Principals Report

Year 11 students have completed their final exams and will hopefully be able to enjoy a truly restful break these holidays before officially commencing Year 12 courses in term 4. I would like to sincerely thank the executive members of the SRC for their leadership throughout this year – many thanks to Alyssa Khaw, Chantelle Hoang, Natalie Duong, Tom Alexander-Prideaux, Sanjana Krishnan-Iyer, Dennis Yeo, Lucas Liu and You Wei Chung.

Fort Fair, what an amazing event! Special thanks must go to our parent coordinators, Elizabeth Kenyon, Helen De Wolfe and Tracey Chen as well as Mr Galvin and Neil our GA for the enormous amount of work they put up in both the lead up to and on the night of the event. You can read more about it and see some great photos here.

Year 12 Farewell

On Wednesday 21 September Year 12 had their final farewell assembly to the school. The morning began with a Year 12 student and teacher’s breakfast in the Rowe Quad with BBQ egg and bacon roles, fruit platters and pastries. Thank you to Mr Leondios, Ms Fluitsma and the Year 11 students for hosting and cooking up a feast. You can see some photos from the morning in our other article here.

The assembly which followed, was enjoyed by the entire school during periods 3 and 4 with all the traditional speeches and FLOP videos. Eventually, with many tears of joy and sadness Year 12 made their way out of the old school gates on Fort Street.

Year 12 Graduation

This took place in the school hall on the evening of Thursday 21 September. It was a beautiful ceremony and so great to be ‘back to normal’ and all together on school site.

Thank you to Ms Long for coordinating the entire Year 12 graduation event and to Ms Tidon, Mr Guy and our Year 11 volunteers for taking care of setting up the event and the catering.

HSC student advice

We know our students and staff have worked hard for the HSC. The safety of our students and staff remains of utmost importance.

If on the day of the exam your child feels unwell with flu-like symptoms, they should stay home and get tested. HSC students must get a doctors certificate to present to the presiding officer.

If there are any changes to exam arrangements we will communicate with HSC students through their Department email addresses. This will be the only source of communication for these types of notifications. If in doubt, please call the school.

We wish all our students well in the upcoming exams.

Term 4

Just a reminder that there are no Staff Development days at the start of Term 4 so the first day of school for all students is Monday October 10.

FORT FAIR 2022 was a huge success!

Balmy spring weather and a big turnout, we couldn’t have asked for more. The music was beautiful, the food delicious and the games were popular. It was particularly lovely to see some of the incoming Year 7 families in attendance.

A big thank you to all the volunteers for the hard work that you put in on Friday night, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Thank you to everyone who donated prizes, goods and money.
Thank you to all the food and drink stall holders for keeping up the frenetic pace of feeding all the visitors.
Thank you to all the games and market stall holders for keeping everyone entertained and stocked up on prizes, lollies, books, puzzles and second hand uniforms.

Thank you to Mr Manchester and the IMP ensembles for the wonderful performances.
Thank you to Ms McMurray and the student tour guides for showing people around the school with such enthusiasm.
Thank you to our Welcome Desk/Token Seller/ Fort Street Merchandise sellers who navigated through the ups and downs of the technological glitches.
A big thank you to the volunteers who helped set up and pack up and to our amazing team of volunteers who kept the rubbish under control on bin patrol.
And thank you to the teachers, office staff and GA who worked behind the scenes in the lead-up and on the night.

We’d also like to give a special acknowledgment to the SRC and Year 10 SRC leaders who contributed so much – ideas, energy, hard work and time.

Together we created a great community-building event.

If you volunteered, we would really like your feedback.
Please take 5 minutes to complete the survey https://forms.gle/pqbDHHa6QV7jNzo49

We’ll be doing it all again, bigger and better, for the 175th Birthday Celebrations in 2024!

From Fort Street High School P&C

Year 12 Farewell Breakfast

A big thank you to Mr Leondios and all the Year 11 students who helped host the breakfast, and to Mr Ockwell for providing the music. It was a wonderful morning to start the final day.

It was also an emotional day, with students signing each others shirts and sharing their final moments at Fort Street High School before the begin their HSC.

2023 SRC representatives

Congratulations to all of the students who were elected as the new SRC members for next year. It will be an exciting new challenge and we look forward to seeing you thrive in your new roles.

