探花视频

High Notes, Vol 10 No 17, June 05 2009

From the Principal

High Talent
Spencer Llewellyn (Year 12) was chosen in the NSW All Schools basketball team - a great effort while recovering from illness. Antony Paul (Year 11) was selected in the final 6 for the NSW Debating Team. The national competition will be held in Adelaide in late July.

The Armidale Trip
I was really proud of the manner in which this trip was conducted. Our boys were uniformly well behaved. They were cooperative, committed and companionable. They brought great credit to the school. The staff, coaches and parents who made the trip witnessed an historic interschool visit, involving contests in basketball, tennis, rifle shooting, football and rugby. The character shown by teams and players was inspiring. Boys put their hands up to play in different sports, at different levels and in different positions in order to make the fixtures run. The crowd of High supporters was jubilant at the thrilling conclusion to the first XV match. Our victories in football and rugby topped off a great day of competition. The visit means a lot to the TAS community and it means a lot to the High community. I want to thank all concerned for their efforts.

Year 12 Reports
On Monday and Tuesday I discussed first semester reports with Year 12 boys. Your son should have brought his booklet home to show you. Our policy is to give reports to boys and talk to them about its contents and implications. If parents have not received a report, I am happy to talk personally to parents at school and supply them with a copy of the report. It is not our policy to post reports to mail addresses.

Wireless Installations
Our school has been surveyed for the proposed wireless roll out- phase 1. We will have the libraries and twelve classrooms fitted with wireless connections to the WAN. The fit out is scheduled to be completed before the end of July, in advance of the laptops that will be issued to teachers. It seems it may be late in term 3 or early term 4 before Year 9 will get their laptops.

The Great Hall Kitchen Project
We are proceeding on the assumption that the money from BER - National Schools Pride - will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. The project has been underwritten by the 探花视频 Foundation Inc. in the event that funds are denied or reduced through BER. Tender documents are being prepared by Jones Sonter Architects and the tendering process is scheduled to be completed by July 10, in time for work to start in the school holidays. We may have some disruptions to routine occasioned by my decision to self-manage this project. I trust staff and students will appreciate the significance of what we are trying to achieve and will bear with us.

The Cricket Net COLA
One of our projects is to cover the existing cricket nets area with a building -a covered outdoor learning area. Such an area will provide year access to cricket nets with lighting, a space for winter sports to be conducted and playground shelter from the elements. There are also commercial prospects that might flow from the provision of such a facility. The structure will be 34metres by 14.5. We are submitting a DA for approval by DET before going to council

If you have feedback about this proposal please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Dr K A Jaggar

H1N1 Influenza Information

Department of Education and Training
H1N1 Influenza 09 (Human Swine Flu) Information
NSW Health has confirmed a small number of schools in Victoria and South Australia have been closed for seven days due to confirmed cases of human swine influenza. These decisions were taken as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the virus.

To limit the potential exposure, NSW Health has advised that for the time being, any student who travels to Mexico, USA, Canada, Japan or Panama should be excluded from school for seven days after arriving home. During these seven days, the student should stay home whether or not they have flu symptoms. This is because a person infected with flu can spread the virus a whole day before they start to feel unwell.

During the seven days that a student is away from school, they should not attend after school activities, community events, sporting events or training, public entertainment facilities, or go to shopping malls/centres. Students should remain at home as much as possible, and away from other people.

Please contact the school to advise us if you are keeping your child at home for seven days after they have arrived home after travelling to one of the identified countries. The school will arrange for education materials to be available for your child for the time they are excluded from school.

Students will not be recorded as being absent from school for the exclusion period. The attendance register will record them as having an approved exemption from school.

This strategy is important and will help protect the whole community.

If you would like more information about swine influenza, this can be accessed on the NSW Health website ()

From the Andrews Junior Library

Integrated Book and Cyber Library

Sponsorship Request to Interested Parents
Just in the last 18 months I have been putting 'donation' as a subject added entry onto resources which have been donated to the Andrews Library. I felt it would be interesting to know just how much of our collection had been donated. I ran a report this week and found that in 18 months 400 items had been donated. At present Library staff are accessioning an entire wall of resources which have all been donated. These will add considerably to that number.

