Fahan School eNewsletter

Principal's Report

A warm welcome to a new school year at Fahan! You may already have noted that 2025 is Fahan’s 90^th Year, and we will be commemorating this significant milestone in later months.

This year, we have welcomed 39 new students into our Junior School and 21 into the Senior School. If you are new to Fahan, we hope that your daughter has settled in well. It was lovely to see many of you at our new parent's Welcome Dinner last week.

We have also welcomed many new staff to Fahan this year:

Mr Peter Ottavi (Humanities)
Mrs Stephanie Stratton (Humanities)
Miss Jessica Hutchinson (Japanese and Humanities)
Mrs Natalie Davey (HPE and Maths)
Miss Carla Peacock (Year 4)
Mrs Kate Camm (Art)
Mrs Eloise Crombie (Educational Assistant in the Senior School)
Miss Imogen Potts (Outdoor Education)
Mr Gordon McArtney (Outdoor Education)
Miss Charlotte Cutrale (Sports Trainee)

And we welcome back Mrs Emily Hogan, Mrs Clare Enright and Mr Greg Souter.

The start of any school year can bring with it excitement, nerves and a sense of a new beginning. This year our Year 7 cohort has begun their journey in the Senior School with a two-week program of Orientation. This has included many engaging activities, culminating in camp for both classes at Kelvedon this week. The purpose of this settling-in period cannot be underestimated. The feeling of belonging and connection is vital and at Fahan, we work hard to provide opportunities to make this happen. Next week, our students will (hopefully) take part in the rescheduled House Athletics Carnival in the Senior School, and the House Swimming Carnival in the Junior School. These events foster the sense of House Spirit and are an essential part of what it means to be at School. They also provide additional opportunities for students to meet and interact with other year levels, contributing to the sense of community at Fahan.

You may have noticed that the building works to the Senior Boarding Residence have been moving on apace. We are working towards this project being completed by the end of March, when we will be able to enjoy new facilities for our Academic Services team and a new space for Counselling. Downstairs will be two new classroom spaces, and the outdoor facilities will be significantly enhanced in this area.

In celebration of our 90th year, we have renamed our newsletter from A Fortnight at Fahan to Fahan in Focus. We hope you enjoy reading about what students have been engaged in around the School.

Best wishes,

Meg Lawson

Investiture of 2025 Student Leaders

In the first week of Term 1, we celebrated a significant milestone for our School with the Investiture Service for our School Leaders. This annual ceremony is a valued tradition, honouring the vital role all our Year 12 students play in leading our School with pride and dedication as we embark on the year ahead.

We welcome the Class of 2025 and congratulate our Year 12 Leadership Group:

Head Girl: Hannah Sheen

Deputy Head Girls: Tess Lawson and Estella Manson

Arts Chair: Nina McLean

Communications Chair: Ella Castray

Community Chair: Poppy Leditschke

Fenton Chair: Zara Marino

Franklin Chair: Penelope Geappen

Freycinet Chair: Georgina Parnham

Junior School Chair: Ruby Bartulovic

Spirit Chair: Audrey Bradford

Sport Chair: Isabel Willcox

Learning about Kindergarten

17 new little ones have joined the Fahan Kindergarten class in 2025. The children have settled in beautifully having already experienced activities ranging from cooking in the Food Hub, Forest School, Library, Music, Art, and PE, learning about rhyming words in our literacy time and all about shapes and their sides and vertices! We spend each morning together in the garden playing music, painting, and taking turns on the swing. We are learning about packing our School bag and looking after our belongings, applying sunscreen, and wearing a hat outside and opening and closing our lunchboxes.

Our gentle start to the year has been welcomed by all and we look forward to the many new adventures that being a Fahan girl can provide.

Mrs Rebecca Wiggins

Following on from discussions about the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Snake, Prep students started to explore the world of REAL snakes! Using a Zoomy microscope was fun to notice the detail in the scales of a snakeskin. Noticing the patterns on a Tiger Snake (dead of course!) was fascinating.

I wonder what other animals Prep students will explore throughout the year?

Ms Kim Menadue

Learning about Maths in Year 1

Recently in Maths, we have been investigating measurement and looking at different ways to measure length. We took a variety of objects and used them to measure furniture, spaces and even ourselves! It was especially fun to compare our findings and work out who is the tallest and shortest in the class. The students found it especially delightful when Mrs Parsons agreed to lie down on the floor so they could all measure her length.

Mrs Sarah Parsons and Mrs Rebecca Wiggins

In our first week of term, Year 2 did some Maths activities outdoors, exploring the playground in an exciting way, centred on location and spatial awareness. This hands-on experience has brought the concepts of position and mapping to life in a fun and interactive way.