A huge thank you to all the representatives of this year who have done so much wonderful work for our school

Here are the new SRC Representatives for 2022-2023

Year 7:

Divyan Gnanasivam

Jamal Frouin

Jane (Binh) Nguyen

Jason Lim

Lucinda Man

Mia Gray

Penny Zhu

VIjay Mahendran

Year 8:

Alestair He

Bhavnish Jain

Grace Zarb

Isabel Wang

Miranda Leighton

Raghav Goel

Teresa Nguyen

William Ly

Year 9:

Charlie Dey

Claire Bentley

Dante Diaz

Eleanor Alonso Love

Emma Howes

Jesse Groves

Joseph McGee

Livia Zhen

Year 10:

Anne-Sophie Hegi

Brian Jiao

Joshua Reczek

Kalanie Prabhakar

Lucie Atkin Bolton

Oliver Gongora

Samuel Hubbard

Savannah Pradhan

Duke of Edinburgh Year 9 Camp

Last week I had the joy of venturing out to Colo River with the year 9 students for their Duke Of Edinburgh Adventurous journey. As they loaded their giant packs onto the bus I couldn’t help but soak up the excitement. It has been 2 years of zoom catch ups and virtual activities since our last camp together and the prospect of 3 days of quality in person (phone free) time together was just amazing.

As we disembarked at the somerset campsite, surrounded by the sheer beauty of the Australian bush, the students were soon busy at work packing their hiking packs, learning the fine art of cooking on a camping stove and solving the complex geometry problems of setting up a tent.

The first night we all camped out together on various campsites near the home base. This meant that there were lots of games of footy between different groups or even the occasional head torch dance party before everyone settled into their own campfires for a diner of nacho’s and damper.

Those night owls who stayed up for a chat on the first night were awoken bright and early to pack down tents, clean up the campsite and pack their bags ready for the 10 km hike on the second day. The hike brought with it challenges and triumphs. I am proud to report that each team came together to support and encourage each other through the steep ascents and enjoyed the rest breaks to admire the view. Some groups also rallied together to challenge and push each other to the brink of their physical capabilities with an unofficial race emerging between the Wombats and Dingos. Both groups completed the hike in record time in record time before squeezing in 3 hours of the most enthusiastic ultimate frisbee game I have seen in my time at the Fort.

As dusk approached I got to witness some of the culinary prowess of the year 9 students, who cooked up some of the most inventive versions of 2 minute noodles I’ve ever seen on a camp stove. As evening settled in and the campfires were lit, year 9 settled into another night of quality conversations, giggling, singing, card games, stargazing and even hair braiding.

As morning dawned on the third day I was greeted by some tired faces, but nonetheless everyone rallied for the second day of hiking. After farewelling the local cows and donkeys the year 9 crew set off on their final day hiking, which in some cases turned into some A grade level bush bashing. Returning to home base exhausted and perhaps a little smellier one thing was undeniable, >…….

Thank you to the team of teachers who made this possible; Ms Thompson, Ms Nolan, Mr Wilkinson, Mr Moon, Mr Patulny, and Mr Latimer who worked tirelessly with their groups to make this a truly amazing experience for everyone. And a big thank you to all of year 9 for sharing their joy and resilience with me, it’s not often a teacher gets to say with all honesty that I came home this came revitalized by camp.

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Hike

From the 19th to 22nd of August, Gold Duke of Edinburgh participants from Year 11 & 12 went for a hiking trip around the Bouddi National Park and Brisbane Waters area as part of their Qualifying Hike for the Adventurous Journey. It required us to spend four days and three nights, and spend a minimum of 32 hours of purposeful effort toward accomplishing the journey. The route along the coast was over 65 km long, giving students beautiful scenic views throughout the hike.

One the first day we arrived at Wondabyne train station at 9 am and set off for Patonga. The first day was the longest leg of the hike, with 20 km being covered in around 8 hours. At Patonga, we set up our tents in a caravan park connected to the beach. It was a charming location, and waking up early in the morning we saw the sun rise against the beach and started the next day of our taxing hike.

On the second day, we walked for 22 km along the coast from Pearl beach to Ocean beach. This proved to be more challenging as we were forced to tackle the slippery sand whilst walking lopsided for 4 hours. At Ettalong ferry wharf we stopped for lunch, and enjoyed the view of the coast and the saline smell of the breeze.

