High Notes, Vol 17 No 23, August 05 2016
High Talent
Well done to our U15A fencing team – foil. They earned a
bronze medal last Saturday. Congratulations to Roy Wu (10S) and Sanishka Balasooriya (11E) for
their performances in the finals of the Latin and Greek Reading Competition held at the
University of Sydney this week.
Re-cover-e Helps Fix Our Bus
A local upholstery repair business,
Re-cover-e, run by Robbie and Caroline, has fixed some upholstery problems on one of our
school buses. Kevin Eadie reports that the proprietors declined to charge for their service
because we are a public school and they wanted to help out. I want to thank them for their
generosity and support of public education. If you have a need to upgrade or recover cushions,
curtains, lampshades or furniture, I recommend that you try
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
to see what they can offer.
Re-cover-e has premises at 363 Cleveland Street.
New BYOD Charging Station
As another indication of the seriousness with
which the school takes integrating technology into learning, the ICT staff has shown initiative
in providing a charging station for BYOD devices. We don’t want students charging up their
devices during class or by randomly accessing power sources around the school, sometimes
dangerously. The charger is situated in McDonald Wing near the McDonald Wing Office and is a
self-service machine. Up to 15 devices can be charged simultaneously in a secure environment just
by following a few simple instructions based around a personal 4-digit PIN. We hope that students
take up this service and ensure their devices are charged during breaks or before or after
school. Naturally, we cannot afford to maintain the service, which comes at a considerable cost
to the school, unless it is well utilised. Parents are urged to promote the use of this free
service to their sons.
Tuesday Afternoon Library – Extended Hours
In response to SRC
requests, Mr Dowdell has volunteered to supervise an extended study time after school on Tuesdays
in the Senior Library. The survey which occasioned this requested service indicated strong demand
for access to an after school study space. Nevertheless, in the few afternoons of our trial
service, there was a maximum of 14 students on one occasion. The trial is planned to last for
another two weeks before a more permanent arrangement is made or the experiment is abandoned due
to lack of demand. It is up to parents and students to indicate to us that they value the gesture
being offered by the school. The service will terminate after August if student attendance does
not improve. As an incentive, one mathematics question per person may be asked of Mr Dowdell for
the next two weeks only!
School Opal Card
As from 1 July, School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS)
students have been able to use the Light Rail for travel between their home and their school, so
long as they apply to do so and are approved. Apply online to get approved to use Light Rail on
your School Opal Card. Use the ‘update your details’ function. From Monday, 18 July,
students have been able to use School Opal Card for Light Rail travel. For updates or new
applications, go to www.transportnsw.info/school-students. Students 16 years and over must
complete and sign the application form themselves. Applications are processed in around three
business days. For more detailed information, go to the website or call 131500.
The Record
Captains of summer and winter sports teams have a responsibility
to prepare a short report about the season their team had. A focus on the positives is
appreciated and also highlighting any good individual performances. Reports should be submitted
electronically to Ms May. One enduring feature about The Record is the pleasure gained
by Old Boys returning after 30 or 50 years who relive moments of their teenage years through the
photographs, names and summaries preserved in The Record. Co-curricular activities need to submit
reports also. Supporters with good action photographs are asked to email them as attachments to
Ms May who might be able to use any interesting ones in The Record.
Prefect Elections Process
The Executive has considered the list of
potential candidates for the Prefect Internship. Students who have been nominated may be vetoed
for a number of reasons. An important prerequisite for School Prefect is acceptable academic
progress. That means estimated ATAR 90 for students who started in Year 7 (calculated on 12
units) and 86 for those who joined the school later. Strong, ongoing participation in the Student
Award Scheme is the next benchmark to be met. We expect Prefects to be role models for
participation. By the time the ballot nominations close all students should have earned 70 points
this year towards an award. Boys who already have Platinum Awards, have until the closing date of
the Award Scheme for the year to complete their 100 points requirement. Nominees can be vetoed
for recent acts of misbehaviour at the discretion of the executive or because of attendance and
punctuality or school uniform issues. Ms Rigby is the Manager in charge of the process.
Dr K A Jaggar
Principal
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