Fahan School eNewsletter

Principal's Report

One of Fahan’s greatest strengths has always been our community. This was evident at last weekend’s Parents and Friends’ Après Ski Dinner which brought families, friends and staff together in a wonderful celebration of connection and generosity. With over $30,000 raised on the night, these funds will directly benefit our students and ensure that the opportunities available to them continue to grow.

The tireless work of the P&F Committee was central to the success of the evening. Their energy, creativity and dedication created an event that has received glowing feedback from all who attended. I thank them wholeheartedly for their efforts and for the way they embody the collaborative spirit that defines Fahan.

Community, as one of our School values, is not just a word on paper but something lived out every day. We see it in families who give so generously of their time and resources, in staff who go above and beyond for the girls, and in students themselves who are inspired to contribute to the world around them.

Our Year 12 students are another wonderful example. Their fundraising efforts, including this year’s car raffle, are not only raising significant funds for their chosen charities, but also teaching them the power of collective action and service to others.

At Fahan, we are fortunate to be part of a community that uplifts and supports one another. It is this strength of connection – between students, staff, families, and alumni – that continues to enrich the life of our School.

Best wishes,

Meg Lawson

Upcoming Restrictions on Social Media Accounts for Under-16s

The Australian Government has announced a new law that will soon prevent social media platforms from allowing under-16s to create or keep an account.

This change recognises that being logged into an account increases the likelihood of young people being exposed to pressures and risks that can be hard to manage. Social media platforms are designed to encourage longer screen time and often push content that may negatively impact health and wellbeing.

This is an evolving area, but after the law takes effect on 10 December 2025, Australians can expect to see age-restricted platforms taking steps to stop under-16s setting up or continuing to use accounts.

For more information and answers to common questions, please visit: https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions/faqs

Community - Support our Year 12 Charities!

Over 360 tickets have been sold in the Year 12 Fundraising Raffle! Tickets are limited, so don’t miss out on your chance to drive away in a brand new 2025 Toyota Corolla Hybrid! There are less than 190 tickets left and the raffle closes on 23 September 2025.

We thought we would share some interesting statistics with you, that highlight your probable chances of winning:

The odds of winning TattsLotto are approximately one in 8.1 million, making you about 14,800 times more likely to win our raffle than the lottery.
You are 1.9 times more likely to win this raffle than flipping 10 heads in a row
You are over 900 times more likely to win this car than becoming an Olympic athlete!

Thanks to the generous support of Co-Op Toyota, this incredible prize is valued at $37,126, including all on-road costs, registration and more. Every ticket sold helps us raise funds for our two chosen charities for 2025 - The Variety Freya Fund and The Beacon Foundation.

We would greatly appreciate if you could support us in our fundraising efforts by encouraging your family and friends to purchase tickets, all contributing to a great cause

Tickets are selling fast. Don’t miss out – click here to buy your ticket today!

Kind regards,

Hannah, Tess and Estella on behalf of the entire Year 12 cohort

Learning about Measurement in Prep

Prep students have been learning to compare the weight of objects through hefting. Working with a partner, they turned their bodies into balance scales, tilting like a see-saw to show which mystery object was heaviest or lightest. Students also used mathematical scales to discover objects of equal weight. A highlight was comparing a small golf ball with a large plastic ball - looks can be deceiving! Learning about weight helps students begin to understand mass, which is the amount of matter an object contains.

Ms Kim Menadue

Learning about Gymnastics in Years 1 and 2

Over the past three weeks, we have been going to the Kingborough Sports Centre to do gymnastics with the Year 1s.

We have been doing lots of fun things including beams, trampolines, jumping in the foam pit and going on the bars.

At the start we play fun warmup games like Spider Webs and Crab Tiggy. There are some rules, but it doesn't stop us from having fun.

We get to go four times and can't wait to go again next week for the final time.

We are all very thankful to Mrs Stewart for organising it and taking us.

