Danebank Today April 2014

DANEBANK TodaySchool Journal issued twice each year for families, Old Girls and other friends of Danebank

April 2014

Embracing Change

DANEBANKAn Anglican School for Girls

DANEBANK Today April 2014

Mrs Maryanne DavisPrincipal

Embracing Change“There is nothing permanent

except change.”

This statement was made by Hera-clitus in the 5th century before Christ. Today, more than 2,000 years after Heraclitus, change is so encompass-ing that at times we feel that we live in a world of permanent white water which can be tremendously difficult to navigate at times. Change often intrudes on our comfort zones and challenges our perception of ‘the norm.’

Within education as a whole, change is a constant and it has always been this way in terms of curriculum. There have always been syllabus revisions and updates. At the moment this is evident in the introduction of the National Curriculum which is creating a white water of change that, I am pleased to say, our teaching staff are navigating with great skill.

Technological change is constant. To some, these changes appear as permanent white water while others navigate the changes with ease. Over the last five years alone, the changes involving iPads, interactive white boards, Edmodo and blogs, to name a few, were once seen as evidence of rapid change, but they have simply become part of effective teaching and learning at Danebank.

Why has it been possible for these changes to be embedded in our lives at Danebank so quickly? How do we assist our girls to develop their ability to work with change, to gain from it and to embed the benefits of change in their lives?

At Danebank, we are focussing on giving the girls skills that assist them to embrace change through the development of a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset.

What is a fixed mindset? What is a growth mindset? A person with a fixed mindset believes that their intelligence, talents and abilities were fixed at birth and there is nothing they can do to change that. A person with a growth mindset says, yes, I was born with particular intelligence, talents and abilities but they can be utilised and developed, providing I work at it.

A girl with a fixed mindset avoids challenges, gives up easily. She sees all effort as a waste of time, ignores criticism and feels threatened when those around her are successful. But,

a girl with a growth mindset embrac-es challenges and keeps going even when that is tough. She knows that effort will help her to improve, that she can learn from criticism and she can be inspired by others.

A growth mindset is essential for those who wish to grow, for those who wish to excel, and for those

who wish to lead.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Education and the modelling of a growth mindset will assist our girls to navigate the white water of change and ultimately to change the world.


New School Chairman

New School Council Chairman, Dr Richard Sharp, has definite views about how change affects our society. He has led a range

of Engineering, Technology and Consulting businesses and brings a wealth of experience to the role of Chairman.

When asked for his views and advice to students about managing change, he wrote:

Change is unavoidable. But even away from the sensational change that news-papers love, we know that change is a constant in our schools, our universities, our workplaces, in politics, in economics, and in family life. Change is the basis of every good storyline, or plot, whether in book or film. Typically, the plot builds a situation, then introduces challenge and change, and explores how the hero or heroine deals with that challenge and change. Change is also a great money-spinner for business writers – just have a look at any airport bookstore for a sample! John Kotter is one such writer whose work is well-known, and whose language around change (the “burning platform”, the “guid-ing coalition”) has entered the business lexicon.

Dr Richard Sharp

Importantly, Kotter talks about “leading change”. That is, change doesn’t just happen to us, our choices and actions can create change. John Maxwell is a great Christian writer on leadership, and he says the same thing in a different way: “The true measure of leadership is influ-ence – nothing more, nothing less”. And influence, when you think about it, is all about creating and shaping change.

Our society, and our enterprises, need leaders who influence, and who use that influence for good. The Bible cautions us to use our energy and our influence wisely,

and for good purpose. Have a look at what one leader,

Paul, writes in his letters to a

young leader, Timothy, about using his gifts and role and

influence for good, to serve others. It is therefore no accident that

the school motto Ut Prosim means “that I may serve”.

So, don’t run from change. It can’t be escaped anyway, and is simply a char-acteristic of human beings and society. Instead, we should expect it, and embrace it, whether our work is in education, in health, in the arts, in science and engi-neering, or in business. But most impor-tantly, in embracing change, we need to use the influence that we have, wherever we are, for good.

