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High Notes, Vol 9 No 24, August 08 2008
From the Principal
High Talent
Joint P & C Meeting – SBHS/ SGHS I came away feeling that High had to step up its renewable energy investment considerably. We are registered to receive the Commonwealth solar energy grant. Our goal is to install solar panels to 6KW capacity with inverter and two way meter to log our power generation. This will cost $55k. I will be asking the P & C to take up the challenge of investing in the planet via local action to achieve this goal (2009-2011). Prof White’s modelling predicted sharp increases in utilities prices in the next 5 years. We need to plan to reduce reliance on mainstream energy sources.
Joint Staff Development Day SBHS/ SGHS
High Flyer High Bulletin mail out Public Speaking
Christopher Chiam of Year 8 and Cameron Morrision of Year 9 represented High at the Local Final
of the Legacy Competition. Both boys delivered engaging and thought provoking speeches. We
congratulate them on an excellent job. The following report by Christopher Chiam is accompanied
by a copy of his prepared speech.
On 30th July Cameron Morrison and I attended the Legacy Public Speaking Local Finals. This was a
great opportunity for us to represent our school in one of the biggest junior competitions of the
year. My topic was “A blast from the past” and I talked about how the past is
critical to present and future development. With sixteen speakers all together, there was much
competition for the top three positions which would decide who advanced to the next stage of the
competition. Sadly, neither of us made it through, however, I am sure that I can speak for both
of us when I say that we had a great time and learnt a lot about how we can improve. “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child.” Marcus Tullius, a Roman statesman. When Marcus Tullius said these words he was spot on about what he said. If we do not know what has happened in the past, we can never develop. Many people do not know this, and even today we try to forget the past. Some people say the past holds us back from development. But this is not the case. On our earth there are many, many objects which are straight from the past. From massive structures like Stonehenge and the Pyramids of Giza to the smaller items like a Roman coin and a shield, each of these were used in some way in ancient societies. Trade, war, worship or as a burial site, they all had their uses in society. By examining them carefully, we can learn even more about how societies functioned and worked in those times. We can also admire the ingenuity of these objects, especially since pre-modern cultures are considered primitive in comparison to today’s societies. But did you know that many of our modern day inventions that we take for granted are actually based on an ancient concept? For example, the idea of the modern clock stretches back to the invention of the sun dial, which was invented around 3500BC in Egypt. That’s over 5,000 years ago! Although the mechanism is not similar, the principle, to measure time, is still the same and it can be said that the Ancient Egyptians made the first plans and machines for clocks, which were built on later in time by other scientists and inventors. As you can see, by simply using certain objects which incorporate modern technology, we are living the past by using inventions which are testimony to the work of older generations, even if the design is not exactly the same. And what about culture? Whether it is the customs and traditions of Australia, a small village in Asia or a country in Europe, each of these cultures were invented and developed by the people who inhabited that particular country, region or town. This is why different cultures and customs are so unique, because they were developed and created by different people in different points in history. Even countries which were occupied, colonized or claimed by another country in the past and which are no longer under that rule have developed a culture separate from that of their origins. A prime example of this is Australia. When Australia was colonized, language, tradition and society were almost exactly like that of Britain. Even the Aboriginal people, who had their own culture, were forced to live like the British. But over time, Australian society slowly changed from that of Britain by the development and advancement of traditions, language, society and iconic symbols. As you can see, culture is not only the practice of certain traditions by modern generations, but also the developments of it by the ancestors of the modern society. Another aspect of the past which we still have is knowledge of a civilization and how they lived, fought and so on. In some cases, we know even more than a citizen of that civilization as we have access to a variety of records which were hidden due to being deemed as inappropriate, lost physically or hidden due to government rule. We also have access to archaeological artefacts which can be used to piece together the history of a society. Sometimes however, we need the present to judge the past. For example, in World Wars 1 and 2, it must be admitted that there was a needless amount of deaths to soldiers and civilians. But the fact that there was public support in some form or another means that we can compare the attitudes of people today and the past, and gauge human development and progression against this scale. Or on the other hand, sometimes we need history to be the judge of the present. For example, the treatment of people in third world countries is terrible. The standards in which they live in are in some cases worse than what life was like in the past. The world has praised itself for its advancement in the last few years, but how can we do this when some people are living in conditions worse than the past? By looking at history, we can be judged on how far we have come, or not come. But in our modern world, we have to think with every move we make, “How will history judge us?” By learning about the past, we not only learn about other generations, but we can also learn much about ourselves.
