A Fortnight at Fahan - Term 4, 11 November 2022
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Principal's Report
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Learning about Mindfulness
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Learning about Sustainability
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Learning about Gymnastics
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Learning about Bush Skills
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Learning about Port Arthur
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Learning about the Cascade Female Factory
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Learning about Rock Climbing
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Learning about the Police Radio Room
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Learning about Author, Emily Conolan
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Learning about The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition
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Learning about Maths Enrichment
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Spirit of Kindergarten
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Spirit of Pastoral Scare
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Spirit - Junior School Sport
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Spirit - Senior School Sport
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Community - Peacock Theatre Visit
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Community - 2022 Tasmanian Writers and Illustrators Mentorship Program Recipient
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Community - Last Parents & Friends' Meeting for the Year
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Community - NAPLAN 2023
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Community - Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) 2023
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Community - Uniform Update
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Community - Student Absence
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Community - Back to School
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Community Notices
Principal's Report
For our Years 11 and 12 students, the last two weeks have been a time of study and concentration in preparation for their end of year examinations, which began on Tuesday. We wish them all the very best for their exams and encourage them to look after their wellbeing throughout this period.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the JSATIS Athletics Carnival at the Domain. Our students are to be commended for their full commitment to every event they entered with so many impressive performances. Thanks must go to Mr Tim Dale for his exceptional organisation of such a large event.
I am very pleased to be able to let you know about some appointments that have been made for 2023.
Next year we will welcome Ella Kearney to the position of Coordinator of Humanities. Ella has significant experience in this area and has most recently been teaching at Elizabeth College.
We will also welcome Suzie Thomas to the position of Learning Support Teacher in the Junior School. Suzie has been working in this area for a number of years, most recently at Tarremah Steiner School.
In other news, I am very sad to say that Jayde Steer will not be continuing with us next year as she pursues a slight change in direction within Outdoor Ed. Hopefully Jayde will still be able to work with our students on a regular basis in a casual role. Jayde has been wonderful in her role at Fahan; her calm, measured approach, coupled with a great sense of humour, have been valued by us all. I know that she will be very much missed here.
Jen Cooper will also be leaving us at the end of the year. Together, Jayde, Stacey Maley and Jen have been a formidable team and Jen will certainly be missed. We congratulate her on her pregnancy and hope that everything goes smoothly in the months to come! We will look forward to a visit next year sometime.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
Best wishes
Meg Lawson
Learning about Mindfulness
In Pre-Kinder, we continue to look at our outdoor program and extend on it in accordance with our observations and according to our children’s voices.
Their joy at exploring leaves, sticks, mud insects, and water has led to some beautiful self-initiated games and scenes.
All the rain in recent weeks has added to the children’s glee and squeals of delight are heard as the children play in the rivulet and surrounds and explore current, eddies and flow.
To extend on this we have added a blanket to our outdoor program which we spread over soft leaves on the ground to make a comfortable place to lie and quietly listen to the sounds around us.
This quiet time is a lovely way for us to transition the children into lunch time and allows for us to talk to them about using all their senses, closing their eyes, and exploring the natural environment through other senses such as smell and touch.
When children play in natural spaces, they are far more likely to invent their own games than in more structured settings, this encourages inventive play and extensions of imaginative play scenarios, problem solving and joy!
Lisa, Kelly, Moya and Vivienne
Lady Gowrie Fahan Education and Care Team
Learning about Sustainability
Kindergarten and Year 1 students recently visited the Sustainability Centre in Mount Nelson. We spent the day thinking about the environment and reflected on what life may have been like for the Aboriginal people who originally lived in the area.
The students all stood around a flickering fire and discussed the ways fire was used in the past and what it is used for today. Collected sticks were turned into charcoal which were then brought back to School and used to create special artworks that expressed our learning during the visit.
Exploring the bushland was a delight for the whole group. The girls waded through deep puddles, identified and sketched animal scats, and used teamwork to build an impressive bridge. Most notably, the girls worked together in ‘buddy’ groups that encouraged the forming of special friendship bonds between the two classes.
Many thanks to Ms Kate Bowler and Ms Kate Greaves for helping to make the day a great success.
Mrs Sarah Parsons and Mrs Meg Denman
Learning about Gymnastics
On Tuesday 8 November, Year 3 enjoyed their first of three gymnastics sessions at the Kingborough Gymnastics Centre, as part of their Health and Physical Education Program. What a fabulous time they had! The support all of the girls showed one another as they faced different challenges on the equipment was very impressive. Some of our favourite activities were the balance beam, bars, floor and the mini trampoline. Well done, everyone!
