Teachers then have been sharing a reflection based on three questions (adapted from the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership):

It has been wonderful to see teachers visit classes and parts of the school that aren’t normally part of their day-to-day role. In doing so, they are taking valuable time to invest in meta-learning, that is the Learning for Life language about learning that we use here at Shire. They are not just reading about it but seeing and hearing it in action.

Here are some of the things teachers have commented on during their observations:

Next week during our whole staff meeting we will come together and reflect on the process and refine it again for our peer observations during Semester 2.

Mrs Rachel Robinson
Academic Head

Throughout the term, our school has been intentionally exploring our “Rainbow Reminders” through the lens of God’s Word, encouraging students to strive to live lives that emulate Christ. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we seek to bring glory to our Lord through the things we do and say each day. Alongside this, we have continued to support our students emotional wellbeing through a holistic approach, seeking to explicitly teach some coping strategies.

Our Robotics Team continues to meet weekly after school, programming and building projects in preparation for upcoming competitions. Students thoroughly enjoyed an additional Robotics Workshop Day last Saturday, and we are very thankful for the dedication and expertise of Leonie Hampson, Chris Pinn, and the supporting teachers who faithfully invest their time to make these opportunities possible.

It has also been a particularly busy and exciting season of sport across the Junior School. Students have enthusiastically participated in Cross Country, our Athletics Carnival, Gala Days for Soccer, Netball and AFL alongside other independent schools, AFL clinics after school, and the Friday afternoon Oztag Interschool Competition with Danebank, Inaburra and Scots. We have also celebrated students representing the school through CSSA and CIS representative trials. These opportunities are only possible because of the willingness of our staff to go the extra mile, and we are deeply thankful for their investment in our students. A special thank you to our Junior School Sports Coordinator, Ashleigh Hackfath, for her enthusiasm and organisation in facilitating these valuable sporting opportunities for our students.

We are also very much looking forward to celebrating our Grandparents Days next week on Tues 16 June, Wed 17 June and Thurs 18 June (Prep 2). We are incredibly thankful for the support and flexibility of our learning community in helping to accommodate this very special occasion, and we look forward to welcoming grandparents and special guests onto campus to share in the life of our school.

Mrs Ruth Cooper
Head of Junior School

The first place students should check when they are away is Google Classroom. This is the place where teachers will often leave information on what would have been learnt in class that day. In some subjects, it can often be quite predictable what is being taught next, such as the next activity in the Mathematics textbook. If a student is working on an assignment, they might be able to make some progress while they are away from school. Of course, this is built on the assumption that they are well enough to engage in learning when they are sick. If that is not the case, it may be better to have a relaxing day on the lounge.

There is no expectation that students will catch up on all work the first day they return. It is often better to set a goal of catching up gradually over a week, making decisions to cover the important learning first.

In regards to assessment tasks, generally it is expected that students complete missed tasks the first day they return to school. This may involve them missing another class to get them completed as soon as possible. If a child is in Years 10 to 12 and they are absent for a NESA assessment task, there are rules outlined in the assessment booklets for those years. If a student misses a NESA task they will require a medical certificate and will need to fill in a misadventure form.

If your child will be missing from school due to other reasons than being sick, such as sporting representative events or family holidays, it is important that the school is notified of this intended absence. Mr Carter has written about this in today’s newsletter. If you have any questions regarding absences, it is probably best to contact your child’s Year Coordinator in the first instance.

Mr David Collins
Head of Secondary

For the Duke of Ed practice hike, it was decided that we would walk the route in reverse from the previous day's school camp and do some off trail exploring. As we moved through the vegetation, there was a common consensus that it felt wrong stepping on plants and potentially damaging the ecosystems but we took steps to protect the space as much as we could. We would not walk in a single line, to avoid creating a trail which could lead to erosion and reduction in vegetation growth and we would leave no trace besides our footprints. This included carrying any waste - including human waste. We had been warned and prepared for this fact. A fact that shook us to our core. Nevertheless seeing the ‘poo tube’ for the first time put into perspective what it meant to leave no trace. Due to the alpine environment and low temperatures, human waste would not decompose in the soil leaving a special surprise for any unfortunate travelers that may stumble upon it. We each took turns carrying said ‘poo tube’ and I don’t think we ever felt closer.