Using photographs, the children navigated their way around the playground, locating specific landmarks like the climbing frame, sandpit, swings and bars. They worked in pairs and small groups, honing their teamwork and problem-solving skills while practicing key mathematical vocabulary to describe the locations of the play equipment.

This outdoor lesson not only deepened the children’s understanding of location and movement but also encouraged them to see Maths as an engaging, real-world subject. Watching their enthusiasm as they solved problems and navigated their way through the task, was a joy to see and a reminder of the value of practical, playful learning.

We look forward to continuing these explorations as our budding mathematicians grow in confidence and skill!

Mrs Sophie Baxter

In Year 3, our first writing genre to be explored is Narrative. We have read a variety of stories, trying to identify the various elements of this type of fictional writing. This week, students have enjoyed writing their own narratives using the prompt ‘Up, Up and Away’.

First, each student created a plan for their story, noting down:

* orientation
* characters
* complication
* series of events
* resolution

After writing a first draft, each student is now enjoying publishing their story using the ‘Book Creator’ app on their iPad. We hope to share these stories with our Buddy Class over the coming weeks.

Mrs Nicole Bury

Learning about Surf Life Saving in Year 4

On Monday 17 February, Year 4 students participated in an exciting Surf Life Saving program at Long Beach. The girls had a fantastic time playing beach games and learning valuable survival strokes, along with essential water safety skills. The session was led by the Outdoor Education team and the Years 11/12 Outdoor Education class, who guided the students through fun and educational activities.

It was a wonderful opportunity for the Year 4s to enjoy the outdoors while gaining important knowledge to help keep them safe in the water.

Miss Carla Peacock

Learning about Women in Science in Year 5

In Year 5 Science, the girls have been highlighting the remarkable achievements of women in Science through working on an independent project.

Scientists such as Marie Curie (invented radiation/ x-ray), Hedy Lamarr (invented the radio guidance system/building blocks that led to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi), Lise Meitner (discovered nuclear fusion) and Alice Ball (treatment for leprosy) are being researched and remembered for their contributions to Science.

Unfortunately, many of these women weren’t taken seriously for their academic work at the time, their work was dismissed and academic findings were often credited to a male colleague instead. Through highlighting the remarkable work of these women we are shining a light on their intelligence, perseverance and ongoing contributions to the field of Science.

The students have been researching their chosen scientist's history – early life, education, awards and honours, historical events during their lifetime and their major contribution to Science.

Mrs Ursula Dalton

Learning about Space in Year 6

Exploring Indigenous Weather Knowledge and Space Adventures

In our recent Science lessons, we learnt about how Indigenous peoples use the stars and moon to predict the weather. Did you know that a halo around a full moon, along with the number of stars visible, can indicate the severity of an upcoming storm?

We also discussed the exciting plans of the US Space Agency, which aims to use their current missions as stepping stones for a future voyage to Mars, potentially by 2040.

While we may not be using rocket fuel, we are eagerly looking forward to launching our own rockets in the next Science lesson!

In Science we are learning about space. There we learnt about the moon and how astronauts and scientists are finding out more and more about the universe, and how the moon plays a huge part in these amazing discoveries. Hailey Zhang

During Science we had to make rockets, using balloons and two straws. It is very complicated, but fun. Amèlie Thèron

Learning in the TM Library

Over the past few weeks, Mrs Denman and Mrs Cole have been reorganising our bookshelves by genres. Mrs Denman explained that organising our fiction collection by genres helps students quickly find titles they enjoy and provides opportunities to explore new books in their preferred genres. Our genres include drama, mystery, classics, fantasy, adventure, spooky, and humour. Mystery is our favourite genre, with many exciting options to explore.

By Juliette M & Claudia G (Year 6)

We were delighted to receive three new rotating displays for our popular reads, funded by the 2024 Parents and Friends Association. These stands allow us to see the covers of books and also increase engagement with reading.

Mrs Meg Denman

Learning in Year 7 Orientation Week

In the first week of School this year, the Year 7 classes participated in an Orientation Week to help us get to know the ways of the Senior School, as well as a chance to meet the new students joining our class.

On the first day of the week, we all came to School in a nervous manner, eager and anticipating the day ahead of us. Throughout this first day, we began to grow more comfortable with our new surroundings and were presented with a range of opportunities to begin our Senior School journey. This included getting our lockers settled (along with the tricky locks themselves), and a short IT orientation to help us set up our new computers.

