Fahan School eNewsletter

Principal's Report

In the last fortnight, Chris Summers, the Heads of House and I have had the absolute pleasure of reading applications and interviewing our Year 11 students who applied for student leadership positions in 2023. Every single student we spoke to was considered and thoughtful in their responses and their commitment to the positions they had applied for was abundantly clear. I particularly enjoyed hearing about their favourite Fahan traditions or events; the spirit of Fahan will certainly be upheld by any one of these applicants. It takes courage and vulnerability to apply for a leadership position and we are very proud of all of them, no matter the result. Voting has now been finalised and the new Chair appointments will be announced at Speech Night.

This week has been a hive of activity at Fahan and the sense of Community has enveloped us all. We held our biggest ever Grandparents' Day on Tuesday. This was made even more special as it was the first time in two years that we were able to hold this event in person. The joy for all involved was obvious throughout the morning.

Yesterday was the Alumni Thank You Breakfast for Year 12 students and a person who has supported them throughout their time at Fahan. This is the beginning of several such events for these students as they begin to look towards life after Fahan School.

Yesterday at lunchtime was the Year 6 ‘Battle of the Bands’, which was both musically excellent and highly entertaining. Today, of course, is the Fahan Fair and I hope that you will be able to come and enjoy what is on offer. It promises to be a wonderful afternoon and evening where the strength of our Fahan Community will be well and truly alive.

Have a wonderful holiday.

Best wishes
Meg Lawson

Important Traffic Information

Further to information sent previously, the Fisher Ave/Hampshire Road Junction continues to pose a safety risk with cars parking in unsafe areas. Please refer to the map below.

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. We also request that you are courteous to our neighbours by not parking, stopping, or otherwise obstructing, resident driveway access.

Fisher Avenue/Hampshire Road Junction - Overview

The Twilight Fair is on today!

We can't wait to see you at the Twilight Fair today from 4:00pm! The Class stalls are stocked and ready and the popular chocolate wheel will be spinning out incredible prizes all night. Don’t forget to purchase your tickets every 20 minutes and you can win a Crowne Plaza stay, Ukiyo Hair Salon package, Coal Valley Golf package, signed Hurricanes WBBL 07 bat, , as well as vouchers from Landscape Restaurant, Smitten Merino, Banjos, Baxters, Frida’s Sip n’Paint, Laser Skirmish and many many more!

The incredibly hard-working Fair Committee, led by John Padas, have put everything into place to ensure a fantastic evening for everything. You'll find a site map below which you will also find in the full program, available at the Information stall.

Learning about Spring

Over the past month we have been exploring seasonal changes throughout the Fahan School campus.

We have been observing the buds forming on the trees and them beginning to blossom and the spring bulbs getting taller and taller then bursting into flowers. The biggest change has been with the magnolia tree located at the front of the main School building. It is here that the children have observed and discussed the significant visual changes that they can see from week to week.

To extend on these observations and discussions, the children have been provided with some clipboards, grey lead pencils and paper. Then whilst on our walks we have stopped at various locations to sketch the ever-changing daffodil bulbs and blossom trees.

Different daffodil flowers were held up so the children could have a closer look and we discussed the different petals and structures of the flowers.

These sketching experiences sparked very meaningful discussions with each other about the colours, the height of the flowers, the bees collecting the pollen and how many they could see buzzing around, as well as the techniques that they were using for drawing.

Lisa, Kelly, Moya and Vivienne
Lady Gowrie Fahan Pre-Kinder

Kinder to Year 2 Vertical Groups provide many opportunities for students to try something new, learn new skills and work with others. Here are some of the students’ reflections:

What did you enjoy learning?

I liked the experiment where we made colourful fireworks in a jar with food colour and oil.
I liked working with a team to make a 3-dimensional maze.
I enjoyed making the Bee-Bot dance with Dorothy.
Making glass window cookies.
Making shelters like the palawa.
Making journey sticks.
Making shelters with tarps and ropes.

What skill did you learn or practice during this term’s Vertical Group sessions:

We learnt to use predictions every time we did an experiment.
I learnt how to design things and then try them out.
I learnt that sometimes things sink and sometimes they float.
Some ideas work better than others.
Listening carefully to sounds outdoors.
Mixing ingredients well.
Learning how to use kitchen knives safely.

