Fahan School eNewsletter

Principal's Report

Fahan was a joyous place last weekend as we hosted numerous Alumni events, including our Farewell to Boarding at Fahan. The pleasure people showed in renewing connections and remembering their school and boarding days was obvious, and the sense of Spirit and Community was abundantly clear.

In staffing news, I am pleased to let you know that Dan Firth will be re-joining us next year at Fahan as Outdoor Education Assistant. As you may be aware, Dan’s knowledge and skills in this area are exemplary and his ability to empower students to try something new and challenging comes very naturally to him.

On a sad note, we will be farewelling Hannah Steele at the end of this year. Hannah will be beginning a new adventure on the mainland. This year, Hannah has been just fabulous as the Sport and Outdoor Education Trainee and has performed her role with aplomb. We wish Hannah all the very best with this exciting move.

Early in the new year we will also be farewelling Steve Harris, better known as Safety Steve. Steve has been with us for six years now and is making the big move to hang up his sparkly safety hat and retire. Steve has been central to developing our safety policies and procedures at Fahan. We will certainly miss him and wish him all the best for his retirement.

Holly Lutzow will be on leave for the year in 2023. During this time, Fiona Short will be taking on the role as Head of Fenton House and Christine Palmer will be teaching French.

This is our last issue of Fortnight at Fahan for 2022. Next week we will celebrate the year at various gatherings, and I hope to see many of you there.

I would like to wish you all a happy, safe and relaxing holiday and I thank you all for your continued support of our School. I will look forward to welcoming you back in 2023!

Best wishes
Meg Lawson

Learning in Pre-Kinder

Within our Pre-Kinder program, children are provided with a range of learning opportunities that assist in preparing them for the transition to Kindergarten.

Throughout our daily practices children are encouraged and supported to use and develop their self-help skills by taking responsibility of their belongings in their own lockers, serving their own food at morning and afternoon tea time, opening and closing their lunch boxes, dressing and undressing to support weather conditions and the application of their own sunscreen.

Learning opportunities focus on early numeracy and literacy, social skills and being a responsible learner. Children have various name cards throughout the room to assist in establishing the recognition of their own printed name as well as their peers.

Our daily morning meetings support children to sit respectfully as a group, take turns in expressing themselves, as well as listening to the perspective of others.

Children are empowered and encouraged to support their peers where they can. Through their actions and words, we see children assisting one another to set up and pack away resources, assist one another with wearing of smocks, taking turns at learning experiences and verbally communicating feels with one another.

Our children are also given endless opportunities to engage and be a part of the Fahan School Community. With exposure to the library for borrowing books, using a range of outdoor physical equipment, exploration of the natural world, including the rivulet and regular visits to the science lab.

All valuable learning opportunities that make the transition to Kindergarten a smooth process.

******

As 2022 draws to a close, we reflect on the experiences and support Pre-Kinder has received from Fahan School teachers and staff and their willingness to promote inclusivity to our young children, some of whom will commence their formal education next year.

Through our close collaboration with the School, the Pre-Kkinder children have been given the opportunity of insight to their future learning.

These opportunities include library, science, buddies, and music ,along with regular attendances at School Assemblies and other significant events.

Our program focuses on sustainability, visits to the rivulet and surrounds, discussions about plants, insects, bugs and birds and their habitats. This leads us to further exploration activities to extend on the children’s interests and learning.

We also work hard to empower our children to have a voice in their learning and are very proud that they are being given the gift of confidence and choice for their program.

Our future is indeed in very good hands with the children being the upcoming caretakers of our planet.

Thank you to our families to entrusting their precious children to us for the past year.

Warm wishes to all for a safe and happy 2023.

Kind regards

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

Prep students were so excited to participate in the recent Junior School Athletics Carnival. The sun shone, the focus was on participation and smiles beamed on faces. A wide variety of events were offered, including a running relay, ball pass relay, hurdles, obstacle course, egg and spoon race, and, perhaps the most popular of all, a 'late for school race'.

Thank you Mr Dale - Prep students thoroughly enjoyed the Carnival and as one student so aptly exclaimed, "it was the best day ever!"

