PREPARED FOR REUNION OF 1983 HSC students on November 8 2003, St George Leagues Club, Kogarah.
Principals.
Mrs L. Woyde arrived in 1976 and retired in 1984 to be replaced by Ms Jenny Rowse . She retired in 1992 and was replaced by Mrs Kay Murray, who retired in 2002. Mrs Carole Knott is the new Principal.
We have 2 had Deputy Principals since 2001 – Mr Noel Morris and Mr Bob Zukerman.
STAFF STILL AT ST GEORGE FROM 1983:
Social Science
Ms A Field, Ms L Brown, Mr K Allum
Science
Mrs C Ratcliffe ( retired at the end of 2004)
Language
Ms S Elphick (retired in early 2005 )
English
Mrs A Rontidis
Mrs M Brown
Art
Ms K Ruck
Maths
Mr P Milner ( May 1983 )
And Mrs L Simmonds, then teacher aid, who is now in the Library, and Mrs N Bowron teachers aid
Changes Within the School
*a new Senior uniform introduced in 2002, decided upon in 2001 . Pants are now permitted in winter.
*roll call is at the end of period 3 . Rolls are printed on the computer for a 2 week period at a time.
*no more school assemblies on Tuesdays, as of this year they are on Thursdays. They are held at the end of roll call.In 2004, 2 staffs will be rostered off attending assembly to allow them time to see to faculty matters. There is no “good morning ladies” on Assembly as per Ms Rowse style any more. A prefect chairs each Assembly.
*Tuesday afternoon is now early leaving at 2.25pm .Then staff have a staff meeting or faculty meeting . Students go home. Lessons are shortened on Tuesdays.
*Sports uniform – a short pleated skirt , a tracksuit is available as well as red shorts. The shorts are more popular.
* Hockey field has been levelled. There still isn’t a gym.
*Students play a much wider diversity of sports today eg self defence, ballroom dancing, touch football, lacrosse, soccer ,table tennis etc
*Canteen has been contracted out since approximately 1997; Mrs Maxine Shaw, former canteen manager is now called Maxine Gray. There were no parent helpers in recent years , so the canteen had to be run as a business.
*Senior quad ( lower quad ) has a new fountain courtesy of the 2003 Year 12. A garden has been established in 2003 at the edge of the walkway to the assembly hall.
* Seniors have their own study, which is located behind the Common Room.
*Senior courses have changed to subjects with extension courses . These essentially replaced the old 3 unit courses. They are still taught before and after school. Not all subjects have extension subjects.
* In Social Science our senior subjects are Economics, Legal Studies, Business Studies, and Geography. Business Studies was introduced in Year 11 in 2000.
*New subjects taught eg Software Design and Information processes, Japanese since 2001, Drama waxes and wanes.
* All courses are outcomes- based and half yearly and yearly reports reflect this direction
*Much more material is computer generated – letters to parents, reports, examinations etc
*Library card with photo on it for all students in the school
*Some Staffrooms moved in 1993 .Social Science is now above the front door to the school (in the old Latin Classroom ) Classrooms have been re-numbered. Teachers may have a home room. The Principal’s Office has moved into the downstairs corridor -the old Principal’s office is now a meeting room.
* Classroom furniture has changed. Some classrooms have a couple of computers in them.
*Have a school walkathon each May to raise funds for the SRC. This walk is from school to Dolls Point.
* Peer Support – year 11 students look after year 7 students to ensure their settling in period into high school is not too difficult
*Challenge Days for Junior years – gifted and talented type exercises- introduced in 2003
*At exam time in the hall there are a mass of mobile phones which sit on the front table
*Computer Rooms 1 and 2 have been in operation for many years; they are upgraded at the whim of funding from the NSW Government. Additional computer facilities have been provided for the technology- based subjects eg Textiles and Design
* Year 7 camp in 2004 . A Year 7 Friendship Day to be introduced at the end of Year 7 2003 . Year 9 and 11 have camps.
*No longer end of Year picnics – they may have been introduced in the late 1980’s.
*Greater use of power point presentations by students in the classroom. The school has purchased the necessary equipment for these presentations.
*The quality of class and assignment work presented has improved as a result of technology.
*Executive Shadowing operates for Year 11 students
*Work experience for Year 10 students- 1 week
*clocks in the classroom in 2003
*new blinds in classrooms
*Front office -new office furniture
*Library -more computers – changed layout
* TV’s and VCR’s in the classroom
*Student demographics have changed and the school feeder area has widened greatly
*A public phone in the downstairs corridor
*A drink and confectionary vending machine in the canteen
* Students have a school diary
*School excursions have diversified – Year 11 and 12 Geography go the Cairns every 2nd year, a Music tour to New Zealand in 2003, Indonesian tour
*Year 12 Farewell – now held the last day of Term 3. A special Year 12 Assembly and a catered for afternoon tea at which parents are invited. Year 11 act as waitresses of the food and drinks to guests.