By Margaret, Imogen, Amelia, Jess and Alice

We help Gert in the canteen by taking down the lunch order boxes and sometimes even doing orders for the older girls.

We often get a treat like Smarties, freckles, or leftover cookies. We also help by refilling the fridge with drinks and putting cookies on trays.

Gert and Maria are amazing canteen ladies — they are so kind and nice. We love having long chats with them. Gert and Maria are some of our favourite people at Fahan!

By Maisy, Lilly and Kelly (Year 4)

Learning about Abseiling in Year 5

On Monday 18 August, as part of their Outdoor Education experience, Year 5D and Year 5W went on an excursion to Coningham for an abseiling and orienteering adventure. The excursion intentionally builds on skills from Year 3 where students went to Rockit, in the city, to experience the tunnels and harnessed rock climbing and Year 4 where the students went orienteering at Risdon Brook Dam.

The students were amazing, and all gave their best efforts in this unfamiliar environment. Thank you to the Outdoor Education staff for organising such a fabulous day out.

Mrs Susan Wright

Over the past few weeks, the Year 7 students have been learning about the art of creating a picture book. We were fortunate to have some very special literary connections within the cohort, resulting in a visit from both a picture book author, and a picture book illustrator.

Ruby Playle’s grandmother, Jane Burrell, came to talk to 7O about her experience as an illustrator. Some of the books she has illustrated include A House for Wombats and Wombats Can’t Fly. We heard how Jane started her career at the museum and also learnt that she worked as an Art teacher here at Fahan. Jane and Inga (Ruby’s mum) shared stories of growing up surrounded by animals. They looked after a baby wombat for a year and even had some penguins living at their house at one stage!

Our second special visitor was Abi Smith’s mum, Kate, who has recently published a picture book called Love Lives On - Always. This is a book about grief and love, that is intended for children between the ages of 3 – 10. Kate spoke to both classes about her motivation for creating her book, and explained the writing, publishing and marketing process. Coincidentally, this book also had another Year 7 connection, as the illustrator is Alex Miles, aunt of Sasha Miles.

The unit culminated in each Year 7 student creating their very own picture book, in response to Three Dresses by Wanda Gibson. This book tells the story of a young girl who takes three dresses on a family holiday to the beach, highlighting the family’s closeness and joy, despite their limited resources. The Year 7s had to choose their own three things as a title, and then draw on their own stories, memories and emotions to create a picture book. They are looking forward to sharing their stories with some of the Junior School classes in the coming weeks.

Thank you to Jane Burrell and Kate Smith for enriching this unit of work so beautifully. The students really benefitted from hearing you share your experiences with us.

Ms Fiona Short

In Lumina 9 this term, we have been focusing on our School’s waste and its impact on the environment.

We conducted an audit where we went through the School's bins and collected data on how much waste there was and how much was in the incorrect bin. We have found that with mostly landfill bins, much of our paper, cardboard and food waste was in the wrong bin, and there is much to be improved.

Kimberley from Rethink Waste came to talk with us about waste management and helped us to develop ideas for creating plans and implementing them. This included goal setting, waste actions and how to communicate our ideas to the School and community.

We hope to continue improving waste management at Fahan and are excited for the future. Make sure to keep an eye out for future updates and information with our plan to improve our waste situation.

Mrs Stacey Maley

Learning in Art in the Senior School

Year 7 Colour Reduction Lino Printing

Our Year 7 students have been diving into the intricate world of relief printing. Drawing inspiration from Victorian-era wallpaper designs, they have been working hard to create stunning colour reduction lino prints.

Students learned how to transfer their chosen design onto a lino block, then carve it back progressively over six colour layers. This technique, known as colour reduction printing, involves gradually removing sections of the lino to reveal each new colour layer.

It is a challenging and multi-step process that demands precision, patience, (and stamina!). Yet the results speak for themselves: each student successfully designed, carved, and printed an edition of up to three prints.

