Term 4 Has Begun ….

Term 4 has begun well and the boys have hit the ground running.  At the time of writing, most of our Year 12s have waved goodbye and headed off into the sunset.  I would like to take this opportunity to say to those parents of 2019 Year 12 boys, how proud and thankful I am for what they have contributed this year, and in those years previous.  I honestly could not have asked for anything more from them, and it has been both a pleasure and a privilege to have watched them mature into the great men they have become.  I am indebted to them for making my role as Senior Boarding Housemaster such a fulfilling one; they have rarely put a foot wrong.  Boarding is reliant on its Year 12, and I believe that this year’s wonderfully smooth journey is largely because of the approach they have taken to all they have done.

Looking ahead, our boarding numbers for 2020 look promising.  We are presently looking at 30 Year 7 boarders next year, and we have received strong interest for new boarders into Years 8-11 as well.  Shore boarding staff, including Mrs Heather Foord and Mrs Vickii Scott, have travelled extensively across the State in 2019, visiting 13 towns and cities including boarding school expo’s in Dubbo and Tamworth and Field Days in Mudgee and Murrumbatemen.  A trip to Hong Kong also proved to be very successful.  Shore sees this as a vital opportunity to engage with our past and present rural families in their own settings, as well as providing the chance to meet with prospective families who are interested in boarding at Shore.  2020 will see this continue, with our plan being to visit other NSW areas to try to keep building our relationships with our families.

Term 4 will also see our boarders get the opportunity to engage in whole-boarding or combined Year group activities.  Unfortunately, a planned social with PLC fell through, but we are planning on two social events with Kincoppal, Rose Bay, when their Year 7-9 girls come to visit us, and our Year 10 and 11s travel over there for an afternoon of games and socialising.  Our recent Sunday Luna Park visit proved to be a hit with some of our boarders as well.

We were thrilled to hear of the recent rain to fall on many of our farms in the country.  Our rural families are never far away from our thoughts, and we continue to pray for the skies to be kind. We continue to look for ways to help those in need; if there is anything we can do, please contact me or your son’s Housemaster.

It has been pleasing to witness the boarders in Years 7-11 working so hard to prepare for their exams and assessments this term.  Our academic tutors have been busy helping prepare our boys; they continue to offer their great support and guidance for our boarders.

Lastly, at the end of Week 4, our termly Boarders’ representative meeting once again met to continue to work at improving Shore Boarding in a collaborative way.  It was decided that this meeting would be open to all boarding parents, in order for a transparent delivery of our programme and our vision, while offering the chance to enquire about the mysteries of life in a boarding house.

We wish everyone a wonderful term ahead – the end is in sight…

Helping Businesses In The Bush

One of the terrible impacts that the drought has had on our rural folk is the knock-on effect on country businesses. This is because people are less willing to spend money when they are forced to prioritise their spending.

If you are thinking of ways you might be able to help our farmers, two great initiative that help those affected are:

Go Country for Christmas 

https://gocountryforchristmas.com.au/

and

Buy Bush for Christmas (Instagram & Facebook)

https://www.nsw.gov.au/improving-nsw/regional-nsw/buy-regional-this-christmas/

Why not consider purchasing a Christmas present from one of these businesses? You will be buying a quality gift, but more importantly you will be helping local rural businesses who could do with a hand.

School House – Inaugural Photo Competition

Inspired by boarding house traditions such as the annual ‘Golden Boots’, the school house photography competition was pitched as a possible annual event – with the goal of adding some colour to the house.  SL2 became increasingly aware of the lack of physical-artistic character in School House, and incentivised a change in interior design with the photography competition. The results could not have been better.  With the theme of ‘Home’, everyone who participated brought an original, intriguing piece of art conveying a unique story to each individual.  In first place, Charlie Weston’s photo immediately caught our attention and conveyed his impressive artistic eye.  All the images are being framed as we speak and will stand around School House (after the renovation which starts next week) from 2020 onwards – bringing not only colour, but a reminder of the rich and unique backgrounds of each individual and the creative character School House builds upon.