Mrs Nicole Bury
Learning about Bush Skills
On Wednesday 2 November 2022, the Year 4 girls had a Bush Skills excursion at the Waterworks. Firstly, we excitedly talked on the bus, and all had a wonderful time. We headed off on a bushwalk, past Annie Falls, looking at the different types of mushrooms and trees and learnt about the Falls. After lunch we went for another walk and built some fairy/gnome/wallaby/padymelon homes.
We had so much fun doing bush skills and we cannot wait until camp next year.
By Rose Page and Olivia Robertson
Learning about Port Arthur
On Friday 28 October, Year 5 students spent a long School day on an excursion to the Port Arthur Historic Site. Leaving School at 7:45am and not returning until after 5:00pm, the students made the most of the opportunity to immerse themselves in history. The day was filled with a tour of the site, brick making and a cruise to the Isle of the Dead. The students were fascinated with the rules and processes in the Penitentiary, Separate Prison and Asylum. Whilst it rained all day, it did nothing to dampen the students’ engagement or interest.
Mrs Susan Wright
Learning about the Cascade Female Factory
On Tuesday 1 November, Year 5 students went to the Cascade Female Factory to gain the female perspective on our convict history. The newly-renovated site was simply fabulous and we could have spent a great deal longer exploring the museum and the Factory yards.
We hope students return to the Cascade Female Factory with their families, as we are very lucky to have this resource so close to Fahan.
Mrs Susan Wright
Learning about Rock Climbing
On Wednesday 9 November, both Year 5 classes went rock climbing at St Virgil's College. We were fortunate enough to be able to use their indoor rock wall, which was amazing. We were supported by Fahan staff, SVC staff and senior students who helped belay us up and down the wall.
We all enjoyed the experience and would like to thank all of those people involved in making this excursion occur.
By Bethany Hutchinson and Deeksha Dharmapuri
Learning about the Police Radio Room
On 3 November, Year 6 visited the Emergency Radio Room in Hobart, where Maisey’s mother, Julie, works. Julie showed us a slide show about what she does as a job and explained what types of calls come through. Did you know that on average 1200 calls come through each day? Unfortunately, some of those can include time-wasting prank calls. We learnt that there are two phone numbers to note: 000 for urgent calls and 131 444 for non-urgent calls. If in doubt, call 000 and a staff member will direct you to the right area.
Inspector Cooper rang the 000 number so we could hear what would happen if we ever had to ring. You automatically go to an operator, and they ask “ambulance, police or fire?” Then you are asked which area and possibly an address. They then connect you to the right area. Inspector Cooper gave Maisey a police vest to wear. There were many items and many pockets. Someone asked, “how do you run in this, as it’s really heavy?”
We then masked up and were told not to talk as we walked through the Radio Room. We couldn’t hear what they were saying but we could tell that the operators were busy talking to someone on the end of the line. Each staff member can have up to 3 screens in front of them and they wear a headset for communicating. On one of the walls there were lots of screens showing Hobart’s city centre, intersections and the Tasman Bridge, just like on tv.
Before we left, Julie gave each of us a special book to commemorate 100 Years of Women in the Tasmanian Police Force and some other special items.
This was a very informative excursion and it’s good to know that the support is out there when you need it. We were very lucky indeed. Thank you to all the staff in the Radio Room and a big thank you to Julie.
By Felicity Morgan
Learning about Author, Emily Conolan
Year 6 was very excited to welcome Emily Conolan, author of the Freedom Finders series, to Fahan on Wednesday 2 November. Emily’s Freedom Finders books are ‘choose your own adventure’ stories. You are the main character in the story. You make the decisions. And if you don’t choose wisely, you could meet an untimely end!
Emily Conolan is not only an author and teacher, but is also well known for her humanitarian work. She helped establish a volunteer support for asylum seekers in Tasmania, has been awarded Tasmanian of the Year, Hobart Citizen of the Year, and has received the Tasmanian Human Rights Award.
Many students had read Emily’s books and found them interesting and fun to read. There are fact files at the end of each book providing more information on topics in the book, such as Tasmania in colonial times and refugees today. We all really enjoyed hearing about Emily’s writing process and planning our own narratives.
Afterwards, students in the Year 6 Book Club hosted a morning tea and had a further opportunity to discuss books, reading and the writing process with Emily. We all really enjoyed hearing from the author, Emily Conolan.
By Essie, Evie, Rose, Mathilda, Alex and Felicity
Learning about The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition
We are delighted to announce that Year 7 student, Sarah Berner has received a Gold Award in the prestigious Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2022.
The competition, established in 1883, is the world's oldest international schools' writing contest which attracts thousands of young people to take part each year. It is recognised as an important way to recognise achievement, elevate youth voices and develop key skills through creative writing.
This year, the competition theme was 'Our Commonwealth', reflecting on our Patron Queen Elizabeth II's seven decades of service to the Commonwealth, as an inspiring example of the steadfast commitment and important contribution we can all make to our societies.