Last term, Year 8 Art students explored the world of Willow Pattern, using it as inspiration for their own paintings. They investigated the history of this well-known crockery design and then developed their own imagery and narratives. Using watercolour and gouache, students painted original designs that combined tradition with their own creative storytelling.

More recently, our Year 8 students delved into their imagination, creating their own surrealist-inspired hybrid creatures. Starting with collage, students combined various images to design their creatures. Once their designs were finalised, students transferred them onto strawboard (boxboard) to create collagraphs. Using 3-4 layers of shellac painted on their strawboard, they then carefully scratched out their designs with sharp tools. After the designs are scratched away, the boards were inked up (in very viscous, sticky black ink!) and run through the printing press with paper to reveal their fantastical creatures.

Years 9/10 Painting and Drawing students recently presented a fantastic exhibition of their interior paintings from Semester 1, displaying them in the windows of the Art Room.

Students explored artists who work in the genre of interiors, with a particular focus on the Australian artist Jude Rae who, coincidentally, won the Wynne Prize this year. Each student designed and planned their own canvas painting, drawing inspiration from personal spaces such as their bedrooms, as well as images from magazines and other artists. They developed their compositions on canvas and experimented with acrylic paints, exploring a range of mediums to alter the surface and effects of their work.

Aluminium Plate Etchings

At the end of Semester 1, students were introduced to etching, a form of intaglio printmaking. Using aluminium plates, they etched their drawings and designs into the exposed metal with a copper sulphate, water, and salt solution. These plates were prepared and then inked up and printed onto paper. The etchings were wonderfully varied, ranging from botanical forms and architecture to Greek sculpture, family portraits, and much-loved pets.

Genetic Disasters

This semester, the Sculpture and Ceramics elective began with the imaginative theme of “genetic fusions.” Using ceramic hand-building techniques, students combined features from different animals to create their own quirky hybrid creatures. Once the creatures are fired in the kiln, they will be painted with an oxide.

Week 4 in Term 3 is always Science Week, and this year the theme was Decoding the Universe - Exploring the unknown with nature's hidden language.

To kick off the week in the Senior School, we were treated to the annual science demonstration in Monday’s Notices Assembly by Dr Stewart and Mr Bevan. Dr Stewart showed us the flame colours of different metal salts and explained why each one turns a different colour – for example copper chloride makes a bright blue-green colour. He explained that when atoms or molecules are heated, their electrons jump to higher energy levels. They then release light as the excited electrons return to their lower energy states. This is the basis of fireworks, and why we see such beautiful colours when the fireworks are ignited. Mr Bevan had a copper tube, a small metal bolt and a similar-sized magnet. Firstly, he held the tube vertically and put the bolt into the top – it quickly fell through the other end of the tube. Then he placed a magnet in the same tube, and it took quite a long time to reach the bottom of the tube. He explained that even though the copper tube was not magnetic, it was a conductor of electricity and so the magnet, as it fell, induced an electrical eddy current in the tube. This then produced a magnetic field that opposed the magnet’s own magnetic field, resulting in an upward force which meant that the magnet didn't fall as quickly.

Some other highlights of Science Week included a reception at Government House for local senior science students and teachers. Four Year 12 students attended – Felicity Barling, Ruby Bartulovic, Poppy Leditschke and Hannah Sheen. They enjoyed canapes and drinks and mingled with some of the up-and-coming young scientists from around Tasmania, learning about their research. We also played a giant Science Kahoot! in the TM Hall on Tuesday at lunchtime. Teams had to have at least one student from each year level from 7-12. Some of the questions included: ‘One of these nuts was once used to make a component of dynamite? A = cashews; B = almonds; C = peanuts; D = brazil nuts.’ (Answer at the bottom of this article). On Thursday we held an Escape Room challenge in the Science labs, with many students from different year levels taking on the challenge, answering science-related questions to crack the code and escape the room. On Friday a group of students came along to the Art Room where Mrs Camm and Ms Jacobs had made up a selection of natural watercolour paint pigments, using beetroot, red cabbage, turmeric and other natural pigments. We used natural pigments to paint circular pieces of foam board, to hang in the science labs. They look beautiful – thanks Mrs Camm!