Ms Kim Menadue

During the last couple of weeks, Years 1 and 2 students have taken part in Surf Life Saving Tasmania’s education program. The girls enjoyed a hands-on classroom session that highlighted important water safety practices and gave them opportunities to consider different real-life scenarios and run some simple drills.

As a follow-up to that experience, we visited Long Beach and participated in a practical session. The girls were able to apply their water-safety knowledge in a variety of activities and were incredibly resilient as they faced the chilly, choppy waters of the Derwent.

While the occasion offered many rich learning experiences, the huge smiles and squeals of delight were a clear sign that a great deal of fun was also had.

Many thanks to Surf Life Saving Tasmania for their exciting and engaging program.

Mrs Sarah Parsons and Mrs Sophie Baxter

Congratulations to all students who challenged themselves by taking part in ICAS English Assessments. In 2022, across Years 2 - 11, we participated in a total of 146 assessments. Students could choose between English, Spelling and Writing, with some students choosing to do more than one.

We have had phenomenal success this year, with Fahan students receiving five ICAS Medals overall in Spelling Bee and Writing. Medal winners place first in their subject and grade level across the state. Certainly, an achievement to be celebrated! 

We congratulate the following Medal recipients:

Bonnie Pullinger - Year 3 Writing
Essie Burke - Year 6 Writing
Rose Pullinger - Year 6 Spelling Bee
Sarah Berner - Year 7 Writing
Alice Bergman - Year 8 Writing

Mrs Clare Enright

Learning about Fishing

On Wednesday 30 November, the Year 4 fishergirls braved the wind and rain and participated heartedly and happily in the “Take a kid fishing” programme at Marieville Esplanade (near the Hutchin’s Rowing Sheds).

After a fortifying barbeque lunch, superbly cooked by Mr Allanby, the girls baited their fishing lines.

Fishcare kindly provided the gear, and together with the parents, gave some expert tuition on the finer points of angling. Special thanks to the parents for their much-appreciated assistance.

A fine specimen of a flathead was caught and its size has grown with each retelling of the story. The girls were caught “hook, line and sinker” on fishing.

Mr David Hodgman

For our recent Assembly Reflection, we asked students in Year 5 what Fahan means to them. The answers varied from the teachers to the playground.

Below are some of the answers that we recieved:

I like that everyone is caring and thoughtful. Charlotte
That we have so many exciting opportunities. Mila
I like how all the teachers are kind and everyone tries their hardest. Anna
The wonderful nature. Poppy Davies
The caring teachers and students. Scarlett
The kind environment. Audrey
I like the choir and vocal group. Harper
I like all the specialist lessons especially PE and Art. Chloe
Bin Cricket at lunch times on Thursdays. Ally

Everyone is very grateful for everything here at Fahan.

By Chloe East and Harper Imberger

Learning about Canoeing

Year 6S recently went canoeing on the Huon River. On the way, we had a quick stop at the park to get changed into our canoeing clothes, then we hopped back on the bus and arrived at the river.

We started by learning about canoes and how to sit in and paddle them. Then we played a few games with paddles. We then got into groups that we would be in a canoe with and jumped in. We just paddled around for a little bit getting the hang of it, then went for a paddle down the river. We then went down a smaller river of the Huon and stopped for a snack. Mrs Heather had planned a surprise for us, and it was amazing! There was a massive bubbly fan that blew bubbles at us. We went in the river to clean off and the sand felt like quicksand in the shallows. After that we started a race, where some of us went spinning. We also went under the Huon Bridge to the bus at a playground next to the bridge.

The day was so much fun and we would like to thank Mrs Steel, Jayde and Mrs Heather for planning this incredible day out.

By Lucy Stoneman and Bailey Mellefont

On 17 November, the Year 9 Japanese class went on an excursion to Rin Restaurant in the Hobart CBD. The girls enjoyed Japanese Bento (a Japanese style lunchbox) which included various types of sushi, miso soup, ‘Korokke’ (Japanese potato croquettes), ‘Karaage’ (Japanese fried chicken), ‘Takoyaki’ (a small dumpling with a piece of octopus in the middle) and green tea ice cream for dessert.