Wyatt Bellotti (Yr12)

Year 10 Parents’ Weekend Away

Thank you to Jackie Sellars Mother of Archie (Year 10, Hodges) for this report

Please find photos of our great weekend in the Hunter Valley below on (18-20^th October 2019). We had 28 people in total turn up for a weekend of activities and fun. The City Host parents who joined were an absolute asset and it was great to meet many I had heard so much about but never met. It reiterated for me, and others, the importance of these social weekends away where we can get to know each other properly.

On Friday we arrived at the Pokolbin Cabins. I suggested to people that they bring a few nibblies to their cabin to share (we occupied 3 of the cabins) or go out to dinner and both of these things happened. On Saturday morning we met at Grapemobile Bike Hire, just down the road, for a very entertaining bike riding experience. It was all very casual but good fun and great to have an activity that everyone could participate in. We rode around the wineries in the area – they were close together so it wasn’t difficult to get around to them. We had a picnic lunch at Calais Estate (see photos of us in the barrel room), one more wine tasting by the owner of Grapemobile Bike Hire (Pokolbin Brothers wines), a bike race up the hill by the blokes, and back to the hire place where we finished off the day with a few drinks!!

We all had a ball. On Saturday night we went to Harrigan’s Pub in Pokolbin to watch the rugby then caught maxi taxis to Leaves and Fishes, a restaurant in Lovedale. On Sunday we were treated to brunch at Mount View by Sinclair Black’s mum and stepfather. It was the perfect way to top off a great weekend. We’re all keen to do it again this time next year!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/k8iCYL2oNXRdJaqr9

Murrumbateman Field Days

Messrs Morris, Fitch and Junee attended the Murrumbateman Field Days weekend on the first weekend of Term 4. Not only did we get the chance to meet some prospective parents, we also caught up with several Old Boys who popped by; former parent Hugh Cooke from Yass even swung by to say hello.

Gourmet Dining

The boys from Barry House have been lucky in the food stakes (no pun intended) thus far this term. At the end of Week 2, Ms Wickenden set the bar high with baked chicken and prosciutto, a Michelin restaurant dish worthy prepared and cooked to perfection.

On World Cup Rugby Final night, it was a Springbok feast as the boys enjoyed a South African BBQ meat-fest fit for a king. On the menu were Boerewors with Chakalaka, sosaties and Koeksisters with ice cream for dessert. Bangers and mash satisfied the English supporters, served with fresh garden salads and drinks. It was a great night of food and footy.

Case Studies In Leadership

During our transformation into Year 12 and becoming leaders within the School our Housemaster, Mr Fitch showed the Year 11 boys of Hodges two different case studies about leadership. One was of John Howard’s action to introduce gun law reform against great opposition and the other being Craig Bellamy’s great leadership in coaching the Melbourne storm. The core ideas that struck me while learning about these leaders were of service, sacrifice and standing up for personal convictions. Sacrifice through Bellamy’s undeniable hard work for the club where he pictures the relationship between him and his players as a two-way street, if both coach and players work hard together it will lead to synergy. Howard’s view to Gun Laws in 1996, where he maintained a stern approach to the banning automatic and semi-automatic guns showed great conviction to stand up for what he believes to be for the ultimate good of society. John Howard’s reform on gun laws stand as a service and legacy to the Australian Society which remains the envy of many other countries.

In Hodges House, as the new Senior leaders for the house we hope to emulate the models of service, personal sacrifice and standing up for what is right as we lead the year ahead.

Respect is earnt, and for the younger boys of the house to respect us and look up to us we must put in the effort in making our house a better place. Service, sacrifice and hard work to are important in Hodges House.

Below is a link to video featuring John Howard’s leadership on gun control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4WgWYjavEc

2019 Drama Tour Report

Over the Term 3 holidays this year, 25 boys from Year 9 to Year 11 and 3 drama teachers took flight to experience theatre and acting in New York and Chicago.  In New York the boys had a great time experiencing Broadway and the incredible musicals we saw, as well as experiencing New York culture, and meeting the awesome Hugh Jackman.  We then moved on to Chicago, where we saw some incredible theatre at the prestigious Steppenwolf theatre and an amazing improved Shakespeare show, to name a few highlights.  All of the boys had a great time over in America and we all got to know each other quite well, and a big thanks to the teachers we had over there with us, Mr Eastway, Mrs Bell and Mrs Crompton, who made the tour possible and so enjoyable and interesting.