I would also like to celebrate the recent results of the Australian Science Olympiads. This competition is very challenging! It consists of a series of multiple-choice questions based on stimulus material around a variety of science topics. The following students gave up 2 hours of their day to compete.

Here are the results:

Yifan Wang (Year 9) and Audrey Chan (Year 7) both achieved Distinctions.
Myla Philp (Year 9) and Katie Faulkner (Year 7) achieved Credits.
Deeksha Dharmapuri (Year 8), Sasha Miles, Charlotte Close and Madison Horne (Year 7) all achieved Participation awards.

The Year 8 students attended the Festival of Bright Ideas last week, which showcases different areas of science in a kid-friendly way. Congratulations to all students, and thanks to everyone for a great Science Week.

(Answer to the question: Peanuts)

Ms Felicity Jacobs

On Friday 15 August, our Years 11/12 Legal Studies students attended LawFest at the University of Tasmania. Developed in collaboration with Tasmanian Legal Studies teachers, the School of Law, and the School of Social Sciences, the event aimed to inspire students to think critically about current legal issues and to deepen their understanding of the law.

Students heard from Supreme Court Justice, Kate Cuthbertson, took part in a Q&A session on Youth Justice in Tasmania and watched a demonstration Moot Court run by UTAS Law students.

The day was a fantastic opportunity for our students to connect what they are learning in class with real-world legal practice. It was both engaging and inspiring, sparking curiosity and giving students a clearer picture of how the law operates in our society.

Mrs Stephanie Stratton

Spirit of Book Week

On Friday 22 August, the Junior School celebrated Book Week 2025, with this year’s theme being “Book an Adventure.”

Years 3 and 4 presented first with lots of bright colours and amazing role models such as Jessica Watson from 'True Spirit' and classic book characters like Grug. There was such a diverse range of characters the audience couldn't look away!

Years 5 and 6 students took the stage, proudly announcing who they were and the books their characters came from. Highlights from Year 6 included enchanting Rainbow Magic fairies, iconic Disney princesses, and the environmentally-wise Lorax.

Of course, our students from Pre-Kinder to Year 2 were the absolute cutest - dressed as characters from popular and classic picture books. Their excitement was contagious!

We certainly can’t forget the magnificent Book Week cake and everybody enjoyed a delicious slice!

Thank you to all our teacher tooth fairies who joined in the fun, dressing up and bringing the story to life and our families for their help with costumes.

By Zoe Cubit and Claudia Garrott (Year 6)

Last week was a really exciting week in Year 3 and 4! As well as all our fun Book Week activities, we also attended the ‘Festival of Bright Ideas’ on Friday.

The Festival was held on the waterfront and was full of interactive science and technology activities for our students to explore. We took part in hands-on workshops, watched demonstrations, and had the chance to talk to real scientists and inventors. Some highlights included learning about robotics, exploring virtual reality, discovering renewable energy, and seeing fascinating experiments with chemistry and physics.

Students were encouraged to ask questions and think creatively about how science helps us in our everyday life. Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to try new things and to see how bright ideas can change the world!

Mrs Nicole Bury and Miss Carla Peacock

Last week, our Year 6 students embraced the great outdoors with an exciting and challenging session on the Domain. The day was packed with hands-on activities designed to build teamwork, resilience and problem-solving skills.

Students navigated their way through an orienteering course, tested their mountain bike skills and even took on the unique challenge of pitching a tent while blindfolded! There was no shortage of laughter and learning along the way.

It was a fantastic opportunity for students to step outside the classroom and connect with nature, each other and their own capabilities.

