Around the Senior School

Library

Mr Nathan Short brought his Year 9 Elective PDHPE - PASS class to the Library on Friday, 24 April.

Physical Activity and Sports (PASS) is a practical and engaging elective that explores how sport, physical activity and movement connect with media, performance, society and culture. In PASS, students don’t just play sport. They learn to analyse, communicate and report on sport, including a strong focus on sports journalism and media.

As part of their course, Mr Short has asked the students to choose an autobiography/biography of a sport that they are interested in and write a report about the person. Being inspired by Mr Short's own study of Dan Crowley, the students were keen to read a sports biography from the Library or from the personal collections of Mrs Litchfield, Mrs Thompson and Mrs McCalman.

They were also given a sneak preview in their involvement in the Junior School's National Simultaneous Storytime which will be held at the end of May.

Snapshot of Visual Arts Term 2

Sometimes the bustle of creative production is an atmosphere that I would love parents to be able to experience. Practicalities aside, I think many parents would enjoy seeing the students with their aprons on and hands dirty getting on with the artmaking process. In lieu of that, here are some photos from the art rooms, with an update on what each year group is up to at the moment. 

Year 12 are busy with their Bodies of Work, all top secret and with quite a way to go, but once complete will be on display at the Visual Arts HSC Showcase on 31 July (save the date!). 

Year 11 are commencing a drawing focused unit that explores the drawing practices of a variety of artists while building the students’ skills. This meshes well with the critical and historical studies that build towards the Preliminary Examinations in Term 3. 

Year 10 are doing exquisite reduction prints using lino carving, based on architecture from the region. A technically tricky process, these students are creating some lovely works which will be published in the newsletter once complete. Accompanying studies include looking at how architects shape our built environment, and how artists interpret it in their work. 

Year 9 have finished a lengthy painting unit, focusing on Surrealism. Using the imagination, dreams and nonsensical combination as inspiration, the works are imaginatively fanciful! The artists of Surrealism are a colourful bunch and provide the basis for current critical and historical studies for these students.

Year 8 have been looking at Pop Art as a movement born in the 1950's, significant for celebrating and critiquing consumer culture, and as relevant as ever today. This provided a good introduction to lino printing, as well as a learning opportunity in the areas of design, colour and mark making. 

Year 7 completed a unit on the elements of art, before diving into ceramics, creating sea themed vessels. Learning a range of hand-building techniques they were able to create hugely varied forms, before glazing in a way to highlight the intricate surface textures. 

Qantas Flight Operations Work Experience Program

Edward Ashton was recently part of the Qantas Flight Operations Work Experience Program. We received some lovely feedback on his experience:  

"Given the level of interest we receive each year, it is a real credit to Edward Ashton to have been selected for the program.

I wanted to take the opportunity to share some very positive feedback regarding Edward. He has been consistently engaging, responsible, and has represented the school exceptionally well throughout his participation. 

This week, we have four students with us learning about how we run our flying operations, with a particular focus on flight crew roles. The students have supported each other extremely well, and I’ve been informed that this is the strongest group we’ve had across the four years of the program.

This reflects very positively on the school, and particularly on the way Edward has engaged with us during his time here. 

I wish Edward every success in his future endeavours."

Captain Adam Buckley

Qantas Airways Limited