Principal’s Report

Dear Fortians, Parents and Carers,

NAPLAN
Al students in Years 7 and 9 completed NAPLAN over Tuesday 11 May – Thursday 13 May. The tests covered skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. Fort Street chose to complete these examinations on paper for the final year and these sessions all ran smoothly and to schedule.

Athletics Carnival
Congratulations to all Fortians who participated in the athletics carnival. It was a beautiful day at the Sydney Olympic Park Warm Up Track on Wednesday 19 May for the annual Fort Street Carnival. Attendance was at an all-time high and participation in all events was good. I would like to thank Ms Ezekiel in particular for her organisation and management of this important school event. I would also like to thank all of our students and staff for making the most out of the day.

7&8 Studies Skills
There was a great turn out of parents and students on 19 May for the ‘Elevate Study Skills’ evening. Thanks to Ms Starr for organising and running this event, feedback from this session has been very positive.

Year 12 Reports
Reports were distributed to all year 12 students on Thursday 20 May. Each student had a scheduled meeting with a teacher to discuss their report and to set goals for the remaining time that they have left at school. It is always a surprise at this stage of the year to realise how quickly the time is passing before the Year 12 HSC examinations commence.

Congratulations
Senior Debating Team: Satvik Sharma (Year 12), Charlotte Dillon (Year 11), Alejo Pintos-Lopez (Year 12) and Luca Butterworth (Year 12) for their wins in both the first and second rounds of debates against Chatswood High School and Concord High School respectively.

Chess
Thanks must be given to Ms Page and Mr Fischer for coordinating and supervising the interschool chess competitions. A special thanks also to Barnaby O’Keefe (Year 12) and Satvik Sharma (Year 12) who have assisted each Friday in the set up and administration of the Fort Street hosted games.

Prefect Afternoon Tea
On Tuesday 1 June the executive SRC will be hosting an annual Prefects Afternoon Tea. An invitation has been sent to 14 schools (a spread of both selective, private and public schools) to attend this afternoon. The aim of the afternoon is to generate ideas to create change and to promote empowerment throughout each of their schools and the wider community. This is a great initiative on behalf of our students and I know that they are looking forward to hosting this event in our beautiful school.

UAC (University Admissions Centre) 
UAC is open and HSC students can now apply for:
• Admission to university study in 2022 – closes 30th September
• Schools Recommendation Scheme (SRS) – closes 19th Sept
• Educational Access Scheme (EAS)
• Equity Scholarships (ES)

UAC has a once only application fee of $70. Once an application has been completed it can be changed as many times as needed – even after ATAR’s have been released. Students should always put their dream course in the number one position! Please note – some course not yet available, all courses will be available after 1st August.

To complete their UAC application students need their student number and the UAC PIN which has been emailed to their DET email address.
To apply for SRS, EAS or ES students must first complete their UAC application. They will then be prompted to apply for these schemes. Any student whose educational performance has been seriously affected for a period of at least six months during Year 11 and/or 12 due to circumstances beyond their control or choosing can determine eligibility for EAS using the following link to check categories of disadvantage.
https://www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/scholarships-and-schemes/educational-access-schemes/disadvantages-and-documents

A UAC Guide for 2022 has been issued to each Year 12 student and students and parents are invited to attend the UAC Digital webinars at https://www.uac.edu.au/schools/uac-digital Further information can be found on the UAC website https://www.uac.edu.au/ or contact UAC directly on 1300 275 822.

SRC Report

This past month, the SRC has been busy planning for future school initiatives/events and attending external functions.

Vale Dr Norman Sydney Hing (Fortian 1935, Dux)
You will recall from Mercurius Issue 3 2021, members of the SRC, the Principal and School Archives team welcomed Dr Hing to the Fort. It was Dr Hing’s first and only visit back to the school after his graduation in 1935. The members of the SRC all had an opportunity to chat with Dr Hing, who wished them, and all Fortians success in their future careers and prospects. It is with great sadness that I inform you Dr Hing passed away earlier this week at the age of 103. On behalf of the school community, I share my deepest condolences with the Hing family. We will all keep them in our thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.

