Principal’s Report

Dear Fortians, Parents and Guardians, 

With only two weeks remaining in Term 2, there are several important events to note. Next Thursday, Year 10 students will present their Commerce stalls. This annual event is always successful and enjoyable, so please encourage Fortians to bring money to support the businesses set up by their peers. Semester 1 academic reports for Years 7-10 will be available on the Sentral Portal in the coming days. Parents can make appointments for parent-teacher interviews via the parent portal. Additionally, Year 8 subject selection sessions will be held alongside the Year 8 parent-teacher interviews. 

The Winter IMP Concert will take place on Friday, 28th June. This night not only showcases the amazing talents of Fortians but also serves as our opportunity to farewell the Year 12 students who have been an integral part of the program. I encourage all Fortians to come along and enjoy this spectacular night of music, which is not just for the families of IMP students but for the entire school community. 

I am excited to acknowledge the remarkable achievements of Edmund Huang, a Year 11 student who has been nominated as a finalist in the Sutherland Music Club Competition. Edmund has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Waratah Award for Young Composers. The finals concert will be held on Friday, July 5th, at the Sutherland Arts Theatre. Edmund’s composition will be featured at the Winter IMP Concert, we wish him the very best of luck in the finals. 

Vinnes CEO Sleepout 

On Thursday 20th June, I had the privilege of participating in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, an event dedicated to raising awareness and funds for homelessness. Alongside other leaders in the community including Ms McMurray and Murat Dizdar (Fortian & Secretary of Education), I spent the night outdoors, sleeping on a piece of cardboard with only a sleeping bag and a basic meal. Despite it being one of the coldest nights of the year, this eye-opening experience gave me a very small glimpse into the hardships faced daily by those without a place to call home. Listening to the stories of individuals whose lives have been transformed by the both the support of Vinnies and the funds raised through these sleepout events was both humbling and inspiring. As part of my induction a young mother of two escaping domestic violence who found herself without a home for herself and her two children shared her story. I felt heartbroken when she described whilst being homeless and struggling to find assistance, she did not feel human and had almost given up on herself before the staff at Vinnies found her a refuge for woman. I am fully aware that spending 12 hours living rough can in no way compare the experience of those living in these circumstances – after a sleepless night I arrived home in the early hours of the morning, took a hot shower, put on clean clothes, and drove to a job that I love. But it reinforced the importance of our collective efforts to support the vulnerable members of our society. I am proud to have been part of such a meaningful initiative and am committed to continuing our school’s involvement in charitable causes like this. 

Year 8 students will be participating in the Vinnies School Sleepout later this year. This event will provide a unique opportunity for students to understand the issue of homelessness more deeply and to contribute to positive change. I would like to acknowledge the significant fundraising efforts of our school community, whose generosity and commitment make our participation in these important events possible. Collectively Ms McMurray and I have raised over $9,000 with the support of our family, friends and the Fort Street community. Thank you to all the families who made contributions, funds are so desperately needed but I am also aware making this contribution is a sacrifice with the current cost of living. Thank you for helping provide 28 individual support programs, 75 beds and 302 meals. Together, we are making a real difference in the lives of those in need. 

It is not too late if you would like to donate: https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/fortstreethighschool 

https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/rebeccacameron 

https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/juliettemcmurray 

WIFI Upgrade Disruption 

The school WiFi upgrade cutover day is scheduled for Tuesday 25th June (Week 9). On this day, there will be no WIFI or cabled internet access for staff and students. Teachers will prepare lessons for the day that do not require devices, and students in Years 7-10 are strongly encouraged to leave their devices at home. Any assessments or homework tasks that are due should be uploaded to Google Classroom from home on Monday night.  

Additionally, the school phones will be down for the day. All parents will receive an email with a temporary school phone number for use on that day. While you will still receive the usual absentee text message if your child is absent or late to school, please be patient as these messages may be delivered later than usual. There may also be some intermittent disruptions to the service from Wednesday as testing is completed. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time and look forward to providing a stronger and faster WIFI service throughout the school. 

Senior Drama Production 

This week, our talented drama students performed “A Dead Giveaway,” a captivating murder mystery written by Owen Druery of Year 11 . This was the first time the school has presented a student-written play which is a product of the English Enrichment Program. Reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s movies, the play held the audience’s attention right until the very end with a twist no one saw coming. The night was a wonderful display of Fortians’ diverse talents, both onstage and behind the scenes, as actors, directors, writers, and producers. The production was further enhanced by superb music composed and performed by the Year 10 elective music students.  

I would also like to acknowledge and thank to Ms. Finsterer, Ms. Propsting and Ms Mattick for their expertise and guidance, and to the CAPA staff and SRC for their invaluable backstage support in running the event. 

