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High Notes, Vol 25 No 8, March 22 2024

From the Principal

Praise for High Boys

An email received last week from a commuter: 鈥淗i, I was on a train this afternoon with, I believe, were students from your school. I was very impressed with how they conducted themselves. These four students stepped off the crowded train to allow passengers to get off easily at St Peter鈥檚 station and got back on. This means they wouldn鈥檛 have a chance of getting a seat. What also impressed me was how supportive they were of each other. One was congratulating his friend on a role at the school and talking about how good he would be at it. Please do pass on my compliments to these students if possible. They looked to be about Year 7 age.鈥�   Well done boys! Keep up your displays of school values 鈥� particularly such integrity and respect as shown to this passenger.

Head of the River results

An unprecedented nine High crews competed at the Head of the River regatta last Saturday. It is a credit to the boys, MIC Mr Barris and HT Sport Ms Jackson, that so many students (168 in all) chose the hard sport and stuck with it all season. The row of the regatta was posted by the first Year 10 VIII, with the winner鈥檚 time + 11.13%. This was closely followed by the performance of the second Year 10 VIII, with the winner鈥檚 time + 11.31%.  The first VIII went out very hard, stayed in the contest for 1500, and blew up in the last 500 to come in at the winner鈥檚 time + 11.33%. The large crowd of High supporters ensured that all our competitors heard the vocal support for their efforts as they rowed the last 300 metres of their races. There was a buzz of excitement at the marquee. Thank you to everyone who made the trip to Penrith and to the parents who catered for the event.

Use of the Libraries

It was heartening to receive the YOY report on library loan statistics 2022-23.  Overall loans were up by 16.9% at 11,043 for the year.  Book loans increased by 17.1%; equipment loans by 68.6%, but e-book loans fell by 33.33%.  Other book loans were up and magazine loans down.  The Library Monitors (student volunteers) worked 778 hours together helping the Librarian with various tasks. Congratulations to them on their invaluable assistance to our Librarians. This was an increase of 135% on the 2022 total hours worked 鈥� a credit to the boys and to our Library staff. There seems to be growing evidence of a strong correlation between high levels of student reading in Years 7-9 and HSC results in English and writing-based examinations. We want to promote the importance of reading to all boys.  Connect with our libraries, borrow books, and read for fun and enlightenment.

Invoices for Summer Activities Co-payments

Families of later year enrolments have had statements emailed for term 1 activities. Despite these charges, most activities are also heavily subsidised from school funds, particularly in direct grants from school funds (voluntary contributions), provision of MICs, teacher supervision, WHS compliance costs, access to facilities and grounds, and first aid costs (co-curricular supervision levy) and parking allocation support. Co-payments are used primarily for the provision of coaching. In basketball alone, a team of over 35 people delivers the program! We have staff, students, Old Boys, parents, and volunteers working to make your son鈥檚 school experiences more enjoyable. It would be appreciated if you could make your co-payments promptly for your son鈥檚 summer sport and co-curricular activities. Thank you.

Early bird discounts have closed.

Parents of students in Years 8 -12 have had an opportunity to earn a substantial discount in return for paying all the items listed in their invoice letters. The scheme concluded at close of business on Friday, March 15. Discounts have no longer applied as from Monday, March 18. Thank you to the overwhelming majority of parents who have supported the school fully in its efforts to provide high quality facilities and resources for everyone. Nine hundred and eighteen families (76.25%) saved $233,260 as a result of their participation in the Early Bird Scheme. Your support for your sons鈥� education is very much appreciated, particularly given the cost-of-living pressures and high interest rates that are impacting on family budgets this year. Any families experiencing financial issues are asked to contact the Principal directly - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Paragraph conscious pedagogy: Explanations

Explanations set out how or why things happen or happened. They may show how things are alike or different or how to solve a problem. Phenomenon identification - begin by identifying the thing, event, process, or emotion to be explained. Explanation sequence - continue by showing how something works in a sequence of events. The sequence of events or processes is joined together by cause-and-effect links (because, is caused by, as a result, by reason of, in as much as, owing to, since, whereas etc). Sometimes in explanations, abstract words are used that refer to processes or concepts that cannot be seen, touched, or heard. Eg 鈥�so the seed germinates. This germination鈥�The student needs to make the connection between the action and the name of the process. The language used is often generalised as classes of things and is expressed in simple present tense. We see words like 鈥榯heoretical, general, notional, hypothetical鈥�, used in explanations.
Dr K A Jaggar
Principal