September 2022 Newsletter
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Welcome from the Principal
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Deputy Duologue
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Celebrating Student Achievements
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Library - New Recreational Reading
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Humanities and Outdoor Education
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Backcountry Ski trip
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Downhill Ski and Snowboarding Excursion
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Science
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ANU STEM Challenges 2022
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Robotics
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Careers Xpo
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Sexual Health, Lifestyles & Relationships Program (SHLiRP)
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Wear It Purple
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Step into the Limelight Art Exhibition
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Art Technology and Design
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Visit from Canberra BMW
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Creative Club
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Lunchtime Busking
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Sporting Achievements
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Oztag and Volleyball Competitions
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U16 and U18 Women's Asian Basketball Championships
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ACT Instrumental Music Program Auditions
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Dates for Diary
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Community Notices
Welcome to spring, and what a busy few months! So many opportunities for students throughout the semester.
Thank you to all for participating in a range of health and wellbeing initiatives including:
The Sexual Health, Lifestyles and Relationships Program (SHirLP)ran this semester. Live streamed lessons occurred in Support Group in Weeks 3 and 4, and there was voluntary screening for interested students. The school received a thank you letter from the Director, Canberra Sexual Health. The program is a biennial event so due back in 2024.
Students were also able to opt in on some national surveys the Australian Secondary Students’ Alcohol and Drug survey and the Youth Research Collective at the University of Melbourne national research project called ‘Life Patterns’ investigating how young people transition from school to further education and work.
The College also supported Wear it Purple Day in August to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for rainbow young people. https://www.wearitpurple.org/
RUOK? Day
Thank you to school community for supporting R U OK? Day and hospitality students for fundraising.
You don't need to be an expert to reach out - just a great friend and a good listener. Use these four steps and have a conversation that could change a life.
ACT Scaling Test 2022
A large number of students undertook the ACT Scaling Test (AST) on Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 September. Well done and a big thank you to organising staff. See if you can answer this? (Read further to check your answer).
The Year 11 Tertiary (T) students ACT Scaling Test (AST) trials are next term on Thursday 17 & Friday 18 November 2022.
Future study/work – Careers EXPO’s
The College bused over 300 students to the Careers Market at Epic to look at further study, career and work pathways. Our small programs students also attended the Canberra Disability EXPO ‘My Future My Choice.’
Musical-We Will Rock You/Limelight/Dancefest
Well done to all involved in the school Musical-We Will Rock You, between 30-40 students. The musical was held for the first time at the Belconnen Arts Centre - a great venue and wonderful opportunity for the students and staff.
Step into the Limelight - Student Art Exhibition 29 July - 14 August, M16 Artspace Griffith
Showcase of visual arts excellence from ACT public education students. Congratulations to 10 of our students' whose work was displayed.
Congratulations to the Ausdance ACT Dancefest dancers who showcased their talents at the Canberra Theatre. The theme this year was ‘transience and permanence’.
NBA Academy visit
Brian Cardinal, Head of Elite Basketball Strategy at the NBA and Julie Clarke, Senior Academic Coordinator for the Global Academy, AIS met with Melissa Planten Principal and Glenn Currie Centre of Excellence on Monday 8 August Brian oversees the NBA Global Academy and was visiting Australia with the Basketball Without Borders Camp. UCSSC Lake Ginninderra is an NBA Global Academy and a number of our current Basketball students are part of the NBA Global Academy or have been alumni. The program operates at the AIS for the Australasia region.
2022 School Satisfaction and Climate Survey
Thank you to all who have contributed so far, the survey closes this Friday 16 September. An individual email with the survey was sent on Thursday 18 August from the school email address. Your support and assistance are very much appreciated.
Please complete the survey ONLINE at https://acteducation.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0SM21r8U6W56JW6
The login is: LGNC
School excursions/incursions
Wonderful incursions and excursions this term too. With specialists from BMW talking to our students about the latest auto technology, electric vehicles, synthetic fuels, careers in the industry and R&D. Outdoor education activities and sports team successes, snow, soccer, futsal, Oztag and more…!