What did you learn about working with others during this term’s Vertical Groups?

To follow instructions carefully.
To listen to other people in your group.
I got to learn people’s name in Prep.
If we work in groups, we make more progress.
Everyone has different ideas, and you can join them up together.

Thank you to all our wonderful Educational Assistants, Mrs Kate Bowler, Mrs Kate Greaves, Mrs Tammy McMahon and Mrs Birgitta Browning for your support!

Mrs Meg Deman

This term saw the commencement of our ‘Buddy Program’ with the Prep class, which involves meeting fortnightly to share a variety of activities and creating connections that hopefully will last throughout our students’ entire schooling.

Over the last few weeks, each Year 3 student has really enjoyed making a board game for their Prep buddy. The girls thought very carefully about their buddy’s favourite things, and tried to incorporate these into their board game design. Once completed, we presented these to our buddies and ... thoroughly enjoyed playing our games together!

I made a board game for my buddy, Imogen. I even made playing tokens – one is a ballerina and the other is a unicorn. Klara

My buddy’s board game is called ‘Dot’s Wonderland’. I decorated my board with unicorns, mermaids and fairies for Dot. Mischa

I know that my buddy, Eve, loves cats and the colour pink, so I drew cats on the board and made pink cards to go with it. Mahveen

My buddy is Lizzie. She loves the colour magenta, as well as unicorns, so I incorporated these into my board game design. Amélie

I made some tokens for my board game using ballerina stickers and my buddy, Zara, loves them! Nina

Mrs Nicole Bury

Leaves fall, helicopter blades spin, balls roll and snails slide! The universe and everything in it is continuously moving. Prep students have been exploring the concept of movement and investigating the different factors that influence why and how things move. Class members conducted several fun-filled experiments including sending balloon rockets down different types of string line, building paper helicopters and spiral spinners, and observing various old-fashioned wooden and wind-up tin toys.

Students were very curious about how the human body moves and visited a life-size skeleton and investigated the answers to some truly fascinating questions. It was fun to sing a version of “Dem Bones, Dem Bones” and play “Bobs and Statues”. Prep students even made their own crafty skeletons – and it was not even Halloween!

Ms Kim Menadue

This term, Year 1 students have been learning about writing narratives, which has given us lots of opportunities to think deeply about the different elements that make up a great story. All our learning has culminated in the creation of our very own Fairy Tales, which were beautifully written and cleverly illustrated.

To celebrate all the hard work, we invited a very special guest to join us in the classroom, local fiction author, Meg Bignall. The girls were delighted to hear about Meg’s career as a writer and she was showered in questions about her three published books, her writing processes and what she is writing next. A few of our Year 1 students were fortunate enough to read their fairy tale to Meg and each of the girls in our class excitedly shared their titles and cover pages with her.

Many thanks to Meg for inspiring the class and helping them to see how important the basic elements of writing narratives are, even for successful, published authors. Some of the girls are already planning their debut novels!

Mrs Sarah Parsons

Learning about the Botanical Gardens

On Wednesday 28 September, we went to the Botanical Gardens. When we arrived, we ate recess, had a play, and split into groups with some parents. We all headed in different directions and explored our way through the Gardens. We used maps to navigate our way and some things we needed to find or do such as stripy leaves, insects, a striped flower and hug a tree. After exploring, we ate lunch, played more and listened to another story told by Pippi’s Mum, Anna. The worst part of the day was leaving!

Thank you Mrs Baxter, Mrs McMahon and the mums who joined us.

By Year 2

From 28– 30 September, Year 4 headed off to camp at  Southport.   For many girls, this was their long camp.   The girls supported each other beautifully throughout the challenges of being away from home. There was a decent amount of rain on the first couple of days which didn’t dampen their spirits.   They did a wonderful job participating fully and  wholeheartedly in all the activities which included  a walk to  Duckhole Lake through an aptly named rain forest, navigating Hastings Cave tour, bushcraft, racing beach games and fossicking for gemstones at Lune River.    

I was in team Wallabies and we had an amazing experience.  We went for a bushwalk.  I loved Hastings Caves and finding gemstones at Lune River.  At dinner we ate spaghetti bolognaise and I had three servings of barbeque. It tasted like 5-star gourmet food.  Camp was awesome!   Molly Sowell. 