The girls had a wonderful time and enjoyed trying everything (even those who had to push themselves to do so!).

Ms Lara Wojcik

Learning about Poetry

On 24 November, both Year 7 English classes came together to compete in a Slam Poetry competition. Those who chose to compete wrote about about a topic they were passionate about. Their poems could rhyme a lot or not, but they had to put pace and emotion into their voices. There were ten girls who chose to compete, and all their performances were engaging. They spoke about their beliefs and opened our eyes to some world problems.

It was overall incredibly fun; the girls had a great time creating and performing the poems and would love to do it again. There were some really great prizes, and the judges were very professional and awesome. The winners were so fantastic - we had two! Go Year 7.

Ms Isabeau Sloan

Learning about Science Animation

During class, we were asked to create flipbooks and animations based on different science phenomenon. These topics consisted of tides, eclipses, day and night, moon phases and the seasons. This project expended our creativity and challenged us in our animation and drawing skills. The process of creating a flipbook is very long and tedious as we have to draw multiple pictures in a row and slightly changing the picture so it creates a hand-drawn animation. We could also make animations on our computer by using Canva and Visualizer. These websites allowed us to create animations digitally by using shapes from the internet and taking multiple photos in a row, just moving the main object slightly to create an animation. It was a very long process as we had to make three of the topics, but the end result was worth it. And we now understand these processes much better.

By Ava Mignanelli and Chloe Colquhoun

Bon appétit!

In French during Term 4, Year 7 students have been learning about French food and the regions of France including a typical dish from that region. For the final class of the year, students brought in an example of a French dish and Madame Palmer made little “Madeleine” cakes for the girls. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed having a little taste of the flavours of France such as Quiche Lorraine, Crêpes, Camembert, Brie, Tarte Tatin (apple tart) and Madeleines. Thank you to all those who contributed to this experience by facilitating the cooking, packaging, delivering and cleaning up afterwards. The French cuisine tasting was greatly appreciated by the girls!

Madame Palmer

Learning about Marine Life

This week, Year 8 students travelled to the Marine Discovery Centre at Woodbridge to apply their knowledge of the marine ecosystem. Firstly, we had a short talk from Chloe, the MDC teacher, on the classification of marine organisms, then we split into two groups. One group jumped on the boat and travelled out into the Channel, and took readings of pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and turbidity. We then took a sample from the seabed and sorted the many different organisms into their classification phyla. We found lots of amazing animals including a male pipefish (suspected pregnant), pistol shrimp, baby eels and lots of crabs.

The other group stayed at the Centre and completed some interesting activities including looking at plankton using the microscope, comparing native with introduced sea stars, and making biological drawings. Before the end of the day, we were lucky enough to feed the sharks and other fish in the indoor tank. Here are some quotes about the day:

I really liked the baby seahorses and watching them grab onto the sea grass. They do this so they don't get swept away in the current. Maisy Baker

I really liked petting and admiring the sharks. I think they're fascinating creatures. Their skin felt rough on one side and smooth on the other. Adele Laganiere

I enjoyed sorting through the creatures in the seaweed. We found a baby pipefish and lots of shrimp. Alice Bergman

We had fun driving the boat! It was hard staying on course. Chloe Atkins and Chloe Groom

It was funny when the ocean tried to swallow my hat but in the end we got it back. Emily Mazengarb

The biscuit seastar is interesting because its stomach comes out of its body to release enzymes to break its prey down into mush. Then they suck the nutrients back in. Ruby Squires

Dr Melanie East and Ms Felicity Jacobs

Last week, Year 8 took part in the annual Outdoor Education Camp to the northwest corner of Tasmania. The students were based at the Fulton Park Scout Camp in Forth.

Each day, the students took part in a rotation of activities. This included rafting the Leven River, hiking at Cradle Mountain and mountain biking the Wild Mersey Trails at Railton. The activities were aimed to push them beyond their comfort zone and provide various challenges by choice situations. It was great to see all the students embrace these challenges and, for many, face their fears and give these activities a go. The students should be extremely proud of their achievements and move forward from this experience, realising their capabilities. This camp was also a great chance for the group to bond with evening activities and free time, where they could recap their adventures with the other groups and develop new connections.