Upcoming opportunities include future leaders attending the She Leads College Conference at the Kambri Cultural Centre, ANU and our budding innovators attending the Canberra Adaptive City College Hackathon run by the Canberra Innovation Network. The task will be to develop and pitch innovations across a range of sectors aimed at making the Canberra of the future a better place to live, work, move, learn and play.
Students are also heading to the ANU Asia-Pacific Day on Friday 16 September. The students will have the opportunity to take part in presentations, cultural activities, workshops, language taster classes, a student discussion panel. Working with world-renowned regional experts, the day will help to expand their knowledge of the most topical issues facing Australia and its engagement with the Asia-Pacific region today.
As term 4 approaches we wish all students well with study and end of year assessments, and we very much look forward to the end of year events, particularly celebrating our graduating class of 2022!
Academic progress/Parent teacher interviews
Academic progress reports for term 3 will be emailed to parents in the week 12-16 September.
Instructions on how to book an interview with your child’s teachers are on the college webpage.
Parent teacher interviews will be conducted online on Wednesday 12 October and Thursday 13 October between 4pm and 6pm.
Driving to school
In line with the ACT move to electric vehicles over the coming decade, the college encourages travel to school by non-fossil-fuel powered means such as bicycle, scooter and walking, and also the use of public transport such as buses. While it is a positive achievement for a student to obtain a driving licence, they must also adopt the responsibilities that come with driving a car to school.
All students who drive to school are expected to register their car with the Front Office and display a parking permit. This helps to keep public parking to a minimum and create more space for college students.
The picture below indicates how close are the entries for parent dropoffs and the student carpark. Please take care.
ACT Scaling Test (AST) year 11 program
The AST is a compulsory exam for Year 12 students who wish to graduate with an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).
AST dates for 2023 are:
- Tuesday 5 September (Short Response and Multiple-Choice tests)
- Wednesday 6 September (Long Response)
These dates should be marked now in the calendars of all families with a student completing a (tertiary) T package. The dates of these exams, required by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies, are not negotiable and occur for all colleges on the same dates and times.
Year 11 students will be introduced to the program in term 4. A trial of all three exams will follow at the conclusion of subject exams in semester 2.
Safety
All electrical items have a limited useful lifetime before possibly becoming a hazard to users. The college regularly offers testing and tagging for student chromebook charging cables to check their safety for continued use. Please look out for the next advertised opportunity.
All chromebooks which have been in service for longer than one year should have their charging cable tested.
Studying a language
The Canberra Academy of Languages (CAL) will hold an online information evening via Google Meet from 6 pm on Thursday 22 September 2022 for students interested in commencing studies with CAL in 2023. To receive a link for the meeting, interested participants should email
CAL programs are running in French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Tamil. In 2023, there may be programs for Arabic, Indonesian, Hindi and Italian, if there are sufficient students interested.
Classes for any additional languages will be likely scheduled on Tuesday evenings. The six existing programs are running on Wednesday evenings (French, Spanish, Tamil) and Thursday evenings (German, Japanese, Korean).
Discussion will include information on learning languages in Years 11-12; receiving credit for languages studies towards the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate and towards the ATAR; how CAL’s programs are set up; how to find current information through our online systems about programs throughout the year; and what to do if planning to commence with CAL in 2023.
At the end of each semester, eligible students receive academic achievement and personal excellence awards.
Academic awards include the Excellence award for students with an A grade and Academic Honours awards for students who achieve A grades in all of their subjects.
Personal Excellence awards are given by teachers who perceive that a student in their class is working consistently to their best effort across the semester.
The awards are presented to students in their weekly pastoral care group meeting (SG). A complete list of awards is impractical to report in the newsletter. Listed below are the students who have achieved Academic Honours in semester 1 of 2022.
William Goodwin, Year 11
Isobel Hemming, Year 11
Klara Steinhauser, Year 11
Miah Crombie, Year 12
Katerina Jakab-Van Dooren, Year 12
Julia Kilgour, Year 12
Polly Langdon, Year 12
This year, the College library has purchased a number of new books for students’ recreational reading. Reading is a critical component of the learning process for College students and the library is happy to support any student who wishes to further their academic endeavours through reading. Reading is a skill that improves all other literacy skills: It improves spelling, vocabulary and oral language. It also may help to improve overall academic performance.
