Mercurius Issue 8 – June 2019 - 24 Jun 2019
Principal’s Report

Principal’s Report

Dear Fortians, Parents and Carers,

On Friday 14th June the school welcomed a group of visiting Fortians from the class of 1959-1963. Graham Easton, Vice-Captain and School Dux of 1963 and grandfather of two current Fortians in Years 8 and 10, addressed the Assembly and spoke proudly of the great community that he and all our current students belong to. The returning Fortians were impressed in particular with the school choir and a number of them reminisced of their days in their 100-strong multi-eisteddfod-winning school choir. The ‘old boys’ were joined by Jules Davies from the Foundation, members of the executive and students from the SRC for morning tea and a tour of the school. This group of classmates last visited the school in 2013 for their 50th reunion and in 2015 when they presented the school with a Post-World War II Honour Board which is currently displayed at the front of the school Hall.  It is always a pleasure to host visiting Fortians.

Semester 1 Reports have recently been distributed for all students in Years 7, 10, 11 and 12. Electronic copies of reports can also be accessed from the Sentral Portal. Years 8 and 9 reports will be distributed in week 9.
Students who were nominated by their teachers as excelling in two or more subjects received awards at the recent Recognition Assemblies held on Friday 14th and 21st June. Congratulations to all of the award recipients.

Coming Up:
Parent Teacher Night
All interview bookings are to be made through the Sentral portal:
Wednesday 26 June – Years 7 and 10 – School Hall
Monday 1 July – Years 8 and 9 June – School Hall

Tournament of Minds
ToM is a problem solving programme for teams of students. Tournament’s aim is to enhance the potential of our youth by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a challenging and competitive environment. The challenges will involve research before developing a creative interpretation in response to the Challenge.

Students are required to solve demanding, open-ended challenges from either the Arts, STEM (Science, technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Language Literature or Social Sciences). Preparation for the competition commences in term 3 and teams will work together at lunch times. Students interested will need to be available for the morning of Saturday 31st August and Sunday 15th September.

Students are to approach Mr Chapman if interested.

Congratulations:
Titration
Congratulations to our Year 11 team – James Nguyen, Crystal Pham and Amelie Skeleton who came first out of 64 teams at the regional Titration Competition at the University of Sydney on Friday 14th June. This team will now go on to compete at the Australian nationals in September. Thanks to Mr Leondios, this is the second year in a row that Fort Street have been placed first at the regional level.

Staff Member of the Week Trophy
Week 8– Peter Scudds is a highly experienced and knowledgeable English teacher. He has been awarded staff member of the week for his commitment to students and his passion for English as a discipline. Peter fosters a love of literature and learning amongst students and staff.

A generous donation from a Fortian

A generous donation from a Fortian

The Fort Street High School community would like to sincerely thank Don Newby (Fortian 1967) for his generous donation of $20 000 to the Fort Street Foundation.  This is the second year that Don has donated $20 000 to support the school for which we are extremely grateful.  Both of these donations have been directed to support the library.

Don is a highly valued member of the school community and a long time supporter of the school.  He gives his time and expertise selflessly across many areas of the school.

 

 

End of Financial Year donations

End of Financial Year donations

At this time of the year we ask all Fort Street families to consider donating to the Fort Street Foundation in support of the school.  The Fort Street Foundation is a registered charity and donations to the Building Fund and to the Library Fund are tax deductible.  Donations to the Education Fund are not tax deductible.

There are many projects planned or already underway at school, the largest of which is an upgrade to the school library. The careers room and learning centre will relocate to the library which will be reconfigured to allow for an improved use of the space. There will be bookable study spaces for students and teachers, the creation of an IT service counter, a new IT room, a charging station, new carpet, shelving, furniture and upgraded bathroom facilities. Donations to the Building Fund will be directed to support this project.

On completion of this project the Foundation has recently approved a further $100 000 to fund tiered retractable seating to be installed in W16, providing a lecture style teaching space.

To donate to these projects we encourage donations to the Fort Street Foundation Building Fund.

To donate to the building fund please go to www.fortstreet.nsw.edu.au and donate through online payments found under quicklinks. Under payment options please tick ‘other’ and type ‘building fund’ when prompted.  Alternatively credit card and cheque payments can be made at the front office.

