newdegate show and we will be there on Tuesday and Wednesday from about 6pm. If there are any families in the area then we encourage you to please drop in and as well as stay for a chat challenge Richard to a game of darts!! Again, if you have any families who may be interested in finding out more about boarding opportunities in Perth then please feel free to bring them along.
Chapman Valley Show
The 70th Annual Chapman Valley Show will be held on Saturday, September 7th. If you are near Geraldton come and see Grant Bennett and Matt Bradley for a catchup and join in the festivities. It is being held 26km out of Geraldton on the Chapman Valley Road. There is something for everyone and it is a great family day out. Look forward to seeing you there.
Northam Show
The Northam Farmers Show being held on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th September with Marcus planning to attend the show on Saturday. This year’s Show theme is ‘Recycle for a Brighter Future’. The Show is being held at the Showgrounds on Peel Terrace with a large number of competitions including: Pavilion, Animal and Equestrian categories. Come on down for a fun day out.
Fire Pits
Over the past few weeks we have purchased fire pits for all three houses as we feel that these are a great way for the boys to get out of the houses and enjoy the beautiful winter evenings we have had recently. Unfortunately, we are discovering that fire pits need wood and that the boys are enjoying their fires so much that we are having to source bags and bags of wood from the local timber yards. Though we don’t mind this, we are hoping that if you have some spare room in your cars, you might be able to throw a bag or two of wood, on your next trip in to help lessen the expense of our fireside chats.
Year 11 and 12 Exam Readiness Program
Last Sunday the School Library was open from 9.30am to 12.30pm for the Year 11 and 12 boarders to begin their study prep for their end of term exams and this will continue for the next few weeks. A number of Year 11’s took advantage of the opportunity while the Year 12’s need a little bit more encouragment. The main focus for these sessions is purely on preparing notes for future study and the revision of old exam papers. Matt Bradley will be supervising these sessions to begin with and will be there to provide the boys with any assistance that they may require.
Our Elevate Education Sessions have expressed how important it is to have time to develop high quality notes and that these should be compiled prior to the examination period commencing.
Year 11 and 12 Exam Timetables
Please find below the link to the Year 11 and 12 Exam Timetables for Semester Two. The timetables can be downloaded from this site and any changes that are made within the next few weeks will be updated automatically.
https://home.scotch.wa.edu.au/teaching-and-learning/assessments-and-reporting/exam-timetables/
Keys For Life – Driver Education
The Keys For Life program is designed to assist our Year 10 boys on their journey to attaining their Drivers Licence. We will begin this program for our current Year 10’s on Tuesday night. At that first meeting they will be given a Student Journal, which will have a number of tasks that the boys will need to complete, while being a passenger in the car. If you could assist them with completing the book during breaks, weekends or holiday periods, it will certainly assist them with their driver education.
2019 Academic Check Up
The Academic Check Up programme is available to regional students in Year 2 and above. The programme offers boys the opportunity to be assessed annually on their progress in reading, writing and numeracy and provides support with recommended reading lists, websites and software. There is no charge for this programme and is open to all boys, regardless of whether or not they are registered with Scotch College.
The Academic Check Up programme gives regional families an insight as to how their son is performing in relation to the boys at Scotch College, their areas of strength and their areas for development.
If you know of any families who may be interested in this programme then please ask them to contact Di Moran in Admissions.
Wishing you all a great weekend!!