For lunch on the first day, we ate by Blue Lake which was formed through glacier erosion and we got to see the incredible sheer face of the walls surrounding it before continuing on our journey to find a place to camp. Our site for the night had two steep hills on each side of a river, protecting us from wind and giving us a view of sunsets and rises. We set up our tents before it got dark and made some dinner. Due to the freezing temperatures, no one was keen to stay out of their tents longer than needed, so it was an early night.

There was no set wake up time the next day which was wonderful since the day before we had risen at 5.15am. After the leisurely wakeup, it was decided that for the memorial of ANZAC day we would go on a short hike to another mountain to do our own time of remembrance but we soon reached a block in the road. A large rock left little space for us to maneuver around so we decided to do the memorial on the safe side. It was such a peaceful place to take a moment to stop and think about the sacrifice and cost that Australian men and women paid for freedom.

After this time, we went back to our campsite and packed up and continued on. The goal was to make it to the bathrooms at Rawson Pass for lunch. Little did we know that it was further away than we remembered and we ended up having lunch at about 3.30pm. While we were here, a heroic volunteer from our group sacrificed himself to unload the ‘poo tube’ contents, saving the rest of us. We were all so thankful.

After our lunch break we walked for a short time to Snowy River near Seaman’s hut to our campsite for the night, only 4km away from the finish due to the early morning ahead. Again we set up and had dinner, but the early morning ahead and freezing air made us retire quickly.

As promised we had an early morning which meant freezing hands as we packed up our tents but also a glorious sunrise to witness. It was beautiful to take a second and enjoy God’s creation.

We then quickly walked the last 4km and got to use a toilet before piling onto the school minibus and heading into the town of Jindabyne for a bakery breakfast. Nothing tasted better than warm, fresh food and a drink before we started the 6 hour drive home.

I truly loved this hike. It was one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve been on and I got to spend it with amazing people. Many laughs were had and smiles shared. I want to thank all the people that were involved in the planning of this hike such as Mrs Wilcockson and Sam Hudson. Your guidance and support was wonderful and very much appreciated! It's sad to think that this will be one of our last hikes together as a big Duke of Ed family.

Tamara
Year 11 Student

In the Junior School, students took on the theme The View From Here . The results were beautifully diverse. Some looked downward, capturing miniature worlds of garden bugs, while others looked outward, photographing different types of windows or using colour to paint vibrant ocean scenes. It was a fascinating, heartwarming glimpse into how our youngest creators perceive their daily lives and the world immediately around them.

Meanwhile, our Secondary School artists tackled a more conceptual challenge: One Moment in Time . The depth of maturity on display was outstanding. Students managed to freeze-frame fleeting instances of human emotion: a dramatic sports moment, a baby handing a mother’s hand, or capturing beautiful Australian scenery. The technical skill and emotional weight in these pieces left many visitors absolutely spellbound.

A massive thank you to every student who submitted artwork, as the results have been curated into a breathtaking show. Selecting the winners has been an almost impossible task!

Miss Susie Yock
Head of Visual Arts

They told us how they wrote their books, concepts and structures, as well as tips on how to improve. I enjoy writing but am not the best at it, but to hear the way authors could be so unique yet be able to tell such compelling stories in their own way really captivated me. We got to hear about who these authors were as a person, what had inspired them to write and also a bit about their books they wrote. I found it fascinating that even the most different, unexpected people - like Josh Silver a previous actor and mental health nurse - could become authors, and also to see their thought processes and how they wrote their own books. I think, as someone who wants to start writing more, that the Sydney Writer’s Festival is an amazing place to get advice from multiple authors of different genres and I’d really enjoy going again.

Iva
Year 8 Student

The zone title was secured after an undefeated run across four matches on a beautiful day of competition against strong opposition. The team knew they would need to win every game to take the title, and they rose to the challenge, winning their first three matches with confidence to set up a decisive final against fellow undefeated side Inaburra.