Every family is asked to contribute to the building fund; every donation no matter how small, is meaningful.  All donations to the building fund are tax deductible.

If you would like further information about the Fort Street Foundation please see the Foundation page on the school website here, or contact the Executive Officer, Jules Davies, at jules.davies1@det.nsw.edu.au

 

Titration Competition 2019

Titration Competition 2019

Eight teams made up of Year 12 and 11 Chemistry students, participated in the NSW Titration competition that was held at Sydney University this month. The competition involves working out the concentration of an acid. From the 64 teams that participated in the competition, one of the Year 11 teams from Fort Street, was awarded first place, an excellent effort. It was an absolute pleasure beating the Sydney Grammar teams.
 
The students in the team that were awarded 1st Place were James, Crystal and Amelie.
 
This team will go on to participate at the next stage which is at the National level, at the University of New South Wales in early September. We wish them the best of luck. Finally I would like to thank all the students that gave up their time for their participation and preparation for the competition.
 
 
Theo Leondios
Year 9 History Excursion

Year 9 History Excursion

On Wednesday the 22nd of May, Year 9’s history classes went on an excursion in the city. The purpose of this trip was for us to learn about World War I and find primary sources for our assignments.

We were offered the opportunity to explore and discover the qualities attributed to the ANZACs, as well as to understand the impact that the war had caused – not only on the soldiers, but also on their families and communities on personal levels.

We met at the ANZAC Memorial in Hyde Park before entering the museum where we were treated to an excellent and powerful performance of Morris Gleitzman’s Loyal Creatures. This was a twenty minute monologue from the perspective of a fictitious young soldier in the war, based on factual events. It was extremely moving, and challenged our views of right and wrong. Should he have saved the man? Should he have shot his horse? Everyone had a different opinion.
After this, we took a tour around the museum and the exhibits, which included a real uniform of a soldier and other real-life artefacts. The tour guide helpfully explained the symbolism embedded into the memorial, and told us touching stories about acts of heroism and friendship. We then attended a workshop and discussed the ANZAC spirit and the qualities that we can be proud about soldiers – courage, endurance and sacrifice.

After lunch in Hyde Park we headed to the State Library, via the Martin Place Cenotaph.

We visited an exhibit at the library, Quick March, which was all about the children of the Great War. After viewing a variety of primary sources, we started to understand the perceptions of war that different people held. Letters from children to relatives overseas allowed us to sympathise with the situation and the experience of growing up while missing an adult figure or older sibling. The oil paintings and pictures we were also shown all contained their own stories, depicting war and the circumstances induced by war in different manners. Although many war generals were depicted as powerful, majestic and imposing, many of them were experiencing trauma, depression, and grief internally.

One of the most exciting parts of the excursion was when we had the chance to look at real artefacts from the Great War, and gather information about them. They had been stored under the owner’s bed, and we were ‘charged’ with the task of finding that owner’s name among those artefacts. Attention to detail, we learnt, was very important in these investigations. We found the name printed on the side of the war medallions and written on the back of a postcard.

This excursion was full of information, and increased our understanding of World War II. It was a fun and educational experience and we all had a great time.

Pingting Ooi, Tilly Kearnes and Cadence Ing
Year 9

Welcome SARV2D2

Welcome SARV2D2

11ENG5 welcomed back a classmate today. The nation’s first ever robotic student. Sarvam Khanna, from the comfort of his bedroom, rolled through the door of W23 as a bright red machine. Greeted with shouts of delight from Ms Schlam and the class, ‘SARV2D2’ jolted his way to the back of the room to participate in the lesson. In classic Fort Street fashion, a series of technical difficulties and network connection failures provided a convenient diversion from our Shakespeare analysis. Eventually SARV2D2 wheeled backwards into a cupboard, tumbled over and broke, received with shrieks of laughter from Ms Schlam, Ms Arcamone and the class. How encouraging that the Department have generated an innovative way to integrate Sarvam back into the classroom. We are all looking forward to many more entertaining, and hopefully more fruitful, lessons with SARV2D2. Although it is an honour to be the test pilots for Australia’s first robotic classmate, we can’t wait to have the real person back and so we wish Sarvam a speedy recovery!

