Principal’s Report

Dear Fortians, Parents and Carers,

The Department of Education has released updated COVID-19 guidelines for Term 4. Interschool activities have been able to recommence which has seen the return of excursions and field trips as well as inter-school grade sport and our popular Primary-Links program with Ashfield PS, Haberfield PS, Summer Hill PS and Wilkins PS.

Unfortunately parents and carers are still only permitted to visit the school site for the purposes of essential meetings to discuss welfare matters and for picking up their child if they are unwell.

Staff and students must not come to school if they are unwell. Even with very mild symptoms. Flu-like symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, loss of taste and loss of smell. If a student has been absent due to flu-like symptoms or develops flu-like symptoms while at school, they are not to return to school until they have a negative COVID-19 test and are symptom free. The negative COVID-19 test result must be sighted and received by the school for both students and staff members to return to school.

Marrickville Cricket Club

This term we have welcomed Marrickville Cricket Club’s junior girls’ teams to train at the Fort twice a week. Feedback so far has been that the girls have very much enjoyed the new training facilities.

Tell Them from Me

Each year Fort Street participates in a suite of surveys (students, teachers and parents) on student engagement. The surveys take about 15 minutes to complete and are completely anonymous. Students and staff participated in these surveys last week and parents have also been emailed the survey link. I would like to encourage all parents to participate in this survey if you have time. We appreciate your input as this will help our school to understand parents’ and carers’ perspectives on their child’s experience at school and will assist us in evaluating current programs and plans for improvement in the future.

http://nsw.tellthemfromme.com/FSHS2020

Schools Spectacular 2020 – Year 12 Virtual Item

Whilst there is no Schools Spectacular this year the team at the Department of Education Arts Unit are putting together a virtual item in the digital space specifically for Year 12’s to acknowledge the substantial contribution they have made to the event throughout their schooling years. This special Schools Spectacular 2020 virtual item which will be a music and dance performance in the style of Schools Spectacular will be released through the department’s networks and media channels as well as appearing on a special broadcast with channel 7. Congratulations to our talented Year 12 Fortians – Max Tosello, Luca Ittimani, Emily Miers, Jaden White and Jasmin Young who have been nominated to contribute to this production.

Year 12

Year 12 have now completed the first week of the HSC exams. Despite the difficulties this year has presented our students are well prepared. I would like to wish our Year 12 students all the best for the remaining three weeks of HSC examinations.

COVID-19 test results for HSC students will be prioritised by NSW Health to minimise any impact on HSC preparations. When HSC students are getting tested, they need to advise the GP/ or clinic that they are currently doing their HSC so their test results can be prioritised.

Year 11

Week 3, Term 4 marks the changeover between the Preliminary and HSC courses.. As a result there will be some timetable changes to accommodate new extension subjects being offered to Year 11 students. Any Year 11 students who would like to discontinue one of their senior courses can see Mr Morrison for the paperwork requesting permission to do so. The minimum number of units required in Year 12 is 10 units.

Year 11 reports are currently being finalised and will be distributed to students very soon and also available electronically in Sentral.

The Great Year 8 French Bake-Off​

Le grand concours culinaire français de la quatriѐme classe

The Year 8 French class researched French cuisine and the history of famous French dishes, then took part in a French bake-off over the holidays, photographing the results of their artistry to compete in a COVID-safe way. The language department was faced with the onerous task of selecting winners from among the many magnificent entries, and finally settled on:

1st prize: Ishaan Tapre

2nd prize: Karina Bu

3rd prize: Henry Daniels

with honorary awards offered by passing teachers who couldn’t resist promoting their own particular favourite dishes:

The Ms Kendall Award for technical excellence: Tracy Pham

The Deputy Year 8 Advisor’s Award from Mr Gillespie: Ingrid Lyford

Félicitations to all the students on the high quality of their presentations.

Mme Maddox

Almond, chocolate and orange macarons

For ganache:
80ml heavy cream
150g orange milk chocolate
100g orange dark chocolate

For cookies:
125g almond flour/meal
125g icing sugar
3 egg whites
125g caster sugar
(optional) orange food colouring (MUST BE GEL FOOD COLOURING)

Equipment:
2 medium bowls
1 large bowl
1 spatula
1 hand mixer
1 sifter
1 baking tray
1 sheet of baking paper
2 piping bags or ziplock bags
1 pair of scissors

