Sydney Boys High School

High Notes, Vol 12 No 33, October 28 2011

From the Principal

High Talent
Kenny Lau and Ankur Paul earned High Distinctions in the Australian Chemistry Olympiad Qualifying examination. Ankur has been invited to join the train-on squad at ANU in January. Ankur also received a High Distinction in the Physics Olympiad Qualifying examination. Yujin Wu was awarded a High Distinction in the Biology Olympiad Qualifying examination. Congratulations, boys! Congratulations to High’s first grade basketball team who defeated Newington on their home court for the first time in a competition game since I have been Principal. Well done to Emmett Naar on his selection in the NSW Institute of Sport Basketball Squad for 2011.

Where does your money go?
Capital building refurbishment works undertaken by the school this year include: upgrading data cabling $80,378 Installing air conditioning in 611, 604, 605 and the visual arts staffroom ($19,880); renewing the Office Kitchen ($18,539); installing a kiln exhaust system in 707 ($9467); and partitioning room 901 to create an ergo room to house 8 Concept 2 ergos with sliders ($6987). These projects were financed by your school contributions and donations to the Centenary Building Fund and to the Technology levy. The P & C helped with $5k for air conditioning. As well as saving for the future through the SBHS Building Fund – focussing on the Governors’ Centre for Education Excellence - $135,251 has been directly invested in providing facilities to enhance the teaching and learning environment at High.

We need your ongoing financial support so that we can continue to raise the standard of the school’s facilities and resources. Please pay your general service contributions and help build a better High by supporting the special appeal for $500 to build the impressive Governors’ Centre for music, drama and dance performances, debating, examinations, special events and classes.

Organised Sports and academic achievement
The US Surgeon General recommends children should engage in 60 minutes of moderate activity on most days of each week for optimum health. Research indicates that daily exercise may improve students’ concentration and cognitive functioning. Eleven of 14 published studies analysing data from 58,000 students between 1967 and 2006 found that regular participation in physical activity is associated with improved academic performance.

At High we place a heavy emphasis on involvement in organised sports as well as PE. This summer we will provide healthy and sustained competitive team activity for: 32 basketball teams, 17 cricket teams, 22 tennis teams, 3 water polo teams, 115 rowers and a squad of 30 sailors. Our objective is mass participation at an appropriate standard. We strongly recommend that boys engage in organised sport in both summer and winter seasons.

To those parents who believe that boys need to be getting coached at weekends or locked up doing homework, we say that a balanced lifestyle for their sons will be more beneficial for them in the long run, both physically and academically.

Canteen Committee Volunteers
We need more volunteers to join our Committee. It is a great way to get to know your school and to help run one of our major sources of income – the school canteen. People with expertise in finance/accounting are needed but we also need a secretary and a convener of the group. Our succession planning usually has volunteers joining the committee some years before they are asked to serve in a defined role.

The Foundation’s Project for 2011
By agreement with the Management Committee, the Sydney High School Foundation Inc will target a facility, resource or equipment need within the school to inject significant funds to make a difference on behalf of the school.

The funds used in such projects represent c 50% of the annual profit generated by the High Store. SHSF needs to communicate more frequently with staff, parents, Old Boys and students about what it does for students. This year the Sydney High School Foundation has decided to upgrade the Fairland Pavilion. Parts of the roof and guttering needed replacement. New windows are being installed and a long overdue repainting is planned. The floor covering is in need of repair, also. The Foundation will spend >$50,000 to deliver a more respectable and practical facility for our boys and visitors to use.

Subject acceleration applications
Year 9 boys and their parents are advised that the deadline for submitting expressions of interest to be considered for admission to an acceleration class for Year 10, 2012 is Friday, November 4. Each Faculty has its own protocols but there are standard procedures for qualification for all Faculties [For specific course rules see www.sydneyboyshigh.com/curriculum/subjectacceleration]. I make the final approval for these courses, based in part upon Year 9 annual rank orders, as established by Mr Dowdell’s weighting formula, used to establish the Dux of the Year. There is an appeals process for students who are ruled out on academic grounds (ie maintaining a credit average).
Dr K A Jaggar

Sports Donations

GPS 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.

From the Office

Letters Re Absence/Lateness/ Early Leave
When your son returns to school from being absent he is required to provide a letter of explanation signed by a parent or guardian. If your son is going to be late for school a note is also required. Alternatively you may contact the school by phone on 9361 6910 and dial “4” for the absentee line.

If your son has an early leave note he is required to have his note signed by either Mr Barris, Mr Dowdell or Mr Prorellis before 8:55 am and handed in to the Main Office immediately after. Each letter should be signed by a parent or guardian with the name and roll class of your son and the date printed clearly. Your son needs to pick up a leave pass from the Main Office before he leaves the school.

Leave
If you require leave for your son please, apply in writing and address your application to the Principal, Dr Jaggar, stating the reason and length of time of the leave. Your son must then present this application to Dr Jaggar for permission for the leave. Please remember to apply before the leave and not after.

