FORT FAIR! Friday 16th September

Get ready for Fort Fair!

Friday 16th September
4pm – 8pm

International food stalls, music, art exhibition, games, craft and more. Have a tour of the school and visit the Ron Horan museum!

If you are running a stall, please make sure you complete the Stall Holders Form as soon as possible.

If you can give an hour of your time to help on a stall, please Sign Up here. Qualified First Aiders, please use the Sign Up form to help at the First Aid tent.

We need donations!
Bottles for the Tombola  – Wine, beer, oils, condiments, lollies, sauces

Prizes – Gift cards, Chocolates, Cosmetics

2nd hand games, puzzles and books

Baked goods – cakes, cookies, slices and sweet treats

(Bring donations to the school office starting from Monday August 29 to the school office., except for baked goods which can be brought on the day)

Everyone Welcome!

Please share the event with friends and bring all the family!

Principals Report

Dear Fortians, Parents and Carers,

Year 12 and the HSC

Last week, Year 12 students submitted their HSC Major Projects in English Extension and Society and Culture. This week our Drama students completed their HSC Drama Performance exams. For all these students this has been a huge effort, showing great determination, organisation, and commitment. It is a challenge that will serve them long after the HSC has concluded. It was an absolute pleasure to attend the HSC Drama and Music showcase on Tuesday 23 to see and hear the incredible works some of these students have been working on for such a long time.

On Monday, the HSC Visual Arts Major Works are due, and I am looking forward to the HSC Visual Arts exhibition which will be held in the Library on Monday 29 August from 5.30pm until 6.30pm and also the English Extension 2 showcase evening to be held on the same night from 6.30pm.

For the past month, our language students have been scheduled on Saturdays to complete their HSC Language Oral Exams. We know that our students hard work and dedication in these courses will see them well rewarded.

The annual Senior Drama Production ‘An Ideal Husband’ will be performed in the school hall at 7pm over two nights, Wednesday 31 August and Thursday 1 September, all Fortians and parents are welcome to attend.

Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Gold Duke of Edinburgh Qualifying Walk was held from Friday 19 August through until late afternoon on Monday 22 August. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the teachers Mr O’Neill, Ms Thompson and Ms Fluitsma who volunteered three nights away from their families to look after and experience this challenging journey with our students.

All Year 9 students will be attending the Duke of Ed camp in week 9. The Duke of Edinburgh Award can play a vital role in providing opportunities for young people to develop essential life skills, increase their employability and foster their creativity and innovation.

Wear it Purple Day

Wear it Purple Day was first launched 12 years ago at Burwood Girls High School and has now become a global movement and key date on the NSW Department of Education calendar. Seventy-five percent of LGBTQIA+ young people in Australia still experience bullying based on their identity. This number is unacceptably high and has far-reaching implications, with LGBTQIA+ young people at a statistically higher risk of poorer physical and mental health outcomes.

Fort Street will celebrate Wear it Purple Day on Friday 26 August with a purple mufti days and a whole school assembly. We thank you and our students in advance for their support.

Fort Fair

The P&C are very excited to announce the return of Fort Fair, which will be on Friday September 16 on the school grounds. This will be a wonderful event for our community to come together again. There will be food stalls, music and lots of fun games for the whole family to enjoy. I hope to see you there.

Upcoming events in Term 3:

• Senior Volleyball Championships – we wish our teams the best of luck at Sydney Olympic Park on Thursday 25 August and Friday 26 August
• HSC Visual Arts Exhibition – Monday 29 August 5.30pm Library
• English Extension 2 Showcase – Monday 29 August 6.30pm Common Room
• Year 7 Gala Day –Wednesday 31 August
• Open Morning – for prospective students in Years 5 and 6, Wednesday 31 August
• Senior Drama Production – Wednesday 31 August and Thursday 1 September at 7:00pm in the Hall
• Intermediate Volleyball Championships – we wish our teams the best of luck at Sydney Olympic Park on Thursday 1 September and Friday 2 September
• Year 11 final exams – week 8 and 9
• Year 9 Camp – week 9
• P&C and SRC Fort Fair – Friday 16 September
• Year 12 Breakfast, FLOP assembly and evening graduation – Wednesday 21 September

Wear it Purple Day – Friday August 26

The SRC invites all students to wear purple; bring a gold coin donation; get a free pronoun badge; sign a petition; and come to the hall at lunch to watch an episode of Arthur, with snacks! The SRC are supporting Wear It Purple Day to celebrate rainbow young people and raise awareness for LGBTQ+ rights.