* Year 11 start Year 12 work week 2 in Term 4- assessments for Year 12 begin in Term 4
*Many different Presentation Nights – Music , Drama , Art .
*Lockers located all over the school .
* Science labs refurbished in 2003
* Older houses in Harrow Road, Kogarah – the other entrance , have been demolished and replaced by units.
* School received a paint in recent years – classrooms painted a light shade of blue
* Parking at the front of the school is now angle parking and a 2 hour parking limit on the other side of Victoria Street . Landscaped by Kogarah Council
* More student presentation on assembly -eg textiles HSC students, aerobics teams.
* School fax and web site( as of late 2003)
*The use of emails to staff
* Lecturn for use on the school assembly hall stage.
*downstairs corridor has carpet on it
* greater emphasis on duty of care and legal issues eg the need to have staff trained in first aid
* classroom demographics-mostly Australian background in 1983. Recently I did a survey of students in my Year 9 Geography class.The backgrounds have changed greatly! The origin of parents is as follows- Australia 9 ;New Zealand 1;Hong Kong 9;China 8;Russia 2; India 3; Taiwan 2;Greece 2;Turkey 2;Bangladesh 1; Indonesia 1; Malaysia 3;Brazil 1; Singapore 1; England 2; Lebanon2.
Some things do not change
*PE and sport in the canteen
*Traffic chaos in Palmerston Street as students come to school or leave school – still walk haphazardly across the road on the way to Kogarah station. We now have these problems in Harrow Road
*Students not allowed to enter through the front door in Victoria Street -out of bounds
*Mock Trial team still running- Ms Field is the co-ordinator. Debating still operates in some format.
*lines at the canteen , although perhaps not as long these days.
*School dance is held with Sydney Tech at Marana Hall in Hurstville
*The school environment -has become more academically challenging over the years
*Tennis lessons on the tennis courts. (Remember Mr Jordan – he is possibly in his eighties and is currently recovering from a stroke; is in a Nursing Home believed to be in Nowra)
*Year book’s production has waxed and waned over the years; has been back in production over the past few years.
*Year 12 Mock Assembly – a ritual of passage.
*Speech Day – a very formal occasion .
* P and C, Mothers Committee, and the St Georgians strongly support the school
* Ms Field still has difficulties with saying rural. Her students still like to have a gossip and tease her – still has the blushing problem!
*The fast pace of the school day – still 8 periods.
*12 Prefects in Year 12
*The St George traditions in general
* Scripture -period 1 on Thursday
*school swimming carnival is now back at Bexley Pool – athletics at Sylvannia Athletics Field
* the Year 12 Formal ,Year 11 and Year 10 formals
What do I remember ?
*Geography excursions to Kurnell , Boat Harbour, and Berry -Mr McIntosh’s farm
*Going horse riding at Helensburgh with Barbara Cobb in 1981
*I still have the photograph taken in my 1981 Year 10 Geography class – we were studying the Soviet Union at the time – these notes are on the blackboard, which features in the photo . This framed photograph sits on a side board in my loungeroom.
*Speaking to Rowena Sutton in late January 1984 by phone – she was on student exchange in Denmark. I rang her from Scotland, before returning to Australia. How are you finding Denmark I asked Rowena ” pigs, pigs and more pigs was her response ”
*Wonderful spirit of co-operation of all students – we all worked hard in those pre -assessment days, but had time to have a laugh .
*The lovely engraved silver tray given to me by my Year 12 Geography class has pride of place in my art deco style buffet . I still have your signed thankyou card which is filed in my well organised records.
*Linda Baron , Sharon Davis, and the late Rosemary Eames – we were all rebels at heart
* Cathy Graham’s immaculate Geography class notes.
* Year 10 formal at Torwood Lounge, Sans Souci in 1981.
* Karen Adam’s mother typed many of my university assignments for my Diploma of Urban Studies, Macquarie University , 1982 -1984 .She had to decipher my handwriting first-she did a great job.
* Dinner at a Russian restaurant in Sans Souci – Year 10 Geography,1981
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Ms A Field
Social Science Department
December 18 2003
Update from 2003 for the 2013 Reunion
Principal. C Knott on leave
G Ponder relieving Principal – male Principal
Staff still at St George.