It also provided an opportunity to connect with the natural wonderland that we have on our doorstep and appreciate it for all its beauty. The inclement weather provided some of the students an incredible experience of hiking in the snow at Cradle Mountain.

I would like to commend the students on their achievements throughout the week and the staff and guides who helped make these camps a memorable experience for the students.

Mrs Stacey Maley

This year we had several students take part in the Home Scientist Challenge. This is a series of science-based tasks that students can complete at home, to extend and enrich their scientific skills and knowledge, earning points towards the difficult 60-point total. Some of the tasks this year included:

Create ‘blue celery’ and describe why it happens
Make a new worm farm or compost at home and document your progress
Experiment to compare different ways of stopping bread from going mouldy
Investigate whether rocks absorb water
Create a home-made thermometer
Make a musical scale using water in jars or glasses
Make your own electroscope.

The participating students were:

- Chloe Colquhoun, who scored a perfect 60 points for completing all tasks

- Ella Baird and Jaden Goodey (30-40 points)

- Ruby Squires and Tiger Somerville (10-20 points)

- Mieke Atkinson (5-10 points)

My favourite part of completing the Home Scientist challenges, is that they have allowed me to expand my knowledge about specific scientific areas, through doing fun activities. Some of the most enjoyable activities I completed include making and using an electroscope, as well as creating a water scale from glass jars and water. Ella Baird

Congratulations to all students who took part and good luck to the Year 7s and 8s who choose to take part in 2023!

Ms Felicity Jacobs

Spirit of Christmas

Over the last few weeks, Year 3 students have enjoyed a variety of Christmas-themed activities. In inquiry-based learning, we have been researching different Christmas traditions around the world. With our Prep buddies we have been sewing Christmas tree cards; we have enjoyed making candy cane reindeer and writing 'Christmas Wishes'. When writing our wishes, we thought not only about what we or our family would like, but also came up with a 'Wish for the World'. Following are some of our wonderful ideas:

I wish for people to stop polluting our waterways with plastic.
I wish for there to be no more Covid.
I wish for there to be a cure for every disease in the world.
I wish for there to be no more wars anywhere in the world.
I wish for there to be no homeless people and for everyone to have enough food and fresh water.

As part of our wish to make Christmas special for everyone, we have also been collecting food for the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal.

Year 3 wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and holiday time!

Mrs Nicole Bury

On Thursday 1 December, Year 6 hosted a professional high tea to thank our Junior School teachers for making our primary school years the best they could be. We gathered thoughts and ideas to make this as memorable as possible and worked in groups to help organise it.

It was quite hard and stressful at times, especially towards the end, but it was very rewarding. We all had so much fun and we learnt a lot from this wonderful experience.

By Lauren Stanelos and Myla Philp

This term Lumina 9 have been engaging in a variety of different fundraising events to support the Variety Tasmania Bikes 4 Kids Appeal. These included baking an assortment of sweet treats for the annual Halloween Cupcake Stall and cooking up a storm in the food tech hub for a fabulous pizza lunch.

Our first fundraiser of the year was the Halloween Cupcake Stall. This was held for the whole School with our entire grade contributing to the fundraising efforts. The sweet treats we made ranged from spooky cupcakes to ghostly meringues, plus a variety of different frightening chocolate delicacies.

Following this event, we then held a pizza lunch, which was selected from the many fundraising entrepreneurial entries completed at the start of the year. A group made the dough, decorated the pizzas with a variety of toppings, and then cooked them in the ovens in the food tech hub. They were then served at lunchtime to students and staff, who all devoured them, followed by many tasty reports.

Altogether the fantastic efforts from the Year 9 cohort has led to an outstanding $1120 raised for Variety Tasmania Bikes 4 Kids Appeal.

