Fahan School eNewsletter

Principal's Report

Welcome to Term 4!

Spring was certainly in the air on the last day for Term 3 as we enjoyed the activities and wares on offer at the Fahan School Twilight Fair. Attendance at the event was outstanding and it was clear that we were all happy to be able to get together as a Fahan Community in such a way again. Financially, the Fair was very successful and I would like to thank the hard-working committee, under the expert guidance of John Padas, for their enthusiasm and excellent organisational skills in making this wonderful event come together.

On the first day of Term 4, we had the pleasure of hearing the Gerdy Jevtic Medal recipient, Dr Alice Edwards, deliver the Travers Morphett Lecture. Alice’s career beyond her years at Fahan has been nothing short of amazing, and it was a privilege to hear her speak about her journey towards being the first woman appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture in July this year. Alice delivered her address to a rapt audience, providing inspiration to our students, some of whom I know are thinking carefully about their future options and have been influenced as a result. Alice provided the audience with ten pieces of advice which, by popular demand, I have noted for you below.

We do nothing truly alone. There are so many helpers along the way. Teachers, mentors, parents, friends, family, strangers.
The world is a richer place because of our diversity. Be open to new people, new experiences, new places. Get out and experience the world.
Be prepared for the worst, hope for the best. Very practically, as women, you are likely to face harassment or discrimination in your careers. Be prepared for it. Practice your lines to get yourself out of an uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situation. Have an escape plan. I’ve needed this regrettably on more than one occasion, and it was among the best advice I’ve received so I’m handing it along.
Study history … keep an open mind … and take a long-term view … Rome was not built in a day!
And if you’re interested in human rights work, here are a few extra pieces of advice:

Do not accept a position abroad that you would not be qualified to do at home.
Do not take the job of someone who could do that job locally.
Learn a foreign language.
Do not work for agencies or organisations or go on voluntourism trips that will not share with you their ethical guidelines, or do not ask you for a criminal record check. Unless qualified, do not take positions with children or victims of trafficking.
There are highly skilled people, and a growing middle class, in almost all countries. Update your knowledge of the world. Don’t make assumptions about Africa or any other place; read widely; listen; and go and experience it for yourself.

Back to the main list …

6. Go make a big splash in this world, but tread lightly on our planet. While your generation are perhaps the most attuned to the climate change threats to our world, the younger generations are ironically also recorded to be the biggest spenders of cash on disposable items. Don’t become part of the problem. Be part of the solution.
7. Always keep learning.
8. Be grateful
9. Remember, there will always be another opportunity. If one door closes, another usually opens. Be patient.
10. Now to really wrap this up …

I am not exceptional, I have had exceptional opportunities, some delivered through hard work and graft, others by sheer luck, others because I was willing to take a risk. At some point, you must close your eyes and step forward despite the steep slope. You must rely on your backpack that you have filled with all you need to get through life: your education, your experiences, your relationships, your intuition, your energy, and your passion. Pack your backpack well. And venture forth.

You can view Alice's TM Lecture below.

We also farewell Mrs Lisa Seddon today as she moves on to her position with TASC. The School thanks Mrs Seddon for her significant contribution to the education of our students during her time here and we wish her all the very best for this next move in her career.

Finally, today was the final day of lessons for our Years 11 and 12 students before they begin SWOTVAC and enter the examination period. Our Year 12s had a joyful final assembly, and it was wonderful to be able to share some memories with them as we reflected upon their School journeys.

Mr Chris Summers was awarded the Helen Stephen Memorial Award as voted by the current Year 12 class. This Award has been presented since 2019 in honour of our beloved teacher who passed away in that year. The Award captures the qualities of Mrs Stephen and I know that Mr Summers was very honoured to be the recipient.

We will have another opportunity to farewell our Year 12 students in our last week of School in December.

Best wishes
Meg Lawson

Learning in the Botanical Gardens

Kinders had the most magical Teddy Bear Picnic at the Botanical Gardens. Teddy Bears, sunshine, tulips and a picnic was just what we needed to welcome in Term 4.

Mrs Rebecca Wiggins

Learning about Camp

The Year 3 girls have had a fabulous time at camp at Orana this week. The weather was wet, wet, wet, but this did not dampen our spirits! We have enjoyed beach walks, delicious food, sharing a cabin with our friends, and lots of indoor games and activities.

Mrs Nicole Bury

In French class we were learning about the names of animals with a song about hens going 1^st 2^nd and 3^rd and these three girls spontaneously offered to turn it into a little puppet show which was so delightful!

Ruby, Anna & Milla had so much fun doing it in front of the class.

Madame Palmer

Learning about Digital Technologies

In Year 4 Digital Technology, we created a wire game using Makey Makey and Scratch. Our wire game was made out of pieces of wire, plasticine and the console. The aim of the game was to carefully move a loop from one end of the wire to other without it touching. If it did touch, our Scratch program beeped and we lost points. It was really challenging.

