News From The Senior Boarding Housemaster

Term 3

As another term heads into its second half, Shore boarding continues to travel well on the back of a tremendous support network, a community of boys who continue to be an outstanding reflection of what Shore represents and an excellent staff foundation that nurtures and guides our boarders every day.                                  

Term 3 is notoriously the busiest term of the year, and so this has proven to be once again.  Much has been happening up front and behind the scenes, and we hope that this newsletter will provide you with some insights into what make the Shore Boarding Community such a special one.

The boarding staff have continued to travel widely, even in the first four months.  A large contingent attended the Tamworth expo in Week 1, catching up with families on the Friday night dinner in town and then lunch the Hunter Valley on the way home.  More recently, four of us enjoyed an excellent night in Parkes and then in the Orange for lunch the next day.  This has meant that the Shore boarding staff have now visited 12 different towns this year, with our attendance at the Murrumbateman Field Day in Week 1 of Term 4 an eagerly awaited event as well.  More information will follow in this edition.

One comment I received whilst travelling was the desire for more whole boarding occasions for our boarders.  We hope that this is happening, perhaps more than some may realise. This term alone, in the first four weeks, the whole Shore boarding community attended two dances, excursions to Luna Park and the St Leonards Climbing Centre and well as a huge Bledisloe Cup night when over 60 members of the four boarding houses congregated to cheer on the Wallabies.

We now look forward to a whirlwind finish, with Golden Boots, American Tea, House cocktail parties, the Year 12 Chapel service and Valedictory Dinner among the many occasions to savour in the next four weeks!

Parkes and Orange

Darren and Jo Junee, Heather Foord and I enjoyed an absolutely brilliant weekend at the end of Week 4 this term.  We drove to Parkes on Saturday, August 17 and caught up with past, current and prospective parents for dinner at the International Hotel, Parkes.  We had a fabulous evening talking about old times and exciting times ahead – thank you to all those who travelled from far and wide to support us, especially the Horsburghs who made the 160km trek from Tottenham!

The next day the caravan moved on to Orange, where we were so generously hosted by James and Juls Jackson.  We had over 40 people attend the lunch, and again it gave us the opportunity to meet current and prospective parents throughout the afternoon.  Executive Director of the Shore Foundation also joined us, and he was able to outline the wonderful work currently being carried out by our Foundation.  A special thank you to the Jacksons, and also to Christine Weston who attended both functions with husband, David; she did an amazing amount of work networking for us to ensure such a great turnout.

Year 11 Leadership Day

On Tuesday, August 20, all of our Year 11 boys attended a Leadership Day.  This gives our boys an opportunity to look ahead at what good leadership looks like, and how we can learn from those who model good leadership.  Ex-Socceroo, Paul Wade and Chaplain, Rev. Paul Dudley spoke to the whole Year 11 cohort, while individual Houses also had the chance across two periods to discuss their visions, opinions and hope for the future with their Housemaster.

Excursions

Several boys took the opportunity on Sundays to attend arranged excursions to Luna Park and St Leonards Climbing Centre. The boys meet our dedicated staff member on the Chapel lawn before heading off for some fun away from school for the afternoon. There are many more opportunities coming up in the weeks ahead, and we encourage parents to encourage their sons to get involved.

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

Confirmation

A large Barry House family contingent attended this year’s confirmation service to celebrate the confirmations of Banjo Cole and Tom Pearce on a beautiful Sunday morning earlier this term. Family and friends can be seen here enjoying a lovely afternoon tea after the service.

Twas The Night Before Trials by George Davis

‘Twas the night before trials, and all the Hodge boys

Were working their socks off, without any noise

Their notes were all printed, their essays prepared

In last minute study, no effort was spared

Prep flew like an arrow, as never before

And soon it was over, some studied no more

They grabbed biscuits and milo, and shared knowing looks

And before you could blink they were back at their books

The last minute cramming went into the night

And the Hodges boys all raged at the dying of light

But no matter that quotes yet remained to be learned

Every one was eventually forced to adjourn

As they headed to bed, their heads filled full of facts

They stood up from their beds and lay down on their backs

Some began to despair at the knowledge they lacked,

While others slept peaceful, their courage intact.