Supporting the P&C Uniform Store
Fortians will have an opportunity to purchase good quality second hand uniform items at bargain prices on Friday 28 May. This event is jointly run by the SRC and Fort Street P&C every term. SRC members will be running the stall in front of the new Uniform Shop (located in the old Fortian Room, under the hall, facing the oval). First in, best dressed! As always, clean second hand uniform donations will be much appreciated. Please deposit them at the school office.

Prefect Afternoon Teas (PATs)
PATs are an opportunity for student school leaders to network, share ideas regarding school improvement projects and, of course, socialise too. The Year 11 SRC executive team has continued receiving invitations from other schools to their PATs. We attended one hosted by Sydney Girls’ High School and will be attending another hosted by Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC) Burwood next week.

With approval from the Principal, Fort Street SRC is excited and looking forward to hosting our inaugural PAT on Tuesday 1 June at the Fort. Planning is currently well underway and invitations to other schools have been sent. We will keep you posted on this activity in future SRC updates.

SRC Leadership Conference
The Principal has granted approval for the inaugural SRC School Leadership Conference to be held on Tuesday 17 August 2021. This conference will be attended by all SRC members, the Year 10 cohort, leaders/representatives from various groups within the school and other schools. The primary aim of this forum is to provide leadership and motivation training to students, with a view to promote and foster leadership initiatives in our school and beyond. The conference will involve: a panel of inspiring external guest speakers who are leaders in their respective fields, and leadership building workshops. Stay tuned for further updates.

We are always keen to receive your feedback and ideas on any school related issues with a view to improve our community. Please contact your friendly SRC via email (srcfshs@gmail.com), Instagram or simply letting one of our members know.

Peter Tran
SRC Vice-President
Year 11

Matilda Is Coming to FSHS

SAVE THE DATE: WEDNESDAY 25TH AUGUST & THURSDAY 26 AUGUST

TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON

Can you help?

Our cast of Matilda need grey school uniform.  Do you have grey trousers, shorts, shirts (long or short sleeved), vests, jumpers or blazers to fit high school students?  If you have anything that you can donate please leave it at reception.

Items may be altered to fit and will not be returned.

‘I am’ poems – by 8I

Here are some moving poems that 8I wrote in a writing class. The task was to write 11 sentences that begin with “I am”, in the style of Ruby Langford Ginibi, but in their own context.

‘I am’ poems

I am every child that never understood why they migrated

I am every child that struggled with a foreign language

I am every child that had to be pulled out of class to be taught English

I am every child whose friends all moved interstate every year

I am every child that has a language barrier between them and their family

I am every child that only sees their family once a year

I am every child that never met uncles

I am every child that couldn’t attend their grandparent’s funeral

I am every child that hid in the library to avoid people

I am every child that had a half-sister

I am every child that hasn’t seen their dad for years

I am an Asian girl, who’s been asked “What are you?”

I am an Asian girl, who’s been mocked for my culture

I am an Asian girl, who’s a puppet strung by society’s standards

I am an Asian girl, who’s been told she’ll never be good enough

I am an Asian girl, who hides her struggle behind her smile

I am an Asian girl, who’s been called a virus

I am an Asian girl, who’s expected to be perfect

I am an Asian girl, who’s concerned about our future

I am an Asian girl, who’s had ups and downs

I am an Asian girl, who’s been told I look the same as all other Asians

I am an Asian girl, stuck in a broken world

I am a girl in a sexist world that puts women down.

I am told that brave women are “outspoken”.

I am shown that confident women are “bossy”.

I am taught to conform to unrealistic beauty standards.

I am taught to judge others that cannot, that they are worth less.

I am pressured to succeed in a system that doesn’t want me to.

I am surrounded by women working twice as hard and getting half as far.

I am surrounded by oblivious men who don’t realise they’re part of the problem.

I am overwhelmed by all the hate women receive for the same things men are praised for.

I am shocked that the leaders we expect to fix this are all men.

I am a girl growing up in a society run by men.

I am every musician who has missed a cue,

I am every musician who has played out of tune,

I am every musician who has bashed their instrument out of frustration,

I am every musician who has attempted a hard piece way out of my level,

I am every musician who hasn’t practised 40 hours a day,

I am every musician who has compared myself to a prodigy,

I am every musician who cries after playing a wrong note,

I am every musician who has used a metronome,

I am every musician who has performed for family,

I am every musician whose parents has asked them to be quiet,

I am every musician who has dreams of playing as a soloist.

