Fahan School eNewsletter

Principal's Report

Research on the benefits of girls’ schools, as collated by the Alliance of Girls’ Schools (Australasia), shows that they provide unparalleled opportunities for students to experience and become involved in sport. Girls are more likely to participate in PE and sport at a girls' school because they feel less self-conscious and have a greater sense of belonging. Studies have repeatedly shown that girls feel more comfortable, self-assured and supported in an all-girls environment, which in turn encourages confidence, resilience and higher levels of participation in all aspects of school life, including sport.

The opportunities offered to students at Fahan are varied, and the choice of physical activities offered provide students with ways to remain physically active, even if they don’t feel comfortable participating in traditional, competitive sporting environments. Our Outdoor Education program is a good example of this.

However, research also shows that girls’ participation in physical activity drops significantly in the senior years of high school. Interestingly, this is not necessarily the case at Fahan where we have strong participation levels in sport through to Year 12. Engaging role models, and not just elite sportswomen, but women of all ages, from a variety of backgrounds and lifestyles is a way to counter these trends and this is where the influence of our alumni who often return to volunteer in sport and other areas can be so important. Through sport, girls can experience frameworks of support, leadership, resilience and teamwork within a context of connectedness and belonging.

A team of 35 Senior students have been training for weeks to compete in the SATIS Athletics Carnival in Launceston. Whilst bad weather has unfortunately resulted in a cancellation of the Carnival, I congratulate the students who committed to the training regime and were looking forward to representing their school on the day. Fahan has always had excellent participation levels in such events, and in sports teams generally. The number and variety of sports offered is a testament to the willingness of our students to be involved.

Finally, a reminder that there are now only two weeks left until the Fahan Twilight Fair and the committee and many Community members are working very hard to ensure a great evening of fun, good food and Fahan spirit. I hope that you have been able to keep the evening free so that you can attend.

Best wishes
Meg Lawson

Important Traffic Information

In 2022, Fahan School, through traffic engineering consultants Midson Traffic, investigated traffic and pedestrian movements within and around the School campus to produce an access and travel plan. The report has been completed and notes a number of recommendations which the School has implemented or is in the progress of further engaging the Council towards providing. An future EdSmart notice will cover further details later this term.

Importantly, the report notes the internal roads and car parking areas associated with the School as overall operating safely.

As with most schools, however, drop-off and pick-up activity, particularly outside the School grounds, remains a key ongoing concern. As a result, we would like to see some improvement in certain key locations and this notice provides a traffic update on areas where your assistance is required to achieve the desired level of safety for our community.

The Fisher Avenue/Hampshire Road Junction is not the School’s preferred pick up and drop off location for students (refer to the map below for a visual representation):

Parents picking up and dropping students off in this location should be aware there have been near misses here and are reminded to support safe traffic and pedestrian movement at all times.
Congestion on the street presents additional hazards, as this area does not easily accommodate high numbers of students being picked up and dropped off safely
Parents are reminded to drive with extreme caution at all times, obey traffic rules including requirements that restrict stopping within 10 meters of an uncontrolled intersection.
Parents are also reminded of our School values and to always be courteous to our neighbours by not parking, stopping, or otherwise obstructing, resident driveway access.

Our main pick up and drop off location is within the School grounds and drivers are reminded to drive with caution, including the requirement to not overtake within the designated pick-up and drop-off zone.
Our preferred alternative location for pick up and drop off outside the School is on Coolabah Road and is particularly useful for Junior School students.
All drivers moving though the Fisher Lane/Walford Road Junction area are reminded to drive with caution particularly at the intersection.

The School will be engaging further with Council on possible parking restrictions that are intended to better support pick-up and drop-off in this location, however, it will always likely have some inherent limitations.

Fisher Avenue/Hampshire Road Junction - Overview

The safety of our students and all in our community is of paramount concern to the School. If you have any queries in relation to traffic at Fahan School, please contact our Compliance, Safety, HR & Privacy Officer, Mr Steve Harris, at harriss@fahan.tas.edu.au.

