A Fortnight at Fahan - Term 1, 18 March 2022

Principal's Report

Yesterday I had the delightful pleasure of attending the Nateby Club lunch at Bangor Vineyard Shed in Dunalley. This wonderful group of ladies are some of the most faithful ambassadors for our School and they take great delight in hearing about the achievements of our students, including such important issues as which House won the Junior School Swimming Carnival! 

Last Tuesday was International Women’s Day, the theme of which was ‘Break The Bias’. Our Student Leaders, along with those from Hutchins and Collegiate, organised a dinner in honour and celebration of this occasion. The guest speaker was engineer, Kate Macintosh. Kate spoke to the audience about her interesting career trajectory, encouraging young women to consider a future in STEM. Kate’s central message was that you can’t be what you can’t see, which made her message all the more important and inspiring for people considering what their future career possibilities may be.

Our rowers will compete in the Tasmanian All Schools Rowing Championships at Lake Barrington this weekend, which is always a wonderful precursor to the most important date in the rowing calendar, that of Head of The River, which takes place next weekend. Fahan has a total of 62 students who are competing in rowing and the commitment required from every student (and parent) is significant. The highlight of the day is the Head of the River Open Eights Race. The girls in this crew have not only trained for many months, but for many this is the culmination of years’ worth of effort. We wish all our rowers every success in their events and many of us will be there cheering them on. Go Fahan!

Best wishes
Meg Lawson

Learning about Cooking

As part of our Vertical Groups program, a group of Kinder to Year 2 girls have been creating some incredible culinary delights under the direction of Mrs Birgitta Browning.  So far this term the students have made individual Bento Boxes, pastry Unicorn Horns, Fishy Cupcakes and Pizza Scrolls. 

The girls are required to listen carefully to instructions, follow them in order and demonstrate an understanding of safety in the kitchen while they work.

The maturity and creativity shown by the girls has been outstanding and the proof is most definitely in the ‘pudding’.

Mrs Sarah Parsons

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Learning about Surf Life Saving

On Wednesday 16 March, Year 4 undertook a surf lifesaving morning which complemented the Swim and Survive program.  The students learnt about coastal and surf hazards, how to identify a rip and what to do if caught in one, designated surfing areas and surf signals.  When not enjoying the tropical waters of Long Beach, they were warming up playing Flags and building mermaids.  

Mr David Hodgman

Learning about Inquiry

In Inquiry (HASS) Year 5D has been revisiting the map of Australia, focusing on the correct marking of our states, capitals and the oceans and straits around us. Each student researched one state and presented their work to the class. We have also looked at who our close neighbours are and where they can be located on a blank map.  We quickly learnt that Africa and Hawaii are not our close neighbours but the Phillipines and Malaysia are!

Did you know that the national flower of the ACT is the bluebell and that Canberra is the local Aboriginal word for ‘meeting place’?  Milla Gorringe and Ruby Pilkington

Students have also had the opportunity to study the world and identify important places, including continents, oceans, hemispheres and countries. Through the placement of hidden mystery icons, the students have been able to find the seven natural wonders of the world and some unique places of geographical interest. The geographical tools of maps, graphs and statistics and visual representations have been developed as the students’ skills and knowledge have grown. The geographical concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, scale, sustainability and change have been explored in this unit.

Interesting world facts:

Did you know that Christmas Island is home to millions of red crabs and crazy yellow ants? Bouvet Island is considered to be the most remote island in the world, as it is found in the middle of the Pacific and Southern Oceans, south west of South Africa and north of Antartica.

I learnt that Fiji was not Tonga and that there is a place in Western Australia called Gnomesville which is dedicated to gnomes.  Scarlett Nester

I learnt that Melbourne was the former capital territory. Sahaja Bathineni

I learnt that Queensland used to be called Edenglassie. I loved learning about the Great Barrier Reef and the animals that call it home, such as the angel fish, clown fish and dolphins.  Olivia Grubb

Mrs Ursula Dalton

Learning about Science in Year 6

Science has been messy but productive this term, from making felt from alpaca wool to pasta using Tasmanian products. We have a deeper understanding of where our fruit, meat, vegetables and fibre come from. We also tested the PH level of soil from home to determine what we can grow well. Rosie Nation surprised us with a bag made from an old t-shirt to further our inquiry into recycling. This then sparked an idea of making more bags during our time at camp, given it will be in winter. 

We are now working with chemical science focusing on how the properties of a range of materials and the way in which they are combined determine their use and determining what is a solution or a suspension. 