Various 'friends of the Library' donate books on a regular basis. Many Year 12 boys will donate study guides after they finish their HSC. We are extremely grateful for these. They are well used by other boys. Some friends who are prolific readers will donate books when they have finished with them and need to clear their home shelves. One mother who worked on a book charity drive saw that we benefited from the left over books. It was a huge benefit. A large proportion of our Senior Fiction Collection is obtained in this way. At times parents who are academics or Old Boys will want to give their collection to a grateful Library.

Our Library is very grateful for the thoughtfulness of all of these donors.

As I have been delving through catalogues and brochure getting prepared to order this year’s resources I came across the following documentaries in the Screen Australia Catalogue and thought I had a way of obtaining them for nothing. However that avenue unexpectedly closed.

As these documentaries are timeless and very valuable teaching and reference resources I wondered if some parents might like to sponsor the purchase of just one resource. The total cost of this collection of Australian documentaries would be $5553. Each resource cost an average of $89.

Please send your son in with a donation if you wish to sponsor a documentary.

In the last two weeks Library staff have been processing books at a great rate and displaying many of them on the newspaper table and the “new book” shelves.

A new book display has also been set up on corridor windows on the approach to the new Senior Cyber Library so that boys now using that Library exclusively will be aware of their resources which are still housed in the Andrews (Junior) Library.

New books processed this week alone. (Many of these were donated.)

The majority of these are Senior Resources

Mean Streets, Kind Heart. The Father Chris Riley Story - Sue Williams (Belonging?)
Easy Guide to Australian Law - Peter Fairfield
The Mayor of Casterbridge - Thomas Hardy
Gerard Manly Hopkins - The Major Works
The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
All about Terrorism. Everything you were afraid to ask - Keith Suter
Oyster - Jeanette Turner Hospital (Belonging)
New Penguin Dictionary of Quotations - edited by Robert Andrews
Simple Genius - David Baldacci
Tutankhamun. The Great Mysteries of Archeology - R Rossi
The Last Precinct - Patricia Cornwell
The Southern Cross - Patricia Cornwell
Barefoot Gen - Out of the Ashes - Keiji Nakazawa - (War)
Bombproof - Michael Robotham
Dubliners - James Joyce
Fingerprints. Crime Solving Science Experiments - Kenneth G Rainis
New Moon - Stephanie Meyer

Mrs Crothers - Library

From the Canteen Team

Our $10 Thank You voucher for the May volunteers goes this time to Annette Ng (Edwin Year 8). Congratulations Annette. To Annette and all our volunteers - we truly appreciate your continuing invaluable help.

A reminder about a minor variation to our menu for the cooler months - fruit salad will be suspended. Instead we will be offering whole fruit such as apples, oranges and mandarins. We find that fruit salad does not sell as well in the cooler weather which is why it will be off the menu for the time being so to ensure we always only present fresh items for sale.

It is great to note that many boys are taking advantage of the lunch order system by ordering their lunches before school from 8.30 am to 9.00 am. This ensures they do not miss out on their favourites. Unfortunately for a few days last week this was unavoidable. The pide supplier had manufacturing problems so was unable to deliver our order.
The Canteen Team

From the High Store

Winter warmers
School Beanies are available $22 ( no other beanies allowed to be worn )
Stripe SHS coloured scarves $33
Chocolate brown scarves $22

Sale
Plain Sky Football Sock, only size XL 11-14, great for training in $5 only 13 pairs available, BE QUICK!

SBHS Years 8-12 Entry Applications

Applications for Years 8-12 2010 are now being accepted. Application forms are available from the school, or from via the link to 'enrolments'.

Applications close 30th July 2009. Phone contact: 9361 6910.

