High Notes, Vol 17 No 25, August 19 2016
High Talent
Congratulations to our open cross country team for winning the
GPS Premiership. Luke & Jayden Schofield (12R/M), Eric Holstrom (9T) and Nick Katsilis (11T)
earned the necessary points in the final run of the season to secure our first win since 1996.The
whole team performed well denying other schools points by securing competitive placings in the
events. Great consistency was again shown by our open volleyball teams. First grade defeated SGS
in the final round to finish GPS Champions and second grade were undefeated premiers. The Order
of Australia Association has recognised several High students for their outstanding community
service. Kai Matsumoto (12E) and Andrew McNaughton (12S) received the John Lincoln Community
Service Award. James Nguyen (12) Esmond Ye (12M) and Peter Lin (12R) were awarded Certificates of
Recognition. It is gratifying to see that our boys are being acknowledged for the great work that
they do over multiple years for the community.
Parents Contacting Teachers
We welcome parent-teacher contact about the
wellbeing and academic progress of our boys. Teachers can be emailed, telephoned or spoken to in
person. However, there are protocols. When teachers are not available telephone messages can be
left on voicemail. Teachers may offer mobile numbers to certain parents but others prefer privacy
away from work. Teachers’ work emails only should be used unless a teacher has made other
arrangements with individual parents. Personal interview appointments can be arranged through the
School Office. Parents cannot just come to the Front Office and expect to be able to see a
particular teacher without an appointment.
Solar Project Commissioned
We have commissioned the installation of a 25KW
solar system to be erected by Solgen on the McDonald Wing roof. There will be >90 panels of
280w capacity each and an inverter capable of handling 25kw of generation. We have commenced this
project early to take advantage of peak power generation in the summer months. Thanks to the
generosity of Richard Harding, Elaine Sadler and Keith Shortridge, we have secured nearly half
the funds necessary for the project. I am really hoping that parents and Old Boys with an
interest in environmental issues, will get behind this initiative and donate enough money to fund
the remaining $14k. Apart from savings in C02 emissions, the generation will save a considerable
amount in electricity costs over the 25-year working life of the new panels. Thank you to James
Rudd for his research and negotiation skills to achieve this positive outcome for the school. If
you are interested, please make a tax deductible donation to the Sydney High School Building Fund
via the website www.sydneyboyshigh.com Go
to the donations page. When donating, nominate the Solar Project as your preferred destination
for the donation. Together we can help the budget, the boys and the planet.
Tell Them From Me Survey
Research data from TTFM surveys in 2015 was
valuable for school evaluation and planning purposes. Once again we ask for your participation in
the TTFM survey. The Partners in Learning Parent survey goes live on 26 August and will close on
21 October. Information given is confidential and will not be used in any way that identifies a
person or the school. Additional information for parents, including parent FAQs, can also be
found on the CESE website at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents. Instructions for
parents to access the research site will be published next week in High Notes.
Prefect Intern Elections
Congratulations to those students who were elect
as Prefect Interns for 2016-17.
I trust that they will all work hard to fulfil their obligations and grow into their roles. I
would like to offer encouragement and support to those boys who were aspiring to become Prefects
but were not elected. To qualify to be on the ballot was a notable accomplishment. However,
democracy decides who serves. Successful candidates needed to have a profile across the four
electoral colleges: current Prefects, staff, Year 10 and Year 11. Worthy and accomplished
students miss out on election every year and it can seem unjust and hurtful that the deserving
are not always recognised and acknowledged. It can be hard to take but it is a part of growing up
to deal with disappointment and to bounce back.
End of Winter Sport
As the winter competition season has now ended I would
like to thank and congratulate MICs, staff, coaches, parent committee members and students for
the great effort they put into High sport. Many thousands of voluntary hours are added to the
paid hours in our programs. Without this generosity of spirit, we would never be able to deliver
programs of such quality for such a comparatively low cost to parents.
Dr K A Jaggar
Principal
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