Telephone: 9488 1900 • Fax: 9481 6135 •
info@fitzroyhs.vic.edu.au • Falconer Street NORTH FITZROY 3068
SapphireIndigo Jet Scarlet (Post Compulsory) |
|
|
|
|
Telephone: 9488 1900 • Fax: 9481 6135 •
info@fitzroyhs.vic.edu.au • Falconer Street NORTH FITZROY 3068
|
||||
| Our TeamsSapphireIndigo Jet Scarlet (Post Compulsory) |
||||
|
School Email and Bulletin Board |
November - December 2008Click on the following links to access:
Principal’s Report - 17 December 2008Year 12 resultsCongratulations to Meaghan Sheehan, the Dux of the school, who achieved a TER of 98.4. Other students also achieved at a high level with 7% receiving a study score of 40 or above (A+). Our careers teacher, Sandra Dickins, has been working with the students and their families this week looking at post school options now that they have their results. Many students worked extremely hard over the course of the year and received results that reflected their effort. I also congratulate all those who took up the challenges presented to them and achieved at a high level. Due to the size of our cohort at Year 12 nearly 40% of the Unit 3&4 studies undertaken were by Year 11 students. They did very well and have learnt valuable lessons for next year. The school has also learnt a great deal from our first experience of Year 12 in the 21st century. We will take these learnings and apply them across the school next year when we enter the new senior school building. Building WorksThe latest schedule has us taking possession of the ground and first floors of the new building on February 9 next year. This is the start of the second week of school. We have put into place plans to enable all classes to run in that first week. Green PowerIn the last newsletter an advertisement for jackgreen energy for greenpower appeared. It has been pointed out to us that, in the interests of balanced decision making, and for FHS not to be seen as endorsing this particular company, it might be worth notifying our newsletter readers of the complexities of buying greenpower by directing you to http://www.greenelectricitywatch.org.au//index.php. This site is maintained jointly by the Australian Conservation Foundation, Total Environment Centre and the World Wildlife Federation, and explains these complexities. It also has a rating service for greenpower providers so that interested buyers can check for themselves how jackgreen compares with other providers. ReportsThese are being distributed to students or mailed out today and tomorrow. Start of next yearThe school will be open from Wednesday January 21, 2009. Students start back on Monday February 2, 2009 at 8:45 a.m. Advisory classes are moving back to the start of the day so students should report to their team. ChristmasI hope that you all have a peaceful and joyous Christmas and look forward to seeing you in the New Year. Tim Fitzgerald A Fitzroy High Cabaret
The night was a hot humid one, but that didn’t stop Fitzroy High showcasing its many talents from all years on the night of the cabaret. Acts ranged from discoveries of stage presence and acting; from Eve T to the well-known performers such as myself and Oskar J W rocking out with a ukulele medley. Whilst performers were on stage the committed teachers behind the cabaret extravaganza were frantically running around making sure everything was in check. Without the teachers, especially Matthew Thomas, this event wouldn’t have been the signature, high quality cabaret that Fitzroy high produces every year. “A great representation of Fitzroy High’s many talents” quoted Eleanor D after an extensive interview with her subject to the cabaret. “A night for all ages, a night of talent from the Fitzroy High students” quoted an anonymous viewer of the show. As the night progressed it just got better and better, at least Maria K sure did think so. The night wasn’t just for performers though; the talented, creative media students were able to display their talents on the big screen too. It was a genius way to have performers inconspicuously set up in between performances. As the night came to a close we had an amazing performance from Haze showing originality, creativity, genius and musicianship from the band. I think many who have witnessed the performances would agree that they are rising stars in the Australian music scene. After astonishing performances from Haze it was time to pack up and go home. I hope Maria K got home safely. James I.