SBHS Debating

FED Final Series
In a disappointing note both our Senior A and Year 7 boys were knocked out of the semi-finals last week at Newington. Having said that, these were hard fought debates with very close margins and each speaker displayed fantastic tenacity and ability throughout the competition! Special congrats must go to our Year 7’s who had not had regular competition debating experience compared to their counterparts from Barker.

Coaching runs as normal this week.

SEMI FINAL 2 - FED comp @ KNOX
FRIDAY 12th June
TOPIC AREA- Education

YEAR 8 (v tbc)
1. Kritman Dahmoon
2. Wilber Koslowski
3. Connor Robinson
4. Amarbir Singh

YEAR 9 (v Trinity)
tbc

YEAR 10 (v Knox)
Marcel
Michael
Sujay

SENIOR B (v Barker)
Declan
John
Puneet
Dan Luo

Year 10, 11 and 12 Are you interested?
The Sydney University United Nations Society has invited us to attend the annual Schools’ Model United Nations (SUSMUN). The event is open to teams of 2 from years 10-12. Each team will represent a country in one of six simulated UN committees dealing with contemporary international relations challenges. Handbooks will be provided to participants to assist competitors

The event will run on Saturday 1 August 2009 and there is no competition costs to students.

This is a fantastic even for developing matter knowledge as well as reinforcing presentation, argumentative and problem-solving skills. I strongly encourage all boys to consider their participation in this competition.

If you are interested, please see me or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it BY FRIDAY 26 JUNE

More information can be found at and will be emailed to you on a weekly basis.

Please CHECK YOUR EMAIL regularly and ensure we have current contact details for both students and parents.

PARENTS: If you are not receiving weekly emails about debating please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and ask to be added to the parent group for your child’s year.

Dana Quick
Debating Coordinator

SBHS Rugby

Senior Rugby
Senior Rugby players which include year 10 have been involved in working together to improve the standard of Rugby played at High. The key strategic areas we can improve upon are

1. Strength
2. Fitness
3. Skills (Defence and attacking guides.)
4. Vision.

The Year 11 and 12 Rugby log from T4 2008 to T2 2009 can be viewed on the Snr Rugby Notice board located in the Canteen Area not far from the Prefects Bear Pit.

The individual number of Strength and Sprint sessions the players have completed are very impressive.

The following players deserve a mention and should be congratulated for their efforts:

Leo Gordon, Frank Li, Greg Shargorodsky, Bill Wang, James Whiting, Steven Yoon, Alexander Belokopytov, Sam Binns, James Eriksson, Alden Kwok, Kerrod McPherson, Shahar Meron, Jason Nguyen, Nelson Ridges, Neil Street.

Many thanks must go to Jason Tassell (TJ) and Rebecca Elliot for co-ordinating the weight and sprint sessions the players are attending. It is without doubt having a dramatic effect on the player’s ability to perform and outlast some of our rugby rivals. Many of the coaches have commented upon the improvement the players are making at training. The improved levels of concentration (vision), determination, strength and stamina are not only visible at training but during game time as well. For example, many of the players are able to perform and maintain their patterns of attack and defence under pressure for much longer periods of time.

The 1st XV have finally been rewarded by obtaining their first win of a 1st XV fixture for a very long time.

Against Armidale, High’s superior strength and fitness levels were a telling feature of the game. The team was able to maintain their discipline and composure to constantly strike back were others have failed. Many of the tries scored employed improved vision and were a result of practiced patterns of attack.

The 2nd XV were able to perform and maintain their patterns of attack and defence for the first half only. Perhaps the players who are not involved in serious logging need to be questioned here. However, there are many players in this side logging and playing well who will no doubt find themselves promoted during the year.

Yes, both teams played well but there is no time for complacency. The GPS season begins in earnest in 4 weeks time.

