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High Notes, Vol 12 No 18, June 17 2011From the Principal
High Talent
The Sir Roden & Lady Cutler Foundation Scholarship Sydney Boys High School administers The Scholarship on behalf of The Foundation. Applications for The Scholarship are assessed by a Scholarship Committee, comprising members of the executive of Sydney Boys High and the CEO of The Foundation or nominee. Applications are assessed on the basis of the selection criteria. The Scholarship Committee may give preference to an applicant with a demonstrated record of service to others at school and/ or in the wider community over a number of years, or outstanding service in one year. The Scholarship Committee may favour applicants who have a record of initiative, compassion for others and demonstrated leadership skills. The Scholarship Committee makes recommendations of suitable applicants for the Scholarship to the Foundation’s Board. The successful applicant will be awarded his Scholarship at Presentation Night each year. The Scholarship funds are to be spent within the school via a debit ‘Cutler Card’. The successful applicant will automatically have his Scholarship renewed in Year 12 under the same terms and conditions unless he is no longer of good standing with Sydney Boys High School. If a Scholarship recipient fails to uphold the expectations and values of the Scholarship in Year 11, the Scholarship Committee may discontinue the Scholarship for that student in Year 12.
Selection criteria Applications are invited from eligible Year 10 students. Application Forms will be available on the school website from July 1.
Reports and Parent Teacher Interviews who should have discussed them with me by now. Parent Interview Evenings commence with Years 10-12 on Monday, 20/6; continue on Thursday, with Year 7 on Thursday, 23/6; and conclude with Years 8 and 9 on Wednesday, 29/6.
Combined SBHS & SGHS Drama Production Parent-Teacher Interviews
Years 10, 11 and 12 will take place on
Year 7 will take place on
Years 8 and 9 will take place on
Booking interviews with your son’s teachers
SBHS DebatingMany congratulations to the Year 12 PDC team who won the Regional Final of the Hume Barbour competition on Friday. It was impressive to see them argue the negative so well, in a debate about on-shore processing of refugees in Australia against Sydney Girls High. The four boys: Ashwin Rudder, Samir Kinger, Nakul Bhagwhat and Krishan Sivayogarayan looked very at home in the plush surroundings of the NSW Parliament and I predict we have some future politicians amongst them. The team will now face the other regional finalists in a knock out competition to the Grand State Final and I wish them all the best of luck with those future debates. This week in coaching we held a round of Social Debates against Rose Bay. I hope our Years 7 and 8 PDC teams do better in their First Round of Competitions next Wednesday and Friday than our teams did on Friday. Despite our almost complete defeat (with only one out of 6 teams winning) the evening was a good opportunity for boys (who are not in PDC or GPS teams) to have the opportunity to debate, chair or watch debates. This is important for all of the students who regularly commit to coaching and something I and the coaches are trying to organize on a few more occasions for them next term.
Two weeks ago I published the Year 7 and Year 8 PDC and GPS debaters. This week I am pleased to
reveal the names of the Year 9 GPS Debaters. This year competition in Year 9 was particularly
strong as we have had a number of new boys joining us in Year 9 – many of whom are keen and
experienced debaters. Well done to those who got through and to those who were unsuccessful, you
should keep attending the coaching sessions in order to improve your debating skills for next
year. Year 9 GPS Squad 2011
A team
B squad (B1 and B2 teams to be decided during training) CompetitionsNo more competitions until next term.