The Principal must approve all leave applications.

From the Library

Junior Library – “Literacy Circles” –
The first of the Book Blogs

One new feature of the Literacy Circles this year is the embedding of the Sydney Boys New Book Blog 2011 into the unit of work.

So far the on-line writing standard of Years 7 and 8 boys has been very inspirational for me. Two samples from this Blog are published below. The Blog will feature student responses from Years 7 and 8 Literacy Circles Units and from Years 7-9 Wide Reading Classes. The books being reviewed will be totally new books to the Library. The students will produce the review online in class time to encourage the boys to be proud of their original thinking and writing.

To draw the boys’ attention to the Moodle Blog as a way of finding great reading and contemporary writers we will publish several examples in High Notes each week. It has not been hard to find good quality writing.
Mrs Crothers
Teacher Librarian

THE HUNGER GAMES
Blogged by Timothy Nguyen - Year 8
Title of book: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Rating: 10 out of 10
Intended Audience: Mostly teenagers since younger readers may find the book a little gory.
Voice: This novel is written in mostly first person, where the narrator is Katniss.

Synopsis: Our heroine, Katniss Everdeen, is a resident of District 12. She lives in a desperately poor mining community called the Seam, and when her little sister's name is chosen as one of the contestants in the upcoming Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place. This is a gutsy decision, as District 12 hasn't had a Hunger Games winner in 30 years or so. Complicating her already desperate situation is her growing affection for the other District 12 contestant, a clueless baker's son named Peeta Mellark. Further complicating her situation is her sorta-crush on her 18-year-old hunting partner, Gale.

Author’s Purpose: The author’s purpose is to entertain the audience with a forecast of what could happen in the future. She also leaves a hidden message about how the world is so unjust and uneven (first-world and third-world countries). She also provides an insight into what might happen in the future. (I’m not sure if this is what we are supposed to write, but it is how I feel)

Review: The love triangle is fairly standard teen-read stuff - what 16-year-old girl wouldn't like to have two interesting guys to choose from? The rest of The Hunger Games, however, is a violent, jarring speed-rap of a novel that generates nearly constant suspense and may also generate a fair amount of controversy. I couldn't stop reading, and once I got over the main character's name, I got to like her a lot.

Collins is an efficient no-nonsense prose stylist with a pleasantly dry sense of humour. Reading The Hunger Games is as addictive (and as violently simple) as playing one of those shoot-it-if-it-moves videogames in the lobby of the local Eightplex; you know it's not real, but you keep plugging in quarters anyway. Balancing off the efficiency are displays of authorial laziness that kids will accept more readily than adults. When Katniss needs burn cream or medicine for Peeta, whom she more or less babysits during the second half of the book, the stuff floats down from the sky on silver parachutes. And although the bloody action in the arena is televised by multiple cameras, Collins never mentions Katniss seeing one.

But since this is the first novel of a projected trilogy, it seems to me that the essential question is whether or not readers will care enough to stick around and find out what comes next for Katniss. I know I will. (even though they already came out) So in my case, it just depends on how long I have to wait for the library to have one ready to borrow

NIGHTPEOPLE
by James Chee
Nightpeople is a science-fiction fantasy/adventure story by Australian author Anthony Eaton. It is the first book of the Darklands Trilogy for young adult readers. Eaton’s book is both entertaining and thought provoking. It explores such themes as life after a nuclear holocaust, indigenous culture and traditions, family bonds and tribal rivalry. It also shows how humans struggle to survive – by whichever way they can – in one of the most desolate and inhospitable places on the planet.

The story is about a thirteen year old girl, Saria. She was the last, genetically perfect baby, born in the Darklands. Up until now, she was hidden in a secret valley to avoid being ‘removed’ by the Nightpeople. The Darklands believe she is their only hope of keeping their race alive. But, there are some Darklanders who want to trade her with the Nightpeople, in exchange for water and other essentials. Saria, however, is also special in other ways. She is a ‘dreamer’. That is, she has telepathic powers which enable her to ‘reach’ into both people and nature. But, she has not yet learnt how to control this ‘reading’ and, the only person who can teach her has been killed by rival Darklanders.

The story is told in a third-person narrative. The reader is taken on an extraordinary journey, following the protagonist, Saria, through the Australian outback. Her journey is both a search for her true identity and also an escape over the Darkedge.

The story covers issues which are relevant to our own society. Issues such as: pollution, exploitation of mineral resources and the breakdown of family life and social order. It also delves into the paranormal – such as the power of ‘reaching’. This added an important dimension to the plot because it empowered the physically defenceless Saria, against almost all of the bad elements in the Darklands. But, can she use her ‘reaching’ to defend herself once she escapes from the Darklands? I’ll definitely be reading the rest of this Trilogy to find out.

Reading Lists

SPECIALLY SELECTED FOR BOYS (FROM LIBRARY ENQUIRY/PORTAL)
Students or parents looking for age suitable reading lists for our students can use Library search to print our great reading lists.

