Fahan School eNewsletter

Principal's Report

In the last few weeks, we have enjoyed the company of several students from our Japanese Sister Schools: Tokyo Jogakkan Junior, Yokohama Eiwa, and Tokyo Jogakkan Senior students, who have been visiting with us at Fahan. I would like to thank all those involved in organising these visits and also those who were host families.

I was pleased to receive some correspondence from a parent who confirmed that the bonds formed during these visits can often last well beyond the program. Her daughter, who completed Year 12 in 2021, is still in contact with the TJK student who stayed with them seven years ago, and they even caught up together in Tokyo this year, having built a firm friendship.

To me, this is a powerful illustration of the positive impact of such a relationship. It's not just about language practice but about gaining a unique insight into the daily lives of both cultures. This firsthand experience fosters empathy and global awareness, building cultural understanding between our two nations. This program offers invaluable experiences for our students, preparing them for an increasingly interconnected world.

Debating Week in the Senior School has been inspiring and entertaining. Our Spirit Chair has put together an interesting collection of topics, and these have been debated with great skill and enthusiasm, entertaining and informing the audience. Seeing Years 7 and 8 students debating alongside the senior students has been particularly pleasing.

In the Junior School, Book Week has yet again proven to be an immensely popular way to emphasise the importance of reading in our everyday lives, providing an opportunity to celebrate books and literacy. There was certainly a wide variety of clever and creative costumes, which I know many parents had a strong hand in creating! Thank you for helping us to celebrate this important event in our calendar.

Best wishes,

Meg Lawson

Learning in Pre-Kinder

Recently we headed up to kunanyi to enjoy an adventure at the Springs.

During the bus ride, many of the children pointed out landmarks they were familiar with. These included hotels they had stayed in and shops they frequented.

When we arrived, we enjoyed morning tea at the picnic area and looked up some information about the place we were visiting. Turikina truwala was a name that was decided on by a group of indigenous elders for this area.

The children recited our acknowledgment of country in this space.

We followed a track down the mountain for a short way and looked at moss, trees and the everchanging pathway.

We talked about leaving the habitat as we found it and why this was important.

We see the children embrace these adventures with confidence and a strong sense of adventure, learning about respecting the environment and their role in this.

Lisa, Hattie, Tiffany, Moya and Heena

Learning about Mathematics in Prep

In a week filled with celebrating the magic of reading, Prep students discovered that books are not only useful for reading, but also for Mathematics!

Using Math blocks, students set about measuring the length and width of their favourite books. They also compared their results with a friend. Who had the longest book? Who had the widest book? And what was the difference between measurements?

Very clever Mathematic skills, Prep students!

Ms Kim Menadue

Last week, our Year 6 classes showcased their project work on the history of migration in Australia.

The students brought the stories and experiences of 20th-century immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers to life using suitcases as symbolic representations of migrants' journeys.

Through extensive research, the students developed character backstories, sourced symbolic artifacts and historical keepsakes and wrote fictional letters to family members to encapsulate the migrants' stories.

Our Junior School students were inspired by what they learnt and developed a new understanding of Australian history and fostered empathy for the bravery of those who migrated.

On Wednesday 14 August, Kindergarten students visited Fullers Bookshop as part of our Literacy program. Sophie talked to us about fiction and non-fiction books and read us the story, Handah's Surprise, written and illustrated by Eileen Browne.

As part of Fullers' Bookshop commitment to literacy in lutruwita/Tasmania, every student was invited to select a picture book to keep.

Afterwards, students enjoyed a hot chocolate at the Bookshop Cafe.

Thank you to Ms Bowler for accompanying us and thank you to Fullers' Bookshop for supporting so many children in their reading journey.

Mrs Meg Denman

Spirit of Book Week in the Junior School

Reading is Magic

In 1946 the Children’s Book Council of Australia, (CBCA) established an annual book awards to promote children's books of high literary and artistic quality. These awards are now the most influential and highly respected children’s books in Australia.

On Wednesday 21 August, Junior School students and teachers celebrated Children’s Book Week by dressing up as their favourite book or fairy tale character. Well-loved characters included Madeline, Paddington Bear, Mary Poppins and characters from Harry Potter. A highlight of the Assembly was the wonderful play written and performed by the Year 6 Shadow Judges. The Shadow Judges team worked hard to read all six short-listed titles in the Younger Reader’s category, arrive at a consensus and cast their vote for the book they thought should win. The Shadow Judges also hosted the entire Book Week Assembly. Congratulations Evie, Madison, Rosie, Abbey, Freya, Saige, Sofia and Tully.

