School Newsletter

Hear from students across our whole school about their cultures and what 'harmony' means to them. 

Junior School Celebrates Harmony Day

On Thursday, March 21, students across Prep and our Junior School enjoyed some exciting activities to celebrate Harmony Day.

Prep and Kindergarten students had the exciting opportunity to hear from a number of parent volunteers, who shared their cultures, teaching students some words in their languages, facts about their countries of origin, and even sharing some delicious cultural cuisines!

Students in Years 1-6 also participated in some enjoyable Harmony-themed activities during their class time!

Warilla Beach has changed significantly since ICS started visiting it for Geography in 2012. Since then, Mrs Spreitzer has guided students through their study of this environment's natural and human factors. Recently, Warilla Beach has changed dramatically with an extensive seawall renewal project. 

Year 10 started the day by meeting Mr Scott Morrison, the Principal Geotechnical Engineer and Wollongong Area Manager of SMEC Australia. Scott is also an ICS parent. The students had already met Scott and his colleague, Mr Anthony Folan (based in Brisbane) via Zoom, learning about the new seawall design and how it was more suited to the dynamic nature of Warilla Beach than the management strategies used in the past. The seawall’s limitations and sustainability were also considered. 

Year 10 students and the Geography and Science staff greatly appreciate Mr Morrison and Mr Falon helping us understand the management of this dynamic environment. 

Mrs Ainsley Atkinson, Mr Doug Hughes and Mr Jonathan Bartley

Year 10 Geography and Science Teachers

Lead roles revealed!

During Week 7, the roles for our school's production of The Wizard of Oz were announced! Congratulations to the following students for their lead roles, as well as the students in the lead ensemble:

Dorothy – Crystal Nuske

Scarecrow – Isaiah Williams

Tinman – Fraya Vanderschoor

Lion – Connor Hutchinson

Wicked Witch – Hannah Williams

The Wizard – Elijah Zorn

Glinda – Jemima Dombkins

Aunt Em – Rebecca McNiece

Uncle Henry – Summer Price

Guard – Rosie Beavan

Lead Ensemble – Makenzie Gray, Abby Haines, Piper Story, Rafi Henderson, Bekah Kinstead, Sophia Janeski, Isabel Carroll, Eve Brown

Set creation & design gets underway!

Year 5 & 6 students have been learning about watercolour painting techniques as part of a 3D paper sculpture unit. Inspired by the California poppies that feature in the original story, Year 6 students have used washes and blended tones to create the illusion of form on their 2D petals.

Next, they will learn about other sculpture-making strategies as they assemble their final creations, ready for the IPAC stage!  

Stage 5 has spent the term learning some of the fundamentals of set design: shape, proportion and silhouette, colour harmonies, expressive line, set dressing (symbolism), and perspective. Having seen how artists and designers use these essential tools to create new worlds with their own particular mood and story, students are now busily applying their skills and knowledge.

Each student has been tasked with developing a background for a scene in the play, combining the director's notes with their own personal design preferences. Once complete, the suite of paintings will become digital backdrops, setting the scene for the action of the play.  

Students will be involved in almost every aspect of the musical, so stay tuned to find out more of the amazing things they've been doing!

Inspired to join in the fun? (Why should adults miss out on all the fun!?) Contact Mrs Jo Williams via SEQTA to express your interest.

Andy and Matt were the recipients of two of ICS’ highest ATARs in last year's HSC class, and have been awarded with the scholarship as they both commence a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering at UOW.

The Westpac Young Technologists Scholarship is awarded to just 100 Australian students each year, and is designed for 'exceptionally talented and curious students committed to advancing their skills and passion in technology to drive innovation and create positive impact'.

As part of the scholarship, Andy and Matt will receive up to three years of comprehensive support, including financial assistance for their studies, networking opportunities, access to mentoring programs, and paid internships alongside senior business leaders and industry experts.

Congratulations, Andy and Matt!

The Bible has a lot to say about communicating a little less with our speech, which could also apply to electronic communication. Just replace 'talk' or 'speak' with 'text', 'message', or 'email'.

Proverbs 10:19 (NLT):

“Too much talk (texting/messaging/emailing) leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.”

James 1:19 (NLT):

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak (text/message/email), and slow to get angry.”

2 Proverbs 13:3 (NIV):

“Those who guard their lips (communications) preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.”

Matthew 12:36 (NIV):

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty (text/message/email)word they have spoken.”

Psalm 141:3 (NIV):

“Set a guard over my mouth (texting/messaging/emailing), Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

Proverbs 29:20 (NIV):

“Do you see someone who speaks (texts/messages/emails) in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.”

How might this apply to our children/students at ICS?

The great explosion of the internet was not just about ubiquitous access to information (which is great!), but more so around the social internet and related platforms.

We are created in God’s image to relate to Him and our fellow creations and it’s built into our DNA to be social. We will naturally gravitate to online platforms where we can connect with others around our relationship.

This means we live in a stream of constant communication, and biblically, this is going to lead to trouble at some point. Email, social media messaging, YouTube comment threads, bulletin boards, forums, collaborative documents and more amplify and expand our communication interactions. There seems to be no escape!

So how can we respond?

Unplug.

Sign-out.

Set parameters.

Prioritise in-person interactions.

Cherish the silence.

In my role as Coordinator of Learning Technologies, and in teaching in the Multimedia area, I use tech more than most. However, I have learnt the joy of disconnecting. Airplane mode is fantastic. Limiting or turning off notifications is glorious. Unsubscribing is bliss. Setting boundaries makes it all sustainable.

Our students/children need this help too. If we ‘occasionally’ engage in regrettable communications, how much more might the younger generation struggle with this issue?

The dopamine hit from a message ‘ding’ is just too much to resist. Sending an edgy or silly message may give them kudos and likes amongst their peers. Switching ‘off’ can seem a socially isolating thing to do.

As parents and teachers, we can help them find a balance.

Enjoy these tools of communication where appropriate. Be intentional in how we do and don’t use it. Have parameters around disconnection. Model these parameters (our actions are the most powerful teaching tool).

The great thing about our digital age is that there are so many resources for us to access. A few of my go-to's are:

Parents | eSafety Commissioner - Fantastic data sheets and resources around being safe/sensible online.

Parenting, Media, and Everything in Between | Common Sense Media - Common Sense Media is a fantastic site for resources, reviews, tips and more. See a sample of the areas below:

The reality for our students/children (and us!) is that we will inevitably make mistakes at some point. Fortunately, we have a God of grace, as the Psalmist reminds us:

"He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust."

Psalm 103:10-14 (KJV)

Yours in Christ's service,

Mr Rob Spreitzer

Coordinator of Learning Technologies