Upcoming Events

YOUTH EXPRESS ART EXHIBITION

Are you a young artist looking for an opportunity to showcase your creativity? The Youth eXpress Art Exhibition is now accepting submissions for the 2025 Youth Week Art Exhibition, held on April 9th. Open to artists aged 12 to 30, this exhibition welcomes a variety of art forms, including painting, drawing, sculpture, digital art, photography, ceramics, and more.

Don’t miss this chance to have your work featured in a dynamic exhibition celebrating young creatives. Register now to be part of this exciting event!

For more details and to sign up, scan the QR code or visit the official Youth eXpress website.

ART MATTERS

Art Matters will be supported by FGHS again in 2025. Students who excel in the Creative Arts may be selected to take part in a two day workshop held at Maitland Regional Gallery, aimed at deepening skills in artmaking and creating. Workshops provide opportunities for students in Years 5 to 10 to develop visual art making skills through participating in intensive workshops, encompassing:

Validation of the importance of visual arts, including as an intra and interpersonal expression
Understanding of subject matters explored in artmaking, especially art as a tool to communicate contemporary issues
Experimentation with a variety of artmaking substances.

The two day workshop is delivered by a local artist and supported by FGHS art teacher Alana Parker. Watch this space for more details to come!

FGHS 2025 MUSICAL: 'Rock of Ages' (Teen Edition)

This year at Francis Greenway High School we are excited to be presenting ‘Rock of Ages’ as our musical. The cast have been rehearsing their lines, learning their choreography and warming up their voices ready to perform in late Term 2. The band have been tuning their instruments and learning the songs to play on the night and the prop artists have been busy building and creating the scenery.

It is going to be a fantastic show so keep an eye out for tickets so you don’t miss it!!

DRAMA

Year 10 Drama:

Year 10 Drama has started the year with a bang! Masked Theatre is the focus for this term with students engaging in activities and learning about Basel Masks and Commedia Dell'arte. They have also been looking at the elements of production, specifically lighting and sound and using these to create an atmosphere on stage.

Year 11 Drama:

Year 11 Drama have been exploring the fundamentals of improvisation in class through a range of Drama games and short playbuilt pieces. Students have excelled in exploring physical comedy in their absurd short scenes for example genies on employee performance plans, a fan convention for zebras, and unlikely characters coming together at a local ‘servo’. They have received specific elements of Drama to build scenes around in timed conditions. These scenes have been supplemented by unlikely dialogue as a stimulus to embed during the scene at some stage. Students will soon begin to work towards creating a 5-8 minute original piece of theatre for their Term 1 assessment task.

Year 12 Drama:

Year 12 Drama are well into the second term of their HSC and have been studying Topic 8: Significant Plays of the 20th Century. Through this study they have engaged with the plays ‘Mother Courage’ by Bertolt Brecht and ‘The Laramie Project’ by Moises Kaufman. They have also been continuing with their Individual Projects and ensuring they are ready for the HSC!

Year 12 has already been out and about this year heading to Sydney to view Onstage, which is a selection of outstanding major works by HSC Drama students in NSW including individual and group performance, and individual projects.They also had the chance to participate in workshops at the Sydney Theatre Company.

Music

Year 8:

Year 8 have been learning about different forms of musical notation through the lens of Australian music. Students have listened to classic pub rock, traditional folk country, Aboriginal surf rock as well as traditional Aboriginal music. They have also been working on their practical skills with simple clapping and singing games, ukulele, keyboard and drums.

Year 9:

Year 9 have been exploring music from around the world, focusing on instruments, culture, timbre, and rhythm. Students have been practising how to analyse music from different cultures and develop thoughtful responses to questions. In practical lessons, they have been improving their skills through drumming, singing scales, drumming, and working on their chosen instruments. Many students from this cohort have even been working tirelessly outside school hours, learning, practising and rehearsing for upcoming musicals.

Year 10:

Year 10 have been diving into rock music, with a focus on complex time signatures and identifying stressed, accented, dominant, and weak beats. Students have been copying rhythms and scales found in rock music and refining their analytical skills by referencing all musical concepts and elements. They’ve also been building thoughtful responses through diagrams, drawings, and written answers. Some students have proudly represented their classmates in performances at formal and informal events.

Year 11:

Our Year 11 Music students are hard at work on their first Preliminary Music task, and the creativity is flowing! For this assignment, students are tasked with composing an original song for a small ensemble, an exciting challenge that allows them to explore their musical talents and creativity.

Once their compositions are complete, students will present a multimodal presentation, breaking down their work and analyzing it through the lens of key musical concepts. This task not only tests their composition skills but also their ability to communicate their creative process and musical understanding effectively.