More information can be found at www.sydneyhigh.org.au/debating and will be emailed to
you on a weekly basis. Music NotesSenior String EnsembleCongratulations to the Senior String Ensemble for their hard work under the directorship of Ms Rebecca Irwin. They were placed 2nd in the McDonald’s Sydney Eisteddfod Secondary School String Ensemble section last Thursday. This is the first year the Senior Strings have been involved with the Performing Arts Challenge, achieving an amazing High Distinction result up against various other High Schools. Marching BandThe Music Department received a wonderful letter from the ANZAC Day March Executive Committee thanking and congratulating our Marching Band on their performance and involvement in the ANZAC Day March. The boys were placed 2nd under the Junior Brass & Concert section behind the Australian Army Cadets. Well done to all the students who performed on ANZAC Day under such trying conditions. You represented the school proudly. Year 7 New InstrumentalistsALL New Year 7 students who began lessons on an instrument last term are encouraged to join the Training Concert Band (Woodwind/Brass/Percussion) and Junior String Ensemble (Strings) this term. Please see below the rehearsal timetable and rooms and turn up with your instruments. Award scheme points apply! Music Performance Co-PaymentsPlease arrange to make Music Co-payments ASAP as they are needed to fund the ensembles. Letters have been sent out to students in the Music Performance Program; we appreciate your co-operation in this matter. Rehearsal Schedule 2011Music ensemble rehearsals are now up and running, please check the schedule below and attend your appropriate ensemble. ALL new students welcome, please see the Music Staff for ensemble information. We look forward to your son’s involvement in the Music Performance Program. REHEARSAL SCHEDULE 2011
From the Library
BAPTISM OF ANDREWS JUNIOR LIBRARY COMPUTER/PROJECTOR IN CLASS SPACE Head Teachers and Faculties may consider using it for on site in-servicing and Faculty Meetings where material needs to be displayed on a projector or a DVD/Movie needs to be shown on a huge screen. Also if you want students to do a computer presentation/talk this is possible. Bookings of this space or the Library computer area can be done on Start Menu/School/Sites/Room Booking and the floor will be yours! For group work where both computers and a class space may be useful do not forget that you can book out both spaces in the Andrews Library. A reminder to after school parent meeting convenors that both Library spaces are quite lovely welcoming spaces to hold after hours meetings and the Junior Library has access to hot water, a microwave, a mini oven and a fridge for nibbles. I would like to see Evening Debating brought into the Junior Library.
It would be great to see our lovely and welcoming spaces used to impress parents and
visitors. Keys can be arranged. Premier's Reading Challenge 2011Thanks to a request from one of our great readers in Year 7 Sydney Boys High is participating in the Premier’s Reading Challenge this year. Dr Jaggar has now registered our school and we can begin. Fantastic readers in Years 7, 8 and 9 are reminded that participating in the Premier’s Reading Challenge for one more year may in some cases lead to you receiving special Premier’s Reading Challenge Awards. So if you are eligible do not miss out on meeting this challenge! Boys can enter their reading from this library online at the Premier’s Reading Challenge website. DO NOT PUT IN YOUR SRN, JUST YOUR NAME. (There is a problem with the SRNs). I am able to validate the reading record by printing out an OASIS report of books borrowed from the Library this year. (If you have already read a lot this year ask Mrs Crothers to print out your loan record so you/she can enter your reading in the Challenge) When boys did their library orientation at the beginning of the year I asked them how many books they read last year and the influence of the Premier’s Reading Challenge was immediately obvious. Most boys had read over 30 books the previous year and quite a few have read up to 50 a year. This amazing answer has been coming back from our boys for several years now – since the Premier’s Reading Challenge began.
Reading is such a fun way to enhance literary talent and it would be a shame if enthusiasm for
books faded away in High School. The Premier’s Reading Challenge is an incredibly effective
way to recognise that reading has so much to offer our special boys as an educational and
communication tool. New Resources this week - Junior LibraryOur Library is trying to put a list of currently new resources into “Library Thing“ Software which prints pictures of book covers and we hope will offer High Notes Readers the opportunity to look up databased book reviews as well as a star index which can indicate that other readers have found the book interesting.
These “new resource” lists will also be available on our SBHS Website and on the
Student/Staff and Parent Portals. The BookwormWeekly News - Vol I Issue 5Don’t miss out on LibraryVIP…Pick up a Library VIP card with your next loan in either the Junior or Senior libraries.
Every loan = 1 stamp Present your Library VIP card/bookmark every time you borrow. It will be validated with a date stamp and a library stamp. Once you have filled in the 10 stamps, drop your card into the box in the Junior Library (7-9) or Senior Library (10-12). Library VIP operates across the two libraries. You can earn stamps from both libraries whenever you borrow. Please ask us for a Library VIP card if you haven’t received one when you borrow.