I am every straight white male who has everything handed to them on a silver platter.

I am every straight white male who has been naturally gifted both academically and athletically.

I am every straight white male who has a loving home to go to.

I am every straight white male to be able to afford a $1000 pogo-stick, so they can pursue another meaningless world record.

I am every straight white male who has every opportunity to achieve his dreams.

I am every straight white male who has sat through a human reproduction science lesson.

I am every straight white male who, even though they go to an amazing school, with great teachers, and have the money to get tutored outside of school if they wish to, yet pretended to be sick so I could not do the maths test that I hadn’t studied for.

I am every straight white male who has been too nervous to talk to a girl.

I am every straight white male who has been held back after class for talking.

I am every straight white male who has cried because their mum cut his toast in triangles, not squares.

I am every Xbox Live player who has been 360 no-scoped by a sweaty try hard

I am every Xbox Live player who has been verbally abused in game chat

I am every Xbox Live player who has grinded for the perfect loadout

I am every Xbox Live player who has only ever owned an XB360

I am sick of noob tube demolitionist loadouts

I am every Xbox Live player who has gotten an AC130 kill streak, only for the game to crash

I am sick of Spawn Campers

I am sick of paying subscription fees

I am sick of the playerbase

I am every Xbox live player who has forgotten their password and had to start again, but most of all

I am every Xbox Live player who witnessed the death of Roach and Ghost at the hands of General Shepherd

I am one who has climbed to the top of a misty mountain, and seen the clouds beneath,

I am one who has sat in a garden, under the sun, with a cat, and a cup of tea,

I am one who has talked with my grandparents, for ever so long,

I am one who has been among groves of antarctic beeches, misty as can be

I am one who has seen NSW’s tallest tree,

I am one who has enjoyed luxury,

I am one who has been stressed and overwhelmed ‘till I cannot see, through a veil of tears,

I am one who has seen those dearest to me, perish,

I am one who has hoped, quite foolishly, for that which I can not have,

I am one who has hoped for eternity.

I am a child forced to bear the guilt.

I am an artist with the skills shunned away.

I am a person, having been manipulated to take the blame.

I am that person on the streets, unsure of what to see myself as.

I am a human, part of my religion, you can’t force me into yours.

I am not a scholar, but instead I draw and write.

I am the angry one, constantly feeling like I’ll explode.

I am that person, born in Australia when my family wasn’t.

I am the student, under pressure, stress, and trying to contain it all.

I am the teenager, trying not to fail school, even if that seems impossible now with what the teachers make us all do.

I am a person with feelings, burdens and regrets, just like all of you.

Music videos

As part of the Year 8 unit on Film music this semester  students have worked exceptionally hard to compose original music to match the action of the film.

Please see their work here

Year 7 and 8 Study Skills Evening Workshop with Dr Prue Salter

This week Dr Prue Salter from Enhanced Learning Educational Services (www.enhanced-learning.net) ran a study skills evening with Year 7 and 8 parents, caregivers and students.  The evening helped families assess what changes could be made to help students move towards achieving their personal best efficiently and effectively.

Families examined the following areas: home study environment, the way they organise and manage their resources, how to work effectively at home and deal with distractions, how to manage the workload in high school, and the steps to studying in high school: making study notes, learning the notes by testing yourself and doing as much practise as possible.

The feedback from the parents, caregivers and students was really positive, students indicated they really liked the tips on how to plan their study time and the project management skills. The session included valuable opportunities for students and their parents to discuss approaches to home study together.

It was a really information packed session as Dr Salter was presenting a lot of ideas and tips for the Tools for Success. Fortunately, both students and parents have access to a video link until early June of the evening session.

For the families who could not make it on the night, I encourage you to make a time to sit together and do the workshop at home. I have advised all Year 7 and 8 students who couldn’t attend to collect a Family Handout to take home for this session.

Parents and Caregivers are encouraged to review the slides and handout from the session with students and discuss the main areas identified where changes need to be made: Year 7 Slides, password is achieve.

Parents can also find extra study skills tips on the following website: http://studyskillstoptipsparents.com/.