Upcoming Events: 

Monday 24 June: Year 11 Modern History Museum Parent Evening 

Tuesday 25 June: WIFI Cutover Day 

Wednesday 26 June: Years 7 & 10 Parent Teacher Night 

Wednesday 26 June: Year 9 Duke of Ed training day 

Thursday 27 June: Year 10 Commerce Stalls 

Friday 28 June: Year 8 English Excursion Counting and Cracking at Carriageworks 

Friday 28 June: Year 12 Biology Excursion 

Friday 28 June: IMP Winter Concert 

Monday 1 July to Friday 5 July: State Music Camp 

Monday 1 July: Years 10 & 11 Visual Arts Excursion 

Wednesday 3 July: CSSI Science Presentation Day 

Thursday 4 July: Years 8 & 9 Parent Teacher Night & Year 8 Subject Information 

Thursday 4 July – Saturday 6 July: Year 11 Gold Duke of Ed hike 

Friday 5 July: NAIDOC Assembly 

Harvard Model United Nations 2024

Two weeks ago Fort Street High School participated with 45 other schools in the inaugural Harvard Model United Program. This program has been running for over 15 Years in Boston, but has recently been introduced to the Australian context. Our students developed diplomatic negotiating skills, public speaking skills and the ability to quickly writing formal resoloutions in UN language. We were asigned to be the deligation of Ireland and representing our nation in a number of UN Organs. It is fitting that a group of founding members of FSHS’s Model United Nations Society represented the school. Mr Latimer

As delegate to the World Health Organisation (WHO), we discussed, debated, and ultimately passed two resolutions to address the pressing global issue of female genital mutilation (FGM). Despite some awkward speeches on the first day, by the second committee session we were working together in a great show of diplomacy, unless you dared to strike out and oppose a powerful bloc of countries. Although backstabbing was mostly avoided in favour of peaceful dinner meetings, the intensity that each new idea was ripped to shreds with was certainly a new experience. By the end of the four days we had a detailed 12 year program to assist in ending fgm, but what I will take away from the experience is a renewed confidence in public speaking, interest in foreign policy, and new friends from around Australia. Lachlan McIntyre

Representing Ireland on the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee (SOCHUM) was an engaging and eye-opening experience as we spent four days debating solutions to disadvantages faced by indigenous communities. What stood out over our committee sessions were the intense debates, particularly between the bloc led by Russia and Hungary and the bloc led by myself and Iraq; going through three failed rounds of voting before ultimately passing a resolution; and an intense unmoderated caucus being extended three times to two and a half hours. I loved that despite our personal and country’s clashing policies, everyone collaborated and contributed to a friendly and inclusive environment throughout. This conference undoubtedly advanced our skills in diplomacy, compromise and public speaking, while also allowing us to meet amazing people from Australia and abroad. Luka Penney

Working in the Human Rights Council (UNHRC) we focussed on human rights in the digital age. Our committee chose to focus on closing the digital divide, the global gap in access to internet connection and digital literacy. As the delegate for Ireland, I departed from the highly developed and powerful European bloc to work with Morocco, Indonesia, and Mexico on improving their countries’ telecommunications infrastructure. In our resolution, which we passed unanimously, we proposed a mandatory international fund based on a bracket system of countries’ GDPs, tax breaks on trade deals that improve digital access, funding for start-ups, and a Digital Literacy Program. I learnt so much about negotiating, writing a UN resolution, how to dress for a Western business dress code, and how much coffee costs in Central on a Sunday. Eleanor Elonso Love

“The United States Capitol has been attacked. At 8:23 pm Eastern Standard Time, while the President was delivering his State of the Union Address to the joint session of Congress, a bomb exploded beneath the House Chamber. All members of the Cabinet and Congress are confirmed dead, and you’re in charge.”. This was the opening address for the Designated Survivor Committee at HMUN. The new US cabinet, consisting of celebrities from Bill Gates, Michelle Obama, and Caroline Kennedy to Neil de Grasse Tyson and Tom Hanks must navigate through global crises and diplomatic emergencies while slyly crafting scandalous personal crisis arcs. The atmosphere was notably different from what you would expect from a Model UN committee, with a mix of high-stakes diplomacy and outright pandemonium (assisted by the use of props, including a bald cap). We passed resolutions tackling serious (but mostly fictional) issues including China’s 10% increase on export tariffs on American goods and a rapidly deteriorating state of the US economy, with approaches that were creative and (sometimes) effective. But the real fun began when our personal crisis arcs were exposed, which revealed that Bill Gates had started World War 3, Washington DC was nuked not once, but twice, and Sarah Palin poisoned the President. The camaraderie, debates, and the outrageous scenarios made it feel like we were in our own sci-fi political thriller. It was a unique blend of learning, laughter, and lunacy, making the experience educational and incredibly fun. The Designated Survivor Committee is a perfect blend of serious and imaginative problem-solving which is what makes Model UN such a fantastic exercise in both diplomacy and creativity. Gina Hong

The Fort Street High School model United Nation Society meets 3 times per term to debate a different issue each term. They are currently working on Food Security in Conflict Zones. All students are welcome to join. 

