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 Publications High Notes Older Volumes High Notes, Vol 11 No 21, July 02 2010
High Notes, Vol 11 No 21, July 02 2010
From the Principal
End of Term 2
High Talent
Chess Tournament Results
UNSW/PwC Economics and Business Studies Competition
Cadet News
Parent Teacher Nights 
Music Notes
Music Tour 2010 to France & Flanders
Music Tour Reunion Night
ANZAC Day Dawn Service There was a prayer of remembrance delivered by Russell Mutzelburg of the Australian Army to begin the service; a bible reading by two students of AB Paterson College, Queensland; an address by The Hon Stephen Smith MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs; and two hymns, played by our concert band. We also played the French national anthem, followed by our own. A wreath was laid for our school by Michael Phung and Andrew Blomberg (school prefect). We had many positive comments and praise from the public and officials in attendance.
We were all exhausted when we arrived back in Albert. After breakfast we had free time until
lunch in which most of us chose to sleep.
Music Parking
Marching Band Performance
From the Two LibrariesSurry Hills Library: Visit and Your City and Local LibrariesThe 2 librarians used their most recent Faculty Meeting time to visit the very new and beautiful Surry Hills (2 glass walls!!!) library. We were very fortunate to be shown right through, workrooms and all, by our local library colleague. It was an interesting visit as this Library is about the size of the Library this school would require if we were so lucky as to be gifted with one. Looking at a newly designed library was very educational to both of us as we get to compare what the DET can offer and what Clover Moore can offer. And we get to drool over the latest in building design and ambience. (Oh, for some ambience!) One very interesting aspect of this visit was our discovery that this library has a local history room. We wondered if our school could send some copies of our rare archival material there to display as Sydney Boys High plays such an historic part in education and in the city of Sydney district, having begun as a back to back school with Sydney Girls High on the David Jones Women’s Store site, Elizabeth Street, City, and then moving to the University of Technology site (formerly the Power House Museum) and then on to the site of Sydney’s old Zoo at Moore Park. A startling aspect was that this new library had already suffered a “disaster” as its basement filled up with about a foot of water and the library is still rebuilding the built-in shelving which drowned. (Don’t build libraries with basements??) The point of this ramble is that encouraging your son to visit/occasionally work in his local library can be a very rewarding and liberating experience for him. One family homework night at the local library can turn tedium into a trip out. Local library membership entitles everyone to use the Online databases Libraries these days have been busy purchasing. A trip to the city libraries to do some work is a great habit to encourage as there is a studious academic work ethic worth emulating all happening there. Every seat is full of laptop wielding young adults who also find libraries a great place to get work done. (All seats were full in the Surry Hills local Library at 11am). The City of Sydney Library in the old Customs House near Circular Quay and of course a visit to the Mitchell and the State Libraries when your son is struggling to do an assignment can make the experience more interesting for him and it introduces him to the idea of going there on his own of a weekend with his friends to work together. News Resources This Week - Andrews library
SENIOR FICTION
SENIOR NON FICTION
JUNIOR DVD
JUNIOR NON FICTION What’s Up in the McDonald Senior LibraryAt last all book fans there are new books in the Senior Library! Books purchased during the 2010 Book Fair are being accessioned fast to make them available for the school holidays. Many are newly published and topical bestsellers, some just oldies but goodies. We have also added many 2010 editions of popular study guides for preliminary and HSC courses. Have a look at the Senior notice boards for books available for loan.
Senior Books added include: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time & A Spot of Bother (donated by Jens Waring Yr 8 and waiting to be picked up by him for first loan) both by Mark Haddon Robert Ludlum: The Bourne Trilogy includes three books in one! Dawn of the Dreadfuls (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) a prequel to the events of Pride and Prejudice by Steve Hockensmith & Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters an expanded and bizarre and fascinating reversion of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. These novels in the Quirk Classics series take classic novels and quirkily alter them using the original in strange and interesting ways! Stories of Belonging: Finding Where Your True Self Lives edited by Kali Wendorf. Good, of course, for HSC students looking for background/supplementary reading. Gravel latest novel by Peter Goldsworthy author of Maestro an HSC prescribed text. A Fraction of the Whole: a novel by Steve Toltz. A hilarious exploration of family relationships and shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2008. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. An unputdownable book about a future society where children must compete “in a terrifying reality game show”. To survive and win means celebrity and fame and to lose means death. This title is the first in a trilogy. The Way of Shadows (Night Angel Trilogy) by Brent Weeks an exciting fantasy about a professional assassin in a non stop, action packed adventure to survive and navigate the assassin’s world.