But I hope they remember, these young men of ours

That whate’er may happen, they’re all superstars

And while papers tomorrow may bring naught but strife

Good luck to them all, and a happy #hodglyfe

Indigenous Network

Cate Fryda is Shore’s Director of Inclusion. Her role includes ensuring that our Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander boys and their families are given the support needed to feel ‘connected’ with our school.

At Shore we are working hard to build on the support we provide for all our students. This means that on some occasions we focus on whole school initiatives and at other times we focus on specific groups of students.

Over the next 18 months we will be building a number of new initiatives to help further support our students who have an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background. These will include:

• Providing weekly small group tutoring in literacy and numeracy skills for those who would benefit
• Providing fortnightly lunch time get togethers
• Provide excursions to connect with other Aboriginal community members
• Provide regular cultural coaching after school for boys interested
• Meet with each boy’s teachers on a termly basis to celebrate successes and build on areas for improvement
• Hold an annual family gathering here at school
• Provide Shore staff with termly learning opportunities to understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait perspectives with greater depth and clarity

We have had some new staff arrive or move across to help in our support of these exciting initiatives, and our vision will continue to grow as the year progresses.

Robson House News

In a very digital age for our young boys, I encourage them all to sit or lie on their bed and read before they go to sleep.  I would suspect that you enjoy the same as a relaxing way to unwind.  As an English teacher I enjoy reading (and would even if I did not teach) and currently I am reading four books. Two of these books are school based and the other two are biographies.  Let me tell you about these.

King of Shadows by Susan Cooper, explores a young boy who is involved in Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.  Nat is haunted by echoes of the past, falls ill and then wakes to find himself back in 1599 and comes face to face with William Shakespeare.  In Year 7, we are studying introductions to Shakespeare, looking at three plays, along with the novel.

The Bonsai Child by Judith Y Locke is one of those books on how to bring up children. Let me assure you that we are doing a great job.  One article spoke about a 4 year old who made the decision for the family that they were not moving overseas so that the mother could further her career. It’s an OK read and by no means am I trying to sell you a book.  However, I will say and I am sure that you would all agree with me that children need to be taught how to grow up from the day they are born, not 13!!

Bristow, by Kevin Perkins explores to life of Tim Bristow, former Shore Boy, sent his son to Kings, became a private investigator, spent some time in gaol.  There are so many stories in one book that are very confronting and also funny.  There was one time when he was playing rugby for Gordon against Norths and he had an argument with Basil Holmes Travers, and he hit him….problem solved.

CSNY, by Peter Doggett celebrates the 50th anniversary of Crosby, Still, Nash and Young’s performance at Woodstock and their first album.  Why am I reading this you may ask?  Well I enjoy music so that’s a start and of course love reading.

Make sure you have your son reading at home before bed as we are trying to work on this here.  Finally, the Year 12 boys are deep in the HSC trials and the Year 11 begin their exams on Friday.

City2Surf

Barry House ran another team in this year’s City2Surf on Sunday, August 11, 2019 to raise money for CanTeen. This year was Barry House’s 8^th City2Surf run for this wonderful cause, and in doing so we raised over $3000.  46 runners ran the 14km trek, from the city to Bondi Beach, including boys, parents, siblings, friends and Barry House staff. We loved the chance to run a great race and then take a bus back to Balmain for a fantastic lunch to top off a great day.

CanTeen helps young people cope with cancer in their family. Through CanTeen, families learn to explore and deal with their feelings about cancer, connect with other young people in the same boat, and if they’ve been diagnosed themselves, they also provide specialist, youth-specific treatment teams. To learn more, please visit their website at canteen.org.au

Dances

The Shore boarding community have enjoyed some great social opportunities with a few girls’ schools of late, heading out as a whole group on a Friday night to mix with the girls of several other schools.

