Principal’s Report
Dear Fortians, Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to Term 2, I hope that all students and staff had the opportunity to have a real break over the Easter Holidays and to share time with family and friends. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all our teaching and non-teaching staff in providing the best possible experiences for Fortians throughout Term 1 of 2021.
Congratulations
I would like to extend my congratulations to Jean Hinchcliffe who has been invited to give the keynote address at the annual Proudly Public awards to be held at Sydney Town Hall on Monday 31 May.
The event recognises the achievements of scholarship recipients and celebrates the many wonderful things that happen in public schools across Australia. Over 1, 000 students and public educators, Members of Parliament, the NSW Minister and Secretary of Education and public education supporters attend the event. Past keynote speakers have included High Court Justice Michael Kirby, Paralympic Champion Kurt Fearnley, Professor Larissa Benrendt, Socceroos captain Craig Foster and Nobel Prize winning physicist Brian Schmidt.
This will be the first time that the Public Education Foundation has had a student keynote speaker.
ANZAC Assembly
On Friday 23rd April the school held a commemorative ANZAC Day assembly. This is the first time since Term 1, 2020 that we have held a whole school assembly so it was particularly special to hear Gaudeamus and the school song once again fill the hall. I would like to thank in particular Hugo Ceran-Jerusalemy (Year 10) for his thought provoking reflections on ANZAC Day, Jonathan Kelley (Year 12) for performing The Last Post on the bugle and for the IMP’s spectacular and spine tingling performance of Perthshire Majesty by Samuel Hazo.
I should also mention that congratulations is also in order for Maya Taib(Year 11) who was unable to be present at this school assembly as she was representing Public Education at the Department of Education’s official ANZAC Day ceremony. Maya was playing the bugle performing The Last Post.
School Musical – Matilda
Fort Street has only ever produced one school musical that I am aware of and that was in 1997, ‘The Seven Little Australians’. Ms Carolyn Mattick (HT CAPA) and Ms Liz Propsting (Music Teacher) have been rehearsing the cast and crew for the Fort Street Musical ‘Matilda’ which will hopefully be performed in front of a live audience in Term 3, Week 7. If you have sewing skills or could perhaps lend a hand with building stage props and backgrounds, please come along to the information session to find out how and when you could help out. The meeting will be held in the school library before the next P&C meeting at 7pm on Wednesday 12 May.
School Canteen
After much campaigning I am very happy to announce that students and staff can now make purchases at the school canteen via eftpos. Our canteen provider ‘Bon Appetit’ has also made a commitment to transition to biodegradable and other more sustainable packaging. This transition has now commenced.
Major Projects
The sandstone blocks have been delivered and work will soon commence on the tiered seating and retaining wall along the oval. By mid-way through this term a second outdoor volleyball court will also be constructed side by side the current outdoor volleyball court at the back of the oval.
Work has also commenced on the new covered outdoor learning area in the Rowe Quad. The ground is currently being levelled out and stairs connecting the Rowe Building directly into the Quad have started. This space will cater for an entire year group to meet undercover outdoors.
COVID-19 Update
We have commenced Term 2 with a significant easing of restrictions. Despite this, staff and students should not attend school if they are unwell, even with mild symptoms of COVID-19. Any person with COVID-19 symptoms will be sent home and should not return until they have received a negative test and are symptom-free.
Parents, carers and relatives are now welcome in our school. On Wednesday 21st April it was my pleasure to invite almost 100 visitors into the school for an Open Morning tour of the school and presentation held in the library. Parents are once again welcome onsite to visit the uniform shop on Wednesdays between 9.30am and 2.00pm each week to purchase items, return or exchange items and/or to pick up online orders.
There are no longer any limits for singing groups or in-class educational activities. This is particularly good news for the IMP and hopefully we will be able to host the IMP concert this year.
Juliette McMurray