In conclusion, the quest for time travel has been one which mankind has longed to journey on.
However, if we take a step back from our modern lives, look at society and our surroundings and
think about the origin of these things, then we have begun to realise how essential the past is
to the present. Academic Achievement List Year 8
Semester 1 2008 Points were awarded as follows - High Distinction: 6, Distinction: 5, Credit: 3, Pass with Merit: 2 Pass: 1, with the qualifying total being 41.
William BAXTER SHS Old Boys Union
Did you know? The HMAS Encounter was a second-class protected cruiser of the Challenger class, laid down for the Royal Navy in 1901, launched in 1902, completed in 1905 and transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in July 1915. In 1914, the ship bombarded German positions at Toma during the New Guinea campaign at the beginning of World War I. She was sent to Darwin in early 1919 to protect NT Administrator John Gilruth after the trade union-led "Darwin Rebellion" demanded his resignation. The Encounter was paid off in 1920 and, from 1923, served as an accommodation ship, the Penguin. She was scuttled off Sydney on 14 September 1932.
Mr Saxby purchased the bell from Garden Island in 1934 having previously failed to obtain the
bell of the HMAS Sydney when she was broken up in 1929. UNSW Debating Day
University of New South Wales Junior School’s Debating Day: Tuesday 1st July, 2008 After an early arrival, Sydney Boys High School gathered together in the UNSW theatre for the final preparations on the topic: ‘That team sport should be compulsory for all schools in NSW’. Speaking on the negative side, Ben, me and Yu-Jin’s beat the North Sydney Boys team after which morning tea was served. Later, we were given our second topic: ‘That advertising should be banned during children’s programming’. Speaking for the affirmative, we had only half an hour to prepare. We began our case with Ben, me and Siddhartha (speaking in that order) and defeated another North Sydney Boys side. Sid debated particularly well and was easily our best speaker, especially given the fact that he had never before been third speaker. After lunch, our team prepared for the final debate and the chance to win the UNSW Debating competition. The topic was: ‘That Australia has too much US culture’ and once again we were on the affirmative. We decided that our winning formula shouldn’t change, so we kept the same members and prepared to face a very experienced Sydney Girls High team. Much to everyone’s surprise, especially ours, we won! We knew what this could mean... As everyone gathered in the hall, we found that there were four undefeated teams, including another from our school. We waited patiently for the results: ’….and the winning team is….Sydney Boys High School!’ We were grinning from ear to ear- the hard work of the day had paid off and we had won!
Thank you to everyone who was involved. Library Notices
Library overdue notices via SMS Parent mobiles will be alerted where students do not have mobile phones. Everyone else will be required to regularly check their portal or DET email for overdues.
Holiday borrowing snapshot ARTeFACTSSamples of student artwork are included in the PDF version of the High Notes Years 10-12 students have recently visited the Sydney Biennale at two venues [MCA and Cockatoo Island]. Anyone interested in visiting Cockatoo Island should take advantage of the free ferry service running from the jetty outside the MCA because the island is fantastic and the art is great as well. Favourite works at Cockatoo Island were by William Kentridge, Mike Parr, TV Moore and Paul Pfeiffer. Exploring the abandoned island was eerie and compelling. At the MCA students were led around the gallery spaces by an education officer discussing a number of key works and issues in contemporary art.
The zoo with Year 8
About arty Tuesdays- Year 7 Art Club We will have fun creating sculptures, murals or a project that you particularly want to develop. The session will last approximately an hour. There will be more than one teacher on duty every Tuesday and each student joining the art club will need to bring a permission note from their parents to say that they are allowed to join. If interested fill in this form and ask your parents to sign below. My child named _______________________of class _______ has permission to join the art club after school starting Tuesday 12th August. I understand that my son will need to comply with all school and art rules whilst in the ART club sessions. Signed ____________________ Parent /guardian.