On Friday August 2, Year 10 and 11 attended the Ravenswood social and had a fantastic evening of dancing (if you can call it that), BBQ and socialising with the Ravenswood, PLC and Wenona girls. On Friday, August 23, it was Year 7-9’s turn to head out to PLC, where they too had a great night with the PLC, Wenona, Abbotsleigh and Ravenswood girls.

PLC Dance

OBU Connects – Blind Vision – A blind man’s courage in the face of loss, triumph and love

Triumphing over the loss of his eyesight by long distance swimming in every continent on the planet, Old Boy James Pittar (87) will share his remarkable journey of courage, loss and love.

Wednesday 23 October 2019, 6:00pm, Hawkins Foyer, Shore

James developed an eye disease at the age of sixteen, leaving him totally blind in his early 30s.  Not to be deterred, James was the first blind person to swim the English Channel; the first Australian to complete the Triple Crown of open water swimming (English Channel, The Manhattan Island Marathon Swim and the Catalina Channel USA); has swum The Cook Strait; and swam without a wetsuit through the Bering Straits from Russia to Alaska….The man can swim!

James’ personal strength and love of his wife, daughter and family are key to his success as a long distance swimmer and enabling him to have a successful career out of the water.

James will share his remarkable story with the Shore Community.

6:00pm-6:30pm  Drinks and canapés
6:30pm-7:30pm  Presentation and Q&A
7:30pm-8:00pm  Networking drinks and canapés

Cost: $35

Bookings – www.trybooking.com/BERTZ

Note this is an open event.  Please share with your colleagues and friends who may not be part of the Shore Community.

Car Parking available in the Centenary Car park, off William Street North Sydney (underneath the Smith Auditorium)

James McCreery on City and Country Life

The days every boarder spends before Shore are the days that build their sense of place in the world, their perspective.  Open country and broad planes speckled with the few people who have ventured from urbanisation are all most boys know.  Sure, travelling to the city once a month and maybe even going overseas may break this pattern but for the whole, a boarder rarely experiences “city living” before Shore.  Those who have not truly lived in both worlds cannot determine the differences.  Let me give you just one that has changed my perspective; the sky.  This difference is somewhat staggering, who knew that driving a few hours from home could conceal the vividness of the night sky and throw a murkiness over the day.  Moving to the city there are no swirling patterns of red giants and burning stars adoring the sky, no peaceful blue cloudless days.  The boarding life has changed so much for every boarder but in truth we all understand that it is a necessity.  The opportunities and education that our school provides us with are worth so much more than retaining our childhoods and for this we are all grateful.

Echidna Cup

This year’s debating Echidna Cup saw Barry House’s best run through the rounds in living memory! Getting all the way to the final four, Barry’s team of Angus Mackie, Jack Davis and Charlie Weller, helped by Oliver Riddle and Charlie Murray, fell at the 2^nd last hurdle in a very close tussle with Mathers House. Fantastic Work, boys!

School House Nutritional Talk

School House were presented today with an informal nutritional talk, followed by some practical time in the kitchen on how to include more vegetables and fruit into their daily routine. The boys were given a food diary that outlined examples of what a serve of vegetables/fruit looked like and some tips and tricks of how to include more into their diet. A task was set to record total serves of vegetables/fruit over two weekdays and one day on the weekend. I will be checking back in with School house next Wednesday at recess to check on their progress and to give some further suggestions on how they can increase their intake through a number of simple strategies.

The boys were then treated to some simple yet tasty smoothies that included no nasty ingredients and at least 2 serves of fruit. Once they finished the first batch it was their turn to experiment and make up their own smoothies. Today’s ingredients included bananas, frozen berries, raw organic cacao, organic LSA and milk. These smoothies are perfect for post training refuelling or just as a simple snack between meals. For the boys who are training and competing at high levels and are looking to gain healthy weight, I would also encourage the use of a healthy protein powder of which I would happily recommend a few brands to the parents.

The focus of today’s nutritional talk and healthy smoothies is not to restrict the boy’s diets but rather to encourage eating a balanced whole foods diet that includes plenty of colour through a wide variety of vegetables and fruit. If the boys prioritise this healthy way of eating they will feel satisfied after meal time and will have the energy to perform in the class room and in the sporting arena.

