Telephone: 9488 1900 • Fax: 9481 6135 •
info@fitzroyhs.vic.edu.au • Falconer Street NORTH FITZROY 3068
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Telephone: 9488 1900 • Fax: 9481 6135 •
info@fitzroyhs.vic.edu.au • Falconer Street NORTH FITZROY 3068
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LATEST NEWS
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December 2009Principal’s report - 16 December 2009In the past weeks I have attended the graduations of many students as they move from one year level to the next. It is a wonderful opportunity to be reminded of the many and diverse activities undertaken by students throughout the year, to reflect on their many achievements and to observe their personal and academic growth. Congratulations to all Year 12 students who received their results this week. Having experienced my own daughter completing the challenging and sometimes difficult year, I know the efforts they have all made to do well. I am proud of their achievements and wish them well in the coming years. I look forward to hearing about their new phase in life. Not only have the students changed and grown, so has the school. The new senior years building opened earlier in the year and students and teachers have been settling in and trying out its possibilities. You may have seen the progress made on the landscaping of the grounds. New garden beds have been installed on the Michael Street frontage, with shade cloth, paving and synthetic grass to be installed early in the new year. Progressively through 2010, further landscaping works will be carried out. Luigi Borrelli, Janet Gillin, James Bridges and Ben Lyons leave Fitzroy High School this year. I thank them for their contribution to the life of the school and their academic and pastoral care of students. Kellie Maddaford, Anna Burroughs and Matt Clarke will be on leave for the next year to pursue other interests. I wish them well and look forward to their return. We have a number of new teachers beginning next year and I look forward to working with them. Madhavi Gandhi Khericha will join us a Chemistry, Science and Maths teacher and Moya Ellem as a Health and Human Development and PE teacher. Ian Willson, Carol Townley, Jamie Bishop and John Hinman have secured ongoing positions at the school. Congratulations to them all. Thanks to the teachers, education support staff, parents and community members who have contributed to the life and success of the school. My heartfelt thanks to all the members of the School Council who work tirelessly on behalf of the school community to make FHS such as wonderful school for us all. Finally I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday and I look forward to working with you all in the new year. Pauline Rice End of year Instrumental Music Concert
Tom Hoyle Reflections on the IM eveningI played bass with Harry and with the guitar ensemble. I think my performance with Harry was better than my ensemble piece. I stuffed up the timing halfway through the piece, but I recovered well. I think I played fairly well, and I had a lot of fun.
I played drums for a year 7, Kyle and I played in the guitar ensemble. I had only practiced the song with the drums once so I was basically just improvising, but it went all right. The guitar ensemble went well I think, it fell down a bit in the middle but it all came together at the end. I enjoyed performing and I think I played fairly well. I sung backup for Jemima and I stuffed up a bit in that I think choir was better and I think we did really well and I had lots of fun.
I played in the Beats Orchestra and played saxophone and it was fun. I also played a solo song and I didn’t stuff up!! Yay!!
I played Bach in the school music concert with the guitar ensemble. It was very enjoyable. I had lots of fun playing and it was a very memorable night.
Hudson and I performed the guitar solo of AC/DC’s ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ at the end of year concert. We played the first part of the solo and I continued the rest of it on my own, Hudson then improvised the rest of it. I made a few little mistakes but overall it was a great success!
I performed a voice piece with two back up singers, Lily B and Hannah N. I was pretty nervous but we had a lot of fun. We also sung in the choir, and it was really good to work and perform with a large group of people.
I performed with the guitar ensemble and did a blues piece in the concert. My blues piece was called ‘The Turnover’, which Jon got me to focus on as I was learning solos I played it with great skill. In the guitar ensemble I played ‘Contrapunctus 1’ by Bach, I had been working on the song for most of the term and only just perfected it a couple of days before the concert. I made a few very little mistakes in both performances but the audience thought they were not recognisable. Awesome concert.
Forward with ‘Advance’An important part of the Year 9 curriculum for the last four years has been our Advance Program. The important-sounding name comes from the Department of Communities who give modest funding to schools to help students build links with their local community, and enhance their capacity to participate in the wider community. Schools have a lot of flexibility in the way they develop their programs and at Fitzroy our planning is guided by the school’s Careers Strategy. In some ways the Year 9 Advance program acts as a prelude to the Year 10 Worlds of Work, Occupational Health and Safety training and Work Experience. The components of the current program are:
John Davidson, Jet Art - Community Partnership at Rushall GardenSeveral Year 9 students have been involved in a mural project down at the North Fitzroy Community Garden, off Rushall Crescent. Funded by a community grant from the City of Yarra and organized by Jane Miller from North Richmond Community Health, the project has been a long time in the making. From the school’s point of view, this is part of the Year 9 Advance Program and also fits our goal of engaging in community-based partnerships. Originally we had hoped to be finished by the time of the Garden’s Open Day, back in November, but it’s now a case of better late than never. Two community-based artists (Darcy and Seb) are working with Michael, Jay and Elijah to beautify the walls of a composting toilet that backs onto the railway line. The photos show some of the boys in action. The very first day saw problems with the Transit Police and the Victoria Police - teenagers with spray cans can often raise alarm bells with the authorities! But after a few phone calls things were sorted out and the Victoria Police in particular were extremely reasonable. The whole project is fully approved and the artists now carry with them the necessary authorisations.