Try using the following as your search terms in Library Enquiry on your Student Portal, Parent Portal or through our Website:

“Literacy Circles 2011” will bring up a list of the great series the Librarian bought this year to introduce Years 7 and 8 boys to current children’s literature.

“Literacy Circles*” (any year) will bring up really popular, worthwhile reading for Years 7 and 8 boys.

“Junior fiction” will bring up a list of books suitable for Years 7 and 8

“Mid school fiction” will bring up a list of books suitable for Years 9 and 10

“Senior fiction” will bring up a list of books suitable for Years 11,12 and adults

All of these books have been bought in the last 10 years and have proven very popular.
Mrs Crothers
Junior Library

Die Deutsche Frage - Und Antwort!

On Friday afternoon two bright sparks by the names of Vyaas Rajan and Salil Shringapure (both Year 7) presented themselves at the staffroom with a piece of paper with numbers and letters: they had worked out the clues, spotted the poster in the languages corridor and put the figures of speech and pictures together. (And on Monday morning Wilber expected to be rewarded, too, but he only scored a few lollies for his answers. Mr Boros – better luck next time!)

Die neue Frage: Eine deutscher Maler – sein Name besteht (consists of) aus drei Vornamen!

Music Notes

HSC Encore Nominations

Congratulations to our HSC Music Students; Extension Music - Michael Phung, Marcell Rozsa, Wen Jia Liu, Charles Wu and Jesse Chen, and Music 2 - Ennes Mehmedbasic and Daryl Fong on receiving Encore nominations in performance.

Manly Jazz Festival

The Senior Stage Band performed outstandingly at the Manly Jazz Festival on the October long weekend during the school holidays and received great praise from the audience. There were fantastic solos by Michael Phung, Cameron Morrison, Ennes Mehmedbasic and Steve Comninos. Over a hundred audition recordings were sent from schools around Sydney to be selected and it was wonderful to be a part of this international music festival, featuring professional Jazz musicians from around the world. Thank you to Dave Panichi for working with the boys throughout the year and directing the band on the day. We look forward to being a part of the festival again next year.

Music Awards Assembly

The Annual Music Awards Assembly will be held on Tuesday the 22nd of November in the Great Hall at 10am. The Music Assembly acknowledges our Music students’ achievements and accolades throughout the year. We would like to invite you to join us in recognising the wonderful talents at Sydney High at the assembly.

Music Concert

The Spring Music Festival for Orchestra and Concert Bands will be held on the Tuesday evening at 6:30pm following the Music Awards Assembly in the Great Hall. We invite all families and friends to come along and enjoy listening to our large ensembles perform. Tickets will be available through the Main Office from week 5.

Jazz Workshop & Concert for Chamber Ensembles

There will be a Jazz workshop for our Jazz in the Courtyard concert & Concert for Chamber Ensembles in Week 7, Date & Time to be confirmed. Please keep check in the High Notes next week.

Year 8 Parents: ESSA online 2011

Dear Parent or Carer

The Essential Secondary Science Assessment (ESSA) test for Year 8 students will be held on Tuesday 22 November 2011. The test takes approximately 80 minutes. The test is an interactive multimedia test completed entirely on a computer. It is called ESSAonline.

ESSAonline contains multiple choice, short response and extended response tasks that are grouped around real-world issues, including a simulated investigation. This is a diagnostic test, with tasks framed on Stage 4 outcomes and essential content in the NSW Science Years 7-10 Syllabus. Students will be tested on their:

• knowledge and understanding of science
• understanding and skills in the process of scientific investigation
• ability to evaluate evidence, make judgements and think critically
• ability to access information and communicate scientific ideas.

Students also complete a survey about their opinions, attitudes and values.

Since students complete ESSAonline on a computer, they will not need writing materials. However, each student needs to bring headphones or earbuds that plug into a school computer. Earbuds for an iPod or portable player are suitable.

If your child has a disability that needs special consideration or has been educated in English for less than one year, please contact your child's school to discuss special provisions or possible exemption from the test.

Results of the test will be available during Term 1 2012., Information about each student is treated confidentially and held securely to ensure that the right to privacy of all students is maintained. A personal report dor each student will be sent to parents/carers to describe the science knowledge and skills demonstrated by the student in the tes., There will also be information about how your child's results compare with overall performance of all students in the test. You will be invited to complete a survey about the test and science learning.

The principal for you child's school is able to provide you with more details about the ESSA program if you require additional information.

Yours sincerely

Robert Cordaiy
Manager, Contacts Development and Test Administration
Educational Measurement and School Accountability Directorate

SBHS Rowing Committee

Back to the Sheds Regatta 2011

Last Saturday, 22nd October, High Rowing welcomed Old Boys, parents, supporters and friends to the Outterside Centre Rowing Sheds. The day started well with beautiful weather for the High Challenge rowers to finish off their six week rowing program with a mini regatta right in front of the sheds. Congratulations to all 4 crews who rowed their best on the day and entered the spirit of the event with some colourful rowing outfits and crew names.

