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High Notes, Vol 24 No 27, September 01 2023

From the Principal

High Talent

Results from GPS Carnival 2 from last Saturday - U13s 100m Owen Trinh (7E) - 1st 12.1, 200m 2nd; 4 x 100m relay 2nd. U14s Alex Ruhfus (8E) 100m 1st 11.57, 200m 1st 23.74; Mark Yan (9F) 400m 1st 56.36, Joshua Kuo (8R) hurdles 3rd. U15s 100m hurdles James McLoughlin (10R) 2nd. U16s 4 x 100m relay 2nd. U17s Kaden Kuang (12E) 110m hurdles 3rd. Opens – Ren-Shyan Balnave (12F) 1500m 1st 4.22, 3000m 3rd, 110m hurdles Ramin Hossain (12T) 3rd and Oscar Greville (12M) shot put 3rd. Well done to all competitors in the second athletics carnival of the AAGPS season. Jiazi Chen (9T) and Thomas Chen (11S) recently performed with The Senior State Wind Band as part of the Festival of Choral Music, coordinated by The Arts Unit. The Band consisted of 57 students from 42 different public high schools across NSW. The students engaged in an intensive weekend rehearsal before taking to the Sydney Opera House stage, performing two challenging pieces in front of sold-out audiences as a part of the Festival of Choral Music. Well done lads!

Illuminate

This week we held our annual showcase of student creativity and innovation – Illuminate. There are some really fine student projects on display in the Governors Centre. The A-V and live performances were varied and engaging. My welcome to our guest judges and sponsor is reprinted, as edited, below:

"Good evening and welcome to Illuminate 2023, held on Gadigal land since 2017. Welcome to our special guests – Ramesh Nithiyendran (SHS-2007) and Gladys Lai (SGHS-2016) [Peter Kampfner (SHS-1964) who is the sponsor of the Judy Cassab Prize awarded in honour of his late mother, a renowned artist, was unwell and unable to attend]. Thirteen years ago we began planning for a building in which our students could display their creative outcomes. We wanted a suitable setting for students to exhibit their talents in performance or visual display. The Governors Centre is such a venue for major works from eight curriculum courses or subjects. The aim of our Illuminate festival is to shine a light (objectively and metaphorically) on the creativity of our boys. Our objective is to ‘articulate’ ideas, ‘create’ products and performances, and ‘innovate’ in design and construction in multiple disciplines.

"Also, back in 2011, we introduced our chosen dispositions that we wanted to teach and assess – PEWCC. Importantly, we had a focus on problem solving, working in teams, creativity and innovation, as well as communicating and evaluating. Our exhibitions here demonstrate evidence of those dispositions in action. Our school’s overarching framework (IPEC) has two special components that help us direct our efforts – emotional intelligence (EQ) and cultural intelligence (CQ). We try to build capacity in our students to innovate by knowing themselves, by giving them resources and by training them in necessary skills. We try to nurture their creative instincts by offering opportunities for them to express themselves in our elective subjects in Stage 5 and in our HSC courses.

"Our emotional intelligence is developed by the frequency and quality of our relationships with others. At school, many of these are vicarious, virtual or intellectual, as we engage with the philosophers, leaders, change makers, writings or artefacts of our international heritage. As we move from characters to contexts, we expand our cultural intelligence by appreciating the diversity and richness of human experience around the world. As mythology is exposed, empathy can be substituted in our collective knowledge and attitudes towards those of other cultures.

"Often, we recognise our own and other’s emotions more clearly through the medium of music or art. Plays and speeches move us and inspire us too. Design and technical virtuosity appeal to our sense of adventure and discovery. This evening we want to demonstrate how our students have responded to the challenge to know themselves and to express their ideas and emotions through art, music, speech, text or products. It is important, particularly in this school so heavily weighted towards mathematics and science, that there is a forum for oracy, an audience for recital and performance and appreciative appraisers of student products. We are proud to showcase the achievements of our students during this week of celebration of creativity.

"This event was made possible only due to the hard work and dedication of the visual arts, music, industrial arts, drama and English staff at High. It is an impressive multidisciplinary event. In particular, I want to thank Jenni May and Rebecca Dam for their co-ordination and planning of the event and staff from English, IA and Creative Arts. I welcome you all here this evening and hope that you enjoy the displays and performances our boys have produced."