Following the Assembly, students enjoyed a slice of the amazing Book Week cake. Created by A Tiny Bit Marvellous, the cake featured this year’s magical images designed by Australian children’s author and illustrator, Jess Rackyleft.

Afterwards, students shared their thoughts on the Book Week Assembly:

We got to wear our costumes on the stage! I was the Cupcake Fairy. They can do magic like turning people into frogs. Hannah (Kinder)

I dressed up as a magical unicorn. Sigrid (Kinder)

I dressed up as Mary Poppins. I had lace gloves, a hat and a parasol. She is magical. She can fly with her umbrella! Eleanor S (Kinder)

I love that we got to say who we were dressed up as on the stage. I was dressed up as Thelma the Unicorn. Esther (Kinder)

Everyone agreed with Echo that they “loved eating the Book Week cake. It was chocolate. It was a Book Party!"

Thank you to all the Junior School staff for supporting this year’s Book Week celebrations. Special thanks goes to Mrs Cole and Eka, the star of the day!

Mrs Meg Denman

Year 3 students have thoroughly enjoyed celebrating Book Week this week! We have written book reviews, read many of the shortlisted books, enjoyed crafting animal characters out of clay, done a range of craft activities with our Prep buddies and, of course…… we LOVED dressing up as characters from our favourite books. Well done, everyone!

Mrs Nicole Bury

Spirit of ICAS Assessments

Throughout the month of August students in both the Junior School and Senior School have been participating in the ICAS Assessments. These assessments are voluntary, and parents had the opportunity, last term, to select assessments that best suited their child.

ICAS assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment.

Students had the opportunity to participate in: Writing, English, Spelling Bee and Mathematics.

Mrs Susan Wright

Spirit of Science Week in Years 5 and 6

We were not disappointed with our Young Tassie Scientists visit to Fahan for National Science Week celebrations. The event featured three captivating presentations, allowing students to explore and inquire about the workings of glaciers, the intricacies of memory and the circulation of blood within our bodies.

Chelsea Long, the Glacierologist, spoke about what people wear during their trips to Antarctica and how far they drill down in the ice. Learning about this made us think how cold and amazing it would be to work and live in Antarctica for several months at a time. It was interesting looking at the ice and how they cut and preserved it for the trip back home.

Olly Johnstone was the brain expert, especially on memory strengths. Olly asked each group to make a shopping list and then we had to remember the list we had made. It proved difficult to remember 18 items. Did you know that some people have a photographic memory, and they can remember what they ate on a particular day 20 years ago? And they can even remember what the weather was like!

Emily Attrill had us working with artificial blood. Emily’s research looks at how blood vessels control blood flow to our muscles. Did you know that the hardest-working organs are our muscles during exercise and after we eat?

All three presenters helped us understand that Science is like a super detective who helps us figure out all sorts of things. Thanks to science, we can solve mysteries and improve our lives every day!

By Eve Kacic-Midson and Chloe Geason

Spirit of Science Week in the Senior School

The theme for this year’s Science Week was Threatened Species – More than just sustainability.

We kicked off the week with a giant game of Kahoot! in the TM Hall, with students making teams across all year levels from 7-12. The Kahoot! consisted of 20 questions, many relating to the threatened species theme, with the rest of the questions were of a general science nature. An example of a question was:
Which country has the highest rate of mammal extinction?
A: Australia; B: China; C. Madagascar; D: Brazil (see the end of this article for the answer)

Following this, Dr Stewart performed his usual entertaining and incredible science demonstration for the students. He had built a simple air cannon out of an old bin, a plastic shower curtain and a piece of rubber rope. By tapping on the shower curtain, which covered the open end of the bin, he was able to shoot air out of the hole he had cut in the bottom of the bin (see photo – this is hard to describe in words)! He was able to knock paper cups off students’ heads and blow a candle out from a few metres away. The air leaves the air cannon in a vortex. A vortex is a spinning flow of fluid or gas - water going down the drain is an example. The air forms this shape because the air leaving the cannon at the centre of the hole is travelling faster than the air leaving around the edge of the hole. The air keeps its shape since the surrounding air is relatively slow moving. Finally, Dr Stewart put a little smoke into the bin and tapped out some smoke rings!

