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High Notes, Vol 8 No 23, August 10 2007
From the Principal
Hume Barbour Final The negative team took the view that children were ‘paradigmatic thinkers’ (sending us scrambling for the dictionary) and could be reasoned with by parents about the behaviour choices that they made. They pushed the point that it was morally hypocritical to teach non-violence through violence and such practices were corrosive of relationships as well, given that the moral authority figures in a child’s life were also punishing them physically. Fear was held to be unhealthy in relationships. Parents needed to self-regulate not to smack and to impose non-physical sanctions on their children, like sending them to their rooms in isolation. Their case was based on the idea that instruction and discussion and talking about choices was the way for parents to go and that the affirmative’s model allowed parents too much discretion about when, how often and for how many years to smack children. Blaise, Kelvin and Michael held the line and looked like getting the chocolates until Daniel Swain at third negative saved the day for Smiths Hill. In a match winning display, he rebutted the affirmative line by establishing a convincing counter model that was not, until he did so, clearly expressed. He verballed his colleagues in a seductive snow job and won the hearts of the audience and the relieved adjudicators. They were able to give the acceptable and righteous verdict that parents should not be able to discipline their children with a smack. Congratulations to the boys for a hard fought debate and for their solid team work and eloquence. They were presented with a handsome trophy as runners up. To their credit the boys bounced back for the GPS debate that night against King’s to score a win in a split decision on another counter intuitive line about cutting off foreign aid to countries who failed to give evidence of implementing green policies.
GPS Heads Meeting The Heads agreed to communicate to their wider school communities their dissatisfaction with the behaviour of certain vocal minorities at rugby and football games in particular. I have spoken to the boys at recent assemblies about the importance of sportsmanlike conduct when attending school fixtures – home or away. I ask for your help in reminding them of their responsibilities to their team mates and the school. The Heads spent some time discussing the mismatches that have occurred in rugby fixtures this year and members of the committee are exploring options for 2008. Duty of care and occupational health and safety concerns weigh heavily on the Heads as issues in the administration of contemporary sporting competitions.
Panel Member Training
High v Grammar – Season Finale From LOTEHere is a brief report showing that Latin and Classical Greek are most certainly NOT “dead” languages! On 26 July, the final round of the Latin and Classical Greek Reading Competition was held at Sydney Grammar. This followed on from the preliminary round, held at Sydney University on 8 June. High had three finalists on the night, who all did their best amongst all the fierce competition. Thomas Wilson (10) entered the Year 10 and 11 Greek, Jun Dai (11) entered the Year 11 Latin, and Christian Katsikaros (10) entered both Year 10 Latin and Year 10 and 11 Greek. The competition was quite simple. For each solo division, finalists were given 15 minutes to look at a text that they had not seen before. After 15 minutes, we were up on a stage narrating the unseen text, followed by a prepared piece of poetry. However it was more than simply reading it out; we had to include expression and appropriate emotion, whilst still adhering to the strict technicalities. It was tough work! High did fairly well on the night, with Thomas and Jun being commended as finalists, while Christian took home 2nd place for the Latin AND Greek! No 1st place this time, but altogether it was a great night, which felt like a night at the theatre. Unfortunately, our coach Ms Werner couldn’t make it on the night, as she broke her ankle. We wish her a speedy recovery, and hope that our results will do her proud!
Finally, congratulations to all the finalists, for persevering through a hard competition, and
hopefully we will be able to see some more High boys next year!