140th Anniversary of SHS Cadet Unit – Parade and Supper

Around 20 Old Boy Cadets from the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 2009-2021 gathered on Tuesday for the SHS Cadet Unit Passing Out Parade and 140th Celebration Dinner. Guests of Honour at the parade and dinner were the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK AC CVO MC, Colonel White and Brigadier Lording. Our parade was managed by our new MIC of Cadets, Major Olivier Delaruelle (SHS-2005) with Lieutenant Ronald Luo (SHS-2017). The invitations, promotion and supper were organised by Binh Johnsun (DAH). Thank you to all the cadet mums who provided much of the catering for the dinner. My speech at the sumptuous supper after the parade is reprinted below:

"Special guests, Sir Peter Cosgrove, Colonel White and Brigadier Lording, cadets from 1959 to 2022, cadets of the current ̽»¨ÊÓƵ Unit, welcome to our 140th anniversary celebration.

"The Cadet Movement originated in NSW in 1872. Our first Headmaster John Waterhouse sought permission to form a Cadet Corps within the school. The first Corps was formed in 1883 under the command of Lieutenant H.W Strong. The ̽»¨ÊÓƵ Cadet Corps was heavily involved in rifle shooting. Teams consisting mostly of SHS Cadets shot competitions against Victorian teams in 1886 and 1888.

"The Department of Public Instruction in 1884-85 formed a battalion of its own, comprised of a Corps from public schools and led by teaching staff. The SHS Corps was granted special privileges. It was the only unit allowed to appoint officers from among the students. It was permitted to attend the Easter training camp with the Permanent Land Volunteer Forces. Its members were armed with Schneider Carbines whereas other units had wooden dummies. Schneider was a French engineer who developed a breech-loading rifle utilising a bolt action, firing a metallic cartridge. These rifles saw action in the Franco Prussian War and were even used in World War I.

"The unit was charged with the care of the Queen’s Colour and the Battalion Colour and formed a guard of honour for the departure of the Sudan Contingent which sailed from Circular Quay in 1885. Nine members of the Unit were chosen to attend the coronation of King George V in 1911. The unit folded in 1913 when compulsory training was introduced. Cadets were members of the Citizens Military force until 1929 when compulsory military training was abolished.

"The subsequent history of the Cadet Unit at High has seen it wax and wane, depending on the drive of the leadership and the enthusiasm and support of the school administration. The unit was represented at various major events in the fifties and sixties and revived in the 1970s under the command of Captain A.M Gainford (1976) who still teaches mathematics at the school today. The Record, now digitalised for easy reference catalogues the ups and downs of the fortunes of the Sydney High Cadet Unit, which at times faced existential threats.

"During my tenure as Principal a similar pattern of thriving or waning has been experienced.  The Unit has flourished recently with the addition SGHS cadets. I am comforted that the Sydney High Cadet Unit is in good hands under Major Delaruelle and that it can move forward from here, given growth in cadet unit numbers in recent years. The Unit has a proud history of 140 years and a bright future ahead. Thank you all for coming today to show your support for the Sydney High Cadet Unit - long may it thrive!"

Selective Test Placement Offers

First round selective school placement initial offers have been sent to successful applicants. Of the candidates sitting the Placement Test, 867 chose High as their first preference, while 1774 applicants to selective schools had High as one of their preferences.

Acceptances are running strongly and we expect to have a full 180 students ready to go by Orientation Day in November.

Sentence Conscious Pedagogy: Turning an Outline into a Draft

Students have already prepared outline notes on a topic with multiple dot points to select from. Making an outline helps students to visualise a beginning, middle and end to their paragraphs. It helps distinguish between essential and non-essential information. It helps make connections between the main idea and the detail relating to it. It helps to order the ideas or events into a logical sequence. First, the students translate their notes into sentences. Next, they compose the topic and concluding sentences (TS and CS). Then, they combine the supporting sentences with the TS and CS. They follow the Single Paragraph Blueprint (SPB).
Dr K A Jaggar
Principal