Your physical preparation must still be your priority. You’ve worked hard for the size and strength gains so far but they can easily drop away dramatically if you become complacent and lazy. This was the old attitude. We are the start of a new era with a new attitude and new standards for others to follow. It is important that players constantly log their weight and sprint training. Importantly from a team perspective there is no injury that precludes you from training. That is the soft option and it is an option no more. If you have an upper body injury then we do lower body work and vice versa. As well as this you must consistently attend the mandatory 3 sessions of Rugby a week. Rugby training will be held regardless of the weather. If the grounds at Mackay are closed, players are to meet at the Gym where training venues will be organised. It is at training teams are able to practice their vision in attack and defence in contact sessions. Many thanks must also go to the dedication of the coaches Mr Aldous, Mr Hannon and Mr Storey for their enthusiasm and support in implementing the defence and attack patterns at training.

The school’s weights room is open early Monday and Wednesday mornings 7.15 am - 9 am exclusively for senior rugby players to log their strength sessions. Seniors can also arrange times outside the normal weights room hours if exams/classes interfere and TJ will endeavour to co-ordinate his time to enable as many boys to complete their strength commitment. It is preferred however that the senior 1st XV train together during the allocated morning timeslots. Team spirit comes from training hard together, experiencing challenging pain as a group, with your mates pushing you to overcome previous limits. The Rugby committee along with TJ have also been able to feed the boys straight after a weights session on these mornings. Hot baked spuds on a bread roll have been on offer and may even lead to a hot bowl of spaghetti in the future. Too many boys neglect the essential dietary requirements to recuperate fully from gruelling training sessions and for playing rugby. Combined with the recovery supplementation provided from Body Science to our top trainers, the intake of Carbohydrates such as potatoes, pasta and bread will help the boys recover and provide much needed muscle bulk. The player’s diet should also include as much fresh fruit and vegetables as possible. A player should also never be thirsty and should drink plenty of water before, during and after training. It is expected that players bring their own water bottles to training and hydrate as much as possible.

There are some things you can’t learn in a classroom which are highly valued in life. Being involved in the schools Rugby program will most definitely develop your skills of leadership, teamwork, patience, belief and determination. Senior Rugby including Year 10 train on these afternoons-

Tuesday & Thursday afternoons 3:30 to 5:00 at McKay
Wednesday sport 1:00 to 3:20 at McKay

Committed players will organise their after school activities (tutoring etc) so that these afternoons are free for Rugby training.

Senior Coaches
Mr Aldous, Mr Hannon, Mr Aldous, Mr Scrivener, Mr Storey, Mr Tassell

探花视频 Rifle Club

Rifle Shooting trip to Armidale: Report
On 29 May, 2009, 10 boys from the Sydney High Rifle Shooting squad got up early for a 7 hour journey to The Armidale School to compete in an inaugural smallbore shooting competition. They brought along their skills, egos and cameras, preparing themselves for a great trip alongside the sports of rugby, soccer, basketball and tennis.

The day ending with the eventual arrival at the school, warm greetings from their sportmaster and students and a heated basketball game which straightaway established the competitive nature between the schools, we rose early the next day to some crisp, fresh country air, had a hot breakfast and made our way to their rifle range, making friendly small talk with the boys despite our will to avenge our narrow loss to them in the GPS Shoot last year. And on hearing there would be prizes for the top scorers and the winning school would receive an antique tank shell trophy, our determination only increased.

The day started off well enough, with the targets and rifles being set up, the rules briefed and all of us readying our minds for the upcoming competition. The competition consisted of the standard target shooting at 50m and then a rapid fire, or ‘snap’ competition, consisting of eight 5 second target exposures. We started off with good scores but unfortunately, one of our shooters experienced an equipment fault, effectively reducing his score to 0 without possibility of appeal. Nevertheless, we overcame this hurdle and continued to shoot good scores throughout the morning, almost catching up on TAS despite our early deficit. We lost by a mere 10 points, the value of a centre bullseye, with special mention going to Ryan Woo, Adam Ceh, Denis Stojanovic and Matthew Tong who achieved the top four aggregate scores in the meet.

