Fahan School eNewsletter

Acting Principal's Report

This week has marked the beginning of TCE Examinations for our Senior students. After months of preparation and hard work, for many, this is the final leg of their School career and I know the relief when they reach the end of next week will be palpable. Our Year 10 students have also had their first taste of examinations.

It has been a busy time in the remainder of the School. Year 8 went on camp to Forth in the north of the state last week. The girls seem to have thoroughly enjoyed the activities on offer. Such a well-planned event does not happen by chance, and I would like to thank Dr Alison Manson, Miss Jayde Steer, Ms Jessie Westbury, Miss Sophie Walch and Mr Chris Summers for their excellent planning and care of the girls last week.

Year 5 went on a day trip to Port Arthur last Friday and the smiles when they got back was great evidence that it was a wonderful day of learning in a different environment. I am sure the beautiful weather helped. Thank you to Mrs Ursula Dalton and Mrs Susan Wright for such an excellent experience. One group of Year 6 students also had a fabulous day during the week when they went rafting on the Huon River.

I had the great pleasure of attending the opening of the Years 11 and 12 TCE Art Exhibition last Thursday evening. Every year I am amazed by the quality of the work the students have produced and this year was no exception. Every student put up a body of work that was thought provoking and the variety of works produced was outstanding. Thank you to the Art staff, led by Ms Alex Pitt, for all their support of the girls in the lead up to the exhibition.

Some of our Junior School students competed at the JSSATIS Athletics carnival at the Domain on Thursday. Fortunately, the weather held it together and students competed with enthusiasm and determination, ably led and organised by Mr Tim Dale. Thank you also to the Year 10 students and many staff and volunteers who assisted with the running of the carnival on the day.

For many, the end of the School year is becoming tantalisingly close, with the promise of many exciting activities to come in the final few weeks.

Best wishes
Meg Lawson

Learning About Sound

Year 1 have been investigating the concept of ‘sound’ this term and as part of our exploration, the girls were invited to visit with Jude Elliot in her Voice Studio at the Salamanca Arts Centre. Jude shared some interesting information with the class about how sound is created by the voice and then had the girls experiment with some different vocal techniques.

After warming up their voices, Jude stepped the girls through a recording experience where they sang in small groups. Working with headphones and a mic was a new opportunity for most of the class and there were a variety of responses to the audio sensations (including lots of big smiles!).

The event raised many interesting questions about how sound is captured from our lips and saved on a computer, which is offering plenty of research opportunities back in the classroom.

Many thanks to Jude Elliot for being such a wonderful host.

Mrs Sarah Parsons

On Monday 1 November, Years 1 and 2 girls spent the day with Olivia and Amy from Surf Lifesaving Tasmania. The morning session was held in the classroom where the importance of beach and water safety was taught with vibrant demonstrations and activities. The classes then walked together to Long Beach where Olivia and Amy gave the girls a variety of practical experiences to support their learning.

It was a terrific opportunity for the students to learn about the wonderful work that our Surf Lifesaving volunteers do and to enjoy experiencing some of the safety drills firsthand. There were lots of big smiles during the day and plenty of questions and discussion about beach safety once the girls returned to School.

Mrs Sarah Parsons and Mrs Sophie Baxter

On Wednesday 20 October, Year 4 walked down to the Long Beach to learn about how to save yourself and others on the beach. To help us learn Gemma and Katie from Surf Life Saving were there. We started with a warm jog to the other side of the beach and then we had a talk about our hand signals. One hand up in a fist means come to me and this is the one to use if you need to be rescued. Afterwards we than had races of flags and we were taught how to start. Then we split up into two groups; one at the paddleboard another learning how to rescue. When we went to the paddleboards, we learnt how to do bunny hops and jump on the board. Then we learnt how to use the rescue floaties and a few girls ended up going under. We all had a great time!

By Niamh Hunter and Harper Imberger

Some interested students from Years 4 and 5 come together at lunchtime on Wednesdays to learn more about the UN Global Goals and have called themselves “Eco Warriors.” They have discussed ways that individuals can work towards making sustainable choices in the way we live on the planet and are working on projects to help get these ideas out to our School Community. For example, you may see some posters around the school that the Year 4s have made in response to climate change and ways we can all help.

