The Open Basketball team won the Sydney Shootout last Friday night, defeating Scots again. The boys won the Ken Cole Trophy 47-32 after a tough defensive display. They backed up on Saturday for a tough win against Riverview. Well done, boys! In the competition for cover decoration for the school Student Planners for Years 8 and 9, Symeon Papadopoulos (9E) and Thomas George (10R), each won a $50 book voucher for their successful entries. Nicely done, boys! A Sydney commuter wrote to say how well behaved and courteous Ryan Huynh (7R) and his two mates are on the train each day. She says the boys automatically give up their seat to adults and behave very well at all times. Congratulations, boys! You are modelling our values well … and your behaviour is being appreciated.
The Sir Roden and Lady Cutler Foundation collection this week raised $10,749.75. Individual collectors worked the crowds very well for big personal totals. The top five collectors - Robert Guo, Lokesh Sharma, Samuel Phillis, Peter Stephens and Darren Li – raised $1373.55! Thank you to all the Year 11 boys who gave up their time for a very worthwhile cause. As always, Jerry Phillipson provided great assistance and support.
For new and existing parents – there is a really painless way to help the school reach its development objectives – the Monthly Giving Scheme. Our school’s highest priority is to commence construction of the Governors Centre sometime in 2015-16. The Centre will greatly increase the school’s capacity to hold lectures, drama productions, examinations and receptions. In a Joint Project with SGHS, we intend to raise the $8 million necessary for completion of the building. The Monthly Giving Scheme allows you to make a deduction each month from your nominated credit card account. Deductions occur around the 15th of each month. In June, the office sends you a statement for taxation purposes including the total of your donations for the year. I urge you to do as I do and make a regular financial investment in public education.
Students who are suddenly ill or have a personal or family misadventure on Saturdays are expected to communicate their non-attendance through the Student Portal up to one hour before the scheduled starting time of their matches. It is recommended that boys also ring their coaches or supervising teachers / sports Year coordinator to inform them so that alternative arrangements can still be made. A parental note should be provided to Mr Pavone on the Monday morning.
There is only one week left for students to apply for the Phillip Day and Sir Roden and Lady Cutler Scholarships. If you have financial needs due to family or special circumstances; if you are a great all-rounder; or if you have a special talent that needs extra resources to help you develop, please consider applying. Application forms can be downloaded from the school website. Applications close on 30 November.
Examinations are complete for Year 10 and underway for Year 11. It is important for boys to prepare and perform well. Year 10 mathematics students are vying for the 164 places on offer in the mathematics extension 1 course in Year 11, 2014. Entry is competitive. Science students have to qualify to study two or three science courses in Year 11, 2014. Mr Kay makes the final decision in the light of a student’s record in Year 10 science. Students in Year 11, 2014 know that they need to reach band 4 standard (70%) in order to qualify to continue in physics and chemistry beyond the Preliminary Stage.
Boys in Years 11, 9 and 7 should have their reports and should have discussed them at home with you by now. If you haven’t seen your son’s report, please ask him for it. Boys in all those Years can book a time to discuss their report with me once they have met the commitment to complete their Clearance Forms.
In Week 8 we have a number of students coming from Boggabilla to experience a bit of Sydney. We have arranged activities for the students to undertake but are in need of assistance.
Special thanks go to the High Store’s wonderful and caring volunteers who worked continuously up to 10 hours to service our new students to the school on Orientation Day. Emma Balfour, Suzana Nimac, Jenni Rajendram , Agnes Leo, Cindy Tseu, Stam Farrugia, Cora Farrell and Malin Wongthavaeevapana.
Long Sleeve White Shirt - 14-22 $31, 24-28 $33.
We are running down stock for the year, so may not have favourites.
At 7:00am on the 15th of November, the Class of 2014 ventured into the urban environment of our city to raise money for the Sir Roden and Lady Cutler Foundation. The boys did not waste an inch of land spanning across Bondi Junction, Central, Town Hall, Pitt St, Circular Quay, Wynyard and points in between. The day was promoted on radio by Alan Jones and Ben Fordham, thanks to Mr Vincent Del Zio, the foundation’s CEO.
