Fahan School eNewsletter

Principal's Report

Since the last Fortnight at Fahan, we have enjoyed all the delights of the Fahan Twilight Fair. What a lovely afternoon it was! I would like to thank all involved for making this such a wonderful Fahan Community occasion. Our hard-working P&F Committee is to be commended for their smooth organisation of the event. This does not happen by chance; many hours of work go in behind the scenes, and ultimately, it is our students who are the beneficiaries of this fundraising effort. Thank you all.

There have been a number of teaching appointments at Fahan for 2025 that I would like to let you know about.

Firstly, Mrs Peta-Jane Buchanan will be taking a year’s leave in 2025. We will welcome Mrs Natalie Davey to Fahan, who is a highly experienced HPE and Maths teacher, and is looking forward to joining us.

Mrs Kathryn Lumsden-Steel will also be taking a year's leave in 2025 and we will welcome Miss Carla Peacock to the Junior School. Carla has most recently been teaching in Western Australia.

Sadly, Tammy McMahon will be leaving us today as her family is relocating to Darwin. Tammy has been a tremendous addition to our staff, and we will miss her calming, capable and cheerful presence in the Junior School. Thomas Vaughan has joined us as an Educational Assistant in the Junior School.

Mrs Kate Camm will be joining Ms Alex Pitt in the Senior School Art Department. Kate has most recently taught at Elizabeth College and both Alex and Kate are looking forward to working together.

Miss Jessica Hutchinson will be teaching Japanese and some humanities subjects. Jessica has taught at St Virgils and Guildford Young College and is looking forward to teaching at Fahan.

Mr Peter Ottavi will be teaching Business and Legal Studies, as will Mrs Stephanie Stratton. Both are highly experienced in these subjects and Fahan is fortunate to have them educating our students.

During the recruitment process, we were impressed with the quality of the applicants and know that our students will continue to have excellent teaching experiences.

Today I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with over 60 of our Nateby Club ladies at their annual Christmas Lunch. It is always a joyous occasion to see these cherished alumni, who all graduated over 50 years ago, still maintaining such strong bonds with the School and with each other. Their enduring connection to Fahan and the friendships they have nurtured over the years are truly special.

Best wishes,

Meg Lawson

2025 Back to School Information

Back to School information for 2025 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 2025
Device requirements
2025 Term Dates
Uniform Shop bookings
Updated School Bus information

Booklist Ordering

For Years 7–12 in 2025, 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 Sunday 8 December 2024 to guarantee delivery in time for Term 1. Requirements for Kinder to Year 2 in 2025 will be provided by the School.

Back to School Uniform Appointments in 2025

The Uniform Shop will be open by appointment before School resumes so that you can ensure your daughter has the complete and correct uniform. Appointments are available from 28-31 January 2025 through this link. Students in Years 1 to 12 are required to wear brown school shoes.

For current students, if a fitting is not required, we encourage you to make purchases online through the FlexiSchools App.

Office Hours

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

Friday 13 December 2024: CLOSED from 11:00am
Monday 16 December 2024 to Friday 3 January 2025: CLOSED
Monday 6 January 2025: Office reopens 9:00am–3:30pm

Please contact the School on (03) 6225 1064 or fahanschool@fahan.tas.edu.au if you have any queries.

2025 Junior School Classes

Next year, Mrs Kathryn Lumsden-Steel will be on leave, and we wish her the best in her 2025 endeavours. Mr David Hodgman will be teaching Year 6 and we welcome Miss Carla Peacock to the Junior School to teach Year 4. Our teachers and classes for 2025 are:

Kindergarten: Mrs Rebecca Wiggins (Monday, Tuesday and Friday)
Mrs Meg Denman (Wednesday, Thursday)

Prep: Ms Kim Menadue

Year 1: Mrs Sarah Parsons (Monday- Wednesday, Friday)
Mrs Rebecca Wiggins (Thursday)

Year 2: Mrs Sophie Baxter

Year 3: Mrs Nicole Bury

Year 4: Miss Carla Peacock

Year 5D: Mrs Ursula Dalton

Year 5W: Mrs Susan Wright

Year 6O: Mrs Ingrid Heather

Year 6N: Mr David Hodgman

Library: Mrs Meg Denman (Monday, Tuesday and Friday)

PE: Mrs Katy Stewart (Monday- Thursday)

Art: Mr Nic Goodwolf (Tuesday- Thursday)

Academic Support: Ms Suzie Thomas (Monday- Thursday)

Mrs Tania Gath
Head of Junior School

Uniform Shop Closed for Stock Take

The Uniform Shop will be closed on Tuesday 3 December for stock take.