I am looking forward to seeing how the boys go with this healthy eating task and to continue a healthy relationship with School House.

Mr Jake Somerville
Shore Strength and Conditioning team

End of Year Camps 2019

In the final week of Term Four, all of our boys will head away on one of the School’s Camps. Camps are an important part of our offering here at Shore. They are a time for boys to spend time together with their mates and to step outside their comfort zones. In the process, the boys have a fantastic time and more importantly learn a great deal about themselves and their peers. All of our camps are run by members of our teaching staff and we also use specialist providers to support our programs.

Year 7 Camp (Monday 2^nd December to Thursday 5^th December)

Boys will spend four days at the Department of Sport and Recreation Point Wolstoncroft Camp on the shores of Lake Macquarie. Boys will stay in cabins for the majority of the time away and camp out for one night. The focus of this camp is boys developing greater independence and continuing to get to know their Year 7 peers. Boys will participate in a range of activities including developing surf lifesaving skills, completing a high ropes course as well as canoeing and kayaking. On this camp boys will work in groups that are be led by one of our Year 11 boys.

Year 8 Camp (Monday 2^nd December to Thursday 5^th December)

Boys will spend four days at Anglican Youthworks Koloona and Waterslea Camps in the Shoalhaven region. Boys will camp in tents during their time away, operating in groups led by a member of the teaching staff and an outdoor education instructor. The focus of this camp is further developing boys’ independence, challenging them physically in a safe and supportive environment and further developing their teamwork and interpersonal skills. Boys participate in a range of activities including surfing, hiking, canoeing and in team building games.

Year 9 Shore Cadet Unit Annual Field Exercise (Sunday 1^st December to Thursday 5^th December)

Boys will spend five days on the Shore Cadet Unit’s Annual Field Exercise (AFX). This year the Annual Field Exercise will be held at Marangaroo and in Newnes State Forest near Lithgow. Boys will operate in platoon groups led by senior students from Shore and Wenona. Boys will participate in a range of activities practicing navigation, camouflage and concealment as well as abseiling and roping skills. This Camp represents another significant step in boys’ journey to develop greater independence and team work skills.

Year 10

Boys who have elected to remain in the Cadet Unit will go away on the Cadet Unit’s AFX serving in leadership and support roles or participating in advanced training.

Other Year 10 boys will be able to participate in either:

Connect Program which involves a group of 15 boys who work with refugee and migrant children from Holroyd High School. Boys participating in this program have an opportunity to get to know people from different backgrounds, establishing friendship and empathy for others through shared activities. Please note, accommodation is not provided as part of this activity and boarders will need to arrange their own accommodation in Sydney as the boarding houses will be closed during Camps Week.

Year 10 Camp which is held at Camp Somerset on the Colo River. Boys will participate in hikes and canoe expedition with the difficulty of these expeditions being matched to boys’ levels of fitness. These expeditions are led by a member of the teaching staff as well as an outdoor education instructor. These camps represent the pinnacle of our Outdoor Education offering at Shore, challenging boys and helping them further develop important skills like resilience, teamwork and a desire to care for others.

Year 11

A range of options are available for our Year 11 boys. Boys who have elected to remain in the Cadet Unit will go away on the Cadet Units’ AFX. A number of boys have also elected to go away on service trips to the Philippines or Yarrabah (Far North Queensland) or the Duke of Edinburgh Expedition in the Colo River region.

Another option for Year 11 boys is serving as a group leader on the Year 7 Camp at Point Wolstoncroft. Boys lead a group of Year 7 boys, working closely with the teachers and instructors attached to their group. This is a busy but rewarding week for the Year 11 boys, developing connections with our Year 7 boys and assisting them to negotiate the challenges arising during the program. Year 11 boys are accommodated in cabins alongside their Year 7 group.