Meg Lawson
Principal

Countdown to the Fair!!

Two weeks to go!

We are now just a fortnight away from this year’s Twilight Fair. As you may have gathered, momentum has been building rapidly over the last month and we are happy to report that a great deal of progress has been made. We have received a good deal of support from both the Fahan Community and the wider community and are very grateful for the donations that have been made, along with some sponsorship. We are also grateful to those who have agreed to volunteer their time to assist the committee in making this happen.

We are even happier to report that the Twilight Fair is shaping up to be a very exciting one and look forward to seeing you at the event. We are still seeking donations, specifically in the following areas and welcome your help:

Prizes for the Chocolate Wheel
Prizes for the Lucky Dip Stall
Baked goods for the Cake Stall
Anything yummy with cocoa in it for the Chocolate Stall
Confectionery for the Lolly Stall
Miscellaneous items in good condition for the Op Shop – clothes, books, music, toys, games and so on.

If you would like to offer your time on the day, that would also be appreciated. Please get in touch with us for more information about how you can help.

Lastly, the best way you can contribute towards the Fair’s success is to turn up on the day. Yes, it’s a Friday; yes, it’s the last day of term; yes, you want to make an early get away for the holidays, but please put those thoughts aside and join us. Bring your families and friends too. Oh, and it’s a fundraiser, so bring your cash (older people), credit cards (younger people) and mobile pay Apps (youngest people).

See you on 30 September.

Mr John Padas
Fair Coordinator

Learning about Solar Play Activities

Launching into outer space was by far one of the more popular topics that inspired the children. It provided opportunities to connect science, math, literacy, language, art, and drama.

We started by reading the book, Jemima to the Rescue by ASB Books, capturing the attention of the Pre-Kinders, which had interesting yet simple explanations, and prompted lots of good conversation. The group of children discussed different parts of a space mission and made a giant rocket from cardboard and paper pretending they were rocketing to the space.

It is wonderful to see the children approach this activity with lots of discussion and conversation about the planet Earth. This spectacular planet of ours has so many things to learn about. The children were fascinated about ‘our home’ as being just one of the many planets in the solar system.

The children were interested in the planets, so we followed this interest and continued to explore it across all curricular areas. We then decided to create the planets using tissue and glue, to make a 3D model of the solar system.

All such wonderful activities support and enrich our program, providing extensions for our children’s learning.

Lisa Kelly Moya and Vivienne
Lady Gowrie Fahan Education and Care Team

Learning about Hot Air Balloons

Kinder and Prep have been busy creating paper mâché sculptures of hot air balloons in their Art lessons this term. Students have been inspired from a historic painting of a hot air balloon and our Artist in residence and teacher, Mr Nic Goodwolf has guided the students to create their own interpretations and provide the finishing touches drilling the holes into the baskets ready for take-off.

We look forward to seeing these 3D sculptures exhibited in an art installation at the end of Term.

On Monday 5 September, Year 6 students experienced a packed day of activities to further strengthen their leadership skills. Rather than going out for the day, we made the most of our amazing School grounds and buildings, with our main 'classroom' for the day being The Barn.

After a briefing on what to expect, the students were divided into groups of three. Within these groups, they had to nominate a person to be a leader for the different activities: everyone had the opportunity to be a team leader. The three activities were boat-building, a communication challenge and an orienteering course. After considering each team member's leadership qualities and the character strengths that would be needed in each task, the day was underway.

Each task was specifically designed to allow the students to shine in different ways. They were encouraged to consider the leadership styles that have been taught previously, and think about how they would use their team members' skills to the best advantage for the whole team.

A barbecue lunch, playing in the Senior School play area, and prizes for the challenges, made it a memorable experience for all.

When these Year 6 leaders move into Year 7 in 2023, they will have the confidence and tools to support them as they step up to try new things and challenge themselves and those around them to be the best they can be.

Below is a brief summary of the tasks and challenges the students experienced.

