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High Notes, Vol 6 No 21, July 29 2005
Stop PressThe Rowing Committee Annual General Meeting has been moved from August 2 to August 16. Apologies for any confusion From the Principal
Road Safety and Pedestrians
Visual Arts Exhibition
High Talent
Debating, Rifle Shooting and Fencing Assembly The text of my address is reprinted below: 'Distinguished guest, Hilbert Chiu, coaches, managers, teachers, parents and students, welcome to our annual celebration of debating, fencing and rifle shooting. Also, we are taking the opportunity this afternoon to honour publicly our volleyball team and our Student Representative Councillors, thereby demonstrating our ethos in action. We value participation. We pursue excellence. We honour leadership. We strive for and admire all round achievement and so seek opportunities to recognise it in our students. 'During the first three days of this week the annual GPS shoot was conducted at Hornsby. Given the tragic context of the sport in our school this year, the competitive participation of teams at this event was a triumph in itself. Mr Fittler's long running contribution to target rifle shooting at GPS, state, national and international level was commemorated by the firing of a single parting shot before the commencement of the final 1st grade competition on Wednesday. Our boys did not win this year, but given their limited opportunities to train, they were competitive and performed well, exhibiting true High spirit. John would have been proud of both first and second grade team members for their commitment, grit and skill. 'Without the tremendous efforts of old boy Nathan Scudder, the team would never have made it to the competition. His devotion to the task of registering shooters, sorting out administrative requirements and seeking a way forward for coaching, were heroic. Geoff Blinkhorne did a marvellous job as armourer, sorting out the rifles and their safe storage at two venues. Mrs Bronwen Gordon from the Rifle Shooting Committee was also a great contributor to the cause, giving up a great deal of her time to support the process. Our coaches, old boys Justin Hill and Daniel Comben, did a great job preparing the team at short notice and hindered by late personnel changes. Thank you also to Doug Fergusson, Sam Mason and Peter Wrigley for managing Wednesday shooting this term. 'I am determined to make every effort to keep the sport alive in our school. Any interested boys in years 7 or 8 should see Mr Mason about getting licensed during term 3 so that we can start a Thursday shooting program in Term 4. I am still seeking a MIC for the sport for next year. A revised model for operating the sport has been devised that reduces the workload for a new MIC, but energetic promotion within the school is vital for the health of rifle shooting. This is true about any of our many activities. 'Debating at High has grown even larger as a co-curricular activity this year, thanks mainly to the drive, enthusiasm and organisational ability of Ms Jocelyn Brewer. Her input has given great structure to the activity and expanded the number of competitions that High enters. Consequently, many more boys have had the opportunity to be trained and to represent their school in competitive debating. Thank you to the Debating committee and to our adviser Dr Joseph Suttie. The coaches have again managed to bring out the best in our boys and guide them well in competitions. Thank you to Mary Ann Cradock who accompanies debaters and public speakers to many of their contests. 'This year we have high hopes of maintaining our recent history of winning at least one state title each year. Our first grade team suffered a disputed loss to Sydney Girls in the Hume Barbour Regional Final but have taken the result on the chin and moved on, in true High style. We all hope they can carry on their really good form and bring home the Roat Shield for GPS debating. Our junior program is very strong. The East Side debating competition was a success. We hope the Premier's Debating Competition is more productive and more tightly managed this year. Good luck to all the GPS debating teams starting competition tonight. 'Fencing is a popular sport at High that has benefited from the two sports afternoon arrangements by allowing greater numbers of boys to access the sport. It is not to be seen as a Wednesday sport but as a serious Saturday competition sport where years of preparatory training are required. Thanks to the efforts of Mrs Matsos, fencing has run smoothly for several years. I would like to recognise her committed service to fencing. Thank you to Mrs Klocker and the Fencing Committee and Alwyn Wardle for their great work in administering and coaching fencing. 'In conclusion, I want to share with you the Zulu concept of Ubuntu. Ubuntu describes how African societies are spiritually founded, how they perceive personal worth. The expression can be described in English as 'a person is a person through other persons'. It is a salutary exercise to consider assessing yourself as a person by reference to your relationships with other people. Ubuntu evokes values of humanity, community and responsibility. At High we thrive on competition, personal success and recognition, but contemplation on Ubuntu could illuminate for us another alternative, selfless yardstick of achievement, in the form of assistance to others and quality efforts for a communal cause. In our team sports and co-curricular activities, perhaps less emphasis on ego involvement and more on Ubuntu might well improve overall individual and school outcomes.'