We learnt about electrical circuits and that the circuit can pass through us. We extended ourselves by changing the sounds and the background in our program.

Pixie Dutton and Olive Smith

Learning about National Children's Week

To celebrate National Children's Week, the Lord Mayor invited students in the Hobart Municipality to write to her about changes that would make a difference to community members and visitors. After many drafts, we wrote our ideas to the Lord Mayor. After a nervous wait, our ideas were accepted and we were invited to attend a Children's Week Reception in the Ballroom at the Hobart Town Hall.

Our ideas were:

Have more enclosed areas for dogs in dog parks, specifically for dogs that have had trauma in their lives. Not only would this benefit the dog, but their owners, other public members and other dogs.
Invite members of the public (including teenagers) to be paid a small amount to clean public parks, ideally picking up safe rubbish. Parks are visited regularly by more and more people living in built-up areas. Unfortunately, some are only cleaned once a day or less, depending on the location.

Many other schools entered with wonderful ideas such as homeless shelters, more EV chargers, more food vans for the homeless, no plastics and more colour in our streetscapes by painting and planting.

After morning tea and celebrating everyone's ideas, we headed off to the Council Chambers. After being seated in very posh chairs, we had a mock vote on any ideas that could better the Hobart Community and asked questions about what it was like to be the Mayor of Hobart.

It was an exciting experience and we were very lucky to attend. We had a discussion with The Honorable Lord Mayor of Hobart, Anna Reynolds, about what we wrote and what we thought of the other great ideas from other students. Overall, it was a fantastic experience.

Essie Burke and Felicity Morgan

Learning about Metaphors

Year 7 students are learning about poetry in English. This week, the rain caused a lot of water to flow in the creek near the Willows. We can see the creek from our classroom so we used it as inspiration to write some metaphors.

The creek is a kettle waiting to boil. Ruby

The creek is a water slide. Eliza

The creek is time ticking away. Lola

The creek is a pack of wild horses set free. Aliera

The willow trees are a sanctuary for those in need. Sarah

The creek is a racetrack after the siren. Sophie

The creek is a quacking duck. Sasha

The creek is a blossom ready to bloom. Ula

The creek is cold, wet wind. Margot

The sound of the creek is a beating drum. Scarlett

Ms Fiona Short

Learning about Outdoor Adventure Skills

Last week the Years 9/10 Outdoor Aventure Skills students participated in a Masterchef Trangia cooking class. The learning intention was to extend the students' cooking skills to try something different from the conventional camp cooking.

The challenge was to bake some scones and then prepare them for judging. The girls were extremely creative with their presentations and all managed to successfully bake scones in a Trangia. Based on the photos, the personal taste test was clearly successful.

Mrs Stacey Maley

In Year 9 we have been studying the structure and function of the human ear and eye. This week we dissected a bull’s eye. We first identified the structures from the outside of the eyeball, including the muscles, cornea and optic nerve. Once we cut through the outer cornea, we were also able to see the retina, pupil, iris, blind spot and the lens. When we took out the lens, which is responsible for focusing the image, and placed it on the newspaper, where it was clear to see its magnifying properties. The retina was green and shimmery and it was amazing to see the structures that make vision possible. We also saw where the optic nerve meets the inside of the eye and this is where the blind spot occurs.

Some comments from students:

We found it interesting going from the 2D pictures to the 3D real eye. It gave us a deeper understanding of how the eye works. Cedar Cadle and Chloe Pringle-Jones

I didn’t know there was black liquidy stuff in the eyeball. Zoe Pitt

I thought it was really interesting that the retina was green and looked like an opal. Evie Palmese

It was really cool how the lens was like a magnifying glass. Claudia Sampson

Dr Melanie East and Ms Felicity Jacobs

Over the past few weeks, the Years 9/10 Drama class has rehearsed a performance of Richard the III. With many time challenges to overcome, including school holidays, camps and COVID, the final performance was polished to perfection over four days of intensive run-throughs and rehearsals.

Richard the III was a modern interpretation of the Shakespearian drama that was more comedy than drama. The cast presented outstanding performances and were challenged with multiple character changes. The backstage crew of Lucie, Lucy, Tess and Maggie were also outstanding for their support and effort in managing backstage and fast changes, organising costumes for the actors. Brendon Veronese and the tech team of Evie Chugg and Nina McLean were in charge of lights, scene changes and music for our performance. The fantastic costumes were organised and sewn by Teresa O’Leary and film and digital backdrops were designed by Benjamin Nelan.