For the orienteering challenge we were all in groups of three and we were each given a map of the area near the Barn, which included the oval, the tennis court and the long jump pit. We had to find numbers which were hidden around the area and mark it on the map. Once we had found all ten numbers we had to add them up to find a total and tell the final number to Mr Dale. It was lots of fun. Some of the numbers were hidden in tricky places like stuck up high on the wall in the barn or hidden in a tree. For the second challenge we had to find ten words that were hidden around the grounds. We were all given a new map with ten new places to mark off and then we had to find the words. Once we found them all we put them together to make a sentence to give a us a clue to where the prize was hidden. In the end we found it stashed in one of the sports equipment chests on the tennis courts. The orienteering was lots of fun and I really enjoyed being able to do it. Rose P

We had the challenge of building a boat and we had cardboard boxes, aluminium foil, string and paper. We had different challenges building the boats and keeping them afloat. All of the boats were very interesting but only one survived the day. Our challenge was to make the boats last in the water with a hockey ball on top of it until 2:30pm. I really enjoyed making the boat. It was fun listening to the different ideas and designs and the creativity and the engineering that was put into each boat. There was a tortoise boat and a boat known as the Titanic Two and it really ended up just like the Titanic One when it came to 2:30! Sophie S

In the communication task, one person was elected out of the groups to pick up a card with a picture on it and had to explain the picture without saying what the picture actually was. The other people had to draw it. A challenge for me when explaining the picture was that sometimes we didn’t actually know how to communicate it clearly. After the explaining had finished we had a look at the drawings to compare and see how clearly the picture had transitioned to the drawing through our communication. Ruby W

Mrs Kathryn Lumsden-Steel

There are 14 Year 6 students who have started rowing this year, with Mrs Baxter as our coach, as well as Amelie Lumsden-Steel and Sara Gates-Matthews. The rowers meet on Saturdays at 7:00am for a two hour rowing session at Marieville Esplanade in Sandy Bay. We also have a training session through the week at School where we do ergos and will be doing hill runs.

It has been enjoyable and fun so far because it's a very supportive group and everyone tries their best. We've learnt rowing is a big team sport and that we need to concentrate hard and listen well to the coaches without stopping!

We are looking forward to the regattas and our Barrington trips. We are also looking forward to the nice warm mornings on the water because it was overcast and freezing last weekend!

Rosie Nation, Felicity Morgan and Lucy Stoneman (Year 6)

Learning about the Royal Flying Doctors

On Thursday 8 September, the Royal Flying Doctors came to Fahan School to show Year 6 how they assist people in remote areas who need medical help.

The founder of the Royal Flying Doctors was John Flynn, who began the service in 1928.

Tom, our presenter, told us about a girl that lived on 1,000,000,000 acres in outback NSW. The family lives without Wi-Fi or electricity. Their power is run by solar and diesel generators at night. The closest shop to their house is two hours away. They have three landing strips on the property to manage livestock and maintenance. Mail delivery, including groceries, can be delivered once a week if the weather is suitable. They own three helicopters to get around the farm, along with many tractors and trucks. Children that live in remote areas in Australia are usually a part of the ‘School of Air’ education. The School of Air has been running for a long time, and in the old days, you had to peddle a radio to get it to function so they could do schoolwork or contact the Royal Flying Doctors.

Tom showed us many other exciting things and explained the names and pictures on the $20 note, viewing a reenactment through a virtual reality headset. The simulator included a flight simulator, lots of cupboards and medical items. Did you know a medical box found on large properties and remote areas contains 300 different types of medicines and bandages? When a call comes through from someone seeking medical help, they are instructed to find a number that will be the item required to help until the Royal Flying Doctors arrive.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service is a fantastic way to save lives and support primary care services for those living in remote areas. Tasmanian RFD locations can be found in Break O’Day, George Town, Meander Valley, Glamorgan Spring Bay, Central Highlands, Meander Valley, Flinders Island, Dorset, Bruny Island, Tasman Peninsula and the Huon Valley. Their motto ‘The furthest corner, the finest care’ describes them perfectly.