Mrs Ingrid Heather

Learning about Digital Design in Year 9

Digital Design students began this year with a research task on branding and logo design. We looked in depth at the elements and principals of design (line, shape, colour, value, form, texture, space, contrast, balance, emphasis, proportion, hierarchy, repetition, rhythm, pattern) and explored their application in personal and business identity.

The students were tasked with creating a series of fake businesses to brand and we looked at the importance of logo design in business identity. They followed a design thinking model, started on paper and explored iterations in Adobe Illustrator. They produced a creative and colourful collection of logos for their ‘clients’ and you can see a snapshot of those design here. The class developed some excellent skills in Adobe Illustrator that we will continue to build on over the Semester.  

Mr Chris Summers

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Learning about the Life Cycle of Insects

Birth announcement from the Science Labs

In an exciting and much anticipated development, we are pleased to announce the safe arrival of two baby spiny leaf insects in the Science foyer. It has taken a long 18 months of love and care for these eggs to hatch. Spiny leaf insects are a type of phasmid, and undergo parthenogenesis, a form of reproduction in which mating is not needed in order to produce fertile eggs. The hatched babies are clones of the female insect that laid the eggs, so our new babies are clones of the original insects we were given two years ago. At the moment, the babies are really tiny, but as they munch on their favourite eucalyptus leaves they will undergo a series of ‘moults’ (shedding their exoskeleton) until they reach adult size and start laying eggs. And so the life cycle is complete!

Ms Felicity Jacobs

Learning about Space Science

Class 10O has started the year in Science by studying the Universe. We have looked at so many different aspects including, but not limited to, the life cycle of stars and the Big Bang theory. With such an important topic have come very philosophical questions, such as ‘Why are we here?’ which have been interesting to discuss! Students penned a 6-line ‘Ode to the Universe’ as a way of expressing their feelings about our Universe. They also created a comic strip to demonstrate their understanding of the life cycle of a small or large star, in a creative way (Alice Wigg's and Jazmin Kempnich's are pictured below). Students also wrote down ‘sticky’ questions along the way – questions they were curious about, and at the end of the unit, we tried to answer them.

Ode to the Universe by Charlotte Cutrale
We are all made of star dust
Within every one of us is the cosmos
Never without a sense of place
Permanently connected to the overwhelming black infinity
Matter, energy, time and space
All that is, was, or will ever be. 

Sticky questions:

1. What is the sun orbiting?
   ANSWER: The Sun orbits the centre of the Milky Way galaxy.  At the middle of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole with a mass of about 4 million times that of the Sun – ‘Sagittarius A’.
2. Do all stars have planets form around them?
   ANSWER: Scientists think that most stars have planets, and that roughly 1 in every 5 ‘Sun-like’ star is expected to have an ‘Earth-sized’ planet in the habitable zone.
3. What would life be like without iron in our Earth?
   ANSWER: Without iron in the core of the Earth, there would be no magnetic field protecting the Earth from the solar wind of the Sun. Iron is also needed for all life to exist – we use it to form the haemoglobin that carries oxygen in our blood. Plants require iron to form the green pigment – chlorophyll - used to harness the energy from the Sun in photosynthesis.
4. Did all energy on Earth come from the Big Bang?
   ANSWER: The Big Bang theory states that all matter and energy was created in the Big Bang. Time and space were also created in the Big Bang. So where did the energy come from to create the Big Bang? Many cosmologists think that so-called ‘quantum uncertainty’, which is known to allow energy to emerge literally from nowhere, was involved.
5. How many years will it take for the planets to align?
   ANSWER: 6 May, in the year 2492.

Ms Felicity Jacobs

Spirit - Junior School Sport

JSSATIS Swimming

The JSSATIS Swimming Carnival was held on Thursday 17 March for our Junior School team.  The girls performed extremely well in the water and conducted themselves beautifully out of the water.  A big thank you goes to Mrs Lumsden-Steel who has assisted with training and managing the team on the day.  Below is a preliminary summary of the results, from Mrs Lumsden-Steel’s diligent note taking.  Full results will be posted on the Sports Noticeboard once recieved.

Bianca Lampkin-Smith – 2^nd Year 4 50m Freestyle Div. D, 2^nd Year 4 50m Backstroke Div. B
Nina Viviers – 3^rd Year 3 50m Freestyle Div. D
Klara Koch – 3^rd Year 3 50m Freestyle Div. B
Mia Karacic – 2^nd Year 3 50m Freestyle Div. A
Charlotte Bradfield – 2^nd Year 5 50m Freestyle Div. D
Poppy Davies – 1^st Year 5 50m Freestyle Div. C, 1^st Year 5 50m Backstroke Div. C
Lily Beechey – 1^st Year 5 50m Freestyle Div. B, 3^rd Open 50m Butterfly, 2^nd Year 5 50m Backstroke Div. B
Hannah Abbott – 3^rd Year 5 50m Freestyle Div. A, 2^nd Year 5 50m Backstroke Div. A
Rosie Nation – 3^rd Year 6 50m Freestyle Div. D
Keira Lynch – 2^nd Year 6 50m Freestyle Div. C
Frankie Gorringe – 3^rd Year 3 50m Breastroke Div. A
Maisey Smith – 3^rd Year 6 50m Breastroke Div. B
Maggie Davies – 2^nd Year 4 50m Breastroke Div. A
Ella O’Connor – 3^rd Year 3 50m Backstroke Div. C
Madison Horne – 3^rd Year 4 50m Backstroke Div. C

Year 6 50m Freestyle Relay – 4^th
Year 5 50m Freestyle Relay – 1^st
Year 4 50m Freestyle Relay – 3^rd
Year 3 50m Freestyle Relay – 1^st
Reserve Relay  - 2^nd
Medley Relay – 3^rd

Junior Sailing

Tackers Intro to Sailing gets underway on Monday 21 March, at Sandy Bay sailing Club.

Years 3/4  Monday 21 March, 3:30pm–5:30pm
Years 5/6 Monday 28 March, 3:30pm-5:30pm

As well as bringing a towel, it is recommended that those who attend wear a wetsuit.  Fahan will have a staff member present to support the girls and help with supervision.  There is a ‘theory’ component, so the sessions will go ahead regardless of weather, with use of the clubhouse available if necessary.

There is a cap of 18 students for each session but at present there is still availability in each session.

Junior AFL

Fahan has been invited to participate in a Years 5/6 JSSATIS AFL Gala Day.  This is currently set for Wednesday 6 April.  Games would be conducted in a round robin format and the students would likely leave on the School bus after lunch and then be picked up by parents when the event has finished (games have run from 3:00pm to 5:00pm in the past, at Dominic College).

More information will be distributed next week.

Club Sport

It is getting to the stage of the year when many of the club sports are getting up and running.  Sometimes it is difficult to know where to start or who to contact.  Below is a list of contacts for a range of club sports that will be in full swing over the winter months.

Soccer

Hobart City Beachside FC (based at Sandown Oval, Sandy Bay) https://hobartcitybeachsidefc.com/
Kingborough Lions United Football Club (based at Lightwood Park, Kingston) https://klufc.com.au/
Taroona Soccer Club ( based at Taroona) https://www.taroonafc.org/
South Hobart Football Club (based at Wellesley Park, Wentworth St, South Hobart) https://www.southhobartfc.com/
Clarence Zebras (based at Wentworth Park, Howrah) https://www.clarencezebrasfc.com/news

AFL

Sandy Bay Junior Footbal Club (based at Queenborough Oval) https://www.sandybayfc.com.au/

Hockey

https://www.hockeytasmania.com.au/participate/find-a-club/

Netball

https://www.stna.org.au/club-details

Basketball

https://www.basketballtasmania.com.au/where-can-i-play

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

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Spirit - Senior School Sport

Rowing

Best wishes to the Fahan Rowing Team who will compete in the Tasmanian All Schools Rowing Championships at Lake Barrington on Saturday 19 March.

The Head of the River Rowing Regatta will be held on Saturday 26 March. This is the final regatta for the season and we look forward to seeing the Fahan rowers compete.

At Fahan, we are very lucky to have committed and passionate coaches. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Fahan Rowing coaches. Not only do they give a huge amount of their time to coach rowing, they also become mentors, counsellors and friends to the girls they work with. To Sam Manson, Chris Parnham, Andrew Wirtz, Jasmine Campbell-Jones, Sasha Gregg, John Withers, Sophie Baxter and Sara Gates-Matthews, THANK YOU for all you do.

Thank you also to all the volunteers who do a variety of tasks to help.

Swimming

The SATIS Swimming Carnival will be held on Tuesday 22 March at the Doone Kennedy Hobart Aquatic Centre. We wish the Fahan Swimming Team all the best and look forward to hearing the results.

Term 2 Sport

Students have now received an Edsmart with the sports offered in Term 2. Students will need to read the information carefully and submit their own sport choices by Friday 1 April. Students have also been sent an Edsmart with the Senior School Sport Philosophy and Agreement. It is very important they read and follow the agreement and must acknowledge this in the Edsmart.

The sports offered in Term 2 are:

• Netball – Years 7/8 and Years 9/10
• Waterpolo – Years 7/8, Years 9/10 and Years 11/12
• 1^st and 2^nd Grade Hockey
• Australian Rules Football - 1^st Grade
• Badminton
• Cross Country – Park Run

I encourage all girls to be involved in sport at Fahan. Playing sport at School provides many special memories and the enjoyment and team camaraderie that comes with representing your school and playing with your friends is something that remains with you.

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

Community Update from the P&F

Our AGM was held this past Tuesday and I thank everyone who attended in person and on Zoom.  

Our elected Executive Team for 2022 is as follows:

President – Catherine Matterson
Vice President – Derek Turnbull
Treasurer – Michael O’Connor
Secretary – Vacant (to be shared each meeting (unless we get any takers- see my ad below))

Yes, we are actively seeking a Secretary for the P&F. This supremely fun role allows you to attend our monthly meetings, hang with the fun team at Fahan and get to know how the P&F works, plus it is a great way to find out before any of your friends what is happening at the School and a great way to meet really cool people. 

Our General Members for 2022 are as follows:

Shirl Badenach
Sabina Bickley
Nicole Frith
Andrew Hunt
John Padas
Amanda Slade
Bruce Wallis

In addition to the Exec Team and General Members, we of course welcome all volunteers and are grateful for the several new and returning faces who have offered to help out at upcoming events.  

The next P&F sponsored events will be in May, namely, our Mother’s Day Raffle and Mother’s Day Stall for the Junior School.  We are actively seeking donations for the raffle and if you would like a shoutout to your business, feel free to contact me with your donation idea.

It's always great to be part of making a difference for our School and we all enjoyed seeing families and students using the new P&F funded benches on the oval during the last two weeks!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Catherine Matterson
President, P&F Association

pandf@fahan.tas.edu.au.

Community - Cancer Council Relay for Life

On the weekend of 26-27 March, many of Fahan’s Years 11 and 12 students will be walking, running and skipping around the athletics track at the Domain to raise funds for the Cancer Council.  The annual Relay for Life is a great way for our School to support cancer research and get a bit of exercise at the same time! It is also a way to celebrate cancer survivors and remember loved ones lost to cancer. All funds raised stay in Tasmania to reduce the impact and incidence of cancer across all communities and age groups.

We have a fundraising goal of $3,500. If you would like to donate to our School team, visit the website here and click on the 'donate' button at the top and search our team called 'Fahan'.

Thank you for your support!

Lucia Hunt
Year 12 Community Chair

Relay for Life Raffle

If you would like to support the Cancer Council and our Fahan Relay for Life team by purchasing tickets for the statewide raffle, please visit the following website: https://www.raffletix.com.au/rfltas2022

If you enter ‘Fahan’ in the Team name, you also be supporting our School team. All money raised stays in Tasmania. There are a large number of excellent prizes, including Eagle’s Nest Retreat Accommodation valued at $1750, an F45 gym membership valued at $650 and IGA vouchers valued at $500, just to name a few!  The raffle will be drawn on 8 April 2022. 

Community - Handmark Gallery Showcases Work of Fahan Art Teachers

Fahan Art teachers, Alex Pitt and Nic Goodwolf, are both practicing artists and some of their work is currently being exhibited at the Handmark Gallery at a show called Celebrating 25 Tasmanian Printmakers.

The work of Alex Pitt is part of the seaweed images which relate to Fahan.  

Artist Statement:

These are photopolymer etchings made from a collection of seaweeds from around Tasmania. The collection was made by the founders of Fahan School, Audrey Morphett and Isobel Travers, in the 1930s. To me, they represent the vision the founders had for the School, and the students who would learn there. Travers and Morphett were passionate educators who had a strong connection and appreciation of the natural world around them. The objective of the School was to foster a deep love of learning in Science and the Arts in young women. To me, the collection reflects the motto of the School; “Light come visit me”; finding enlightenment through learning.  Alex Pitt

The exhibition runs until 28 March 2022. 

Community - Student Absence

Parents are asked to notify the School of student absence by 9:00am by email to absence@fahan.tas.edu.au, or by phone on 6225 1064. Once maintenance on the Fahan School App has been completed, this is also another option for informing the School of a student absence.

Students taking holidays during term time can impact on the ability of teachers, and more importantly other students, to complete programs of work effectively. If foreseen absences are unavoidable, permission should be sought from the Principal by downloading and completing the Request for Absence form available here.

Community Notices

Fahan School Bus Service

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