Then it got serious with the highlight race of the day - the best of the Old Boys challenging the School VIII. The Old Boys crew included David Farrington, Max Kite, Shahar Merom, James Whiting, Ty Linegar, Yaegan Doran, Andrew Blomberg, Shane Talbot and coxed by the very experienced Pat Desmond. It was a tensely contested race where the Old Boys used ‘clever’ tactics to cut off the School VIII, but their slight lead came undone when they caught a crab. The School VIII won in the time of 1.57, only 2 secs in front of the Old Boys.

On the shore, competitors and spectators enjoyed the morning with a row in the regatta and/or socialising over a coffee and barbecue breakfast. Our Captain of Boats, Andreas Purcal, welcomed everyone to the sheds and thanked the High Rowing Challenge crews for their support, and Dr Jaggar presented the Challenge Oar and medals to the School VIII – Gianmarco De Nigris, Andreas Purcal, Tim Montanaro, Max Jones, Ben Wilcox, David Andrews, Steve Comninos, Alex Pereira and Dan Tam (cox).

Upcoming Rowing Events

• Loreto Normanhurst Regatta - Saturday 5 November. It is exciting to have 5 crews prepared and ready to race in this regatta at SIRC. The Year 8 1st Quad, Year 9 1st and 2nd Quads, and the two School Eights will compete.
   
• Junior Head of the Parramatta – Saturday 5 November. This will be the first opportunity for all our Junior Quads to race. We will enter four Year 8 Quads, two Year 9 Quads, and our three Year 10 Eights. A good vantage point to watch this race is from the Sydney Rowers Club.

Rifle Shooting

On the 22nd of October, nine full-bore rifle shooters (Jeremy Chan, Bill Deng, Daryl Fong, Robert Sternhell, Tim Tran, Minghao Wu, Wilbert Wu, Yujin Wu, Jacky Yang,) met up at the school Flat for the first shooting prize meeting of the season – Bathurst’s annual Open Prize Meeting. It was going to be a test; we had not trained with the full-bore rifles since the GPS, three months ago. However, spirits remained high and all the shooters made ambitious goals for the trip before we left for Bathurst. With the competition being designed for individuals, there was friendly competition within the team. Two of our four Old Boy coaches who went with us also entered the competition.

Arriving at dusk, we set ourselves down at the Britain House, All Saints College and enjoyed a bonding night of pizza and pool. The anticipation of shooting the next day excited many. Truly anything could happen in the first competition of the season. After a restless night, we woke up to a refreshing BBQ and packed the minibus for the day ahead. We arrived at the range in the morning after an 8min 55sec lap around the Bathurst 1000, second to Sam’s 8min 20 sec lap last year. Somehow, 45km/hr down Conrod Straight is not what we see on television.

Bathurst 1000 Leader Board (SBHS Minibus)
Year	Driver	Time
2010	Sam Kremer	8min 20 sec
2011	Justin Hill	8min 55 sec

It was pleasing to see everyone focused on making the most of the day ahead. At the range, it was calm and bright; perfect conditions for rifle shooting. Nonetheless, competition became intense between the 61 individuals at the event. Shooting commenced with 10 counting shots at 300m, then 2 sets of 10 counting shots at 500m. Careful aiming and concentration were made difficult by the blazing sun and heat, amplified by the thick shooting jackets worn when shooting. Despite the distracting discomforts, some great scores were posted at the end of the day.

Yujin Wu and Bill Deng arrived at 1st and 2nd place in their division aggregate (C grade) with an impressive 141.7 and 138.7 points out of 150. Congratulations to Jeremy Chan, Wilbert Wu and Tim Tran who also received prizes for C grade aggregates. Congratulations also to three of our shooters (Bill Deng, Jeremy Chan and Tim Tran) who took advantage of the calm conditions to achieve PBs that day.

Thanks must go to the Old Boys Ishan Nadkarni (2008), Abraham Chan (2009), Justin Hill (2002) and Kevin Chan (2000) for travelling to Bathurst to assist us with the competition. A special thanks to Justin Hill for driving the bus. Thanks to Sam Kremer (1992) for organising the trip and also to Angus Edwards (1991), currently a Bathurst resident, for arranging our accommodation and meals.

Being only our second year at Bathurst, the Sydney High Rifle Club was well received by the Bathurst Rifle Club to be part of their annual prize meeting. This year was a great experience for our shooters, and I hope that we continue shooting at Bathurst for years to come as part of our training programme and tradition.
Yujin Wu
Captain of Rifles

Basketball: Shooting Hoops

High VS Newington

High vs Newington 2011 Term 1 (Last time)