Our school has participated in the Chief Minister’s Reading Challenge where students were encouraged to read at least 15 titles. The new books, some of which are pictured, have been received enthusiastically by students.
The wellbeing and cognitive benefits for students engaging with the environment has been documented for many decades but has never been more evident than it has been across these last two Covid impacted years. As our school community returns to a Covid normal world, punctuated with periods of isolation from the community at large and often from loved ones. Piper, Ellen and Bec from the Lake G Outdoor Education team, have embraced the opportunity to influence the lives of our students through multifaceted environmental engagement through our Outdoor Ed programs.
From research, we know that learning in contact with nature reduces anxiety and increases people’s sense of well-being. We know that immersion in nature can increase feelings of self-efficacy and self-esteem. Outdoor education can improve students' retention of their learning and their ability to transfer that learning to everyday situations. Even brief contact with nature can have positive effects on cognitive performance. With this in mind, the excursions being organised seek to take full advantage of these benefits to support students as they navigate school life. Lifting their capacity to engage with their learning across all courses.
Most recently students embarked on the Cross Country Skiing trip and as the weather warms up, will soon be moving from the mountains to the coast to continue their journey of discovery of not only the environment, but also themselves and each other. Building self esteem, building confidence, taking risks and challenging themselves to be the best they can be.
The backcountry ski trip was an absolutely amazing experience! We had a range of weather throughout the trip including sun, wind and snow. The weather was beautiful as we made our way to the campsite. Everyone pitched in to set up the tents, and carve the snow kitchen. Throughout our time on the snow we built our relationship with each other and enjoyed the environment around us. While some of our skiing skills were a bit less than perfect, by the final day it felt like everyone had a chance to tear up the slopes, making up for the numerous face plants we had experienced throughout the trip. We woke up with our tents absolutely covered with snow on the second morning which is definitely an experience to be remembered. This trip was an unforgettable experience that we can all share in and it would be great if we could have the opportunity to do this again. Annie.
Downhill Ski and Snowboarding trip students had a wonderful time at the snow week 7. They endured some wet and windy conditions to finally have a full day of sunshine at the end of the trip. For some students it was their first skiing experience. All in all it was a successful trip, with everyone enjoying their time at the snow.
Year 11 Biology
In Year 11 Biology the classes have been breeding fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) to discover how the genetic trait ‘white eye’ is passed from one generation to the next. The students have taken the flies through two generations of breeding to watch the outcomes. They have also been learning about other aspects of genetics such as the ‘central dogma’ of biology - how our cells make proteins from the messages encoded in our DNA.
Year 12 Biology
The students in Year 12 Biology have been immersing themselves in nature, discovering the ecology of the area around Lake G college and elsewhere. They have learned a variety of fieldwork techniques in ecology that will allow them to conduct their own field studies in the coming weeks. One of the favourites has been discovering the birds of John Knight Park. Students estimated we would see around 5 or 6 different species of birds when we went bird watching, however in the half an hour of looking for birds, groups saw around 15-18 different species!
Year 11 Human Biology
The Year 11 Human Biology classes have been discovering the nitty gritty details of how a baby develops in utero, the feedback mechanisms of childbirth, and the different ways STIs act to cause illness and sometimes infertility or worse. There was particular fun as we discovered that a ping pong ball in a balloon makes a reasonable model for childbirth - but a lot of ‘babies’ were dropped in the classroom during the childbirth exercise!
HMAS R Unit (Health Medical and Applied Sciences)
The Health, Medical and Applied Sciences R unit had an excursion in week 6 to a local pathology laboratory. We heard about the many critical jobs performed by the laboratory scientists, which included things like preparation and storage of transfusion blood stocks, analysis of samples of many tissues and even the preparation of microscope slides for examination of tissues. It went far beyond the initial analysis of blood samples we were expecting when we arrived. However the blood analysis machine which was like a giant slot car race with tubes of blood automatically being moved around and analysed was definitely a winner in terms of entertainment! We also liked how the machines were named after various Star Wars characters - it seemed very appropriate.
2022 ANU STEM Challenges
We would like to invite students to join - the ANU STEM Challenges 2022, held from Monday 3 – Sunday 30 October.