It was great to hang out with friends at camp. I loved eating popcorn while watching the movie.  The beach games were lots of fun, but I didn’t like sand in between my toes. Catherine Bell 

Our thanks to Fahan Outdoor Education staff Jayde Steer and Abigail Woolley.   

Mr David Hodgman 

Last week, the students in 70 went to visit the Kinders and read some stories to them. This formed part of their English lesson, as it is important for the Year 7s to continue developing their oral reading fluency. It was a great opportunity for them to practise reading aloud to a very appreciative audience! They had a wonderful time reading to the Kinders and enjoyed some play time together as well. Here are some of the Year 7 student reflections on the time they spent with the youngest members of our School Community:

Going to read with the Kinders was fun. I was surprised how well some of the Kinders could read. We had a good time playing with them. I liked how excited they got when they would touch the leaves when we pushed them on the swing. Charlotte

I really enjoyed reading and playing with the Kinders. I liked looking at and reading all the different story books that the Kinders brought over. My favourite part was when we got to play on the swings outside. Margot

I liked how different Kinder students liked to read in different spots. I felt excited to socialise with Kinders, as it builds good friendships between students of different ages. Sophie

When we went to read with the Kinders, I found that some of them are very good readers. After we had finished reading to them, we played with them on the swings and in the sand pit. Alice

Reading to the Kinders was a very fun and exciting experience because when they were reading, they all had different reactions and were very playful. Lola

I really enjoyed reading to the Kinders on Wednesday. Their positive energy is infectious, and I learnt so much about them. They all are fantastic readers and listeners and play very nicely together. Ula

It was so fun to play with the little Kindies and read to them. I was very surprised at how good some of them were at reading. Mieke

Reading to the Kinders was really nice and it was great to have a break from the classroom. I enjoy reading out loud to people and even though the Kinders were a bit shy and found it difficult to concentrate, they were really sweet and nice to hang out with. Scarlett

I really enjoyed reading to the Kinders and it was interesting to see what books they picked. They were shy at first but when we started playing with them, they warmed up and had a really good time. Aliera

I liked spending time with the Kinders and it was interesting to see some of the books they chose because I used to read some of them when I was in Kinder! Sasha

I love the way they smile and giggle,
I love the way they play.

I love the way they dress their dolls
and the happiness they display.

I love the way they support each other,
How inclusive they can be.

I love the way in some ways
they are more mature than thee.

Sarah

Ms Fiona Short

Last week, the two Outdoor Aventure Skills classes went to the beautiful Mersey River for four days. Here the classes put into practice their outdoor skills by taking the lead in setting up camp, cooking their own meals and working on their leadership and teamwork skills whilst on the river. The girls had the opportunity to develop their rafting skills, have a go at steering the raft down the river, and working together to take the three person inflatable kayaks down too.

I would like to commend the girls on stepping up to this challenge and showcasing their knowledge and understanding of the outdoors. We will now spend time reflecting on this trip and look at ways to further develop our skill set in these areas.

Mrs Stacey Maley

When you ask most parents what they want for their children, the answer usually comes down something along the lines of “we want our children to be happy”! Positive Education (the science of wellbeing) not only enhances well-being, evidence now backs up what many teachers (and parents) have always known. Those students with higher levels of wellbeing also have higher levels of academic achievement. With a recent spotlight on RUOk Day across our campus, and the first week of the school holidays being Mental Health Week, students across various grades in HPE have been exploring practical ways to actively build wellbeing for themselves and others.

After taking baseline data on the specific population they wanted to focus upon, students analysed these results using Prof. Martin Seligman’s PERMAH framework and designed activities to target an increase in wellbeing in a specific areas. Some of the activities included:

Gratitude coffee and card deliveries to teachers
Gratitude cards delivered to bus drivers
Positive affirmations being pinned around the School notice boards
A chill-out zone set up in the library on a rainy day for Years 7 and 8 students
A game of dodge ball on the boarders flat at lunch time for Year 9 student
A surprise mini disco at Notices Assembly for the entire School!

If you would like to explore this topic further, please see below:

Read: 10 Years of background research on wellbeing in schools

Watch: A documentary coming to the State Cinema “How to Thrive”

Do: Take the PERMAH Wellbing Survey for yourself!