Come and pick one of these up to read in the holidays. We are rushing them through the library
accessioning process. Still a few of the donated books to be collected from the library so if you
donated a book during the Book Fair please don’t forget to pick it up!
ARTeFACTSThe 17th Biennale of Sydney is on NOW and reports are that it is fantastic! The Art staff are usually able to take elective Visual Arts classes but this year the calendar is just too jam packed so we are asking the Art students to take the initiative and get along to it on their own. With a free ferry service to Cockatoo Island, an amazing Sydney Harbour site, the Visual Arts teachers are hoping families or groups of friends make a day of going to explore the Island and the Museum of Contemporary Art over the holidays. Students should document their visit in their VAPD, noting the works that resonated with them. They should keep the free Biennale newspaper for reference back in the classroom next term.
Refer to the website for details. There is an extensive education kit available to help support
your understanding of the more challenging aspects of contemporary art. Art students will
probably make quite capable and entertaining guides for families helping “unpack” art
works. http://www.biennaleofsydney.com.au/
Sports DonationsGPS sports competition is very demanding on people and resources. At High we have ongoing needs for facilities development, equipment and development through expert coaching. If you would like to help through a tax deductible donation for a particular sport, the appropriate form can be posted to you by calling 9361 6910. Alternatively, you can go to our website www.sydneyboyshigh.com click on Sport / Sports Donations to download either Development Donation Form or Equipment and Facility Donation Form.
Drama FestivalCongratulations to the following Year 7 students who have been successful in their audition for the Drama Festival.
7T Thomas Nassif, Joshua Malouf, Aashray Narula, Niyazul Bari, Jeremy Yang
Combined Careers & Courses University Information Evening 2010On Thursday 17 June 2010, over 250 Year 12 students from Sydney Boys High School, Sydney Girls High School and St George Girls High School attended the Combined Careers & Courses University Information Evening in the Great Hall. Participants included, UNSW, Sydney University, UTS, Macquarie, Western Sydney, ANU, KPMG, St Paul's College & Firstpoint USA. Students were able to gain valuable information about post-school education and employment opportunities. The Careers Adviser would like to thank all students and parents who attended and made the evening a success.
From the CanteenFood for Thought Cold, wintry, wet days……fancy some hot lunch….maybe a sweet chilli chicken sub or ….a toasted foccaccia…a steak and onion roll….tacos…vegetable cous cous…pasta box…soup. AAAGHH!!....SOLD OUT ALREADY ??? SOLUTION .Simply order lunch early and NEVER miss out!
Plus…Why not call in for Breakfast…… Many thanks to the following people for their help 2 weeks ago: Angela Pak, Jenny Dong, Helen Lazarou, Steve Saunders, Doris Fong, Sally Allingham (2nd week in a row – thank you!!), Karen Schmidt, Anna Goh, Alana Liang, Louise Warren, David Mah, Shilpa Punekar. We are grateful for the assistance of these people last week also: Agnes Leo, May Ip, Iris Lau, Faye Huang, Charles Ovadia, Carrie Waring, Sally Pierce, Samson Lau, Linda Perris, Barbara Taylor. A special word of thanks also from Karen and Tracey as follows... ‘Thank you to Jim O’Sullivan who answered our desperate call for help last week by coming in at the last minute just to help for lunch time serving. The start of the week is always hectic for the canteen and we had no prefects due to exams. We are now certainly a bit short on helpers. We have lost a lovely lady on the 3rd Wednesday and also a lovely lady on the 3rd Friday’
Parents – If you have any spare time, we would really appreciate your helping us out. At the same time you make contact with other parents, learn something for yourself and make a contribution to the life of the school. If anyone is able to help out on either of the above days or particularly on a Monday or Friday, then please give the canteen a call! Your help means more food and less time waiting for your sons as well as much appreciation.
Please give Tracey or Karen a call on 9360 4027.
School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS)School Student Code of Conduct – Students travelling on buses must:-
Students are reminded to:-
During 2010, authorised officers will be deployed to inspect Code of Conduct compliance on school bus services in the Eastern Region. Students who are found to have breached their obligations may lose their travel entitlement and possibly incur an infringement.