Arnica (my fellow stage manager) worked hard trying to keep things flowing with the guys at the makeshift sound and lighting desk and as we had hoped things began to calm down and really stayed that way for the rest of the night. The crowd seemed to be enjoying the acts that ranged from musicals, to comedy to Shakespearian monologues. Things were going smoothly but some how our tech crew managed to disappear causing a lot of havoc. This forced Tom, Matt, Arnica and I to get out on stage to organise props, instruments and the like until our tech crew reappeared with their soft drinks in hand. All in all I was very happy with the night. The performance, though crazy as it was, still managed to work out okay. I’d also like to thank Arnica for keeping things under control when I was busy. Without her I think things would have gone pear-shaped. By Simon I, Stage Manager and Performer Principal’s Report - 28 November 2008Cabaret
I would like to congratulate all who made the cabaret on Wednesday night a wonderful celebration of creativity and disciplined performance. Students, staff and the school community combined to present music, monologues, multi-media and artistic presentations that were of the highest quality. The night flowed seamlessly and the audience responded enthusiastically as junior and senior students performed on stage, on screen, on the floor and on the balconies. A cabaret is a very different performance to the production of a play or musical. We use it to showcase the work of our talented students which may not necessarily be revealed in those more traditional productions. The great majority of the performances and presentations on the night were worked on during Excel sessions. The remarkably high standard displayed again reinforces the quality that can be produced when students are given the opportunity to develop challenging targets in areas that interest them. As many parents indicated to me on the night and in emails afterwards it was a night to be very proud of the students of Fitzroy High School. Thank you to Matt Thomas who managed the preparations and directed the night. Thanks also to Tom Hoyle for his musical direction and to Matt Nieuwenhuizen and Travis McKenzie for their support work. I understand that students will be presenting a detailed report in next week’s newsletter; for some reason they seem rather tired at the moment. Staffing for 2009We have now completed most of our staffing for next year. Dean Pepplinkhouse is leaving us to return to his ‘home town’ of Ballarat. Dean has been a valued member of staff in his time at Fitzroy and central to the establishment of our senior school team. We wish him and his family well as they settle back into a regional lifestyle. New staffSteve Barrile joins us as an expert teacher. Steve is an acknowledged leader in the business management curriculum area being the author of the seminal textbooks in this subject at the VCE level. James Bridges is joining us to replace Dean. James is an experienced physical and outdoor education teacher who has been working at McKinnon Secondary College where he developed an outstanding outdoor education program. James will be taking the VCE Outdoor Education class and will also work in the Sapphire team. Carol Townley is a senior Mathematics teacher with extensive experience in the British and Australian education systems. Carol’s most recent work has been in helping to develop the new National Maths curriculum. Carol will be taking Maths Methods and General Maths classes at the VCE level. Ian Willson will bring many years of experience as a Maths teacher across South Australia and Victoria to Fitzroy High School. He is also an expert teacher and will be taking Specialist and General Maths classes at the VCE level. Tim Fitzgerald Schools 4 SchoolsThe silent auction raising funds for our Schools 4 Schools partner school in South Africa was held at the Fitzroy High School Cabaret on Wednesday evening. The auction was a great success with over $1400 being raised. Schools 4 Schools is an exciting initiative of The Oaktree Foundation, Australia's first youth run aid and development organisation. A unique and innovative program, S4S partners schools in Australia with schools in South Africa and is empowering communities to deal with the challenges of poverty, HIV / AIDS, crime and drugs. Further information on S4S is available at http://www.schools4schools.org/. Once again, I would like to acknowledge the generosity of our broader community in supporting this initiative. Fran Mullins Principal’s Report - 21 November 2008Year 12 Valedictory
We had a wonderful farewell to our first group of Year 12 students in the 21st century on Wednesday night. A function was held in the upstairs room at the Provincial Hotel attended by all the students, their families, friends and staff. On behalf of parents Gabrielle Murphy presented the school with a framed picture containing images of all the 2008 students and staff. Sandra Dickins read out some sage advice from Dr. Seuss and Travis McKenzie and Matt Nieuwenhuizen gave glasses and t shirts to the students as gifts from the school. During the course of the night the following awards were presented:
We were all reminded of past events and the creativity of this group of students; acknowledging their contribution to Fitzroy High School and the special place they now hold in the history of the school. I asked those present to consider the epitome with which Darwin finished ‘On The Origin of Species’. After pulling together the many strands of thought and evidence that lead to his revolutionary theory, the effect of which still resonates through our society, he wrote:
Goodbye to our first, most beautiful and most wonderful Year 12 students. CabaretThe school cabaret takes place next Wednesday night and there are still tickets available. I urge you all to come along to what promises to be a high quality event. Carbon Sink SchoolsAs I have previously informed you nine schools are involved in this project. As part of our school's commitment to Sustainability, the City of Yarra is organising an information session for households within the City interested in joining a Solar Neighbourhood. Please click on the following link for more information - Solar Neighbourhood. Tim Fitzgerald Click on the following links to access our news archive: September - 2008 |
Telephone:
9488 1900 • Fax: 9481 6135 • info@fitzroyhs.vic.edu.au •
Falconer Street NORTH FITZROY 3068 |