Poppy Leditschke and Ms Best

Junior Touch Football

The girls have been training hard in preparation for the first games, which unfortunately were cancelled due to the weather. Hopefully, conditions will improve to enable next Wednesday's games to go ahead. Whilst it is fine to play games in sandshoes , given the recent damp conditions, soccer/hockey boots would be preferred if the girls have these, and can be beneficial with regard to twisting and turning etc.

Junior Cricket

On Thursday lunchtimes, Years 5 and 6 students are able to join a Non Stop Cricket game in the Gym, with Mrs. Steel. Girls should meet Mrs. Steel at 12:45pm on the Years 5/6 deck so she can assess numbers.

Junior Teeball

On Tuesday lunchtimes, Years 3 and 4 students are able to join a Teeball game on the oval, with Mrs Baxter. Girls should meet Mrs Baxter at 12:45pm outside the staffroom, so she can assess numbers. Please note mouthguards are required in order to play.

JSSATIS Athletics

The JSSATIS Athletics Carnival is on Thursday 10 November. Training has been difficult with the current weather and we are making the most of the opportunities when they present.

Fahan is once again hosting this event, and whilst I have been in contact with some parents seeking assistance, if there are any other parents who are able to help on the day (rake a pit or pull a tape!), please email me at dalet@fahan.tas.edu.au, as there are still a few roles to fill.

The Tasmanian All Schools Athletics Carnival is on this weekend and we wish the best of luck to Jemima Geappen, Evie Essex, Milla Gorringe and Anna McCallum who are all competing.

Congratulations to Skye Hansen who has been selected to represent Tasmania at the 2022 School Sport Australia National Diving Championships, to be held at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, from 19 to 25 November. Well done Skye - we wish you all the very best.

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

Spirit - Senior School Sport

Term 4 sport rosters were scheduled to begin this week. Unfortunately the majority of games were cancelled due to the wet weather and ground conditions.

Tennis

The Years 9 and 10 tennis roster was able to play this week. The Year 9 Navy, Year 9 Orange and Year 10 teams all won their first games.

We have seven tennis teams this term and I would like to thank Mrs Buchanan and Mr Ken Allanby for coaching them.

Sailing

The Fahan sailing team is looking forward to beginning their Term 4 racing roster next week. Races are on a Wednesday afternoon at the Sandy Bay Sailing Club.

Rowing

Congratulations to the 2^nd Year Open rowers who will be the Rowing Leadership Team for 2022/2023 season:

Co-Captains of Boats – Annabelle Fry and Molly Crosby

Junior Rowing Coordinators – Evie Banks-Smith and Lilly Evans-Gregg

Boat loading and unloading Coordinators – Olivia Sampson (assisted by Molly Crosby)

Regatta Coordinators – Charlotte Jones and Julia Benyon

Spirit leaders – All

We are looking forward to the regatta season beginning. The U13 and u14 rowers start with the Junior Rowing Sculling Camp at Lake Barrington on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 November. Schools Regatta 1 is on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November at Lake Barrington. This is followed by the Junior Quad Scull Regatta. This is a regatta for the U13’s, U14’s and U15’s and will be held at New Norfolk on Saturday 3 December. The Open rowers will race the next day, Sunday 4 December, also at New Norfolk. This is the Ally Cashion 8’s and is an 8km race. We wish our rowers the very best for the season ahead.

Athletics

Best wishes to all athletes competing and representing Fahan in the Tasmanian All Schools Track and Field Championships at the Domain Athletics Centre on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 October. We look forward to hearing the results.

Diving

Congratulations to Georgie Hansen who has been selected to represent Tasmania at the 2022 School Sport Australia National Diving Championships to be held in Brisbane in November. Best wishes Georgie!

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

Community - Do you have a dingy?

Fahan Rowing is looking to borrow a tinny for use as a coach boat.

If any parents have a tinny/rib that they are not using and would be happy to lend to rowing, we would be very grateful and pleased to hear from you. A 12-foot dingy with or without outboard would be preferable.

Steve Lambert
Director of Rowing

0400 937 363
lamberts2@fahan.tas.edu.au

Community - October Vacation Care

Our vacation program is a combined program incorporating our Pre-Kinder program and school-age children.

Our planned experiences and activities are designed to extend on our combined children’s interests, encouraging thoughtful and provocative opportunities for learning and engagement.

These holidays we enjoyed opportunities to explore jewellery making, textile and stitching activities, cooking and sensory exploration, gardening, tie-dying, badge making, a fun gymnastics day at the School gymnasium, and the most exciting one of all was a short bus trip to the TMAG to see our spring banner that all our children worked on.

How wonderful it is to see the extension and growth of the relationships of the children of all ages grow and develop as they engage side by side in these activities.

We continue to foster these relationships and learning opportunities within our program.

We look forward to the extended holiday program over the Christmas break.

Lisa, Kelly, Moya and Vivienne
Lady Gowrie Fahan Education and care team

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 - 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 - Back to 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 4, 28 October 2022