All students at our school also have access to a great study skills website to help students develop their skills. Go to www.studyskillshandbook.com.au and enter the username: forfortstreetonly and the password:  21results and start improving your results today!

Don’t forget you can access the Parent Portal for Assessment information and much more to support your child’s learning.

Year 8 Students and the Future Proofing Study with the Black Dog Institute and UNSW

We were thrilled to announce in Term 1 Mercurius, that Fort Street HS is taking part in Australia’s largest ever wellbeing study for high school students – the ‘Future Proofing Study’. We’ll be working with the Black Dog Institute and UNSW, along with 170+ other Australian schools, to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Australian teenagers.

Ms Propsting, our Year 8 Year Adviser has worked hard to communicate with all Year 8 parents and caregivers about the value of this project for your child.

We strongly encourage all parents and caregivers to complete the consent forms online to ensure every student in Year 8 participates in this research and benefits from this project.

Year 8 Parents/Carers – Please could you let us know if you consent to your child participating in ‘Future Proofing’, the mental health project which we are running at Fort Street High School next term.  Read more and register your consent and response here: https://www.fpstudy.org.au/FortSt

Starting in Term 3 this year, participating students will try out new mental health apps and complete surveys about their health and wellbeing at school until they are in Year 12. The surveys will ask about a wide range of issues important to young people, including health, emotions, friendships, school, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Police Schools Liaison Officer Talks

A couple of the Police talks planned for Term 1 this year were postponed. I am pleased to advise they are going ahead this term.

On Friday 4 June 2021 this term Snr Constable Danny McManus, the Police Schools Liaison Officer for our region, will return to deliver a talk about Bullying and Harassment to our Year 9 and 10 students.

On Friday 18 June 2021 this term Snr Constable Danny McManus, the Police Schools Liaison Officer for our region, will return to deliver a talk about Cybersafety and the range of issues about staying safe online to our Year 7 and 8 students.

You may want to take this opportunity to talk to your children about what they learned or found interesting from this discussion, and about what experiences they, their friends or their peers may have had in these areas.

If you are looking for further information or support in this area, the school subscribes to an online parent resource hub called School TV, which includes an excellent range of resources on Social Media and Digital Reputation, including Staying Safe Online.

School TV publish new resources each month, which can be accessed through the Latest News section of the school website. Parents may also be interested in the Special Report: A Conversation on Consent.

Penelope Starr

Head Teacher Wellbeing

Debating

The first debate for 2021 took place on Friday 23rd April against Chatswood High via what is now the mainstream, technological tool of our time; Zoom. Fort Street was the Negative team and the topic for the day was “That school sport should be replaced by rigorous activity and fitness classes.”

It was a spirited performance by the Senior Debating Team which had the irrepressible Satvik Sharma as our first speaker, setting up his team’s argument with conviction and passion. Our second speaker was the inimitable Charlotte Dillon, an unstoppable tour de force  who looked like she could run the country at the same time. Alejo Pintos- Lopez, our third speaker, was resolute of purpose when rebutting and strengthening his team’s argument in a scene reminiscent of great courtroom drama. Luca Butterworth, our fourth`silent’ member, passed insightful, valuable information to his teammates and was instrumental in taking Fort Street to VICTORY!

The heavyweights were back in the ring for Round 2, debating Concord High on the 12th of May.

The Senior team, comprising the undefeated Luca Butterworth, Alejo Pintos-Lopez, Satvik Sharma and Charlotte Dillon, was again in top form and arguing for the Negative, “That journalists should never be compelled to reveal their sources”.

The teams squared off and the first speaker of the Affirmative was quite a powerful opponent. The debate was fast and furious but Concord was often on the ropes. They rolled with the punches but not for a minute did they think of throwing in the towel.

When Fort Street delivered their knockout blow, however, even the adjudicator was in their corner!

Luca wrote and delivered, what can only be a soothing balm, our final statement in poetic form:
​
This was a debate
We were called on to state
Whether to reveal or not
Where a journalist got
his information.
Is this about Privacy
or
Accountability?
We wish you all the best
In all the rest
… of your debates

Another win for Fort Street as we head into Round 3.

We would like to thank the adjudicator Lloyd Cameron from the Arts Unit, the debating coach James Elhindi and his team for Monday afternoon training sessions and Craig McGeachie in IT for setting up the zoom meeting.