Year 12 visit the Museum of Human Disease

Year 12 visit the Museum of Human Disease

On May 31, Year 12 Biology students went on an excursion to the Museum of Human disease at UNSW.
There, the students participated in a site-wide tour and exploration of the specimens and displays. The university tour guides presented the students with an array of confronting real-life examples of deformities and diseases, expanding their knowledge for their HSC Biology Module 7: Infectious Diseases and Module 8: Non-infectious Diseases and Disorders.

The students viewed hundreds of preserved donated human tissue and organ specimens. Throughout the day, they took notes on diseases they may wish to  pursue further to help them in their upcoming depth study assessment task.
The day concluded with a digital quiz on the museum’s exhibits.

Betty Chen

Zone Athletics Carnival

Zone Athletics Carnival

The Zone Athletics Carnival was an interesting experience. Like last year, it was blistering cold, and yet worse this year, it was raining. About a third of events had to deal with rain, even continuing events in the rain. It still is an unforgettable event, as I had to run in the rain.

You Chung

Sport

Sport

Futsal
Fort Street had 30 U14 students, 16 U16 students and 24 Opens students represent the school at the Football NSW Futsal Regional Championships at Bankstown Basketball Stadium across 3 days this term. These teams have been working hard on the training ground (in the gym) in preparation for the tournament and all did a fantastic job on the day. A big thank you again to the P&C who funded the purchase of our new jerseys which the students wore with great pride.
In an effort to keep the ball rolling Futsal Club is now running on Tuesday mornings on the tennis courts and is available to students of all abilities from Y7-10.

Volleyball

A lunchtime Volleyball Club for all years has commenced at Fort Street High School and runs every Wednesday at lunchtime in the gym. Students across Y7-12 of varying levels of ability engage in skill development drills and friendly matches. Our senior CHS representatives will be on hand to upskill the next generation of volleyballers at The Fort. A big thank you to the P&C for funding the purchase of the first class equipment that has provided the platform for these sessions to take place for the first time in the schools recent history.

Basketball

The Fort Street Junior (Y7-9) Basketball Club meet weekly on Thursdays at lunchtime in the gym. These students participate in a variety of shooting drills before competing in half court games. The club is a social, non competitive environment for students who share a common interest to engage in their sport of choice, it is open to students of all abilities.

Ultimate Frisbee

The Ultimate Frisbee Club continues to meet every Thursday morning on the school oval and train under tutelage of our very own Australian representative, Edmund Feng (Class of 2018). This club is open to all students of all abilities. Our senior students recently represented the school at the State Championship in Merrylands and both Tyla Young and Ray Chen were selected for their respective NSW State teams which will compete at the National Championship later this year. Well done athletes. Our juniors will be competing in the Junior State Champs later this year. Keep up the great work everyone.

German excursions

German excursions

A few weeks ago, all German classes had the opportunity to immerse themselves in German-speaking culture at the German Film Festival and Una’s Restaurant. Year 7 and 8 attended a screening of “Invisible Sue”, a thriller about twelve-year-old girl who gains the power to turn invisible and uses it to save her mother from a gang of villains. Years 9, 10 and 11 saw the film “tschick” about two teenagers who steal a car and go on a road trip that changes their lives. The novel “tschick” will be the German Extension prescribed text from 2020. After the film, all classes were able to indulge the Austrian specialities of Schnitzel and Strudel for lunch.

 

Mid-Year IMP Concert on Friday 28 June

Mid-Year IMP Concert on Friday 28 June

Mid-Year IMP Concert next week on Friday 28 June
Dinner is from 5:30pm: warming homemade winter soups, choice of three curries (lentil, chicken, or Nepalese lamb), beef casserole, eggplant & chickpea tagine, or BBQ beef sausages and roast vegetables (all $15). Vegetables or sausage on a roll $5. Tea and coffee, hot chocolate, and the usual dazzling range of cakes and desserts will be available before the concert and at interval.

Dinner entertainment from the Saxophone Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble.