Year 7 and 8 Nan Tien Temple Excursion Once onsite, we were separated into our classes and with the baking sun came a Tai Chi session in the court of the front shrine. The sounds of the tape played during the session caused some of us to crack up in laughter, reminding them of a Chinese Opera. Afterwards, we fled from the heat and headed up to the front shrine for a talk about the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, otherwise known as the ‘compassionate sage who sees’. If the long bus trip and roasting sun weren’t enough, my group enviously watched another group heading into the dining hall, while we had to enter the meditation room. There, a reverend instructed us through our meditation, which some of us fell fast asleep. After casting off our thoughts of hunger for the time being, we settled in the dining hall for lunch. Wolfing down my food consisting of fried rice, curry spring rolls, vegetables and vegetarian meat; most of the day had already come and gone. Content with our lunch, we followed our tour guide to the main shrine. There we were given an introduction to Buddhism. The main feature of this shrine was the four towering Buddha statues.
After the conclusion of this exciting and interesting excursion, we departed from Nan Tien temple
and headed for our school.
On 1 August 2007, 3 Year 8 Chinese and the Year 7 accelerated Chinese classes went to the Nan
Tien Temple at Wollongong. We arrived at 11:30 am and were then split into 3 groups. My group
then went straight to the meditation hall. We walked around the room for 10 minutes and then
started sitting meditation. This was very calm and soothing for all of us. After that we had
lunch. It was a vegetarian meal. It was very scrumptious. Next, we went to visit the pagoda and
the main shrine. It was very lavish and full of colour. The tour guide had explained the rules of
Buddhism and gave a story on the religion. We were running a little overtime so we had to hurry
to the main foyer to do Tai Chi. Yet again it was very soothing. We had our bodies calmed down
and felt like we were full of energy again. I think everyone would agree that it was a wonderful
day. Thanks to Ms Zhang, Ms Yang and Ms Brewer for supervising and organising the
excursion. SHS Cadet Unit
Vale Major General Jim Norrie The bearer and firing parties were from 3rd Battalion The Royal Australia Regiment (3RAR), supported by the Australian Army Band-Sydney.
Our detachment consisted of : The School’s presence at this sad occasion was marked by the School Banner, carried by the cadet detachment. HE The Governor General found time to talk to the boys, reminding them to look after the Sir Roden Cutler Memorial Gates that he officially opened in May. On that occasion the Unit mounted an armed guard for His Excellency.
Pacific Army Chiefs Conference SHS Rowing CommitteeInvites all Rowing Parents and other Interested Parties to
The Annual General Meeting 2007 at All positions are declared vacant and are up for nomination and election. With many Year 12 parents ‘retiring’, we need lots of new faces on the Committee, from all Years. Come along, be part of the team and support our Rowers in 2007 Return to IndexFrom the Rugby Master’s DeskThe Rugby season comes to a close on Saturday against Grammar. It has been a very important season for us. For the first time since 2002 we have played our junior matches in age groups as opposed to Year groups. The juniors have enjoyed the challenge and the associated rewards. The 15As, in particular, fought out a well deserved draw with Scots this year. In 2002 we did not have an “A” team take any competition points in the GPS. In 2002 we forfeited a 1st XV match against The Kings School, on duty of care grounds, which I fully supported and still do today. This year there has never been any such thought by the players or team management. The 1st XV this year has played with the same courage and determination as previous High teams and they can be justifiably proud of themselves. I know I am proud of them. I have received a number of phone calls this week from past players who have offered their support and best wishes for Saturday and on into the future. When I watch us play rugby I am always reminded of a part of the speech given by Bishop Ethelbert Talbot at the service for Olympic champions during the 1908 Olympic Games. It was subsequently adopted as the Olympic Creed and reads: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.”
This Saturday I urge all the students at High to go to Weigall at 1.45pm and cheer for the 1st XI
and then stay and support the 1st XV at 3.15 pm. You won’t regret it. Rugby Committee Meeting SummaryThe sixth meeting of the SBHS Rugby Committee for 2007 was held on 1 August 2007. The following is a summary of the meeting:
Present
Apologies
Rugby Dinners
Rugby Newsletter
Treasurer’s Report
Fairland Pavilion
Stolen Items at Rugby Training
Expression of Thanks
AGM Meeting 29 August Next meeting: AGM, Wednesday 29 August 2007, 6.00 pm in Room 901. All welcome.
