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High Notes, Vol 25 No 5, March 01 2024

From the Principal

High Talent

Congratulations to Aaron Huang (10S), who has been offered a place in the Australian Mathematical Trust Selection School – Junior Division. Well done to Oliver Yin (10T) who has qualified for the Australian Age Swimming Championships to be contested at the Gold Coast in April.

Staff Long Service to DoE

Quite a few of our staff were recognised for their contribution to education over many years with Certificates signed by the Secretary. Congratulations to – Michael Kay (40 years); Richard Gifford, Mina Genias, Veronica Crothers, Jennifer May (30 years) and Sharon Kearns, Ben Hayman, and Rhett Boland (20 years). Thank you all for your service.

SBHS Parent Operated Canteen

Our school is one of a declining number of schools with a parent-operated canteen. With the help of parent volunteers, our managers Karen and Eirini, deliver high quality, low-cost food options for our boys. They offer seasonal variety and nutritious foods in a certified operating environment. Each year we need parents to give some of their time, once a month for a few hours, to help keep prices low and quality high. Last year some of our committee members retired once their sons left the school. We are relying on new and existing parents to fill the gaps under the leadership of our Canteen Committee President, Alison Dao. Our High community has always relied on self-help in our canteen, helping to make possible a donation of c $65k annually to school funds from Canteen profits. If you can help on our committee, please contact Tania Kirkland, P & C President or Alison Dao for more details and a role briefing.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Literacy Survey: evidence of impact

Mr Kay composed a survey around student perceptions of our sentence conscious pedagogy interventions which closed this week. There were 304 respondents, of which only 33.9% had the agreed additions to the teaching and learning programs implemented (i.e., Years 7 & 8). ‘Agree’ and ‘strongly agree’ response percentages were added together for this analysis. 92.5% of the respondents had a ‘good to add sophistication to my writing’. 78.6% of respondents had ‘a good understanding of how to apply because/but/so sentences in my writing’. 68.1% of respondents had ‘a good understanding of how to expand kernel sentences using who/what/when/how/why in my writing’. Just 52.6% of respondents had ‘a good understanding of how to apply appositives in my writing’. In terms of interdisciplinary immersion, the responses showed for at least two subjects in which the interventions were taught kernel sentences (55.9%); because/but/so (47%); applying conjunctions 39.5% and using appositives 38.8%. We are making progress together in implementing evidence-based literacy strategies. Let’s be encouraged and ramp up our efforts to be explicit in our teaching and put a name on the strategies as we teach them.

2023 Budget Summary

Balance brought forward was $574,454. Total revenue was $18,831,141. The appropriation from DoE was $12,984,659. Total income from school and community sources was $5,687,608, including school generated revenue ($5,175,369); donations and individual contributions ($509,777); sale of goods and services ($104,610) and investment income ($54,265).

Total expenses were $18,367,928, predominantly salaries and wages for staff ($14,161,438) and operating expenses ($4,206,490); including fees for service rendered ($1,144,132), mostly coaching payments, and other operating expenses ($1,477,221); teaching and learning ($334,122); property maintenance ($411,531); furniture and equipment ($217,248); and computer costs ($209,151). Surplus for the year was $463,214. The carried forward figure of $1,037,668, includes the SBHS building fund ($596,000) and the SBHS Library Fund ($29,000).

The building fund capital is to be expended on the proposed Table Tennis Centre. The available opening balance for 2024 was $412,668.

Overall, expenses as a percentage of revenue was 97.54%, meaning we do not build up reserves beyond a very slender carried forward operating balance. Nearly all the funds we receive are spent to benefit your sons. The 2023 payments percentage was again very high, due to properties projects being started during the period, rising inflation and more expensive equipment, services, and wages inputs. At High, the very strong reliability of our income flows from parents through donations and contributions, has allowed this very high expenditure percentage to be maintained for 24 years. I am counting on that great support continuing in 2024!

Paragraph Conscious Pedagogy: Narrative Structure

Narrative structure is the framework of a story or how the plot events are ordered. In a linear plot structure, the events are presented in chronological order. In a non-linear plot structure, the events happen in non-chronological order. Narratives following a circular plot structure, end where the story began, with all the events leading back to the setting, scene, imagery, and event that began the story. In a parallel plot structure, several story lines are told simultaneously and may even intersect with one another. When reading, it is beneficial to know what the structure is of a narrative with which you are engaging. When writing, you might consider varying the structure of the narratives you compose to add variety and complexity.
Dr K A Jaggar
Principal