We arrived at Putty Beach at 4 pm and played frisbee before dinner. Meanwhile, Mr O’Neill flickered between joining us and building a campfire. To end the night, we joined Mr O’Neill at his campfire, roasting marshmallows that had been brought by a few students.

The third journey from Putty Beach campsite to our destination at Tallows Beach was 15 km long, involving climbing up and down a 180 metre mountain. When we arrived at Tallows Beach, we played another round of frisbee and almost lost the disc in the grappling waves of the ocean, while others built a sheltered area for the night’s campfire.

On the last day, we walked the final 13 km from Tallows beach to Woy Woy train station. This day’s hike was the easiest, although the final home stretch seemed to take forever as we trekked through a park.

The trip was overall a highly enjoyable experience, and we were aided by pleasant weather, using navigational skills, teamwork and motivational words of encouragement to complete our Adventurous Journey as a team. Wishing a special thanks to Mr O’Neill, Ms Thompson and Ms Fluitsma for taking the time out of their busy schedules to accompany us for this trip.

Written by Matthew Soegiono & Stephanie Banh

Eye Dissection

12Biology3 ended their coursework this year with a dissection of a mammalian eye (species unknown; possibly human). The anticipation for this period did not disappoint.

Although no-one was subject to squirting eye-juices, the class was filled with phrases such as “woah!”, “ew!”, “that’s so awesome!”, “what’s that bit?”, “this is so gross, I love it!”. All the noises a Biology teacher such as myself loves to hear!

It’s been a pleasure teaching this class for the past 7 terms. Good luck in your final exams, Year 12!

Gabriel Guy

Fort Street High School

Year 8 French music projects

This term in Year 8 French we’ve been learning how to discuss our musical preferences and the instruments that we play. Students have been imagining their ideal music festivals featuring their favourite artists, and have designed pamphlets to advertise them. We also listened to some French songs, and students voted for their favourite so it could be played while their work is presented. Click here to see some of their creations, along with the song ‘Je suis chez moi’ by Black M, which talks about issues of cultural identity.

Eleanor Murray, Master of Teaching (University of Sydney) Intern, Term 3 2022

Ultimate Frisbee NSW Junior School State Championships 2022

On the Monday 5th of September, 2 opens and 1 girls team from Fort Street High School attended the Ultimate Frisbee NSW Junior School State Championships. The tournament is held every year at Meadowbank Park and is open for years 7-9.

Despite the fact that it was many students first game of competitive ultimate frisbee, our school put in a valiant effort, with the 2 opens team tying for 3rd place and the girls’ team also placing 3rd.

After every game, a score out of 5 was given by the team captain of each team rating the level of sportsmanship and fair play of the opposing team. My team, Opens A, was fortunate enough to have the highest spirit score average among all open teams with 4.33, resulting in the whole team winning free frisbees.

Overall, it was a fun experience and everyone who is interested in Ultimate Frisbee should definitely sign-up next year.

Special Thanks to Mr O’Neill, who took the time out of his day to coach and support us.

School Sport Ice Skating

Here are some great photos from our School sport at Ice Skating. The students are very involved and active and have enjoyed this recreational sport on Tuesday afternoons. Especially the penguins that support them!

Some students have become very strong and confident skaters. (One student is so keen she is even taking private lessons after sport).These photos are from Ice Zoo

The students have had to change from Canterbury Ice rink, but they are renovating the roof, so are now at Ice Zoo at Mascot

Ms Fentoullis

Fort Street’s Year 8 Debate Team takes the victory for being the last PDC Debating Team standing for the competition in 2022!

On Friday the 16 of September 2022, our Year 8 Debate team debated against Newtown in the final regional round for the Premier’s Debating Competition.

Even though we had an advantage with choosing the topic and the side to argue, our opponent was too good at arguing against the notion that “parents should be banned as spectators in school sport”. Our first speaker was Chinmay Dixit, followed by Bhavnish Jain as second speaker then Henry Huang as third speaker and Aaditya Venkatraman as team advisor. Aiden Lee also did an excellent job at chairing the debate.

Nonetheless, our Year 8 Debate Team still takes the victory for being the last standing Fort Street Debate Team in the 2022 Premier’s Debating Competition. We started the year with a Year 11/12 debate Team, a Year 9/10 debate Team, a Year 8 Debate Team and a Year 7 Debate Team.

You should be proud of yourself boys and you all should feel like you look in these photos: Debating Rockstars!

