Senior Boarding Housemaster Update

Semester One and Boarding Promotions.

It has been another frantic term, full of assessments, examinations, sport and all sorts of activities. Your sons have been an absolute delight, and the boarding community has swept along at an amazingly quick but smooth pace over the last few months. It never ceases to amaze me what a significant contribution the boarders make to the life of the School.  Two boarders were the leads in the School musical, two of them were major players in the student-directed play, several boarders played onstage in the Junior and Senior Music Festivals and others regaled audiences in the Art of Rhetoric. In the opening round of the GPS Rugby season, 14 boarders made up the 30 players in the 1^st and 2^nd XV; this equates to 47% of those teams coming from 15.2% of the School’s population. It is the epitome of “punching above one’s weight.” I apologise to the many other boarders who also fall into this category whose names I have missed; you have all played a major part in shaping what makes Shore such a wonderful school.

The boarding staff have travelled extensively again this term to touch base with our past, current and prospective boarding families. The Dubbo Expo, Narromine dinner at the Richardson’s and Mudgee lunch were great successes, while recently we have enjoyed the company of friends in Boorowa at the Merriman’s, in Cowra and then in the Southern Highlands. Next term sees us off to the Tamworth Expo and then the Hunter Valley on the way home, while later we will visit Parkes and Orange.

Thank you to all those Shore boarding families who have made us feel so welcome, and shared with us their experiences (and advice) along the way. We look forward to catching up with many more of you before the year is out.

Focus Groups and Boarding Climate.

In an attempt to better understand and support our boarders, we planned some ‘focus groups’ to interview the boys in the last two weeks of term. Jane Barron, Cay Camden, Karin Fabris Da Silva and John Burns met with boys in small groups to hear about their experiences over a one-hour period covering three evenings. The three groups to whom we spoke are our overseas boarders, our indigenous boarders and a selection of our domestic boarders.

We are also asking all of our boarders to do a quick, online ‘climate survey’ questionnaire. The purpose of this is to gauge how our boys feel about the boarding climate in which they live, the connections they have with others and the opportunities they see available in order for them to thrive.

We will collate all of the data collected and work on developing ways of supporting the boys’ boarding experiences and culture, and improving upon those areas we feel need closer scrutiny. With a broad spectrum of boys surveyed, we hope to capture the best scope of perspectives possible in order for this to occur.

Who is Jane Barron

Jane is a youth intercultural transition specialist and culturally responsive educator at Globally Grounded. She is consulting to Shore as part of the School’s commitment to reflect on and develop a solutions-based approach to cultural integration in the Shore boarding community. The goal is to build educational and social conditions where students, parents and staff of diverse cultural backgrounds live and learn with each other in an integrative culture, while preserving and championing Shore’s current boarding school strengths.

Jane expects that this research will improve understanding of the perceptions, practices, challenges and opportunities arising from an increase in cultural diversity in the Shore boarding community and the embedded educational and social cultures.

AMERICAN TEA 2019 BOARDERS’ FARMER’S MARKET

On Friday 13 September we will gather once again for the Shore American Tea.  For those families who have joined the Shore Community this year, this is the major fundraising event on the school calendar and is a great day out for the boys and their families.

The Boarder Community organises several stalls– Boarders’ Farmer’s Market, Silent Auction, and Oyster Stall.

Over the coming months, please keep in mind the types of things that could be donated to our Farmer’s Market.  Get creative in your kitchens, gardens and in your local areas.  It’s a great way to showcase the offerings from rural and regional NSW.

Types of donations might include:

• Produce – pumpkins, citrus, herb and flower bunches, fruit, nuts,
• Pantry items – jams, pickles, chutneys, lemon butter, oils
• Country craft – wire/steel sculptures, soft crafts
• Eggs
• Garden items – potted herbs, agapanthus, bulbs
• Country style baking

We’re grateful to all who sign up to help on the stall.  It’s a lot of shared fun and a great way to connect with other families across our community.  Watch out for the signup genius link next term. 

