HPGE and CAPA

Creative Community Project

Our High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) Creative Domain Stage 4 students have been participating in a specialised community-based Visual Arts project in partnership with the Berresfield Parish. This initiative has provided selected students with the opportunity to engage in authentic artmaking practice, designing and constructing a functional street library that will serve the local community.

Guided by a Visual Arts specialist, students have considered the relationships between artist, artwork, world, and audience, while developing their ideas in response to a real-world brief. Through this process, students have worked through a cultural and structural lens, to inform both aesthetic and conceptual decisions, ensuring their work communicates meaning and purpose within a community context.

The project emphasises hands-on, technical skill development, including design processes, material exploration, and construction techniques.

This project highlights the powerful role of arts education in developing not only technical skill and creative capacity, but also a strong sense of belonging, purpose, and contribution to the wider community.

Star Struck

15 students from years 7-11 have been rehearsing diligently on their routines for the Star Struck show! The students are performing a dance to Sneaky Sound System’s UFO and will be dancing to Cotton Eyed Joe for their finale! Their out-of-this-world space costumes will be delivered in the coming weeks to top off their looks! Students will have two more rehearsal days at Newcastle Entertainment Centre to practise their dances before the two big shows!

Some cast A tickets for the Friday matinee are still available on the Ticketek website. https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=STARSTRU26

Art Matters – Creative Opportunities for HPGE Students

For the past four years, FGHS Visual Arts teacher Alana Parker, has had the privilege of working as a specialist Visual Arts teacher alongside a professional artist in the NSW Department of Education’s Art Matters program, held at Maitland Regional Art Gallery.

This unique program brings together high-potential students from across the region to participate in intensive, artist-led workshops, developing advanced skills, experimenting with materials, and creating meaningful artworks in a real gallery setting.

The primary school workshop wrapped up in Term 1, with a secondary school workshop to be held in Term 3 for selected Creative Domain HPGE students across Years 7–10.

✨ Expressions of interest are opening soon - Parents and carers will have the opportunity to self-nominate their child for this enriching program. This is a fantastic chance for students with a passion for art to extend their skills, work alongside like-minded peers, and experience what it’s like to create in a professional artistic environment.✨ The nomination link will be will be posted across the FGHS socials - STAY TUNED!

Youth Concert at MRAG

During the school holidays, several of our talented FGHS music students had the exciting opportunity to perform at the Maitland Regional Art Gallery (MRAG) as part of the Youth Week. Students showcased their musical skills and performance talents in front of the wider community, representing the school with confidence, professionalism, and enthusiasm. It was a fantastic experience for all involved and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the creativity and dedication of our young musicians.

Art Department ‘Hunter Arts Collection’ Exhibition

An annual collection of student artworks from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland and Port Stephens for exhibition at selected Department of Education local arts events in the Hunter. Artworks will be selected for the collection in Term 1 of each year and then exhibited at selected local arts events throughout the year. Events where student artworks will be exhibited may include the Hunter Dance Festival, Hunter Drama Festival, Choralfest, Bandfest, Star Struck and the Hunter Ensembles Showcase.

The Hunter Schools Art Collection is a new initiative to celebrate and showcase artworks from public school students in Kindergarten to Year 12 across the Hunter.

Art Club Update – New Day & Location

Art Club will now run every Wednesday at second break in A2. Students are welcome to drop in at any time to work on:

• Class projects

• Assessment tasks

• Catch-up work

• Personal artworks and mixed media projects

Art Club is a relaxed and creative space for students to develop their skills, experiment with materials, and enjoy making art with others. Everyone is welcome — whether you need help catching up or just want extra studio time!

Music News

Pop up concerts:

Year 9 and 10 students have once again been bringing live music to the school community through their lunchtime concerts. From setting up and managing the events to performing on stage, students dedicate their own break times to build their skills while entertaining others.

Year 10 students have also been showcasing their talents at community events, including parent-teacher evenings and Year 7 transition days.

A huge shoutout to the Year 10 Music 2026 students for helping make this year such an exciting and memorable one!

Year 8 Music

Our year 8 students have been keeping warm and engaged this term by practising both guitar and piano in the sun. Each student has been learning about blues music and hip hop in our theory lessons and are composing short raps for their assessment task.

Year 11 Music

Year 11 music has gotten off to an amazing start, with students from a wide range of abilities and backgrounds all working together and collaborating to make this year of music the best it could possibly be. Each senior student composed and recorded a short piece ranging from 8 bit game music, to EDM, to death metal!

Year 12 Music

Year 12 Music students are working diligently towards the completion of their HSC practical works. This term, students are preparing for their third assessment task, which requires them to analyse aural excerpts and discuss their musical observations, alongside performing their third practical performance piece.