We can’t wait to see the impressive pieces our Year 11 musicians will produce and look forward to their insightful presentations.

Year 12:

Congratulations to our Year 12 students who have just completed their first performance assessment of the year! These talented students showcased their abilities by performing two elective pieces, each one demonstrating their dedication and skill.

As the year progresses, we look forward to seeing even more of our Year 12 students' talents unfold in upcoming assessments and performances!

Photography

Year 9:

Year 9 Photography students have been diving into the world of digital photography, learning how to operate compact cameras with confidence. They’ve explored key concepts such as composition, camera angles, and framing, developing their skills to capture visually engaging images.

Now, students are putting their knowledge into action with their major work project—a photographic series that visually tells a story about a day in the life of someone or something. This task encourages creativity, storytelling, and technical precision as they document moments through their own unique perspectives.

Year 10:

Our Year 10 Photographic and Digital Media students have been exploring the art of Double Exposure photography, a technique that merges multiple images to create unique and thought-provoking compositions. As part of this unit of work, students are developing a series of digitally manipulated photographs that connect to a personal concept or theme. We look forward to seeing their creative and expressive works!

Year 11:

Year 11 Photography students have begun their Masters Introduction to Photography, building a strong foundation in both technical skills and creative composition. They’ve been getting hands-on experience with SLR camera operation, learning how to adjust shutter speed, aperture, and ISO to achieve the perfect exposure.

Through metering and bracketing, students are refining their ability to capture well-balanced images in different lighting conditions. They’re also exploring composition techniques, ensuring their photographs are not just technically sound but visually compelling.

With these skills under their belt, our budding photographers are well on their way to creating stunning, professional-quality images. We’re excited to see their progress as they put their new knowledge into practice!

Year 12:

Our Year 12 Photography students are stepping into the world of high-end advertising photography, where they’re honing their skills in studio lighting, camera angles, and professional composition. With a focus on creating eye-catching and persuasive imagery, they are learning how to craft photographs that would stand out in the advertising industry.

As part of their major project, students are developing a comprehensive advertising proposal portfolio, showcasing their ability to plan and execute a visually compelling campaign. From concept development to final execution, they’re working towards producing a fully realised advertising campaign that demonstrates their technical expertise and creative vision.

Visual Art

Year 7 Visual Arts:

The fundamentals in art have begun with the teaching and learning of the Elements of Art (Line, Shape, Colour, Texture, Space, Value and Form). The Elements of Art provide language for students to write about, interpret and create works of art with layers of meaning. Year 7 has started deeply investigating each element in conjunction with an artmaking workshop based on each element.

Year 8 Street Art and Photography:

The NEW Yr 8 elective - Street Art and Photography is well underway with students practising their aerosol spraying skills, along with stencil cutting and layered spraying. Students will be investigating the genre Street Art, using traditional ‘street art’ methods of making art and documenting their work using digital photography. Stay tuned to this space to see some artwork examples in the next newsletter.

Year 9 Visual Arts:

Year 9 students are investigating the artmaking practice of artists Pablo Picasso and Basquiat in the creation of self-portrait clay masks. Students have been deepening their knowledge of the Elements of Art and analysing how to represent themselves and their world using structural evidence and symbolism (using the elements to communicate meaning to an audience).

Year 10 Visual Arts:

This term in Year 10 Visual Arts, students are delving into the fascinating world of traditional Dutch still life and Vanitas artworks. Through studying symbolism and the historical context of these works, they are gaining a deeper understanding of how artists used everyday objects to reflect on themes like mortality and the passage of time. Students will apply these techniques to create their own contemporary still life artworks, exploring realism and the significance of objects in our modern world. It’s an exciting and thought-provoking journey into both artistic technique and deeper meaning!

Year 12 Visual Arts:

Year 12 will have their first practical assessment, week 8 of Term 1. Students will partake in an interview in which they will discuss their Body of Work concept and development with classroom teacher and teacher colleague in a formal setting. Critique will be teacher led with a set of specific questions to assess students’ Body of Work development.

Students will explain their concept and discuss, in detail, the artists that have influenced their artmaking practice and technical experimentation. Students will show and discuss their Body of Work (BoW), experiments and Visual Art Process diary (VAPD) and discuss materials used in developing their BoW. Students will explain how, structurally, they have considered the expression of their concept through material practice and exhibition choices. Students will then engage in critical dialogue about their work/s, designed to assist them with strengthening and resolving their artmaking.

Students' Body of Work will be due to NESA Term 3, Monday of week 7.

HT Morag Ayre

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