Method:
In a medium bowl pour cream and chocolate
Heat for 30 seconds and mix
Put the ganache into your fridge
Sift almond flour and sugar into the large bowl
Separate 3 room temperature egg whites into a medium bowl
Beat with the hand mixer until opaque and add ⅓ of caster sugar
Beat for 5 seconds then add another ⅓ of the sugar
Repeat step 7
Beat until soft peaks form
(optional) add gel food colouring (I didn’t have any)
Beat until stiff peaks form
Mix into the flour mixture using a cut and fold method
Mix until the batter falls from the spatula in an even stream, and immediately stop mixing
Preheat the oven to 140C
Pour into piping bag OR ziplock bag with a small corner cut off
Pipe 3 cm diameter circles spaced evenly (should make 40 – 42 cookies)
Lift baking tray 10cm and drop, repeat until bubbles start to surface
Pop bubbles with a toothpick or a thin object
Bake for 18 minutes
Take out of the oven and let cool completely
Find a pair of cookies of equal size and flip one of them
Pipe ½ a teaspoon of ganache onto the flipped cookie
Lightly press another cookie onto the ganache
Keep in a fridge for 3 hours
Enjoy!

Duck a l’Orange Recipe

Ingredients:
Sauce:
● ¼ cup granulated sugar
● 2 tablespoons water
● 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (rice wine vinegar)
● 1 ½ cups orange juice
● 2 tablespoons minced shallots
● 1 ½ chicken stock
● 4 oranges (sections cut from membranes)
Duck:
● 1 duck breast (cut into 2 halves)
● Salt & Pepper to taste
● ¼ cold unsalted butter

Method:
Preparing the Orange Sauce:
1. Gather all ingredients
2. In a saucepan, boil sugar and water for several minutes until the syrup caramelises and turns a golden brown/amber colour.
3. Add the vinegar, juice, shallots and chicken stock and simmer until the sauce is reduced to a little less than a cup.
4. Cut the butter into small pieces and add them to the pan with 1 tablespoon of orange zest. Shake the pan over medium heat until the butter has melted and is incorporated into the sauce. Stir in the orange.
5. The sauce is now ready and can be cooled and stored until you’re ready to prepare the duck breasts, or you can set it aside and proceed with cooking the duck breasts.

Preparing and Cooking the Duck Breasts:
1. Gather the ingredients
2. Dry the two half breasts with paper towels
3. Slash through the fat on the breasts with a sharp knife to create a crisscross pattern, this will help release the fat, and the fat will crisp when cooked.
4. Sprinkle both the meat side and the fat with some salt and pepper.
5. Heat a skillet over high heat. Sear the duck breasts quickly on both sides, then cook the duck for about 9-11 minutes on each side.
6. Remove the breasts from the pan and place them on a warm plate. Cover them with paper towels and leave them to rest for 5 minutes. This helps soften the duck after cooking.
7. Reheat the sauce.
8. Place the duck on a hot plate, either whole or neatly sliced. Spoon the sauce over the duck. Garnish if desired.
9. Serve immediately and enjoy.

History of Duck a l’Orange

The world famous French classic dish seems to be from the 19th century. Many food historians believe Duck a l’Orange was exported to France by Catherine de Medici, Henry II’s wife. The origins of Duck a l’Orange is shown that it has deep roots, certainly going back to the ancient Middle East, as dishes from that region often combined meat and fruit. The fruit balances the fat and flavour of the flesh with bright tart notes. The kings of France planted oranges in the 16th century, but it didn’t make catch on until the 17th century, which is when we see the first reference to the orange sauce. Wherever it came from, Duck à l’Orange remained a classic dish throughout the 20th century.

Wear It Purple Day

On Wear It Purple Day the Amnesty Group raised awareness of LGBTQI human rights violations around the world, collecting hundreds of signatures on petitions calling for an open inquiry into the death of Greek activist Zak Kostopoulos, and for the release from prison of Russian LGBTQI activist Yulia Zvetkova.  ​The Amnesty group continues its work under rotating presidents Anja Clausius, Sascha Craney and Mahima Mehta​ to inform and educate students about human rights, as well as engaging in activism in support of victims of human rights abuses. Two of our members, Luca Butterworth and Alejo Pintos-Lopez, have also recently become members of NSW Amnesty’s Youth Leadership committee, organising events on a state-wide level.

It is very encouraging to see our students looking outward and standing up for justice.

Elizabeth Maddox

Congratulations Anthony Kha

Congratulations Hannah – Grace

Hannah-Grace Lee from Year 8 was awarded second prize in the Year 7 and 8 category of the ​Australian Children’s Television Corporation and the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association’s 2020 My Place competition. The competition was judged by YA author Nadia Wheatley, whose much-loved picture book My Place has been made into a popular children’s television program.  Hannah’s piece tackles movingly the trauma of life under COVID.