Lauren Stanelos

Over the past few weeks, we have been developing our skills on the mountain bike. The students have been working on various skills such as cornering, body position when climbing and going downhill and bike manipulation and handling. All these skills are aimed at increasing their confidence and bike handling skills on the trails.

On Monday, we were fortunate enough to visit Kunanyi and enjoy the beautiful snow that had just fallen. We walked up to the springs from Fern tree and were lucky enough to have snow flurries falling throughout the walk. It was a great way for Isabel Willcox to celebrate her birthday.

Mrs Stacey Maley

As part of our studies of Criterion 7 (Organisms), we have undertaken several practical classes, including a rat dissection. Students were keen to learn as much as possible from the experience, and were able to carefully cut away the skin, exposing the thoracic and abdominal cavities. From there they cut into these cavities to explore the organs beneath. We looked in particular at the digestive and respiratory systems, and some groups were able to dissect out the brain.

The rat was basically very similar to our own bodies, only much tinier. The heart was small enough to balance on my finger! Mia Peatling

I really enjoyed the steps to take apart the rat and being able to see the small intestines coiled up and then unwound. Grace Bottomley

It was really fun. I liked looking at the heart. We simulated what it would be like for it to pump blood and it was a really good representation of what we have been learning. The rat was really complex but clear to see all the parts and to see what was what, very tight and well packaged. Kizzy Ball

Ms Felicity Jacobs

Last week's Big Sister, Little Sister event filled the grounds with excitement as the whole School participated in a treasure hunt. The program, which groups girls from Kinder to Year 12 in families within their School House groups, builds positive relationships amongst students, providing the younger girls with a strong and visible support network throughout the school.

Big Sister, Little Sister families are named by character strengths such as Bravery, Kindness, Fairness and Honesty.After assembling in their designated areas, each family followed their clues, navigating their way to the oval where they enjoyed a special appearance from Buddy Bear, our Pirate themed Heads of House and a taste of chocolate gold coins from the treasure chest!

On 4 September, Year 6 student, Ruby Smith Year 8 student, Jemima Ellis-McGuire represented Fahan School at the Equestrian Interschool Competition in Ranelagh with their trusty steeds Star and Roxy. On the day, they teamed up with two members of Taroona High School. The team placed 3^rd in the Casa Real for High Schools and 5^th for the overall competition, including Colleges. Jemima placed 3^rd in the dressage test, in the arena she competed, which included riders from all grade levels. The cross-county course included some hill jumps, bush jumps and a jump in water. The girls were not fazed by the downpour of rain and the slippery ground and showed enthusiasm and competence in every step of the competition.

Mrs Virginie von Savageri

Spirit of Health and Physical Education

As part of the Year 10 HPE program students are given the opportunity to connect to sport and recreational activities within the local community. The purpose of these 'physical taster sessions' is to give students exposure to a variety of activities outside of the school setting.

As students transition into their senior years of schooling, HPE is no longer a compulsory part of their weekly schedule. As most would be aware, it’s important to ensure that some type of regular physical activity stays in the mix to support your child's health, wellbeing and academic performance. For some that might be a continuation of involvement in formal sporting teams, for others it may simply be a regular walk with the family dog. The key is finding something enjoyable, and the key to finding something enjoyable is to try different things!

Students have recently enjoyed attending a variety of sessions at local fitness centres, surfing, Rock It and taking a mindful walk up the picturesque Kunanyi. We look forward to offering a few more taster sessions for students over the coming months.

Ms Allison Williamson and Mrs Peta-Jane Buchanan

Junior Basketball

Due to 22 September now being a Public Holiday the final round of the Girls JSSATIS Basketball roster has been cancelled.

The Fahan teams have all enjoyed a fantastic roster, competing strongly in their games, achieving a nice mix of wins, draws and a few losses as well. There have been some really exciting games, a number of high scoring draws, which have come down to the final seconds of the game and had the crowd on their feet!