Please email us with any inquiries to:

Rachel Murray: trmurray6@bigpond.com

Rachel Greig: rgreig71@gmail.com

Yalari and NAIDOC Week

Yalari Dinner

Hunter Lawson, Rishad Cook-Sabatino, Jye Peters, Braydon Mundy and Ramiyah Tamu attended the Annual Yalari Celebration Dinner this year in the city. They are seen here on stage with Waverley Stanley. Shore and Shore Boarding are very proud of them. They are a credit to their school and families and were wonderful ambassadors on the night. 

NAIDOC Week

Later in the term, Hunter Lawson (Barry), Ramiyah Tamu (Robson) and Rishad Cook-Sabatino (Hodges) spoke to the K-2 boys and girls for their NAIDOC celebrations. They were once again great representatives of their school and culture. The kids loved it. A week later, Hunter Lawson (Year 11) along with Jack Horwood (SL Year 7) and Jye Peters (SL Year 8) spoke to the Prep School in the Smith Auditorium for their NAIDOC celebrations. The Senior School are planning their celebrations for early next term.

Caring for our Year 7 Boys

Stepping in the role of the specialist Year 7 Boarding Housemaster in 2019 is Mr Werner Pienaar. As an Old Boy who also teaches the boys Mathematics and Christian Studies, Werner comes well equipped to support out newest members of the Shore Boarding community.

As the first point of support, Werner is involved in the day to day life of the boys, initially helping them to settle in and develop friendships and this year running the 3-week Y7 Welcome Programme in Term 1.  The programme supports the integration of the boys from diverse backgrounds into the boarding community. The boys participate in a variety of activities that help them settle into Shore, from walks around the local area, a cruise on Sydney Harbour, and sessions to learn study skills.

Commenting on the programme, Werner shared: “The Year 7 Welcome Programme is unique to Shore and offers the boys the opportunity to learn, live and engage with each other and build strong friendships in their year group.”

Talking about his experience so far, Josh Tang said: “I like that you wake up and go to bed with your friends around you, on any day I can play footy with my friends and with all the facilities so close I can also get help whenever I need it.”

The Year 7 boys have settled into a good routine in School House, but they are looking forward to getting home to their families for the holidays!

Titration Competition

Three of our boarders formed a team for Shore’s Chemistry Titration Competition this term and were the best-performing Shore team overall. They placed 3^rd overall in the competition.

The team consisted of Jooya Kalantar (Hodges), Alex Liu (School) and Hugo Bowhill (Barry).

Well done on a fantastic result!

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

The Year 11 self-directed play, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare was an outstanding display of construction and acting this year. It was wonderful to see a full house for the two performances and see so many boarders treading the boards on the night.

Fin Hancock and Michael Mingay, along with day boy, Olivier Gorge were brilliant. Once again, Shore boarders are front and centre on stage this year, thoroughly enjoying the process and learning experience.

Healthy Cook-up On A Wintry Saturday

Barry House boys enjoyed a healthy cook up on a chilly Saturday night this term – sweet potato soup with Angus Mackie and Callum Simson taking the lead. A lot of hidden vegies so after first serves it was awesome to hear “that was really tasty, is there any more?” It was a big hit for everyone. Ms Wickenden, take a bow… 

Oprah Arrives

In early June, Oprah arrived at Hodges House to the joy of all who have met her. For the next 12 months, the Fitch family and Hodges House will share Oprah as part of her “puppy raising” program to help her become comfortable with people and in preparation for her future role as a working dog.

Art on Country

On Thursday 20 June, our day and boarder boys who are Aboriginal or from the Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea, spent a productive, engaging and chilly (top of 5 degrees!) day in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. We were hosted by Uncle Chris Tobin, a local Dharug man who is both an educator and an artist. Chris holds a deep connection with his land and takes groups into the bush to learn about his country and participate in art-based learning. He is also a wonderful story teller who shares his cultural knowledge through his stories. If you are interested to get a feel for the day, here is a link to one of his stories. https://bit.ly/2I18015

During our time with Chris, as well as discovering his local country,  we learnt about native bush food and medicine, including bush soap and toothpaste! We also heard stories about using traditional hunting tools. A highlight of the day was being taught how to make traditional paint using ochre and creating handprints on tree trunks. As you can see from the photos, this was a magical day, where our boys were provided with opportunities to enjoy traditional experiences as well as spend valuable time to bond as a group.