Sarah wrote a beautiful creative piece called Our Commonwealth Quilt about our Commonwealth values of inclusivity, acceptance and belonging.
A record-breaking 26,322 entries were received from every region of the Commonwealth this year, so Sarah’s Gold Award is very impressive! Congratulations, Sarah!
Mrs Clare Enright
English / Languages Coordinator
Head of House - Franklin
Learning about Maths Enrichment
In Maths Enrichment this Semester we have been learning about sequences and series. From the knowledge we acquired in the unit, we planned and undertook our own investigations regarding geometric and arithmetic sequences, as well as both linear and exponential growth and decay. Our independent investigations ranged from calculating bacteria growth around the School over a certain period of time, examining temperature change in correlation to climate change, and forming algorithms based on mathematical games.
The game we looked at was the Tower of Hanoi where we calculated the number of moves required to complete the task, for varying numbers of pieces. We filmed each turn to ensure we had an accurate count.
This unit was later followed by learning about networks. This consisted of analysing the critical paths through networks, finding the earliest starting time and latest finishing time for activities in a sequence, as well as calculating float (slack time before starting an activity). We further applied this knowledge by creating networks for a chosen recipe and finding the shortest time in which these desserts could be made.
To conclude the fabulous semester we’ve had, we are going to the Royal Botanical Gardens to formulate a critical path to find the shortest distance you can travel to visit all of the attractions in the gardens.
By Felicity Barling and Hannah Sheen (Year 9)
Spirit of Kindergarten
Our Kindergarten students reached a special milestone, with Wednesday 9 November marking their first 100 days of School. To celebrate this significant day, the girls dressed up as their 100 year olds self, donning wigs, hair curlers, dressing gowns and walking sticks!
Thank you Mrs Wiggins, Mrs Denman and Ms Bowler, for guiding our youngest students through their first School year and congratulations to all our Kinder students on this special day.
Spirit of Pastoral Scare
Last Monday, our Pastoral Care teachers treated us to a Pastoral Scare in preparation for Halloween. It became a competitive House battle when Ms Short gave us all toilet paper tasked us with wrapping the best mummy. We elected a person to be our mummy from our House groups and started wrapping. There were awards for the neatest wrapped, the most covered and the overall best mummy.
Franklin House won, with Fenton coming a close second! Some students elected to take part in a Halloween-themed creative writing session with Ms Warwarek, who then presented their work to the rest of the group.
We finished the session with a donut-eating competition which was harder than it looked!
By Year 7 Students
Spirit - Junior School Sport
JSSATIS Athletics 2022
The JSSATIS Athletics finally arrived, bringing with it a very welcomed warm and breezy day. We were forced to adapt our training to sessions in the gym, with not as much time as we would have liked down on the oval.
Nevertheless, without having any official results, I would say the Fahan team had a very good day out. There were very strong performances on the day which will be outlined in the next newsletter and posted on the Sports Noticeboard. I would like to congratulate Jemima Geappen who broke the Year 6 High Jump record from 2012 that had been held by another Fahan student.
This was Fahan’s third and final turn at hosting the JSSATIS Athletics which is something I’m personally very thankful for! It was an interesting day with a number of challenges, which started at 6:30am when I arrived at the Domain, to find I’d been given the wrong key (by the HCC) for the boom gate!
A big thank you goes to the following people and I apologise if I have missed anyone. Stuart Hammond (The Hutchins School) spent all day on the microphone calling each event. Stuart has no obligation to attend but does so because he enjoys the day, and the day is much better for his attendance. Thank you to Sacred Heart College for the use of their IT team working on the results during the day. Lisa Divenuto (The Friends' School) for her efforts on the finish line and bailing me out when we were short on ribbons, and Anna Sargent (St Michael's Collegiate School) for stepping up to be starter at very short notice. Thank you to Hobart Districts Athletics Club for use of the timing gates, providing an operator and allowing us to use some of their equipment.
Lastly, a big thank you goes to the Fahan support crew and volunteers; Mrs Banks-Smith, Mrs Wright, Mr Hodgman, Mrs Baxter, Ms Cole, Mr Allanby, Lauren Jauncey, Rob Morgan, Ben Essex, Emma Johnson, Mel Abbott, Chris Page, Fiona Gourlay, Terri Norris, Mrs Gath, Mrs Steel, Hannah Steele and Ms Williamson and her team of Year 7 helpers who did a great job on the day. Thank you also to Mr Owens who must have nearly topped 100 carnivals by now! Once again, he didn’t have to help out, but the Carnival and the athletes are all the better for his involvement.
It would be remiss of me not to mention Rod Nevin and Steve Harris who were at the Domain early with me setting up and there at the end packing up. Thank you.
