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High Notes, Vol 26 No 34, November 07 2025

From the Principal

High Talent

Congratulations to Saharsh Subramanian (8F) and Anish Nittala (8F) who were successful at the CIS U15 cricket trials. They both made the team!

School Counsellor Recognition Day 7 Nov

Thank you to our School Counsellors for the unsung work that they do, principally in confidence, for the wellbeing of our students. This year’s recognition theme is ‘together we grow’. Psychological assistance can provide the conditions for growth, enabling students to move forward with greater confidence.

National Recycling Week 10-16 Nov

This is a week for advocacy for recycling, sustainability and waste management. Students need to be taught skills to explore and investigate the effects of waste pollution on their world. They need opportunities to propose actions they see as needed to maintain and improve the environment. Students should be encouraged to take action towards a more sustainable future. What students can do – support our in-house recycling program. Put your waste in the appropriate coloured receptacle. Use the bins provided in classrooms and in the playground. Play your part in maintaining control over our waste.

Remembrance Day 11/11/25

Next Tuesday we will commemorate Remembrance Day (formerly Armistice Day) in honour of the service of all those who fought in wars in our country’s name. The ending of World War 1, then the costliest war in human history in terms of miliary and civilian lives lost, was seen as a most appropriate date, being the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The horrors of World War I were so severe that the victorious nations, rather naively, labelled it ‘the war to end all wars.’ Sadly, the international inability to resolve its conflicts peacefully and fairly has led to even more horrific global warfare since 1918. We like to celebrate Remembrance Day as an inclusive event. In our multicultural society, many of our citizens have fought in various wars and grieve for those who died in their extended families.

Our contemporary society has not shown any more skill or resolve in reconciling conflicts peacefully. The current truce in Gaza is fragile at best and cannot last without a credible two-state proposal. The Ukrainian War grinds on at horrific cost to both combatants. On Remembrance Day we should take the time to consider the cost and ultimate futility of using warfare as a means of settling disputes among nations. The ubiquitous poppy, growing wild in Flanders Fields, is an historically significant symbol of the loss of human life on those battlefields. We wear poppies to remember the fallen and to be seen to remember them. Schools hold assemblies to take a minute’s silent reflection on the consequences of armed conflicts everywhere.

Scholarships Offered at High

SBHS offers only two scholarships/bursaries – the Phillip Day Memorial Scholarship and the Sir Roden and Lady Cutler Foundation Scholarship. All enrolled or enrolling students are eligible to apply for the Phillip Day Memorial Scholarship. It is a one-year credit on the school account for $2,000. The Selection Criteria cover talented boys in an academic area or a co-curricular endeavour. Good all-rounders qualify as do students with special needs – financial or otherwise. There are many boys in the school who would make good candidates for this award. I urge them to take the trouble to download and complete the application form. The Sir Roden and Lady Cutler Foundation Inc Scholarship is a two-year award with a credit at the school account for $1,500 for each Year – 11 and 12. Only boys enrolled or enrolling in Year 11 are eligible to apply. The criteria for this scholarship are different. It has an emphasis on a prior record of service to others, to the school and / or the community. Boys with initiative, compassion, a record of school or community service and leadership skills, are invited to apply.

Look for the details on the website:

The Phillip Day Memorial Scholarship - Sydney Boys High School
The Sir Roden and Lady Cutler Foundation Inc Scholarship - Sydney Boys High School

 Do not assume that you are not worthy or eligible. Applications close on Friday, 28 November 2025.

Electives Process - Year 9 boys going into Year 10

Students make an initial free choice with their electives. They are also asked to rank their choices so that if they do not get one, they will be considered for the next ranked choice. Many boys have shown interest in robotics, code-based game development and the online learning elective (OLE). Many others have aspired to accelerate in a particular subject. For those attracted to acceleration, a process is in place to apply and have applications assessed.

For robotics and game development, Ms Dam culls applicants based on their demonstrated mathematics proficiency and previous interest in IA subjects. Usually, a D in mathematics is a minimum requirement for entry into robotics or game design. Boys who applied for both will be allowed to do only one of these subjects.

For the OLE, students need to have an interest in autonomous learning, a proficiency in using excel spreadsheets and to have a rank of 100 or better to qualify.

Raw scores submitted by HTs are used to calculate the dux of the Year group, using z-scores.

I cull the accelerant applicants. The criteria are academic in nature. Students apply to Head Teachers who send the forms of recommended applicants to me for assessment. Students have to be above average across their subjects at the Year 9 yearly examinations. They have to have a HD or D in the subject area in which they wish to accelerate. The cut-off rank for accelerants is 75. On rare occasions, highly talented students in just one subject area may be considered if they fall just outside of the cut-off rank.

Year 10 electives are designed for students to branch out and test their interests before settling into stage 6 study. Some of these electives are competitive entry subjects. Students need to choose carefully and follow their interests in a low stake learning environment but may not always get what they want.

Outdoor Education Program

It is a strong expectation of our school that all students attend the outdoor education program in Years 7-9. We see the camps as important socialising and independence-building experiences in the personal enlargement of our students. I urge all boys to attend to learn life lessons and mature as persons by participating in these camps.
Dr K A Jaggar
Principal