The event is designed for students between Years 7 – 12, and caters to a wide range of interests in disciplines of science, health and engineering.
How it works
- Every week over 4 weeks, registered students will receive challenges and will be asked to follow the provided instructions to participate.
- Students will then be required to submit completed entries by the prescribed deadlines.
- Students use their own time i.e. after school or weekends to complete the challenges that they have chosen.
- The submissions will be judged by a panel of ANU staff and voted on each week, and winners will be announced via email and will also appear on the ANU College of Science’s website and social media channels.
Mode of delivery: Online
Prizes: There will be prizes and certificates from the Australian National University awarded to winners and participants.
Learn more and register: Registration is free but you must register to participate, click here to register.
Please talk to a science or maths teacher to find out more.
Robotics Students: Years 11 & 12
Students have been focusing on problem solving in this course, to design and develop a prototype as part of their application task on Robotics and Mechatronics and the use of sensors. They have focused on answering a 'BIG' question as part of the task: "How can I design and construct a prototype using Robotics/Mechatronics that effectively implements different types of sensors as part of its operation?"
Students have subsequently come up with their own designs and have constructed a robotics application where they have used different types of sensors to receive input and provide a meaningful output. Following their design and thinking, students have constructed their prototype programming using LEGO Spike or Arduino or indeed a combination of both and necessary programming strategies to demonstrate the functionalities of their prototype with respect to the application of sensors.
Design and construction of a fork-lift: Forklifts use a combination of a number of physical principles and other objects to lift heavy materials across different distances. They are commonly used in warehouses and constructions sites.
The Canberra CareersXpo returned for 2022! The event attended by students on 17 August offered exposure to a wide variety of industry representatives and educational institutions to raise awareness of options in student transition from school to work or further education/training opportunities.
Some feedback received:
- “This is the first time I have been and have gained so much from my visit. There are so many opportunities out there that I was completely unaware of” – Year 12 student
- “After a two-year absence it was great to have the Xpo back. Rotary went to considerable effort to ensure the event was as COVID safe as possible! What an amazing experience!” – UCSSC LG Teacher
Disability Xpo
A followup visit on Friday 2 September was devoted specifically to opportunties for people with disability. The event allowed students to learn more about school leaver opportunities and supports. Students were able to talk to many service providers. The teachers collected a great deal of relevant information and plan to use the material in class over the coming weeks.
There was also a special guest, Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby superstar, Riley Batt. He talked about his disability, his early life, and the challenges he has overcome. His story was very inspiring and was very motivating for our students.
The Sexual Health, Lifestyle and Relationship program (SHLiRP) was run at UCSSC Lake Ginninderra on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th August. This program is delivered in all ACT government colleges by the Canberra Sexual Health Centre and Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT. All students participated in an interactive, livestreamed presentation and were able to access group information sessions which addressed the issues of consent, healthy relationships, sexuality, contraception and reducing the risk of acquiring a sexually transmissible infection (STI). Interested students also had the opportunity to engage in individual consultations with health professionals and sexual health screening where appropriate. This program was a fantastic opportunity for our students. Thank you to Gary Rolfe for facilitating this for our students.
Pride@Lake G and the Student Community Group organised together to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ members of our student community on Wear It Purple Day Friday 26 August. This was a day to recognise and uplift LGBTQIA+ young people and support their inclusion in communities. Students from the college's Gender & Sexuality Alliance and Pride@Lake G, organised a bake sale, a promotional campaign, and a message board which operates to keep the conversation going
This year’s theme for Wear It Purple Day was Still Me, Still Human, and students came together to recognise the humanity of our LGBTQIA+ students in numbers. Funds raised will go toward supporting Pride@Lake G access to flags & materials for future celebrations of LGBTQIA+ identities. Remaining funds will be donated to a charity supporting LGBTQIA+ youth.
The Pride@Lake G community thanks staff and students who participated, wore purple, and gave their time and energy to help make this day a success. Stay posted for bigger and better events supporting LGBTQIA+ students in the future!