Senior Drama Production – An Ideal Husband

Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Training Day

Dear Parents, 

On Wednesday of Week 8 this term (7th September) Fort Street will be holding a training day to help students complete their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. The training day is an opportunity to ensure that all Year 9 students are ready to complete their camp program which will take place the following week. It is also the first of three requirements to complete the Adventurous Journey section of the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award. The other two – an overnight practice walk and an overnight qualifying walk – will be completed through the Year 9 camp in Week 9. 

The Adventurous Journey component of the Duke of Edinburgh Award provides participants with the opportunity to learn more about the wider environment, as well as to develop their self-confidence, team work and health.

Participants are taken out of their comfort zone- in an unfamiliar environment yet kept within a safe and secure setting, achieved through suitable training and supervision. 

Although it is not essential, students are encouraged to bring any equipment they intend to use on their camp so that Fort Street’s Duke of Edinburgh leaders can assess it and ensure it will be appropriate for their Camp. It is strongly suggested that students wear the footwear they intend to walk in during Year 9 camp. Students will also receive instruction in camp cooking and meal preparation, packing and bushwalking skills, working in teams, basic outdoor first aid, navigation and minimising environmental impact. Students will also be working in the groups that they have been organised into for their camp. 

However, in order to have the training day and the Year 9 camp contribute toward the completion of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, students must have their award program correctly set up in the Online Record Book.

If any students need help in completing this prior to the training day please make sure you contact Mr Latimer. 

Kind regards

David Latimer

Meet Ms Truong

What subject do you teach?

I teach English.

Why do you love the subject?

I enjoy the power that reading, writing and speaking has to inspire and manipulate our emotions, behaviours and motivations as humans. I think that if I can teach students to master and appreciate those skills, they will become more resilient, communicative, well-rounded and happier people.

What’s an interesting fact relating to your subject?

One of my favourite poets to teach is T.S. Eliot. Even though I’ve taught his poetry for nearly 10 years, I never realised until last year when I came to the Fort, that his name backwards, minus the S, spells “toilet”.

What was your favourite subject at school?

I was absolutely obsessed with history (still am). I excelled at studying Year 11 and 12 Ancient and Modern History but since I didn’t have the opportunity to go to selective school, I was denied entry into studying History Extension for Year 12 because I was the only student in my cohort who wanted to study that subject.

An interesting fact about yourself:

I was not born in Australia yet my mastery of speaking, reading and writing in the English language as well as my knowledge of Australian history is just as strong as anyone who was born and lived here all of their life.

Do you have any pets?

I have a cat named Tiramisu.

Why did you become a teacher?

Considering the high number of students from non-English backgrounds that attend selective high schools, I wanted to become an English teacher that specialises in Gifted and Talented Education in order to give those students representation in a subject they usually find difficult.

What do you love about being at Fort Street?

I love the diversity at Fort Street; this is the most culturally diverse and accepting selective school I have ever worked at.

Do you think pineapple goes on a pizza?

No, I don’t like dishes that mix sweet and savoury palettes.

Year 7 History Excursion – Friday 12 August

On Friday 12 August 7I, 7O and 7T History classes, accompanied by their teachers Mr de Bres, Ms Wark and Mr O’Neill, visited Hyde Park, the old Fort Street Girls’ High School at Observatory Hill and ‘The Big Dig’  Archaeological Centre in The Rocks. After the excursion students were asked to reflect on their experiences by answering a few questions.

EXCURSION REFLECTION – Lilly Butler

Hyde Park North

Hyde Park is a tranquil, expansive recreational area in Sydney. It is split into two parts: Hyde Park North and Hyde Park South. Hyde Park North is bordered by Saint Mary’s Cathedral and St James Station can be entered through this area. It is dotted with memorials, commemorating and celebrating important events and people throughout the history of Australia since European colonisation.

Three things I learnt about Hyde Park:

1. It is split into two parts.
2. It is supposed to replicate Hyde Park in England.
3. I learnt about many organisations/industries such as Mr Walker’s frozen meat industry and the Oddfellows Society.

Fort Street Girls High School

Fort Street Model School became a single-sex school in 1916 when the school began to overpopulate and the boys school was moved to Taverners Hill. It is a well-preserved building atop a hill that gazes out over Observatory Hill and the The Rocks. It is a yellow colour featuring many arch-shaped windows and doors, with the three flags out the front and a crest at the top of the building featuring a lion and a unicorn.