As always, there was a staff morning tea in the Senior School with a threatened species theme – vegies and dip in the shape of a powerful owl, koala cupcakes and cheese and crackers in the shape of a long-beaked echidna.

On the Thursday, the Year 9 classes hosted a Science Fair for the Years 3 and 4 students in the Science labs. There were some incredible demonstrations presented by the Year 9s, who have worked hard on these displays over the last couple of weeks. Some examples were: Water Scales - making a banana piano; Oxygen odyssey - a working model of the lungs; Elephant Toothpaste; Laminar flow – showing how smoothly water can flow out of a balloon.

The Year 4 students were so inspired by the Science Fair that they themselves have begun the process of creating their own Science Fair for the Year 1 students!

It was a really good experience - teaching science to kids was quite fun. Although it was hard to choose an experiment at the start. Meral and Evelyn (Year 9)

It was a new experience for me, talking to younger grades in a way that is easy for them to understand and also engaging for them. The process of making the display was quite simple, but it still took some testing to make sure the wind wouldn’t affect the experiment. Aime (Year 9)

Finding the love of science. Penelope (Year 4)

I loved doing this in front of other people to make them happy and interested. Isabel (Year 4)

The best bit was creating the cardboard display with friends and decorating it, and also showing it to our buddies. It was really fun watching the Year 9s before ours and it made me feel very grown up. Tamsin (Year 4)

Finally, the Science Week competition this year was to create a 30-second video to highlight the plight of a threatened species. Thank you to all who submitted entries – they were informative and entertaining. The winning entry was submitted by Essie Burke (Year 8) - watch it below!

Thank you to everyone who made Science Week so great and to all students for their enthusiastic participation!

Answer to Kahoot! question - A: Australia

Ms Felicity Jacobs

Congratulations to our Year 12 Spirit Chair, Olivia Wilson, students and staff for creating such an entertaining Debating Week experience.

Every lunchtime, the Senior School enjoyed a series of Inter-House debates covering various topics such as Students should be allowed one mental health day a month; Year 9s and 10s should be given a common room; and All students should spend one lunchtime a week reading a book. The debates were lively and very entertaining!

The Staff vs Student debate with the theme Should Mean Girls be added to the Australian school curriculum? was incredibly amusing and a real crowd-pleaser. The fantastic costumes, props, and choreography had the audience in stitches. After a hilarious and hotly contested debate, the students were victorious, and the teachers were very gracious in defeat.

The event concluded with a highly engaging debate full of surprises between Fahan and Hutchins students on the topic of Should a member of the audience be randomly selected to participate in solo Olympic sports? Both teams dressed in Olympic attire and used props, costumes, and accessories to present their arguments. Special thanks to the students from The Hutchins School for their enthusiastic energy, witty banter, and an unexpected, clever speaker switch to reinforce their argument. After a very close contest, and excellent rebuttal, the affirmative Fahan team was declared the winner of the debate.

Well done to all students who participated and held some very strong and clever topical arguments.

Thank you to our adjudicators for mentoring and inspiring our speakers. It was a wonderful week of great debates!

Cricket Clinic

On Tuesday 20 August we had the fantastic opportunity to host players from the Women’s Hobart Hurricanes and the Tasmanian Cricket Team for a special clinic. The students engaged in a variety of activities to hone their bowling, batting, and catching skills. Each participant was thrilled to receive a mini bat, a ball, and some Hurricanes clappers. Judging by the students' smiles and enthusiastic feedback, the clinic was a huge success!

Additionally, the Hobart Hurricanes are offering a Colour Blast program during the school holidays. Information about this exciting opportunity was provided to all clinic participants.

Athletics Carnival

In our PE lessons, we have been focusing on perfecting our high jump and vortex throwing techniques in preparation for the upcoming Athletics Carnival. We were fortunate to have Zane Patmore from Little Athletics guide us through these skills. It’s been rewarding to see noticeable improvements in both technique and distance as students practice their vortex throws.

The Junior School Athletics Carnival is scheduled for Tuesday 17 September, at the Domain Athletics Centre. Further details will be sent via EdSmart soon.