BE REWARDED for your reading. PICK UP your Library VIP card with your next loan. Messages from Booko!BOOKO THANKS YOU FOR COMING TO THE ANIME FILM FEST IN THE SENIOR LIBRARY! WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE LOST THING, PORCO ROSSO AND HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE! BOOKO INFORMS YOU THAT Y7-9 Students can also join the Premier’s Reading Challenge now! Please see Mrs Crothers in the Junior Library if you are interested. Reading records can be entered online. Don’t forget books borrowed for the Premier’s Reading Challenge in our libraries can get LibraryVIP stamps!
Be Rewarded. Literally. High FamilyThe Bulletin Board for Sydney Boys High P & C
Julie Connolly Joint SGHS & SBHS P&C Meeting, 7.30pm Wednesday 22nd June
SGHS Multi-purpose Hall. Senior students from both schools are also invited to attend these talks with their parents’ permission. Students, please bring a note of permission from your parents with you on the evening. Each year SGHS and SBHS hold a joint P&C meeting. This year’s meeting is hosted by SGHS with two guest speakers who will address the important issue of improving mental health for young people:
Supper will be served following the talks. Capital Campaign 2011The P&C supports the School in the current Capital Campaign seeking substantial one-off or monthly-giving parent donations to the Sydney Boys High School Building Fund – to be received prior to 30th June 2011, to secure tax deductibility for the current financial year. SBHS Building Fund currently stands at $1.067million. We have a target of $2 million to commence our major building project – the multi-purpose education centre. Anything you could give at this time really helps the cause. For those who would rather give in a meaningful and ongoing way, join the 110 donors in the Monthly Giving Scheme. Our target is to double the number of donors this year. On or about the 15th of each month a nominated amount is automatically debited from your account or credit card. In late June each year you receive a statement from the school detailing the total of your donations in the twelve months from July 1 the previous year. To donate, please go to www.sydneyboyshigh.com/donations/project-donations where you will find a donation form for each mode of giving to the Capital Works Appeal. Upcoming Meetings & Events
Parent/Teacher Night, Years 10 to 12 – Monday 20th June, 3.00pm to 7.30pm - Great
Hall Rifle ShootingThe SHSRC 2011 annual trip to Wingham was conducted over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, for the purpose of competing in the annual Wingham Rifle Club Open Prize Meeting. A squad of SHSRC members comprised of Brendan Leo (12, c), Yujin Wu (11, vc), Jacky Yang (11), Bill Deng (10), Dominic Tran (10), Wilbert Wu (10), Jeremy Chan (9) and Timothy Tran (8) competed against some extremely strong competition, including teams from the Armidale, New England Girls and Wingham High School. By the end of the weekend, Yujin and Wilbert had placed second and third in C grade respectively, all competitors gained valuable experience shooting in torrential rain. After a relatively uneventful trip to Wingham on the ever-reliable school Coaster, tents were quickly pitched in total darkness in anticipation of rain. Fortunately, the rain held off until the next morning, causing the 300 metre and 500 yard ranges being cancelled, being replaced by two 600 yard matches. As a result of familiarisation, scores began to improve toward the end of the day. Some notable performances on the first day include a 46.3 by Bill, and two 48.5s by Yujin, whose performance placed him second for the day 1 aggregate. Entertainment that night was provided by the Wingham Rifle Club in the form of karaoke and trivia, replacing the usual bingo. The second day of shooting consisted of 2 matches at 500 yards and 1 match at 300 metres. After a day getting used to the demoralising wind and rain, our shooters began to produce more impressive scores, with both Yujin and Brendan scoring a total of 145/150 over the 3 ranges. Wilbert also scored a 49/50 at the first 600 yard range of the day, an impressive effort. By the end of the day, the aggregate of the two days of scores resulted in Yujin being placed second in C grade, and Wilbert third. Jacky was also awarded an encouragement award for his improvement over the weekend, which he kindly donated to Mr McGuigan, his A grade mentor, who had helped him greatly. Sydney High School once again took out the Mo Burdett School’s Trophy. Following the formal presentation, a cultural lesson was conducted by Keith Gleeson, an Aboriginal member of the Wingham Rifle Club from the Biripi nation. Many of those present tried playing the didgeridoo, some better than others. Damper cooked in a campfire by Max (from The Armidale School) and Ms Meaney marked the conclusion of the evening. The following morning, the campsite was packed up in the pouring rain and the team left Wingham, destined for Sydney. Shortly out of Buladelah, strange noises began to emanate from the engine compartment of the Coaster. Upon stopping on the side of the highway, we realized that the fan belt had disappeared somewhere along the way. Stranded 4 hours out of Sydney, there was little choice but to wait for the NRMA to arrive with a replacement. After 2 hours of NRMA maintenance, we were back on the road to Sydney.