Three things I learnt about the Fort Street Girls High School building

1. It was originally a military hospital.
2. It became Australia’s oldest government school.
3. The school is situated on Upper Fort Street.

The Big Dig

The Big Dig is an archaeological site where a convict had been living around two hundred years previously. The house of this butcher was marked out with red stones, and many other areas had models of animals to represent what that area may have been used for, for example, a metal horse where the freed convict kept his racehorses.

Three things I learnt about the Big Dig:

1. A convict named George Cribb lived there
2. People were paid to catch rats during the rat plague
3. They have uncovered more than a million artefacts on the site

Favourite part of the excursion

My favourite part of the excursion was learning about the artefacts at the Big Dig because it was interesting to see how much people can learn about the past from a single artefact.

EXCURSION REFLECTION – Dhruv Singh

Hyde Park

1. Hyde Park North is towards the eastern part of Sydney in a rectangle-like shape. It is surrounded by Liverpool, College and Elizabeth streets near St. Mary’s Cathedral. Hyde Park has many famous statues, gardens and monuments like the Archibald Fountain, the Dalley State, the Oddfellows Memorial, the Sandringham Garden, the Lachlan Macquarie Statue, the John Baptist Fountain and the Walker Fountain and Statue. All of these contain the history of the oldest park in Australia.
2. Three interesting things that I learnt about the history of Hyde Park were that it was the oldest park in Australia; that the Archibald Fountain commemorates the association between Australia and France in WW1 and that during the early years Hyde Park was the site of open air art shows, royal visits, art, festivals, rallies and protests.
3. My favorite part of the excursion was when we were allowed to walk around Hyde Park and compete a site study treasure hunt of the statues, memorials and gardens. It was fun discovering and learning about the past of Hyde Park in small groups.
4. I enjoyed everything about visiting Hyde Park.

Fort Street Model School/Fort Street Girls High School

1. Established in 1849, Fort Street Model School was the oldest government high school located on the highest ground on Observatory Hills. Later on this school became Fort Street Girls’ High School when the boys were moved to Taverners Hill in Petersham because of overpopulation.
2. Three things that I learnt about Fort Street Model School was that it was previously an old military hospital, that it was the first government public school in Australia and that it symbolised the future prosperity of the fledgling colony.
3. My favourite part of visiting Fort Street Girls High School was sitting outside of the school, enjoying the view and taking a break.
4. I loved visiting the site of old Fort Street Model School and Fort Street Girls’ High School – there was a great view although the site was on quite a bit of elevation which I didn’t love.

The Big Dig Archaeological Site

1. The Big Dig Archaeological Site is a place that contains remains of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the time of Australia’s first European settlement. It is located near The Rocks on Cumberland Street.
2. Three interesting things I learnt about The Big Dig is that some of the items that people used like torpedo bottles, bottles that stored carbonated water, were deliberately designed so that they couldn’t stand straight. I learnt that lots of convicts actually had better lives after being moved to Australia and that over 1.5 million artifacts were discovered here.
3. My favorite part of visiting The Big Dig was seeing the many artifacts that were collected on the site. I was surprised that they were real artifacts that showed lots of history and told us about the lives of many of the convicts and settlers there.
4. I enjoyed everything about visiting The Big Dig Archaeological Site.

Tree Planting at Fort Street

Thank you so much to everyone who helped with tree planting on Thursday August 11. The Environment Group, with the Amnesty Group and a lot of our friends, planted about 70 native trees, which was a fantastic achievement. The new trees are mostly on the perimeter of the school. These and future plantings build on the work of many generations of Fortians who made this school the oasis that it is in our urban environment. Our school is a wildlife refuge and corridor, and the trees planted yesterday will create a cooler microclimate as well as serving to increase local biodiversity and providing a much-needed carbon sink.

It’s not possible to list all the people who helped – it was a community effort, with assistance from people right across the school; from Year 7s and 8s in the Vocal Ensemble who collected and tagged sticks, to Year 12s on study breaks and Year 11 volleyballers who moved trees and equipment, to Year 9 students who watered the tubestock plants each day, to the teachers who rolled up their sleeves and planted, or put up with people turning up late and eating in class, to the executive and admin staff who checked where we could plant, to the P&C and local council for the grant to buy plants. Particular thanks go to Ms Woodley for supplying the seedlings, and to Ms Mattick for the delivery of the larger trees.