As you can see, the running of such an event takes the hard work of many people and sometimes it takes writing a newsletter report to actually see how many!
Mr Tim Dale
Junior Sport Co-ordinator
dalet@fahan.tas.edu.au
Spirit - Senior School Sport
Athletics
Congratulations to all Fahan athletes who competed in the Tasmanian All Schools Track and Field Championships at the Domain Athletics Centre on Saturday 28 and Sunday 30 October - Amelia Steedman, Tara Sciberras, Nell Terry, Penelope Geappen, Charlotte Cutrale, Charlotte Crawford, Ella Atkins, Tess Lawson, Prue Clarke and Hannah Sheen.
It was great to see everyone at the track and on the field giving it their best. Well done to Ella Atkins who won gold in the U18 1500m and steeplechase; to Nell Terry who won silver in the U16 100m and 200m and to Prue Clarke who received bronze in the U18 800m. There were PB’s and many top efforts!
Nell, Ella, Prue and Tess have now been selected to represent Tasmania in the National All Schools Track and Field Championships in Adelaide from Friday 9 December to Sunday 11 December.
A team of Fahan athletes competed in The National Schools Challenge selections at the All Schools Championships and have been invited to represent Fahan in the National Schools Challenge in Adelaide on Monday 12 December. Nell Terry, Penelope Geappen, Charlotte Crawford, Charlotte Cutrale, Hannah Sheen, Tess Lawson and Prue Clarke will compete in chosen track and field events in the intermediate division (under 17). This is a wonderful opportunity and we can’t wait to hear their results.
Triathlon
31 Senior School students have entered in the All Schools Triathlon to be held on Thursday 1 December at Bellerive Beach. Fahan has 6 individual competitors and 11 teams. This is always a fun and enjoyable event!
A reminder that all competitors will need to be collected from Bellerive Beach at 2:00pm when the event finishes. A bus will not be transporting competitors back to School. Competitors are required to wear Fahan sports uniform, and swimmers must have Fahan bathers.
Rowing
Best wishes to the Fahan Rowing Team for their first Schools Regatta for the 2022/2023 season. This will be held at Lake Barrington on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 November.
Mrs Jo Banks-Smith
Senior Sport Co-ordinator
bankssmithj@fahan.tas.edu.au
0428 031 012
Community - Peacock Theatre Visit
On 2 November, Year 7 students went to the Peacock Theatre to see the musical Into the Woods. We are studying Fairy Tales in English this term. The musical was about a baker and his wife who were cursed with the inability to have children. The witch who cursed them said they needed four items to break the curse: a cow as white as milk, hair as yellow as corn, a cape as red as blood, and a slipper as pure as gold. They gradually removed all of these items from well-known fairy tale characters and broke the curse. The actors we saw ranged from our age, to 17 years old. It was wonderful to see actors our own age perform so well in this production.
By Bridget Hesford and Holly Braithwaite
Community - 2022 Tasmanian Writers and Illustrators Mentorship Program Recipient
Congratulations to the newest member to the Senior English teaching team, Ms Hannah Warwarek, who has been awarded a Mentorship for her writing in the genre of fiction.
The Mentorship Program has been developed to cultivate literary talent in Tasmania and to link Tasmanian creators to professional development opportunities and national publishing networks.
We look forward to reading Hannah’s next published piece.
Mrs Clare Enright
English / Languages Coordinator
Head of House - Franklin
Community - Last Parents & Friends' Meeting for the Year
The last P&F meeting for 2022 will be held on Tuesday 15 November at 7:00pm in Nateby.
Everyone is welcome to attend or join the meeting via Microsoft Teams through this link.
Community - NAPLAN 2023
Below is information provided by the National Assessment Program regarding NAPLAN in 2023
Students will be sitting NAPLAN between 15 and 27 March 2023
The National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.
NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.
2023 will be the first year NAPLAN will be held in March, having previously taken place in May. This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year, so they can be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.
Why NAPLAN is conducted online
NAPLAN online provides a better assessment and more precise results.
One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do.
Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN.
Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging.
Please note that students in Year 3 complete the Writing Test on paper.
Parent information brochures and other resources
Your questions answered on NAPLAN and what it means for your child:
NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers
The link will take you to the official National Assessment Program (NAP) website.
Community - Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) 2023
The Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) provides assistance to low income families towards the cost of levies for students enrolled in a school from Kindergarten through to Year 12.
STAS is provided through school resourcing rather than payments direct to families.
Further information about the application and eligibility process is available through this link:
https://www.education.tas.gov.au/parents-carers/parent-fact-sheets/fees-levies/
Community - Uniform Update
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.
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 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.
Fahan School Bus Service
For more information on the Fahan Bus Service, please click here.