G Stein Volleyball
High Too Strong For Grammar Grammar’s second grade team was the strongest we’ve seen so far. They put together a quality game with a high level of organisation. High matched them in hitting power but were missing Stephen Dong due to sickness. Grammar went through to win 3 sets to 1. The First Grade match followed straight after the seconds. The Grammar crowd were excited and had become noisy with their earlier win but this was a familiar environment for our experienced first grade team who enjoy a big match. The warm up saw some big hitting from Terry and Oli settle the crowd’s enthusiasm a little. High dominated from the whistle and won the match in straight sets maintaining their record of no dropped sets this year.
Junior Tournament
Teams are now being prepared for the Australian Schools Volleyball Cup to be held in Melbourne in
December. SHS Old Boys Union
Did you know?
SHS Old Boys Union FencingOn Saturday 28 July, the major competition of the fencing season, the NSW Schools Fencing League commenced. We entered six teams in the senior division, and five teams in the mini’s division. The preliminary round is competed over a period of five weeks. In this round, teams fence nine bout matches. In the first week, five of our teams competed. Our mini’s A team had an incredibly close match against Grammar’s B team. Albert Nguyen won the match in the final five seconds of the match. The team's victory was earned by exceptional fencing from everyone, especially our newcomer. Kudos to Matthew Chan, who won his first Schools League bout, and cheers to Anthony Xu for being our most indefatigable fencer. Congratulations to Ian Ho for leading and coordinating this team successfully. The C team was placed in a tough pool, up against Barker A and St. Aloysius A on the first Saturday of competition. Unfortunately, the first match against Barker A which High lost 8:1; the only win going to Jourdan. New fencers Henry and Swei fenced well but were up against more seasoned fencers in the Barker A team. The second match against Aloysius saw Sam step in and Henry used as a reserve, and was subbed in for the Sam’s final bout but was unlucky to come up against a more experienced fencer. Again High lost to a stronger opponent 8-2 with Swei and Jourdan each winning one bout. Our second grade team fenced three matches. We fenced well and won two matches, but lost to St. Pats, a team of left-handers hardly anyone knows how to fence against. Our first grade team had an extremely successful day. We breezed through our first two matches 8:1 and 7:2 before facing our nemesis, Sydney Grammar. Fortunately for us, they were preoccupied with other priorities (for example, their HSC trial examinations) and we were able to blitz them 4:0 in their first match of the competition before they woke up. Every bout with these guys is tough to call, and we knew we were not safe from an embarrassing 4:5 loss, and this became apparent when they won the next two bouts. Sadly for them their efforts came a little late and we drew the match out to win 6:3. Condolences to Patrick Duffy and Amadeus Klocker for only winning most of their bouts, and special mention to Mitch Hammer for his 100% win rate. We are looking to finish in the top four in this competition, and depending on our luck, end our season with some team medals. Return to IndexFrom the High Store
Fathers' Day Sale Sydney Boys High number plate cover, available in two sizes to fit your plate. 10% off- Normally $39.95 now $36.00 Return to IndexFrom the CanteenWe’d like to take the time to thank all our wonderful Canteen Volunteers. We really appreciate your vital role in providing ever healthier and more varied food choices in the Canteen for the benefit of our boys. Providing such healthy variety is time consuming work and requires many hands. We do appreciate that work situations sometimes change which can mean volunteers being unable to work their rostered day. You can help enormously by using the Canteen Roster to find someone else to swap with and letting the Canteen staff know of the new arrangement. If you have never tried Canteen duty before, it is never too late to put up your hand. Even if you can only manage the odd day here and there, every bit of help counts. Just ring the Canteen and offer your services! The direct number for Canteen is 9360 4027. Speak with Karen or Tracey. Remember…all Canteen profits are returned to the school for the benefit of our boys’ education and development. Return to IndexMusic NoticesCongratulations to the following boys who have been chosen to perform in the GPS Concert at Kings on September 1. Tables are of the format 'Surname, Given Name, Year, Instrument'
Winter Music Festival
Percussion Ensemble
Congratulations
Tutor of the Week – Ben Carey
Student of the Week – Mohit Tugnait (Tenor Saxophone)
Piano Competition SBHS Debating
1. Check your email- get in the loop
2. GPS Results and new website
3. GPS Debating Dates- please put in your diary Round 4 August 10 VS Sydney Grammar School Home Round 5 August 17 VS Newington College Away Round 6 August 24 VS Shore Home Round 7 August 31 VS St Ignatius College Away 4. Debating Diner (September 1) Information about the Debating Dinner is on the opposite page. Payment is to be made to the front office by Friday August 24.
