Principal’s Report
Dear Fortians, Parents and Guardians,
With only two weeks remaining in Term 2, there are several important events to note. Next Thursday, Year 10 students will present their Commerce stalls. This annual event is always successful and enjoyable, so please encourage Fortians to bring money to support the businesses set up by their peers. Semester 1 academic reports for Years 7-10 will be available on the Sentral Portal in the coming days. Parents can make appointments for parent-teacher interviews via the parent portal. Additionally, Year 8 subject selection sessions will be held alongside the Year 8 parent-teacher interviews.
The Winter IMP Concert will take place on Friday, 28th June. This night not only showcases the amazing talents of Fortians but also serves as our opportunity to farewell the Year 12 students who have been an integral part of the program. I encourage all Fortians to come along and enjoy this spectacular night of music, which is not just for the families of IMP students but for the entire school community.
I am excited to acknowledge the remarkable achievements of Edmund Huang, a Year 11 student who has been nominated as a finalist in the Sutherland Music Club Competition. Edmund has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Waratah Award for Young Composers. The finals concert will be held on Friday, July 5th, at the Sutherland Arts Theatre. Edmund’s composition will be featured at the Winter IMP Concert, we wish him the very best of luck in the finals.
Vinnes CEO Sleepout
On Thursday 20th June, I had the privilege of participating in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, an event dedicated to raising awareness and funds for homelessness. Alongside other leaders in the community including Ms McMurray and Murat Dizdar (Fortian & Secretary of Education), I spent the night outdoors, sleeping on a piece of cardboard with only a sleeping bag and a basic meal. Despite it being one of the coldest nights of the year, this eye-opening experience gave me a very small glimpse into the hardships faced daily by those without a place to call home. Listening to the stories of individuals whose lives have been transformed by the both the support of Vinnies and the funds raised through these sleepout events was both humbling and inspiring. As part of my induction a young mother of two escaping domestic violence who found herself without a home for herself and her two children shared her story. I felt heartbroken when she described whilst being homeless and struggling to find assistance, she did not feel human and had almost given up on herself before the staff at Vinnies found her a refuge for woman. I am fully aware that spending 12 hours living rough can in no way compare the experience of those living in these circumstances – after a sleepless night I arrived home in the early hours of the morning, took a hot shower, put on clean clothes, and drove to a job that I love. But it reinforced the importance of our collective efforts to support the vulnerable members of our society. I am proud to have been part of such a meaningful initiative and am committed to continuing our school’s involvement in charitable causes like this.
Year 8 students will be participating in the Vinnies School Sleepout later this year. This event will provide a unique opportunity for students to understand the issue of homelessness more deeply and to contribute to positive change. I would like to acknowledge the significant fundraising efforts of our school community, whose generosity and commitment make our participation in these important events possible. Collectively Ms McMurray and I have raised over $9,000 with the support of our family, friends and the Fort Street community. Thank you to all the families who made contributions, funds are so desperately needed but I am also aware making this contribution is a sacrifice with the current cost of living. Thank you for helping provide 28 individual support programs, 75 beds and 302 meals. Together, we are making a real difference in the lives of those in need.
It is not too late if you would like to donate: https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/fortstreethighschool
https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/rebeccacameron
https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/juliettemcmurray
WIFI Upgrade Disruption
The school WiFi upgrade cutover day is scheduled for Tuesday 25th June (Week 9). On this day, there will be no WIFI or cabled internet access for staff and students. Teachers will prepare lessons for the day that do not require devices, and students in Years 7-10 are strongly encouraged to leave their devices at home. Any assessments or homework tasks that are due should be uploaded to Google Classroom from home on Monday night.
Additionally, the school phones will be down for the day. All parents will receive an email with a temporary school phone number for use on that day. While you will still receive the usual absentee text message if your child is absent or late to school, please be patient as these messages may be delivered later than usual. There may also be some intermittent disruptions to the service from Wednesday as testing is completed. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time and look forward to providing a stronger and faster WIFI service throughout the school.
Senior Drama Production
This week, our talented drama students performed “A Dead Giveaway,” a captivating murder mystery written by Owen Druery of Year 11 . This was the first time the school has presented a student-written play which is a product of the English Enrichment Program. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s movies, the play held the audience’s attention right until the very end with a twist no one saw coming. The night was a wonderful display of Fortians’ diverse talents, both onstage and behind the scenes, as actors, directors, writers, and producers. The production was further enhanced by superb music composed and performed by the Year 10 elective music students.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank to Ms. Finsterer, Ms. Propsting and Ms Mattick for their expertise and guidance, and to the CAPA staff and SRC for their invaluable backstage support in running the event.
Upcoming Events:
Monday 24 June: Year 11 Modern History Museum Parent Evening
Tuesday 25 June: WIFI Cutover Day
Wednesday 26 June: Years 7 & 10 Parent Teacher Night
Wednesday 26 June: Year 9 Duke of Ed training day
Thursday 27 June: Year 10 Commerce Stalls
Friday 28 June: Year 8 English Excursion Counting and Cracking at Carriageworks
Friday 28 June: Year 12 Biology Excursion
Friday 28 June: IMP Winter Concert
Monday 1 July to Friday 5 July: State Music Camp
Monday 1 July: Years 10 & 11 Visual Arts Excursion
Wednesday 3 July: CSSI Science Presentation Day
Thursday 4 July: Years 8 & 9 Parent Teacher Night & Year 8 Subject Information
Thursday 4 July – Saturday 6 July: Year 11 Gold Duke of Ed hike
Friday 5 July: NAIDOC Assembly