By Felicity Barling and Hannah Sheen

Wrapping up the year, the Years 9/10 Drama students learnt some choreography from the musical The Adams Family. Excited by the joy of dancing, the plan advanced. The class decided to film a trailer, an excerpt of the dance number. Costumes were found and then the talents of film maker Benjamin Nelan, lighting designer Brendon Veronese, makeup artist and film assistant Nadia Dawson-Damer, and, as they say, ‘magic happened’.

This was an excellent practical discovery experience. The students learnt about focus, concentration and the different creative tasks required to make a short film. An added bonus was that the task was very enjoyable.

Ms Christine Best

Spirit of Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award

On Friday 25 November, Charlotte McNeill (Year 12) and her family were invited to Government House to receive her Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award. This Award was presented to Charlotte by Her Excellency the Honourable Barbara Baker AC, Governor of Tasmania. To gain her Gold Award, Charlotte completed a variety of activities in the areas of: Physical Recreation, Skills, Service, Adventurous Journey, and her Residential Project. For her Residential Project, Charlotte went to Adelaide for 4 nights and 5 days to help vice-captain her Ruby team against South Australia. Alongside this, Charlotte helped many younger team members, was able to meet the Australian Women’s Rugby Team – the Wallaroos, and was also recognised for her Rugby achievements and received the Spirit of Rugby Award.

A big congratulations to Charlotte on such a wonderful accomplishment. I wish her all the best for her future years.

Mrs Liana Hayes

Spirit - Junior School Sport

JSSATIS Results Summary

Below, as promised, is a summary of the results from the JSSATIS Carnival.

Frankie Gorringe – 3^rd Year 3 Long Jump

Rosie Briggs – 3^rd Year 4 Vortex

Milla Gorringe – 1^st Year 5 400m, 1^st Year 5 100m (overall), 1^st Year 5 200m (overall), 1^st Year 5 Long Jump

Maggie Davies – 3^rd Year 4 400m, 2^nd Year 4 Long Jump, 3^rd Year 4 800m

Jemima Geappen – 1^st Year 6 400m, 2^nd Year 6 100m (overall), 1^st Year 6 High Jump (REC), 1^st Year 6 Long Jump, 1^st Year 6 200m (overall)

Charlotte Lord – 2^nd Year 6 High Jump, 3^rd Year 6 800m

Violet Geappen – 2^nd Year 3 Vortex

Anna McCallum – 3^rd Year 5 100m (overall), 2^nd Year 5 200m (overall), 2^nd Year 5 800m

Niamh Hunter – 2^nd Year 5 Vortex

Lucy Stoneman – 2^nd Year 6 Long Jump

Evie Essex – 1^st Year 5 800m

RELAYS:

Year 3 – 1^stYear 4 – 3^rdYear 5A – 1^stYear 5B – 2^ndYear 6A – 2^ndYear 6B – 4^th

All results can be viewed here.

Junior Touch Football

Wednesday was the final game of the Touch Football roster. Once again, the girls really embraced this game, with the three Fahan teams competing strongly each week. A big thank you goes to Mr Hodgman and Mrs Heather for taking on these teams.

Non-Stop Cricket

Thursday’s ‘Non-Stop Cricket’ games at lunch culminated with a Year 5 versus Year 6 grudge match. As an optional lunchtime activity, two teams of over 20 girls slugged it out with the Year 5 team holding on to win by a little over 10 runs. Was the difference my own cultured innings at the end? I would say ‘yes’, unfortunately all the girls said ‘no’! Thank you Mrs Steel for overseeing this activity.

Kinder to Year 2 Sports Day

Tuesday 29 November saw the running of the Kinder to Year 2 Sports Day. Whilst a bit breezy, anytime you run an event in Tasmania at the moment and get through without rain you are thankful! The girls competed enthusiastically and generally with a smile on their face. A range of events involving running, jumping, rolling and catching and, with Year 2 possibly taking the cake for best dressed class in the Late for School race. The Year 2s now step forward in to Year 3 and carnivals with the ‘big girls’.

Many thanks to those spectators who were able to get there and support the girls and to my Year 6 helpers who did a fantastic job as activity leaders. This is an important part of the leadership program that they have been involved with during the year and an opportunity to put some learning in to practise. Lastly, thank you to Year 5 who assisted with the set up during the day and test driving the events.