A huge thank you to our coaches; Jane Dutton, Mrs Bury, Lucas Gorringe, Phaedon Stough, Mrs Parsons and Mrs Denman. Also, to our support staff in Nick Smith, Isabelle Bartkowiak and Pete Leary. What continues to stand out to me is the positivity that emanates from the Fahan crowd which importantly occurs regardless of the score.

Junior House Athletics

The public holiday has also caused a change in the date of the House Athletics Carnival to Wednesday 21 September. The girls in Years 3 to 6 have been working very hard in their Physical Education lessons and are ready and raring to go! Top 6’s are being finalised for the Vortex and Long Jump, with those events conducted up at the Domain at the House Carnival.

Junior House Athletics

When: Wednesday 21 September
Time: 10:30am to 2:45pm
Where: Domain Athletics Centre

JSSATIS Athletics

When: Thursday 10 November
Time: 10:00am to 2:45pm
Where: Domain Athletics Centre

Little Athletics Season 2022/2023

The club athletics season also gets underway shortly. Below are a few details regarding local clubs.

Queenborough Little Athletics Club - https://www.queenborough.org/
Season starts Sunday 16 October, 3:00pm at the Domain Athletics Centre(usually compete at Sandown Park).

Kingborough Little Athletics Club - https://kingboroughlittleathletics.org.au/newwebsite/
Starting Saturday 8 October 2022 at Gormley Park, Kingston

Hobart Districts Athletics Club - https://hobartdistricts.asn.au/

The first meet for first-time athletes is LATas’ Come and Try Day on Saturday 17 September from 10:00am.

The first meet for existing athletes is Saturday 24 September from 8:30am. All athletes from previous seasons need to be registered before the start of the season in order to get results from the first meet onwards.

Competitions are held at the Domain Athletics Centre.

Please note, most Centres do have Come and Try Days, where athletes can test out if they like Little Athletics before parents need to register them.

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

Spirit - Senior School Sport

Term 4 Sport

All students have been sent an EdSmart regarding Term 4 sport sign ups. Students must complete the slip (not parents) and submit it by Thursday 22 September. Sport choices are below.

Sport options for Years 9 and 10 for Term 3

Tennis – Games played on a Monday afternoon.
Cricket – Games played on a Wednesday afternoon
Touch Football – Games played on a Wednesday afternoon.

Sport options for Years 7 and 8 for Term 4

Tennis – Games played on a Tuesday afternoon.
Cricket – Games played on a Wednesday afternoon
Touch Football – Games played on a Monday afternoon.

Please ensure you are able to commit to playing the sports you choose. You need to commit to all training sessions and games.

Netball

Our Senior Netball team play in the second grade semi finals on Monday 19 September against GYC. This is the first time Fahan have played in a semi final in Netball for several years. Congratulations on a great season and thank you to Fahan Alumni, Asha Ratcliffe, for coaching the team. We look forward to hearing the results.

Soccer

Congratulations also to the 1^st and 2^nd Grade soccer team who have both made it to their respective Grand Finals. The date is yet to be confirmed for the 1^st Grade game and the 2nd Grade game will be on Thursday 29 September. We wish both teams all the very best for their games.

SATIS Athletics Carnival

We have just been advised that the organisers of the SATIS Athletics Carnival, due to be held tomorrow at St Leonards, has been cancelled due to bad weather.

We recognise that there are many students who will be very disappointed with this cancellation but this decision has been made with the safety of all participants in mind.

A big thank you to all team members for their commitment to the team. There were many athletes due to compete in many events throughout the day and there were also athletes who stepped into the team so that we had a Fahan representative in each event.

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

Community - Grandparents' Day

Grandparents and special friends are warmly invited to visit Fahan Junior School for this wonderful occasion. An Assembly will be followed by morning tea and classrooms visits.