Many thanks to Mr Devin, our bus driver for the day, who drove a 300km roundtrip, all with a friendly smile on his face!

Cate Fryda – Director of Inclusion

The trip to the Blue Mountains was enjoyable, I’d learned a great deal of different perspectives about this historical area. I learned how there used to be a mine where many people worked 10 hour days with coal. I also found out that there was a massive train track which had been installed in the 1800.

 It felt good to talk to an elder about their culture and land, and how the white people changed everything for the aboriginal people, for example the stolen generation, rents and accommodation. The guy’s family they were respected by the white people, and had made a deal with them about having their own land and home.

Ramiyah Tamu – Hodges House

Greenwood Dinner

On a balmier night towards the end of term, Barry House along with Tutors, Ms Horsley, Mr Jenkins and Mr Morris enjoyed a casual dinner out al fresco at The Greenwood. It was good to get out together and escape school for a little bit. The boys were exceptionally well-behaved and the perfect guests.

Robson House News

With this being the final newsletter of the term, Robson House staff wish all our families a wonderful holiday.  It certainly has been a very busy time for our boys, with assessment tasks and the Year 10 examinations, along with the winter sport programme and of course parent/teacher interviews taking place for our Year 11 and Year 12. During Tutor Group, the boys have been participating in the Building Good Men programme, with the Year 11 boys running the programme, along with watching videos with their tutors and of course playing some touch football on the oval.

As far as Tutor groups are concerned, Mrs Rhodes is taking time off in Term 3 and Mr Donaldson-Browne will be involved with RN2. We certainly wish Mrs Rhodes all the best during this time. Next term is big, with the Trial HSC examinations American Tea, Robson House Boarding Function and of course the final weeks for our Year 12 boys. This is the first group of Year 12 that I have taken all the way through Robson House, a very special moment for both Kim and myself as we have thoroughly enjoyed our time with these boys.

Best wishes

Sam, Kim, Helen, David and Adam

Automotive Club

This year, Automotive Club been very rewarding to students, including many boarders such as Andrew Newton and Will Horburgh, who attend these classes taught by Mr O’Brien. Both theory and practical demonstrations have taken place on the School’s two vehicles. These vehicles are kept in first class running conditions and are of great benefit in the learning process.

This year has seen the closure of a special project, a diesel engine rebuilt to high standards. The groups are working on a very worn out Ford Falcon 6-cylinder engine that will be running by next term, together with a motorbike engine.

Andrew Newton – Barry House Vice-Captain

Rugby Jersey Presentation

Congratulations to our Boarders presented with their rugby jerseys for the 2019 season. Wishing all boys every success in the remainder of the GPS competition.

Ultimate Karting Sydney

On Friday, 31 May, Hodges House went to Ultimate Go-Karting in Smeaton Grange. This thrilling karting track was held in an indoor centre with a state of the art super grip track.

Hodges House caught a bus from outside Blue Street which took us to the venue. As we arrived, we had a safety debrief and then we were spilt up into three different groups across all years. These groups were used for our time trail race. When I first got into the kart, I felt nervous but after my first lap, I slowly got the hang of it, cruising past Mr Fitch. After that race, we got spilt up into three new different groups according to our fastest lap time in the first race.

Tom Scott (11HS) winning the slowest heat, Lachlan Caldwell (12HS) winning the middle race and Will Austin (11HS) coming home with the gold medal in the fastest final, closely followed by Mr Fitch.

Overall the night was an amazing experience and wouldn’t have happened without Mr Fitch and Mr Davis. I believe everyone in the House greatly appreciated them organising this for us.