High SocietyThe Bulletin Board for Sydney Boys High P & C
Julie Connolly Dr Michael Carr-Gregg - The Five Greatest Challenges for Parents in 2010We had a terrific turnout last Wednesday night for the presentation from Dr Michael Carr-Gregg to parents from SBHS and SGHS. Great thanks to Barbara Taylor and her team for providing a delicious supper. We had many requests for copies of the presentation and we will put together some notes from the evening to share with parents who could not attend. Dr Carr-Gregg identified these five points as some of the challenges facing parents in 2010. 1. Sleep – teenagers need at least 8.25 to 9.25 hours per night, the most important being the last two hours of REM sleep as this is when the brain rejuvenates and consolidates the learning and experiences of the previous day. A sleep loss of two hours is equivalent to a blood alcohol level of .05 - the legal driving limit. 2. Alcohol – zero tolerance of alcohol consumption until the age determined by your family’s rules. This is 16 years as a bare minimum and ideally until 18 or beyond. This is a health issue. Research strongly identifies the significant risks of alcohol consumption to the development of the adolescent brain. 3. Depression – one in five Australian teenagers experience a diagnosable mental health disorder by the age of 18. The sad thing is these teenagers often suffer a delay of more than five years until diagnosis. Parents should be vigilant in awareness of any persistent changes in their teenagers’ usual behaviours. For example prolonged periods of anger, unexplained variations in moods, social withdrawal, on-going sleep problems. 4. Building resilience – Life is full of unpredictable shocks and setbacks. Parents need to help their teenagers develop ways to deal with adversity. A sense of belonging to family, groups of friends and their school community is important in this. Teenagers who do well throughout life have pursued a range of passions beyond the classroom. Parents can help their children to build resilience by encouraging them to explore in-depth a broad range of co-curricular activities – sport, music, dance, art – to discover the person they are. By participating in co-curricular activities adolescents can develop emotional intelligence, socialize with peers, take risks necessary to their development and establish adult mentor relationships – all ways that help build their resilience. Developing an on-going sense of optimism is also important - try www.moodgym.anu.edu.au as a reference. 5. Guiding adolescents towards happiness by encouraging these directions – count at least four blessings each week, from the mundane to the magnificent; undertake regular volunteering and practise kindness; acknowledge and thank in writing particular adult mentors who have helped you; let go of anger and forgive; take care of yourself through diet, exercise, sleep and laughter; develop strategies to deal with setbacks; savour life’s moments of joy – smell the roses and watch the sunset. www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu is a reference. ON-Line P&C - Parents – Have Your Say on Dr Michael Carr-Gregg’s PresentationLog-in to ON-Line P&C and post your comment about Dr Michael Carr-Gregg’s presentation. If you do not have your log-in details, email the P&C This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your son’s Year and we will forward log-in details to you.
Rowing Committee AGM
Date: Tuesday 27 July 2010 Come and find out about new developments for the upcoming season. Rowing is a great sport that High provides for our boys. It also relies on parents to help facilitate the program and, as with any sport, always needs new parents becoming involved. All parents of rowing students are encouraged to attend the Annual General Meeting. All Office Bearer positions will be declared vacant and available for nomination and election. I hope you can attend and become involved in your son's sport.
Kind regards
RugbySenior RugbySenior Rugby players which include the 16s have been involved in working together to improve the standard of Rugby played at High. The key strategic areas we can improve upon are:
Each individual senior player can check their Conditioning and Rugby training attendance on spreadsheets posted on the SNR Rugby Notice Board located in the Canteen Area.