Visual Arts Enter the Limelight Art Exhibition
The ‘Enter the Limelight Art Exhibition’ opened Friday 29th July, by the Minister Berry. This exhibition exhibits the best of the visual arts and photography from across all ACT government schools. Congratulations to our students who had work chosen for the Limelight Exhibition. Space was limited so it is a great achievement to have so much work chosen. Pace McGowan (yr12) had his photograph used on the invitation.
Tshiamo Litheko – Painting
Siye Whitebread – Painting
Isabelle Ha – Painting
Peter Tate - Painting
Alejandro Martinez – Photography
Megan Crocker – Photography
Pace McGowan – Photography
Charlotte Chandler – Photography
Jade Butters – Photograph
It has been a productive start to semester two at Lake Ginninderra in the Arts and Technology. Students are currently working hard on a range of practical projects, creative pursuits and extracurricular activities.
The Arts
Music students have been busy preparing and executing performances from a wide genre of musical styles and instrumentation. Students have gained confidence in musical performance by performing in supportive class settings with a focus on extending current foundational skills and talents. They have also had opportunity to enhance their performance skills beyond the classroom in activitites such as the college musical production of "We Will Rock You" and upcoming activities such as the recently reinstated "lunchtime busking" series - the first of which was Laura Topp (vocals and guitar) on Monday, week 7.
Talented dance and drama students performed in the school's 2022 musical We Will Rock You. This Queen spectacular was performed at the Belconnen Arts Theatre and the Watson Theatre, UC SSC Lake Ginninderra. Congratulations are due to all of the students and staff involved. Dance students participated in the Youth Dance Festival 2022 at the Canberra Theatre on Monday, 5 September. They choreographed their own piece "Watermark" for this ACT community based performing arts event.
Year 12 Media students are deep in preparation for their major projects. All students are creating films of some kind - music videos, ads and narratives are being designed. This means that students are spending this term casting their films as well as scripting, storyboarding, seeking copyright approval for the music they'd like to use, and scoping out locations where they will film their productions later in the semester. Meanwhile, Year 11 Media students are studying the unit "Adaptation in Media" and are putting together films of their own this term. They have been given a range of written texts and will adapt one into a film of their own style and genre.
In Fashion and Textiles, the students are reimagining the classic Mary Quant shift dress style for a contemporary market. The students are designing with consideration for the theme of the unit, Design Aesthetics - thinking about how best to meet the demands of cutting edge, fashion-forward designs while ensuring current social pressures such as sustainability and closing the loop on slow fashion remain present in their design solutions.
During term three the ceramics class have been focusing on protest art. Through the ceramic medium students are aiming to communicate a message to their audience about a current issue. Some of the subjects selected are mental health stigma, abortion rights, animal rights, environmental issues and institutional violence. Students are extending and building on their skills and knowledge from semester one to create intentional and effective work.
Photography students have extended their photography skills through using the studio and low light slow exposures. Students have continued to explore editing techniques through a range of software. Students have been looking at Bill Brandt and modernist photography for their night time photograph inspiration.
Technology
Year 11 Automotive students are working on electrical systems creating light boards which replicate the light wiring system of an automotive vehicle. Year 12 students are currently removing light vehicle engines from cars and are developing the mechanical skills and associated knowledge.
The students in Furniture Making and Metal Products have been busy making their end of semester projects. In Furniture the Year 11 students have been making their very own bedside tables, while the Year 12 students are finishing their major projects. These projects are of student choice, with many of them designing and making their own coffee tables.
Year 11 Metal Product students have been given the task of creating rocket stoves. The Year 12 Major Project for Metal aims at allowing the students to demonstrate the skills they have learnt throughout the two year program. We are pleased to share that the students have chosen unique creations including a go kart frame, a barbeque smoker,a cafe stool, an infinity coffee table and even an archery target stand!
Year 11 Hospitality students have been developing their teamwork skills with various mystery cooking challenges and group activities. Students are continuing to develop their communication and cookery skills in preparation from up-coming student-led cafes! Line G students experienced their first traininig cafe during week 6, which was a real introduction to the busy industry environment.
Year 12 Hospitality students have been exploring a range of flavours and plating techniques whilst learning about various salads and appetisers. Later this month we have many Hospitality students completing work placements at The Pavillion Hotel on Northbourne and The Labor Club.