Sport in Brief

The Hansen girls have returned from their trip to Brisbane for the 2022 School Sport Australia National Diving Championships. Talking to Skye it sounds like both girls had an amazing experience and managed to catch up with a former Fahan student, now Commonwealth Games contestant, Emily Meaney, for a few words of advice.

Also, competing at the School Sport Australia event was Evie Essex. Evie in Year 5 competed in the 800m, 1500m and the 4 x 100m relay. Another fantastic experience, matching it with some of the best athletes in the country for her age group. Well done, Evie!

Junior Sport Wrap

2022 has been another big year in Junior Sport. The girls continue vote with their feet, in a non-compulsory co-curricular program.

Soccer (Year 1-6) – 69 students participating
Orienteering (Years 3-6) - 10
Tennis (Years 5/6) – 1 x 5/6 team
Hockey (Years 1-6) – 44
Netball (Years 3-6) – 42
Basketball (Years 3-6) – 46
Touch Football (Years 5/6) – 29
Little Aths Skills (Years P-2) – 52
JSSATIS Swimming Team (Years 3-6) – 26
JSSATIS Cross Country Team (Years 3-6) – 40
All Schools Cross Country Team (Years 3-6) - 39
JSSATIS Athletics Team (Years 3-6) – 43
Primary Triathlon Team (Years 3-6) - 48

The support this program continues to get from parents is amazing. In an era where time has become increasingly difficult to find, and other schools are pulling teams out for lack of a coach, Fahan has had possibly more support from the parent body than ever before. As important, is the attitude and sporting perspective our coaches bring, an understanding of where school sport sits in the sporting landscape. Yes, we still train hard and play hard but knowing that a school team is a mix of first-time players and more experienced players, and that education and enjoyment is the central theme.

Also, many thanks to our parent group in their role as ‘supporters’. I think it would be easy to make direct link between the increase in parent help as coaches and the supportive vibe that exists for both players and coaches at our games. I say this because I know, both from personal experience and from stories I hear from other schools, that a big factor in parents choosing not to coach can be concern over the environment that they will be working in; the pressure from parents of players and the attitude/behaviour of players. Quite simply, it needs to be and should be, an enjoyable experience for the coach as well, otherwise why give your time?

I’m also enjoying hearing how many of our girls are now making those club ‘links’. This can happen at different times, when a child says ‘I really enjoy this sport, I would like to play more of this’ but taking that next step and seeking out a sports club, can be a link that is maintained long into their adult life.

Lastly, an enormous thank you to the Fahan Junior School Staff for their support of the program. I do appreciate their positive contribution to supporting the girls, whether it be after school or at the many carnivals we are involved in.

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

Tennis

Congratulations to all teams for a fantastic term of Tennis. A special mention to the Year 10 team of Rosie Fish, Emily Bushby and Betsy Ryan, who won the SSATIS Grand Final against Collegiate on Monday 28 November. Congratulations to the Year 9 Navy team who also won their SSATIS Grand Final against Friends’ - Felicity Barling, Zara Marino, Lucy Groom and Isis Young.

All rosters have now finished and it was great to see the teams improve throughout the term. Thank you to Mrs Buchanan and Mr Ken Allanby for coaching all the teams and to all the team managers.

Touch Football

Touch Football rosters have all finished. Congratulations to the Year 9 Navy team who played in the Grand Final against MacKillop College on Wednesday 30 November. Unfortunately they were defeated but they worked hard throughout the game and had an excellent second half, closing the score to 8 – 5. Thank you to Craig Barling for coaching the team and to Mrs Marino for being the team manager.

Sailing

This term, Fahan had one team entered in the after school racing program run on Wednesday afternoons. The team had a mixture of wins and losses with some exciting racing against the other teams. The girls will be looking forward to coming back next year to compete in the Term 1 roster.