I loved biking and orienteering. It was a great experience, and I wish I could do it again. Ava Wang

I really enjoyed the biking, especially the berms. Putting up the tents was the funniest, because I was blindfolded, and after that we played some fun games. Overall, I really liked the whole excursion. Meg Groom

The outdoor education excursion was fun, but tiring. I really enjoyed pitching up the tents with blindfolds. Eleanor Segal

I really enjoyed setting up the tents, especially when one person was blindfolded and we had to direct them. Maddie Cocker

Congratulations to our Year 7 students, who took to the stage last week in their performance of Twist by Geoff Bamber, a play inspired by the classic story of Oliver Twist.

Everyone did a great job bringing this production to life, showcasing their teamwork, creativity and growing confidence on stage. The hilarious videography added an extra layer of fun and entertainment for the audience, making the experience even more memorable.

Thank you to Ms Christine Best, Drama teacher, for her production and direction, and to Brendon Veronese for his lighting and digital tech, Anja Reinalda for their incredible work on costumes, Alex Chatwin Dalgleish for stage management and students on the tech desk and the year 10 students for their help behind the scenes – The show was a fantastic display of teamwork.

Last Friday, the Year 10 cohort travelled to Princes Wharf to attend the Fearless Festival.

This Festival had a wide range of stalls for careers that are lacking female presence. Some of these stalls were engineering based, defence forces, emergency responders, and manufacturers. There were also some interactive experiences like wrapping a car, going up in a crane, and trying on body armour.

We all came out of the experience with more knowledge on possible career paths and some well appreciated freebies. We would like to thank Ms Harcourt for organising our attendance at this event for us as we all thoroughly enjoyed it, along with Mr Coulson, Mrs Davey and Charlotte Cutrale for coming with us.

By Sophie Bradfield

Hi! I’m Anna and I’m 16 years old. I’m from Brittany, a region in the west of France. I arrived in Tasmania on 31 May 2025 for an exchange. Before coming here, I finished Year 10, and I will begin Year 11 at the end of the French summer holidays in September.

It was last September that my high school suggested to the Year 10 students to do an exchange in Australia for twelve weeks. During the program, I have lived with a host family, and I go to Fahan School, like my host sister, Myla. The Australian school system is quite different from the French one, so this experience is a great opportunity for me to discover new ways of learning. Leaving home for a far destination is not simple everyday but it’s an enriching experience. I’m happy to have met so many people in Fahan and my everyday life here in Australia. Everyone is friendly and I have had the opportunity to try a lot of new things and to take part in a lot of events in Fahan. I will keep many great memories of all what I’ve discovered here.

I really enjoyed getting to see the wallabies and wombats! They are very cute and different. I have noticed that there are many more events at Fahan in the school calendar than what I have at home in France. I have found it really fun to experience the differences between the education systems and schools.

Now, it’s the summer in France, so the temperature is very different from here. But the French winter is colder, so I wasn’t too cold here!

I enjoyed discovering English in Australia, because there is a lot of words I don’t learn in English class in France and the accent is also different.

I had a very good time here, but I have mixed feelings about going back home: I’m feeling sad about leaving all the nice people I have met here and I’m also feeling happy about seeing my family and friends again.

Anna Soulis (French Exchange Student)

Spirit - Junior School Sport

Athletics Carnival

Over the past few weeks, students have been busy preparing for the Junior House Athletics Carnival, which will be held on Thursday 4 September at the Domain Athletics Centre. During PE lessons, the girls have been working hard on their vortex throws, long jump, and sprints, with plenty of measuring and practice. The Carnival will run from 10:30am to approximately 2:30pm, and we are looking forward to a fantastic day of competition, House Spirit, and fun!

One of the highlights of the Junior House Athletics Carnival will be our ‘Late for School’ race. If your child would like to take part, please ensure they bring three items of clothing to change into (for example: a hat, skirt, and t-shirt).

For our Year 6 parents and daughters, we have a special event planned during lunchtime at 12:30pm. We hope you can join us.