At the end of last term, the Eco Warriors and the Year 6 classes registered as a Curious Climate School. Curious Climate Tasmania aims to develop public-powered scientific engagement, bridging the gap between experts and audiences with relevant information about climate change. In 2021, they have a project to answer school children’s questions about climate change. Their site can be found through the following link, where you can look at the questions the girls sent in to be answered by experts. https://curiousclimate.org.au/schools/classes/

On Monday, Aysha Fleming from CSIRO spoke to the girls about the Curious Climate School’s project. Through her presentation and knowledgeable answers to our many questions, she gave us a real sense of her passion and the importance of her work in this area. Aysha spoke with much expertise and care about how important what we do now is for changing and adapting to the climate crisis.

Mrs Tania Gath

On Friday 5 November, both Year 5 classes left Fahan soon after 7:30am to travel to the Port Arthur Historic site. This site is one of the eleven World Heritage Listed properties across Australia that represents the global phenomenon of convictism, the forced migration, punishment and reform of the criminal elements of humanity. This excursion was the culmination of our Inquiry unit on Australia’s Colonisation History. Having visited The Female Factory at the end of Term 3, we were all looking forward to comparing the life of a female convict with that of a male prisoner of Britain. To have the Historic site at our disposal for the day, to be able to walk in the shadows of these resilient men and women, was a privilege that we all enjoyed.

Our bus trip was loud and long but we enjoyed a reprieve from the cacophony at Dunalley for a quick break. From there it was onwards to Port Arthur for our first experience with Peter and Carl for a guided educational tour, which was very informative. After a quick morning tea, we split into groups to make convict bricks at the Accountant’s House and visit the Separate Prison (the silent prison). Each group wandered the site exploring the buildings and gardens, before having lunch under the big tree.

After lunch we walked to The Commandants House where we looked around the front rooms and read the information boards. Due to COVID there were rooms closed off to us, but we still managed to compare our own houses to this one. We then went on the Isle of the Dead cruise where we split into two groups. Peter and Carl, our previous guides, joined us again to talk about the various people who had died and were buried on the Isle. It was interesting for the girls to realise that the free settlers were buried at the top of the Isle, claiming the higher more scenic ground, buried with well decorated headstones. While the convicts were buried on the lower region of the land, most unnamed and unknown for their crimes.

On our return to land, we walked back to the main building and entered the museum. Each student had to find facts about their convict card. What was their crime? How long were they sentenced for? How old were they? Our guides during the day frequently mentioned choices. The girls were clearly aware, by the end of the day how their choices in life can directly affect their aspirations. Our choices – good or bad, can define your future life.

After a busy, yet informative day, it was time to leave the Port Arthur Historic site and reflect on all that we had heard and seen during our trip back to Fahan. For some this was a time to sleep, a time to chat, for others a time to ponder on what our guides had repeated during the day – ‘Choices, choices, choices’. What will you aspire to be? How will your choices, in life, enable you to achieve these aspirations?

An English prison is a vast machine...move with it and all is well. Resist and you will be crushed. Austin Bidwell, Prisoner, 1870's Port Arthur.

Mrs Ursula Dalton

Learning About Writing

Our Year 6 girls enjoyed a vibrant discussion with visiting Fahan Alumni and writer, Arianne James (Class of 2014), who delivered a creative writing workshop. Our girls’ imaginations took flight with Arianne’s spirited and inspiring lesson. It is always exciting when a Fahan Alumna returns to share their wealth of knowledge with current students. Since leaving Fahan, Arianne has enjoyed a successful writing career and is currently writing a fiction novel, set in southern Tasmania.

Mrs Ingrid Heather

On 1 November, Year 6 was lucky enough to have a Fahan Alumni venture back to School and take a writers workshop. Arianne taught us how to create interesting characters for stories. We filled out questions about our characters and wrote letters to them. We had lots of fun learning about how to create characters. Thank you Arianne for such an inspirational lesson on building up characters for our stories. Ava Mignanelli

Learning About Chemistry

For the last term, in Year 8, we have been studying the basics of matter. This has included particle theory, types of mixtures, separating mixtures, the evidence for a chemical change, and the elements that make up the Universe. These lessons lay the foundation for all future chemistry work in later years. The students have worked hard and have enjoyed seeing chemistry in action. The students conducted a series of practical activities to allow them to develop key skills such as heating a substance safely and identifying chemical changes. We also conducted some demonstrations, the most popular of which was adding a small amount of sodium to water, resulting in a violent reaction.