If you would like to help with future plantings as well as online work to ensure the protection of nature, please join the Environment Group in the grounds or in the Flexible Learning Space every Thursday Week B at lunchtime. There’ll be a note on the door and a message on Google Classroom to say where we’re meeting (code woynyyf) each fortnight.

Year 11 Totalitarianism Museum Project

On Monday the 20th of June, Year 11 Modern History students held their annual Museum Exhibition in the Flexible Learning Centre for their Term 2 Assessment. 

After weeks of preparation and hard work, we were proud to present our museum exhibit on a variety of potentially totalitarian regimes. Our role for the task was to determine whether or not we could classify the selected regime as ‘totalitarian’, following certain criterias such as The Friedrich Model.  Some regimes explored by students include: Stalin’s USSR, the Taliban Regime, Soviet Union and Khmer Rouge Regime. The room was filled to the brim with incredible, creative exhibitions decorated with a variety of hand-crafted artefacts and meticulously constructed designs. Notably, there were historical displays of clothing, cultural architecture and “top secret” political documents that immersed the three history classes into the exploration of extremities.

We had a lesson or two, plus recess and lunch to set-up our exhibitions: 3 classes cramped into the flexible learning centre with students buzzing excitedly around the room. We had so much fun with this task and can say it was such an incredible experience which we hope the future years can enjoy just as much as we did when they reach Year 11.

Students commented: “It was so slay” , “It was creatively stimulating” and “It was an eye-opening experience where students were able to educate and be educated”.

Not only was our assessment mark dependent on this display, there was also an esteemed prize: bragging rights for the group crowned with the People’s Choice Awards. A fierce competition formed between the three teachers who each wanted the students from their own class to take home the shining trophy.

Unsurprisingly, it was a WARK in the park for Ms Wark’s students, who won the People’s Choice Award two years in a row.

Yr 11 Winners MHI2,

Cindy Xie, Grace Xu and Kathy Bui

Fort Street’s Year 9/10 Debate Team Bounces Back into the competition!

On Monday the 15th of August 2022, our Year 9/10 Debate Team debated against Sydney Secondary High School, Balmain for our third round of the Premier’s Debating Competition. The topic we were given was that “the Australian Prime Minister should be elected by the people rather than by their political party” and we were given the negative stance to argue.

Thanks to Johnathan Bonnice, Galileo Lima, Chloe O’Keefe and Min Park’s strong understanding of Australia’s democratic system and up-to-date knowledge on the issues that surrounded our latest Federal election campaign, they manage to win the debate for our school.

Ms. Truong

Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator

Fort Street’s Year 8 PDC Debate Team prove that a setback is just a comeback waiting to happen!

On Friday the 12th of August 2022, the Year 8 Fort Street PDC Team debated against Newtown Performing Arts High School in their third debate round for the Premier’s Debating Challenge. Since they were previously defeated by Sydney Boys, this round was a repechage and a final chance to qualify for the Knockout Round in Term 4.

Without thinking too much about what was at stake, Chinmay Dixit, Aaditya Venkatraman, Henry Huang and Bhavnish Jain arrived at school bright and early at 8am to start their debate preparation, with the intention of doing the best they can!

The topic for this round was Sport and we were challenged to argue against the point “that we should ban all fighting sports like boxing and martial arts”.

The team put up a great debate. Aiden Sen chaired and kept time on the debate. Chinmay, as our first speaker, presented some excellent points about the importance of boxing and martial arts as a sport in a variety of cultures.

Aaditya then presented a very succinct but poignant argument about how violent sports are very well moderated for both the player and the viewer and Henry backed up those points by talking about how violence exists in other aspects of entertainment but that does not necessarily lead to people becoming violent themselves.

Their collective effort led to the adjudicator quite convincingly declaring our team the winner thus securing our sport in the Year 8 division for the Knockout PDC debate in term 4!

Ms. Truong

Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator

Duke of Edinburgh Award at the Fort

We are now five years into a highly ambitious exercise to encourage all Year 9 students to undertake the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award program creates opportunities for Year 9 students to challenge themselves by learning new skills, work with and support their community through service, learn more about themselves and their peers and develop their skills for teamwork, leadership, and resilience, especially on their adventurous journey.

We believe the Year 9 Camp Adventurous journey to Colo River at Somerset this year to be a vital experience in your child’s journey to adulthood. And we wish your child every success in this adventure. A big thank you to Ms Propsting YA and Mr. Wilkinson AYA and Mr. Latimer for their work in organising the Year 9 Duke of Edinburgh Bronze training day and the camp.