Luna Park

Fantastic to see many of our boarders head out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon on a boarders’ excursion to Luna Park. The boys were there for hours and had a great time.

Barry House Enjoys a Study Break

With exams underway for Years 9 and 10, Sunday Chapel and BBQ breakfast done and dusted, Barry House piled into the mini-bus for a study break at Freshwater Beach. It was a welcome respite from the  books for a couple of hours, swimming and playing beach footy under sunny skies, although the water was a little brisk.

Food

We continue to monitor the quality of the food, chatting to boys from different Year groups. We don’t always get it right, but want to assure everyone that we are never standing still on this, and always aim to provide the best eating experience. Favourites so far this term have included the spaghetti dishes, butter chicken, seafood and chorizo paella and Chinese Night.

“Youth Festival” Malaysia Highlights

On 12 October 2019,during the Term 3 holidays,  I arrived at the Mensa conference location really early because I was really excited to take part in the “Youth Festival” that were waiting ahead for me. I was actually the first person to be there but soon many more people arriving from around the world such as Japan, Korea and Malaysia. I am really happy to see so many people joining the conference from around the world. 

After an introduction from the festival organisers and program supervisors. We jumped straight into our first task. We were to do a puzzle with numbers to get from start to finish. It was pretty challenging but we worked in groups and attempt to solve it together. I am happy to say my group was the first group to solve it. The second task was a card game called “set”. The point of the game was to find cards that had the same differences and the same similarity from a set of cards. A set of cards is 3 cards together that has the same differences and the same similarity. It was a challenging task to win because the other people that were playing set were really good at looking at the sets that were hidden in the pile of cards. After that we had some recess and I met new friends from Korea and they were very nice to talk to. After that we did some more activities such as Tower of Hanoi with 9 wooden circles that varied in size. I then left back to my hotel waiting for the exciting games they had of to offer tomorrow.

The next day I arrived and looking forward to have more fun tasks that are waiting for me. The first task was a game called “Nim”.  It was one of the most challenging games I have played during the 2 days. The game “Nim” is a strategy game that is played by subtracting a number of coins in a few piles and trying to get the last coin to win the game. I actually managed to win a game against one of the teachers using an algorithm called “Nimsum” which uses binary numbers to make the chances of you winning higher than your opponents. The next task we did a game called “exploding dots” involved the aim of having one dot left in one box at the end. It is pretty hard to explain but here’s an easier version to understand. You start with a couple dots and there are three boxes and if there are more than two dots in one box you have to try and cancel the other dots out to try end up with at least one dot in any of the boxes – sounds interesting doesn’t it?

At lunch my Korean friends showed me some trendy music that is really popular in South Korea.  Later that afternoon we had a huge group photo and exchanged numbers to stay in touch!

I really enjoyed this Youth Festival in KL. The games were challenging yet fun to take part especially it involved using mathematics, tactics and algorithms. 

Attending this conference was really a great experience and a nice way to make new friends from around the world. I really look forward to attend another conference like this because you learn a lot of new techniques in math and problem solving.

Year 9 Basket Ball Report

In Hodges house year 9 the following boys participate in basketball, Rishad Cook-Sabatino who is in the seconds basketball, a very good achievement.  Gus Allen-Burton and Bill Nicholl both in the 16D team and Ryan wong and Henry Douglas-Menzies both in the 16G team.  Over the season the 16D’s are at two wins and one loss, and the 16G team is also at two wins and one loss.  All these boys participate in basketball on the weekend and really enjoy it.