A great time was had by all with some very good scores recorded. Many thanks must be expressed to
the coaches, Justin Hill, Kevin Chan, Joe Banh and Denis Stojanovic for travelling with the team,
and the Wingham Rifle Club, for organising the logistics of the trip, such as accommodation and
great entertainment. However, much of the organizational load is borne by the Sydney High School
Rifle Club executives; Sam Kremer, Nathan Scudder, Geoffrey Blinkhorne, and Master-in-charge
Cathy Meaney; without their contributions to the day to day running of the club, the trip would
not have been possible. Wet Weather Information – Saturday SportFor regular updates on Saturday sport during times of inclement weather, parents and students are asked to check the school’s website throughout the day. The information can be found by going to the school’s website at www.sydneyboyshigh.com then by clicking on the fixture details under the heading of ‘Upcoming events’ eg Saturday, May 1 SHS v NC. Cancellations can then be found by scrolling down the page to the specific sport and team. If there is no information specific to sport cancellations then assume by default that sport will go ahead. Please note that the current ‘Sports Wet Weather line’ is inoperable. Unfortunately, these arrangements will not be available this weekend (18 June 2011) due to a planned disruption of supply of electricity to the school over the weekend. Volleyball ReportNSW Volleyball All Schools TournamentThe All Schools Tournament held at Olympic Park on Friday 27th May was marked by a strong participation in all divisions from Sydney Boys High. The following are highlights from the competition:
First Grade
Third Grade
16As The lead up to the finals was fantastic. We played as a united team, working on each other’s strengths and exposing the opposition’s weaknesses, and this allowed us to reach the finals without dropping a set. In the grand final we were up against a formidable opponent; Homebush Boys. Boasting three state representatives, they were a strong side. We came out confident as we had beaten them earlier in the tournament but this proved to be a detriment, as they took the lead early in the first set. However, we stayed calm and managed to regain the lead and ultimately take the set. The next set was even closer, as Homebush Boys were determined to redeem themselves and win the tournament, which resulted in a close 2nd set in which we won 27-25, allowing us to take the match and thus win the tournament! t! An enormous amount of thanks must go to our coach Ritam Mitra, who did a great job coaching both our team and the 16Bs on the day, Mr Kay, the Volleyball MIC who organized and monitored all the SBHS teams at the tournament with great success and Ms Trompetter, who organized permission and was at the tournament roll calling and supporting everyone. If it were not for these wonderful people we wouldn’t have had half of the fun and enjoyment we experienced on the day. Finally a big congratulations must go to Jason Le, Gordon Qin, Jason Garrett, Byron Chen, Yu Peng Man, Pinyan Gao and Kevin Lu. Our dedication to training and strong teamwork paid off and I’m sure if we continue to work hard this win will be the first of many.Shawn Noronha (Captain)
16Cs
U13s
14As However, putting our loss behind us we were ready to face Pennant Hills. Our consistent serving and great passing resulted in a win in straight sets. After a duty and a lunch break we were up against Cherrybrook, a strong team forcing a draw against the under 15As. In the first set we played cautiously, careful not to make any errors and won the first set. The next set we attempted to play more offensively, but this resulted in more errors and unfortunately we lost the second set. In the final set, we were determined to outclass our opponents. s. Thanks to the brilliant serving and spiking of the team, we were able to avoid a tight match and win comfortably. Our SBHS Under 13s were next and we were careful not to take them too lightly. We used this opportunity to practise our hitting and passing to prepare for the next game against our Under 15s. After a solid win against our Year 7s, we were confident starting the next