Angus Maltman (10HS)

Spotlight on Toby Lui

Hi everyone, I am Toby Lui from Hong Kong. I’m new to Yr 11 but a first year boarder at School House. I have been boarding for half a year now at Shore.

Boarding is a whole new world for me. It opens up a new point of view. I have been a day boy all my life. In boarding, everything is so structured and organized. There are set times for us to do different things every day.  In the first few weeks, I spent a bit of time finding my way around the school, the classes and getting to know people. I really appreciated the help of the staff and the friendship of the boys in my House.  Once I settle in a routine, I find things fall into place and I am now less anxious and much more relaxed. The first term turned out to be very enjoyable and it passed so quickly.

I do miss my parents but boarding has taught me to be independent. Away from home, I am able to make decisions for myself and try out things for myself without my parents. I really like this new- found freedom. I hope to participate more in the activities of the house and contribute more in the coming months.

Joeys Touch Rugby Day

Barry House, joined by Jock from School and Rishad from Hodges, hit the field at Joeys for a boarders ‘ touch footy Sunday with the Joe Boys and Loreto Normanhurst.  Joeys organised the afternoon and put on a full BBQ and drinks for everyone.  The Shore boys were undefeated and were even up for a Macca’s run on the way home after the BBQ.  Thank you, Joeys.  Our turn to host next! 

Adrian Lai

Gold Award winner, Barry House’s Adrian Lai was sensational at this year’s Senior Music Festival, wowing a packed Smith Auditorium on the violin. To emphasise Adrian’s versatility, last year he was on stage at the same event playing the piano.

Strike Bowling and Laser Tag

In keeping with our objective to keep offering activities for our boarders, 18 boys headed out to Chatswood recently for Laser Tag and bowling. This activity was led by one of our Boarding Activity Co-ordinators, Tim Morrison, who had a hectic day with the troops on the last Sunday of the term.

Another excursion to the movies was taken by our other Boarding Activity Co-ordinator, Peter Koster, and details of this can be found in the School House report elsewhere in this issue. After very busy periods, the boys do enjoy some down-time, and this is also built into the timetable to ensure they get some quiet time to themselves in what is a busy schedule.

Reconciliation Week

In tutor group on Monday 3 June, we were reflecting on Reconciliation Week by watching ‘You Can’t Ask That’. Reconciliation Week is from the 27 May to 3 June and its purpose is for all Australians to share and learn about Australia’s history and for each of us to contribute to creating reconciliation in Australia.

‘You Can’t Ask That’ was a short television show exploring the casual racism/discrimination that Indigenous Australian’s experience. The show filmed Indigenous Australians reading out questions that people ask and offed them with and reacting, to show others what to/what not to ask and how to approach questions and avoid the unintended racism. The reactions from the people answering the questions showed me how often the questions occur when they laugh about the question and joke about them. Another aspect that I learnt from was the different reactions depending on the tribes and the history people have had with racism. On the whole, “You Can’t Ask That’”, was very informative and led me to understand just a small part of Aboriginal life with relation to discrimination. I believe the show was a great choice for people to understand the meaning of Reconciliation Week and was very beneficial.

Please find below a link to the program.

John Joseph (10HS)

State of Origin

The State of Origin is always a huge night in Barry, and this year was no exception. Pizzas were ordered and everyone settled back to enjoys a great night. Game 1 was a disappointment for NSW fans but Sunday afternoon’s Game 2 was a much better result. It did mean, though, that Lights Out was a bit rowdier than usual…

Long Weekend Travels

At the end of every term, and at the start of Long Weekends, the long-distance boarders enjoys a Boarders’ Travel Day so that they can get home for the start of the break at about the same time as their city friends. This involves an early start before the sun rises, hopping on buses or trains for the journey home.