You will note that Hannah is not in uniform: this photograph was taken straight after the German class fashion parade!

https://actf.com.au/2020-my-place-competition-winners#article_697

Debating

PDC RESULTS AT A GLANCE (italicised teams win)

Rd. 1

FSHS 7/8 (A) v FSHS 7/8 (B)
FSHS 9/10 (A) v SBHS 9/10 (A)
FSHS 9/10 (B) v St. George Girls’ (B)
FSHS 11 v SBHS 11

Rd. 1 repêchage

FSHS 9/10 (A) v St. George Girls’ (B)

FSHS 11 v Gulgong HS

Rd 2

FSHS 7/8 (A) v Newtown PA HS (A)
FSHS 7/8 (B) v Newtown PA HS (B)
FSHS 9/10 (B) v Cammeraygal HS

Rd 2 repêchage

FSHS 9/10 (A) v Blacktown Boys’ HS
FSHS 11 v Turramurra HS

Rd 3

FSHS 7/8 (A) v SBHS (A)
FSHS 7/8 (B) v SBHS (B)

7&8 Competition

A huge congratulations to the Y7&8 Debating Competition teams, Fort St (A) and Fort St (B) team both setting up for a final in Week 3 after topping the district (which includes Sydney Boys’ HS, a time-honoured rival). Both the (A) Team and (B) team only lost one debate – with the (B) team, or the Year 7 team beating everyone except SBHS (B), and the Year 8 (A) team only losing once – in the first round to the Year 7s!

Topics:
That we should ban all mandatory Sports classes at school
That we should teach self defense classes at high school

9&10 Competition

The 9/10 (B) team was unfortunately knocked out in the 2nd round by Cammeraygal HS, while the 9/10 (A) team began the hard fight of clawing their way back from a Round 1 loss in the repechage rounds. They have succeeded in defeating the St George Girls’ (B) team in the first repechage and then Blacktown Boys’ HS in the second repechage. We should have an update on their re-entry into the main competition in the next report.

Topics:

That we should ban songs that glorify crime
That we should ban anonymous online comments

11 Competition

After a disappointing loss to SBHS early in the competition, the Y11 team have fought their way back into the comp with gusto, defeating Gulgong HS and Turramurra HS in the repechage rounds. They debated on the topics:

That we should ban all sports during COVID-19
That law enforcement agencies should be able to monitor all private communications of Australian citizens.

Team Lists:

Instrumental Music Program

P&C News

Award Winning App

It is not often that you are recognized for the day-to-day work you do. Last month was different as the Fort Street Archives won the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) Mander Jones Award for the second year in a row.

This national award honours Phyllis Mander Jones (1896-1984) who contributed significantly to archives profession in Australia. In 1996 the ASA introduced this award for publications in the field of archives. The award was given to Iain Wallace and Fortian 1961 volunteer, Sandra Funnell, at the recent ASA presentation at the NSW State Library, for archival access contribution with the new virtual Fort Street Tours app.

The Fort Street Tours app was funded by a grant through the Inner West Council Community History and Heritage Grants program, and applied for by the Fort Street Foundation. The free app, found on the Apple App Store and Google Play, creates an easily accessible digital environment to protect, preserve and communicate nationally significant Inner West history and contributes to the national memory.
The judges noted the ease of use of the historical and archival material on the Fort Street Tours app from the three downloadable tours available. One tour is for the historical spaces of the current Petersham site, while another tour is of the many Honour Boards dating back to 1890. The final tour is of the Observatory Hill site – this was achieved due to the work done by one of our volunteers and our partners at the National Trust of Australia (NSW).
The Fort Street Tours app has been downloaded onto over 3000 devices across the world in less than twelve months. Please take a look, either via the Apple Store or Google Play links, at the amazing work done by Iain and Sandra. Congratulations!

Chris Egan – Assistant Archivist

SchoolTV – Raising Boys

This month on SchoolTV – Raising Boys

Many parents will attest to the fact that most boys are active, loud, rambunctious and prone to rough play, but this should not affect how a parent acts towards their son. Be careful not to pigeon-hole your son into sex specific behaviours or gender roles. The male brain is distinctly differently in its development. A boy’s physical maturity is often at odds with his mental and brain development.

Societal beliefs about how to raise boys can sometimes influence their adult carers. Although we are not determined by our biology, it is a factor. It is important to support boys in their natural tendencies and nurture their strengths and abilities. Teach them the skills they need for their future and to develop a healthy identity. It is important for boys to have a role model they can connect with and acknowledge who they are. One of the most important determinants for a boy’s development is how secure they feel growing up.

In this edition of SchoolTV, adult carers will gain a better understanding into some of the more complex issues relating to raising boys. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this month’s edition, and we always welcome your feedback.

If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to this month’s edition https://fortstreet.nsw.schooltv.me/newsletter/raising-boys