Learning about the Marine Discovery Centre

Recently, Prep students enjoyed a very exciting visit to the Marine Discovery Centre at Woodbridge. This excursion formed part of their learning about living things in Science. Students were thrilled to feed the sharks, rays and flounder in the big pool, and explored a variety of sea life up close in the touch tank. They also viewed video of life under the jetty where sharks, invasive sea stars and crabs came to visit.

What an adventure and inspiration to care for our oceans!

Ms Kim Menadue

On Tuesday 4 November, Year 4 went bike riding on the bottom oval.

We split into two groups and one group at a time learnt how to check your bike to see if it is safe and our helmets were on correctly. The other group rode a bike. We rode down a steep hill thinking about how our body was positioned. We needed to have our feet flat, and our arms and knees bent. Halfway through the bike safety we got a lolly snake which was delicious.

By Anna Doust and Jade Spadavecchia

Learning about the Hobart City Council

On Friday 8 November, Year 4 visited the Hobart City Council. The Lord Mayor, Anna Reynolds, welcomed us and showed us her office and then took us on a guided tour of the Town Hall including the Ball Room. Later we pretended to be councillors and had a mini debate in the Council Chambers. There were two motions. The first was about putting in a park and the second was about homelessness.

By Anna Doust and Jade Spadavecchia

On Thursday 31 October, Year 5 students spent the entire day at the Cascades Female Factory in South Hobart.

The Cascades Female Factory is Australia's most significant historic site associated with female convicts. At the Female Factory the students took part in a tour of the site and participated in activities that brought to life the stories of female convicts who railed against the severe system of punishment.

The aim of the excursion was to compliment and build upon studies relating to the students’ overnight excursion at Port Arthur.

To expand the students' understanding of the conditions faced by the female convicts, on Friday 1 November students met at 8:00am outside Macq 01 Hotel at the Footsteps to Freedom Monument. They then proceeded to walk from the docks to the Cascades Female Factory, similar to the original walk made by so many female convicts when they arrived in Van Dieman’s Land.

Mrs Susan Wright

In Year 8, we have been studying all things Geology this term.

We have looked at the different types of rock – sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic, and worked on understanding the differences between each and how they can change forms. We have also looked at plate tectonics and how the surface of the Earth is divided into plates that slowly move over time, leading to different features forming such as trenches, rift valleys, earthquakes and volcanoes.

To finish up our studies, we went on an excursion to the Earth Sciences building at UTAS for a workshop. We split into groups and participated in three different activities during our time there. In the first activity, we tested different rock samples for their hardness and learnt how different minerals are used to make the products in our everyday lives, such as how crude oil is refined to produce octane that is used as petrol for our cars.

In the second activity we visited the microscopes lab and viewed thin samples of rocks under polarised and non-polarised light to see the differences between them and learn how this helps geologists to identify the minerals.

Finally, we spent some time looking at the geological time scale along the corridor of the building, to study how the Earth has changed over time and identify which rocks were the oldest. We also tested the samples in the corridor for radioactivity.

Thank you to UTAS for hosting both of our classes and to the volunteers who ran our activities!

Felicity Jacobs

Year 3 students recently enjoyed a fabulous Camp at Orana at Roches Beach, as part of their Outdoor Education Program. This was their first overnight camp and has certainly made everyone excited for more camps in the future!

Students enjoyed exploring the area, beach walks, beach cricket, sand sculptures, challenges in the adventure playground, a special Halloween dessert at dinner time, the M&M game, and much more!

Everyone cooperated well, participated enthusiastically and supported each other beautifully. Well done, everyone!

Mrs Nicole Bury

The Year 6 classes are currently planning and organising a Thank You Lunch for all of the Junior School teachers who have been involved with our grade throughout the years. This will take place on Thursday 21 November and we are all extremely grateful to those who have helped us organise this event.

In the lead-up to this exciting event, we separated into five groups that would help us prepare. The groups were Entertainment, Marketing, Design, Food and Logistics. Each group had different tasks to complete in preparation for the important day.

The Entertainment group is planning some games and speeches to be held during the event. The Marketing group is responsible for invitations, RSVPs, and communicating with the community. The Design group is responsible for working out how to implement our chosen theme and will decorate and organise the room. The Food group has planned a delicious sounding menu with Mrs Browning and will be cooking for the lunch. The Logistics team is overseeing the running of the event on the day and in the lead-up.

We are very excited for the day of our luncheon!

Madison Horne

Spirit of Friendship Fair

Learning about Positive Relationships

On 28 October, Year 7 students hosted a Friendship Fair as a part of our Health class. We started working on our projects a few weeks prior to the Fair. We were put into mixed groups from 70 and 7N and given topics about an aspect of friendship of interest to us. Our topics were:

Kindness and Respect
Handling Conflict and Arguments
Inclusivity and Belonging
Friendship Changes and Transitions
Bullying and Standing Up for Others
Managing Stress and Emotions
Rumours, Gossip, and Trust
Effective Communication
Peer Pressure and Fitting In
Teamwork and Collaboration

We had to come up with an idea to teach Years 4 and 6 about our topic in a fun way. Some groups created board games, others created videos, power points and even a Minecraft world! Each stall was filled with fun, good information and sometimes yummy prizes to win.