The final proved to be a tightly contested match, with the team’s defence standing firm under sustained pressure in the first half. Outstanding goalkeeping kept the scores level, while the attacking unit worked tirelessly to create opportunities. The breakthrough came via a quick counterattack down the right, finished clinically after a well‑placed cross into the box. From there, the girls showed composure and maturity, communicating well and maintaining control to secure a well‑deserved victory and the South Met Zone title.

Just days later, the team travelled to Newcastle for Round 2 of the CIS Plate. Despite heavy rain on the journey north, conditions improved on arrival and the girls delivered another strong performance. Excellent passing, teamwork and finishing resulted in a commanding 7–1 win, underlining the team’s depth, cohesion and attacking strength.

Across both competitions, the team demonstrated not only quality football but also outstanding teamwork and character. The girls now look ahead with excitement to the State Titles and Round 3 of the Plate Cup next month, encouraged by a strong start to the season.

Mrs Leanne Dipple
Coach

King Saul and his son Jonathan, David’s very close and dear friend, had both been killed in battle, so David had become King, had won very many and decisive victories over the surrounding nations, and had brought the precious Ark of the Covenant up into the Tabernacle in Jerusalem. To celebrate all this, David wanted to honour his late long-standing boyhood best-friend by searching out one of Jonathan’s descendants to come and ‘eat at his table’, a kind of ‘consolation prize’ for a displaced lineal successor of Saul and Jonathan to the throne.  The only descendant that could be found was Mephibosheth, who had become a cripple as a 5 year-old child when his nurse was fleeing with him in a panic to save him from being murdered as the rightful heir to the throne as soon as the dynasty became David’s.

I just love the way the author of 2 Samuel expresses it: “he always ate at the king’s table; he was crippled in both feet.” It is hard for us to read these words without our minds going to David’s Greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the perfect Messiah King, who told a parable foreshadowing his own great victory celebration: a Wedding Banquet to which were invited all the social outcasts who were sleeping rough on the streets, because the ‘important’ people were too busy with personal interests and affairs to bother responding to the royal invitation! (Matthew 22:1-14).

When I go to the Lord’s Table for ‘Holy Communion’ or the ‘Lord’s Supper’, the story of Mephibosheth reminds me that, as a destitute sinner, (spiritually) ’crippled in both feet’, I am ‘eating at the King’s Table’, and that this is’ a foretaste of Heaven! “Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidd'st me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot, to thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.  Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt; fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; sight, riches, healing of the mind; yes, all I need, in thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come! Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. Just as I am, thy love unknown has broken every barrier down; now, to be thine, yea, thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come! Just as I am, of that free love, the breadth, length, depth, and height to prove; here for a season, then above, O Lamb of God, I come, I come!” (Charlotte Elliott.).  What great encouragement there is to be found in the account of Mephibosheth! And the sad sequel is that he was later mercilessly maligned by his servant, Ziba, who was jealous of the gracious blessing Mephibosheth received (Chapter 16). But this only serves to warn us of how an envious world will treat us because we are followers of King Jesus, benefitting from his amazing grace.

Rev Bruce Christian

If you can assist in hosting a student or would like more information, please contact VS Oceania Pty Ltd by email admin@vsoceania.com or phone 02 9889 4366 and fill out this form .

Families can set up an account online or via the app using the instructions provided . Please set up a profile for each child to help us distribute the food.

Orders can be placed up until 8am on the day of delivery, an added convenience for families, now able to decide at the last minute to order lunch for their children. This time will be reviewed and adjusted if demand requires, and parents will be notified in advance by email.

While limited snacks are available on the School Fuel menu, parents should be aware that with delivery later in the day to keep the food fresh, snacks should still be provided for Break 1.

Junior School students will have their orders brought to their classroom. Secondary School students can collect their order during Break 2 (12:27pm) in the Year 12 area outside Student Services. Secondary students are responsible for collecting their orders from this location.

We hope this arrangement will provide a healthy convenient option for our families.