The Sir Roden and Lady Cutler Foundation is a not-for-profit organization which provides transportation for the elderly to medical appointments and hospitals and to assist in the relief of suffering. The Foundation was first started by Sir Roden Cutler, SBHS Old Boy and former Governor of NSW, who at the age of 18 saved a surfer from a circling shark. This servitude continued into his adult life, earning him the Victoria Cross for his army service, and now realised in the charity he founded.
Supporting the foundation allows the students at Sydney High to connect with the community and embody the values by which Sir Roden Cutler lived - to serve the community.
Thank you to all 202 of the Year 11s who participated.
All staff, students and parents are welcome. Bring a plate, blanket and drinks to this casual concert and listen to their final performance for the year!!!
The Music Department is planning a Music Tour to the USA (New York, New Orleans, Las Angeles, San Francisco) in 2015 during the Term 2 Easter break.
There will be a Music Committee meeting in the Staff Common Room on Monday 2nd of December, 6:30pm for all parents and students who are interested. Expressions of interest forms will be available soon.
For all boys who have been loaned an instrument from the music department, please remember to service your instruments in the holidays.
Compared to the draft documentation circulated in August, the changes in the final revision are small and should not significantly affect any plans you have already made for purchasing a device.
All students heading into Year 9 2014 are expected to bring a device of their own choosing and ownership to school each day. In addition, any student with a Digital Education Revolution laptop (students in Years 10 – 12, 2014) may also bring their own device to school under this BYOD program.
Sydney Boys High School has partnered with Lenovo and ASI Solutions to make our recommended devices available.
The ThinkPad X240 is our premier recommended device. It's a thin and light device that fits well in a school bag. Battery life is excellent. Looked after, the X240 should readily complete four years of high school service.
The ThinkPad X131e is the product of years of design refinement in the Digital Education Revolution program. It's smaller, thicker and heavier than the X240, but is semi-ruggedised and is still a suitable device for our BYOD program.
The ThinkPad Yoga is a high-end offering. The device is tablet-convertible with multi-touch input and 360 degrees of screen rotation. The Yoga is an exceptionally versatile device which amply meets the program's device specification.
All our recommended devices are configured to meet the device specification comfortably. All feature solid state disks and so have no moving parts. All feature on-site warranty which means the device can be fixed by a technician at school, ensuring its maximum availability. Additionally, Accidental Damage Protection insurance is available as an option for your peace of mind.
You may purchase a recommended device from our purchasing portal. Visit the BYOD website for instructions to access the portal and place an order. The purchasing portal is available to the families of all students in Years 9 – 12 in 2014.
Note the process for delivery of devices purchased through the portal. As a limited offer, for orders placed up until 10 December 2013, you may opt for delivery to the school. These orders will be collectable from the BYOD Support office (Room 703) from day 1, term 1 2014.
Similarly, no recommended device is an Apple Macintosh laptop, but both the 11" and 13" MacBook Air meet all the Device Specification requirements.
No recommended device ships with Microsoft Office, but a word processor and a spreadsheet product are a requirement of the Software section of the Device Specification.
The Department of Education has indicated that they will supply licencing for Office 365. This will entitle you to install Microsoft Office on your BYOD Windows or Macintosh PC.
2nd WIN 44-39 S.BELL 19 REBOUNDS!
News for this week includes the great win by High 1st Grade against Riverview, as well as a very good game by High 1st Grade on Friday at the Sydney Schools Shootout where they defeated Scots College and are once again the Sydney Schools Shootout champions. We also had a few High boys at the Entertainment Centre watching the game: thank you all for your support! Make sure you support High 1st Grade on as many Saturdays as possible!