Gus Allen Burton

New Leaders in Robson House

With the Year 12’s officially departing the school in Term 4 this year, the Year 11 boys were tasked with filling in to take their place as leaders of Robson House. After completing the Leadership Day in Term 3, being guided by our Housemaster Mr Walker, the boys had explored what it means to be a leader in all scenarios. In the first week of this term, Jonah Edlington was appointed as a First-Batch Prefect, marking the start to his leadership within the school.

The week after Jonah and Ben Broadley were elected as House Captain and Vice-Captain of Robson House respectively, receiving their Year 12 ties in the service. A week passed, and it was the rest of the Year 11’s turn to receive their tie and become Leaders in the House. With all Year 11 boys receiving their Year 12 ties, it marks a beginning to their service as leaders within Robson. As well, Michael Mingay was announced as the Captain of Drama for 2020. This transition for the Year 11 boys in Robson is significant for them to display their leadership to the house, and we wish them well for the year ahead.

Responsive Support

Shore works hard to ensure that all our learners are well supported.  As part of this, we are delighted to announce a new support role for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait students.  From this term onwards, Cay Camden, on our Counselling team, will take up a role to directly support our indigenous boarders and day boys.  Her role will tie closely in with ensuring new boys settle seamlessly into the Shore community, as well as regularly liaising with our existing boys around managing school work and making the most of boarding life.  Cay will also communicate regularly with families, ensuring they are kept informed on how things are progressing for their son here at school.  Cay is an exceptional counsellor and clinical senior social worker, who has significant experience in working with teenagers. Her empathic approach makes her the ideal candidate for this role.  We welcome her warmly to this exciting new role and wish her the very best.

Tutor Group

What is Tutor Group?

Tutor Group is somewhat of a mystery for those on the outside, so here’s a small peak into what Barry get up to twice a week every Tuesday and Wednesday from 10.00-10.25am.

Tutor Group is an opportunity for boys to look more closely at, although not confined to the world in which we live, to examine world events, politics, ethical dilemmas and the way we view the world. Healthy discussions take place, and it offers the chance for boys and Tutors to get to know one another a little better in a more structured environment. The Building Good Men programme is also run through Tutor Groups and provides a wonderful opportunity for leadership to be exercised and cross-Year group engagement to take place.

There are also opportunities to get outside and engage in House activities, a healthy way of also showing teamwork, collaboration, leadership and setting up structures. These activities are organised by specific Year groups, from Year 8-12, and might vary from touch football, treasure hunts, handball, charades and basketball.

Ms Rachel Pickering – My Reflections On What It Is To Be A “Young Man”

As we steamroll into the end of the term, get displaced from our house and start singing Christmas Carols in Chapel, I reflect on my year, its highs and lows and how I have grown.  One of the things I have wrestled with this year is the condition of the ‘young man’ in our society.  I have written down my thoughts below:

From the Spartans to John Locke, all thinkers and cultures have had a predisposition to fear for the fate of their young men.  The reason, I think, is twofold. Firstly, young men are objectified as a representation of their society.  All that is seen as ‘good’ in them is seen as the inherent good of their context.  All that is perceived as ‘bad’, is seen as a manifestation of the weaknesses and fears of a society.  The recent proclivity to label young men as ‘toxic’, is in fact an articulation of social fears of increasing violence and self-interestedness amidst changing values and an uncertain future.  Young men take on the brunt of societies fears, they are objectified and labelled and have huge expectations, even if implicit, to be worthy of alleviating fears and ‘fixing’ the future.  This is entirely unreasonable from my observation, the burden causes either apathy, anger or anxiety – heightened by the fact that these young men are living in a cultural wasteland with an absence of ‘manhood rituals’ which signify maturity (explained very insightfully by Tim Winton).

Secondly, to try to grasp the difference and definition of what it is to be a young man is like trying to grasp hold of smoke.  We like neat definitions; young men do not fit in them.  They can be paradoxically gentle and wild, focused and bouncing off the walls, surrounded by friends and incredibly isolated.  This is in part due to the need to impose power to hide uncertainty and vulnerability, to stake claims of safety and value.  Young men are, I suppose, heightened human beings, they feel things powerful and search for meaning obsessively, but do not always have the means, know-how or aptitude to find them in the healthiest ways (like everyone else).

