Principals Report

Dear Fortians, Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 3, I hope that our Fortians were able to enjoy their holiday break and are feeling well rested. For me personally, it is so wonderful to be back at The Fort!

As many of you know, I have been away from my position here at Fort Street for the past three terms, taking on a temporary role elsewhere. While I enjoyed my experiences and the challenges of this other job, I am incredibly happy to be back. I have missed the students and staff tremendously and truly appreciate how great this school is. This community really is quite special, and I am excited to be part of it once again.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Cameron for the outstanding job she has done in leading this school for the past 9 months.

I would also like to thank Mr Sherwin for Relieving as Deputy Principal during that time also. Together Ms Cameron, Mr Sherwin and Ms Mattick have been an outstanding team achieving great things for the school and supporting students and staff every single school day.

Student Congratulations

The Monbukagakusho (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology – MEXT) offers scholarships to foreign citizens who wish to study at Japanese universities. Upon successful completion of their courses, students will be awarded a Bachelor’s degree. This scholarship includes all tuition fees, return airfares and a monthly allowance. The application process is competitive and rigorous with thousands of applications worldwide each year and consisting of an application and recommendation phase, examination, and interview. Congratulations to Nicholas C of Year 12 whom has been selected as the Australian candidate for 2025. Nicholas will now wait until January to see if he is successful in gaining one of the very sort after placements in this highly competitive scholarship process – we wish him all the very best of luck.

NSW under 17 volleyball team we are proud to announce that Caitlyn L has been selected to represent in this team.

NSW CHSSA Cross Country – congratulations to the following students who competed in the Championships last week – Sophie K, Sofiah D and Reuben W.

15 years girls zone athletics champion awarded to Sophie K

14 years girls zone athletics champion awarded to Sofiah D. At the zone athletics carnival Sofiah broke the Girls 13 years 100m Sydney North record in a time of 14.02

13 years boys zone athletics champion awarded to Reuben W

The 13 years boys 4 x 100 m relay team also broke the record completing 400m in 52.66 congratulations to Jun Min Y, Kayvis L, Victor F and Benjamin D.

35 of our students qualified for the regional athletics carnival this week. This is a significant number of students to be representing a school at this level and I would like to wish each of the competitors the best of luck in their events. Overall, Fort Street placed a very close second in the zone athletics. All students who participated are to be congratulated on an outstanding effort.

Student Support

Our students mental, emotional, and physical health are paramount to us. We have a range of support services available, including our school counsellors, student support officers, year advisors and assistant year advisers, wellbeing programs, and extracurricular activities designed to help our students maintain a balanced and fulfilling school life. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you feel that your child requires additional support.

This year we have also appointed a Supervisor of Female students – Ms Nolan. Ms Nolan has been appointed as a dedicated advocate for girls’ educational equity, ensuring that each of our female students here at Fort Street has an equal opportunity to thrive in her academic journey. Ms Nolan can provide individual support and will also assist to foster a supportive environment where female students can address concerns and seek guidance.

Staff Retirement

After an extraordinary 40 years of dedicated service in the public education system, one of our Maths teacher, Ms Fentoullis, is retiring. Ms Fentoullis has touched the lives of countless students with her passion for mathematics, her patience, and her unwavering commitment to education. Ms Fentoullis was a teacher at Dulwich High School for 20 years, at Matraville Sports High School for 10 years and Fort Street for 10 years.

As she steps into this new chapter of her life, Ms Fentoullis looks forward to enjoying some well-earned rest and spending time with her four beautiful grandchildren. But retirement doesn’t mean slowing down for her! She will be taking on new adventures, including dragon boat racing all over the world. Her first stop is very soon in Italy, in the beautiful city of Bologna, and then she will be off to Paris. We wish her all the best in her travels and are excited to hear about her adventures.

Upcoming events in Term 3:

Monday 29 July to Friday 9 August: Year 12 Trial HSC Exams, weeks 2 & 3

Tuesday 30 July: Year 11 and 12 semi-final debate held at FSHS

Wednesday 31 July: Second-hand Uniform Stall and senior rugby team tryouts after school

Thursday 1 August: 15s Girls knockout netball held at FSHS and Year 7 & 8 debate held at Tempe HS

Friday 2 August to Saturday 3 August: Silver Duke of Edinburgh Practice Hike

Wednesday 7 August to Friday 9 August: Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh Camp

Monday 12 August & Tuesday 13 August: Year 11 Geography Fieldwork Excursion

Wednesday 14^th August: P&C Meeting

Juliette McMurray

Putting in seedlings for National Tree Planting Day

Multicultural Day

The SRC will be holding our annual Multicultural Day celebrations on Friday 16th of August (Week 4), with food stalls, performances, and an opportunity to dress in cultural dress or a jersey! Our school is a beautifully diverse place and we are looking to celebrate it throughout the day. We strongly encourage all students to come dressed in any cultural or ethnic dress which they feel embodies themselves.

It will be great to see the multicultural nature of our school being displayed!

We also ask parents to strongly encourage their children to come dressed, to perform, and to hold a multicultural stall – this could be either cultural games, or the fan-favourite food stalls from last year. All stallholders will be able to keep their profits – and the SRC will reimburse any stalls that fail to do so. 

We can’t wait to see Fort Street’s wonderfully multicultural committee come together on Friday 16th August!

Multicultural Day Stalls EOI

Multicultural Day Performance EOI

Fort Fest 2024 Sponsorship

Fort Fest is on September 20th and we are looking for sponsors to support our big birthday fundraiser!