High	Vs	NC	Term 1 2011 (last time)
TEAM	RESULT	SCORE	TOP SCORER
1st	LOSS	82-68	C.MOLLER 24
2nd	LOSS	45-37	S.RENZENBRINK 18
3rd	LOSS	41-30	A.JAIN 8
4th	LOSS (ot)	42-41	TEAM EFFORT
5th	WIN	21-18	TEAM EFFORT
6th	WIN	29-10	TEAM EFFORT
7th	LOSS	26-21	TEAM EFFORT
8th	WIN	47-16	S.DISSANAYAKE
16A	LOSS	38-33	A.THOM MVP
16B	WIN	47-43	I.METCALF MVP
16C	WIN	42-22	TEAM EFFORT
16D	LOSS	21-36	TEAM EFORT
16E	WIN	32-20	T.CHUNG 11
16F	WIN	30-18	L.ZHU 8
15A	WIN	43-41	S.BELL MVP
15B	WIN	36-26	S.WANG, W.LU 9
15C	WIN	30-12	N.WANG-LY 5
15D	LOSS	32-21	TEAM EFORT
15E	WIN	36-14	D.SHAO 8
15 F	WIN	36-13	J.MA 10
14A	LOSS	22-44	T.ZHANG, K.LIANG 8
14B	WIN	22-10	K.LIANG 6
14C	WIN	54-11	TEAM EFFORT
14D	LOSS	18-28	K.SZET 5
14E	WIN
14F	WIN
13A	LOSS	40-19	J.HONG
13B	LOSS	74-4	TEAM EFFORT
13C	LOSS	54-11	TEAM EFFORT
13D	LOSS	26-9	K.LU MVP
13E	LOSS	26-16	D.WANG 8
13F	LOSS	44-7	J.ZHU MVP

High vs Newington 2011 Term 4 (This time)

High	Vs	NC	Term 4 2011
TEAM	RESULT	SCORE	TOP SCORER
1st	WIN	56-49	D.JONES 19
2nd	LOSS(2OT)	45-51	M.ECKENGARD 13
3rd	LOSS	23-26	J.ZHOU 9
4th	WIN	41-27	TEAM EFFORT
5th	LOSS	17-13	TEAM EFFORT
6th	WIN	27-19	TEAM EFFORT
7th	WIN	37-7	WIWILLIAM CHOI 14
8th	WIN	47-29	JUN PARK 10
16A	WIN(OT)	38-35	C.SHI 15 – HIT FFTWINNING 4 FT’S!
16B	WIN	25-21	H.FENG, B.TRUONG 6
16C	WIN	35-16	P.GAO 10
16D	LOSS	47-20	J.FRIEBERG 4
16E	WIN	22-13	E.WANG 6
16F	WIN	36-34	D.SHAO 8
15A	LOSS	15-37	MVP C.LEE
15B	WIN	38-23	MVP K.LIANG
15C	LOSS	22-15	MVP M.JUN
15D	LOSS	25-13	TEAM EFFORT
15E	WIN	26-8	T.JIANG 11
15 F	WIN	52-4	G.HE, J.HUANG 12
14A	LOSS	23-44	MVP J.HONG
14B	LOSS	2424-21	A.MCCAFFERY 6
14C	LOSS	23-5	J.NGUYEN 2
14D	LOSS	0-70?	GAME REPORTED TO SPORTSMASTER…
14E	LOSS	30-2	MVP J.ZHU
14F	LOSS	17-18	W.LIN MVP

Historic Victory - Congratulations to 1st Grade for winning for the first time at Newington!

4th Grade Match Report
By Tony Hang (Team Captain)
The 4th grade team celebrated a 41-27 win over Newington this weekend, behind a combined 24 points from Tim Chin (13) and Harry Heo (11). The team as a whole was able to dominate the offense by playing aggressively, driving to the rim and drawing the foul. The team was also able to beat Newington defensively, holding them to single digits at half-time. 4th grade was also able to out rebound and overall, out play Newington's 4th grade team with good team work.

14Ds Basketball report
By Daniel Wang
We turned up at Newington, ready to improve after our loss against Scots. Newington scored within the first 5 minutes but we were determined to win. We had a few opportunities to score a few baskets and few good breaks but unfortunately, things did not turn out how we had hoped they would. In the end we lost. We were devastated with the score but we turned our unhappiness into determination and were ready to win the next game. I, personally, was happy with how we had gone and took this opportunity to see what aspects we would have to practise, to become better as basketball players and better as a team.

16As Match Report
By Charlie Shi
The 16As took on the Newington side last Saturday in a highly anticipated contest. Having only just won the last game against Newington, the 16As were eager to win. Off to a slow start, the High Boys looked rusty against a strong Newington side. Throwing off-target passes and lacking the usual energy, the High 16As looked out of sorts against a well-drilled opposition, going down early in the first half. With the starting lineup struggling against the larger opposition, the 16As went down early by 8. Despite struggling for most of the first 16 minutes with rebounding and scoring, High Coach Troy regathered and guided the team for a late push to end the half down only 2 points after an abysmal start. Despite a glimpse of brilliance in the last minutes of the first half, the start of the second half was a similar story to the first half. Down by 10 with 12 minutes to go, two 3-pointers made by PG Charlie triggered a strong rally on the back of great play by bench forwards Wenbo, Sida and Joshua. In the last minute facing a deficit of 2 points, forward Anthony Chen stole the ball and raced away for a game-tying layup. Down by 2 once again after fouling Newington, High PG Charlie is fouled and makes two crucial free throws with only 2 seconds left. With the game sent into overtime, the High team dominated the Newington side in the final 3 minutes ending the game with a win of 38-35.