Pictured: Will Horsburgh – Year 10 (Tottenham), Ben Shilling – Year 12, Tom Pearce – Year 10 and Hugo Pearce – Year 9 (all Orange)

Senior Theatre Sports

‘Theatre’ and ‘sports’ are two words that aren’t often placed side by side and it’s certainly not your usual sport by any means. Our training isn’t done in the gym or on the field but in the depths of the drama studio at lunchtimes. Our games don’t go for hours, they go for minutes and our team isn’t filled with the fastest or strongest boys… excluding the big Ben Henchman. I’m talking about improvisation here.

This year representing Shore at the 2019 Theatresports Schools challenge was the team of Ben Henchman (Boarder), Max King (Boarder), Wyatt Bellotti (Boarder), Olivier Daish-Gorge and Tom Warburton coached by Ms Eliza Bell. The competition is comprised of absolutely no prepared material, everything is made up on the spot allowing for some ridiculous scenes. There are 4 rounds with numerous improvisation games paired with one open scene. During the heats we faced off against 8 schools from across the North Sydney Region placing 2^nd which allowed us to progress into the next round. The semi-finals were held at Monte Saint Angelo in a close competition that resulted in a tie breaker between Shore and Turramurra to make it into the Grand Final. The judges had to go back to the scores in the heats to determine the who will make it through, and by 2 points it was Shore.

The 15^th Grand Final at the Enmore Theatre is looming over the team as we prepare for the big night where it’s all decided. Thank you for all of those who have given up the time to watch the competition, your support is greatly appreciated by the team.

Max King, Year 12

A Personal Reflection 6 months in Robson

Alex, how was your first 6 months in Robson House?

My first six months in Robson House and Shore have been an amazing experience.  One of the things I love about the Boarding House is all of the comradery between the boys.  The best thing about Robson House is that you are never alone and there is always something to keep you occupied.  For example, in the afternoons we gather all the Year 10’s from the other boarding houses and we go out and play footy and on Thursday afternoon as a Boarding House we go out to the Robson courtyard to play house cricket, although currently that is a bit difficult because of the building site.  There are many other great social aspects about Robson boarding.  I am very grateful that all the boys have been welcoming and accommodating which has improved my time in Robson and at Shore in a substantial way.  

How does Prep work?

Another thing that I have thoroughly enjoyed about boarding in Robson and also within the school is the academic opportunities at the end of my fingertips.  The Boarding House has a structured routine which involves a 2-hour prep time from 7pm to 9pm.  This is a time of complete quiet where everyone sits down and completes the homework and assignments.  The best thing about this time is that it encourages you to do your work as all the people around you are doing the same thing.  Also, in this 2-hour time there are tutors available to help with any work that I need to help to get a better understanding, which is one of the many great benefits of boarding.  I also have helpful teachers that are willing to help me with any assignments or work that needs to be completed.

Is sport an important aspect in Robson House?

The amount of sporting opportunities I have been exposed to in my time at Shore have been endless.  I started playing cricket at Shore and I was mentored by highly accredited coaches that helped me improve my game both in my bowling and batting technique which saw me move from the 4^ths to the 16 A’s.  I am also in the 1^st XI currently for soccer where we train three times a week which has helped improve my skills and fitness.  I also had the opportunity to go to a tour to the Gold Coast in the first week in Term One holidays which was a great experience and was a chance where I could get to know each other boy and play together as a team.  I was also fortunate enough to be selected for the U16’s AAGPS side which we played against ISA and AICES at Valentine Sports Park.  I am also currently in the school athletics team which involves me training one morning a week on the school oval.  It is also fantastic that we have a gym that we can go and use whenever we want to help improve our physical ability.  There are many opportunities in Robson House and Shore with sport offering a wide variety of them and I believe sport has also been the easiest way to make new friends and meet new people.

To sum up then Alex?

I have loved my first six months in Robson as I have met many of new people from all around NSW which I will always be able to keep in contact with.  I have also grown as a person and my academics and sports have thrived due to all the opportunities and help that I have access to.  Another great thing is that I never get bored while in boarding in Robson as there are always boys around to do things with, whether that be; go to Chatswood on the weekend to watch a movie, go to the city, go out to the school oval to play some footy, or go down to Waverton to kick the soccer ball.  Also if I ever feel that I need some quiet time there is always the opportunity to go for a 5km run over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and admire that spectacular view.

