HouseNews

When we gathered for Assembly last Friday, I shared the following remarks…

Today is a day of profound sadness for the whole world. We have looked on as the Queen became visibly frailer, particularly in the past 12 months. However, we have just expected her to go on, as she did for her 70-year reign. It is testament to her sense of duty that she installed her 15th and final British Prime Minister, a mere 48 hours before she died.

With the news of the Queen’s death in the early hours of this morning, Australian time, we see the end of the second Elizabethan era. There have already been so many words shared this morning whether these relate to her lifetime of tireless service and total devotion to duty, or the dignity, compassion, or sense of calm, and symbol of continuity, she brought in a time of profound change.

No matter people’s political position, whether as monarchist or republican, the Queen has been the one constant in our lives and there is no member of our School, as teacher or student, who has lived their life under any other Monarch. On her 21st birthday in South Africa, a few years before she became Queen, Princess Elizabeth pledged “my whole life, however long or short, will be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family.” This she most certainly did.

The Queen was our sovereign. At the time she became Queen, there were 4 countries in the Commonwealth. Today there are 54 countries. Her role has been profound in so many ways and she continued to provide messages of comfort to countries, towns, and people throughout the world, in times of sadness, distress, through crises and catastrophe.

She lived a life espousing never give up, never despair. She was gentle, kind and much loved. Tireless, selfless, deeply committed and an absolute rock, the symbol of continuity and calm, yet pragmatic, stoic and compassionate. She was a warm and reassuring constant in times of constant and often unsettling change. She always put duty and service, over self.

The deep respect and warm regard that was felt globally, will never fade. The gift she gave of a unifier in an historic reign, will never be equalled and whilst someone who lives till the marvellous age of 96, must be celebrated, we do mourn today, yet we must take inspiration from all that she did.

Of course, the Queen leaves a family who are mourning deeply today, and our thoughts are extended to all members of the Royal Family. It is a day of profound sadness. Whilst we look forward to all the new era will bring, it is time to reflect on the long reign of Elizabeth II, and how she, and we, changed throughout it.

I asked the School to stand for a minute of silent reflection.

Years 7-12: Mullets for Mental Health - Two Student-led Fundraising Initiatives

On Friday 23 September Pittwater House will be supporting two fund raising initiatives designed to raise funds for the Black Dog Institute. Both initiatives have emanated from our Year 10 Passion Project program with two groups of Year 10 students identifying the mental health medical research that the Black Dog Institute performs as a high priority for not only our Pittwater House community but the wider community. More information on the Black Dog Institute can be found here.

The Two Initiatives:

Mullets for Mental Health

Through the month of September, the Mullets for Mental Health fund raising initiative brings awareness and funds to the important medical research performed by the Black Dog Institute toward men’s mental health. As a school we have registered for this event and will be offering a mullet style haircut on-site for students on our final day of Term 3, Friday 23 September. ‘Joey’s Cuts’ barbershop, Augusta Shops Collaroy Plateau, have kindly offered their time and expertise, volunteering professional barbers to be on-site on the day to ensure well-styled mullets.

For students to participate in this initiative a fee of $15 cash on the day will be charged for the haircut, with the full amount committed as a donation to the initiative. To get a haircut on-site, a Skoolbag permission form must be completed by parents, acknowledging the haircut is taking place and that the student commits to ensuring their hairstyle will comply with the school’s hairstyle guidelines by Day 1 Term 4. The Skoolbag permission form needs to be completed by 9am Wednesday 21 September to ensure we can schedule the haircuts appropriately.

Braids for Black Dog

For students that decide not to get a mullet, they can arrive at school with their hair either braided or plaited. For a gold coin donation, they can purchase orange ribbons that will represent their support of the Black Dog Institute. Alternatively, if your hair can’t be braided or plaited, an orange ribbon tied to a bobby pin can be purchased from a stall at either recess or lunch with a gold coin donation given. Again, the orange ribbon will represent support. We hope these student-led initiatives raise much needed funds for the Black Dog Institute and ensure an awareness for mental health in our Pittwater House community.

The Health Centre provides health care services to students with the aim of minimising any health-related barriers. Health Centre staff deal with a variety of conditions. From grazes and splinters, to mental health and fractures, Health Centre staff address any injuries or illness that arise during the school day. Our nurses work collaboratively with parents and staff to ensure that student needs are met holistically.

This term the Health Centre has undergone a refresh. Equipment has been updated, new curtains have been installed, and the room has been painted. Thank you to the Facilities team for their support in making these changes happen.

The Health Centre is also showcasing the amazing artwork of four students. I would like to thank Harry and Charlie (P4), Chloe (C10), and Daniel (G10) for their wonderful contributions.    

We are very lucky to have two Registered Nurses on staff. The Health Centre is well looked after each day by our experienced nurses, Ingrid Scouller and Nikki Kuga. Nurse Ingrid and Nurse Nikki have extensive training in child and adolescent health, and are members of the School’s Pastoral Team. Nurse Ingrid has been at Pittwater House for over 15 years and brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the role. Nurse Nikki joined Pittwater House late last year from the public sector and is a Pittwater House Alumna. Her care and warmth ensures that students feel supported. I thank Nurse Ingrid and Nurse Nikki for all their hard work and dedication to the health and wellbeing of the students of Pittwater House.  

On Thursday 8th September, nine economics students from Years 11 and 12 attended the Annika Foundation lunch with Dr Philip Lowe, Governor of the Reserve Bank, as the guest speaker. The lunch was held at Doltone House, Hyde Park and was an incredible opportunity for the students to share a room with 400 other economists (and some journalists).

Not only did the students enjoy a fabulous lunch, they were witness to some strong rebuttal from Dr Lowe to those critics that suggest the Reserve Bank Governor and the RBA have lost control of the ship. It was very insightful and the students enjoyed the speech and question time immensely. The question time was particularly exciting as one of our students, Taylor (C12), had the courage to go up to the microphone in front of a crowd of 400 to ask a question of the Governor. We could not have been more proud of her and even Hugh Rimmington from Channel Ten who was right after Taylor in question time, stated that he wished his question was of the same calibre as hers!