First Home Game of the Season!!!

This Saturday (29th October) is the first home game of the season for our 1st and 2nd grade teams. Please come along, make some noise and support them even if you don't play basketball. 2nds start at 10, 1sts start at 11:15.

~ Go High Basketball!
~Play Hard, Play Smart and Play Together!
~ Don’t forget to visit the Sydney High Basketball Website!
~ Brought to you by the editor Chris Chiam
~Thank you to Mr Hayman for all his contributions to basketball and information

Sydney Boys High School Cricket

www.sydneyhigh.org.au/cricket

Several teams had promising results on Saturday with congratulations to both the 15 As and 15 Bs on their victories. It is particularly pleasing to see several teams restricting their opponents to less than 100 on such small grounds. However improvements are still needed across the board in terms of working the ball into gaps as too often batsmen are getting bogged down leading to their dismissals attempting a big shot.

1st XI
Match One
Shore 3/118 (20 overs) (T Connolly 1-16, J Chen 1-17, A Ramesh 1-22) defeated High 9/79 (20 overs) (J Moffat 34, O Meroni 10)

Match Two
St Ignatius 1/107 (19 overs) (O Duffy 1-4) defeated High 5/103 (20 overs) (J Moffat 40 not out, O Meroni 16, D Smith 15, O Duffy 15)

2nd XI
Match One
Grammar 3/156 (20) – Anup Kaluve 2-29 (3), Dhruv Guptaa 1 – 17 (4), defeated High 8/92 (20) – (Vishnu Avudainayagam 24, Jesse Cooper 23, Visakan Thayalan 12, Aditya Koneru 10).

Grammar batted and in a frantic opening period the openers scored off every opportunity, with short and cheeky singles creating fielding pressure, and High playing catch-up in the field, missing 5 very close run out attempts and a dropped catch, to see Grammar 0/30 after 5 overs. Our bowling was on both sides of the wicket and Grammar punished the poor deliveries severely and finished at 3-156 (20). Best of the bowlers were Anup 2/29 and Dhruv 1/17 again took a wicket in his first over with his medium pacers. High batting started disastrously with Shivaangar Thushyanthan run-out for 1 in a dubious decision however Visakan 12 and Aditya 10 put together 24 before they were dismissed within 1 over of each other. Jesse took the crease next and settled the innings, losing partner Allen 4 at 4-39 in the 11th over. On his senior debut Vishnu (Yr 8) joined Jesse and promptly produced a fantastic array of shots coupled with smart running between wickets and a partnership of 46 gave a little glimmer of hope. However the loss of 3 quick wickets with players trying to force the run rate, did not work and High finished at 6- 92 (20) determined not to lose further wickets with Safat and Ahdil the not out batsmen. Although caught early with Grammar’s onslaught with the bat, High fought back well but we still have to learn how to maintain a faster and consistent run rate when batting.

Match Two
Scots 6 – 160 (20) – Thilan Subasinghe 1- 11 (2), Aditya Koneru 1 – 13 (2), Visakan Thayalan 1- 21 (2), Shivaangar Thushyanthan 1- 24 (2) defeated High 5/100 (20) (Thilan Subasinghe 30 Ret.hurt, Jesse Cooper 29, Ahdil Ansareen 17)

High fielded first again and Scots Openers signalled their intention for the day boldly taking on our bowlers with power hitting were 0- 40 at the 4th over, and from there Scots batsmen took 90 runs in fours and sixes of big hitting from our inconsistent bowling, finishing at 6-160 off 20 overs. During the change of innings the coach said we were in the contest, stressing the team plan, building partnerships, steady run rate, quick singles and rotation of the strike. At 10 overs however, High had only scored 2- 36 and lost Aditya 2 and Vishnu 5 unfortunately run out by his partner and the innings going nowhere when Jesse came to the crease. The message had gone out that retirements were to occur due to slow run-rate, which saw the momentum turn, led by Jesse 29, Thilan 30, Ahdil with a quick fire 17 and Dhruv 4 had the score move from 36 to 92 in just 6 overs but we had run out of overs, finishing at 6/100. This was one match that got away from us through lack of experience purely due to a slow run rate chase. We can certainly improve on this.

3rd XI – Newington 7/116 (20) (M. Liu 2/13 [4], C. Oei 2/23 [3], K. Vyas 1/14 [4]) defeated High 8/60 (20) (L. Katupitiya 12, C. Oei 10, V. Bhakri 9*)

4th XI – Newington 3/213 (20) (Nevin Lazarus, Jason Hu, Xudong Feng – 1 wkt each) defeated High 35 (Nevin Lazarus 7, Terrence Zhou 4*) With our two star batsmen and bowlers gone our team was at a disadvantage from the start. Bowling first, the opposing batsmen scored runs through sixes and fours – potential singles were kept to a minimum. Honourable mention to Jason, running out a batsman with a throw from halfway across the field. Opposing bowling was of high skill, with two batsmen falling on the first over followed by a double golden duck in the seventh over.