Mitchell is the captain for 1st Grade 2013-14, and is also the starting small forward for the team. Since entering the school in the 15As, Mitchell has been the consistent top scorer and high percentage shooter, a legacy which he has carried onto the 1st Grade team; Mitch is often seen at the top of the statistics for each game at scoring. Mitchell has already demonstrated so far in the season his ability to lead the team and constantly score, often putting the team out of the reach of the opposition to catch up. We look forward to seeing Mitchell’s leadership further into the season.
High 1st Grade will be going to the Raschke Cup this week competing once again for the title which they have claimed many times beforehand. The second grade side is participating in the P.Yeend Shield and the rest of the school will be up against King’s this Saturday. Good luck to all teams!
After a tow and paddle to the start line with no wind, Saturday’s racing saw a light but consistent NW breeze of 5 knots come down the harbour. This allowed the racing to begin with a short course race around the buoys. Without the Cranbrook sailors this week, the fleet was reduced to twenty five boats, but there was no reduction in the competition for places.
Sydney High sailors enjoyed these conditions with most boats remembering to be close to the start line when the Blue Peter came down and on starboard tack. David Evans sailing with Tim Zhang had the best of the start with a great boat end start. Daniel Fang and Long Do as crew, also made the best of the conditions and although they had gone to opposite ends of the course both these skippers tacked around the top mark in very handy positions. Darren Tiang, sailing with Stratton Vakirtzis, made up the three first High boats in the top five places to the wing mark. After these boats, came a large group of Sydney High, Ascham and Scots boats vying for the minor places in the mid fleet.
Although Kai Matsumoto (with Ethan Tay as crew) was well placed and in control around the wing mark, they and at least seven other boats suffered from a lack of wind around on the next leg and this allowed Arthur Chao and Dexter Gordon (pictured above finishing eighth) to keep their speed through the turn, harden up and then take off and pass eight boats with momentum. Robert Tan and Siyao Liang also sailed competitively to a very pleasing twelfth place in the race.
In the Teams Racing the Sydney High Team 2 had its first win of the season in positions 1, 2, 3.
The southerly change that had been predicted, came in towards the beginning of the Teams Racing and allowed a decent breeze for the competitors. The Team was being managed today by Bec Loder, who sailed as a member of the team last season and the boys will have to work harder in future to emulate the success the team enjoyed in that time.
A more consistent breeze from the south saw a good day’s racing with three races for the fleet. The highlight of the day was David Evans using both sides of the course to sail into first position after a downwind masterstroke leg. Unfortunately David did not cover his opponent after he tacked and was beaten into second place by less than a metre in race two. A valuable lesson learnt by David to be repaid at some time in the future.
Daniel Fang and crew sailed consistently to two fourth places and a seventh, while Kai Matsumoto sailed well to seventh, ninth and eleventh places in the fleet of thirty four boats. Darren Tiang with Wen Tao Ruan as crew also sailed well with a consistent top fifteen place in each of the three races.
In Teams Racing, Sydney High Team 1 had three wins to bring their total to four wins over High 2, Cranbrook 2, Ascham 2 and Scots 2 teams. The Teams racing coach has demanded a more competitive approach from the teams to improve their starts and their tactics when employing mark traps against the better opposition teams. Better sailing technique and boat control will need to be developed over the next few regattas to ensure better results in Teams racing.
Sydney Boys travelled to King’s for the annual Top Six Tournament. In this tournament each First Grade team from the GPS schools plays against one another. With each individual player playing a total of four sets. Due to the unpredictability of the weather we were forced to shorten each set to first to five with a tie-break at four all. It was a good day as a whole with everyone getting some good practice in before next week’s important match against King’s which will commence the 2013/2014 tennis season.
Second Grade played the last match of the trial season against Saint Ignatius College. Although we faced a disappointing loss, we did claim several wins. Richard and Bohan demonstrated their ability in doubles by coming back from a first set loss to finish the game quick and easy, winning 4-6 6-2 (10-6). The singles, although tough because of the intermittent rain, were played well with Richard winning yet again and Bohan tying with his opponent due to wet weather. The others played well but were unable to overcome one of the strongest teams of the GPS. Overall, second grade played well and we had shown vast improvement over the trial season. Second Grade will now head out to the competition season with much improved skill.