The ‘default option’ for boys who choose not to participate in these other Year 11 activities is participating in our Community Engagement Programme. Boys will work in teams across a range of locations in Sydney serving others, including nursing homes, homeless support programs, schools catering to refugee children and children with disabilities. Please note, accommodation is not provided as part of this activity and boarders will need to arrange their own accommodation in Sydney as the boarding houses will be closed during Camps Week.

If you have any questions about your son’s participation in the Camps program, please don’t hesitate to contact Andrew Mansfield (Director of Activities) on amansfield@shore.nsw.edu.au or (02) 9900 4768.

Hand-shakes and Beef Stir-Fry

Life lessons in shaking hands properly and cooking are often on the agenda during the week and on weekends. This term the Barry boys did some etiquette revision on many things, such as standing when a lady enters the room and on public transport. On top of that, some practical lessons were shared on hand-shaking; eye-contact, hand firmness and positioning and posture upon approach. It’s a work in progress…

Beef stir-fry was a hit, with the boys making some fantastic meals from scratch using recipes found on-line, raw ingredients and some trial-and-error. Housemaster Morris tasted the finished products and can honestly say we have a few budding Guillaume’s in our midst.

5 Steps To Reduce Study Stress

ReachOut

Leading up to the exam season it’s helpful to be reminded the secrets to success in study.  ReachOut has done the homework on studying so we don’t have to.  There are their scientifically-proven steps to study success. ReachOut is and online tool that offers a variety different types of support, depending on what you and your teenager need and want. Please find link below: https://parents.au.reachout.com/

NSW U16 Gen Blue

Best of luck Jamie Clark (11HS) as he represents NSW U16 Gen Blue in the upcoming of the National Championships in Canberra this October.

Best Of Both Worlds!

Growing up on a farm and riding horses at the age of four was basically my life. I started competing at around the age of six for my local club and has now grown to something that is huge for me and it is now what I basically do in the holidays non-stop. From representing my club all around the country side to representing my zone at a state level, where people even out of New South Wales compete. I have done a lot of horse riding for my school too, I’ve been representing Spring Ridge Public School for all my years there and now I have just started competing for Shore.

From the farm, I now move my life to boarding at Shore. My time so far here at Shore has been great and I have enjoyed nearly every second of it. You may or may not have been told that boarding can be a bit stressful but it really isn’t, the routines here are extremely easy to get into the habit of doing and if you forget something, you know that you will always have your mates to help you out with things. At the start I really didn’t know anyone but after a few weeks, you will end up being friends with just about everyone in the boarding house. My mates to me are like family, they are always there when you need them and we all look after each other. Boarding here at Shore has so far been one of the best years of my life and should continue through the rest of my years here. – Wylie Hockey (Year 7)

Sport News: Henry Murray, Adam Daley

Throughout the school rugby season, several NSW rugby selectors have been coming to my games to see how my team and I were performing. After watching a few of my games this season, I have been selected in the NSW Gen Blue Rugby Team that will train together and then will play two games. I was selected as one of the outside centres alongside fellow Shore teammates, Lachie Thorpe, Will Rohrsheim and Ashton Lyne.  Henry Murray (Year 9, Barry House)

At the NSW skiing state championships in late August, we congratulate Adam Daley: 34^th from 74 and 3rd of 8 Shore competitors. Congrats Adam. What a fantastic achievement!

SPEC Update – August

An important milestone in the SPEC project was reached on Tues 20 August, with Dr Wright, Mr Morrison and Chair of School Council – Rev Stuart Holman, invited to ‘top-out’ the construction.

Current Status

Pool Hall:

• The pool structure is complete and the ETFE roof (a transparent pressurised roofing system) is installed and inflated.
• Face brickwork and glazing are installed.
• The planter boxes on the landscaped terrace above the pool hall are poured.
• Fitout, services roughing in, blockwork and partition wall installation are continuing.

Sports Hall:

• The Level 3 floor for the Christian Studies classrooms is poured.
• Roofing installation for Level 3 has commenced.
• Fitout, services roughing in, blockwork and partition wall installation are continuing.

Car Park:

• Structure is complete including landscape structures on the roof.