We encourage students in the senior years to continue into the Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh programs.  We have witnessed the rewards of this program for our senior students in terms of their personal growth and more recently we have seen the advantage this gives our students in applying for Early Entry Scheme University places and Academic scholarships, while our students are still completing their HSC course.

These early entry schemes and academic scholarships are no longer just looking for students who have the ‘perfect ATAR’.  University Admissions are asking applicants to demonstrate what leadership and service activities they have been involved in while in Year 11 and 12 and what skills and qualities they have developed from participating in these activities and their influence on their community.

Year 8 students, Parents and Caregivers will be invited to an information session in Term 4 to find out more about what this program offers and how it works in Year 9.

Our program coordinators: Mr. Latimer (Bronze), Ms. Thompson (Silver) and Mr. O’Neill (Gold)are to be congratulated for the amazing work they have done this year to support our students to participate in this award scheme. Our teaching staff Ms. Xu, Ms Fluitsma and Mr. Vaughan have also volunteered their weekends and dedicated many hours alongside Ms. Thompson and Mr. O’Neill to take our Silver and Gold Award students on some exciting and challenging expeditions.

Many of our students would have struggled to complete the paperwork and diary requirements without the support of our highly valued office staff, Natalie Page, Diana Choi and Jo Imhof, who have worked tirelessly to help our students to participate in these award programs.

Penelope Starr

Head Teacher Wellbeing

IMP News

State Choir

Applications have just opened for the 2022 NSW Public Schools State Choir. Students in years 8 – 12 are welcome to apply for this SATB ensemble. The State Choir will rehearse over 2 days and perform in the newly refurbished Sydney Opera House Concert Hall as part of the Festival of Choral Music in October.

Applications close Friday 9 September.

Details, dates and how to apply can be found here:  State Choir – application form | The Arts Unit

Gondwana Choirs presents Art of A Cappella

Art of A Cappella is a weekend workshop for tenors and basses on 27 – 28 August. The guest artist will be Tim Wayne-Wright, formerly of the King’s Singers.

When: 27 – 28 August

Where: Shore School, North Sydney

Cost: $80

Students who wish to sign up need to do so as individuals – this is not an official Fort Street group excursion.

Please sign up by this Thursday 25 August

https://www.gondwana.org.au/the-art-of-a-cappella/

Padlocks on lockers at Fort Street

When students hire a locker they are issued with a padlock from the school. If a student misplaces the padlock a replacement one can be purchased from the school office for $20.

For safety and security reasons, only the official school issued padlocks are allowed to be used on lockers.

Please contact the office if you have any questions.

University of Sydney webinar for Year 11 and 12 French students

Students in Years 11 and 12 French are invited to participate in an upcoming webinar, organised by the University of Sydney. This free webinar will take place 4-5pm on Wednesday 14 September and will cover the following topics:

This interactive webinar has been designed around the “French-speaking communities” theme of the French Continuers Stage 6 Syllabus. It will be delivered in French, and students will be invited to engage in activities during the session. La Francophonie (the French-speaking world) will be explored in this webinar including its meaning, origins and manifestation in different continents and legacy in contemporary France. 

Interested students should register using this link:

https://uni-sydney.zoom.us/webinar/register/6016527669988/WN_kP65-ZyzQdSvjmG-pIudXw

UNSW Women in Engineering Scholarship Program

Engineering Futures sessions for Years 9 – 12

For students and parents Years 9-12

This is a series of opportunities to ask your burning questions about Engineering – directly with Engineers & Engineering Students via live video.

Parents and students can now register for the sessions that are of interest to you.  Please note, numbers are limited to the first 140 students – we will repeat popular opportunities a little later!

Coming up

Tuesday 30 August  What “type” of Engineer do you want to be?

Aeronautical; Biomedical; Chemical; Civil; Electrical Mechanical/Mechatronic; Software

Start time: 5.00pm SHARP!

Finish time: 6.15pm

Tuesday 13 September:       Which University?

We have 10 Accredited Engineering Universities in ACT/NSW – here are 7 under the spotlight (we will cover all universities during the series)

Start time: 5.00pm SHARP!

Finish time: 6.15pm

More Sessions will appear in coming weeks on the Engineering Futures noticeboard! 

New Careers Hub for students

Careers NSW is trialling a new career guidance service helping students identify their skills and interests and discover their career goals. Fort Street High School has chosen to take part in the pilot program. For more information visit https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/career-and-study-pathways/careers-nsw-schools-hub