Ms Jocelyn Brewer Debating DinnerTraditionally the Debating Dinner is held on the Saturday after the final GPS debate and celebrates the strength of debating talent at High - 2007 will be no exception. This year the dinner will feature a comedy/fun debate starring our coaches and Year 12 debaters, with parents providing their expert adjudication skills to decide the winner. This year’s Debating Dinner is being held on Saturday September 1 in the Great Hall at 6pm. The cost of the dinner will be $30 per adult/student. A special price for siblings under 10 years of age has been negotiated at $20. BOOKINGS MUST BE MADE BY FRIDAY AUGUST 24. Payment for the dinner can be made at the main office. NO bookings can be accepted after this date as catering numbers must be finalised. WHAT SHOULD I DO? Detach the form below, pay your money at the main office, give to Miss Brewer on Friday night debating (NOT HER STAFFROOM) 2007 DEBATING DINNER Student Name _________________________________ Year/ Roll class __________ Number of adults attending ______ @ $30 = _________ Number of U/10 attending ______ @ $20 = _________ TOTAL Number of people ______ TOTAL $ ________ Do you have any special dietary requirements? Vegetarian? ______ YES! I can you help on the day with setting up the hall, table decorations etc. ______ Return to Index SHS Basketball: Shootin' Hoops
Approaching end of winter
First grade trials will be held in Week 5 Term 3-see gym notice board Second grade is to commence a week after the first grade trials. See the gym noticeboard for more details. Thank you to Mr Hayman for all his contributions to basketball and information Johny Shih Return to IndexNew Library & Performing Arts CentreTax Deductible 125th Anniversary Project Sydney Boys High School depends upon its community of parents, Old Boys and supporters to further the School’s ethos of the pursuit of all-round excellence. We have a bold vision for a two stage Library & Performing Arts Centre. With advances in information technology, there is a pressing need to create a facility which is able to adapt and keep pace with meeting the increasing needs of our students. The estimated cost of the combined project is $4m. Stage one requires $1.8m; we have $400k. A new tax deductible monthly giving program has been introduced to help fund our development goal. We have implemented an arrangement with ANZ Bank for automatic monthly deductions from a nominated credit card. You can elect to give $50, $40, $30 or $20 each month for a period of twelve months. Your nominated amount, along with your name and credit card details will be sent to the bank electronically. At the end of the financial year, the school will issue an annual statement as evidence of tax deductible donations. You can opt in or out of the scheme provided you notify the school in writing five working days before the fifteenth day of each month. Thank you for helping to make a difference for our boys SYDNEY BOYS HIGH SCHOOL - MONTHLY PAYMENT ADVICE Name: _________________ Daytime Phone Number: _______________ Address: _______________________________ Postcode: _ _ _ _ Email Address: _________________________ I authorise SBHS to make the following deductions from the credit card nominated below: Card Type: Bankcard __ Mastercard __ Visa __ Monthly deduction for 12 months: $50 __ $40 __ $30 __ $20 __ Card Number: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Expiry Date: ___/___ Cardholder’s Name: _________________________________ [please print] Cardholder’s Signature: ____________________________ |
Sydney Boys High School