A lot of our students are interested in this sort of street art and it would be great if parents or their contacts knew of other available opportunities such as factory walls, shop-fronts or fences. By involving the kids in legal opportunities that are well designed and properly managed we enhance the visual environment and build a sense of community around us. John Davidson NovemberNew Principal for Fitzroy HighAfter a rigorous selection process a Principal for Fitzroy High School has been chosen.
Selection was undertaken by a panel of 5, made up of 2 council parent members, 1 staff nominee, a principal from another school, and a representative from the regional office. Thirteen applications were received, of which 3 were shortlisted and interviewed. The panel looked for applicants that not only understood and had experience in the type of educational approach Fitzroy High uses, but could also improve and stabilize current practice. We also wanted someone who would engage beyond the school across the whole educational system. The panel was acutely aware the school is at a cross roads. After years of building Fitzroy High is now a fully fledged functioning school. It is time to consolidate and fine tune processes, and firmly establish, and communicate, what Fitzroy High stands for. To gauge where the short listed applicants might take the school the panel asked them to present their response to the question “Fitzroy High School in 2015, what will be different and why due to my leadership”. Before making a final decision the panel had a second interview with the most promising applicant to clarify areas of concern. Once satisfied the panel agreed on the applicant that could best for fill the role of Principal at Fitzroy High School. That person is Pauline Rice. Most people know Pauline as Assistant Principal at Fitzroy High, but she has a wealth of experience gained before joining the school. Pauline was a teacher in various leadership roles for 20 years before moving to the Northern Metropolitan Region office. There she was involved in the development and implementation of a number of projects, including strategic planning for VET, the school based Apprenticeship program, MYRAD (Middle Years Research & Development) coordinator and later project manager, and Development Officer involved, amongst other duties, in assisting schools implement MYRAD initiatives. Whilst at region Pauline first become involved with Fitzroy High as executive officer to the Planning Committee charged with setting the school up. It was through this involvement that Pauline decided to return back to a school setting, and has been at Fitzroy High since it re-opened. Pauline’s qualifications and resume suggest she should be in a leadership role within the Department, or at a tertiary institution. We are fortunate she is willing to devote herself to our school. And out of all the applicants she was the only one to provide a student as a referee. Although Pauline has been Acting Principal for this year, being responsible for leading the school for the next few years is quite a different leadership role. As Principal she can now plan for, and make, long term changes. She can also articulate her vision for the future with some degree of authority. Antony McPhee Year 10 Boy’s DayOn Friday the boys from Scarlet gathered in the gym for a boy’s day; we all thought it would be a waste of time and we would be better off doing normal classes or staying home. We started with a brief introduction and we met our leader for the day Bill Jennings, he knew we were restless and got us straight into some games. Bill would demonstrate the games and then we grabbed a partner and got into it. The games were tough and really got us thinking and our hearts racing. After the games we moved onto ‘Rock and Water’ techniques and getting a strong stance. We used our Kiah shouts and breathing to form a strong stance and in a circle we made a promise to look after each other and do our best in everything we do. After recess we were split into two groups the first group went to the gym and went through some basic boxing technique and some self defence. The second group went into the library to meet our special guest, Stan Alves. He told us about his life and his experiences and how he put all his efforts into getting the most out of every day, he taught us to live life to the fullest because we never know what is around the corner. In the final session we had a discussion about goals and what we had enjoyed about the day. We all came up with goals for the year to come and wrote them on blocks of wood. We learnt how to smash the Blocks with our palms and when we did so we were making a promise to achieve our goals. In the end our first impression’s turned out to be very wrong, we all got to bond and really had an awesome day. We all learnt new things and gathered valuable knowledge from Stan Alves and we all took something different from every session in the day, which was a great success. Remy H 2009 Art Science Camp Exhibition
Quotes from participants and innocent bystanders: "Looking interesting!" Principal’s report - 20 November 2009Art and Science CampI have had many reports from students, teachers and parents about the wonderful art and science camp held last week at Apollo Bay. Yesterday evening the students shared with the school community, some of the work they produced - photography, film, sand sculpture and a group collage. From all reports the students displayed a genuine sense of community while on the camp - cooking, cleaning, sharing meals and activities together, learning from and with each other. Thanks to all the students who attended and to Kellie M and Peter B for making the camp such a great experience for everyone involved. Student AwardsThere are many opportunities for students to show their special talents and leadership qualities in daily school life. There are also times when students are more formally recognised for these attributes. This term the following awards have been made to students. Australian Maths Competition - 26 students competed in and were awarded the following certificates:
Congratulations to Fraser C, Natasha C, Clare D, Monica D, Jules DC, Harris DR, Charles F, Yan G, Paris HB, Marco HJ, Saad I, Jade JR, Josephine K, Serey K, Scott L, Federick M, Geetanjali M, Jayden M, Leah N, Andy P, Cameron P, Eleanor P, Jason P, Michael P, Josh R and Patrick W. Often students are asked to act as ambassadors for the school. This usually involves speaking to a range of adults from schools, universities and other workplaces. I am always impressed with the ability and confidence shown by students to articulate their learning, their understanding of the school and the benefits of the positive relationships they have with their peers and teachers. Six students will receive Leadership Awards in recognition of the assistance they gave at the grade 6 parent evening last week. Congratulations Georgia B, Felix C, Charles F, Lani G and Janaya J and thank you for sharing your experiences and understanding with our new families. Australian Defence Force Awards, Lon Tan Leadership and Teamwork Award - these awards acknowledge the achievements of young people who have demonstrated outstanding qualities of leadership and team work within the school and the wider community. This year the following students have won this award: Year 10 Nikkola MB, Year 11 Joe L and Year 12 Sean P. Congratulations to these students. Kwong Lee Dow Scholars Program - the University of Melbourne's Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program is an academic enrichment program designed to support high-achieving Victorian school students. The Program offers high-achieving Year 11 and 12 students the opportunity to engage with the University and each other through an extensive program of events and activities at the Parkville campus. Students selected as Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars as Year 10 students retain their status as a Young Scholar through their Year 11 and 12 studies and the first-year of university should they choose to enrol at the University of Melbourne. The Program is a three-year program designed to assist students in realising their full potential through creating a network and community of students. Coalition of like-minded schoolsI spent Monday and Tuesday this week on a ‘roadshow’ of 6 schools, including Fitzroy High School. Six principals and a DEECD manager from the Innovations Branch, travelled to Princes Hill PS, Fitzroy High School, Bellaire PS (Geelong), Bentleigh East PS, Silverton PS (Springvale) and Springvale Heights PS. We are interested in joining forces to further our understanding and practice of a range of educational issues but primarily those around personalising learning. Although the trip probably raised more questions than it answered, we will work as a group to provide professional learning opportunities for our teachers - together and separately. The DEECD are providing an academic evaluator to frame a precise expression of the project and what we want to achieve. I think this is a fantastic opportunity for the school community to explore innovative teaching and learning practices in a variety of school contexts. School publicityYou are probably aware of the Shine supplement to Leader newspapers this week, in addition to the TV and radio campaign. There was also a story in Sunday’s Age about Year 12 student aspirations. These publications show the exceptional talents of our students and teachers alike. The end of the year is rapidly approaching and there are many activities planned for the next few weeks. Our Year 11s finish today - I hope they have a well earned break and I look forward to working with them next year as our senior school leaders. The year 8s are off on camp next week, I know they will have a great time. The year 10s have a graduation evening on the 26 November and a transition to Year 11 week from the 30 November, finishing school on the 4 December. Check Team emails and the school calendar for further information and dates. Pauline Rice Uniforms and Individuality - By Bethany A, year 8What didn’t you read in the recent Shine lift-out? Fitzroy High School is one of few secondary schools in Melbourne that doesn’t have a compulsory uniform, but many do. Uniforms originated from a long time ago when wealthy people had servants. Those servants had to wear a uniform as a way of indicating that they had no say and were not allowed to have an opinion. This idea progressed into the ranks of the army and from there into the school system. So even though this information is not widely known the idea might still stand at some high schools - do some students of the 21st century have no say and no opinion? If you were to walk past a school with a compulsory uniform you would see every pupil dressed the same; you would see conformity. I think uniforms get rid of a student’s feeling of individuality. We are all unique; wearing a uniform is not going to change that. Some people believe that a school uniform makes its pupils look neat and tidy - if they believe this then why don’t people wear uniforms at work? If you were a parent would you want your child to have no say? To feel like their opinion doesn’t count? That they are just one student in a hundred that spends every day generalized, homogenised, like they are not an individual? Fitzroy High School values its students as individuals. Fitzroy kids learn to drive sensiblyLast week the whole Jet Team went driving - Go Karts! This training session was part of our Advance Program, which includes a short First Aid course, resume writing, interview coaching, Community Service and career preparation through the Real Game (a simulation of work and community). The Go Kart session has become an annual event and is officially a ‘Pre Driver Education’ course held at Ace Karts in Sunshine. The coordinator, Dino Kalivas, complimented the kids on their behaviour and attention to detail - “These are quite mature students and I always enjoy it when Fitzroy High comes down.” Dino actually remembered every FHS group that has attended his course since 2006. The course consists of several lectures and short videos, driving practice and hazard recognition exercises, then some races. As some might predict, the girls in general did slightly better than the boys and in fact both race heats were won by girls - Mahli and Christina. The fastest individual lap times were gained by Mahli and Carlie. In the other group Lucas and Jem handled themselves well.