Log results Many players probably think that this token attendance has no consequence. Unfortunately it does. We do compete against other GPS schools where this kind of training is mandatory. In these schools the players who do not train are not chosen to play. For safety reasons, High has also adopted a regimented conditioning and training program. The players need to accept and understand that unless they attend these sessions regularly they may be forfeiting their right to participate and play in the GPS rugby competition. Sticking to the policy of no train no play would currently decimate our 2nd XV and 16s teams and cause an obvious embarrassment to the school. However, if this attitude continues next year there will be serious questions posed as to what level we should be participating at the senior level, if at all. On a more positive note with two solid years of conditioning and training the 1st XV players have been rewarded by being eligible to play in the Waratah Shield knockout. It is also interesting to note that the injury rate of the 1stXV has also been significantly reduced. Much of this can be credited to the hard work of Mr Tassell who has along with this group of players worked hard at preparing the team for the demands of the GPS season. Mr Tassell and, in particular, this group of regular trainers have also establish an important link to the Waratah facilities and their personnel which can only benefit our future rugby aspirations. Well done. Trial results
1st XV After the unexpected and disappointing loss against TAS the team received another reality check from a very well drilled and structured Grammar team. It was disappointing to see High revert to the old undisciplined style of play instead of using the structures in defence and attack that they were beginning to utilise in the previous matches. Let’s hope it is not another year of two steps forward and one step backward.
The following 1st XV players deserve a worthy mention for their improved performances and
contributions to the team.
2nds and 16s Too many players are not accepting their responsibilities and are quick to blame circumstances and others for their performance. An improvement in attitude toward training and game preparation is required if these teams are to develop.
The following Senior players also deserve a worthy mention for their improved performances and
contributions to the team.
The 2nd XV and 16A player must consistently log 4 sessions of training a week.
Note- Only under special known circumstances can players opt to include an extra strength session to make up for a missed Rugby training session. This does not prevent any players from completing an extra strength training session if they wish to do so. The strength training session must be signed by Mr Tassell in the Snr Rugby logbook and submitted to Mr Scrivener for logging. The Rugby sessions are logged according to your attendance and participation on the following training days.
Monday 3:30 to 5:30pm at Moore Park West Wet weather- Training is always on and senior players are to meet in the gym. Players must submit a signed note from their parent or guardian if unable to attend a training session preferably before the event. A small number of players have indicated they want to play rugby but find it difficult to follow the strict training schedule for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, the school cannot provide sporting references or student sporting awards to the senior students who have played limited rugby or do not log consistently.
Many institutions (e.g. Sydney University) are now seeking students who not only perform
academically but respond strongly to sporting challenges. Please check your logging before you
think you should be rewarded for your participation in GPS Rugby.
Volleyball
High wins NSW CHS Volleyball Knockout High went into the match knowing the Westfields outfit would be tough to score points against and this proved to be the case. The high quality match featured power hitting and blocking to both sides with each team appearing to take charge at various stages through the match. With the match poised at 2 sets each it was looking like any ones game. The 5th set saw a fired up Chris Morrow pound a number of massive spikes into the Westfields court igniting the High bench. This was aided by some blindingly good back court work by Pat Lai and High jumped to a commanding lead going on to take the final set 15-8 and the match 3 sets to 2.
The team consisted of Merlin Li (captain), Jonathon Mok, Hugh Huang, Ivan li, David Nguyen, Josh
Suh, John Gim, Nelson Wang, Henry Sit, Pat Lai and Chris Morrow.
From PD/H/PEIn response to the number of parent inquiries as to how their son might improve their grade in PDHPE, the answer may lie in the extra credit 10% offered for a student achieving their personal goal time in the 4th 1.6km run at the end of Term 3. The goal times are available on the school’s website. The 3rd 1.6km run will be held in the first week of Term 3. The upcoming two weeks holiday period is an excellent opportunity for students to make real aerobic fitness gains and lay the basis for a 10 week program to achieve their goal time. If an oval, usually 400m in diameter, is not available locally there is a simple alternative. Have someone drive from your house, turning left to avoid crossing roads where possible, to a point of 800m from your house. Note that point. Each time you run, time yourself to that spot, then try to beat that time back. Try to reduce your split and total time each run. Psychologically this will give you a sense of finishing strongly. Run every other day ie, day “on”, day “off” schedule.
Good luck with your fitness endeavours.
Rifle ShootingThe High Shooting Squad go into camp for the whole of the last week of the school holidays followed by competing in the All Schools Match which is held on Saturday 17th July 2010 at Malabar. Sydney High won this competition last year.
By the end of the weekly camp, the 1st and 2nd Grade Teams will be selected ready for the annual
GPS Shoot which is held on the 19th – 21st July 2010. Sydney High will be defending their
Premiership win from 2009. Best Wishes and Good Luck boys!
Sydney Boys High School Drama Festival
Drama Festival School Incursion
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Sydney Boys High School