Drama

Year 9 Drama

Year 9 have been continuing to explore the new Drama stage 5 syllabus this term in class. They are doing a unit called “Crafting Character” in which they focus on creating dimensional characters from script excerpts provided. Year 9 performed their dystopian script to year 11 Drama and a grand round of applause! Amazing job!

Year 11 Drama

Year 11 are exploring the various production roles that work to create a theatrical production. They have experienced what it is to become a director, and have tipped their toes in poster and costume design! They will be completing their assessment task portfolio as either a director, set designer, costume designer, or creating a promotional poster and program. The play they are studying this term and designing for is the 2003 Australian play, Ruby Moon by Matt Cameron. A dark and twisted version of Little Red Riding Hood when Little Red never returns home. It looks at the absurd, sad, and often comical, affect grief can have on families.

Year 12 Drama

Year 12 are in the midst of creating their Group Performances, a compulsory component of their HSC worth 30% of their external assessment mark. There are two groups of students creating their performances which explore the weird and accidental creation of a killer gremlin, and the sordid deaths of a group of notable individuals! The students have been working hard to embed a range of theatrical techniques and styles to create pieces that are engaging, comic, and thought-provoking. Students attended Callaghan College Jesmond Senior Campus in week 4 to participate in two workshops focusing on the creation of their Individual Projects (students from FGHS are rehearsing performances and creating costume design portfolios) and their Group Performances. They worked with experts from around the state to craft engaging and sophisticated pieces of theatre. Some of the students performed their monologues for the group of students from Hunter and Central Coast schools which was an amazing opportunity and took real courage. Congratulations to all of these students and continue working hard on your Individual Project and Group Performance!

Visual Art

Year 7 Visual Arts – Op Art Cubes

Our Year 7 Visual Arts students have been exploring the exciting world of Op Art through the creation of their own optical illusion cube drawings.

Students investigated how artists used the Elements of Art to trick the eye and create the illusion of depth and movement on a flat surface. Using careful ruler work, shading techniques, and colour blending, students transformed simple geometric forms into impressive three-dimensional cube designs.

Throughout the project, students demonstrated creativity, patience, and strong problem-solving skills as they experimented with visual effects and developed their understanding of perspective and illusion. It has been fantastic to see students engaging enthusiastically with the task and building confidence in their technical drawing abilities.

The final artworks are vibrant, eye-catching, and showcase the wonderful creativity developing within our Year 7 Visual Arts classrooms. Well done to all students involved!

Year 8 Visual Arts – Figurative Sculpture

Our Year 8 Visual Arts students have been developing their sculpture skills through the creation of expressive human figures using a range of sculptural construction techniques.

Students explored how artists use wire armatures, plaster processes, and three-dimensional form to create structure and movement within sculpture. Beginning with wire frameworks, students carefully shaped and constructed human forms before applying plaster techniques to build surface and detail.

Throughout the project, students experimented with balance, proportion, texture, and pose while learning how sculptural materials can be manipulated to communicate form and character. It has been wonderful to see students challenge themselves creatively and develop confidence working with new materials and processes.

The final sculptures showcase impressive creativity, problem-solving, and craftsmanship, highlighting the growing artistic skills of our Year 8 Visual Arts students.

Year 11 Visual Art

Year 11 Visual Arts students have been investigating a wide range of art movements, beginning with the Classical Art period and progressing through to the Modern Art movements studied this term.

Last term, students explored historical artmaking practices by recreating a classical artwork, developing their observational drawing, technical skills, and understanding of traditional artistic conventions. This term, students have been challenged to create an artwork inspired by the artmaking practice of Frida Kahlo, while incorporating their own personal artistic style and ideas.

Throughout the unit, students have participated in weekly practical workshops and tutorials exploring a variety of mediums and techniques, including drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media processes. These activities have encouraged experimentation, creative risk-taking, and the development of individual artistic practice.

It has been fantastic to see students building confidence in both their technical abilities and conceptual thinking as they continue to develop their own creative voice within Visual Arts.

Congratulations to Gwyniveve Ireland, Abbie Leonard, Brock McFadyen, Dhivyaa Letchumanan, Breanna Fullick, Claudia Coggan, Keilana Henry and Taniela Masima whose artworks were recently selected for display at the Maitland District Office.

The displayed works showcased the creativity, technical skill, and individuality of our students, reflecting the dedication and effort they have put into developing their artmaking practice throughout the year.

Photography and Digital Media

Year 9

Year 9 Photography students have been developing their understanding of how to use a camera and apply the compositional rules of photography to create engaging images.

Throughout the unit, students practised using Compact cameras while experimenting with different viewpoints and compositions to improve the visual impact of their photographs. It has been fantastic to see students building confidence with camera equipment and developing their creative eye behind the lens.

We look forward to seeing how students continue to apply these techniques within their future photographic projects!

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