An notice about the sailing camp for 2023 has been sent and your response is required if you wish to attend. This will take place at the Sandy Bay Sailing Club on Thursday 2 February 2023, from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

Athletics

Best wishes to Nell Terry, Ella Atkins and Prue Clarke who will represent Tasmania in the National All Schools Track and Field Championships in Adelaide from Friday 9 December to Sunday 11 December . We look forward to hearing your results and hope that you enjoy the experience.

The National Schools Challenge will also be held in Adelaide on Monday 12 December. Nell Terry, Penelope Geappen, Charlotte Crawford, Charlotte Cutrale, Hannah Sheen, Tess Lawson and Prue Clarke will represent Fahan and 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

On Thursday 26 November, Senior School students competed in the All Schools Triathlon held at Bellerive Beach. All Fahan competitors did extremely well and competed with true Fahan spirit. Congratulations to everyone for their efforts and a special mention to our two Year 10 teams who finished in 2^nd and 3^rd place.

2^ndplace – Ashleigh Kim (swim), Sophie Bury (bike) and Prue Clarke (run)

3^rd place - Georgie Hansen (swim), Emily Bushby (bike) and Keala Hayes (run)

Rowing

Best wishes to the U13, U14 and U15 rowers who will compete in the Junior Quad Scull Sprint Regatta on Saturday 3 December at New Norfolk. The Open and U16 rowers will also compete at New Norfolk in the Ally Cashion Long Distance race on Sunday 4 December.

Best wishes to all Fahan rowers for the Schools Regatta 1 on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 December at Lake Barrington. All our rowers have been training hard and it is always wonderful to see the orange boats and oars on the Derwent River in the early morning.

2023 Term 1 Sports

The EdSmart notice for Term 1 sport sign ups will be sent to students in January. Parents and carers will also be sent this notice but only students will be able to complete and submit it.

The sports offered in Term 1 in the Senior School will be:

Soccer – Years 7 & 8 and Years 9 & 10
Volleyball - Years 7 & 8 and Years 9 & 10
Cricket – Years 7 - 10
Basketball - 1^st and 2^nd Grade
Tennis - 1^st and 2^nd Grade
Sailing
Rowing – continued from 2022

The Inter House Athletics Carnival will be held in Term 1 on Tuesday 28 February.

The participation and enthusiasm for sport at Fahan is outstanding and I look forward to beginning 2023 with the commitment, pride and team spirit that Fahan girls show. A huge thank you to everyone who has coached or managed a sports team this year. Your expertise, help and support is always appreciated.

If any parents are able to help manage or coach a team in Term 1, I would be pleased to hear from you.

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

Community - Queen's Jubilee Tree Planting

Earlier this year, we were pleased to be awarded a generous grant from the Australian Government's Planting Trees for The Queen’s Jubilee program. This week, our Kinder and Year 7 students joined together in a Commerorative Ceremony to contribute to the planting.

The morning ceremony commenced with an acknowledgement to country, after which the students heard from Principal, Meg Lawson, who spoke of the legacy of her Majesty the Queen and the importance of trees in the landscape of Fahan. Our Kindergarten students (together with Year 7 students) assisted with some final plantings and the “70^th tree”, representing the Queen’s 70 years of service as Australia’s Head of State, was then planted while guests joined together for a special morning tea.

There was also some time for reflection for the Kinder students with the realisation that when they reach Year 12, Fahan will be celebrating its 100-year anniversary and some of the Jubilee Trees will stand over 25 meters tall!

This project is significant to the School as it delivers important environmental benefits, contributes to the natural landscape, and extends the native tree canopy on the banks of Waynes Rivulet, a natural waterway that flows through Fahan School.

Whilst the “70^th tree” has now been planted, the Planting of Trees for the Queen’s Jubilee project will continue into 2023 with some associated works that will ensure the trees thrive in an improved and revitalized part of the School. We have no doubt the time spent by the girls in and beneath our new natural canopy will provide rich life-long memories for all.

It was wonderful to welcome back Alumni from near and far last Friday for first of many celebrations for our Alumni Reunion Weekend. Our past students enjoyed morning tea together and a tour around the campus with our Year 9 students. The highly anticipated Alumuni v Student netball and hockey matches followed with the Alumni victorious in the hockey and the students winning the perpetual netball trophy.

