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High Notes, Vol 25 No 16, May 31 2024

From the Principal

High Talent

Firstly, congratulations to the 1st Grade Football team who finished runners-up in the GPS Plate Final in a tough fought game against Newington College last Saturday. The intensity and grit shown by the students bodes well for the GPS season ahead. Well done gentlemen!

In further football news, a large number of High students were selected in the GPS football squads to compete in the CIS Championships next week. Congratulations to Alexander Valanidis (12E), Praneil Manandhar (12T), Liam Nottage (11S) and Dylan Dutt (11F) who were selected in the GPS 1st XI Combined squad, and to Aiden McManus (11R), James McLoughlin (11R) and Liwen Deng (10E) who were selected in the GPS 16 and Under squad. We wish you good luck in the upcoming competition.

Congratulations also to the students who recently competed in the Senior School Ethics Olympiad. Sydney High were awarded the silver medal and an honourable mention for their efforts. Well done Tristan Cheung (10R), Joshua Kimpton (10S), Jude Ou (10R), Mohamad Rachid (10M), Lachlan Yuen (10S), Andrew Pye (11R), Ioannis Chatzinikolaou (11T), Tra Nguyen (11F) and Jeff Tse (11R) for representing the school with aplomb.

National Reconciliation Week

This week, we as a school celebrate National Reconciliation Week, which commenced on the 27 May. 鈥楴ow More Than Ever鈥� is the theme this year, where we as a nation are encouraged to take the time to understand ways, we can all contribute to a more inclusive Australia. By acknowledging the extensive history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for many thousands of years, and the contributions first nations people make to our society today, we are able to commit to building a more inclusive future, starting today. This requires strong leadership and we鈥檙e confident that the boys in our school have the qualities needed to pursue positive outcomes for our indigenous citizens in the future.

Our Leadership Assembly on Thursday was a clear display of the positive qualities many of our students are gaining that will allow them to make a difference to Australian society. Here at High, we have numerous leadership opportunities for students through a variety of co-curricular programs. To see the passion these students have for what they do bodes well for both their futures and for society at large.

This Friday we also celebrated the students who are about to commence the 1st and 2nd Grade GPS competitions in their various winter sports. These students embody the essence of High Spirit in dedicating themselves to multiple hours of training over many years to hone their skills. Each of these students are developing essential characteristics for their future including teamwork, communication, problem solving, creativity and resilience. I鈥檇 like to thank all the staff who contribute to our various sports programs as it would not be possible without their ongoing commitment. And the best of luck to all students in their respective sports over the coming weeks as they give their all, representing our school with pride. With over 97% of students participating in competitive winter sports this season, the scholar-sportsman ethos is well and truly in place.

Student Behaviour in Public

On another matter, I鈥檇 like to add a reminder to all students to behave with the utmost respect and integrity while in public and on public transport. Due to recent complaints from commuters, we held a special assembly for the whole school during the week to address the boys鈥� behaviour in public and what鈥檚 expected of them. Parents are requested to discuss these matters with their sons to ensure that their behaviour in public reflects what we expect and typically see from them within school grounds.

Literacy

Finally, with the school鈥檚 key focus on improving the literacy skills of students in every year group, students are encouraged to ensure they closely read all questions asked of them, in whatever form this takes.

Many gifted students struggle with multiple choice questions as they either rush through the section or overanalyse them by looking to justify each of the options. The key is to look closely at the question as there may be more than one answer. However, often the most correct response can only be distinguished through very carefully reading the question. A good strategy is to think of potential answers before reading the options (often called the 鈥渄istractors鈥�). This more clearly focuses the student on the question at hand and allows them to better select the appropriate choice.

In short answer and extended response questions, students must take the time to carefully work through what鈥檚 being asked. Too often students see a hint of something they know well and rush straight into answering the question they wanted, which may not actually be the question at hand. Take a few moments to plan your response and check that the plan matches the question asked, including the directive term provided. A 鈥渄iscuss鈥� question response should look quite different to an 鈥渙utline鈥� or 鈥渁nalyse鈥� response.

As always, the best way to hone a skill is through practice. We strongly encourage all students to complete a variety of questions in preparation for upcoming assessments in order to refine the skill of carefully addressing the question before them.
Jamie Kay
Relieving Principal