As one of his first actions as Chairman, Dr Sharp unveiled a special portrait at

the P&F Cocktail Party held in February. The painting, by Sydney artist Michael Mucci, is of Mr Norman J Heslop who

made a huge contribution to Danebank for 30 years, between the 1950s-1980s.

Through his work on the P&F and Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation, Mr Heslop

contributed to many of the school’s developments at that time.

Mr Heslop’s portrait has been hung in the Wingara Conference Room which has

also been renamed in his honour. The photo right shows Mr Heslop’s daughter,

Mrs Odette Mitchell, with her husband, Lyndon, who said they were delighted by this acknowledgement of Mr Heslop’s

contribution to the school.

Special Portrait that Acknowledges Past Contributions

New TechnologiesThere is no doubt that technological changes have impacted tremendously on our

world and on education, and that the changes are constant. The introduction of new technologies into teaching practices have certainly been embraced by the girls.

Here are some of the latest additions to the school’s teaching resources.

The Bee BotThe Bee Bot is an ingenious robot that challenges students to apply directional language, control and programming skills to make it work properly. The Bee Bot will move left, right, forward and back when programmed correctly.

The girls’ task is to pre-set the controls so that the Bee Bot will effectively navigate whatever grid they place it on. Once the Bee Bot moves along the grid, the students know if they have programmed it correctly. If not, they re-set the controls and start again.

These students in Year 2 applied the controls so that the Bee Bot spelt out words for them. Othertimes, students might set it up to move along a set of roads, known as the Bee Bot’s Grand Prix circuit. Either way, the Bee Bot has given a fun and fast way for the girls to learn these skills.

Digital Microscope Girls in Year 1 were intrigued recently to view an earth worm using a Digital Microscope. As part of their Academy of Science work, the girls have been engaged on a ‘Schoolyard Safari’ which asks them to explore mini beasts in our world. So, using the Digital Microscope, the girls discovered, close up, what an earth worm really looks like.

The microscope has a camera embedded which, when displayed on a computer screen, has the effect of enlarging the object on view. The girls were excited because the microscope gave them a clear close up of a living thing and the earth worm didn’t seem to mind either.


The 3D printerIt may look as though the girls in the pho-to (above) are having a great time, and of course, they are! But there is a serious side to their fun. Each girl in the Year 11 Design & Technology class designed and made a bubble blower, constructed by

Graphic Novels Year 7 students have recently been introduced to the experience of creating graphic novels. These are novels that use graphics and a minimum of language to present their stories. The genre is one of the fastest growing in popularity amongst teens world-wide.

For a graphic novel to be effective, the creator must apply a high standard of plot, character, mood, emotion, thought or speech, effective graphics and, of course, editing skills.

The Year 7 girls were clearly enjoying the process. Some were creating stories about their pets, others about a holiday while some based their stories on a favourite novel. Some girls with artistic talents decided to sketch their own graphics.

Whatever their choice of story, it was clear that the girls were highly engaged in the process and the final results promise to be, well, graphic.

the school’s 3D Printer. Of course, the best part was on the day when they were photographed because they discovered that, yes, their designs worked and the bubbles flowed.

The process, using a simplified explanation, involved drawing up plans on computer for their blowers, then transferring their de-signs to the printer. The front page of this issue shows Samantha Sorenson with her original bubble blower design.


Outdoor EducationDanebank’s outdoor education training contains some truly challenging moments for students. Many camp activities take the girls out of their comfort zones. As they grow older, camps become more and more demanding and the girls must change their own expectations of what they can achieve.

Starting in Year 3, our Junior School students begin a series of camps that place them in situations that they are unlikely to have faced before, a series of firsts. For the youngest, it could be the first time they have slept away from home without their parents. For others, it may

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face…we must do that which we think we cannot.” Eleanor Roosevelt

The photos on this page were taken this year at the Years 4,5 and 6 camps.

be the first time they have slept in a tent, or paddled a canoe or picked up a bow and arrow. For all girls, the prospect of abseiling or climbing a rock wall for the first time looks daunting.