Both these points lead to a tone of mistrust and fear and a sense of ‘the other’.  How do we remove these obstacles?  Transcend culture, objectification and uncertainty – focus on individual relationships.  So then, as a teacher who works in boarding and lives very joyfully with 61 teenage boys, what can I say?  Thank you to each and every one of you for your kindness, humour and respect.  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives and to support you in your growth.  Thank you for a brilliant year, I can’t wait for another one to come… after the holidays.”

Hodges Rugby World Cup (RWC) Trivia

Test yourself against this RWC trivia to determine your Rugby buff status:

 Questions

1. How many Rugby World Cup Finals have Australia played in?

1. 3
2. 4

2. Who captained the Wallabies to their 1999 World Cup win over France?

1. John Eales
2. George Gregan

3. Which country is hosting the 2023 World Cup?

1. USA
2. France

4. What was the score in the Pool B match between New Zealand and Namibia?

1. 71 – 9 (NZ)
2. 73 – 9 (NZ)

5. How old is South Africa’s winning captain Siya Kolisi?

1. 26
2. 28

6. Who did Michael Cheika succeed as Australian Wallabies coach?

1. Robbie Deans
2. Ewan McKenzie

7. How many test caps did former All Black captain Richie McCaw play for New Zealand?

1. 138
2. 148

8. In which stadium did Australia play its first pool match against Fiji at this year’s Rugby World Cup?

1. Sapporo Dome
2. International Stadium Yokohama

9. What is the most number of points scored in a Rugby World Cup match?

1. 162
2. 124

10. Who won the inaugural Rugby World Cup?

1. South Africa
2. New Zealand

11. How many World Cup Rugby Finals have been won after extra time?

1. One
2. Two

12. Which of the following Wallabies has more test caps?

1. Stephen Moore
2. Will Genia

13. Former Wallabies open side flanker and Shore Old Boy Phil Waugh made his international test debut in which year?

1. 1999
2. 2000

14. The most individual points by a Wallaby in a single match is 42 by whom?

1. Matt Burke
2. Matt Rogers

15. How many tries were scored in this year’s Rugby World Cup?

1. 268
2. 285

16. Which stadium at this year’s RWC had a greater capacity?

1. International Stadium Yokohama
2. Tokyo Stadium

Answers

Extra details for those that are interested:

1. 4 (1991 W, 1999 W, 2003 RU, 2015 RU)
2. b. 148 (2001 – 2015)
3. a. 162 (NZ 145 defeated Japan 17 – 1995 RWC)
4. b. New Zealand (SA did not complete in 1987 or 1991)
5. b. Two (1995; SA defeated NZ 15 – 12 & 2003 ENG defeated AUS 20 – 17)
6. a. Stephen Moore (129; second only to Gregan with 138)
7. b. Matt Rogers (at the Adelaide oval v Namibia in the 2003 RWC)
8. b. 285 (at an average of 6.33 per patch)
9. a. International Stadium Yokohama (72, 327)

Barry House Captain and Vice-Captain 2020

Congratulations to our new leaders for 2020, Charlie Murray (Lovedale, right) and Charlie Clift (Spring Ridge).  Both boys have been boarders at Shore since Year 7 and in Barry House since Year 8.  We are extremely fortunate to have these young men at the helm next year, and we look forward to another tremendous year ahead in Barry House.

Hodges House Leadership

Earlier this term, Jooya Kalantar (Penrith) and James Wallace (Yerrinbool) were inducted into their new roles as Hodges House Captain and Vice-Captain respectively.  I would like to congratulate them both and look forward to working with them and all of the Year 12 Hodges boys in the year ahead.

School House Leadership 2020

I feel privileged and honoured to assist Fin and Toby in guiding school house into 2020. I am extremely lucky to be placed into this position of influence. Working alongside Toby and Fin I aim to continue and improve on the coherent nature of school house that my predecessors developed throughout their year of leadership and influence.