match. Strong communication and great setting allowed us to plough through in the first set. In the second set we were ready to close the match but the opponents serving proved tough to handle. Poor passing made this harder and we could not prevail, losing the set by a few points. In the third set we attempted to play cautiously, but our winning streak didn’t last long when our team lost serve. With the fatigue of earlier games beginning to set in, it wasn’t long before our opponents were able to hammer us down defeating us in a tight three setter. Huge thanks must be given to Victor, whose efforts in coaching allowed our team to get this far, Mr Kay, MIC of Volleyball who supervised all our teams successfully at the tournament and Ms Trompetter who organized the event and supported everyone. Without these people the day wouldn’t have been as fun or exciting. And finally a big congratulations to Kevin Robinson, Jaiden Chin, Supan, Greg Kim, Aiden, Harry Park, Jason Hong, Ryan Seong. With your dedication and hard work, I’m sure we will achieve greatness soon.Sunny Xu (Captain) 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. Enrolment: Years 8 - 12, 2012Applications for years 8 - 12, 2012 close on 28 July 2011 Application forms are available from the school or visit: www.sydneyboyshigh.com and click on the link to enrolments. Phillip Day Memorial ScholarshipFor existing or enrolling students in years 7 - 12 who meet the scholarship selection criteria. To apply, visit www.sydneyboyshigh.com/scholarship for full details. Senior Production: Sharp Love
Friday's performance of Sharp Love is completely sold out
17th and 18th June
Show begins 7:30pm Invitation to Annual P&C Joint Meeting
Wednesday 22 June 2011 7:30 pm Topic: Improving Mental Health for Young People
Professor Ian Hickie AM MD FRANZCP FASS From 2000 to 2003 Professor Hickie was CEO of beyondblue: the national depression initiative, and from 2003-2006 he served as its Clinical Advisor. In 2003, he was appointed as the Executive Director of the Brain & Mind Research Institute (BMRI). In 2006, Professor Hickie received the Australian Honours Award of Member (AM) in the General Division; for services to medicine in the development of key national mental health initiatives and general practice services in both the public and non-government sectors. In October of that same year, the Australian Financial Review included Professor Hickie in its list of the top 10 cultural influences. The specific comments noted his role as a “long-term campaigner”, “the person who orchestrated the campaign” that led to the COAG announcements ($4 billion dollars over five years). Professor Hickie was appointed to the Prime Minister’s Australian National Council on Drugs from 2007 to 2011, and has led the BMRI as a founding member of the new National Youth Mental Health Foundation (‘headspace’). Also in this year, Professor Hickie was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. From 2008-2013, he is one of the first round of new NHMRC 2008 Australian Fellows. In July 2008 he was appointed to the Federal Health Minister’s new National Advisory Council on Mental Health. In November 2009, Professor Hickie received the Research Australia national advocacy award for his work in mental health. In 2011 he was appointed to the Mental Health Expert Working Group (MHEWG), Department of Health and Ageing
Professor Helen Christensen BA(Hons) (Syd), MPsych, PhD (NSW), FASSA Professor Christensen’s research interests include depression and anxiety that are major causes of incapacity and present high risk for self harm. Her major research aims are to improve levels of help seeking to mental health services in Australia and globally; develop and trial prevention and early intervention programs using health technologies for anxiety, depression and self harm; improve the quality of health promotion, prevention and early intervention services through the implementation of evidence-based web and telephone services and to improve knowledge about the way in which individuals use and respond to health technologies. For catering requirements, please RSVP by Friday 17 June to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |