Fahan School eNewsletter

Principal's Report

Whilst every term is busy, Term 2 is always a hive of activity and one of concentrated learning and productivity. All staff began this term with a Professional Learning day; these are essential in order to have team planning time and the opportunity to meet, albeit virtually, as a whole staff on matters related to the positive development of our School, for the benefit of our students.

This week our Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students sat their NAPLAN tests which assess learning progress in several areas such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. I am sure this will have resulted in some tired students by the end of today. This week was also punctuated by our Senior School Cross Country and as usual, participation rates were excellent. Whilst Freycinet was the overall winning House, all students are to be commended for pushing through to the end of the course, even if it was challenging.

In the Junior School, parents were able to attend Parent Teacher meetings and I hope many of you were able to catch up with your child’s teacher. These meetings feel especially important at the moment as we continue to try and find ways to connect with families, despite COVID restrictions. In the next few weeks, we will be looking to recommence Junior School assemblies in a modified format so that we are again able to have the opportunity to share and celebrate the learning of our students.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Best wishes
Meg Lawson

Learning about Fine Motor Skills

In Kindergarten we have continued a focus on fine motor skills, working together to create a large scale collaborative piece of art as well as individual cushions for our mothers. We worked so very diligently during the first few days of Week 1 in order to have our cushions ready for Mothers’ Day!

Mrs Rebecca Wiggins and Mrs Meg Denman

Some of the Year 1 and 2 students began a brand new adventure this week with the season’s first hockey training. It was inspiring to see the energy and enthusiasm from each of the new players as they were introduced to the sport by the 2022 coaches, Mr James Seddon, and two of our Senior School students, Audrey Bullard and Bridie Perrott.

A number of Year 2s began playing hockey last year and their willingness to share knowledge and experience with the new players was a delight to watch.

The two Fahan teams will play their first matches this weekend and we wish them all the very best for the season.

Mrs Sarah Parsons and Mrs Sophie Baxter
Year 1 and Year 2 teachers

On the last day of Term 1, Year 3 students enjoyed their first Outdoor Education experience at the Waterworks Reserve. It was an absolutely stunning morning! We enjoyed learning about the environment, including the flora and fauna of the area, as well as what happens to the water at the Waterworks and how we can take care of this environment. We identified some plants and animal droppings using flip charts, and enjoyed a beautiful bushwalk.

A huge thank you goes to Jayde Steer and Hannah Steele for a fun and educational excursion! We are looking forward to more Outdoor Education experiences throughout the year.

Mrs Nicole Bury

Over the past seven weeks, our Year 5 students have been working on an art project exploring the play with technology, modern versus vintage and their understanding of how objects change through time.

The project was inspired by Melbourne artist, Alan Constable, who is renowned for his ceramic camera sculptures. Creativity and visual thinking were on overload as the students investigated the form and function of cameras captured in sketches, watercolours and 3D drawings. The final step of the process was to convert their 3D illustrations into their very own interpretation of a ceramic SLR camera. These masterpieces deserve an exhibition of their own!

Mr Nic Goodwolf

This week all students in Year 3 and Year 5 participated in NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) for the first time. Tests were completed online using School iPads and Chromebooks, with the exception of the Year 3 Writing test, which was completed on paper to avoid disadvantaging students who are not yet proficient at typing. In 2020, NAPLAN was cancelled due to COVID so whilst this year was the first experience for our Junior School students, they dealt with the experience in a confident and determined manner. Thank you to all the staff involved in preparing material, supporting the students and making sure all the technical elements were in place.

Mrs Susan Wright
Junior School Coordinator

Learning about the Premiers' Reading Challenge

The Tasmanian Premiers’ Reading Challenge (PRC) 2022 has begun. Junior School students are excited to be participating.

The Challenge is open to all students from Prep to Year 6 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition, but a personal challenge for students to read 10 books in 10 weeks. Year 4 students listed some of their reading achievements:

Reading 5 books in one day during lock down.

Reading from 5:00am – 6:00am in the mornings.

Reading the book Listening to the Moon, the thickest book I have!

Reading an entire book in one hour!

Reading my first chapter book, Ella and Olivia.

Almost finishing the Friday Barnes series.

Students are encouraged to read or share 10 books with their parents. Parents are asked to assist them to complete and sign the reading log. Research from ‘The Million Word Gap’ found that ‘parents who read one picture book with their children every day provide their children with exposure to an estimated 78,000 words each a year. Cumulatively, over the 5 years before Kindergarten entry, researchers estimate that children from literacy-rich homes hear a cumulative 1.4 million more words during storybook reading than children who are never read to’ (2019). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30908424/

All students who complete the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Tasmanian Premier.

Mrs Meg Denman and Mrs Sue Cole

Learning about the Ten Lives Cats Centre

On Monday Year 5 and 6 had a visit from Rose Bray who works at the Ten Lives Cat Centre. Rose talked to us about many different cats and their behaviours. We discovered that all cats are related to the African wild cat, and over 7000 domestic and feral cats are left to be cared for by the Centre for lots of different reasons.

Some facts about cats:

Cats' ears can rotate 180 degrees
The only time a cat meows is when they are communicating to humans
Kittens can’t go to the toilet until they are 3 weeks old
The least adopted cats are black
Older feral cats won’t interact with humans, but some kittens will after a few days

By Myla Philp, Lili Stough, Maisey Smith and Taylah East

Learning about Education in France

This term in French, as part of a unit called La vie scolaire, the Year 8 classes are learning about the education system in France, as well as how to describe what they study, their subject preferences and their timetables. They have recently begun a pen-pal exchange with students from Collège Guy Flavien in Paris. There was much excitement when a package arrived containing postcards and letters with self-introductions.

Here are some of the students’ observations:

They finish their letters with ‘Bisous’ which means ‘Kisses’. Tara Sciberras

I found it interesting that students in France don’t have to wear a uniform. Aspen Foster

I think it’s cool how they learn different languages because they are closer to those countries. Zara Bury

I found out that the students in France greet each other by a kiss on each cheek, which I found a bit strange. Though I’m sure that many of the things we do here would seem odd to them! Molly Porter

It has been really fun receiving and writing letters to and from the students in France. It has been interesting to learn how they live differently to us. Sarah Reynolds

I think it is really nice to be able to communicate with people our age in a different country, so that we can practise our writing skills. Chloe Groom

Finding out last term that we were going to get French pen-pals made me very excited. The lead up to getting letters was so cool because we got to find out more about people in France. I’m very excited to hear back from my pen-pal! Chloe Atkins

Ms Holly Lutzow

Learning about Carbon and Genetics

This week, both Year 10 Science classes travelled to the State Cinema for a private viewing of the movie ‘Carbon: The Unauthorised Biography’. It showed how carbon is integral to life and everything we do, from the energy we use, to the plastics we make and the food we eat.

The movie was very enlightening, and it really showed how we would not be where we are without carbon. Alice Wigg and Ashleigh Kim

Watching the movie after our unit on climate change was really important and it helped expand our knowledge. Sophie Bury

It was fun having the cinema to ourselves! Jazmin Kempnich

We have recently started our Genetics unit in Class 10O and have been learning all about the structure of DNA as the molecule of heredity. Last week we performed a DNA extraction experiment, to isolate the DNA in a strawberry. We started by squashing the strawberry in a ziplock bag to break open the strawberry tissue. This allowed the buffer solution that we added next to break down the cell membranes and make the DNA molecules separate from the proteins they were wrapped around. We filtered this mixture through some paper towel, then poured ethanol over the top, and as we watched carefully, we saw the DNA precipitate and rise to the top of the test tube – a gluggy, cloudy substance. Interestingly, cells in strawberries have the most DNA out of all fruits, so it was easy to collect and see the DNA. Whilst humans have 46 chromosomes (in 2 sets of 23), strawberries have 56 chromosomes (in 7 sets of 8). The students enjoyed the experiment and were surprised that they could actually see the DNA and lift it out!

We were also lucky enough to be visited by Dr Michael Battaglia, a Research Director at the CSIRO. He talked to us about the problem we will face with the world’s population estimated to rise to 9-11 billion by 2050, and the need to increase the production of nutrient-dense foods such as meat, to lift people out of poverty. Mike is also a founder and a Board Director for FutureFeed – a company that has been working to decrease the methane emissions produced by cattle - mainly burps, but also farts - by commercialising a specific type of red seaweed that is added to cattle feed. The seaweed is called Asparagopsis – termed the ‘Don Bradman’ of seaweeds for its incredible ability to prevent the formation of methane in cattle during digestion. This research and development of the feed additive is significant in the fight against climate change because emissions from ruminating livestock account for 10% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and is roughly 30 times stronger than carbon dioxide in trapping heat. Trials using the seaweed have shown that it is successful in reducing the methane emissions from cattle by 95%.

I thought it was really interesting to learn that if all the cows were a nation, they would be the 10th largest greenhouse gas emitters! Keala Hayes

Ms Felicity Jacobs

The Years 9/10 Extended Science class has been working on designing an offshore fish farm using the engineering design framework as part of our STEAM unit focused on innovation in food production. With a solution focus, students were given a brief based on a current real world, local issue. Recently, the Australian and Tasmanian governments have agreed to work together on a framework that could see the development of offshore aquaculture in Tasmania. The task asked students to consider the factors at play and design a solution. The results was the development of fantastic models and delivery of carefully and well thought out presentations of an outstanding standard and quality.

Students attended a Blue Economy Conference where their models have been on display at the Wrest Point Casino this week. These were received with overwhelming praise and interest from delegates and stakeholders in the industry, resulting in the students being given an oportunity to meet industry stakeholders and present their models and ideas.

This was a unique experience for the girls to see their hard work applied in a real-world context and present and represent their designs and awareness of conditions raised by this proposal. It was rewarding to have their innovative ideas to mitigate problems heard. Students thoroughly enjoyed the experience and represented the School beautifully.

Mrs Natasha Lambert

Our Fundraising Goal has been reached - a big thank you to all our generous donors !

The rowing season has now finished but we are very excited to announce that our fundraising project for a new Fahan Rowing Eight has been successful in reaching its goal of raising a total of $62,659.83. Our enormous thanks goes out to all our very generous donors who have made this lofty goal possible.

A new Eight painted in our striking Fahan orange has been ordered and we hope to have it ready to be on the water for the commencement of next season. Rowing in a new Eight will be wonderful experience for our rowing students, allowing them to reach their full potential in what we expect will be a highly competitive boat. Thank you once again to all our wonderful donors.

Schools Pathway VIII Program - Rowing Australia

In other rowing news, we were fortunate to have a number of our students participate in the Schools Pathway VIII Program which is a Rowing Australia initiative for the best schoolboy and schoolgirl rowers in each state to compete against each other. The aim of the Pathway VIII Program is to expose school rowers and coaches to the next level of rowing. It is a chance to experience the national rowing selection process, compete against their school counterparts from around the country, work with high-level coaches and support staff and encourage school rowers to make the next step in their rowing pathway.

Laura Coooper, Molly Crosby, Annabelle Fry, Hannah Riches and Sophie Rolls represented Tasmania as selected pathway program participants. We extend special thanks to Libby Rolls, our Opens Age Group Parent Coordinator, who provided support and assistance to the girls at this event. The girls performed exceptionally well with their other Tasmania team members, placing 3rd in both A and B Divisions. This fantastic success on a national stage is in addition to their wonderful performance at the Australia National Rowing Championships at Lake Nagambie in Victoria where our Fahan Firsts Four crew achieved a podium placing, finishing 3rd and securing the bronze medal.

Mr Steve Lambert
Director of Rowing

Spirit - Junior School Sport

Junior Cross Country Season

Junior House Cross Country

Date: Thursday 26 May
Where: Nutgrove Beach
When: 11:00am to 12:45pm

All Schools Cross Country

Date: Tuesday 21 June
Where: Symmons Plains
When: Bus departs Fahan at 7:45am and return approx. 4:15pm

**Open to any girl from Years 3-6 who has committed to Cross Country training in lunchtimes.

JSSATIS Cross Country

Date: Wednesday 29 June
Where: Rokeby Police Academy
When: 11:30am to 1:30pm

**Only the top 8 runners from the House Cross Country (who have completed the long course) are selected to compete in this event.

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

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

Spirit - Senior School Sport

All sports teams have now commenced their rostered games and it is wonderful to see so many Fahan girls participating in so many school sports. I wish all the teams the best for their season and look forward to seeing you all in action.

This term Fahan has sports teams participating in hockey, Australian Rules Football, waterpolo, badminton, netball and cross country. Thank you to all coaches, team managers and umpires.

Cross Country

The Senior School Cross Country was held on Tuesday 10 May at Sandown Oval.

All students from Years 7–12 competed in a 2.8km race around the Sandown ovals and on Nutgrove Beach. The beach was at was its best with the sun shining and the water like a mirror. Freycinet, Franklin and Fenton did their best cheering which certainly encouraged their team mates to give their best effort.

Congratulations to Freycinet for being the the winning House.

Congratulations also to the following girls for winning their respective age group:

Under 13 - Tara Sciberras
Under 14 – Pia Abberton
Under 15 – Estella Manson
Under 16 – Prue Clarke
Open – Ella Atkins

There will be cross country/fitness training sessions at School on Tuesday and Thursday lunchtimes at 12:45pm and on Friday mornings from 7:00am – 7:50am. All students are welcome to attend. These sessions will all begin from the Fahan Gym.

The SSATIS Cross Country will be held on Wednesday 25 May at Soldiers Walk Memorial. The squad is on the Tree and an EdSmart will be sent to all students and families with details of the event.

The Symmons Plains Cross Country will be held on Tuesday 28 June. A team for this will be selected after the SSATIS cross country.

Hockey

Congratulations to the following students for their selection in state hockey teams:

Emily Bushby – Under 16 Girls Tasmanian State Team
Prue Clarke - Under 16 Girls Tasmanian State Team
Charlotte Palmer – Under 15 Girls Tasmanian State Team
Lily Bushby – Under 21 Women Tasmanian State Team

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

YOU CAN WIN A CAR!

You could win a NEW 2022 Subaru XV 2.0i L CVT Hatch!

There are less than 60 tickets left - don't miss out!

Scan the QR code below and ENTER NOW to support the Year 12 chosen charities, The Variety Freya Fund and Sexual Assault Support Service.

The raffle will be drawn using the RaffleLink online auto-draw method on 27 May 2022 at 12:00pm. The lucky winner will be contacted by phone and/or email.

Community Update from the P&F

Dear Fahan Community,

You may have recently read in the Mercury that Fahan was named as one of only three schools in Tasmania that scored top marks for its education of Junior School students by Better Education.

I submit that you have sent your daughters to Fahan to not only receive a stellar education, but also for the breadth of other offerings the School provides, in the areas of sports, community, pastoral care, arts, music and drama.

The School relies on its army of parent volunteers and the Alumni, P&F and School Board to provide funds and, more importantly, time (volunteer hours) to supplement additional items that the girls may need in their journey at Fahan.

As a consequence of COVID-19 we saw many fundraising and community initiatives decline in the last 24 months and we are hoping we can now change this. The P&F is actively seeking more committee members. We are looking for a President and a Secretary and more people to come along to our meetings held once a month (eight a year).

As some of you are aware, my home is in California to which I am returning in a little over 2 weeks’ time. Upon my leaving the state, my tenure as P&F President will cease. I have had a wonderful time in the role, and it has allowed me to meet many members of staff, parents and girls along the way. I have also been able to gain an understanding of how Fahan works, and what everyone behind the scenes does for the School.

During my time, I have also worked full time as the attorney of a software corporation. The hours spent each week as President of the P&F have been under three. I would love to hand the reins over to another parent who feels they can take on the position.

The work involved for each open position is as follows:

President – no more than 12 hours per month – run the meetings; provide the Agenda, run the AGM once a year, source volunteers for our annual activities.

Secretary – no more than 3 hours per month – take the minutes, and provide them to the President for review then approval at the next meeting.

Our next meeting is this coming Tuesday 17 May. Please feel free to join us either in person or via Zoom. An Edsmart will be sent today with more information.

Catherine Matterson
President, P&F Association

pandf@fahan.tas.edu.au

Community - Parent and Carer Webinars

The office of the eSafety Commissioner is running a number of free webinars to give parents and carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences.

For further information and to view the webinar schedule, visit their website here.

Community - Alliance of Girls' Schools Australia - Keeping Safe in Cyberspace

Community - Citizen Science Opportunity

Do you love birds and have a little free time coming up? This weekend and the weekend of the 27-29 of May, you can sign up to be a contributor to collect data on Wedge Tailed Eagles around Tasmania. This important citizen science project helps researchers to gain a better picture of this magnificent species and how we can better protect it. Spend some time outdoors with friends doing your part for conservation, and learn some new skills! Visit this website for information on how to sign up, book a plot, and how to identify the eagle. Then download the app and start tracking! Website: https://naturetrackers.com.au/projects/where-where-wedgie/take-part/

Community - Uniform Reminder

Clothing Pool

Fahan is now accepting clean, current uniform items in good condition for sale in the Clothing Pool. Items can be left at the School Office and must be accompanied by a completed Clothing Pool form, available from the School Office or on the website.

Clothing Pool Form

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 2, 13 May 2022

Principal's Report

Learning about Fine Motor Skills

Learning about Hockey

Learning about Outdoor Education

Learning about Sculpting Cameras

Learning about NAPLAN in the Junior School