We aim to earn the respect of the house and work in harmony with the staff to establish clear goals that individuals and the whole house can reach throughout the year 2020. We will all verbalise our expectations continuously and ensure we follow up on our word to maintain the well-founded respect with our fellow house members. It’s the St Frances of Assisi approach “Preach the Gospel always and if necessary use words”.

As school house is being renovated at the end of the year we have the privilege to have the opportunity of starting our leadership philosophy with a new house. We will ensure the new batch of year 7’s arriving next year will enjoy their experience and have a smooth transition into moving away from home, as this can be extremely difficult for young men we will always be there to provide emotional support. 

Harry Litchfield (2020 VC)

Cricket Success

Congratulations to Charlie Moses (1^st XI) and Henry Murray (2^nd XI) in their selections for the upcoming cricket premiership season which began on Saturday, November 2. Charlie is in Year 10 and Henry only Year 9, so they will both be vital parts of Shore cricket in coming years. We wish them the best of luck – well done, boys.

Term 4 Robson House

How quickly this term is moving as the Year 12 boys complete their HSC, Year 9 and 10 are involved in examinations, with our Year 8 beginning very soon. Next week, we really are excited about the School House boys arriving into Robson as their House is being renovated. Hopefully the Junee’s are not expected to move in with Kim and I!!! I saw today that there has been soil dumped into the new gym area in the garden beds so hopefully they will be planting shrubs soon and on we go for more educational experiences. We are all certainly looking forward to the job being completed. We have been fortunate to recognise the wonderful contribution that our Year 12 boys have done this year and indeed throughout their time in Robson House and we all sincerely wish them the best in the coming weeks.

Late Start From Tamworth …. Not An Issue

On my first day at Shore School I was greeted with welcoming staff and students. My preconception was that the students and boys would be more intimidating and academically orientated, I was half right. The students and teachers are academically orientated, however they were also all so open and friendly, a very welcome surprise. I would’ve expected less assistance in tasks, but the staff and boys were always there to help no matter the difficulty of the task and go the extra mile. Mr Junee even lent me his own tennis racket.

Things were confusing in the first week, but I was able to adapt to it in no time, the help I got was primarily what solved the issue. I also felt slightly overwhelmed by the new workload I was put with, Shore had a highly comprehensive curriculum which consisted of information I was not accustomed to, particularly with my electives, but the teachers were able to run me through the subjects and help me catch up. I also found the tutors to be quite helpful, they enhanced my study sessions and got me to catch up with the other students. The first few weeks of Shore were quite welcoming and although the fourth week was stressful due to exams, I think I will manage just fine.

Leroy Chin (Tamworth)

Prep Time In Barry House

Prep time in Barry House occurs each Monday to Thursday night from 7-9pm, with a 10 minute break between 8-8.10pm. On Friday nights prep takes place from 7-8pm, and on Sunday night we run prep after 8.30pm roll call until 9.30pm. Prep is supervised by the Master-on-Duty and two Year 11 Prep Supervisors, one situated on the Ground level and the other on the First Floor level.

During exam periods, Barry runs a second prep after supper, from 9.30-10pm. Those boys on second prep need to prepare for bed before it begins, as it’s lights out bang on 10pm when it concludes.

Cadet Camp for Year Nine

On Sunday the 22nd of September the Shore Cadet Unit left for Bivouac.

The Robson House boys were really looking forward to this camp, knowing that it was going to be a very interesting adventure. The camp was very mentally challenging and involved many fun activities such as navigation, hiking, high ropes and many more.

The Robson House boys who participated in the camp pushed themselves to their limits and excelled in a very enjoyable experience. Each day began with an early morning 6:00 am wake up, then it was time to pack bags and eat breakfast, next was usually a morning activity followed by lunch at 12:00 pm, after that we usually hiked with packs for about an hour and then had some more activities, then it was time to set up for the night which meant setting up hutchies, then dinner at about 6:00 pm followed by night activities and a bed time of 10:00 pm. The Robson House boys thoroughly enjoyed the time away and worked hard to participate in all the hard work. Now we are all ready for the camp week at the end of the year.