Each stall was a hit with the students, who left with happy smiles on their faces and lollies in their hands, as well as newfound knowledge to pass on.

I loved working with my group and getting to know the other girls better. Amelie Dobson

It was a great experience! Ivy Brown

By Chloe East and Elsie Miller

On 30 October, Year 8 students hosted a Probability Fair, turning Maths into magic to support Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. From clever games of chance to prizes like lollies, chocolates, and teddies, students from Years 7–12 joined in the fun, purchasing tokens to try their luck.

With over ten unique games, designed entirely by our Year 8s as part of their Mathematics unit, the Fair was a great way to learn, play, and make a difference.

The Probability Fair brought Maths to life in a fun way. Eloise

There was lots of fun and energy. Sadie

It was really great being able to share each other's ideas. Molly

It was a great way to challenge our creativity. Sigrid

After the event, we all wrote an individual report to reflect on theoretical and experimental side. We noted what went well and what we can improve on next time. Grace

At the beginning of last term, the Years 9/10 Drama class began working on our production of the A.I play.

During the term, we worked on characterisation, ensemble work and memorisation of lines. After this preparation, in week 3 of Term 4, we spent three days working with the tech team, familiarising ourselves with the amazing animations that had been put together.

Overall, we had four successful shows, and enjoyed working together as a cast, and connecting with other students. We would like to thank Ms Best, the tech team, and our fellow cast mates for creating a positive environment.

Chloe and Emily - Year 10

The Australian Olympic Committee run the Australian Olympic Change Maker program each year.

The Australian Olympic Change Maker recognises and rewards students who are demonstrating the Olympic spirit through leadership and driving positive change in their school or communities. This can take on many forms – from minor to major, and from the ordinary to the amazing. This could include leading teams, umpiring, coaching juniors, supporting senior teams, making a difference at a sports club or at the school, a national course or effecting change on the world stage. 

 In 2024 Hannah Sheen and Isabel Willcox were nominated from our School. Both these students have shown the above qualities and have demonstrated attributes consistent with the Olympic Spirit (friendship, sportsmanship and striving for excellence) both on and off the playing field. They have done this at School and also in their chosen sporting clubs and communities. We congratulate both Hannah and Isabel.

Hannah and Isabel had to make a 1 minute video sharing their sporting journey and their contribution to sport at School and within their community. Their short video had to show they actively demonstrate leadership through sport and how they have used sport as a vehicle to improve health and wellbeing at School.

Hannah Sheen has since been selected to attend the 2024 National Olympic Change Maker Summit in Canberra on Tuesday 26 November - 28 November. Hannah will visit and stay at the Australian Institute of Sport with 28 other students from around Australia. She will attend a presentation a Parliament House and will go to workshops and meet Olympians. This is a huge achievement, and we look forward to hearing all about the summit when Hannah returns.  

Mrs Jo Banks-Smith

Spirit - Junior School Sport

JSSATIS Athletics Carnival

On Thursday 7 November, students from Years 3-6 participated in the JSSATIS Athletics Carnival at the Domain, where perfect weather conditions created an ideal setting for the event. The sun was shining, and the atmosphere was filled with enthusiasm as students represented Fahan with pride.

Throughout the day, every competitor demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and team spirit. Fahan students cheered each other on, creating a supportive environment and encouraging one another to perform their best. Many girls participated in multiple events, showcasing their dedication and athleticism.

Their determination and effort were evident as they competed in sprints, long jump, vortex, and other track and field activities. The achievements of these students highlighted their commitment to training sessions. A big thank you goes to Rob Mazey who volunteered his time to coach the girls during lunchtimes and share his knowledge of athletics.

Several outstanding individual performances were noted, with many students placing in the top five overall for their event/s.

Alexandra Payton – 4^th in Vortex

Klara Koch – 2^nd in high jump, 3^rd in Vortex, 3^rd in long jump

Sophie Boyes – 4^th in 400m, 2^nd in 800m

Lily Gorringe – 4^th in 400m, 5^th in Vortex, 5^th in 100m

Maggie Davies – 2^nd in 400m, 2^nd in 800m

Dorothy Song – 5^th in long jump

Sasha Miles – 5^th in long jump

Frankie Gorringe – 3^rd in 100m, 3^rd in 200m

Mia Roberston – 4^th in 100m

Bobbie Tennick – 1^st in high jump

Rose Page – 2^nd in high jump

Lucy Taylor – 2^nd in 200m

Violet Geappen – 3^rd in 800m

Yr 5 4x100m relay – 2^nd and 4^th

Congratulations to all participants for their efforts and achievements at the Carnival.