High v St Josephs News From EnglishDespite this being only the second week of Term 3 the pace in English is already stepping up. For Year 12, the next few weeks leading into the Trial exams will, we hope, be marked by an increasing focus and effort on their part. To support them towards a confident performance in both the Advanced and Extension Courses we will provide an on-going program of revision tasks which can be collected from the English Staffroom at the beginning of each week throughout this term. I am encouraging Year 12 to access this excellent opportunity to practise both course content and writing skills and receive additional individual feedback from their teachers. Year 11 have now embarked on the final term of their Preliminary Course and to assist the boys in making an informed decision regarding Extension 1 and 2 Courses for Year 12 we will be presenting an English information evening on Tuesday 9 August 2005 starting at 7.00 p.m in the Great Hall. This will be an ideal opportunity for the boys and their parents to gain a better working knowledge of the HSC program of study in both the Advanced and Extension Courses. We look forward to seeing you! Year 10 are currently in the process of completing a novel study commenced in the latter stage of Term 2 and will shortly start a new module of work focused on critiquing the documentary form. This will be followed by an introduction to satire which will take the boys through to the end of Term 3. In Year 9 two units of work will be completed during this term. We will begin with an in-depth study of the Elizabethan world and Macbeth. The boys have already completed a research assignment on Elizabethan attitudes and values and we look forward to closely reading and understanding Macbeth in all its complexities. The 'Aussie' image will involve a study of a wide variety of text-types and resources. The boys will be challenged to think beyond stereotypes and generalizations of Australian culture. Year 8 recently attended a performance of "Boy Overboard" at the Riverside Theatre. It was a great thrill to see one of our own Year 8 students, Johnny Liu, performing in a significant role in this production.
Finally Year 7 is to be congratulated on the quality and creativity of picture books which they
have written and illustrated in response to a recently completed module of work From the LibraryThe library had its act together for the new Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. We had 5 copies hot off the shelves and another from a book seller. Students who had reserved them indeed got them. Happy reading Potter fans.
Premier's Reading Challenge Staff and students who need to be able to touch-type better - we now have Typequick installed on the Network with a 10 user licence for simultaneous use. Staff can access this program on their desktop computers. From personal experience I would recommend anyone who has never learnt correct finger placement to try this out. 15 - 30 mins a day on this system and you will be typing 30 words a minute in 6-8 days (or sooner). It gives feedback and tests you constantly. A small amount of persistence pays off. For students it is good to brag about your speed and accuracy - have a competition with your friends to see who can improve the most. Many thanks to our generous parents who are supporting the Library's purchase of software for students via their donation to the Library Fund! URGENT! URGENT! HELP! HELP! If any student or parent would like to perform their charitable deed for the year could they come and join me at Bunnings Mascot on this Saturday 12 noon - 4pm to barbeque sausages and sell them. The money raised goes to our NEW LIBRARY!!
Please contact Valda Roser (9773 7167 or
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) to let us know it will not just be me
on Saturday. Please let us know your phone number. Year 7 PicnicHere is an opportunity for the entire Year 7 family to meet and have some fun in the winter sunshine. Bring your own food and drink. Everyone welcome.
When: Sunday, July 31, 2005 From Athletics
Zone Athletics 2005 With the Zone carnival not quite at the same high standard of the GPS carnivals with fewer competitors, physios, school tents, and hoards of coaches, there was still the need to have High athletes in every event. The team did not disappoint with a seemingly endless stream of brown and blue in every race. Needless to say that with such participation, High achieved many placings, and hopefully an indication of future results. Even with the gender restraint of only being able to compete in every second race I am sure that we were still able to beat most, if not all, schools on the points table (including SGHS). Congratulations to all the athletes who competed with many going through to regional to represent the zone.
With the GPS athletics season just around the corner from the winter sport season I hope that all
athletes will remain fit and injury free. All are welcome and certainly encouraged to join the
High athletics team to participate in the GPS athletics season. Athletes needing advice on how to
get faster, fitter, and stronger for the upcoming season are free to ask Mr. Devlin or myself who
will be happy to help out in giving you a training program to get you the best results. High Athletics Training Timetable for 2005 Week 5 Date Time session one & venue Time session two & venue Monday 15/8/2005 4.00pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Wednesday 17/8/2005 1.30pm - 3pm: McKay 3.30pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Thursday 18/8/2005 1.30pm - 3pm: McKay 3.30pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Saturday 20/8/2005 SGS Invitation Athletics - ES MARKS Week 6 Monday 22/8/2005 4.00pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Wednesday 24/8/2005 1.30pm - 3pm: ES MARKS 3.30pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Thursday 25/8/2005 1.30pm - 3pm: McKay 3.30pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Saturday 27/8/2005 WC Invitation Athletics - ES MARKS Week 7 Monday 29/8/2005 4.00pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Wednesday 31/8/2005 1.30pm - 3pm: ES MARKS 3.30pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Thursday 1/9/2005 1.30pm - 3pm: McKay 3.30pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Saturday 3/9/2005 TSC/SBH Invitation Athletics - ES MARKS Week 8 Monday 5/9/2005 4.00pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Wednesday 7/9/2005 1.30pm - 3pm: ES MARKS 3.30pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Thursday 8/9/2005 1.30pm - 3pm: McKay 3.30pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Saturday 10/9/2005 KGS Invitation Athletics - Narrabeen Week 9 Monday 12/9/2005 4.00pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Wednesday 14/9/2005 1.30pm - 3pm: ES MARKS 3.30pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Thursday 15/9/2005 1.30pm - 3pm: ES MARKS 3.30pm - 5pm: ES MARKS Saturday 17/9/2005 GPS Finals - HOMEBUSHReturn to Index Rowing Committee General Meeting
The Sydney Boys High School Rowing Committee invites all Rowing Parents And Other Interested
Parties To
All positions are declared vacant and are up for nomination and election. With a large group of
Year 12 parents 'retiring' this year we will need many new faces on the committee in '06 Come
along and be a part of the backroom team that will build upon the great success of our Rowers in
2005. The Professor Harry Messel International Science School
I was privileged to be invited to attend the 33rd Professor Harry Messel International Science
School held at the University of Sydney. ISS 05 offered not only a unique opportunity to be
immersed into the world of science, but also a chance to be surrounded by students from all over
the world including the UK, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the USA and New Zealand.