5th XI – Shore 8/200 (20) (G. Samarasinghe 3/44 [4], V. Ho 2/57 [4], R. Chen 1/7 [4]) defeated High 53 Shore put on a display of clean hitting on a very small ground, and raced to 0-50 off 3 overs, before interspersed wickets reduced the scoring rate, and the team ended on 8-200 (20). Ricky bowled extremely accurately, taking 1-7 off his 4 overs. The required run rate was simply too much for High, and we were bundled out in 13 overs. It was promising to see 7 different batsmen hit a boundary in this modest total of 53, which highlights the batting potential in this team.

16A - High 6/67 (20) (A. Chen 13, L. DeFonseka 13, J.Zhang 12*) defeated by Newington 3/69 (17.2) (P.Lam 2/13 [3], M. Yu 1/12 [4]) A good opening partnership of 21 got High off to a great start. However the introduction of spin pegged the run rate back in the middle overs, leaving High with 6/67 off their 20 overs, with Jason finishing unbeaten on 12 and showing why he has the potential to score heavily this season. It was particularly pleasing to see the improvement in running between the wickets from last week. A great opening spell from Lasith gave High a promising start but a vast number of sundries kept the score ticking over. Some great stump to stump bowling from Philip and inswing from Michael paid dividends as they picked up 3 quick wickets. However, Newington was able to hold their nerve and reach the total with 2 overs to spare.

16B– High 39 (17) (S. Arvind 8, H. Gu 5, S. Baranwal 2) defeated by Newington 1/55 (7) (H.Zhang 1/8 [2]) Reckless batting and little straight play cost us the match. Good consistent bowling showed up from Haotian. Great fielding from the entire team cutting off boundaries and restricting some balls to singles. Work on your weaknesses during training boys. A good match all the same. Thanks to Sudarshan for coming up to play in the 16Bs for us.

15A– Newington 5/56 (16) (R. Sura 3/7 [4], J. Chew 1/10 [4], K. Robinson 1/10 [2]) defeated by High 6/57 (14.1) (R. Dai 15*, G. Shankar 12, S. Aravind 10) As last week’s match was rained out, the 15As were excited to get the season started with an over reduced 16/16 game. It began with SBHS winning the toss and electing to bowl. This turned out to be a good decision and we started off the innings with 4 quick wickets. We didn’t get another breakthrough until the 12th over when Kevin Robinson struck, with Newington finishing on 5/56 off their 16 overs. High lost a wicket first ball but recovered quickly with Gautham and Niyazul building up a solid partnership of 15. With another 30 runs to win, things were looking grim but Rick came in to bat and scored a quick-fire 8, with Sudarshan also making an impact with 10. With 4 overs to go we still needed 20 runs to win. Raycole came into bat and exploded, scoring 15 runs off 11 balls with Jonathan supporting him. In the end, High won the match by 4 wickets with 11 balls to spare.

15B – Barker 110 (J. Tran 3/14, T. George 2/7, A. Allingham 2/13) defeated by High 8/111 (T. George 38) The weather was perfect for cricket and the 15Bs were confident to topple the 15Ds from Barker College with the first game of the season for the Year 8 team. There were some concerns for the team with Shaleen rushed back into the side nursing an injured finger. Barker called the toss and won it and they chose to bat. We got our first wicket in the 2nd over and two more wickets came our way in the 5th over. By the 10th over things were looking grim for Barker and unfortunately High got over confident. In 4 overs we gave Barker 40 runs without a wicket and in the end we got them all out for 110. High fielded pretty well with 2 catches to Josh and magnificent wicket keeping by Alif dismissing the need for a backstop. High started off strongly with Josh scoring a solid 9 and Thomas playing patiently and attacking the balls which were wide. At halfway the prospects were looking fine with High on 3/75 and right on track. However we lost 5 wickets in a matter of 5 overs with 20 runs still needed. There was a mix-up in score totals so the umpires made it 1 run to win. Ironically Jason got out and Alif went out and finished the game on a strike rate of 400. Congratulations to this week’s Player of the Week – Thomas George

15C – Grammar 6/119 (J. Zhou 2/10, A. Taing 1/5, I. Zhou 1/8, Y. Zhou 1/11) defeated High 56 (M. Liu 15, S. Arudaselvan 9, I. Zhou 8*) High won the toss and sent Grammar in. High started poorly as the Grammar batsmen scored easily. Many misfields caused the High spirit to crumble however great bowling spells by Jimmy and Alex helped reduce the run rate. The team’s batting performance was disappointing as the top order failed to establish a solid start. Well done to Mike and Ian for their batting contributions.