Tuesday 27 September 2022
9:30am – 10:50am
Fahan School TM Hall

We have had a wonderful response already from grandparents and look forward to welcoming then on campus. Your daughter will receive copies of the invitation in her diary next week and this is the link to RSVP .

Bus Service and Parking for Grandparents’ Day

No parking will be available in the Fahan School main car park. To ease congestion at the School, a complimentary bus service will operate from Nutgrove Beach to the School. Fahan buses will pick up passengers from the Sandy Bay Sailing Club car park off Long Point Rd.

Collection times will be 9:00am, 9:05am and 9:10am, and buses will be on a return loop after the event.

We look forward to welcoming grandparents to the School.

Community - Teachers' Pets

A Year 7 Fundraiser for the RSPCA and Brightside Animal Sanctuary

Can you match the staff member to their pet? Our fundraising competition will be running throughout the last two weeks of Term Three and the first two weeks of Term Four. It will be a bit like a scavenger hunt mixed with a raffle! Students will be encouraged to talk to our members of staff and ask them questions about their pets! They may be interacting with adults they have not have previously had much to do with, so it will be important to give a smile and to introduce themselves before launching into their questions!

Featured here is our Communications Coordinator, Mrs Sarah Mirowski, and her dog, Baxter. Students will be able to ask any questions to find the matches, except they will not be allowed to ask directly about the pet.

Acceptable questions for Mrs Mirowski would include:

Do you have a dog or a cat?

Can your pet fly?

Does your pet wear a collar?

Do you have a black cat?

Does your pet’s name start with ‘F’?

The only question that would not be allowed is: Do you have a dog called Baxter?

Entry forms can be collected from the Deck on Tuesday lunchtimes. It will cost one dollar to submit an entry form and all correct entries will go into the draw for a prize. If they wish, students could team up to find all the answers and then submit a form each. A full list of staff members and their pets can be found at the end of this newsletter. Please note that staff and animals are all listed alphabetically, not in any order of ownership!

Ms Fiona Short

Community - Uniform Update

Changeover from Winter to Summer Uniform from Term 4

A reminder that in Term 4 we change over to Summer uniform. The Uniform Shop will be closed over the school holidays so please ensure you make any purchases prior to the end of term. The cut-off date for orders to be collected before the end of term is 4:00pm Wednesday 28 September.

Uniform items can be ordered online through the Flexischools website. You can also download the Flexischools App for Apple or Android. If your daughter is in the Junior School, any items purchased will be delivered to the classroom. If your daughter is in the Senior School, uniform items will be available for her to collect from the table in Reception. Please allow two days for the processing of your order. If a uniform fitting is required, appointments with the can be made during term time between 1:30pm-3:00pm by emailing uniformshop@fahan.tas.edu.au.

NEW! Formal Shorts available from 2023

We will be adding the option of shorts as part of the formal Summer uniform for Years 1 to 12 from Term 1, 2023.

Please register your interest in an email to uniformshop@fahan.tas.edu.au, including the name and year group of your child, if you would like to express your interest in purchasing shorts for 2023. These are a special order item so we are gauging interest to ensure we order appropriate stock.

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 - Lady Gowrie Vacation Care Program

LG_Vacation_Care_Fahan_Oct2022.pdf

Community - Has Anything Changed?

Please ensure you notify us of any change to your address, email, phone numbers or emergency contacts. To update your details, please email fahanschool@fahan.tas.edu.au

Community - Student Absence

Notification of student absence as a result of illness should be emailed to absence@fahan.tas.edu.au, advised by telephone on 6225 1064 or submitted through the Fahan App.

You are reminded that if foreseen absences are unavoidable, such as holidays during term time, a Request for Absence form should be submitted to the School.

Community Notices

Autism Tasmania Autistic Community - Autism Tasmania provide a range of informational workshops for parents and carers of Autistic children of all ages. These sessions aim to give encouragement and trustworthy information so that parents and carers can support their children to grow into confident and empowered adults. A confirmed diagnosis of autism is not needed.

For further information regarding workshops and how to register click here.

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 3, 16 September 2022