Some comments from the students are below:

I liked heating up the copper carbonate. The particles were moving so fast that they looked like they were bubbling. Poppy Leditschke

It was interesting how something so simple, like sodium and water, can cause such as massive reaction. I also liked how when we added two cold substances together, they could make heat and became really hot. Audrey Bullard

I was surprised that sodium was so soft. It’s a metal and so looked like it would be hard. Zara Marino

I was surprised at how heavy the mercury was when we were handing the bottle around the class. It just like looked like an ordinary liquid. It’s so heavy because it’s lower down in the Periodic Table. Tess Lawson

It was amazing to learn that sodium has to be kept in a jar of oil because if it mixes with any moisture in the air it will react and explode. Betsy Ryan

Ms Felicity Jacobs

Learning About Camp

Last week Year 8 travelled to the North West Coast for their annual Outdoor Education camp. They were based at the Tasmanian Canoe Club on the banks of the Forth River. Throughout the week they participated in three activities in House groups: whitewater rafting, bushwalking, and mountain biking. The girls learnt a lot about Hydro controlled dams and rivers as they experienced the Forth River on 'spill' for two of the days and then a different experience when Hydro held the water back for us to raft and they saw how much lower the water levels were and how there were more 'features' to play in. One group had to travel to the Leven River on a very rainy day as the Forth River levels were too high.

All groups mountain biked at the new Railton Forest mountain bike area, which is part of the Wild Mersey network of trails. The girls practiced some skills on the pump track and went on one of the longer forest trails.

The bushwalks were all at Cradle Mountain, but each group had a different experience due to the weather. Fenton were lucky enough to reach Kitchen Hut; Franklin did the Dove Lake Circuit, and Freycinet reached Marion's Lookout and returned via Crater Lake.

We are extremely proud of the way in which the girls remained positive in quite challenging conditions.

Dr Alison Manson

This week, the Years 9/10 Outdoor Adventure Skills classes had the opportunity to abseil at the Blowhole in Blackmans Bay. The classes have both had some top-rope climbing practice at Fruehauf in South Hobart as well as the opportunity to practice abseil technique and belaying in preparation for this week's class. While at the top of a 15 metre high cliff, the girls experienced many emotions but made the most of the learning experience. The activity enabled them to challenge some fear, reframe self-talk, and choose discomfort over resentment.

Dr Alison Manson

The 2021 Fahan TCE Art Exhibition is a fantastic showcase of the work of our Years 11 and 12 Art Production and Studio Practice students and was officially opened on Thursday 4 November to families and special guests. The students have developed their ideas and technical skills extensively since the beginning of the year resulting in the final exhibition of work.

The Exhibition will be open during office hours until Wednesday 17 November (sign in at the School Office). Congratulations to all of our Art students and staff for their hard work, creativity and perseverance in bringing together this wonderful exhibition.

In Year 8 Fenton we have had an awesome Term 4. Every day of the week we do something different in Pastoral Care. Our favourite activity is What is it Wednesday, which is when someone bakes or rushes to the supermarket to bring in a tasty treat for the class. We spend Pastoral Care chatting and socialising with our friends whilst sharing the food. In Term 3, Wednesdays used to be a Just Dance morning, as we would all choose a song to dance to that morning. We love that Ms Best organises something for us to do in Pastoral Care every day. On Mondays, we all share a little about our weekends. On Tuesdays, we share a motivational video to kick start the day, and on Thursdays we have some time to catch up on private study. Overall, we have all really enjoyed the year in Year 8 Fenton and we’re really thankful to Ms Best for organising our fun-filled Pastoral Care sessions!

By Betsy Ryan and Zara Marino

Spirit of World Teachers' Day

For World Teachers' Day, I made cupcakes to acknowledge our teachers and everything they do. I feel that it is important to acknowledge teachers because they do so much for us and put a lot of effort into organising our learning and extra-curricular activities. The cupcakes were vanilla flavored with vanilla buttercream and some edible stationery on top.

Thank you to all the teachers for being so amazing and for everything you do for us.

By Sasha Keogh (Year 6)

Spirit - Q&A with Marketing Specialist, Miss Laura Bird

What made you choose your career?

I left school intending to pursue a career in psychology and began a double degree in Science and Business at the University of Tasmania. It was during my studies that I realised my passion for marketing and advertising and how psychology plays a critical role in understanding human behaviour and decision making; fundamental for good marketing! After majoring in Psychology and Marketing I left university with a clear intention to use this knowledge and forge a career in marketing. Before joining Fahan School, I worked with a community radio station in their Sponsorship and Promotions team, while also volunteering with the MS Society of Tasmania in their Marketing and Events team, both of which instilled in me how important belonging to a community is and how we all need to feel we are contributing and valued.

