High Notes, Vol 17 No 29, September 16 2016

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From the Principal

High Talent
Dibyendu Roy (11E) and Kieran Shivakumaaran (11E) gained bronze medals in the recent invitation only Australian Mathematics Olympiad Competition – a very strong achievement. Dharmesh Sharma (11S) came equal first in NSW in the Australian Geography Competition. Great work Dharmesh! High was ranked number two in Australia in the same competition. Kai Matsumoto (12E) and Andrew McNaughton (12S) were presented with their John Lincoln Awards for Outstanding Service to the Community. Congratulations, boys! High boys received two Encore nominations for drama performances: Ellery Smith (12M) for his self-devised IP No Dirt and the GP The Comedy Comrades Club, by Ellery, Nelson Yin (12R) and James Merlo (12E). Congratulations to the boys for getting to the first benchmark and to Courtney Powell for her guidance and support.

CHS Athletics
High retained the Kippax Cup as the best athletics boys school at the CHS NSW carnival for the fourth consecutive year. David Chen (11T) won the 17+ long jump. Our boys won the 17+ 4x100 relay. Third place getters were: 4x100 13 years relay; 4x100 16 years relay; Matthew Moloney (8S) 14 years 1500m and Luke Schofield (12R) 17+ 3000m.

GPS Athletics Championships
U13
- Kazi Hasan (8S) won the 100m and 200m and came 3rd in the long jump. Rhys Shariff (7S) came 3rd in the 800m and 1500m. U14 – Benjamin Nguyen (9F) won the long jump and placed 2nd in the 100m hurdles; the 4x100m relay won and Matthew Moloney (8S) placed 2nd in the 1500m. U15 – Pico Dos Santos-Lee (9T) placed 3rd in both the 100m hurdles and the long jump. U16 – Clinton So (10E) placed 2nd in the110m hurdles with Eric Holstrom (9T) 3rd in the 1500m. U17 - David Chen (11T) won the 110m hurdles and the long jump. Luke Schofield (12R) won the 1500m and the 4x100m relay team placed 2nd. Open – Elias Hall came 3rd in the 400m; Luke Schofield placed 3rd in the 3000m and Jayden Schofield won the 800m Division.

In the Junior Division overall we placed 6th (2 points from TSC). In Intermediate Division we came 7th (1 point from SGS). In the Senior Division High placed 6th (14 points from SJC). It was a very busy week with the boys competing Wednesday-Saturday for CHS and GPS. The closeness of the margins between schools illustrates the need for in depth participation. It is vital that all events have competitors in them because everyone makes a significant contribution by earning points. Thank you to Kurt Rich and his coaches for the strong season of athletics they organised for our boys.

Tell Them From Me Survey
In anticipation of our external validation in October, it would be really good to have recent data from parents indicating how they feel about certain aspects of our school’s operation and culture. The Partners in Learning Parent survey went 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.

I urge as many parents to participate as possible. Parent voice is very important to us at High. To access the survey, go to https://sbhs.co/pil16  Please take some time to express your opinions about how well we are meeting your expectations and your son’s needs.

Parent Information Evening
This week Mr Dowdell explained the process of selection of elective subjects for Year 9, 2017 at a Tuesday evening meeting in the Great Hall. He also outlined how students in Year 10 could access the courses of their choice in Year 11, 2017 to a similar number in the second session. He pointed out the constraints that exist for qualifying in certain courses such mathematics extension, physics and chemistry. For those who missed his presentation, the PDFs can be found at: http://www.sydneyboyshigh.com/curriculum/subject-choices

Also at that location are PDFs of Handbooks of Subject Choices for Years 9, 10 & 11. I urge parents to help their sons become fully informed about all the subjects and courses on offer at High. Additionally, students should look at the content of these courses on the BOSTES website, particularly in the sciences, so that they know what they are going to be studying in Years 11 and 12. It is unwise to deliberately select a course, the content of which is unappealing. Look carefully before deciding.

Valé Beryl Crockford 1950-2016
This week Beryl Crockford passed away as a result of the severe injuries she sustained when her bike collided with a car on Edwin Flack Avenue in Homebush on August 26. Beryl was Head Coach of rowing at High for several years. In the 2015-16 season she coached the first VIII to its best Head of the River result since 2008. She represented Great Britain in rowing at three Olympic Games (1976-1984) and won a gold medal at the World Championships in 1985. She was a passionate advocate for her sport and for physical fitness and dedication to training. She was a force of nature who made a strong impression on all who came to know her. She will be sadly missed by the rowing fraternity and by our boys who rowed so well under her guidance.
Dr K A Jaggar
Principal

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