Touch Football
Our Years 5 and 6 students have been fortunate to take part in sessions with Kim from Touch Football South during PE lessons. These sessions have introduced the girls to the fundamental skills and rules of the game, and they have thoroughly enjoyed learning and playing. In Term 4, students in Years 5 and 6 will have the opportunity to participate in Touch Football if they wish. A big thank you goes to Kim for providing such engaging and valuable sessions.

Cricket
On Thursday, students from Years 2–6 participated in a cricket clinic run by the Hobart Hurricanes. These sessions are always a highlight, giving students the chance to practise batting, bowling, and catching in a fun and energetic environment. Students in Years 3–6 will also have the opportunity to sign up for cricket in Term 4 if they are keen to give it a try.

Sport Sign-ups
It’s hard to believe we are already approaching the end of Term 3! Over the next two weeks, please keep an eye out for upcoming sport sign-ups via Clipboard, as well as information about the Schools Triathlon Challenge.

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

SSATIS Swimming Carnival

The Southern SATIS Swimming Carnival was held on Thursday 28 August at the Doone Kennedy Hobart Aquatic Centre.

Congratulations to all our swimmers. Fahan had excellent overall results.

4^th in the Senior Shield
3^rd in the Junior Shield
3^rd in the Aggregate Shield

We were also 2^nd in the Under 14 Pennant and 1^st in the Under 15 Pennant.

Individual results will be shared in the next newsletter.

A huge thank you goes to Shannon Harrison for coaching the team. We have appreciated her expertise, and our starts and relay changes were greatly improved in the Carnival, which made a big difference to our results. The Fahan Swimming Team have shown excellent commitment to swimming this year and a significant increase in numbers at training. This also contributed to our improved results.

At the Carnival the students in the team showed wonderful School and team spirit. A special mention to Isabel Willcox and Amelia Steedman who had to step in to race at the last minute.

The SATIS Carnival will be held on Tuesday 16 September at Doone Kennedy Hobart Aquatic Centre. The team will be selected from the results in the SSATIS Carnival and will be on the Tree on the Senior Sport page shortly.

Schools Triathlon Challenge

The Schools Triathlon Challenge will be held in Term 4 on Thursday 27 November at Bellerive Beach. This is always a fantastic event and it is always wonderful to see so many Fahan students on the track running or cycling and in the water. Clipboard will open for sign-ups on Monday 1 September. Please ensure students have signed up through Clipboard as there will be a meeting shortly to discuss the teams and the individual competitors.

A reminder that students who compete in the individual event, and who will do the bike leg in a team, will have to get their bike to the event on the day. It is expected that these students will have their own bike. More information about this will be sent out next term.

State Representation

Congratulations to the following students who have recently represented Tasmania in their sport. We are very proud!

Pia Abberton – Cross Country
Sadie Hardcastle – Netball
Rosie Nation – Hockey
Lauren Stanelos - Gymnastics

If your child has recently represented Tasmania in sport, please email me as we would love to acknowledge their achievements.

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

As part of the Term 3 Lumina 9 theme of “Give”, a group of girls in Year 9 have had the amazing opportunity to work with COTA (Council on the Ageing) to participate in a fantastic program for young teenagers to support elderly people using their technology as Digital Mentors.

With the help of COTA’s program coordinator, Mel Knuckey, we learnt about different skills and services that we could provide to support elderly people with using their technology.

On Monday we started the five-week program by introducing ourselves to a resident of the Sandown Aged Care Facility. We got to know our participants by exchanging stories and playing games such as bingo.

In addition to being able to provide digital support, the program is aimed to build connection between younger and older generations and to share knowledge, stories and ideas.

It was interesting to learn about their lives and accomplishments. Claudia Grigor

We all found our first session very engaging, for some a little eye-opening, however we are all looking forward to seeing what the next few weeks will entail.