After-hours Art Facilities In an effort to provide access to film suite, video cameras and art rooms Art staff will be at school until 5 over term 3 on Tuesdays to let students into specialist areas. From 12 August over 4 Tuesdays the Art staff are thrilled to have Portrait painter Katarina Sakkas conduct painting workshops with selected students from Years 11 to 8 who would benefit from her painting input. Stay tuned for further workshops that may come up next term. Thank you to the Art teachers whose energy and commitment to Visual Arts allows this initiative to be trialled over term 3. Return to IndexGraphic Design Winner
Pedestrian Safety and Graphic Design at SBHS The Selection criteria for judging was
Four variations of Andrew’s design can be seen on the fences around the school in an effort to remind students to take care when negotiating the major roads bordering the school. A photo of the winning design, along with Lord Mayor Clover Moore and Dr Jaggar, is in the PDF version of the High Notes The quality of entries from our students was highly professional and surprised the judges. Ten other students were awarded cinema tickets in recognition of their efforts. Anthony Ho and Andrew Chee [Year 12] were very impressive in their role as student representatives on the judging panel. Return to Index2008 Debating DinnerTraditionally the Debating Dinner is held on the Saturday after the final GPS debate and celebrates the strength of debating talent at High- 2008 will be no exception (except it will be held a week later!). The dinner is also our opportunity to thank our staff and coaches. There will be a comedy/fun debate starring our coaches, with parents providing their expert adjudication skills to decide the winner. This year’s Debating Dinner is being held on Saturday September 13 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 5th September 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, and pay your money at the main office
Can you help with dinner set up? Email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
2008 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? _________________________________________________________ Return to Index SBHS Rowing CommitteeAll Rowing Parents and other Interested Parties are invited to The Annual General Meeting 2008 at 7.30pm, Tuesday, 19 August in the Staff Common Room 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 2008/9 Return to IndexFencing
A J Rae Shield Fencing Invitational (26/07/08) The tournament was a team direct elimination match to forty-five. There are three members (and possibly a reserve) on a fencing team, who all fence each other, giving nine bouts in all. The score is cumulative, and the maximum score of a team for each bout is five times the number of the bout it is. This means that the first bout is fenced to five, the second to ten, and the ninth to forty-five. This allows both teams an opportunity to catch up Our first and last match of the day was against St Andrew’s Cathedral School. The first half of the match was closely fought and it wasn’t until late that we began to pull ahead. Unfortunately, their best fencer was able to make up those points in the last bout, and we lost in a close match, 41-45. Schools League matches begin this weekend. We’re looking forward to it. Students should carefully check email details for times of each match. Arrive 30 minutes before start time to get hire gear. Return to IndexVolleyball Report
Tournament Results
The under 16s played rewarding volleyball on Friday. Following a straight sets win against
Christian Brothers College, High continued to perform strongly with wins against Blayney and our
own Under 15s. Finals time and Westfield’s managed to snatch victory again, forcing our
Under 16s to a silver medal. Overall it was an extraordinary effort all round and congratulations
to everyone for their contribution to the team.
1st Grade Report
2nd Grade Report SHS Football: The Onion Bag
End of Season Football Dinner and Awards night
GPS round 4: Saturday 9th August
Details of MPW/ McKay and CP fields can be found at:
Bill Turner Cup Round 4 v Marist Brothers Penshurst
No rubbish left at grounds Match Reports from matches v Kings
1st Grade v Kings Draw 1-1
2nd Grade v Kings Won 1-0
5th Grade v Kings Won 3-0
The second half was much of the same, with High getting another goal up thanks to a shot by Mark
that was saved and fumbled by the keeper, then deflected off a Kings boy right into the back of
the nets – thus earning Kings the title of own-goal specialists. On a final note, Danny Fu
was the other striker of the day, who was unfortunately unable to score one of his usual
awe-inspiring goals, however most importantly – Fifth Grade has found their Keeper! His
name is Harry Reid, he used to play defender for the fifths, and he is now star-keeper
extraordinaire, using his amazing height and reach to keep the High sheet clean. Good effort all
around, see you next time.