Of what are you most proud?

I have an adventurous spirit at heart, and I am proud to say that I will pretty much give anything a go. A few highlights include travelling, rock climbing, hiking, skiing, running, painting, salsa dancing, swimming, cooking, eating cricket protein products - thanks Felicity - loved it! One of the most rewarding activities I took up was skiing and I haven’t looked back. A friend called to say she needed a fill in and naturally I said “yes” without any previous experience. This newfound adventure has snowballed into so many great life experiences with my friendship group and we often chase the snow from Japan to New Zealand with Canada on the horizon once our boarders reopen!

What do you enjoy most about working at Fahan?

What I have always admired is Fahan’s strong and generous community made up of so many wonderful members including my colleagues, the girls, parents and alumni. I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to promote and market how beautiful our School is and how caring our staff are towards our girls. The staff here are amazing and go above and beyond to ensure the girls receive the care and guidance they need to achieve their best every day. We have such a special environment here at Fahan and I am so lucky to work in such a beautiful place!

How would you describe yourself in one sentence?

I am creative, organised and thoughtful and is someone who loves to have a laugh as well as enjoys a good horror film.

Spirit - Junior School Sport

On Thursday 11 November, Fahan hosted the JSSATIS Athletics Carnival for the second year running. The lead in to the event was marred by rain, as indeed the whole month of November has been! Whilst the decision to push ahead was not an easy one, the forecasters were correct and we could finished the day with all participating schools performing at their best.

The Fahan team competed strongly, the girls acquitting themselves well after a training lead up that was also a little disjointed due to the weather. Congratulations to Jemima Geappen who broke the Year 5 Girls High Jump record with a leap of 1.43m! A big thank you to Mrs Kathryn Lumsden-Steel and Gemma Wright for looking after the Fahan team on the day. Results should be finalised early next week and I will publish them in the next newsletter.

Thank you also to the following people who all worked extremely hard on the day in a variety of roles or positions: Mrs Susan Wright, Mrs Sophie Baxter, Mrs Alli Williamson, Mrs Emily Hogan, Mrs Jo Banks-Smith, Miss Sophie Walch, Terri Norris, Fiona Gourlay, Steve Harris, Robert Owens, Andrew Wirtz, Kim Menadue, Ken Allanby and Ben Essex. Your efforts were greatly appreciated and ensured the day ran smoothly. Apologies if I have missed someone.

Another big thank you to our Year 10O class who attended on the day and carried out a variety of tasks. It certainly made my job easier and they should be congratulated for the positive and mature way in which they conducted themselves and carried out their roles.

Fahan also received great support from Sacred Heart College by means of IT support on the day, Mrs Divenuto from The Friends School, The Hutchins School for a loan of their speakers, which were just about the most important piece of the puzzle, and Stuart Hammond from Hutchins who did an amazing job on the microphone again.

Thank you to Hobart Districts Little Athletics Club for the use of their timing gates and equipment and Brett Johnstone for running the gates.

I should also mention that if you enjoyed your coffee at the Carnival, the Towbar and Colin Merritt is the man to see.

Lastly, a big thank you to Fahan Maintenance Manager, Rod Nevin, and his team for their support in setting up and packing up for such a large event, an early start in the rain and a late finish.

Mr Tim Dale
Junior Sport Co-ordinator
dalet@fahan.tas.edu.au

Spirit - Senior School Sport

Cricket

Congratulations to the Year 7 Cricket team who played in the High Schools Girls Cricket School Cup Gala Day on Tuesday 2 November. The games were held at Soldiers Memorial Oval and they played three games of modified T20 cricket throughout the course of the day. Our Fahan team won two out of the three games and it was wonderful to see their skills improve throughout the day.

Volleyball

On Thursday 18 and Friday 19 November, a number of students from Years 7 – 10 will participate in the Secondary Schools Beach Volleyball Schools Cup. All participating students have received an Edsmart with the details for the day. This information, as well as team lists, is also on the Tree. It is important to remember to take a drink bottle, lunch and snacks. Please also bring clothes for all weather conditions and put sunscreen on before you leave home that morning. There will also be sunscreen at the beach so that students can reapply. We are looking forward to an enjoyable event and hoping that the weather will be kind!