14A – Newington 7/100 (20) (J. Pope 2/7 [4], E. Hall 2/12 [3], P. Yu 1/12 [4], M. Abeysekera 1/7 [3], H. Puvanenthiran 1/4 [1]) defeated High 3/59 (20) (H. Puvanenthiran 15, S. Nampalli 18*) High won the toss and sent Newington in to bat. The team began promisingly restricting the opposition to 3/31 after 10 with tight bowling by Manil, James, Peter and Eli. Newington however pounced on the slight drop in execution by High to reach a formidable total. Honourable mention to Raphin Hossain whose excellent fielding prevented boundaries on multiple occasions. Although High were unable to keep up with the required run rate, our batsmen still displayed great technique and potential.

14B – Newington 3/138 (20) (H. Ou 1/21 [3], S. Saini 1/13 [3]) defeated High 5/89 (20) (N. Rahman 27, F. Alam 19) Looking to post back-to-back wins, the 14Bs got off to a sluggish start in the field, with Newington racing to 1-97 from 12 overs, before some tight death bowling from Max (0-12 from 3 overs) and Saransh (1-13 from 3 overs) limited the opposition to a modest score of 3-138 from 20 overs. Needing 7 an over for victory, Nafis (27) and Faiyaz (19) laid a great platform for the chase, putting on a 56 run opening stand, before some tight bowling got the better of our middle order. Despite the loss, the boys showed some promising signs ahead of next week’s fixture.

14C – High 59 (15) (P. Yu 17) defeated by Newington 1/60 (12) (L. Jepson 1/16 [2]) High began strongly with Peter blasting 17 to propel the score to 0/26 after 4. Well done to Henry, Yichen and Raymond for their fielding efforts.

Reports
All captains must send the score, top 3 batsmen and bowlers and a four line report about their game each week to the MICs (contact information is located on the new cricket site – www.sydneyhigh.org.au/cricket). Longer reports can also be submitted in conjunction with the four line report and will be posted on the site.

From PDHPE

I would like to make the following amendments to my Fitness report that appeared in the High Notes last week. David Kim (7E) and Ihsan Mohamed (7S) also achieved their 1.6k personal goals in the 4th run by running times of 6m 37s and 8m 31s respectively. My apologies for the omissions and congratulations go to David and Ihsan as well.
G. Stein
HT PDHPE

High Family

The Bulletin Board for Sydney Boys High P & C

Julie Connolly
P&C President
If you would like to have any parent community news or upcoming events included in High Society, please contact Julie Connolly, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; M: 0418 470 203.

Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers

The City of Sydney and the Roads and Traffic Authority are working together to improve road safety in the inner city with free workshops for parents and supervisors of learner drivers. A Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers workshop will be held at Sydney Boys High School on Monday 21 November from 6pm – 8pm in the Great Hall.

The workshop will provide practical advice about:

• new laws for learner and P-plate drivers.
• how to use the new Learner Driver Log Book
• how to plan on-road driving sessions and supervise learner drivers
• understanding the benefits of supervised on road driving experience.

Participants will also receive a resource folder with a reusable calendar to plan on-road driving practice and a frequently asked questions sheet. Bookings are essential. Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to reserve your seat.

P&C Annual General Meeting

The final P&C meeting for the year will be the Annual General Meeting 7.30pm, Wednesday 16th November in the Staff Common Room
Elections for all P&C office bearers for 2012 will take place at this meeting.

Please email your nominations for P&C leadership positions to Julie Connolly This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Positions open for nomination are:

• President;
• Vice President;
• Secretary;
• Treasurer
• P&C Representative to School Council,
• P&C Representative to SHS Foundation
• Student Wellbeing Committee Representative,
• P&C Parking Coordinator
• P&C Catering and Events Coordinator,
• P&C Website Coordinator,
• Parent Mentor Coordinator

Volunteer Parents needed for SBHS Orientation Afternoon

Tuesday 15th November

Can you spare a couple of hours between 2pm and 4pm; or between 4pm and 6pm?

Please join our team of volunteer parents serving refreshments in the courtyard outside the Great Hall. Our aim is to make incoming families feel welcome and to encourage them to be involved in the school.

If you speak a language other than English, this will be especially helpful.

Please contact Nina Lui on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 0401 687 742 if you are able to help out on Tuesday 15th November.

Thank you!

School Student Transport Scheme

School Student Code of Conduct – Students travelling on buses must:-

• Dip school bus pass or pay the fare when joining the bus. This is particularly important as the data collected from the on bus fare collection system may be used for service planning purposes
• Use school specials when provided
• Vacate seats for adults when requested
• Follow the driver’s instructions about safety on the bus
• Respect the needs and comfort of other passengers
• Behave appropriately at all times (e.g. no offensive language, no throwing things)
• Protect bus property (e.g. no vandalism)

Students are reminded to:-

• Only use the school bus pass for its intended purpose i.e. for travel between home and school (does not include travel to and from sporting activities)
• Maintain possession of the school bus pass at all times.

During 2011, 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.