On Monday Week 7 in Term 3 we were fortunate enough to have Shane and Bas from Canberra BMW visit the college. Students were given access to both the X3 electric vehicle and an 8 Series BMW. BMW staff completed a presentation giving an insight into the future of the automotive industry for petrol, hybrid and fully electric cars in Australia. Careers within the automotive industry were also on the agenda with Shane and Bas giving a short breakdown on their careers and then a discussion on what it is like working as an apprentice with the BMW team. We would like to thank Canberra BMW for the incursion, it is greatly appreciated.
Creative Club is an Arts extension program run on Friday’s H line. Each week students explore a different artmaking activity, such as darkroom making photograms and off-set printing. This is an optional extra activity to extend our Art and Photography programs and give keen students the chance to try new things.
Laura Topp opened up the relaunch of the "Lunchtime Busking" performance series on Monday Week 7, with a 40 minute set on vocals and guitar in the cafeteria. It was great to see both staff and students turn out to see and hear her perform an impressive set of songs; along with the support of hospitality students selling coffee and milkshakes. Staff favourites of her set included versions of 'Riptide' and 'Hallelujah'.
Congratulations to Joseph, in Year 11, who competed at the Kayak Freestyle World Championships.
Please read about Joe's achievements in the link to the article published in the Canberra Weekly,
Oztag
Mixed Oztag
We had large enough numbers to form two teams. In the end, our top team qualified for the grand final after going through Northside matches undefeated. In a high quality final, the students produced their best performance of the year to win 10-6 over Erindale College.
Congratulations to the team: Tui Georgievski, Jaxon Reid, Bailey Reid, Aiden Hayes, Allie Booker, Susan Sanft, Amber Tilley, Riley Van Zomeren , Ivy O’Meara, Jordan Valter, Ej Norris, Olivia Leighton , Jamo Norris, Xanda Georgievski.
Volleyball
The boys and girls teams were again a class above in competition this term. They both successfully defended the college titles in the grand finals. Neither team has lost a set all competition. This is a good sign for their impending return to the Australian School titles in December. We have not been able to participate at the Australian School Championships since we won the National title back in 2019. Fingers crossed we can again return and represent at the end of the year!
Congratulations to the teams:
Boys- Mitch Croft, Harley Sinclair, Jay Tregeagle, Charlie Beard, Allen Mangattil-Vincent, Cian Crimmins, Finlay Rochford, Ben Farley, Cooper Eaton
Girls – Ella Schabort, Brielle Kettleton, Jenna Sampson, Lily Carter, Bridie Hallinan, Buffy Budd, Chisom Nnajide, Caitlin Weaver.
U16 Women's Asian Basketball Championships
Congratulations to the Australian U16 Women's basketball team who won gold in Jordan. The team featured some talented students from UCSSC Lake Ginninderra:
Jayda Clark, Rubi Gray, Jess Petrie, Saffron Shiels, Isla Juffermans, Sienna Harvey, Summah Hanson. Read more about their competition in the link:
Sarah Portlock is a new student who started in term 3. Read more about her profile in the link:
The girls travelled to Hungary for the World Cup in July, finishing 5th.
U18 Women's Asian Basketball Championships
BENGALURU (India) - Australia featuring 5 students from UC SSC Lake Ginninderra defeated China, 81-55, in the Final to claim the FIBA U18 Women’s Asian Championship Division A title, while Japan defeated Chinese Taipei in the game for third place.
Isla Juffermans had her best game of the competition with 26 points and 15 rebounds to wrap up another stellar performance.
Australia, China, Japan, and Chinese Taipei are qualified for the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2023 which will be played in Madrid, Spain.
Dates for Diary
- Monday 19 September Pupil free planning day
- Thursday 22 September National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty The Queen
- Wednesday 12 - Thursday 13 October Parent Teacher interviews online
- Wednesday 9 November Formal payments due
- Wednesday 9 November Final day to explain absences
- Thursday 10 - Wednesday 16 November Final Exams 2022
- Thursday 17 - Friday 18 November Year 11 AST trials
- Thursday 24 November Year 12 Formal National Museum of Australia
- Friday 2 December Year 12 Breakfast
- Friday 16 December Year 12 Graduation Canberra Theatre
Answer to Principal's AST question: A.