Ultimately, my first semester at Shore has been a blast and I cannot wait for what Semester 2 has in store for me.

Alex Robinson
Year 10 Boarder, Robson House

Doing Vocals In School House

The range of musical talents of boys in School House is very large with boys playing instruments ranging from the cello to the piano and guitar. But we also have an unusually large amount of singers in the House and I am proud to be one of them. The singers of School House include Wyatt Belotti and Charlie Cross who are in Year 12 and are doing voice for their HSC (Charlie Cross is also Vice Music Captain), as well as this we have Finn Hancock in Year 11 and 2 Year 10’s (Hunter Black and me). All of us learn from the same brilliant tutor, Chris Richardson, who is an extremely good singer and amazing teacher.

The great thing about Chris is that he is always willing and able to accompany you in any genre of music and is not committed to only his favourite genre. This makes the selection of songs for his students a very easy process. Voice is a very unique skill to learn as whilst it is difficult it can be practised at any place and at any time, as well as this in School House the boys that also play voice are always willing to listen and give you feedback, and I for one practise very often with Hunter Black and occasionally I sing alongside the more advanced singers in the House in the senior years. It is also very useful to learn another instrument that you can accompany yourself with for a solo performance, but in the Boarding House it is always easy to get a fellow student to accompany you. In terms of practise though the music department is open in the afternoons and is particularly easy to access for boarders as it is only a 100 meter walk. There are also a range of ensembles that involve singing including: Foreshore choir, chapel choir as well as all of the rock bands, and again all of these are very easy to attend for boarders as they take place within the school and the earliest times of practice are 7:00 in the morning. 

Overall taking music lessons in Shore boarding and for that matter almost any other co-curricular activity is very easy to do as it is only the commitment of an hours practise each week as a minimum and a half hour lesson each week, as well as this each semester there is what is called a studio which is when all of the students of one music teacher (in my case Chris) come together to perform a piece that they have been practising and learning with their teacher. The studio concerts are a great opportunity to come together with your parents if they are able to come and to them how you have progressed over the course of the semester, this is especially important as a boarder as your parents likely don’t have the opportunity to hear you sing all to often. Not only that but it is also a great opportunity to hone your skills as a performer and it is also great that you are able to do this in front of an audience that doesn’t mind whether or not you make a mistake or for that matter what kind of genre you perform. For instance in the most recent studio concert we had Wyatt Belotti singing Bring Him Home from the musical Les Miserables and Finn Hancock singing New York State of Mind by Billy Joel.

Overall, taking up voice as a co-curricular activity is a great opportunity to enhance your skills as a vocalist, or to just give it a try but being a boarder and especially in School House with very supporting staff and other singers like Hunter Black and I makes the opportunities endless.     

Ashton Gresham

SPEC Update – May/June

Current Status

Pool Hall:

• The pool structure has been completed and filled to conduct water testing.
• The metal deck roofing is complete.
• Installing façade framing to accept glazing.
• Conducting fire rating for the classrooms above the pool.

Sports Hall:

• Installing structural steel for the classrooms, roof terraces and roof on levels 3 and 4.
• Pouring the final concrete for the grandstands on level 2.
• Stripping and removing formwork and roughing in services.

Car Park:

• Structural modifications to the existing car park are complete.
• Installing reinforcing steel to the ground floor slab is ongoing.
• Stormwater diversions and ramp construction is nearing completion.

Robson Courtyard:

• Demolition and excavation in the Robson Courtyard are nearing completion.

Next Steps

• Major concrete pours at Bishopsgate car park.
• Roughing in services at the Robson Courtyard prior to concrete pours.
• Emptying the pool for sealing, and enclosing the pool hall structure.

It is anticipated that the structural works on site will be completed in late July.