Ms Allison Williamson

Spirit of Performance

This week, the Year 8 Drama class completed their Fractured Fairy Tale task.

Divided into small groups, they devised and wrote a futuristic fairy tale set beyond 2030. The character choice was limited to the existing tales Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. The task also stipulated that they research one issue or world problem that humans will face in the future (climate change, inequality, food and water security) and use it as the challenge facing the characters. The results of their creative endeavours were inventive and entertaining.

Ms Christine Best

On 23 and 26 September both Year 8 classes performed our futuristic fairy tale plays. We worked in small groups to create our plays and did everything ourselves from writing the scripts, selecting our projections, sourcing our costumes and creating sound effects.

Each play consisted of fairy tale characters such as Prince Charming, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Hansel, and the Dwarfs. The plays were set around the year 2050 and were based on world-wide issues like pollution, catfishing, climate change, inequality, or food and water security. Each play ran for roughly six to eight minutes.

We had a fantastic time performing and are extremely grateful for everyone who helped bring our plays to life! Tiger Somerville, Chloe Groom and Millie Coyne

Both Year 8 classes really enjoyed creating and performing our futuristic fairytales. We all worked hard to come up with our plays and it was so much fun being able to perform with costumes. It was challenging when we chose our backdrops and sounds but really rewarding to see the final product. Zara Bury

This week saw the opening of the Junior School Art exhibition, Curious. Featuring over 300 works from 189 artists, the exhibition represents an amazing body of work that showcases pieces created in Junior School Art lessons using a wide variety of visual arts mixed media. This exhibition has been curated in the historic Barn by our Junior School Art Teacher, Mr Nic Goodwolf. Families and friends are welcome to view this amazing exhibition tomorrow from 8am-4pm or Friday evening at the Twilight Fair.

Monday 19 September was Talk Like a Pirate Day. Year 5W had a fabulous time honing our inner pirate.

Ahoy Matey! We're looking for a coffer with some booty in it but a buccaneer is tryin' to beat us to it, so we're spying on him with the spyglass. Oh no! He's got me coffer! We run down to the starboard an' yell "fire in the hole!" Me thinks he blew up. There be no sign of him in me spyglass. Finally, we land on the island and grab the coffer. When we get back, all the scallywags are swabbin' the deck. So we leave them to it and go off an' look for another coffer. By Clare Stewart and Bianca Modrovich

Ahoy, ya scurvy landlubbers! Off to sail the Seven Seas, we need to find our precious booty! Guarded it is, by a fearsome buccaneer. A coffer of doubloons that could be ours. Avast to ye port side, me thinks it's our booty. "Aye, aye, better not have the collywobbles," said the boatswain. Tis a fearsome buccaneer my lass. Alas, the helm wen' spinnin' an' we are to be marooned! By Caroline Senkbeil and Bonnie Shepherd

coffer - treasure chest
booty – treasure
boatswain – officer in charge of the crew
doubloons – a Spanish gold coin
to have the collywobbles – to be afraid

Mrs Susan Wright

Spirit - Junior School Sport

Junior House Athletics

Wednesday 21 September saw the running of the Junior School House Athletics Carnival. After some quick reorganising, due to an unscheduled public holiday on the original date, the Carnival progressed with perfect weather for Athletics. The girls enthusiastically competed in a range of events, with great interest surrounding the ‘top 6 shootouts’, especially at the Long Jump pit in front of the crowd.

A big thank you goes to staff and volunteers on the day. Given the reorganisation required, the process was made much easier by those who were able to assist, so many thanks go to Ben Essex, Rob Morgan, Emma Doherty and Rose Pilkington, and to Hobart Districts Athletics Club who ran the timing gates during the day.

As always, there were some excellent performances in terms of times and distances, but also with regard to efforts. Going forward the JSSATIS Athletics Squad has now been selected and posted on the Sports noticeboard. This is presently only a squad and training will start in Term 4.

The House points have also been tallied and a resounding victory goes to Franklin.

FRANKLIN: 871
FREYCINET: 353
FENTON: 349

JSSATIS Athletics

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

Tasmanian All Schools Track and Field Championships

When: Saturday 29 October and Sunday 30 October
Where: Domain Athletics Centre

As in previous years, Fahan will not be attending this event as a formal team but students are able to enter at their own discretion. Further information regarding the rules and regulations of this event can be found here.