‘Bernie Desmond’, mother of Barney (2002) and Pat (2009), took on the role of camp catering coordinator, including purchasing all camp food and supplies, for three years - that’s a total of 150 camps feeding 50 to 60 boys each meal! Bernie compiled the Rowing Camp Catering Handbook, and happily taught other parents the camp cooking routine.
‘Charles and Fabienne Ovadia’, parents of Edward (2005) and Eric (2011). Charles served on the rowing committee for 4 years, was medical officer, and a pioneer of the Senior January Taree camp. Charles and Fabienne were also actively involved in many school activities. Fabienne was the Canteen Committee Treasurer, and Parent Welfare Officer, for 5 years. She was also the Parent Rep on the Selective School Entrance selection committee for 8 years. Charles instigated the Parent Mentor Program and ran it for 4 years, as well as the multicultural evenings such as the Chinese New Year and Big Night Out and ran them for 3 years.
‘Ollie Wilson’ (2002), a talented, committed and passionate coach to many crews over an 11 year period including coaching four School 1st VIIIs from 2008 to 2011. Ollie also committed himself to the boatshed keeping the fleet and equipment functional, and motors serviced.
‘Cam Lyon’ (1963), an outstanding supporter of the school over many years, he has been serving on the Outterside Centre Management Committee as caretaker of maintenance for the past 7 years.
‘The High Club’, generously donated funds to purchase a MQR Double Scull/Pair. The High Club remains a significant financial supporter of many school activities.
GPS Scots College 100Years Regatta at SIRC, Penrith - Saturday 23 Nov – All Year 9 Quads, Year 10 Eights, and School Senior crews will compete in this regatta. This will require a very early start, as the boys need to rig their boats before racing begins at 8am.
Melbourne Excursion and Head of the Yarra - Wednesday 27 to Saturday 30 Nov – Year 10 Eights are travelling to Melbourne to row with Melbourne Boys High and race in the annual Australian classic event, Head of the Yarra, on the Saturday.
Riverview Gold Cup at Lane Cove - Saturday 30 Nov - Senior and Y9 crews will row from the school sheds to the regatta course, and all parents are invited to St Ignatius College to watch the races.
Reindeer Regatta - Saturday 7 Dec – Selected Y9 and Y8 rowers will be competing in this regatta at SIRC Penrith.
SHS Shed Race - Saturday 14 Dec – This is our end of year event at the High Sheds. All crews compete in the handicapped ‘Shed Race’ with the finish line in front of our shed. A barbecue brunch will be served for all rowers and families to enjoy under the marquees by the river.
Loud Shirt Day is a fun one day event on Friday 18 October each year when you can wear your brightest clothes and raise money to help give the gift of sound and speech to deaf children. Loud Shirt Day contributions assist in opening a door for hundreds of deaf and hearing impaired children to a new life in the world of sound, to opportunities for full education, employment of choice, social integration with the hearing world, and a chance to contribute to their community.
This year at SBHS, a total of $1364 was raised from internal collections and donations for The Shepherd Centre. The lunchtime 'Loud Shirt Parade' was a great sight for everyone down at the amphitheatre.
After the prizes were presented in the Junior Quad during the second break, many students participated in a five minute silence of appreciation to grasp a closer understanding of what it is like to be deaf.
The Shepherd Centre has an international reputation in working closely with children diagnosed with hearing disabilities and their families. They focus on early intervention. Their specialised team of Audiologists, Family Counsellors and Listening and Spoken Language Specialists work directly with the family to develop programs that suit each individual child's language and oral skills in preparation for school. They aim for children to graduate and enter their local mainstream schools with language skills equivalent to, and often better than, those of their hearing peers.
