Principal’s Report
Dear Parents, Carers and Fortians,
Parents and carers are an important and valued part of the school community. All parents and carers are invited to participate in ‘Tell Them From Me’, which is a survey for parents and carers and will provide the school with feedback to make practical improvements and to inform school planning. The survey is online and takes about 10 minutes to complete. The survey has been emailed to all parents and can also be accessed on the parent portal. If you cannot access the link please contact reception at the school.
The few weeks since our last edition of Mercurius have been busy but also very rewarding.
Week 7 was SAS Staff Recognition Week – an annual event in which we celebrate the work done by our School Administrative and Support Staff. The contribution this team makes to the entire school community is invaluable and highly appreciated by all members of the community. I feel privileged to have found myself working with such a motivated and passionate group of staff who genuinely care about the school and go about their work with exceptional efficiency, diligence and professionalism. I would like to personally thank all members of the SAS team – Janette Levy, Maria Costello (currently relieving for Janette), Celia Batista (Science Assistant), Georgia Calvani, Vivien Davies, Dianne Debreczeni, Chris Egan (Library), Mark Egan (Archives), Lina El Deri, Kellorin Long, Marjan McKeough (Library), Donna Padroth (Kitchen Assistant), Natalie Page, Fran Triolo, Denise Sloss, Janet Wilkins and Kevin Wright.
I had the pleasure of attending the CAPA HSC Showcase on Thursday 23rd August, the Visual Art Major Works and English Extension 2 Showcases on Monday 3rd September. At each of these events I was impressed yet again by the wide range of talent that exists at the Fort. My congratulations extend to all Fortians who completed major works and presented at these events but also to their parents who supported their children during the long process involved in creating these projects and to the wonderful teachers who have dedicated endless hours of support, encouragement and expertise to help shape these works to be the very best products that they could be.
We have had three assemblies in the past two weeks. On Friday August 31st the school participated in ‘Wear it Purple Day’ and the school had the pleasure of hearing from two guest speakers – Maree Lau from P Flag and Constable Casey Mitchell Youth Liaison Officer from the Inner West Police Area Command. On Tuesday August 28th we celebrated sporting achievements. This year at our ‘Sports Assembly’ and on Friday September 7th we held an HSC Major Works Assembly to showcase the completed major works to the broader student body not only to celebrate but also to inspire Fortians from other years to see firsthand what can be achieved in these specialty areas.
On Wednesday September 5th the Charity Committees, Amnesty Group and Diversity Committee hosted ‘Multicultural Day’ in which students had the opportunity to try foods from different continents, participate in activities and dress in cultural costume/clothing. I would like to thank the Fortians and staff who were involved in preparing and cooking food for the day as well as organising the events and festivities on the day. In particular however, I must thank Aidan Limnios (Yr 10) and Sasha Mendes (Yr 10) for coordinating this event, and Ms Clare Cotton and Ms Catriona Arcamone for the enormous amount of time and effort they put into supporting the preparations.
Congratulations to:
· Cole Johnson (Yr 12) – recipient of The Australian National University (ANU) Tuckwell Scholarship 2019. Each year ANU receives written applications from hundreds of students all around the country, a shortlist of 75 applicants are interviewed in Canberra and eventually 25 scholarships are awarded.
· Michelle Cheung (Yr 12) and Julian van Gerwen (Yr 12) for their achievement of the 2018 Minister’s Award for Excellence in Student Achievement. I had the pleasure of attending the awards ceremony at Town Hall on Wednesday August 29 at which these two outstanding Fortians were presented awards by the Hon Rob Stokes MP, Minister for Education.
· Alison Hwang (Yr 11) – finalist in the Whitlam Institute What Matters? Writing Competition 2018. I would also like to thank Claire Kendall for attending this presentation ceremony on Tuesday September 4.
· Yet another victory from our Year 10 Debating team at the quarter finals against Sydney Secondary College Balmain on Tuesday September 4. These students will now progress to the semi-finals where they will be debating against Rose Bay Secondary College. Congratulations to Jessica Yoon, Crystal Pham, Max Collingwood and Luca Charlier.
· Jessica Song (Yr 11) who has been selected to participate in the New South Wales Schools Constitutional Convention at Parliament House, Macquarie St on Tuesday October 30.
· Anson Lee (Yr 10) and Alistair McDonald (Yr 10) who performed as members of the Southern Stars Orchestra at the 2018 Southern Stars Show Week, Wollongong Entertainment Centre last week and weekend.
· Sanjana Krishnan-Iyer (Yr 7), Esther Alex (Yr 7), Mary Koutalianos (Yr 7), Benjamin Alpert (Yr 9), Jack Coleman (Yr 9), Lola Rose Van Overdam (Yr 9) and Phoebe Rosser (Yr 9) who competed in the State Finals of Tournament of Minds on Sunday September 9th.
Juliette McMurray
Principal