Thanks must go to The Armidale School for their hospitality in the competition and the whole trip, Cathy Meaney, Justin Hill and Kevin Chan for coming up to support us despite their family and work commitments and for my fellow shooters and sportsmen, who made the trip all the more enjoyable with their antics, jokes and overall camaraderie. It was a great trip, and for everyone who hasn’t gone up before, I urge you to take up a sport and go up next year!
Matthew Tong, Captain of Rifles 2009

Congratulations to Matthew Tong, Year 12, who was awarded King of the Range in Armidale and also to Ryan Woo and Adam Ceh who came second and third respectively. Well done to the entire team - we were unlucky not to come away with a win.

This weekend, the Rifle Shooters will be participating in the Wingham Shoot. They will be camping at the Wingham Rifle Range and we are hoping for fine weather as the event has become known as the Wingham Rain Festival. Good luck boys- with your shooting as well as Bingo!
Catherine Meaney
MIC Rifle Shooting

P&C: High Society

The Bulletin Board for Sydney Boys High P & C
Julie Connolly P&C President

Parents Portal in School’s Intranet
Parents now have online access to P & C, Year Group, Sub-committee and other High Community information. The content is still in its infancy but will grow over time. At this stage, information includes contact details for members of the P & C executive, Year Group and Sub-committee representatives and minutes from P & C meetings.

To log in to the Parent Portal:

• Go to the School's website
• Click the 'Intranet Login' button
• Type your Year Group username and password ****
• Click Login
• You should now be in the Parents Portal

Parents can find out the login details for the Parents Portal by asking their child - students can look up the username and password to the Parents Portal by going to the Student Portal and clicking the "Parents Login" link. This system will assist in maintaining security of the School’s intranet and avoid the publishing of login details and passwords. Students should all be reasonably familiar with the use of the Portal - it gets quite high usage. Try logging in! If you have any problems, please call Julie Connolly on 0418 470 203.

Annual visit to TAS in Armidale
Over 200 High students travelled up the highway to Armidale last weekend for the annual sporting visit to The Armidale School (TAS). High fielded 11 Rugby teams, two Football teams, two Basketball teams, Tennis and Rifle Shooting teams. For the first time in four years, the High 1st XV defeated TAS 1st XV in a thrilling and close encounter.

In other rugby results, High 14As defeated TAS 14As 35-0; High 14Bs defeated TAS 14Bs 22-17 and High 13As defeated TAS 13As 29-27. In addition, High’s Football 1st XI defeated TAS 3-1 and our Basketball 1sts were victors 54-25.

The High 1st XV v TAS 1st XV GPS trial match has traditionally been a close, hard fought encounter. This year was no exception with the teams going try for try. Scores were locked at 12-all and then 17-all. With ten minutes to go, TAS scored to take the match to 22 - 17. Urged on by the palpable High Spirit and a relentless drive to not give up, our team responded with a converted try to take and keep the victory 24 - 22. At the final siren, the 1st XV was stormed from the sidelines by the 200 strong High contingent, celebrating a hard earned win for what seemed like all High Rugby players.

The rugby results are particularly important because they attest to the new regime of skills and resistance training that is proving to be a valuable foundation for all our rugby players. The commitment of the 1st and 2nd XV squads to seven sessions per week of training, including weights and speed and endurance sessions, is setting a strong example for the rest of the School.

The 13s and 14s results also point to some success from the School’s planned program to build, from juniors up, the participation rates, skills and strength of rugby at High. The coordinated, three-sessions-a-week coaching program for all 13s to 16s teams is well underway for this season and rugby now have 15 old boys regularly coaching junior teams.

Upcoming Parent Meetings & Events (details in High Notes)

• University Information Evening for Parents and Students - 7pm to 9pm, Thursday 18th June, Great Hall
• Rugby Committee Meeting - 6pm, Wednesday 24th June, Staff Common Room
• Joint SBHS and SGHS P & C Meeting - 7.30pm, Thursday 25th June, SGHS
• Music Cabaret Night - 6.30pm, Saturday 27th June, Great Hall

If you would like to have any parent community news or upcoming events included in High Society, please contact Julie Connolly, P&C President, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 0418 470 203.