Please note that this event is used for selection for the Australian All Schools Championships held in South Australia in December.

Term 4 Sports

The teams for our Term 4 sports are currently being organised and a training schedule will be posted soon.

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

Spirit - Senior School Sport

Term 3 has been another eventful term for sport. Throughout the year, many students have represented Fahan in a variety of sports and I am always impressed and so proud of the high standards our students display. Our students always represent our School with spirit, pride, determination, and excellent sportsmanship. We are competitive and never give up. This is testament to our students and it is exciting to see what we can do with hard work, team spirit, commitment and a willingness to always give our best.

Thank you to everyone and I look forward to an exciting Term 4 in sport.

Soccer

Congratulations to the 1st Grade soccer team who played in the SSATIS Grand Final on Friday 23 September against an undefeated Guilford Young team. The Fahan team fought bravely in wet conditions and whilst Guilford Young won the game we congratulate our Fahan team for their determined effort.

Congratulations to the Fahan 2nd Grade team who won their Grand Final on Thursday 29 September against Guilford Young 5-3!

Well done to both teams and thank you to Mr Jake Bevan for his encouragement and dedication in coaching soccer this term.

2022 Tasmanian All Schools Track and Field Championships

The Tasmanian All Schools Track and Field Championships is on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October at the Domain Athletics Centre. Fahan will not be attending this event as a formal team but individual athletes may enter and entries are now open. All information regarding entry can be found on the link below

https://www.tasathletics.org.au/events/158312/

Please note that this registration is completed on an individual basis without the school entering or supervising a team.

From this event athletes are selected to represent Tasmania in the 2022 Australian All Schools Track & Field Championships which will be held in Adelaide from Friday 9 until Sunday 11 December 2022.

Badminton

EDIT: Our College Badminton team who play in the Grand Final on Friday 30 September at STBA against Hobart College. It was a close battle and they were very competitive against a strong Hobart College team who took out the win in the end. Well done on reaching the Division A final!

Hobart Marathon

On Sunday 25 September a team of 23 Fahan staff and students ran in the Hobart Marathon. There was also a team of 32 Fahan volunteers on the course and at the finish line. These volunteers included students, staff and parents and to see them on the course and at the finish line was extremely motivating.

Congratulations to Charlotte Jones (Year 11) and Laura Cooper (Year 12) who completed their first half marathon. Congratulations also to Dr Mel East who came 2^nd in the Women’s 5km event and to Tara Sciberras who came 2^nd in the Women’s 2km event. Congratulations to everyone who ran and volunteered and thank you for making the effort to be involved. To have a team of Fahan staff, students and parents at the event was rewarding. There were many personal best times and to see everyone’s smiles as they crossed the finish line was heart-warming and was a real demonstration of how fulfilling it can be to achieve a goal and challenge.

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

It was wonderful to welcome almost 200 grandparents and special friends to Fahan School this week for our Junior School Grandparents' Day. The students from Kindergarten through to Year 6 entertained our visitors with a lovely assembly that was followed by morning tea in the classrooms. Thank you to all our grandparents for joining us for this special occasion.

In a fortuitous turn of events, a story that Senior School English teacher, Anna Forward, was writing to show her senior students the process of writing narrative fiction – has been selected as a finalist by Mindfood Magazine. Ms Forward had spent some time writing a story about a magical greyhound, when she decided to submit it – albeit it in a truncated from – to the magazine.

The story was featured in Mindfood Magazine's October edition and will be up for consideration for the major prize at the year's end.

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 3 and the first two weeks of Term 4. 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.

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 - Back to School

Community - Lady Gowrie Vacation Care Program

LG_Vacation_Care_Fahan_Oct2022.pdf

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

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, 30 September 2022

Principal's Report

Important Traffic Information

The Twilight Fair is on today!

Learning about Spring

Learning with Vertical Groups

Learning with Prep and Year 3

Learning about Movement

Learning about Narratives

Learning about the Botanical Gardens

Learning about Year 4 Camp

Learning about Reading

Learning about Outdoor Adventure Skills

Learning about Wellbeing