Mini Olympics

Last Monday marked the conclusion of the Mini Olympics for our Years 3 and 4 students. The final session allowed students to apply the skills they had been developing, with each "country" competing in half-court basketball games. The lesson culminated in a playoff to determine the medal winners. It was wonderful to see all students actively participating and collaborating as a team. Congratulations to all our medal winners!

Mrs Katy Stewart
Junior Sport Coordinator
stewartk@fahan.tas.edu.au

SSATIS Swimming Carnival
The Southern SATIS Swimming Carnival will be held on Thursday 29 August at the Doone Kennedy Hobart Aquatic Centre. A team has been selected and is on the Tree on the Senior Sport page in the Swimming section. The team has been training every Tuesday morning and it has been excellent to see so many attend. Thanks must go to Shannon Harrison for coming to these training sessions and helping the team with technique, starts and relay changes.

Following the SSATIS Carnival, a team of a reduced number will be selected for the SATIS Carnival, also being held at the Doone Kennedy Hobart Aquatic Centre, on Wednesday 18 September. The team will be selected based on performances at the Southern Carnival and a team list will be released soon after that event.

Rowing
There is a Fahan Rowing Working Bee on Saturday 7 September at the Sandy Bay Rowing Club at 8:30am. It would be wonderful to see as many rowing parents there as possible. The Working Bee will be a wonderful way to get together before the rowing season begins and it will also mean that our rowers can get on to the water in boats with oars that are fully equipped and ready to go.

Running Group
The Fahan Running Group continues to meet every Friday morning at 7:00am. Over the past couple of years this group has grown, and we now have around 10 runners each week from Years 7 to 12. We run in any weather, sometimes we run hard and other times we run and chat and enjoy the views! Running is a sport that anyone can do, regardless of your speed, age and ability. It not only improves one's fitness, but also contributes positively to health and wellbeing – “healthy body, healthy mind”.

We welcome any students from Years 7 – 12 to Running Group.

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

Community - Civics and Citizenship

Year 6 students will soon be undertaking an education tour of the national capital. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia's history, culture, heritage and democracy.

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion, the Australian Government is contributing funding to our School in the amount of $300 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the School upon completion of the excursion.

Mrs Tania Gath
Head of Junior School

Community - Fahan Parent, Scott Ciscon, will perform his first concert in Hobart!

Fahan parent, Scott Ciscon, will be performing his first concert in Hobart on 24 August at Wrest Point.

After performing for 30 years all around the world, Scott makes his Tassie debut and brings his brand new solo show to the Showroom at Wrest Point.

Don’t miss this wonderfully eclectic evening of his favourite songs, interwoven with anecdotes from his time on (and off) stage – virtually a soundtrack of his life.

With popular repertoire ranging from Bublé to Bocelli, Broadway and just about everything in-between, Scott will also entertain with some of his original songs, including the title track ‘Edge of the World’ written about his favourite place on earth – our very own Coles Bay.

Book your tickets here

Community - Fahan School Twilight Fair

With just under two months to go until the Fahan Twilight Fair on Friday 18 October, planning has picked up speed.

Class stalls are well progressed, and it is really pleasing to hear reports of so many parents and friends coming together to plan their stalls, with contributions from so many. I am sure that all the effort and detail that is being put in will be evident for all to see on the evening of the Fair. I would encourage everyone, if they haven’t already done so, to reach out to your class representative and ask how you may help, whether it being assisting on the evening or making a donation to cover the stall costs.

We also continue to seek donations for the following:

Prizes for the Chocolate Wheel. If you are in a position to donate a suitable prize, or have a connection who might, it would be graciously accepted. We have already got some fantastic prizes but need a few more.
Plants, small trees and seedlings. If you are a green thumb or are looking to rehome a plant, please consider making a donation.
Donations of bottled wine.

The School is happy to receive any donations at Reception, or you can email pandf@fahan.tas.edu.au to arrange collection.

With your support and attendance on the evening, we are well on the way to creating a lasting memory for our daughters of an evening filled with fun, friends and joy and an event that brings the community together.

Michael O'Connor
President
P&F Association

Community - Seeking Donations for a Sustainability Stall

The Sustainability Committee in the Senior School is aiming to hold a Christmas stall at the end of the year. We will be selling handmade, upcycled crafts.

We need your help!

Do you have any of the following items that you could give to us?

Bottle caps
Corks
Plastic bags
Old CDs or DVD discs

Please drop these into the School Office or send with your child to give to Miss Jacobs.