By Eve McLean and Islay Smith

What can we say? Our Après Ski Dinner was sensational and raised over $30,000!

The P&F Committee is so appreciative of the effort almost 150 parents put into their costumes which, together with real trees, an open fire, hide rugs, and warming winter cocktails, created a fantastic chalet atmosphere.

We had skiers (complete with skis), ski glam, ski medics and injured skiers all represented in the room. There were a lot of puffy coats, beanies, and furs. A bonus was that comfortable shoes and boots set the stage for some serious dancing later in the evening.

The success of the evening can be put down to the spirit of our wonderful School Community and also our brilliant P&F Committee who were all enthusiastic and creative, and whose individual skills were key factors in the organisation, setting up, and running the event. I have really enjoyed spending time with this Committee, who have not stopped smiling throughout. We also want to say a huge thank you to our Class Reps who did a magnificent job of coordinating the Class Hampers which were beautiful.

Special thanks go to Anelda Lotter who, while not a Committee member, gathered an incredible amount of donations for the event. Thank you Anelda, we will get you on the Committee one day!

Finally, thank you to all our donors and sponsors, whose generous support helps us raise the funds which will directly and positively impact our girls’ school experience.

Mrs Fiona Pringle-Jones
President
P&F Association

Helen Wright, *In the garden of live flowers*, 1998, pastel on paper, 76cm x 105cm. Private collection.

On 22 August, the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) opened Shapeshifting: The Art of Helen Wright, a major retrospective celebrating the extraordinary career of our recently retired staff member, Helen Wright.

Helen was one of Fahan’s long-serving Artists in Residence, mentoring hundreds of TCE Art students over nearly 25 years. Her influence has been profound, nurturing creativity, critical thinking, and confidence in generations of young artists. This exhibition is an incredible recognition of her practice and a fitting acknowledgment of her place within Australian art.

Curated by Dr Kellie Wells and presented by the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and the City of Launceston, Shapeshifting: The Art of Helen Wright— is an exhibition celebrating one of Tasmania’s most enduringly vital and visionary artists.

Spanning over four decades of creative inquiry, Shapeshifting explores Helen Wright’s remarkable capacity for enduring transformation.

Working across painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture, Wright embodies the archetypal shapeshifter—an artist capable of moving between mediums and meanings, inhabiting different states, and slipping between boundaries both physical and metaphysical.

Helen Wright’s work responds to a world marked by ecological unease and existential fragility. Recurring motifs such as vessels, birds, and ruinous landscapes exist across media - each one an allegory of contemporary life.

At once intimate and expansive, Helen Wright’s art resists containment and rewards our own deeper interrogations. Shapeshifting is a testament to Wright’s enduring contribution to Australian art, and to the power of art as both container for ideas and catalyst for change.

Art Gallery at Royal Park, 2 Wellington Street, Launceston

23 August 2025 – 1 February 2026
Free entry

There has also been a superb book published alongside the exhibition which can be purchased online https://outsidethebox.org.au/shop/

2026 Term Dates

2026_Term_Dates.pdf

Student Absence

A reminder that notification of student absence for any reason, including illness, late arrival, early departure, or planned absence (e.g. sporting events, family events, etc) should be submitted through the Fahan App, emailed to absence@fahan.tas.edu.au, or advised by telephone on 6225 1064.

The Fahan School App can be downloaded from the appropriate android or Apple App store.

Please do not email notification of absence directly to teachers.

Community Notices

Half Price Public Transport Fares Have Been Extended

Public transport bus fares remain half price until 30 June 2026. The period beyond 31 December 2025 (1 January 2026 – 30 June 2026) will be subject to the future State Budget.

Half-price fares apply to:

all fare types – adult, concession, child/student, urban and non-urban
all services listed on the Transport website timetables page – operated by Metro Tasmania, Tassielink Transit, Kinetic, Manions Coaches, Calows Coaches, Area Connect, and Derwent Ferries
all government-contracted school bus services.