We had a fun day and are glad to know we have contributed to this worthwhile cause.
The P&C AGM was held on the evening of Monday 11 November. Thank you to all who participated and congratulations to the incoming P&C executive for 2013-2014.
to assist in providing facilities and equipment for the school and in promoting the recreation and welfare of the students at the school.
Providing funding for school projects outside of the school’s budget from profits generated by the school canteen.
Planning and undertaking the New Parents Welcome in week 1 of the new school year.
Providing representation and expertise on the Working Committee for the joint Governors Centre project with SGHS.
Working with our co-curricular sub committees to improve information flows to parents.
Managing parking revenues on behalf of the co-curricular groups and the school.
In 2013, the P&C was well served by a dedicated group of parents who gave freely of their time on the Executive committee. Thank you to Glynis Bartley (Vice President), Jason Chen (Vice President), Anne Wall (Secretary), and Lawrence Ho (Treasurer) for their work during the year. Thank you to Usha Arvind (Student Wellbeing Committee Representative) and Nan Chen (Big Night Out Co-ordinator) for their valuable efforts. Nea Saunders and Ronald Trent joined the executive committee part way through the year and made large contributions in a diverse range of areas. Danny Flynn (joint project committee), Elaine Saunders (library sub-committee), Ravi Velupillai (Information Systems) and Sharon Wang provided their expertise and help in their specialist fields. Sachiyo James and Nina Liu again coordinated the P&C catering for parents during Open Day, Orientation Day and other P&C events with their usual elan. Jason Chen, Nan Chen and a team of hard working parents continued to provide substantial support for new parents in the transition to High through the Parent Mentor Program. Thank you to all.
Year Group Parent Representatives volunteer to provide a vital link between the School, P&C and parents. Many of these parent volunteers carry this role through their six years at the school. This year, as in previous years, the Year Group parents’ representatives have been active in disseminating essential information and organising social evenings for their Year groups. 2013 saw a large contingent of Year 7 parents taking up this role and we look forward to their valuable input over the coming years.
As is the case at this time of year, we bid farewell to many Year 12 parents and carers who have supported the school in a variety of ways during their boys’ time at High. The P&C and the school community owe them their gratitude for their tireless efforts and wish them well in the future. These parents and carers can be found involved in the many activities that make up life at SBHS - whether it be in sport, debating, music, selection panels, governance bodies, canteen or parking to name just a few. Thank you to the following parents who have help sustain the ethos of the school through their work on P&C projects or through the P&C co-curricular sub-committees: Richard and Sachiyo James, Michelle Dumonet, Susan Adams, Ruth Brian, Shilpa Punekar, Tom Rabone, Robert Rynsaardt, Andrew Kirk, Louise Meroni and Ian Robinson. Thank you to Year 12 parents not mentioned, who nonetheless have contributed throughout the years in so many ways. You will all be missed.
Consistent with the P&C’s objective of assisting “in providing facilities and equipment for the school”, the P&C has a distinct focus on raising and distributing funds for projects and programmes within the school. The financial capacity to provide this assistance is made possible by the support of parents through a combination of P&C membership fees, provision of event car parking within the school grounds, funds raised by whole School community events and profits from the School Canteen.
A very special thanks to the Canteen Sub-committee, led by Sharon Hughes and Frances Salmon, who together with the Canteen staff, Karen and Tracey and their dedicated group of volunteers, have returned $80,000 back to the School for the purposes above. The dedication and energy of the Canteen team continues to produce outstanding dividends.
The Big Night Out and New Parents Welcome are annual events that are organised, funded in large part, and resourced by the P&C and parent/carer volunteers. Both these events require substantial input by those involved and the P&C would like to thank the many volunteers who helped make these events a success. Nan Chen (BNO), Nea Saunders and Glynis Bartley (NPW) co-ordinated the events and deserve our thanks, as do the many parents, carers and friends of the school who set-up, cooked, cleaned and marketed for these two important dates on the school calendar.