Highlights included a Harbour Cruise and Talent Night which presented the weird and wonderful,
the pick of the night being a pantomime from the British which involved guys in dresses (make-up,
fishnet stockings etc). Of course, there is no neglecting the science side. The lectures where
insightful and brilliant that involved a Dr Karl special. There was also the chance to see
high-tech machinery up close, with the opportunity to operate a scanning electron microscope
being the pick of the bunch. Another highlight was the University of Newcastle's Engineering
challenge which involved teams of four working to solve problems, with the day climaxing in a
dramatic bridge test. ISS was an awesome experience, the next one will run in 2007 and I
definitely encourage all to apply. From Debating
GPS DEBATING Round 1- 22/07/05 The First and Seconds were victorious against Joeys on the topic "that Australia should introduce a biometric database". The 10As and 10Bs won. Many thanks to somewhat jetlagged Dominic Bowes who stepped up to the challenge of debating up a grade, having only arrived back in Australia from the Italy tour 48 hours earlier. The previously undefeated 8As went down on the topic "that performance enhancing drugs in sport should be legalised at the Olympics". While the 8Bs and Cs managed to win both sides of their debate. Unfortunately all three Year 7 teams were defeated on the topic "that we should ban all products tested on animals". They have become accustomed to one hour preparation debates as is the case with the Eastside Competition, which are generally much harder debates, however Joey's were very well prepared (they are a boarding school and the boys are in study groups each evening, giving them lots of opportunities to prepare together) and the teams realised the importance of research and provided examples to support their case. Round 2 this week is at home against Kings. All students and their parents are invited to attend. Junior debates start at 7pm, the seniors start at 8pm. All results can be found at The Debating Dinner is on Saturday September 3 at 6pm. An invitation and payment form is published in this volume of the High Notes [ed: see PDF edition] and copies can also be found at the website or collected from Ms Brewer.
Anyone who is not receiving emails about debating and would like to, please send an email with
your name and year to
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Subject Choices 2006
A meeting will be held in the Great Hall at 7:00pm on Tuesday 9 August to provide information
about English Extension 1 and Extension 2 for Year 12 2006. State of the ArtsWelcome back to term 3. The Italy tour was a huge success. We had full audiences and the concerts were great. We have a busy term now with GPS music, Cabaret Night, Year concerts and HSC music.
Italy Tour 2005 Music takes no responsibility for the content of the pictures - they are from the boys.
GPS Music Festival
Sunday 14 August
12.30 - 2.00 Rehearsal / Choir and Instrumental tutorials
2.00 - 2.45 Afternoon Tea (provided)
2.45 - 4.30 Full Rehearsals
Friday 2 September
4.30 - 6.15 Stage Band rehearsal / Concert Band rehearsal / All others tutorials
6.15 - 7.00 Dinner (provided)
7.00 - 8.30 Concert Band tutorials / All others full rehearsals
Meeting to discuss Saturday details / final instructions
8.45 Pack up and go home
Saturday 3 September
12.00 - 1.00 Rehearsals
1.00 - 1.30 Gear moving / Hall set up
1.30 - 2.00 Break / Snack (provided)
2.00 - 5.00 Rehearsals in concert venue
5.00 - 5.45 Dinner (provided)
5.45 - 6.30 Concert prep
CONCERT (approx 2 hours at this stage)
Please note that snacks and dinners where stated are provided.
Percussion Jam with Synergy and Ian Cleworth
Sydney Boys High Cabaret Night Put on your dancing shoes and sharp suits and get grooving! Saturday August 6th 2005 7.00 pm Great Hall Bring nibbles for the table, drinks and your dancing shoes! I would like to purchase the following number tickets at a cost of $15.00 each. Tickets must be pre-purchased by August 1st. ____________(amount tickets) $___________total cost. Name ________________________________ Type of Payment: Cheque___ Cash ___ B/Card___ M/Card ___ Visa___ Name on Card ________________________________ Expiry date _____/_____ Contact phone no. _____________________________ Card No. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Amount $______________ Signature __________________________ Return to Index |
Sydney Boys High School