Rowing

The Under 13 rowers have their capsize drill on Saturday 13 November at the Hobart Aquatic Centre at 8:00am – 9:30am. Students will be capsizing a single scull and will be required to get back in. Remember to take a change of clothes, a towel and your water bottle.

Mrs Jo Banks-Smith
Senior Sport Co-ordinator
bankssmithj@fahan.tas.edu.au
0428 031 012

Community - Bikes for Kids Fundraiser

The Lumina 9 girls are selling hand-drawn and printed cards this year to raise money for the Variety Bikes for Kids program. Fahan School has supported this fantastic endeavour for the past nine years. All money raised will go to the Variety Bikes for Kids Program gifting a bike to a deserving recipient towards the end of this term.

All printed cards have been designed and made by the Lumina 9 girls. Each pack of 8 cards will be sold for $5. Please note, there is limited stock so be quick to avoid disappointment!

Size: Approx 15cm x 10cm

To purchase a pack of cards, please visit our website here and click on the link to the number of packs you wish to purchase (1, 2 or 3). Then click the blue RSVP button no later than Wednesday 24 November to place your order.

Cards will be distributed to your daughter/s or can be left in the School Office on the white trestle table for collection after Thursday 25 November.

Thank you for supporting the Lumina 9 fundraising efforts.

Fahan School Lumina 9 students and Pastoral Care Staff

Community - Nateby News

Term 4 is a time for celebrating significant events together in the Boarding House. We farewelled Sarah and Chloe with a special dinner to mark the end of Year 12. It was a fabulous evening as we welcomed both past and present boarders and staff. Once again, we feasted on the delicious food prepared by Maria and the dining room was beautifully decorated by Birgitta. It was a wonderful evening with lots of laughter and quite a few tears! Our second celebration for the term was Halloween! Some of the boarders (and their friends) dressed up, ready to go trick or treating. The girls also took the opportunity to have trick or treaters visit Nateby, with some of the younger Fahan girls coming to visit from houses nearby. We were delighted to have Grace, Lucy’s younger sister, make the trip from Oatlands to join in the fun! Our next celebration will be Christmas. Our tree will be going up in the Boarding House in the next couple of days and we will be having a special Christmas dinner next week.

Ms Fiona Short

Dear Fahan families,

If you are the parent of a child in the Junior School you will have received the invitation for our upcoming P&F Movie Night at Village Cinemas for the showing of the Disney film “Encanto” on Sunday 5 December 2021 at 6:00pm. At the time of writing we have only 13 seats left so please purchase your tickets sooner rather than later! It should be a very fun evening and a nice way to finish out the school year. Book your tickets here.

In keeping with our Community involvement theme this year, we are also providing a lucky door prize to the Nateby Club members at their Christmas lunch. As is now our tradition, the prize will be Tasmanian made.

We are excited to hold the first Teacher and Staff Appreciation Morning Tea later this month. We are sourcing the treats from Hamlet and will circulate photos after the event. Obviously every day should be staff appreciation day!

UPDATE: Our last P&F meeting will be this coming Tuesday 16 November at 6:00pm (not the usual start time of 7:00pm) and everyone is welcome to attend. We will be serving a few Christmas treats and you can get some insight into our 2022 community events and fundraising plans and maybe you will decide to join us next year.

A reminder of our email address which is pandf@fahan.tas.edu.au. We value and respond to all correspondence from our School Community.

Cheers,

Catherine Matterson
President, P&F Association

Community - Lady Gowrie Vacation Care Program

The program is open from 8:00am to 6:00pm, catering for children from 4 to 12 years of age.
4 year old children must be enrolled in Kindergarten in 2022 to use this program.

Community Notices

Fahan School Uniform Purchases

Fahan School uniform items can be ordered through the Flexischools website or App (Apple of Google). If a uniform fitting is required, please email Mrs Birgitta Browning at uniformshop@fahan.tas.edu.au

Canteen online orders are taken before school through the Flexischools website or App. A variety of foods are offered and healthy, nutritional choices are encouraged. Parents can also load money onto a student's ID card through the Flexischools App so that students from Year 3 may use their student card to purchase items from the canteen.

Flexischools Website

Fahan School Bus Service

For more information on the Fahan Bus Service, please click here.

A Fortnight at Fahan - Term 4, 12 November 2021

Acting Principal's Report

Learning About Sound

Learning About Surf Life Saving

Learning About Climate Change

Learning About Port Arthur