Sydney Boys High is unique as a state public school in its involvement in the demanding Athletics Association of Great Public Schools (GPS) competition. This, coupled with the extensive co-curricular programmes available to High students and its selective school status, provides boys with an educational experience unmatched in the state education system. Parent/carer involvement is essential in maintaining these opportunities now and into the future. Co-curricular Sub-committees and supporter groups are in the frontline of this involvement in marshalling volunteers and raising additional funds through parking, canteens, barbeques and providing other support as required. Thank you to the Sub-committees and their teams of volunteers for their hard work and selflessness throughout 2013.
Through its participation on the joint project committee, the P&C have helped advance the proposed Governors Centre project to the point where preliminary works will be undertaken in preparation for a development application.
Through its participation on the Sports Council, the P&C have helped improve attendances at Saturday sports which benefit both the school and the participants, improving results and the overall experience for students.
Seeking parents’ feedback and as a result, supporting the school’s proposed Locally Selected Class initiative.
With the help of the school IT staff, instituting an improved communications process between the co-curricular groups and their parents.
Providing resources and effort towards improving the New Parent Welcome which provides an important forum for communicating the unique nature of Sydney Boys High to incoming parents, and their role in its continued success.
The Sydney High School Foundation is responsible for managing key school assets including the Outterside Centre, Fairland Pavilion, the High Store and Tennis Courts. The P&C wishes to thank Geoff Andrews (Foundation Chair) and Julie Connolly (Foundation Secretary) for their contributions to the business of the Foundation on behalf of the P&C in 2013. This will be the last year for Julie Connolly on the Foundation and we thank her for her long term commitment to this important body on behalf of the P&C over many years.
Thank you to Julie Connolly (School Council President), Nea Saunders and Ronald Trent who represented the P&C at School Council meetings in 2013. Major issues discussed and dealt with at the School Council this year included the proposed light rail project through the Moore Park precinct; the Locally Selected Class proposal; school budgetary issues; and Sports Council issues amongst others.
During the year, the parent community once again participated on selection panels for the appointment of teaching and administrative positions within the School. Thanks are due to those parents who continue to support this important administrative role within the school on behalf of the P&C. A special thanks and goodbye to Ruth Brian and David Mah who leave us this year.
Provide high level support for the Governors Centre project and joint project fund raising committee.
Undertake a review and update of the SBHS P&C constitution.
Continue our involvement in the Light Rail working group offering support for formal submissions and encouraging feedback to TfNSW as required.
Support other working groups within the school governance bodies as required.
Investigate alternative means of communicating with the school family; improve P&C website offerings.
The P&C executive take the above objectives very seriously, and believe that our commitment to these goals has resulted in a high level of co-operation with, and support for the Principal, the school executive, school staff, the Sydney High School Foundation and Old Boys Union. We take this opportunity to thank all of these individuals and organisations for their positive relationships with the P&C throughout the year and look forward to working together again in 2014. On behalf of the P&C, I extend our warmest thanks to Dr Jaggar, the teachers and staff at High who, in the face of significant challenges, continue to provide a unique educational experience for our sons.
Finally, the warmest thanks to the parents, carers and friends of the school who have once again given of their time unstintingly throughout 2013 to help retain the special nature of this great school, Sydney Boys High.
A reminder that this year’s P&C Thank You Party will be held in the Great Hall on Monday 9 December at 6:30pm to 9:00pm.
There are a large number of parents and staff at High who contribute in a multitude of ways to the school throughout the year. The P&C would like to acknowledge these invaluable contributions and the P&C Thank You Party is one we can do this. We would ask anyone in the school family that has helped out in any way this year (whether at a Parking event, Open Day, Orientation Day, manning the barbecue or the door, helping at the canteen, catering and cleaning up or one of the myriad other ways which keep the ship afloat) to come along and share a light supper, refreshments, some pleasant conversation, and let us say “thank you” to you and your partners. We look forward to seeing you there.