15C v Kings Draw 1-1
14As v Kings Lost: 0-1
Quote of the Week
Mr R.Gifford Adults Learn to Row Program
Sunday, 10 August – 21 September 2008
The Outterside Centre Come down to Abbotsford this Sunday and bring your friends with you. Fantastic opportunity to learn Rowing in Sydney in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Whether you are a complete novice or have some previous experience, everyone is welcome. Rowing is the ideal aerobic sport for the entire body as it is low impact and low injury. You’ll enjoy the ultimate team activity as well as the magic moments of early mornings on the water. All our coaches are ‘old boys’ who volunteer their time to make a contribution and they even organise a BBQ breakfast afterwards for everyone to enjoy in this stunning location! Learning Outcomes At the completion of the course participants will possess the following skills and knowledge:
Safety Note: Participants must be able to swim 50 metres and tread water as a safety requirement. All participants must sign The Sydney High Foundation’s Indemnity Form, stating swimming ability, before they are allowed on the water. Under 18’s must be accompanied by a participating adult. To make a booking or for more information: Please contact Judith Shuttleworth, Foundation Venues Manager, on 0427 070 569 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Return to IndexAmnesty InternationalToday most of us will probably all be settling down in front of the telly to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. I’m sure that you are looking forward to it as much as I am. The Olympic Games gives us the chance to watch humanity at its best – much faster, higher and stronger than the rest of us. It’s inspiring to see athletes stretched to their limits – they are as amazing as superheroes, and wonderful to see. But tonight as we gather in front of our tvs to gaze on the spectacle China has prepared for us, it is good to be mindful that Beijing’s Olympic Games has come at a cost. Those of you who saw last week’s Foreign Correspondent on the ABC will have seen interviews with ordinary Chinese people who want to speak out about the treatment they have received at the hands of the Chinese Government. (You can still watch it online- it’s called China- Foul Play’ - at ) Inside China people are persecuted and imprisoned for their religious and spiritual beliefs; rural migrants are deprived of their basic rights; families are forced from their homes without compensation; and ethnic groups are harassed and silenced. Expressing your opinion in China can result in jail, torture and death. Peaceful human rights defenders have had their phones tapped, homes raided, assets frozen and sometimes even their family and friends have been harassed. Some activists are tortured in secret detention centres, others are executed for vague crimes. It's difficult to gauge the full extent of the persecution because of the secrecy that shrouds China. Restricting the internet helps the Chinese Government to hide the true extent of human rights abuses like the death penalty, torture and detention without trial and the persecution of human rights defenders. We believe that transparency is essential to create a society that upholds basic human rights. This Monday lunchtime Sydney High’s Amnesty International Group will be holding a special event to promote the UNCENSOR campaign, designed to raise awareness of human rights abuses in China, and to actively do something about it. We will be tearing down our own Great Firewall of China, writing postcards to campaign for the release of prisoners of conscience, and hopefully, listening to a presentation from a guest speaker. There will be a quiz, a petition, and a chance for us to not simply complain about human rights abuses, but to actively do something about them. On Monday lunch we’ll be in front of the High Store if it’s good weather- check the mango sheet for the alternative venue if it’s not. If you care about the rights of the Chinese people, come along. I promise you’ll enjoy the Olympics much more if you’ve participated. Return to Index2008 SBHS Football DinnerSBHS Football will celebrate the efforts and achievements of our boys as well as acknowledge staff, coaches and supporters at the SBHS Football dinner on Thursday 4th September. The coach of each team will be invited to attend the dinner as a guest. Players are asked to take responsibility on a team-by-team basis for any end-of-season gifts to their team’s coach. The dinner will be held on Thursday 4th September Great Hall 6.30pm The cost of the dinner will be $30 per adult and student. For children under 11 yrs old there is a special rate of $20. Payment for the dinner must be made at the Main Office by Friday 29th August. Boys to wear school uniform at the dinner. BYO Drinks. Please detach the form below and hand it in with your payment at the Main Office. Tickets are limited. 2008 Football Dinner Student Name: ____________________________________ Year/Roll Class ____________________ Football Team ____________________ TOTAL Number of adults __________ @ $30 per adult = $ ___________ TOTAL Number of students ________ @ $30 per SBHS student = ______ (Special rate of $20 for family members under 11yrs = $20 per child) TOTAL $ _________ Do you have any special dietary requirements? Vegetarian Other: Please state __________________________________________ YES! I can help on the day with setting up the hall, table decorations etc. Helper’s name and contact details : Email address: ______________________________________________________________ Phone Numbers : _____________________________________________________________ Return to Index High Store Price ListThe High Store is your store. This uniform and memorabilia shop is located under the Great Hall, next to the Industrial Arts staffroom and facing the Flat. High Store profits are returned to the school. The High Store is open four days a week - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - from 10:30am to 1:30pm. Additional opening times are generally advertised in the High Notes. Autumn/Winter Price List - 2008
Clothing Pool
Payment OPENING TIMESMonday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 10:30am to 1:30pm Telephone 9331 7075 GOODS & SERVICES TAX ( G.S.T. )G.S.T. is included on all prices listed. |
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Sydney Boys High School