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

Triathlon

56 Senior School students are entered in the All Schools Triathlon to be held on Thursday 28 November at Bellerive Beach. Fahan have 4 individual competitors and 19 teams. This is always a fun and enjoyable event and we wish all our competitors the very best!

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. For more information, please see the Senior Sport page on the Tree.

Rowing

Best wishes to the Junior Fahan Rowing Team for their first Schools Regatta for the 2024/2025 season. This will be held at Franklin on Saturday 16 November.

Athletics

Congratulations to the following students who represented Fahan in the Tasmanian All Schools Track and Field Championships on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 November at the Domain Athletics Centre:

Senior School - Evie Essex, Milla Gorringe, Tené Terblanche, Charlotte Cutrale, Amelia Steedman, Hannah Sheen and Anna McCallum

Junior School - Violet Geappen, Klara Koch, Frankie Gorringe and Maggie Davies.

There were many fantastic performances over the weekend with some of our athletes placing in their events and receiving an invitation to represent Tasmania in the National All Schools Track and Field Championships in Brisbane on Friday 6 December to Sunday 8 December.

Full results can be found at: https://cdn.revolutionise.com.au/cups/tasathletics/files/c2ms3fquemvywyar.pdf

The 2025 Fahan Inter House Athletics Carnival will be held on Friday 14 February (week 2). Please keep this in mind over the summer holidays and be ready for the first Inter House Competition for 2025!

Below are the dates for the SSATIS and SATIS Athletics Carnivals:

SSATIS Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 11 March @ Domain Athletics Centre

SATIS Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 1 April @ St Leonards Athletics Centre, Launceston

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

I am happy to report that the Fahan Twilight Fair held on Friday 1 November was a resounding success. Whilst the weather did not always cooperate, no one was deterred, and it was clear to me that not only were the students having a great time, but the parents too! As one parent said to me afterwards, ‘it had a great vibe’.

Highlights of the Fair included great food, wonderful company, energetic students (likely fuelled by sugar!), older students leading by example through their involvement in stalls and activities, and, not least, seeing our Principal being dunked!

Whilst the Fair raised a record amount for the School, it really is all about community. There are too many individual people and businesses to thank for their contribution to the Fair, so on behalf of the Committee, I will instead just thank the entire Fahan Community and particularly all those parents and families who showed their support by attending on the evening. I hope you all had a wonderful time.

Michael O'Connor
P&F President

Year 5 students have been investigating the meaning of Remembrance Day. They have researched Australia’s war history and discovered the reasons why 11 November is such an important date in our annual calendar.

The students held discussions with their families which resulted in many of them discovering interesting information about their relatives.

On Monday 11 November, Year 5 held a Remembrance Day service where they shared the meaning of Remembrance Day, laid flowers at the base of the Australian flag, recited the Ode, listened to the Last Post and the Reveille, took a minute of silence, sang the National Anthem and watched a slideshow of photographs and details of their family members who served their country.

We would like to thank Regimental Sergeant Major Joel McMahon for attending our service and for sharing so many important facts about the importance of remembering what so many people have done, so that we can live our lives with so many wonderful freedoms.

Mrs Susan Wright

Community - Bags of Hope

The Bags of Hope Project is run each year by the Salvation Army at Christmas time. It aims to support families and individuals who may be struggling, as for many, Christmas can be a time of financial or emotional stress. Fahan has a long tradition of partnership with the Salvation Army as we believe that it is important to help when you are in the position to give back. We thank everyone for their generosity and support of this project and feel proud of the bags we have assembled this year for collection.

Ms Anna Forward

Community - Invitation to the TCE Art Exhibition

Community - Information for School Leavers

The Services Australia website has some great information to support students finishing secondary school, whether they are interested in working, doing an apprenticeship or traineeship, or doing further study.

Youth Allowance for students and apprentices and ABSTUDY are the main payments students may get. There are also other payments for students who need to move away from a regional or remote area to study. Students can find out more at servicesaustralia.gov.au/leavingschool. In particular, the interactive school leavers video that can be found on this web page is a fun way to find out about student payments, Medicare and more.

Medicare benefits
If Year 12s haven’t already, they need to add a bank account to their Medicare account to get Medicare benefits. They need to do this whether they have their own Medicare card or choose to stay on their parents’ card. They can find out more at getting Medicare benefits.

Resources
The School Leavers Resource eKit on the Services Australia website has been updated for this year.
It contains many different resources that explain Centrelink payments and how to get started with myGov. Download the eKit at servicesaustralia.gov.au/schoolleaversekit