Robson Courtyard:

• Preparation for pouring the concrete slab on the ground and the tiered seating is underway.

Next Steps

• The pouring of Level 4 of the Sports Hall by 20 August 2019 will complete the concrete and steel structure on the site.
• Tiling of the pool.
• Façade works to the PDHPE classrooms above the pool.
• In the car park, stripping of formwork and commencing fitout.
• Crane to be dismantled in mid-September 2019.

Bill Retallack’s Space Journey To The USA

During the holidays and about 20 other boys from years 7-9 went to the USA to visit Space Camp (Huntsville, Alabama), Johnson Space Center (Houston, Texas) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory(Los Angeles, California). We participated in many fun activities during our time there. My highlight was JPL where we saw the Mars 2020 rover and learnt about all the deep space missions and rovers that they are going to and have sent into space. It was really inspiring to see so many people from similar backgrounds to us working there and doing such amazing things. The activities in Houston included a shark dissection, a tour of NASA, a MLB game, meeting an astronaut, and trying out astronaut training simulators. We had a great time in the USA.

Youth Group @ St Thomas’

At the boarders lunchtime meeting last Friday, Jordy Fung, a youth leader at St Thomas Anglican Church, came to speak to the boys about LIGHTS.  LIGHTS is a youth group for Year 7-12 that runs each Friday.  Hoping to build on the group of boarders who already enjoy the socialising and fun each Friday night, Jordy also challenged boarders to came along and think about the “big questions” in life.

Luna Park Activity

Last Sunday the boarders who stayed in, including myself went to Luna Park for an activity, and without the help of Mr. Morrison, we never would’ve gone. It was a great activity that I enjoyed and all the other boarders did. It was so enjoyable in fact, that Mr. Morrison allowed us to stay for another two hours because we were having so much fun. This is a recap of what happened.

First, we meet at the front gate at about 10:45 and started walking down to Luna Park from there. We took a shortcut down to Luna Park and had a very enjoyable walk to Luna Park across the boardwalk. When we got there, we took a photo on the boardwalk and then walked through the iconic Luna Park gate and got our tickets. It was buzzing with activity and we couldn’t wait to get on the rides. The first ride on the list was the Rotor, even though I didn’t do it. After that was ticked off, we went straight for the scary, spooky, Mystery Manor! All of the boys went, even though I also didn’t go, along with a couple of other boys. We also went on the nearby Spider! It was really fun, as it was really fast. By the time we were finished, the other boys came out of the Mystery Manor, and we made our way to Coney Island.

Coney Island was absolutely great, with my favourite part of Coney Island being the Sack Slides. There was one with a 10m drop! After we did the mat slide, we split up and went our own ways. I did the spinning tunnels and then did the moving bridges, but we eventually met back up at the Mirror Maze. It was really fun, but challenging at the same time. We then went to the Joy Wheel! It was a lot of fun, Eventually, we left Coney Island and made our way for the Hair Raiser! The line was long, but we got on. We started going up, and it was long and slow. When got to the top, all of a sudden, we dropped and I could feel the air rushing up my face. When we got close to the bottom, the ride slowed to a crawl, and we got off. After this, we split up again, and some boys went to get lunch while some went on the Wild Mouse. After the boys that went on the Wild Mouse grabbed lunch, we went on the Volare, a ride that goes around really fast and swings you around. After that, we went to Dodgem City, but the line was very long. Instead, we went to the Ranger! It was a really cool ride that swung you around and around. We were going to go a second time but there was a mechanical problem with the ride, so we left to go to the Test Your Strength! Everyone had a go, and people won prizes! After the Test Your Strength, we went to the Rotor for one last time, and I had a go. It was so cool! It felt like we were flying! After the Rotor, we walked back out the Luna Park entrance and took a photo out front and walked back to school. All in all it was a great day and we had lots of fun on the rides at Luna Park.

Matthew Davis –  Year 7

Daffodil Day

Barry House was up early to hit the streets for Daffodil Day one early Friday morning in Week 5.  It was freezing but that was no problem, the boys doing a fantastic job collecting for this fabulous cause.