German Day at the University of Technology Sydney.

On Friday, the 14th of June, the Year 10 German class took the day off class for a German excursion: attending the Stage 5 German Day at the University of Technology, Sydney.

We started the day off with a bus trip down Parramatta Road to UTS, and after arriving, made our way into one of the lecture theatres. We listened to presentations from representatives from UNSW, USYD, UTS, MQ and the Goethe Institut, with information on courses at uni, studying as an international student in Germany and how you can use German in your career (plus treats of Gummibärchen, fruit, and free UTS merch).

Next, we split into group activities! We were each grouped with two other classmates from Fort Street and mixed with students from different schools from all over Sydney. In these activity sections, we practised speaking German and played games such as mini board games, tongue twisters and a version of musical chairs, which incorporated German phrases and words. We got to meet other students who are also studying German and connected over our similarities (and even won maltesers).

For lunch, we were given delicious pretzels to snack on and a chance to socialise with other schools in the UTS Hideout, where there were pool tables, sofas, chess sets and even a piano! After lunch we were treated to a UTS campus tour, showing us all their facilities, including medical robots for nursing simulations, an entirely green lecture theatre, a colour coded lab, themed buildings and a five story library (with a unicorn sculpture and a napping area with bean bags).

After we said auf Wiedersehen to the other schools, the amazing Frau Reynolds and Frau Hunger took us all through the rain to Lüneburger, a German bakery at Central Station, where we could try out our German skills on the staff and order various German pastries, including cinnamon sugar pretzels, thus concluding an amazing day!

Lila Bachfischer and Maya Te

Logo Design Winner

There were some great entries in the competition to find a design to celebrate 175 years of Fort Street and Fort Fest this year. The winning design was by Daya Yu who created a logo we can use on communications, banners, and watch out for some great merch you’ll be able to buy at Fort Fest on the 20th of September. Congratulations Daya and thanks for working with us to create different versions of the design that we can use all year.

Volunteers needed for Fort Fest

Thank you to everyone who has signed up to the Fort Fest Committee and to run a Fort Fest stall.

We will be calling for parent and student volunteers early in Term 3 to work on the stalls and help with other on the night roles. Keep an eye out for the SignUp link.

Donations …. Start collecting now:

Plants for the plant stall

Games and Books

Chocolate and Lollies as prizes.

These will be able to be dropped off to the school two weeks before the Fest.

Plus donations of any other goods & services as prizes on the night. Please use the link below to let us know what you can donate.

https://form.jotform.com/gabrielleearls/fortfest2024

Fort Street High School Book Clubs

Fort Street is committed to encouraging students to continue reading for pleasure and as part of this mission, we have introduced Book Clubs. 

We had our first meetings earlier this term and there is still time to join! 

All students in years 7-11 were asked to complete a survey which informed the structure of the clubs. We now have a 7-9 Book Club where students share what they have been reading and make recommendations to each other and a 10-11 Club where all participants read the same book and we meet and discuss that book. 

These clubs meet in the staff common room at Thursday lunchtimes approximately once a month. If you have any questions, please contact our Teacher Librarian Ms Page. 

Smokeless Tobacco Products

The evolving nicotine landscape requires parents and caregivers to stay informed to protect young people from these emerging threats. Snus and nicotine pouches are gaining popularity among young people as smokeless tobacco (SLT) products. Both products are discreetly placed under the upper lip, allowing nicotine absorption through the gums.

Health authorities are urging proactive measures to curb this growing trend and calling on regulators to implement controls before these products become as widespread as vapes. The high nicotine levels in these products pose serious health risks, including nicotine addiction, cardiovascular disease, gum disease, tooth decay, and even nicotine poisoning. Researchers highlight the detrimental effects of nicotine on developing brains, linking its use to depression, anxiety, ADHD symptoms, and an increased risk of addiction to other drugs.

The marketing of snus and nicotine pouches targets young audiences through social media influencers, raising concerns about their increasing popularity among school students. And like vapes, they come in various flavours and strengths, with unregulated nicotine levels leading to inconsistent and misleading labelling.  It is clear that SLT products contain not only nicotine, but also other chemicals with unknown long-term effects.

This Special Report will help you become aware of the potential risks of smokeless tobacco products and guide you in age-appropriate discussions with your child.

Here is the link to your Special Report https://fortstreet.nsw.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-smokeless-tobacco-products-au