Yet some of the girls’ best moments happen at these camps. This is when they make it all the way up to the ceiling on a pully, or hit the bull’s eye, or have a happy time working with their friends to solve a problem, because these camps are great bonding times as well. The best camps are designed for the girls to feel the satisfaction of facing difficult chal-lenges, and succeeding.


Outdoor Education

Outdoor Education

Outdoor camps continue into secondary school with the addition of some camps that have specific purposes. Year 7 participate in a Friendship Camp (above right) which focusses on the girls getting to know one another very early in their secondary school days. Other specific purpose camps have been set up to focus on, for example, Study and Leadership skills, as well as the SIC and Focus Christian camps that combine friendship activities with an emphasis on Christian living skills.

In the secondary school, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme’s outdoor activities are the most demanding of the girls in terms of physical rigour and perse-verence. The students below trecked on the Milford Sound Track in New Zealand during January. It was a testing hike of

about 60 kilometres through some rugged country. The hikers faced the rigours of the track as well as some difficult weather conditions, including freezing cold tem-peratures with heavy rain. The hike was undertaken by students aiming to achieve their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards and completing the hike was a huge achieve-ment, particularly given that they followed this, two days later, with another 60 kilometre hike along the Kepler track.

One of the other gratifying parts of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme is its emphasis on community service. Breanna Sip (above left), Year 11, hopes to com-plete her Gold Award soon and she has made an impressive list of community service contributions which include work-ing in an orphanage in China when her

family lived there, working in a ‘Second Chance’ Op Shop, participating in Night Patrol activities helping the homeless and giving English lessons to other students when she went on exchange to Finland. When asked why do extra service, Breanna said that giving back is fulfilling, “It makes you smile,” she said. In fact, Breanna’s extraordinary commit-ment to service was acknowledged by Rotary recently when she was presented with a Youth Community Service Award for outstanding service.

Outdoor education activities, then, offer new physical challenges for each age group, promote resilience, encourage friendships, give girls opportunities for service and give them great satisfaction when they succeed.


Artistic Expression

Lily Hogan, Year 12 2013, has made a statement about change through her art-works. “Contemporary western society,” she says, “has become wholly depend-ent on antibiotics to the point of misuse. This has meant that diseases that were once easily cured by first-line antibiotics are now non-respondent. The irony is that many of us are blissfully unaware

of this unseen, destructive world that is becoming increasingly irrepressible and for which we are to blame.”

Lily created her panels after investigat-ing the aesthetic qualities that are found under the microscope of bacteria and vari-ous pathogens. Here lies another irony, because, despite the serious message about destruction, Lily has embraced

the beauty of the bacteria to create her striking panels.

Clearly, Lily’s hard work and thoughtful approach to her Artworks have had positive outcomes for her, because they have been framed and hung in the school’s senior administration area for all to admire.

Accomplished Young Musician

DANEBANKAn Anglican School for Girls

80-98 Park Road Hurstville 2220www.danebank.nsw.edu.au


Contributors to this edition of DANEBANK Today

Jane Rees Danielle Clegg

Belvina Bai, Year 6, has been learning piano since she was four and a half years old. In more recent years, she has also taken up the cello and the drum. She attends lessons with four music tutors, including her Theory teacher, each week and she practices for many hours at home.

Belvina took up the cello when she was in Year 2 and she says it is challenging because there is a lot to master. At one time, she must concentrate on finger work, bow work and musical dynamics, as well as following the sheet music. While she enjoys the cello, she has a

particular love of piano. She is at a level of proficiency with piano, having studied the instrument for more than seven years, that allows her to safely add something from her imagination to the piece she is playing. She will envisage two birds when she plays The Lark, for instance, or make up stories in her mind to accompany other pieces.

Belvina is a passionate student of music who hopes to become a professional mu-sician one day. We offer her every good wish as she proceeds along her musical pathway .

Danebank Today April 2014

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Transcript of Danebank Today April 2014