On the second day we were treated with plenty of sugar whilst we participated in activities such as a piñata, counselling chat and athletics training. After this we had a fun-filled third day of the week, where we had a chance to try and make our way around the School on our first full day of lessons.

On Thursday, we spent time in the morning preparing ourselves for our Week 3 camp, quickly learning it was not going to be the five-star hotel we were anticipating. In the afternoon, the Year 12 House Chairs taught us our House chants and we spent some time exploring the (new for us!) Senior School Library.

By the time Friday came around, we were all very excited to finish the first week with a bang, playing games all afternoon and only stopping for a very informative history tour of the School and its past, hosted by Mrs Lawson.

Overall, we had a very enjoyable week filled with lots of laughter and lollies. It was a wonderful way to start this new chapter of our schooling journey, and I would like to thank all staff involved in making this an amazing stress-free experience on behalf of the entire Year 7 cohort.

By Maddy Horne

Learning about Art Inspired by the Elements

Year 8 students recently showcased their artistic talents by designing vibrant covers for their art journals. Using imagery representing one of the four elements—earth, air, fire, or water—each student began with a selected image and expanded upon it through collage, painting, and drawing techniques.

This creative process encouraged students to explore different artistic methods while expressing their interpretations of the natural world. The finished covers are vibrant, personal works of art that will accompany the students throughout the year as they continue their artistic journeys.

Ms Alex Pitt

Years 9/10 Art students recently explored the art of paper marbling, creating vibrant covers for their art journals. Using colourful inks and water, they experimented with swirling patterns and fluid designs, each resulting in a unique and eye-catching piece.

The marbling process encouraged students to play with colour and embrace the medium's unpredictable nature. Now, their journals covers are bursting with colour and personality!

Mrs Kate Camm

Spirit of Library Lovers Day

During Week 2, we celebrated Library Lovers' Day on 14 February.

Throughout the week, students were invited to reflect on the significance of the Senior Library and share their appreciation. They expressed their gratitude by writing messages on sticky love hearts, which were displayed on our Library Lovers' reflection wall.

This event also served as a great opportunity for students to begin their borrowing for the year. It was a fantastic start, with over 130 books borrowed in the past two weeks.

Ms Cheree Harcourt and Mrs Kate Headlam

Spirit of Sailing

Team Sailing Off to a Great Start

The Team Sailing season is underway, with two teams entered into the Schools Championships and a Fahan team competing in the SB20 National Championships. It is shaping up to be a busy and exciting term for our sailors. Hugo Allison has joined as our new team sailing coach, and we are looking forward to being able to draw from the experience of a world champion sailor.

Sarah Reynolds, Islay Smith and Aviya Lincolne-Lomax will be competing in the Australian SB20 Championships, sailing alongside William Reynolds, who has been coaching them for the event. The team has been training consistently and feels well-prepared for the regatta.

With a strong start to the season and solid preparation, the teams are looking forward to the competitions ahead and we wish them the best of luck.

Mr Chris Wood

Spirit of Exchange to France

My name is Pia, and I am in Year 11 this year at Fahan. I have just returned home from spending the last three months on exchange in France. It is safe to say that I had a truly incredible experience and profited greatly.

During the third term of last year, an exchange student, Apolline, came to live with me for three months. When I went to France I was able to stay with her and her family. I had the best time with Apolline. She came with me to running and we spent lots of time cooking together, playing cards and learning about each other. She is a really funny and kind person, and luckily our personalities were well matched. She also spoke virtually perfect English - I believe I was able to correct maybe once! We became close friends in Australia and continued that in France. Our friendship is certainly unique, as we have experienced living in each other’s lives while being outside of our comfort zone, in a new country, away from our language and culture.

The three months that I spent in France passed incredibly fast. Arriving in the Normandy winter did provide me a bit of a shock and the short days and grey weather weren’t exactly inspiring. I managed to survive the first month. I spent most of my exchange at school with Apolline. The experience of the French school system, in fact, gave me a strong appreciation for the education system in Australia. Culturally I learnt so much and came to realise a lot about our own culture in Australia as well. I noticed a stricter culture with many longstanding food traditions established in France. Spending Christmas in France was really interesting for me. I had a lot of fun meeting the extended family and also trying the extensive assortment of food.

I spent a lot of my time to myself running. My host parents helped me to sign up to the local athletics club in my first week, as they already knew that I enjoyed running. It was a great way to meet people and practice my developing French. I trained with them three times a week and ran in a few races. I was extremely lucky to have joined a club, and I had a really great time racing against the French. In my first cross country I managed to secure second place, then in the Normandy wide cross country I unfortunately was only fifth, in part, perhaps, due to losing my spike halfway through the very muddy race. At my last race, the Bretagne/Normandy Cross, I came eighth place, unfortunately just missing a place in the nationals – which will be held soon. (I would have missed the race anyway).