Chess update

This year has seen a flurry of Chess activity at the Fort with a record breaking 11 Teams forming to compete in the annual Sydney Secondary Schools’ Chess competition. Four teams represent our Senior division ( Years 11 and 12), two teams consisting of Intermediates ( Years 9 and 10 ) and last but not least a whopping five teams holding the ship steady made up from our Junior student body (Years 7 and 8 ).

Fort St has had the privilege of hosting three home games out of 4 rounds being played so far, each fielding solid wins across the board (pardon the pun) with notable mentions Ilha Jung Year 12, Caitlin Jiang Year 9 and Cooper Techamuamvivit all showing superior Chess skill and grace.

To date, most of our teams have been demonstrating commanding wins each week against the various schools played and a special mention, Barnaby O’Keefe and Satvik Sharma who both work tirelessly in the set up and general administration in Fort Street’s home games.

Lastly a big thank you must be made for our Librarian Donna Page, her efforts in overall administration have been outstanding, resulting in the smooth running of competition. This is an instrumental part of the FSHS Chess Team’s encouragement and morale.

More to come in the tactical world of Chess….watch this space !

Shane Fischer ​

Theatresports

Over the past two weeks our talented Fort Street improvisers competed in the ImproAustralia Interschool Theatresports competition.

Our intermediate team were first up and consisted of Keith Huang, Gina Hong, Min Park, Edain Davies Barnier and Teresa Lay. The team competed fiercely and should be extremely proud of their performances, given that this was the first competition the students had competed in.

Our Senior Team was made up of Mary Koutalianos, Nicholas Caus, Natalia Mestre, Ella Murphy and Cassidy Newman. The students showed great skill in creating really entertaining, funny improvised scenes in all the games they played.

This is a real period of building for our Improvisation teams with all players playing in a division above where they should be. We have been working with our exceptionally talented coach Kate Coates every Thursday and this, combined with these competitions means our teams will continue to get stronger in the years to come! We are really proud of all our Theatresports kids.

Ms Mattick and Ms Thompson
(Theatresports workshops are on every Thursday afternoon at school from 3:30-4:30 for students in years 8-10. Please speak to Ms. Mattick or Ms. Thompson if you are interested in coming along.​)

Instrumental Music Program

Second Hand Uniform Stall

New Uniform Shop Open for Business!

At the start of this Term, the P&C Uniform Shop started trading from its new premises, in what was the Fortian Room. Finally Gladys Ko and her volunteers could move out of the old submarine/bunker, and into a new, much larger, light-filled space.

The new room offers a lot more functionality and storage, including for the Second Hand clothing store, which will now be operated by the SRC.

A Big Big Thank You! to Teresa Matthews. This could not have been done without her meticulous and untiring work in managing this project, and bringing it home well under the miniscule budget the P&C had allowed for it. And this, just following Teresa’s amazing work in setting up our Covid-compliant uniform fittings for the new 2021 student intake.

We are also incredibly grateful to the volunteers who contributed their time, expertise and equipment to this project: Tony Canning, Tom Clausius, Helen de Wolfe, Samantha Mar, Felicity Price, Chris Wong, Priscilla Pun, Neroli Butt, Lindsay Badham, Ryan Badham and Christina Wong – it really is appreciated.

Michael Easton
FSHS P&C President

Indoor Soccer Competition – Teachers vs Students

UNSW Degrees & Scholarships Information Evenings

• UAC
• Admissions
• Scholarships
• Student Careers & Success
• UNSW’s student association, Arc
• Student Accommodation
• Gateway; and
• EAPL (Elite Athletes, Performers and Leaders Program)

Where: The Roundhouse, UNSW Kensington

When: Tuesday 15 June and Thursday 17 June 2021

Time: 6pm – 7.05pm

BOOK HERE

ASMR High School Career Evening

Follow this link to book to the ASMR High Schools Career Evening:

ASMR MRW 2021 HSCE flyer

Congratulations to raffle winners

Congratulations to 2nd place winner Sam Flax and 3rd place winner Jenessa Lu who won $100 and $50 vouchers respectively to use at the canteen in the P&C raffle.  Jenessa also won a $25 to use at  Brighton the corner cafe.

Thank you to the canteen for very generously donating the top three prizes.