The photos show Nas all kitted up, and Christina checking the track out before her winning run. The teachers did not drive the low cheeky karts like the kids did, so we have no pictures of them. And Emily F was too quick for the camera as she left Jamie in the dust. John Davidson, Jet Teacher Art/Science campOn Monday we headed off to Apollo Bay for four days of Art/Science fun. Although on the trip we were crammed onto a hot bus, the trip was worth it. We arrived amongst much excitement and spent the first night exploring the house and the surrounding wilderness. We walked through lush forest to a gushing waterfall where we did some sketching and photography. We started the second day with workshops on photography, watercolours and sculpture before taking an hour long hike to a beach side waterfall. We hastily proceeded to the twelve apostles to catch the setting sun and then had a late BBQ dinner. What’s that, I hear you say, where is the science in all this art? On the third day we went to the rock pools to explore the wealth of marine life that swam there. We over turned rocks and found decorator crabs, plenty of starfish and even an elephant slug. Later we split off into individual groups to work on our final project for display on Thursday 19th Novenber in the new building. We also used that time to work on a collaborative piece. Early the next morning a few people woke to take a misty walk to the beach. They arrived back to frantic cleaning in an attempt to tidy an entire house full of mess. We managed it in record time and flew back home only to stop at the beach and eat pizza. Robert C
Princess of the Sea - By Josie K, 7DAuthor statement: This extract from my novel describes the main character’s thoughts about her future husband. As always, her possessed sister will ruin their pleasure, swooping in and stealing him away to the darkness from which he must again escape. Lovingly, beautifully, lying under the stars on the beach of his special island, wishing this night would never end. Sleeping the night in the little cottage by the sea, being waited on by elves bringing us sapphire wine and diamond Turkish delight. We will awaken when dawn arrives, we will walk to the waterfall and swim with the water spirits, climb with the tree spirits, and eventually, as day turns to night, we will fly to the red moon, the moon of love, the moon of joy, the one place we are not shunned - his creation, our place, us, the night ours, the sea ours, looking down, watching lights go out, watching sleep fall upon the land as we hold each other close. We do not try to sleep; all we want to do is stare into each other’s eyes, all night, all through it, sparkling stars encircling us. We fly down; we explore the treasured islands of his brothers and sisters as midnight turns to dawn, as dawn turns to midday. But evening comes, and he will need to leave, leave and be taken. How? How, why, when will he be back? So strong, yet so weak, without my touch, without me, his power fails him, he grows weak, but no matter what, he will come back, back as his favourite - to my heart. He can live though me, I can change; to attack, or to protect. I am the protectress of the diamond, and among sixteen of our families, four of us command the sea and the night; me and my sister, he and his brother. We need to be together. There is an evil, and we must defeat it. News from School Council - 2010 School Charges and LeviesSchool Council has spent considerable time recently discussing the 2010 charges and levies. These charges cover essential educational items which the Education and Training Reform Act deems to be the responsibility of families. Schools rely on all families contributing to these charges. Whilst the state covers basic costs, Fitzroy High strives to provide more than just a basic education. Fitzroy High's charges and levies differ from other schools. For example there is no "book list" for Years 7 to 10 students to purchase. There are lots of good reasons for this including:
Also many excursion costs are included in the year's levy, which helps to ensure all students can participate in planned activities. School Council has always tried to keep charges lower than most other schools, but in 2009 not all costs were covered. In 2010 charges will increase to ensure we can continue to provide quality education programs and activities, allocate funds more efficiently, and insure against increased prices. Details of the charges and what they cover will be provided in a letter coming home next week. Fitzroy High School Council has made an effort to ensure the charges are fair and provide a number of options to support families access the materials and services associated with their child's education, including alternative payment methods. Fitzroy High is still a relatively new school. School Council wants to be able to support the ideas of students, staff, parents and carers and put them into practice. Council has extended the range of areas to which voluntary contributions can be made. When you receive your 2010 fees and charges form please consider donating to the school. Click here to go to our news archive |
Telephone:
9488 1900 • Fax: 9481 6135 • info@fitzroyhs.vic.edu.au •
Falconer Street NORTH FITZROY 3068 |