We are offering 3 Sponsorship Levels to suit different sized businesses:

PLATINUM SPONSOR

Donation Amount: $5000

Benefits:

• The business’s name as a Platinum Sponsor on signage at the event
• The option to hold a stall at the event
• An invitation to present an award at the event.
• Free banner ad in the school’s fortnightly newsletter for 5 editions
• Profile piece in the school newsletter and on the P&C’s Facebook page
• Acknowledgement and thanks in the annual school publication, ‘The Fortian’

GOLD SPONSOR

Donation Amount: $2000

Benefits:

• The business’s name as a Gold Sponsor on signage at the event
• An invitation to present an award at the event.
• Free banner ad in 1 edition of the school’s fortnightly newsletter
• Profile piece in the school newsletter and on the P&C’s Facebook page
• Acknowledgement and thanks in the annual school publication, ‘The Fortian’

SILVER SPONSOR

Donation Amount: $1000

Benefits:

• The business’s name as a Silver Sponsor on signage at the event
• Free banner ad in 1 edition of the school’s fortnightly newsletter
• Acknowledgement and thanks in the school newsletter and on the P&C’s Facebook page
• Acknowledgement and thanks in the annual school publication, ‘The Fortian’

If you or a family member owns a business which would like to contribute to this great event, please contact Elizabeth Kenyon – events@fortstreetpandc.org or 0431 485 995

New Directions in Careers Counselling

An Update from Fort Street’s Careers Adviser

Who Do You Want To Be?

• Once upon a time the question teenagers were asked was “what do you want to do when you leave school?” Now, as the world of careers and employment undergoes significant change, the focus has moved from the type of work to the type of worker. The shift from asking “What do you want to do?” to “Who do you want to be?” represents a profound change in the way school Careers Advisers approach personal student career development programs.
• This paradigm shift emphasizes the importance of personal identity, strengths, skills, capabilities, and values in shaping a student’s future career choices.
• Individual student Identity plays a central role in this approach. It encourages students to deep dive into understanding who they are, beyond academic achievements. This self-awareness fosters a sense of purpose and direction, crucial for personal and professional growth. By exploring their identity, students can align their future paths with their true selves, leading to more fulfilling and authentic life choices, and therefore greater professional success. As universities are keen to emphasize: first choose your cause, then choose your course to match!

Through these efforts, career counsellors empower students to begin to research careers that align with their unique strengths and aspirations, leading to more successful professional lives.

Employers are increasingly recruiting for social-emotional skills and employability attributes. If they are paying a human to do a job, it’s because they need the human qualities the employee brings. After all, if a task can be completed by AI, an algorithm or a robot – it will be.

In contemplating possible future career paths, students should focus on activities that enable them to develop and demonstrate their employability (social-emotional) skills not just academic knowledge.

All students are encouraged to connect with the school’s Careers Adviser, Ms Salisbury, to have these vital conversations and begin the deep-dive into what matters to them and what could give their life meaning now and into the future.

Special Report: Eating Anxiety

Eating anxiety encompasses the stress, worry, or fear associated with eating and can appear in various forms, such as a refusal of all foods or an aversion to specific textures or flavours. This is particularly challenging for children and teenagers during school break times or lunchtime. Often this anxiety can be intensified by either social pressures or the surrounding environment. While not a formally recognised condition, eating anxiety is a real and overwhelming experience that can stem from multiple sources including social anxiety, body image concerns, eating disorders, cultural or dietary restrictions, and bullying.

Students who feel self-conscious about eating in public, potentially feel their anxiety exacerbated by peer scrutiny when in school settings. Recognising this anxiety as a legitimate issue is crucial. It is important for parents and educators to create a supportive environment where affected students feel understood and safe. Many schools are becoming increasingly aware of these challenges and are implementing policies to mitigate stress and stigma by promoting body positivity, and accommodating students who feel uncomfortable eating in public spaces.

Ultimately, the goal is to build a trusting and resilient foundation, allowing children and adolescents to face their fears at their own pace, thereby reducing the anxiety associated with eating in social contexts. This collaborative approach aims to support young people in overcoming their eating challenges effectively.

Anxiety Workshop

NSW Youth Counselling and Family Resilience Program

Adolescents & Anxiety

Workshop for Parents: Adolescents & Anxiety

We have developed a 2 hour interactive workshop for parents centered around anxiety in adolescents and how to support their young people through connection and specific strategies.

This workshop is designed to provide parents with information on:

• The more common types of anxiety experienced by adolescents,
• What these types of anxiety may look like,
• Context around why adolescents may be experiencing anxiety

Additionally, the workshop aims to support parents with strategies to:

• Increase the space for connection with their young people,
• Aid their adolescents in developing coping strategies that are evidence based in reducing anxiety and increasing emotional balance

This workshop provides foundational knowledge and strategies and may aid parents in deciding whether further supports or services would be helpful to their young people.

What Can You Expect?

Given this topic is broad and peoples experiences are so unique, we’ve tried to give as much information across all areas and deliver it in a way that is still engaging. There is time for questions throughout the workshop and discussion amongst the group is encouraged.

This workshop does not replace individual support, which may be a useful next step depending on your circumstances and needs. Information booklets are available following the workshop which contain all information discussed and further supports and services available to young people and their families.

Who Are We?

Good Shepherd is a not for profit charity supporting women, girls and families in Australia and New Zealand. Several services are available locally in NSW including:

• Counselling and therapeutic support to adolescents
• Young Parenting
• Financial counselling, recovery, and coaching
• No interest

Good Shepherd Parenting Program – Adolescents & Anxiety Workshop

Please see attached flyer for Good Shepherd’s upcoming psychoeducational workshop, for parents of young people who experience anxiety.

Date: Thursday 1st August 2024

Time: 10am – 12pm

Location: 440 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, NSW, 2204

Cost: Free

Registration is essential, please contact team via (02) 8571 7800, reception@goodshep.org.au