Ms. Truong

Debating and Public Speaking Coordinator

Metropolitan Secondary Schools Chess Competition division winners

This year we had six junior and two senior teams playing in the Metropolitan Secondary School Chess Competition, playing a wide range of schools throughout the Inner West and Eastern Suburbs.

One of our year 8 junior teams were division winners and made it to the regional finals. We wish to congratulate the Junior Division 5 winners:

Harvey Huang

Anthony Li

Felix Peng

Yu Wu

Introducing our new full time SSO

Introducing our new full time SSO, Rose Dooley (she/her)

My role involves working with the school community, including students, parents, and school staff, as well as community organisations and the wider community, to support student well-being. My goal as an SSO is to work alongside students to promote safety, resilience and pro-social behaviours, as well as being a point of call for students to seek advice, guidance, and support. It comprises working with students one on one, and in small groups.

Students can self-refer and may be referred by the Learning Support Team / Wellbeing team, Year Advisers, Head Teachers, Deputy Principal and Principal. A student might be referred to me for support in areas such as bullying, developing self-esteem, resilience, conflict resolution and coping skills, peer mediation, or to be connected to local external support and youth services.

For more complex issues, referral to the Head Teacher Wellbeing, Principal or School Counsellor/school psychologist is the most appropriate course of action. I do not provide psychological or intellectual, emotional or behavioural assessments with students. These are the responsibility of the School Counsellor/ school psychologist. However, I am part of the team at the school who can help provide wrap-around support for these students.

For Parents:

I’m the person to call when you’re not sure who to talk to. I’m here 5 days a week and can be a link to teachers, school counsellors and outside services and/or community activities and support agencies.

For new students:

Come and see me for absolutely anything and I’ll make sure you get to the right person!

I am available 8am – 4pm Monday to Friday – in the SSO room (between W2 and W3 in the Wilkins building). Please feel free to drop in and introduce yourself, I’m so excited to meet you all!

Instrumental Music Program

IMP at Fort Fair

On Friday 16 September, IMP ensembles performed to a very appreciative crowd from 4-8pm at Fort Fair. It was wonderful to see the community together again, and to perform in the Lower Kilgour amphitheatre (for the first time for the majority of IMP members).

Applications for Instrumental Ensembles at The Arts Unit

Applications for The Arts Unit’s 2023 Instrumental ensembles are now open and we encourage any suitable students to apply.

Live auditions will take place on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October 2022.

Applications can be made via the link below – closing date Friday 14 October:

Instrumental Music Ensembles – application form | The Arts Unit

The Arts Unit music ensembles have gathered an enviable reputation over the years, inspiring music excellence in hundreds of public school students across the Sydney metropolitan area. There are 8 highly acclaimed music ensembles which rehearse weekly at The Arts Unit in Lewisham (comprising):

2 symphonic bands (Symphonic Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Wind Orchestra)
2 jazz big bands (Jazz Orchestra and Stage Band)
A string ensemble and a full symphony orchestra (String Sinfonia and Symphony Orchestra)
2 vocal ensembles (Junior and Senior Singers)

Join the Australian Government Youth Steering Committee

AYAC are excited to launch the new Australian Government Youth Steering Committee! The committee is a new opportunity for young people to work with the Minister for Youth and ensure that young people have a voice to government.

The Youth Steering Committee will support the development of a new youth engagement model and create new opportunities for young people to work with the government and contribute to policy. The committee will work closely with the Minister for Youth, the Hon Dr Anne Aly MP, and provide advice to the government on the experiences and policies that matter to young people. The Youth Steering Committee is supported by Australian Youth Affairs Coalition and the Australian Government Department of Education.

Members of the committee will attend training and have the opportunity to meet and network with young people, government officials, the Minister for Youth and Members of Parliament. The first meeting of the committee will be in Canberra between 20–24 November 2022. Travel, accommodation and meals will be paid by Australian Youth Affairs Coalition and the Australian Government Department of Education. Every member will also be paid an honorarium to recognise their contributions.

The Youth Steering Committee will include 15 young people between the age of 12 and 25. You don’t need any previous experience to apply. We’re looking for a diverse group of young people from right across the country.

Applications are open now and close on Wednesday 5 October.

Find out more and apply: https://www.ayac.org.au/steering-committee

There are many Fortians who would make an outstanding contribution on this committee. If this sounds interesting to you, please apply!