Continuing the celebrations for our 2022 Alumni Reunion, leavers from the 1950s through to 2021 enjoyed a Garden Party on the Boarders’ Flat on Saturday. More than 110 alumni reunited with former classmates and enjoyed catching up over spritzes and canapés. Thankfully, the rain held out and it was a wonderful afternoon filled with laughter and reminiscing.

To cap off a special weekend celebrating all things alumni, on Sunday, we held our official Farewell to Boarding event and welcomed back boarders from the 1940s through to 2021. Past boarders wandered through Nateby House, revisiting their old rooms and dorms and sharing stories and memories of their time there.

A delicious grazing brunch in the Dining Room was followed by a champagne toast on the Boarders’ Flat as the oldest and youngest boarders cut the Nateby cake together, marking the end of an era.

A very entertaining panel discussion followed with a presentation of a sentimental gift of the “gong” which was used to call boarders to their morning and evening meals in the early years. A School tour followed, and boarders from across the years connected and bid farewell to the Nateby Boarding House, which was their home away from home for many special years.

Over the past few weeks, the Years 7, 8 and 9 Pastoral Care Groups have been on a mission to find plastic bottles. The winning group – 9 Freycinet – collected a total of 107 bottles, closely followed by 9 Fenton with 75 bottles, and 9 Franklin with 69 bottles. As the winners, 9 Freycinet will be rewarded with a delicious treat. The bottles are going to be used to create an upcycled Fahan Christmas tree. Thank you to all students and their families who helped collect bottles.

Ms Felicity Jacobs

Community - 2023 Back to School Information

Back to School information for 2023 is available on the Fahan School website using this link: https://www.fahan.tas.edu.au/back-to-school.

Information includes:

Booklists and purchasing details for Years 3-12 in 2023*
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) requirements
2023 Term Dates
Uniform Shop appointment booking instructions (30 January – 2 February 2023)

*For Years 7–12 in 2023, Fahan School has appointed Box of Books as the supplier of textbooks. Please note Box of Books has advised that texts must be ordered by Friday 9 December 2022 to guarantee delivery in time.

Requirements for Kinder to Year 2 in 2023 will be provided by the School.

Office Hours

The School Office hours during school holidays are 9:00am–3:30pm. Please also note the following:

Thursday 15 December 2022: CLOSED
Friday 16 December 2022: 9:00am – 3:30pm
Monday 19 December 2022 to Monday 2 January 2023: CLOSED
Tuesday 3 January 2023 – Office reopens: 9:00am–3:30pm

Please contact the School on (03) 6225 1064 if you have any queries.

Community - Summer Vacation Care

LG_Vacation_Care_Fahan_Summer_2022.pdf

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 - 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 - Parent Workshop

Workshop_Helping_Your_Children.jpg

Book your tickets here

Community Notices

Fahan School Uniform Purchases

Fahan School uniform items can be ordered through the Flexischools website or App (Apple of Google). If a uniform fitting is required, please email Mrs Birgitta Browning at uniformshop@fahan.tas.edu.au

Canteen online orders are taken before school through the Flexischools website or App. A variety of foods are offered and healthy, nutritional choices are encouraged. Parents can also load money onto a student's ID card through the Flexischools App so that students from Year 3 may use their student card to purchase items from the canteen.

Flexischools Website

Fahan School Bus Service

For more information on the Fahan Bus Service, please click here.

A Fortnight at Fahan - Term 4, 2 December 2022

Principal's Report

Learning in Pre-Kinder

Learning about Athletics

Learning about Surf Life Saving

Learning about ICAS English Assessments

Learning about Fishing

Learning about Reflection

Learning about Canoeing

Learning about Japanese Culture

Learning about Poetry

Learning about Science Animation

Learning about French Cuisine

Learning about Marine Life

Learning about Outdoor Education

Learning about Home Scientist Challenge

Spirit of Christmas

Spirit of Gratitude in Year 6

Spirit of Lumina 9

Spirit of Performance

Spirit of Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award

Spirit - Junior School Sport

Spirit - Senior School Sport