The concert starts at 7pm. Tickets are $10 per person on sale at the door (no concessions but free entry for children).
Please bring cash for dinner and concert ticket purchases.

NB Musicians must wear full IMP uniform.

This is a major fundraising opportunity for the IMP and we need your help!
Many hands make light work, so if you have time to make or buy food to contribute to the dinner, or you are able to help on the night, sign up to donate your time here https://signup.com/go/rwffPkG  or make a food donation here https://signup.com/go/PFZrvGM

We also need volunteers to make curries and cook roast vegies. You’ll find recipes and lists of ingredients at
https://signup.com/go/PFZrvGM

 

Instrumental Music Program

Instrumental Music Program

City of Sydney Eisteddfod
The Eisteddfod continues with amazing performances from all ensembles. Congratulations to all performers and their conductors.

Philharmonic Orchestra: 2nd place
Symphony Orchestra: 3rd place
Jazz Orchestra: 3rd place

 

John Lamble Australasian Choral Championships

Congratulations to the Chamber Choir: winners of the John Lamble Australasian Choral Championship, competing against five other school choirs from around NSW to win $3000 prize money for the IMP!

Cello for sale
Holzmann HC-500 in excellent condition for $2750. Contact  Cath Miers here

School TV

This month on School TV: Parenting Styles – What type of parent are you?

There are so many different opinions offered on how best to parent. New parents will often have firm beliefs about how they wish to balance love and discipline, but this ideal often goes out the window when a toddler throws their first tantrum in the supermarket!

Raising children can bring parents and caregivers great joy despite many learning ‘on the job’ and growing into the role through experience and understanding. Children will always flourish in a warm and loving environment, supported by clear guidance.

In this Special Report, parents and caregivers can gain a greater understanding of the four defined parenting styles by taking part in the quiz. It can guide parents towards deciding which style they wish to adopt and the effects it may have on their children.

We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we 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 your special report https://fortstreet.nsw.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-parenting-styles

2019 PSAT

2019 PSAT

Ascham School invites your Year 10 and 11 students, who are considering USA college (university) applications, to sit the 2019 PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test). This test, held once a year, is an opportunity for Year 10 & 11 students to practise the SAT under exam conditions. The test results will provide valuable feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. The date is set by the US College Board and this year it will take place on Saturday 19 October, which is the first Saturday of term 4 for most NSW schools. Places are limited and allocated on a ‘first come first served’ basis.

Date:               Saturday 19 October 2019 

Time:               8.30am – 12.30pm

Venue:            Ascham School

                        188 New South Head Road, Edgecliff

                        (directly across the road from Edgecliff train station)

 

Register:      https://www.trybooking.com/BCKYC

  

Register now as places are limited. Registration closes 5pm Monday 12 August 2019 or when we reach capacity.

 

From the archives

From the archives

Marjorie returns home to Fort Street
Last week the Fort Street Archives received a generous donation from the National Trust for the new Ron Horan Museum. It was an antique doll named Marjorie.
The owner of this doll was Fortian, Mrs. Phyllis Bower (nee Manning). She was born on 24th June 1897. After completing her early education in primary schools in the north-west of NSW she gained a place at Fort Street for her secondary education. In order to attend Fort Street she lived at a boarding house in inner Sydney during term time.
To feel more at home at the boarding house she took her favourite doll – Marjorie, a bisque-headed child doll who was dressed in Fort Street school uniform identical to that worn by the students prior to WWI when Phyllis Bower attended. Phyllis had many fond tales of her life while attending the Fort Street and which had made her school days very enjoyable and significant in her education.
Now, after about 110 years has Marjorie has returned home, via the National Trust, and has been donated to Fort Street’s new Ron Horan Museum. Here she will represent, through the story of her original owner’s life and that of the many men and women who have attended the school, the inspiration to achieve ‘a life of substance’.

Mr Iain Wallace
Fort Street Archivist

P&C

P&C

There is a New Sports Uniform item now in stock for the winter sports season. The PE track pants (navy blue with school logo) is available for purchase for $60.
Uniform Shop is open every Wednesday during school term from 10am-2pm.
More Uniform Shop details available here