Thank you for your help!

Years 7-12 Sustainability Committee

Community - New Fahan Rowing Fundraiser

We are very excited to launch our latest fundraising project for Fahan Rowing. We hope our amazing community can assist the School's Rowing program in realising its highest priority needs. With our community's help we aim to purchase a new four/quad and up to a half dozen new single boats. While our older boats are still safe and comfortable, they have seen better racing days. We would greatly appreciate community support to help us acquire these new boats, especially as the School plans to race at the Nationals next year at Lake Barrington, an exciting event for us on home turf.

Donations can be made through the School's fundraising partnership with the Australian Sports Foundation. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

Please show your support and click here https://asf.org.au/projects/fahan-school/new-fahan-boats-202425 to donate today!

Yours sincerely,

Steve Lambert
Director of Rowing

Community - Tassie Student Athletes USA Scholarship Opportunity

Hi Tassie Student- Athletes & Families!

My name is Chris Bates, owner of Australian based company Study & Play USA. Since 2004, our team has been educating student-athletes right around Australia about the life changing opportunity for them to continue their pursuit of sport and studies in the USA university environment.

We have facilitated nearly 1000 scholarship opportunities over this period for student-athletes of almost all athletic, academic and budget levels; among them Olympians, Harvard graduates and also students with some learning difficulties who grew and thrived in the US system and achieved more than they could ever have imagined. We are proud of them all. These days, with 4500 universities in the USA, it’s easier and more accessible than you might think!

We specialise in many sports, including:

Rowing
Track & Field
Cross Country
Swimming
Golf
Tennis
Soccer
Softball
Baseball
Basketball
Water Polo
Volleyball
+ many more

My Background

Graduated from High School in Queensland
Received full scholarship to attend Oklahoma State University (OSU) in tennis
Travelled to over 30 states of the USA on scholarship valued at over $US350K
Graduated OSU with a Bachelor of Business and later added Secondary Teaching qualification
Taught Business and acted in multiple pastoral care roles at Brisbane Boys’ College
Established Study & Play USA in 2004 and are now the longest standing college recruitment company in the southern hemisphere
Recently published my first book, Game Changer, a memoir of my fabulous journey to the USA and back

Very much looking forward to educating any interested student-athletes and families in coming weeks. Simply click on the ‘Register Here’ link below to book your seat for our free session.

Regards

Chris & the Team

Register Here

USA College Sports Scholarship Information Session.pdf

Community - Consultation on Phasing Out Single-Use Plastics

We are surrounded by plastic and plastic waste. Single use plastics are plastic items like coffee cups and cutlery designed to be used once and thrown in the rubbish. These types of plastics are often easily littered, difficult to recycle and recover and can be made with harmful chemicals.

The Department of Natural and Resources and Environment Tasmania is currently considering the impacts of phasing out certain problematic and unnecessary single-use plastics and invites you to share your thoughts on the Phasing Out Problematic Single-Use Plastics in Tasmania Discussion Paper.

Some of the items being considered for phasing out include drinking straws, cups and stirrers, and takeaway food containers.

Consultation will close on Tuesday 1 October 2024. You can respond to the online survey or provide a written submission; more information is available at: https://nre.tas.gov.au/plastics-consultation.

Community - Information Regarding Southern Outlet Transit Lane Connector

Transit_Lane_Connector_Start_of_Works_Notification_Letter_LB18.pdf

Uniform Shop Reminder

Uniform items can be ordered online through the Flexischools website. You can also download the Flexischools App for Apple or Android.

All uniform orders placed via the Flexischools App will be delivered to Reception for Senior School orders and to the classrooms for Junior School orders on Tuesdays and Thursdays during term time. Please allow two days notice for delivery of orders placed before 4:00pm (three days for orders placed after 4:00pm).

Appointments can be made during term time by emailing Birgitta at uniformshop@fahan.tas.edu.au.

Student Absence, Late Arrival or Early Departure

Notification of student absence for any reason, including illness, late arrival or early departure, should be submitted through the Fahan App, emailed to absence@fahan.tas.edu.au or advised by telephone on 6225 1064 or. Requests for planned absence (eg sporting events, family events, etc) are now also advised through the App and are no longer required to be submitted on the Request for Absence form.

Please do not email notifications of absence directly to teachers.