Social science. K Allum. L Brown
English. Mrs M Brown. ( now Ms Ripley)
Vis Arts. Ms K Ruck
Assistant. Mrs L Simmonds. Mrs N Bowron
Changes within the school
*Roll call at end of period 1
*Rolls electronically marked
*SMS sent automatically to parent of absent student
*Senior (11 and12) have swipe cards for flexible attendance
*TVs and VCRs no longer in classrooms -replaced by interactive whiteboards in most classrooms
*School has wifi throughout each block and every classroom
*All staff have new desks and laptops connected to school and DEC networks
*New canteen (renovated 2012) and gymnasium (opened 2011)
*Duty of care extended to compulsory training in use of epipens for anaphylaxis students
*15 prefects now elected by yr 11peers
*Camps for years 7, 9 and 11
*National curriculum to be implemented in 2014
*Timetable now computer generated
*Student ID cards
*No public phone – most student have mobiles
*French students have excursion to New Caledonia; Japanese students visit Japan
*Music still goes to New Zealand and regional NSW periodically
*Food labs refurbished in 2011
*3 computer rooms; computers in classrooms; banks of laptops
*Yr 9 students issued with laptops under federal government program (2009) which finishes in 2013
*School considering a bring your own device (BYOD) program
*Yr 12 quad fountain installed in 2003; seating in 2004
*School centenary in 2016
*No more School Certificate – last one in 2011; replaced by ROSA (record of school achievement)
*Students cannot leave school until 17 years of age
*Summer Festival of Music and Multicultural night in November
*‘Inspired’ at end of Term 2 showcases textiles and design work and Yr 12 textiles projects (last 9 years)
*Assessment policy (since 1990s) supplements HSC final marks
*Green Day / Enviro Club / EnviroInspiro / support Rose ( the koala)
*Amnesty Club
*Chess Club
*World Vision 40 hour famine raised approx. $20 000 in 2012
*Duke of Edinburgh -100 bronze candidates; 50 silver candidates; 20 gold candidates
Same
*Annual Art Show to highlight Yr 12 VA body of works in August
*Yr 10 still do work experience – in July
*‘Old girl” invited to give occasional address at Speech Day – first was Rena Sofroniou
Anne Field
November 2014
Update from 2013 Notes
Principal. C Knott on leave
G Ponder relieving Principal – male Principal
Principal now Ms Betty Romeo
Staff still at St George.
Social Science. K Allum.(on leave) L Brown
English. Mrs M Brown. ( now Ms Ripley) now retired
Visual Arts. Ms K Ruck
Assistant. Mrs L Simmonds. Mrs N Bowron both now retired
Changes within the school
*Roll call at end of period 1
*Rolls electronically marked
*SMS sent automatically to parent of absent student
*Senior (11 and12) have swipe cards for flexible attendance
*TVs and VCRs no longer in classrooms -replaced by interactive whiteboards in every classroom
*School has wifi throughout each block and every classroom
*All staff have new desks and laptops connected to school and DEC networks
*New canteen (renovated 2012) and gymnasium (opened 2011)
*Duty of care extended to compulsory training in use of epipens for anaphylaxis students
*15 prefects now elected by yr 11peers
*Camps for years 7, 9 and 11
*National curriculum to be implemented in 2014 now implemented for English, Mathematics, Science, History
*National Curriculum changes for Geography and some other subjects to be phased in from 2016 and
*Timetable now computer generated
*Student ID cards
*No public phone – most student have mobiles
*French students have excursion to New Caledonia; Japanese students visit Japan
*Music still goes to New Zealand and regional NSW periodically Music went to China in 2014
*Food labs refurbished in 2011
*3 computer rooms; computers in classrooms; banks of laptops
*Yr 9 students issued with laptops under federal government program (2009) which finishes in 2013
*School considering a bring your own device (BYOD) program school has moved to BYOD
*Yr 12 quad fountain installed in 2003; seating in 2004
*School centenary in 2016
*No more School Certificate – last one in 2011; replaced by ROSA (record of school achievement)
*Students cannot leave school until 17 years of age
*Summer Festival of Music and Multicultural night in November
*‘Inspired’ at end of Term 2 showcases textiles and design work and Yr 12 textiles projects (last 9 years)
*Assessment policy (since 1990s) supplements HSC final marks
*Green Day / Enviro Club / EnviroInspiro / support Rose ( the koala)
*Amnesty Club
*Chess Club
*World Vision 40 hour famine raised approx. $20 000 in 2012
*Duke of Edinburgh -100 bronze candidates; 50 silver candidates; 20 gold candidates
Same
*Annual Art Show to highlight Yr 12 VA body of works in August
*Yr 10 still do work experience – in July
*‘Old girl” invited to give occasional address at Speech Day – first was Rena Sofroniou
Anne Field
October 2015
contact email: ko77582@bigpond.net.au
Note: A special thank you to Lyn Brown for her valuable assistance in updating and correcting these notes as a historical record of the last 30 years.