With Apolline’s family I got to see a lot of different parts of France. We went skiing in the French alps during the week after Christmas. It was an amazing experience, not having skied before, and the scenery was incredible. I was lucky enough to be situated about an hour from Bayeaux, and so I saw the Bayeaux Tapestry! We also travelled to the valley of the Loire in my final week in France, which happened to be the holidays. On the way we also visited the Mont Saint Michel, and nearby coastal towns Cancale and Saint Malo. In the valley of the Loire we visited château de Chenonceau, a very impressive château set over a river, and we also visited Château de Chambord.

It was an incredible feeling to be able to visibly notice the progress I had made in French. Especially given how difficult communicating was to begin with, due to my limited vocabulary and understanding. There were moments in the beginning when it was really hard being unable to say what I wanted or needed to say and, even though I knew that by being immersed in the language I would improve, it felt impossible to imagine a pathway to actually being ‘fluent’. I certainly have felt a sense of achievement in the progress I made, even though I still have a long way to go in improving my French.

The hardest part of leaving France was saying goodbye to Apolline, especially with the unknown prospect of how much time will pass before we see each other again. I am incredibly grateful for the experience and would certainly recommend it to anyone who wants to experience a different lifestyle and culture.

By Pia Abberton

On Thursday 6 February, we welcomed our new parents into the Fahan Community with a special dinner held in the TM Hall. Hosted by Principal, Mrs Meg Lawson, the evening brought together staff and P&F members with new families to celebrate the beginning of their journey at Fahan School.

Head Girl, Hannah Sheen, and Fahan parent, Kari Viviers, delighted guests with insights into their own experiences and entertaining anecdotes, making for a truly memorable evening. Our Year 12 leaders also shone as hosts, ensuring our newest families felt warmly welcomed into the Fahan Community.

It has been an action-packed start to the year, with plenty of exciting sporting events and opportunities for the students. We were fortunate to have Alby Hooper, Junior and Youth Technical Director from Hobart City F.C. come in to run soccer sessions with the girls, helping them prepare for the soccer season. The girls have learnt valuable techniques for protecting the ball, the most efficient ways to run with it, and many other different strategies to use during their games.

We have an incredible 82 students participating in soccer from Years 1-6, which is a testament to the strong sporting culture at Fahan. This year, we have entered a Years 1/2 team, three 3/4 teams, and four 5/6 teams, and all teams played their first rostered game last Thursday. The girls did a fantastic job of putting their newly learnt soccer skills to the test.

Lunchtime training continues as follows: Monday for Years 1/2, Tuesday for 5/6, and Thursday for 3/4. A huge thank you to all the students, parents, and staff who have volunteered their time to coach and manage the teams—your support is greatly appreciated, and the girls are lucky to have you!

The 5/6 tennis team also had their first match on Tuesday afternoon and represented the School brilliantly. It has been a great start, and we look forward to seeing their progress in the coming weeks.

Next Wednesday marks the start of the Orienteering roster, with five students participating. We wish them the best of luck and look forward to hearing how they go.

Swim and Survive for Years P-6 kicks off next week. Students will need to bring their own bathers, towel, and goggles. They can wear their full Sport Uniform to School during the two-week program, which is a great way to keep things easy and organized.

The Junior School House Swimming Carnival is on Tuesday 25 February. The Carnival will run from 9:45am to 2:30pm. Students may wear their PE uniform to School and are encouraged to wear their School bathers if they have them, though any suitable swimwear will suffice. Please remember to bring an extra towel, and it would be appreciated if all items could be clearly named. Don’t forget goggles and swimming caps if needed!

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

Spirit - Senior School Sport

Fahan Inter-House Athletics Carnival

The Fahan Inter-House Athletics Carnival has been rescheduled and will now be held on Thursday 27 February, at Sandown Oval, Lower Sandy Bay.

The program for the day will be the same and is available on The Tree on the Senior Sport page.

A reminder that students are requested arrive at School on Thursday morning and go to Pastoral Care at 8:30am for attendance.

Students who wish to compete in the 1500m event will still need to arrive at Sandown Oval at 8:00am to start their warm up. The 1500m will start at 8:30am sharp.

Arrangements

8:30am Students arrive at Fahan School and go to Pastoral Care for attendance
8:40am Students walk with PC class to Sandown Oval
8:50am Students arrive at Sandown Oval
8:55am Welcome and Carnival begins
9:00am First event
12:15pm Lunch break
12:45pm Afternoon events begin – event 28 under 15 triple jump
3:15pm Conclude Carnival and tidy up
3:20 pm Students dismissed from Sandown Oval

3:20pm Students who catch a Fahan bus home, walk back to Fahan with Mr Summers

Students should bring the following and be prepared for changes in the weather:

Warm clothing
Food for the day (lunch and recess) and drink. There will be no canteen on the day.
Sunscreen and Fahan sports cap or Fahan bucket hat

We are looking forward to the day and the new venue! Inter House competition is always strong at Fahan and we look forward to seeing everyone run, jump and throw their best!

Upcoming Athletics Events

SSATIS Athletics – Tuesday 11 March at the Domain Athletics Centre
SATIS Athletics – Tuesday 25 March at the St Leonard’s Athletics Centre, Launceston

Running Group

Running Group is back! We meet every Friday morning at 7:00 am at the Fahan Gym. New members of all fitness levels are welcome – we encourage everyone to join in the fun!

We are also excited to participate in the Hobart Marathon on Sunday 6 April. A Fahan Team has been created, and we would love to see students, parents, and friends join us. Use the link below to register and receive a team discount: Hobart Airport Marathon Festival

Term 1 Sports

The Term 1 Sports rosters have begun. Fahan has teams competing in volleyball, sailing, tennis, soccer, and rowing. It is fantastic to see so many students actively participating and representing our School across various sports!

A reminder to attend all training sessions and matches, and to ensure you have the appropriate sports uniform for your chosen sport.

Good luck to all our teams this term! Go Fahan!

Golf

Congratulations to Holly Durovic (Year 10), Poppy Davis and Chloe East (both Year 8) who have been selected for the Australian Golfing Foundation Girls Scholarship Program for 2025.

Holly, Poppy and Chloe took part in an Introduction to Golf course at Fahan over 4 weeks. 14 students from Years 7 to 11 took up the opportunity to try golf with instruction from Christian Rainy from Kingston Beach Golf Club. Everyone improved and it was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm for the game!

Through these sessions Holly, Poppy and Chloe were identified, and they were invited to attend some lessons with Christian at Kingston Golf Club. They applied for the scholarship and are now beginning their golfing journey with girls of a similar age. We look forward to hearing about their progress and wish them the very best.

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

Community - Update from the P&F

The Fahan Parents and Friends’ Association (P&F) welcomes you to a new year at Fahan School with the P&F looking forward to another year of community engagement after such a successful year in 2024.

On Friday 28 February, the P&F will be holding the annual Sunset at the Barn event from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. This is a great opportunity to meet and mingle with fellow parents in a relaxed environment. Bring your family along for a fun evening that includes a delicious BBQ, drinks, music and our Senior girls providing entertaining games and activities for the children. We have had a fantastic response so far and in order to finalise catering we would appreciate your RSVP here: Sunset at the Barn.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank those parents who have volunteered to be their class representative in 2025. Whilst not an onerous position, it provides a valuable conduit between each year level and the P&F Committee. We are still looking for volunteers for Kinder, Year 3, Year 5, Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10, so if you are in a position to assist, please consider volunteering, which you can advise us by emailing pandf@fahan.tas.edu.au

Finally, thank you to those all families who have paid their P&F subscription. The P&F subscription enables us to hold many events and activities throughout the year and is an easy way to show your commitment to the Fahan Community. Previously included in the School fee finance portal, the subscription process has now been simplified and can be completed by responding to the EdSmart dated 5 February. At just $30 per year, this contribution comes with no obligations and is an easy and impactful way for your family to support your daughter's School while helping us drive vital fundraising efforts.

We appreciate your contribution and look forward to seeing you at Sunset at the Barn on Friday!

Mr Michael O'Connor
President
P&F Association

NAPLAN 2025

naplan_information_brochure_for_parents_and_carers.pdf

Community Notices

Fahan School Bus Service

For more information on the Fahan Bus Service, please click here or email buses@fahan.tas.edu.au

1 Jul	90th Anniversary Celebration - Fahan After Dark 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

2 Jul	Winter Sports Day All day

7 Jul	Term 2 Holidays 07 Jul 2025 - 21 Jul 2025

22 Jul	Term 3 Commences All day

23 Jul	2026 Years 11/12 Information Evening 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

30 Jul	2026 Years 9/10 Information Evening 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Fahan in Focus - 21 February 2025